Hand-operated Umbrella

The present invention relates to a field of umbrellas, and in particular to a hand-operated umbrella.

As a kind of outdoor leisure items, umbrellas are widely applied in squares, beaches, parks, gardens or similar places to shield an individual from sun. The existing umbrellas comprise center-support umbrella and cantilever umbrellas according to the structure. Cantilever umbrellas, also known as side-support umbrellas or courtyard umbrellas, are generally large outdoor umbrellas with large canopy and are labor-consuming to unfold or fold.

Generally, the canopy of the existing cantilever umbrella can be folded or unfolded in two ways. One way is to control the folding or unfolding of the canopy by using a rope through a crank rope winding mechanism. The other way is to control the folding or unfolding of the canopy through a scissor-type connecting mechanism. The two ways have the following defects. In the first way, the operation time is long, the product is complex is structure, and the unfolding or folding of the whole umbrella is conducted by only one rope, resulting in potential safety hazards. In the second way, a pneumatic spring or other energy storage components are often needed to ensure labor saving, otherwise the operation process is labor-consuming.

Upon examination, a Chinese Patent CN201480256U (patent No.: CN200920191513.X) disclosed a folding or unfolding device for a umbrella, comprising a housing disposed on a middle bar of the umbrella and a transmission device, wherein the transmission device comprises a first fixed frame A and a second fixed frame B; a crank shaft and a rope shaft are disposed on the first fixed frame A and the second fixed frame B; a small gear is arranged on the crank shaft, and a crank is disposed at one end of the crank shaft; a big gear is disposed on the rope shaft, and a rope connected to the umbrella frame is further wound on the rope shaft; and, a ratchet wheel and a ratchet pawl matched with the ratchet wheel are arranged on the second fixed frame B. During unfolding of the umbrella, by only shaking the crank, the small gear drives the big gear to rotate so as to pull the rope, and the rope pulls the umbrella frame to unfold the umbrella. At this time, the rope is wound on the rope shaft, and the ratchet wheel and the ratchet pawl play a limiting role to prevent the canopy from sliding down. During folding the umbrella, it is only necessary to separate the ratchet pawl from the ratchet wheel. This umbrella is a center-support umbrella, and is operated by using a rope, like traditional umbrellas. Moreover, the structure of the umbrella is relatively complex.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a hand-operated umbrella which is simple and reasonable in structure, labor-saving and easy to open and close, and safe and stable in use.

For achieving the above object, the hand-operated umbrella comprises a column having a top end and a bottom end; a tilted rod having a top end, a middle portion and a bottom end; a transverse rod having a top end, a bottom end, a lower portion, and a middle portion; a connecting rod having a top end and a bottom end; a supporting rod having a top end, a middle portion and a bottom end; an upper nest; a lower nest; a plurality of long rods each rotatably connected to the upper nest; a plurality of short rods each rotatably connected to the lower nest and a corresponding long rod of the plurality of long rods; a slider slidably disposed on the column; wherein, the bottom end of the transverse rod is pivoted to the slider and the top end of the transverse rod is pivoted to the upper nest; the top end of the tilted rod is pivoted to the top end of the column, the middle portion of the tilted rod is pivoted to the lower portion of the transverse rod, the bottom end of the tilted rod is pivoted to the bottom end of the connecting rod, the top end of the connecting rod is pivoted to the middle portion of the supporting rod, the top end of the supporting rod is pivoted to the middle portion of the transverse rod, the bottom end of the supporting rod is pivoted to the lower nest; the transverse rod, the tilted rod, the connecting rod and the supporting rod form a quadrilateral linkage mechanism which can compress and expand to open or close the umbrella under the movement of the slider.

Preferably, a specific connecting structure of the middle portion of the tilted rod and the lower portion of the transverse rod is as follows: a width of the transverse rod is greater than a width of the tilted rod, the transverse rod has a long through hole extending lengthwise of the transverse rod at the lower portion of the transverse rod for allowing the tilted rod to pass through and swivel relative to the transverse rod; a first connecting piece is disposed at a center of the long through hole on the transverse rod, the middle portion of the tilted rod passing through the long through hole is pivoted to the first connecting piece.

Preferably, a second connecting piece is disposed at the middle portion of the transverse rod, the transverse rod is pivoted to the top end of the supporting rod through the second connecting piece, a distance between the first connecting piece and the second connecting piece equals a length of the connecting rod.

Preferably, the connecting rod is composed of a pair of section bars each of which is connected to a side surface of the tilted rod and a side surface of the supporting rod; each section bar of the connecting rod has two ends and each end has a pin hole, the tilted rod has a first connecting hole at the bottom end of the tilted rod and the supporting rod has a second connecting hole at the middle portion of the supporting rod, the bottom end of the tilted rod is pivoted to the bottom end of the connecting rod by a connecting pin passing through the pin hole of the connecting rod and the connecting hole of the tilted rod, the middle portion of the supporting rod is pivoted to the top end of the connecting rod by a connecting pin passing through the pin hole of the connecting rod and the connecting hole of the supporting rod.

