CANTILEVER UMBRELLA

Abstract

A cantilever umbrella has a pole, an umbrella body, and a cantilever assembly connected between the pole and the umbrella body. The cantilever assembly has a slider, a lower arm, an upper arm, and a strut. The slider is slidably mounted and is lockable on the pole. The lower arm is connected between the slider and a top of the umbrella body, and the upper arm is connected between a top end of the pole and a bottom of the umbrella body, being pivotally connected to the lower arm. The strut is connected between the pole and the upper arm, configured to be compressed when the umbrella body is closed, and configured to exert a force on and push the upper arm to actuate the lower arm when the umbrella body is being opened.

Claims

1. A cantilever umbrella comprising: a pole; an umbrella body; and a cantilever assembly connected between the pole and the umbrella body and having a slider mounted on the pole and configured to be locked on the pole and be unlocked to slide along the pole; a lower arm having two ends pivotally connected to the slider and a top of the umbrella body, respectively; an upper arm having two ends pivotally connected to a top end of the pole and a bottom of the umbrella body, respectively; and a middle section pivotally connected to a middle section of the lower arm; and a strut having two ends respectively pivotally connected to the pole and the upper arm such that the strut is compressed when the umbrella body is closed and drives the upper arm to swing the lower arm when the umbrella body is being opened.

2. The cantilever umbrella as claimed in claim 1, wherein the umbrella body has a shaft, a notch, a runner, and a rib component; the notch is fixed on a top of the shaft and connected with the lower arm; the upper arm is pivotally connected to the runner; the rib component is connected between the notch and the runner; and the runner is configured to move relative to the shaft for opening or closing the rib component.

3. The cantilever umbrella as claimed in claim 2, wherein the rib component has multiple upper ribs pivotally connected to the notch; and multiple lower ribs, each one of the multiple lower ribs pivotally connected to a respective one of the multiple upper ribs; the multiple upper ribs and the lower arm surround the shaft at equiangular intervals; and the multiple lower ribs and the upper arm are pivotally connected to the runner at equiangular intervals.

4. The cantilever umbrella as claimed in claim 2, wherein the notch has a tube portion sheathed onto the shaft; the umbrella body has a connector sheathed onto the tube portion to position the tube portion on the shaft; and the lower arm is pivotally connected to the connector.

5. The cantilever umbrella as claimed in claim 2, wherein the runner is configured to move relative to the shaft to depart from or be connected with the shaft.

6. The cantilever umbrella as claimed in claim 3, wherein the runner is configured to move relative to the shaft to depart from or be connected with the shaft.

7. The cantilever umbrella as claimed in claim 4, wherein the runner is configured to move relative to the shaft to depart from or be connected with the shaft.

8. The cantilever umbrella as claimed in claim 5, wherein the umbrella body has a post and a guiding hole respectively disposed on the shaft and the runner along an axial direction of the umbrella body; and the post has a conical structure configured for guiding the post to be inserted into the guiding hole such that the shaft and the runner are coaxially connected with each other.

9. The cantilever umbrella as claimed in claim 6, wherein the umbrella body has a post and a guiding hole respectively disposed on the shaft and the runner along an axial direction of the umbrella body; and the post has a conical structure configured for guiding the post to be inserted into the guiding hole such that the shaft and the runner are coaxially connected with each other.

10. The cantilever umbrella as claimed in claim 7, wherein the umbrella body has a post and a guiding hole respectively disposed on the shaft and the runner along an axial direction of the umbrella body; and the post has a conical structure configured for guiding the post to be inserted into the guiding hole such that the shaft and the runner are coaxially connected with each other.

11. The cantilever umbrella as claimed in claim 8, wherein the umbrella body has a groove located at an end of the guiding hole and having an opening communicating with the guiding hole and having a diameter larger than a diameter of the guiding hole.

12. The cantilever umbrella as claimed in claim 9, wherein the umbrella body has a groove located at an end of the guiding hole and having an opening communicating with the guiding hole and having a diameter larger than a diameter of the guiding hole.

13. The cantilever umbrella as claimed in claim 10, wherein the umbrella body has a groove located at an end of the guiding hole and having an opening communicating with the guiding hole and having a diameter larger than a diameter of the guiding hole.

14. The cantilever umbrella as claimed in claim 1, wherein the cantilever umbrella has a base; and the pole is disposed on the base.

15. The cantilever umbrella as claimed in claim 2, wherein the cantilever umbrella has a base; and the pole is disposed on the base.

