UMBRELLA
CROSS REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATION
This application claims the benefit of U.S.
Provisional Patent Application No. 61/886,663 filed on October 4, 2013; the
contents of which is hereby incorporated by reference.
BACKGROUND
Technical Field
The present application relates to an umbrella, and in
particular, to an umbrella preventing rainwater on a wet canopy from dropping
on other objects.
Related Art
In a conventional umbrella, an upper end of a canopy
support rod is connected to an upper end of a shaft, and when the umbrella is
closed, the canopy support rod is folded, about a connection point on the upper
end, to the shaft, so that a large space is needed near a lower position of the
umbrella to close the umbrella. As a result, when entering a vehicle in a rainy
day, one needs to open a vehicle door to a great extent to close the umbrella
successfully. In addition, because an umbrella surface wet by rain is located
outside after the conventional umbrella is closed, a user of the umbrella, a
person around, or other objects in the vehicle easily get wet.
SUMMARY
An objective of the present application is to provide
an umbrella. When the umbrella is closed, a canopy support rod is turned
outwards to be folded to a shaft; therefore, a user can close the umbrella by
slightly opening a vehicle door after entering a vehicle, and in addition,
because a wet surface of the closed umbrella is located inside, a person or
object around won't get wet.
The umbrella provided by the present application
includes a shaft, a sliding assembly, a canopy support rod, a connector rod,
and a canopy.
The sliding assembly may be sleeved over the shaft in
a slidable manner, the sliding assembly may include an upper sliding part, a
lower sliding part, and a centre sliding part, the upper sliding part may be
connected to the lower sliding part, the centre sliding part may be located
between the upper sliding part and the lower sliding part, a first elastic
member may be provided between the upper sliding part and the centre sliding
part, and a second elastic member may be provided between the lower sliding
part and the centre sliding part;
a first end of the canopy support rod may be
connected to the upper sliding part in a hinged manner;
a first end of the connector rod may be connected to
the centre sliding part in a hinged manner, a second end of the connector rod
may be connected to the canopy support rod in a slidable manner, and in a
process of closing or opening the umbrella, the second end of the connector rod
slides relative to the canopy support rod;
the canopy may be disposed on the canopy support rod;
and
when the sliding assembly slides from an upper end of
the shaft to a lower end of the shaft, the first end of the canopy support rod
moves to the lower end of the shaft along with the sliding assembly, so that an
external surface of the canopy is folded to the shaft.
In the umbrella of the present application, the
sliding assembly may further include a connecting sleeve connecting the upper
sliding part and the lower sliding part, the connecting sleeve may be sleeved
over the shaft, an end of the connecting sleeve may be connected to the upper
sliding part, the other end may be connected to the lower sliding part, and the
centre sliding part may be sleeved over the connecting sleeve in a slidable
manner.
In the umbrella of the present application, the
connecting sleeve may be integrated with the upper sliding part or the lower
sliding part.
In the umbrella of the present application, the upper
end of the shaft may be disposed with a bidirectional locking buckle and a
first unidirectional locking buckle; and when the umbrella is in an open state,
the sliding assembly may be located at the upper end of the shaft, the
bidirectional locking buckle locks the centre sliding part to prevent the
centre sliding part from moving, and the first unidirectional locking buckle
locks the lower sliding part to prevent the lower sliding part from moving
downwards.
In the umbrella of the present application, the lower
end of the shaft may be disposed with a locking bead and a second
unidirectional locking buckle; and when the umbrella is in a closed state, the
sliding assembly may be located at the lower end of the shaft, the locking bead
locks the centre sliding part to prevent the centre sliding part from moving,
and the second unidirectional locking buckle locks the lower sliding part to
prevent the lower sliding part from moving upwards.
In the umbrella of the present application, the
second end of the connector rod may be connected to the canopy support rod in a
slidable manner through a sliding connection assembly, wherein the canopy
support rod may be a cylindrical tube with a longitudinal opening, the sliding
connection assembly may include a spherical portion located inside the
cylindrical tube and a connecting piece connected to the spherical portion and
protruding from the opening, and the connecting piece may be connected to the
second end of the connector rod in a hinged manner.
