Tent – canopy – umbrella – or cane – Umbrella – Inflatable
Patent
1982-12-22
1986-08-19
Hafer, Robert A.
Tent, canopy, umbrella, or cane
Umbrella
Inflatable
135 20M, 135 42, 135DIG9, A45B 1100, A45B 2508
Patent
active
046063668
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
The present invention relates to protective shelters such as umbrellas or sunshades for pleasure or professional purposes or for open-air stalls or booths, usable in any location resuiring protection from the sun or the rain.
More specifically, the invention relates to protective shelters in which the support is offset with respect to the fabric cover so as to free entirely the space situated under the cover.
The most generally known umbrellas are manufactured from a framework comprising elements called ribs and a vertical mast on which slides a slider or lower hub so as to stretch the fabric cover of the umbrella by means of counter ribs.
This central vertical mast causes considerable inconvenience to the user and, in the center of a garden or restaurant table, the umbrella only provides a relative comfort. First of all, caught by the wind, it creates oscillations which make the equilibrium of the laid table unstable. During conversation, the persons sitting opposite each other are inconvenienced by the presence of the central mast which gets in the way.
In the case of large tables, it is often necessary to use two umbrellas, which is particularly unsuitable. In fact, in the case of circular umbrellas, the center of the table is completely uncovered. In the case of rectangular umbrellas a well defined size is required so that they may be adapted to the hole formed in the table, which requires the use of certain tables to the exclusion of others.
But more especially, opening and closing operations are difficult for, once the umbrella is installed in its spike, a downward movement must be made to open it while bending towards the center of the table and, thus, at arms' length make an effort in an off balance or cantilever position. Then, when the ribs move away from each other, the user is pushed back outwardly from the center while bending back to avoid being hurt by said ribs and, while maintaining his effort, he must position himself under the umbrella to finish tightening the slider still at arms' length.
This operation is only tolerable for fairly small diameter umbrellas for, in the case of large sizes, it is necessary to have masts of considerable height so that the slider which stretches the ribs may slide and, therefore, the user has not sufficient physical resources to reach the open position. He must then use rods or pull handles which assist him in the operation. Such setting up is inconvenient, dangerous because of the weight and unaesthetic.
For use on a beach, the central spike prevents proper positioning of the mattress and the user may hurt himself against the spike when he moves.
To partly remedy some of these disadvantages, umbrellas have been proposed without a central mast, but whose design proves to be insufficient. More particularly, in French patent No. 1 283 388, opening is obtained by pushing the slider on the concave face side, and for that it must be at the height of the waist, which considerably limits the diameter of the umbrellas. Moreover, the operations for stabilizing and setting at a suitable height take place when the umbrella is open, which is difficult, heavy and inconvenient. Then, it cannot be closed again temporarily as is usual; in fact all the operations must be carried out again in the reverse direction. It is difficult to imagine all these operations around a table.
The device described in French patent No. 1 250 940 does not allow large sized umbrellas to be constructed, for the slider would touch the ground. Thus, we come back to the case of umbrellas with a central mast, in particular when the user closes the umbrella again he is completely underneath. The slider describes moreover the same vertical path perpendicular to the ground. Opening operations cannot be carried out, or only with difficulty, when the umbrella is above a table.
In U.S. Pat. No. 2,605,778, emphasis is laid on the support which makes the umbrella stand out, and adjustment is made in a fixed way. Furthermore, tools are needed for clamping.
French patent application No. 2 437 178 describes a
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Hafer Robert A.
Muir D. Neal
Plottel Roland
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