US2183833A - Beach umbrella - Google Patents

Description

Dec. 19, 1939. FARHAR 2,183,833

' BEACH UMBRELLA Filed May 24, 1937 40 I G INVENTOR.

BY Mod A TTORN E Y,

Patented Dec. 19, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE BEACH UMBRELLA John A. Farhar, Bell, Calif. Application May 24, 1937, Serial Nb. 144,458

8 Claims.

My invention relates to a beach umbrella. The principal object of the invention is to provide coin-controlled mechanism for raising and lowering the umbrella.

A person having a concession for providing umbrellas along a beach, or a municipal or other corporation having control of a beach may provide a series of the present coin-controlled umbrellas, the use of which may be had by depositing a coin in the mechanism.

Another object is to provide automatic means for not only raising the umbrella when a coin is deposited in the mechanism, but also to lower the umbrella when a prescribed time has elapsed.

Still another object is to provide an umbrella that will collapse inside out when folded together.

The invention also comprises novel details of construction and novel combinations and arrangements of parts, which will more fully ap- 20 pear in the course of the following description.

In the drawing, like reference characters designate similar parts in the several views.

Figure 1 is a vertical section through an embodiment of my invention.

Figure 2 is a broken elevation showing the umbrella in section.

Figure 3 is a broken plan, taken on the line 33 of Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a section taken on theline 4-4 30 of Figure 2.

Figures 5 and 6 are face views of opposite sides of a rib and brace joint of the umbrella.

Figure '7 is a section taken on the line 1-1 of Figure 5.

reference character 8 generally designates a housing largely embedded in the sand 9 of a beach, or other desired place. The buried portion of the housing is conical as shown at H] with 40 the apex down. A top l2 of the housing has a ball and socket joint l3 with a tubular standard l4.

The standard has an enlarged section l5 for enclosing an umbrella l6, when the latter is in 45 its folded position. A lid 11 closes thetop of the section I5 when the umbrella is in said section, to render it weatherproof. A spring l8 urges the lid closed.

Movable vertically in the standard I4 is a rack 0 I9- Afioating head is not only movable in the enlarged section l5, but is movable on the rack. The head has a recess 2| for receiving a spring latch 22 disposed in a cup 23 at the top of the section I5.

55 The standard I4 is slotted at 24, in which a Referring more in detail to the drawing, the- (Cl. 135-20) l pinion gear 25 operates in engagement with the rack IS. The gear is driven by a sprocket 26 on the same shaft. A chain 2'! drives the sprocket 26 by means of a smaller sprocket 28, which in turn is operated by a reversible motor 29 mounted on the standard l4 within the housing 8.

A time mechanism capable of being actuated by a coin is generally designated at 30. Said mechanism may be of any desired form that initially closes the circuit for the motor 29,

whereby it rotates in a counter-clockwise direction,'as it is shown in Figure '1. This direction of rotation will cause the umbrella to be raised. After a predetermined time, such as, say, an hour, the time mechanism 30 .actuates a. reversing switch 3|, which reverses the motor 29, whereby it rotates in a clockwise direction, to lower the umbrella into the standard section IS. The. details of the coin-controlled, time mechanism 3D and of the reversing switch 3| may be of any conventional form, known to those skilled in the art. Further illustration and description of same are, therefore, deemed unnecessary.-

An underground conduit 32 is provided for wires 33 to and from a source (not shown). Wires 34 connect the coin-controlled, time mechanism 3D with the reversing switch 3|. Wires 35 connect the reversing switch 3| with the motor 29. The circuit is thereby completed.

The umbrella I6 is not of conventional form. The present umbrella collapses the opposite from the usual form, to wit, inside out. The head 2|] carries a series of apertured lugs 36 in which are hooked bent ends 31 of braces 38 of the umbrella. Ribs 39 support the fabric material 40 of the umbrella. Inner ends of the ribs 39 are hooked and pivoted in loops 4| at the top of the rack IS.- The outer ends of the ribs are suitably fastened to the outer circumference of the fabric covering 40.

The outer ends of the braces 38 are pivoted in brackets 42. The brackets contain knuckles 43 that are secured in proper position along the ribs. The outer ends are bent, as best shown at 44 in Figure 7. Said bent ends are inserted in eyes in the brackets, thus obtaining a pivoted connection between the braces and the brackets. Lips 45 of the brackets are bent over to keep the bent ends of the braces from escaping. Rivets 46 fasten the knuckles 43 down, whereby they firmly grip the ribs.