Preferably, a specific connecting structure of the middle portion of the tilted rod and the lower portion of the transverse rod is as follows: a width of the tilted rod is greater than a width of the transverse rod, the tilted rod has a long through hole extending lengthwise of the tilted rod at the middle portion of the tilted rod for allowing the transverse rod to pass through and swivel relative to the tilted rod; a first connecting piece is disposed at a center of the long through hole at the middle portion of tilted rod, the lower portion of the transverse rod passing through the through hole is pivoted to the first connecting piece.

Preferably, a specific connecting structure of the middle portion of the tilted rod and the lower portion of the transverse rod is as follows: the transverse rod is composed of two parallel tubes and a connector, each tube is connected to the connector, a first connecting piece is disposed at a lower portion of the two tubes, the tilted rod passing through a gap formed between the two tubes is pivoted to the first connecting piece.

Preferably, a column connector is disposed at the top end of the column, the top end of the tilted rod is pivoted to the column connector.

Preferably, a pulley is disposed inside the slider, the column has at least a groove for receiving the pulley and allowing the pulley to slide along the groove at a side of the column.

Preferably, the groove has a dovetail-shaped cross-section, an outer contour of a cross section of the column is in a square shape, the column has four sides and each side of the column has the groove for mounting an umbrella frame.

Compared with the prior art, the umbrella of the present invention has the following advantages: under the design of the connecting rod and the supporting rod, a quadrilateral linkage mechanism is formed by the transverse rod, the tilted rod, the connecting rod and the supporting rod, so that a height of a center of gravity of the umbrella in a folded (close) state can be raised to close to a height of a center of gravity of the umbrella in the unfolded (wholly open) state. Therefore, the umbrella of the present invention is labor-saving and easy to open and close. The umbrella of the present invention is simple and reasonable in structure, labor-saving and easy to open and close and low in cost. Since each of four sides of the column has the groove for mounting the umbrella frame, so that a shading area of the umbrella is effectively increased, and a shading effect is improved, and the assembled umbrella is stable and reliable.

The present invention will be further described below in detail by embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings.

show a first preferred embodiment of a hand-operated umbrella of the present invention. The umbrella comprises a columnhaving a top end and a bottom end; a tilted rodhaving a top end, a middle portionand a bottom enda transverse rodhaving a top end, a bottom end, a lower portionand a middle portiona connecting rodhaving a top end and a bottom enda supporting rodhaving a top enda middle portionand a bottom endan upper nest; a lower nest; a plurality of long rodseach rotatably connected to the upper nest; a plurality of short rodseach rotatably connected to the lower nestand a corresponding long rodof the plurality of long rods; and a sliderslidably disposed on the column. The bottom endof the transverse rodis pivoted to the sliderand the top endof the transverse rodis pivoted to the upper nest. The top endof the tilted rodis pivoted to the top end la of the column, the middle portionof the tilted rodis pivoted to the lower portionof the transverse rod, the bottom endof the tilted rodis pivoted to the bottom endof the connecting rod, the top endof the connecting rodis pivoted to the middle portionof the supporting rod, the top endof the supporting rodis pivoted to the middle portionof the transverse rod, the bottom endof the supporting rodis pivoted to the lower nest. The transverse rod, the tilted rod, the connecting rodand the supporting rodform a quadrilateral linkage mechanism. When the use pushes the sliderto move upward along the column, the quadrilateral linkage mechanism compresses gradually, a distance between the top endof the traverse rodand the bottom endof the supporting rodwill become shorter and shorter, that is a distance between the upper nestand the lower nestwill reduce and the umbrella can open accordingly, and when the slidermoves downward along the column, the quadrilateral linkage mechanism will expand gradually, the distance between the upper nestand the lower nestwill increase and the umbrella can close accordingly.

A specific connecting structure of the middle portionof the tilted rodand the lower portionof the transverse rodis as follows: a width of the transverse rodis greater than a width of the tilted rod, the transverse rodhas a long through holeextending lengthwise of the transverse rodat the lower portionof the transverse rodfor allowing the tilted rodto pass through and swivel relative to the transverse rod. A first connecting piece a is disposed at a center of the long through holeon the transverse rod, the middle portionof the tilted rodpassing through the long through holeis pivoted to the first connecting piece a. The tilted rodand the transverse rodform a pair of X-shaped rotation rods, and the tilted rodcan rotate relative to the transverse rodaround the first connecting piece a (the joint between the tilted rodand the transverse rod), and the long through holeprovides a movement space to the tilted rodwhen it rotates relatively. A second connecting piece b is disposed at the middle portionof the transverse rod, the transverse rodis pivoted to the top endof the supporting rodthrough the second connecting piece b, a distance between the first connecting piece a and the second connecting piece b equals a length of the connecting rod. The top endof the supporting rodis pivoted to the second connecting piece b, and the supporting rodcan rotate around the second connecting piece b.

