US2204536A - Folding umbrella - Google Patents

Description

Patented June 1l, 1940 UNITED STATES PATENTN OFFICE In Germany 3 Claims.

`My invention relates to improvements in folding umbrellas, and more particularly in folding umbrellas of the type in which the telescopic stick members are locked in extended position by means of a latch carried by one of said members and adapted to engage a shoulder provided on the other one of said stick members, and in which in addition shoulders are provided for preventing `the stick members from being telescoped outwardly and out of engagement with each other when the stick is being extended. In constructions now in use the said shoulders preventing disengagement of the stick members are provided on the `stick members, for example by providing'one of the members with an inwardly directed welt, or bending the adjacent ends of the stick members respectively inwardly and outwardly. This results in a construction in whichthe diameter of `the cuter stick member is considerably larger than that of the inner stick member, thus providing an annular shoulder interfering with the easy movement of the runner. In another construction a single spring latch has been provided for locking the stick members against being colllapsed and against being telescoped outwardly and out of engagement with each other, and hand operated means have been provided for retracting the said latch inwardly so far that the stick can be collapsed. In such constructions there is the i possibility of the` latch being accidentally retracted by operation of the said hand operated means when the stick is telescoped outwardly,

` so that the stick members get out of engagement when the person desires to open the umbrella, and for this reason the latch has been constructed so that itcan be operated by the said hand operated means only so far that the stick can be collapsed, but the stick members cannot be telescoped outwardly and out of engagement with each other. For this `purpose the shoulder of the latch preventing outward movement of the stick members is comparatively large, and it projects a great distance beyond the stick members, and further, the shoulders of the latch and the operating parts must have exact dimensions, so that the desired operation is insured.

The object of the improvements is to provide a stick in which the diameter of the outer stick member is not much larger than that of the inner stick member, and inwhich, further, the latch does not unduly project beyond the stick, and exact dimensions of the latch and the associated parts are not necessary. With these objects in View my invention consists in providing separate latches one for limiting the outward movement oi April 21, 1938 the stick members, and theother one for preventing inward movementthereof and collapsing of the stick, the last named latch being acted upon by hand operated means for retracting the same inwardly. Thus the` operation of the latch limiting the outward movement of the stick members is independent of the operation of the latch preventing collapsing of the stick. and therefore it is not necessary that it projects outwardly beyond the stick farther than is necessary for locking the stick members.

For the purpose of explaining the invention an example embodying the same has been shown in the accompanying drawing in which the same reference characters have been used in all the views to indicate corresponding parts. In said drawing,

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary sectional elevation showing the adjacent ends of the members of a telescopicV stick in extended position, the figure showing the latch mechanism in locking position,

Fig. 2 is a similar sectional elevation showing the shoulder preventing Icollapsing of the stick members in retracted position,

Fig. 3 is a similar sectional elevation showing the stick members partly telescoped inwardly,

, Fig. 4 is a sectional plan view taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. 1, and

Fig. 5 is a sectional view similar to the one illustrated in Fig. 4 and showing a modification in which the stick is polygonal in cross-section.

In the example shown in Figs. 1 to 4 the stick comprises two telescopic stick members I and 2,

the lower stick member 2 carrying a handle (not shown) and the upper stick member I carrying the crown (not shown). For locking the stick members in extended position a latch mechanism is provided which comprises a longitudinally slotted metal strip 22 located within the stick member 2 and fixed thereto by means of a pin 6, the said strip providing two latch arms and 2| each formed with a nose I8 and I9 respectively.

The nose I9 of the lower arm 2| is formed with a bevelled slot I3 engaged by the hook shaped end I4' of a rod I 5 connected with a hand operated slide pin mounted in the handle of the umbrella. The nose I 8 of the arm 2l) is not engaged by the rod I5, and it is formed with a bevelled outer face 30.

The nose I9 engages in a slot 23 made in the wall of the stick member 2, and when in locking position its shoulder 25 engages the lower edge 26 of the stick member I. The nose I8 engages in a slot 24 of the inner stick member 2, and

tion even the slide pin when the stick members are in extended position, it also engages in a slot 2 of the stick member l providing a shoulder 3l. l'ts shoulder 28 is adapted to engage the said shoulder 3l of the slot 2l when the stick members are being eX- tended.

It appears therefore, that the lower arm 2| and its shoulder 25 merely have the function to prevent collapsing of the extended umbrella, while the upper noso i8 and its shoulder 28 merely have the function to prevent the stick members from being telescoped outwardly and out oi engagement with each other.

The operation of the latch mechanism is `as iolm lows: While the stick members are in collapsed position the noses iii and l?? bear on the inner face of the stick member i, the inward movement ci the arms 2t and 2l being permitted by the elasticity of the latch 22. When the stick niembers are telescoped outwardly the noses lll. and i3 are pressed outwardly by spring action and they engage respectively in the slot El and below the edge 2li of the stick member l, as is shown in Fig. l, and the nose ifi gets into locking posiil has accidentally been pushed inwardly, because the rod l' does not act on the arm Ztl. When it is desired to collapse the stick the rod iii is pushed inwardly by hand,

Awhereby the arm Til is retracted into the position shown in Fig 2, -in which it slightly projects outwardly 'through the slot When the sticks vare telescoped inwardly the shoulder 26 of the urnbrella i engages the outer face of the nose l and ashes the same inwardly and into the position rshown in Fig. 3. The arm E@ is pushed inwardly by the upper shoulder of the slot il engaging the bevelled outer face Sii of the arm 2li.

ln the construction shown in the figures exact vmanufacture of the parts is not needed becauseA the nose i5 remains in locking position even if the arm 2l has 'been retracted by the rod l5 beyond the position shown in Fig. 2.

The construction shown in Figs. l to l is preferred also for the reason that the forces exerted on the noses lil and l@ act on the arms 2li and 2i by pressure, so that the said forces tend to turn the arms outwardly and into locking position. In constructions in which the said forces act by tension the arms have the tendency to yield inwardly and out of locking position.y

The invention is particularly useful in con nection with umbrellas in which the stick mem;- bers are polygonal cr otherwise unround in crosssection. In such umbrellas the stick members cannot readily be manufactured with welts or inwardly and outwardly bent ends. Fig. 5 shows a stick the members 32 and 39 of which are hexagonal in cross-section- As shown in the said figure the latch Si is mounted so that it engages opposite corners of the stick, and so that it is guided in the said corners when the stick members are telescoped inwardly ror outwardly. The latch 3l is fixed to the inner stick member 32 by means of a pin 33.

While in describing the invention reference has been made to particular constructions embodying the same, I wish it to be understood that my invention is not limited to the constructions shown in the gures, and that various changes may be made in the general arrangement of thev stick and the construction of its parts.

I claim:

l. In a folding umbrella, a stick composed of telescopic members one formed with shoulders, a latch mechanism associated with the other one of said stick members and provided with two independently movable noses adapted respectively to engage the said shoulders of one of the stick members for locking the same in extended posi-` tion for preventing collapsing and disengagement of the stick members, and hand operated means for re-tracting said nose preventing collapsing into non-locking position, said nose preventing disengagement being formed with a bevelled edge in position for being engaged by the stick mem ber carrying said shoulders for moving the said nose out of locking position when said stick members are being' collapsed.

2. An umbrella as claimed in claim 1, in which the said noses are provided on an integral body.

3. An umbrella as claimed in claim l, in which the said noses are formed on arms of a locking member, the arms carrying respectively the noses preventing collapsing and disengagement extending from said noses respectively in directions opposite to the collapsing and disengaging movement of the outer stick member.

HANS HAUPT.

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