In the use of the invention, a person drops a coin in a coin slot 41 of the coin-controlled time mechanism 30. A knob 48 is provided to move the coin into operative position in said mechanism. The circuit for the motor is closed, whereby the umbrella is moved upward out of the enclosing section l5. This movement of the umbrella raises the lid l1 against the action of the spring I8.

Upward movement of the rack [9 draws the floating head 20 upward also, until it is caught by the spring latch 22. At this point the umbrella is still substantially collapsed inside out, as generally indicated in broken lines in Figure 1. The rack thereafter continues its upward movement, which causes the umbrella to spread, since the floating head 20 is stopped in its upward movement by the top of the section H5.

The ball and socket connection l3 permits the umbrella to be tipped into the sun in numerous directions. Tipping in one direction is indicated by the broken lines in Figure 1. When the umbrella is tipped, the motor 29, gear 25, sprocket 26 and chain 27, which are supported on the standard l4, follow such movement. The flexibility for such movement is found in the wires 34.

At the end of the period paid for by the coin dropped in the mechanism 38!, the motor is automatically reversed by the switch 3!, whereby the umbrella is lowered. If the umbrella is tipped at the time the lowering movement begins, the lower end of the rack l9 engages the sharply inclined lower sides of the housing It, which defleets the standard gradually to a vertical position.

The first lowering movement of the umbrella is the descent of the rack Hi. This causes a collapsing of the umbrella inside out. After the braces 38 collapse partially toward the rack, continued movement of the rack dislodges the floating head from its spring latch, due to the force applied to said head through the ribs 39 and braces 38.

By the time the head 29 has reached the bottom of the section [5, the umbrella is enclosed in said section, and the spring I8 closes the lid H. The apparatus is then ready for its next cycle of operation.

While I have illustrated and described what I now regard as the preferred embodiment of my invention, the construction is, of course, subject to modifications without departing from the spirit of my invention. 1, therefore, do not wish to restrict myself to the particular form of construction illustrated and described, but desire to avail myself of all modifications which may fall within the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In combination, an umbrella having a frame, means movable in opposite directions connected to open and collapse the frame by its said respective movements, a standard for the umbrella, and a housing having a ball and socket connection with the standard, whereby the umbrella may be tilted, the housing having an inclined side, said means being arranged toengage the inclined side when the umbrella is tilted and to follow the side whereby to straighten up the umbrella as the frame is moved to a collapsed position.

2. In combination, an umbrella having a frame comprising ribs and braces, a standard for supporting the frame, a rack movable on the standard, a head floating on the standard, separate pivotal connections between the ribs and the rack and between the braces and the head, a pinion for driving the rack, latch means for maintaining the head in a predetermined position relative to the standard, the rack being mounted to be driven by the pinion relative to the maintained position of the head, whereby to move the frame toward and from an open position.

3. In combination, an umbrella having a frame comprising ribs and braces, a rack connected with the ribs, a head floating relative to the rack, a standard in which the umbrella is collapsible, a spring catch to hold the head in a predetermined position when the umbrella is open, and a driven pinion arranged to drive the rack, the rack collapsing the umbrella inside out and moving same within the standard, said movement releasing the head from its spring latch, to continue the collapsing movement of the umbrella.

4. In combination, an umbrella having a frame comprising ribs and braces, a standard for supporting the frame, a rack movable on the standard to raise and lower the frame by movement of the rack in opposite directions, a head floating on the standard, connections between the frame and the rack and head, means tolimit the movement of the head, and a pinion mounted to drive the rack in opposite directions, relative to the limited position of the head.

5. In combination, an umbrella having a frame, driving means movable in opposite directions connected to open and collapse the frame by its said respective movements, a support for the frame, an element mounting the support for tilting movement, and means tending to automatically straighten up the umbrella vertically as the driving means moves the frame to a collapsed position.

6. In combination, an umbrella having a frame, a normally upright member connected with the frame, a head floating on said member and connected with the frame, and means to limit the movement of the head, said member movable in opposite directions, relative to the limited position of the head, whereby to move the frame toward and from an open position.

'7. In an umbrella, a frame comprising ribs and braces pivotally connected together, said pivotal connections having fixed axes, a standard connected with the ribs, a head movable on the standard and connected with the braces, and means to limit the movement of the head, the connection of the standard with the ribs being movable .from a position in which the frame is open, toward the head, to collapse the umbrella inside out.

8. In combination, an umbrella having a frame, means movable in opposite directions connected to open andcollapse the frame by its said respective movements, a housing having an inclined side, a standard for the umbrella having a tiltable connection with the housing, said means being arranged to engage the inclined side of the housing when the umbrella is tilted and to follow the side whereby to straighten up the umbrella as the frame is moved to a collapsed position.

JOHN A. FARHAR.

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