16. The cantilever umbrella as claimed in claim 3, wherein the cantilever umbrella has a base; and the pole is disposed on the base.

17. The cantilever umbrella as claimed in claim 4, wherein the cantilever umbrella has a base; and the pole is disposed on the base.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0008] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of a cantilever umbrella in accordance with the present invention;

[0009] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the cantilever umbrella in FIG. 1 omitting its umbrella cloth;

[0010] FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of FIG. 2;

[0011] FIG. 4 is another enlarged view of FIG. 2;

[0012] FIG. 5 is an exploded view of FIG. 4;

[0013] FIG. 6 is an enlarged view of the cantilever umbrella in FIG. 1;

[0014] FIGS. 7 and 8 are operational views of the cantilever umbrella in FIG. 1;

[0015] FIGS. 9 and 10 are enlarged exploded views of a notch and a lower arm of the cantilever umbrella in FIG. 6;

[0016] FIG. 11 is an enlarged side view of the notch and the lower arm in FIG. 6 in partial section;

[0017] FIGS. 12 and 13 are enlarged exploded views of a runner and an upper arm of the cantilever umbrella in FIG. 6; and

[0018] FIG. 14 is an enlarged sectional view of the runner and the upper arm in FIG. 6.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

[0019] With reference to FIGS. 1 and 2, a preferred embodiment of a cantilever umbrella in accordance with the present invention has a pole 10, an umbrella body 20, and a cantilever assembly 30. The cantilever assembly 30 is connected between the umbrella body 20 and the pole 10.

[0020] With reference to FIGS. 2 to 6, the cantilever assembly 30 has a slider 300, a lower arm 31, an upper arm 32, and a strut 33. The slider 300 is slidably mounted on the pole 10. With reference to FIGS. 2, 3, and 6, the lower arm 31 has two ends; one of the two ends of the lower arm 31 is pivotally connected to the slider 300, and the other one of the two ends of the lower arm 31 is pivotally connected to a top of the umbrella body 20. The upper arm 32 has two ends; one of the two ends of the upper arm 32 is pivotally connected to a top end of the pole 10, and the other one of the two ends of the upper arm 32 is pivotally connected to a bottom of the umbrella body 20.

[0021] With reference to FIGS. 2, 4, and 5, the upper arm 32 has a middle section pivotally connected to a middle section of the lower arm 31. Thereby, the lower arm 31 and the upper arm 32 are pivotable relative to each other. The umbrella body 20 is configured to be opened and closed via movement of the lower arm 31 and the upper arm 32.

[0022] With reference to FIGS. 2 and 3, the strut 33 has two ends; one of the two ends of the strut 33 is pivotally connected to the pole 10, and the other one of the two ends of the strut 33 is pivotally connected to the upper arm 32. The strut 33 is compressed when the umbrella body 20 is closed and drives the upper arm 32 to swing the lower arm 31 when the umbrella body 20 is being opened.

[0023] Specifically, when being compressed, the strut 33 is capable of storing potential energy, and when being released, the strut 33 converts the potential energy into a force so as to push the upper arm 32. In the preferred embodiment, the strut 33 adopts a nitrogen gas spring using compressed nitrogen gas to store potential energy when being compressed. In other embodiments, the strut 33 may be gas struts, gas springs, or hydraulic gas struts using different fluids to store potential energy and converting the potential energy to a force for opening the umbrella body 20 when being released, which is not limited to the preferred embodiment.

[0024] In operation, with reference to FIG. 7, when the umbrella body 20 of the cantilever umbrella in accordance with the present invention is first closed, the slider 300 is locked on the pole 10 such that the lower arm 31 and the upper arm 32 are fixed relative to the pole 10. Thereby, the strut 33 is compressed between the upper arm 32 and the pole 10 to store potential energy via compressed fluid therein.

[0025] With reference to FIG. 8, when a user tries to open the umbrella body 20 of the cantilever umbrella, the user only needs to unlock the slider 300 and push the slider 300 to slightly slide upward along the pole 10, which allows the strut 33 to be released and convert the potential energy to a force to push the upper arm 32. At the time, the user needs not push the slider 300 anymore. The force provided by the strut 33 drives the upper arm 32 to swing the lower arm 31. Thence, the user only needs to unlock and slightly push the slider 300, the upper arm 32 and the lower arm 31 are drivable by the strut 33 to open the umbrella body 20 automatically.