The transverse rodis preferably a metal tube with a cross-section of a rectangular with two parallel bars inside the rectangular. Of course, the transverse rodmay be a metal tube with an inverted “U”-shaped or square-shaped cross-section. The tilted rod, the connecting rodand the supporting rodare preferably metal tubes with a square-shaped cross-section. The connecting rodis composed of a pair of section bars each of which is connected to a side surface of the tilted rodand a side surface of the supporting rod. Of course, the tilted rod, the connecting rodand the supporting rodare preferably metal tubes with an inverted “U”-shaped cross-section.

In this embodiment, the transverse rodis a metal tube with a cross-section of a rectangular with two parallel bars inside the rectangular, and the tilted rod, the connecting rodand the supporting rodare preferably metal tubes with the square-shaped cross-section. The connecting rodis composed of a pair of section bars each of which is connected to a side surface of the tilted rodand a side surface of the supporting rod. In this embodiment, the tilted rodand the supporting rodhave the same width, each section bar of the connecting rodhas two ends and each end has a pin hole, the tilted rodhas a first connecting hole at the bottom endof the tilted rodand the supporting rodhas a second connecting hole at the middle portionof the supporting rod, the bottom endof the tilted rodis pivoted to the bottom endof the connecting rodby a connecting pin passing through the pin hole of the connecting rodand the connecting hole of the tilted rod, the middle portionof the supporting rodis pivoted to the top endof the connecting rodby a connecting pin passing through the pin hole of the connecting rodand the connecting hole of the supporting rod. When the transverse rod, the tilted rod, the supporting rodand the connecting rodare metal tubes with an inverted U-shaped cross-section, the opening of each of the U-shaped transverse rod, the tilted rodand the supporting rodfaces downward, the opening of the U-shaped connecting rodfaces upward, and the width between the pair of section bars of the connecting rodis not less than the width of the tilted rodand of the supporting rod. Then, they are connected together.

A column connectoris disposed at the top end of the column, the top end of the tilted rodis pivoted to the column connector. A pulleyis disposed inside the slider, the columnhas at least a groovefor receiving the pulleyand allowing the pulleyto slide along the grooveat a side of the column. The groovein this embodiment has a dovetail-shaped cross-section, an outer contour of a cross section of the columnis in a square shape, the columnhas four sides and each side of the columnhas the groovefor mounting an umbrella frame.

When unfolding the umbrella, the slideris pushed upward to drive the transverse rodto move from a nearly vertical state to a nearly horizontal state, and the quadrilateral linkage mechanism drives the supporting rodto synchronously move upward so as to raise a height of the lower nest, so that the umbrella is unfolded. In the process of unfolding the umbrella, the center of gravity A of the whole umbrella frame is only slightly raised in a vertical direction of the umbrella, so that unfolding the umbrella is very easy.

The columnhas four sides and each side of the columnhas the groovefor mounting an umbrella frame therefore, the type of the umbrella frame can be single-headed (), double-headed (), three-headed (), four-headed or opposite double-headed (), as shown in.

shows a second embodiment of a hand-operated umbrella of the present invention. The umbrella in this embodiment differs from that in Embodiment 1 in that: the transverse rodis composed of two parallel tubesand a connector, a gap is formed between the two tubesfor allowing the tilted rodto pass through. A first connecting piece a is disposed at a lower portion of the two tubes. The tilted rodpassing through a gap formed between the two tubesis pivoted to the first connecting piece a. Other structures are similar to those in Embodiment 1.

shows a third embodiment of a hand-operated umbrella of the present invention. A specific connecting structure between the middle portionof the tilted rodand the lower portionof the transverse rodis as follows: a width of the tilted rodis greater than a width of the transverse rod, the tilted rodhas a long through hole extending lengthwise of the tilted rodat the middle portionof the tilted rodfor allowing the transverse rodto pass through and swivel relative to the tilted rod; a first connecting piece a is disposed at a center of the long through hole at the middle portion of tilted rod, the lower portionof the transverse rodpassing through the through hole is pivoted to the first connecting piece a. Other structures are similar to those in Embodiment 1.

The protection scope of the present invention is not limited to each embodiment described in this description. Any changes and replacements made on the basis of the scope of the present invention patent and of the description shall be included in the scope of the present invention patent.