In the umbrella of the present application, the
canopy support rod may be disposed with two groups of position-fixing
assemblies, where the sliding connection assembly may be located between the
two groups of position-fixing assemblies, each of the position-fixing
assemblies may include a position-fixing ring and a position-fixing part, the
position-fixing ring may include a ring portion sleeved over the canopy support
rod and having an opening, and two clamping arms formed by extending toward the
inside of the canopy support rod from two sides of the opening of the ring
portion, and the position-fixing part may be clamped between the two clamping
arms to fix the position-fixing ring on the canopy support rod.
In the umbrella of the present application, a
Ω-shaped stabilizer may be provided inside the canopy support rod, the
stabilizer may be located between the sliding connection assembly and the first
end of the canopy support rod to prevent the canopy support rod from turning
outwards when the umbrella is opened.
In the umbrella of the present application, a sealing
ring may be provided between the upper sliding part and the shaft.
In the umbrella of the present application, an end
portion of the upper end of the shaft may be disposed with a water container
with a downward opening, and a ferrule for fixing the water container on the
end portion of the shaft.
The implementation of the umbrella of the present
application has the following beneficial effects: When the umbrella is closed,
a wet surface of a canopy is folded inwards to a shaft, and a canopy support
rod is turned outwards to be folded to the shaft; therefore, a user can close
the umbrella by slightly opening a vehicle door after entering a vehicle, and
in addition, because the wet surface of the closed umbrella is located inside,
a person or object around won't get wet.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The present application is further described with
reference to accompanying drawings and embodiments. In the accompanying
drawings:
FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an umbrella of the
present application being in a closed state;
FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing that a lower
sliding part is detached from a second unidirectional locking buckle in the
umbrella of the present application;
FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing that a centre
sliding part is detached from a locking bead in the umbrella of the present
application;
FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing that a sliding
assembly moves to an upper end of a shaft in the umbrella of the present
application;
FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing that the
umbrella of the present application being in a completely open state;
FIG. 6a is a schematic diagram showing that a lower
sliding part is detached from a first unidirectional locking buckle in the
umbrella of the present application;
FIG. 6b is an enlarged diagram of a portion D in FIG.
6a;
FIG. 7a is a schematic diagram showing that a centre
sliding part is about to be detached from a bidirectional locking buckle in the
umbrella of the present application;
FIG. 7b is an enlarged diagram of a portion D in FIG.
7a;
FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram showing that a sliding
assembly continues to move downward to a lower end of a shaft in the umbrella
of the present application;
FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram showing that a sliding
assembly moves to a lower end of a shaft in the umbrella of the present
application;
FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram showing that a lower
sliding part is buckled to a second unidirectional locking buckle in the
umbrella of the present application;
FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram of the umbrella of the
present application being completely closed;
FIG. 12 is a schematic diagram showing an alternative
structure of a locking bead at a lower end of a shaft in the umbrella of the
present application;
FIG. 13a is a schematic exploded diagram showing a
connecting structure of a canopy support rod and a connector rod in the
umbrella of the present application;
FIG. 13b is a schematic diagram showing a connecting
structure of a canopy support rod and a connector rod in the umbrella of the
present application;
FIG. 14 is a schematic exploded diagram of a
position-fixing assembly on a canopy support rod in the umbrella of the present
application;
FIG. 15 is a schematic diagram of assembling a stop
structure on a canopy support rod in the umbrella of the present
application;
FIG. 16 is a schematic structural diagram of a
stabilizer on a canopy support rod in the umbrella of the present application;
and
FIG. 17 is a schematic exploded diagram of a sliding
assembly in the umbrella of the present application.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
For clearer understanding of technical features,
objectives, and effects of the present application, specific implementation
manners of the present application are described in detail with reference to
the accompanying drawings.
Embodiments of an umbrella of the present application
are described in detail in the following, and examples of these embodiments are
shown in the accompanying drawings, where same or similar reference numerals
indicate same or similar members, or members with same or similar
functions.