[0026] To stop using the cantilever umbrella, the slider 300 is pushed to slide downward along the pole 10 such that the lower arm 31 along with the upper arm 32 are driven to swing and close the umbrella body 20. When the umbrella body 20 is completely closed, the slider 300 is locked on the pole 10 again to fix the lower arm 31 and the upper arm 32. At the time, the strut 33 is compressed between the upper arm 32 and the pole 10 again to store the potential energy for opening the umbrella body 20 next time.

[0027] By the strut 33 storing energy and converting energy to a force for driving the lower arm 31 and the upper arm 32 to open the umbrella body 20 automatically, the cantilever umbrella in accordance with the present invention allows the umbrella body 20 to be opened easily and simply via unlocking and slightly pushing the slider 30. Compared to the conventional cantilever umbrella, the cantilever umbrella in accordance with the present invention is more labor-saving and allows users to free their hands for other things when opening the umbrella body 20.

[0028] With reference to FIGS. 1 and 2, in the preferred embodiment, the umbrella body 20 has a shaft component 21, a rib component 22, and an umbrella cloth 23. With reference to FIGS. 6, 9, and 12, the shaft component 21 has a shaft 211, a notch 212, and a runner 213. The notch 212 is fixed on a top of the shaft 211, and the lower arm 31 is connected with the notch 212 and is configured to swing as the slider 300 slides along the pole 10. The runner 213 is configured to move relative to the shaft 211, and the upper arm 32 is pivotally connected to the runner 213 and is configured to swing as the runner 213 moves.

[0029] With reference to FIGS. 1 and 2, the rib component 22 is connected between the notch 212 and the runner 213, and the umbrella cloth 23 is disposed on the rib component 22. The upper arm 32 is mounted through the umbrella cloth 23 and an extra cloth may be connected to the umbrella cloth 23 to cover where the upper arm 32 is mounted through. When the runner 213 moves relative to the shaft 211 and the notch 212 is fixed on the shaft 211, the rib component 22 between the notch 212 and the runner 213 is thus opened or closed to spread or retract the umbrella cloth 23; i.e., the umbrella body 20 is thus opened or closed. Furthermore, with reference to FIG. 2, the rib component 22 has multiple upper ribs 221 and multiple lower ribs 222. With reference to FIGS. 6, 9, and 10, the multiple upper ribs 221 are pivotally connected to the notch 212, and the multiple upper ribs 221 and the lower arm 31 surround the shaft 211 at equiangular intervals. Each one of the multiple lower ribs 222 is pivotally connected to a respective one of the multiple upper ribs 221, and the multiple lower ribs 222 and the upper arm 32 are pivotally connected to the runner 213 at equiangular intervals.

[0030] By equiangular configurations of the multiple upper ribs 221 with the lower arm 31 and the multiple lower ribs 222 with the upper arm 32, the lower arm 31 and the upper arm 32 are prevented from interfering with the multiple upper ribs 221 and the multiple lower ribs 222 when the rib component 22 is being opened and closed. Also, the lower arm 31 and the multiple upper ribs 221 are configured to jointly support the umbrella cloth 23.

[0031] Besides, with reference to FIGS. 2, 4, and 5, in the preferred embodiment, the lower arm 31 is an elongated pipe, and the upper arm 32 has two pipes 321 and two covers 322. Each one of the two covers 322 is bended in shape and has a middle portion and two end portions respectively extending from two ends of the middle portion. The two pipes 321 are limited between the two covers 322 and are respectively connected to the two end portions of said cover 322 via bolts and nuts. The lower arm 31 is located between the middle portions of the two covers 322. The lower arm 31 has a pivot hole 311 defined through a middle of the lower arm 31, and each one of the two covers 322 has a middle hole 323. The pivot hole 311 of the lower arm 31 and the middle holes 323 of the two covers 322 are aligned with each other for a bolt to be mounted therethrough and screwed with a nut.

[0032] The lower arm 31 is assembled with the umbrella body 20 first to mount the umbrella cloth 23 onto the lower arm 31 and the multiple upper ribs 221. Afterwards, the two pipes 321 can be respectively connected to the pole 10 and the runner 213 on two sides of the umbrella cloth 23 and then the two covers 322 can be connected to the two pipes 321 and the lower arm 31 in an operation opening on the umbrella cloth 23. Thereby, assembly of the umbrella body 20 and the upper arm 32 can be more convenient compared to an upper arm having one-piece configuration.