In the description of the umbrella of the present
application, it needs to be understood that positions or position relationships
indicated by terms such as "front", "rear", "upper", lower", "upper end",
"lower end", "upper portion", and "lower portion" are positions or position
relationships based on the accompanying drawings and are only intended to
facilitate and simplify description of the present application, and do not
indicate or imply that an indicated apparatus or member must have a specific
position, or be formed and operated at a specific position; therefore, the
terms shall not be construed as a limitation on the present application. In
addition, terms "first", "second", and the like are only for descriptive
purpose, and shall not be construed as indication or implication of relative
importance.
Refer to FIG. 1 to FIG. 17, which are schematic
diagrams of an embodiment of an umbrella of the present application. FIG. 1 to
FIG. 5 are schematic diagrams showing that the umbrella of the present
application changes from a closed state to an open state. FIG. 6a to FIG. 11
are schematic diagrams showing that the umbrella of the present application
changes from an open state to a closed state. FIG. 12 to FIG. 17 are schematic
diagrams of a partial structure of the umbrella of the present application.
Referring to FIG. 1 to FIG. 17, the umbrella of the
present application includes a shaft 17, a sliding assembly 100, a canopy
support rod 13, a connector rod 16, and a canopy 21. The sliding assembly 100
is sleeved over the shaft 17 in a slidable manner. Referring to FIG. 17, the
sliding assembly 100 includes an upper sliding part 4, a lower sliding part 3,
and a centre sliding part 2, the upper sliding part 4 is connected to the lower
sliding part 3, the centre sliding part 2 is located between the upper sliding
part 4 and the lower sliding part 3 and can move up and down between the upper
sliding part 4 and the lower sliding part 3. A first elastic member 10 is
provided between the upper sliding part 4 and the centre sliding part 2, and a
second elastic member 12 is provided between the lower sliding part 3 and the
centre sliding part 2. In this embodiment, the sliding assembly 100 further
includes a connecting sleeve 31 connecting the upper sliding part 4 and the
lower sliding part 3. The connecting sleeve 31 is sleeved over the shaft 17 and
can slide relative to the shaft 17. An end of the connecting sleeve 31 is
connected to the upper sliding part 4, and the other end of the connecting
sleeve 31 is connected to the lower sliding part 3. The centre sliding part 2
is sleeved over the connecting sleeve 31 in a slidable manner. In this
embodiment, the connecting sleeve 31 is integrated with the lower sliding part
3; and the upper sliding part 4 is connected to the connecting sleeve 31 in a
threaded manner, but it should be understood that the connecting sleeve 31 may
be an independent member, and may also be integrated with the upper sliding
part 4. In this embodiment, the first elastic member 10 and the second elastic
member 12 are both spiral springs. An upper end of the first elastic member 10
abuts the upper sliding part 4, and a lower end of the first elastic member 10
abuts the centre sliding part 2. An upper end of the second elastic member 12
abuts the centre sliding part 2, and a lower end of the second elastic member
12 abuts the lower sliding part 3. It needs to be understood that the first
elastic member 10 and the second elastic member 12 may also be other proper
elastic members, and are not limited to spiral springs.
Referring to FIG. 1 to FIG. 17, a first end of the
canopy support rod 13 of the umbrella of the present application is connected
to the upper sliding part 4 in a hinged manner, a first end of the connector
rod 16 is connected to the centre sliding part 2 in a hinged manner, and a
second end of the connector rod 16 is connected to the canopy support rod 13 in
a slidable manner. In this embodiment, the second end of the connector rod 16
is connected to the canopy support rod 13 in a slidable manner through a
sliding connection assembly 19 disposed on the canopy support rod 13. Referring
to FIG. 13a and FIG. 13b, in this embodiment, the canopy support rod 13 is a
cylindrical tube with a longitudinal opening 131, the sliding connection
assembly 19 includes a spherical portion 191 located inside the cylindrical
tube and a connecting piece 192 connected to the spherical portion 191 and
protruding from the longitudinal opening 131, the connecting piece 192 is
connected to the second end of the connector rod 16 in a hinged manner, and the
spherical portion 191 may slide inside the canopy support rod 13. It needs to
be understood that other proper structures may also be used to ensure that the
second end of the connector rod 16 is connected to the canopy support rod 13 in
a slidable manner. To limit a moving range of the sliding connection assembly
19, the canopy support rod 13 is disposed with two groups of position-fixing
assemblies, and the sliding connection assembly 19 is located between the two
groups of position-fixing assemblies. Referring to FIG. 14 and FIG. 15, each
position-fixing assembly includes a position-fixing ring 14 and a
position-fixing part 15, where the position-fixing ring 14 includes a ring
portion 140 sleeved over the canopy support rod 13 and having an opening, and
two clamping arms 141 formed by extending toward the inside of the canopy
support rod 13 from two sides of the opening of the ring portion 140, and the
position-fixing part 15 is clamped between the two clamping arms 141 to fix the
position-fixing ring 14 on the canopy support rod 13. During assembly, the
position-fixing ring 14 is first sleeved over the canopy support rod 13 and is
moved to a needed position, and the position-fixing part 15 is then clamped
between the two clamping arms 141 of the position-fixing ring 14 to fix the
position-fixing ring on the canopy support rod 13.
Referring to FIG. 1 to FIG. 17, in this embodiment,
the upper end of the shaft 17 is disposed with a bidirectional locking buckle 1
and a first unidirectional locking buckle 7, where a distance between two
buckles of the bidirectional locking buckle 1 is the same as the height of the
centre sliding part 2, and the two buckles may be locked at two ends of the
centre sliding part 2. When the umbrella is in an open state, the sliding
assembly 100 is located at the upper end of the shaft 17, the bidirectional
locking buckle 1 locks the centre sliding part 2 to prevent the centre sliding
part 2 from moving, and the first unidirectional locking buckle 7 locks the
lower sliding part 3 to prevent the lower sliding part 3 from moving downwards.
The lower end of the shaft 17 is disposed with a locking bead 9 and a second
unidirectional locking buckle 8. When the umbrella is in a closed state, the
sliding assembly 100 is located at the lower end of the shaft 17, the locking
bead 9 locks the centre sliding part 2 to prevent the centre sliding part 2
from moving, and the second unidirectional locking buckle 8 locks the lower
sliding part 3 to prevent the lower sliding part 3 from moving upwards.
Referring to FIG. 12, the locking bead 9 at the lower end of the shaft 17 in
the umbrella of the present application may also be replaced with a
unidirectional locking buckle 91. The bidirectional locking buckle 1, the first
unidirectional locking buckle 7, the second unidirectional locking buckle 8,
and the like in this embodiment are common buckle structures used in an
umbrella, and each buckle structure includes a bolt and a spring in cooperation
with the bolt. The locking bead 9 includes a bead and a spring cooperating with
the bead, and is also a common elastic position-fixing structure.
Referring to FIG. 16, in this embodiment, to prevent
the canopy support rod 13 and the canopy 21 from turning outwards because of an
external force such as wind when the umbrella is opened, a Ω-shaped stabilizer
20 is provided inside the canopy support rod 13, and the stabilizer 20 is
located between the sliding connection assembly 19 and the first end of the
canopy support rod 13 to prevent the canopy support rod 13 from turning
outwards when the umbrella is opened. When the umbrella is opened completely,
the sliding connection assembly 19 cannot continue to slide toward the first
end of the canopy support rod 13 under the limitation of the stabilizer 20, so
as to prevent the canopy support rod 13 and the canopy 21 from turning
outwards.
In this embodiment, the canopy 21 is disposed on the
canopy support rod 13, and the canopy 21 may be a waterproof canopy or another
proper material. For example, when an umbrella is a sunshade, the canopy 21 may
be a radiation-proof canopy; and the canopy may also be a waterproof canopy
with a radiation-proof function. In this way, the umbrella may be used as both
a rainshade and a sunshade.