[0033] Moreover, with reference to FIGS. 9 to 11, in the preferred embodiment, the notch 212 has a tube portion 215, and the shaft component 21 of the umbrella body 20 further has a connector 214. The connector 214 has a tube-shaped structure, and the lower arm 31 is pivotally connected to a periphery of the connector 214. The tube portion 215 is sheathed onto the shaft 211, and the connector 214 is sheathed onto the tube portion 215 of the notch 212 to position the tube portion 215 on the shaft 211, which prevents shake between the shaft 211, the rib component 22, and the cantilever assembly 30. The umbrella body 20 can thus be opened and closed more stably.

[0034] In the preferred embodiment, the tube portion 215 of the notch 212 is positioned on the shaft 211 via tight fits between the connector 214, the tube portion 215, and the shaft 211. In other embodiments, the tube portion 215 may be positioned on the shaft 211 via bolts mounted through the connector 214 and pressing the tube portion 215 on the shaft 211. Configurations for positioning the notch 212 on the shaft 211 are not limited to the preferred embodiment.

[0035] Preferably, with reference to FIGS. 7 and 8, the runner 213 of the umbrella body 20 is configured to move relative to the shaft 211 to depart from or be connected with the shaft 211. Specifically, when the umbrella body 20 is being closed, the runner 213 is driven by the upper arm 32 to move away and depart from the shaft 211; when the umbrella body 20 is being opened, the runner 213 is driven by the upper arm 32 to move toward and be re-connected with the shaft 211. By the runner 213 being movable to depart from or be connected with the shaft 211, the shaft 211 may have a smaller length to reduce a weight of the umbrella body 20 and risk of fracture.

[0036] In addition, with reference to FIGS. 12 to 14, the umbrella body 20 further has a post 24 and a guiding hole 25 respectively disposed on the shaft 211 and the runner 213 along an axial direction of the umbrella body 20. The post 24 has a conical structure configured for guiding the post 24 to be inserted into the guiding hole 25 such that the shaft 211 and the runner 213 are coaxially connected with each other when the umbrella body 20 is opened. The post 24 and the guiding hole 25 allow the runner 213 to be aligned with the shaft 211 when being re-connected with the shaft 211, and the umbrella body 20 can thus be opened and closed repeatedly without causing a large deviation between the runner 213 and the shaft 211.

[0037] In the preferred embodiment, the post 24 is disposed on the runner 213, and the guiding hole 25 is disposed on the shaft 211. In other embodiments, the post 24 may be disposed on the shaft 211 with the guiding hole 25 disposed on the runner 213, which still allows the runner 213 and the shaft 211 to be re-connected with each other coaxially. As long as the post 24 and the guiding hole 25 are respectively disposed on the runner 213 and the shaft 211 along an axial direction of the umbrella body 20, and the post 24 has the conical structure for guiding itself to be inserted into the guiding hole 25, efficacy of aligning and preventing deviation can be provided.

[0038] Furthermore, with reference to FIGS. 12 to 14, the umbrella body 20 has a groove 218 located at an end of the guiding hole 25 and having an opening. The opening of the groove 218 communicates with the guiding hole 25 and has a diameter larger than that of the guiding hole 25. When the runner 213 moves toward the shaft 211, the opening of the groove 218 having a larger diameter allows the post 24 to be inserted into the groove 218 first and then move along an inner wall surrounding the groove 218 to be inserted into the guiding hole 25. Therefore, even if the runner 213 slightly deviates, the groove 218 still allows the runner 213 to be re-aligned and coaxially connected with the shaft 211 again.

[0039] Additionally, in some embodiments, the pole 10 may be inserted and fixed to the ground in use. With reference to FIGS. 1 and 2, in the preferred embodiment, the cantilever umbrella further has a base 40. The pole 10 is disposed on the base 40, which is more convenient for users to move the cantilever umbrella compared to a cantilever umbrella fixed to the ground. In some embodiments, the pole 10 may be an upright pole, and in other embodiments, the pole 10 may have a curved design or designs of other shapes.

[0040] Also, with reference to FIG. 3, the slider 300 may have a handle portion 301 for a user to operate the slider 300, which improves convenience of operation.

[0041] Even though numerous characteristics and advantages of the present invention have been set forth in the foregoing description, together with details of the structure and features of the invention, the disclosure is illustrative only. Changes may be made in the details, especially in matters of shape, size, and arrangement of parts within the principles of the invention to the full extent indicated by the broad general meaning of the terms in which the appended claims are expressed.