In this embodiment, to prevent rainwater from flowing
down along the shaft 17, a sealing ring 11 is provided between the upper
sliding part 4 and the shaft 17, and the sealing ring 11 may be a plastic
sealing ring. To prevent rainwater from dropping on other objects when the
umbrella is closed, an end portion of the upper end of the shaft 17 may be
disposed with a water container 5 with a downward opening, and a ferrule 6 for
fixing the water container 5 on the end portion of the shaft 17. When the
closed umbrella is placed inversely, the opening of the water container 5 faces
upwards and may be used to collect rainwater flowing down along the canopy 21.
The lowermost end of the shaft 17 is disposed with a handle 18 for conveniently
holding the umbrella.
In the foregoing, a specific structure of an
embodiment of the umbrella of the present application is described in detail
with reference to the accompanying drawings, and in the following, how the
umbrella of the present application is operated is described in detail with
reference to the accompanying drawings.
As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 11, which are schematic
diagrams when the umbrella of the present application is in a closed state, the
lower sliding part 3 and the second unidirectional locking buckle 8 are in a
buckled state, so that the lower sliding part 3 does not move toward the upper
end of the shaft 17, and the centre sliding part 2 and the locking bead 9 are
in a buckled state, so that the centre sliding part 2 cannot move. In this
case, the first elastic member 10 is in a slightly compressed state and the
second elastic member 12 is in a loosened state, namely, a state without
elastic deformation, and the canopy support rod 13 is folded to the shaft 17
and the external surface of the canopy 21, that is, a surface wet by rain
during the rain is folded to the shaft 17. In FIG. 11, the umbrella further has
a strap 22, and an end of the strap 22 is connected to the handle 18 and the
other end of the strap 22 is connected to the ferrule 6. In this way, a user
may conveniently carry the umbrella.
Referring to FIG. 2, when the umbrella is opened, the
second unidirectional locking buckle 8 is first compressed, so that the second
unidirectional locking buckle 8 is detached from the lower sliding part 3. The
centre sliding part 2 is still locked by the locking bead 9, and the first
elastic member 10 pushes the upper sliding part 4 under an elastic force
generated by the compressed state, and the upper sliding part 4 drives the
lower sliding part 3 to slide upwards along the shaft 17, so that a second end
of the canopy support rod 13 opens outwards. In this case, the lower sliding
part 3 continues to be pushed upwards by a hand, the centre sliding part 2 is
still locked by the locking bead 9 and cannot move, the second elastic member
12 is gradually compressed from the loosened state, and the canopy support rod
13 continues to open outwards.
Referring to FIG. 3, when a force pushing the lower
sliding part 3 upwards increases to a certain degree, the locking bead 9 is
compressed into the shaft 17, the centre sliding part 2 is detached from the
locking bead 9, and the entire sliding assembly 100 may move upwards along the
shaft 17. When the sliding assembly 100 slides from the lower end to the upper
end of the shaft 17, the second end of the connector rod 16 pushes the sliding
connection assembly 19 to slide in a direction far away from the shaft along
the canopy support rod 13, and the canopy support rod 13 and the canopy 21 are
gradually opened.
Referring to FIG. 4, when the sliding assembly 100 is
pushed to the upper end of the shaft 17, the bidirectional locking buckle 1 and
the first unidirectional locking buckle 7 may be pressed downwards until the
centre sliding part 2 and the bidirectional locking buckle 1 are locked from
movement. In this case, an included angle between the canopy support rod 13 and
the shaft 17 is near 90 degrees.
Referring to FIG. 5, the lower sliding part 3
continues to be pushed upwards until the lower sliding part 3 is locked by the
first unidirectional locking buckle 7. In this case, the umbrella is completely
opened, and the second elastic member 12 is in a compressed state.
Referring to FIG. 6a and FIG. 6b, when the umbrella
needs to be closed, the first unidirectional locking buckle 7 is pressed, so
that the first unidirectional locking buckle 7 is detached from the lower
sliding part 3. Because the centre sliding part 2 is still locked by the
bidirectional locking buckle 1 at this time, under the elastic effect of the
second elastic member 12, the lower sliding part 3 drives the upper sliding
part 4 to slide downwards along the shaft 17. In this case, because the centre
sliding part 2 cannot move, a point B, namely, a point where the connector rod
16 and the centre sliding part 2 is hinged in FIG. 6 does not move. The canopy
support rod 13 uses a point A in FIG. 6 as a support, that is, using a point
where the connector rod 16 and the canopy support rod 13 are connected as a
support. When a point C where the canopy support rod 13 and the upper sliding
part 4 are hinged moves in a direction to a lower end of the shaft 17, the
point A moves to the point C. In this case, an angle between the canopy support
rod 13 and the shaft 17 starts to decrease, and the canopy 21 also starts to be
folded to the shaft 17.
Referring to FIG. 7a, FIG. 7b, and FIG. 8, the lower
sliding part 3 continues to be pulled downwards, the lower sliding part 3
drives the upper sliding part 4 to slide downwards along the shaft 17, the
connecting sleeve 31 of the lower sliding part 3 presses downwards an upper end
portion of the bidirectional locking buckle 1, and a lower end portion of the
bidirectional locking buckle 1 also retracts, so that the centre sliding part 2
is detached from the bidirectional locking buckle 1, the entire sliding
assembly 100 may move downwards along the shaft 17, and external surfaces of
the canopy support rod 13 and the canopy 21 continue to be folded to the shaft
17, thereby gradually closing the umbrella.
Referring to FIG. 9 and FIG. 10, the sliding assembly
100 continues to move toward the lower end of the shaft 17, and when the
sliding assembly 100 moves to the lower end of the shaft 17, the centre sliding
part 2 of the sliding assembly 100 is first locked by the locking bead 9. In
this case, the lower sliding part 3 and the upper sliding part 4 may continue
to move downwards by a small distance until the lower sliding part 3 is locked
by the second unidirectional locking buckle 8. In this case, the umbrella is
completely closed, where the canopy support rod 13 is folded around the shaft
17, the external surface of the canopy 21 is close to the shaft 17, an internal
surface of the canopy 21 faces outwards, and the inner surface of the canopy 21
is a surface, that is not wet by rain, of the canopy.
Referring to FIG. 11, when the umbrella is completely
closed, a user may arrange the canopy 21 whose dry surface faces outwards and
bind it with a bandage, and then pull out automatic retractable carrying strap
22 disposed at a position of the handle 18 and fasten the automatic retractable
carrying strap 22 on a fastening ring on the ferrule 6; in this way, the user
may walk carrying the umbrella on the back. In this case, rainwater on the wet
surface of the canopy 21 flows downwards and gathers in a space above the upper
sliding part 4 and surrounded by the wet surface of the canopy 21. However,
because the sealing ring 11 is provided between the upper sliding part 4 and
the shaft 17, gathered rainwater may be prevented from leaking downwards along
the shaft 17. Therefore, by carrying the retracted and bound umbrella, two
hands of the user become free and won't get wet by the umbrella, and a place
the user go and a person and object the user touches won't get wet either. If
the user carries the umbrella on the back or holds the handle, the handle 18 of
the umbrella is located above and the ferrule 6 is located below, rainwater on
the wet surface of the canopy 21 flows downwards along the canopy and is
finally collected, received, and stored in the water container 5. In this way,
a place and object around won't get wet.
When the umbrella is closed, a wet surface of the
canopy is folded inwards to the shaft, and the canopy support rod is turned
outwards to be folded to the shaft; therefore, a user can close the umbrella by
slightly opening a vehicle door after entering a vehicle, and in addition,
because the wet surface of the closed umbrella is located inside, a person or
object around won't get wet.
The embodiments of the present application are
described with reference to the accompanying drawings, but the present
application is not limited to the specific implementation manners, which are
only exemplary and do not constitute any limitation. Enlightened by the present
application, a person of ordinary skill in the art can further make various
variations without departing from the principle of the present application and
the protection scope of the claims, and these variations all fall within the
protection of the present application.