Tent – canopy – umbrella – or cane – Umbrella – Nonsymmetrical – axially offset – or inclined canopy
Reexamination Certificate
2002-09-24
2004-04-27
Yip, Winnie S. (Department: 3637)
Tent, canopy, umbrella, or cane
Umbrella
Nonsymmetrical, axially offset, or inclined canopy
C135S098000, C135S021000, C135S020300
Reexamination Certificate
active
06725870
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to a simple hanging parasol, particularly to one provided with an upper ring and a lower ring to be automatically fitting with each other in expanding or collapsing a canopy in conjunction with a elastic pulling member provided between the lower ring and one of spreaders, so as to conveniently handle the parasol.
A conventional hanging parasol shown in
FIGS. 1 and 2
, includes a hanging shank
1
and a parasol body
2
supported by the hanging shank
1
. Then the shank has a fix base
11
fixed on top of the shank
1
and a slide sleeve
12
fitting movably around the shank
1
below the fix base
11
. The shank
1
has its lower end fixed firmly on the ground or the like. The parasol body
2
consists of a plurality of ribs
21
, and a plurality of spreaders
22
, an upper ring
24
, and a lower ring
25
and a canopy
23
supported on the ribs
21
. The ribs
21
,
21
a
have their upper ends pivotally connected to the upper ring
24
positioned in the center of the canopy
23
in radial condition, and the upper ring
24
has its lower end connected with a conical insert rod
241
, which has a stop lip
2410
formed in an intermediate portion. The lower ring
25
is located under the upper ring
24
and pivotally connected with inner ends of the spreaders
22
,
22
a
in a radial condition. The spreaders
22
,
22
a
have their outer ends pivotally connected to intermediate portions of the ribs
21
,
22
a
. The lower ring
25
has a tubular base
251
formed to extend upward from an upper end, and the tubular base
251
may be inserted by or separated from the insert rod
241
of the upper ring
24
in case of expanding or collapsing the parasol body
2
.
One of the ribs
21
a
and one of the spreaders
22
a
intercross with each other and pivotally connected with each other, with the outer end of the rib
21
a
pivotally connected with the slide sleeve
12
of the shank
1
, and with the outer end of the spreader
22
a
is pivotally connected with the fix base
11
, as shown in FIG.
1
. Therefore, the rib
21
a
and the spreader
22
a
combine the parasol body
2
with the shank
1
, and prop up the whole weight of the parasol together.
In using the conventional parasol, if the slide sleeve
12
is moved manually down along the shank
1
from an expanded condition shown in
FIG. 1
to a collapsed condition shown in
FIG. 3
, the rib
21
a
may forces the other ribs
21
and all the spreaders
22
,
22
a
swing down to move nearer to the shank
1
and finally lie along the shank
1
in a collapsed condition (as shown in FIG.
3
).
On the contrary, if the slide sleeve
12
is manually moved up along the hanging shank
1
from the collapsed condition to the expanded condition, forcing the tubular base
251
insert in the insert base
241
, with the upper end of the tubular base
251
contacting (or stopped by) the stop lip
2410
to let the canopy
23
expanded on the ribs
21
,
21
a
. Then the conventional hanging parasol is completely expanded for use, as shown in FIG.
1
.
However, the conventional hanging parasol has been found to have a drawback that the upper ring
24
and the lower ring
25
often cannot align to each other as to fit with each other in an expanding course. Then another person has to help correct the upper and the lower ring
24
and
25
to align to each other in fitting with each other. Thus, a user cannot use the conventional hanging parasol without assistance of another person, quite inconvenient.
The cause of the drawback of the conventional hanging parasol is to be described. As shown in
FIG. 4
, the whole weight of the conventional hanging parasol is supported only one of the ribs
21
a
and one of the spreaders
22
a
connected with the hanging shank
1
, in a suspended condition. So when the slide sleeve
12
is moved nearer to the upper end of the shank
1
and to expand the canopy
23
, the whole parasol is located at the farthest from the shank
1
, in other words, the whole parasol is at the farthest distance from the shank
1
, and all the ribs
21
and all the spreaders
22
may sag to make the upper ring
24
and the lower ring
25
all tilted for an angle. Then the lower ring
25
is supported by the spreader
22
A in a horizontal condition, and liable to tilt outward from the shank
1
. But the upper ring
24
is supported by the sloped rib
21
a
, and liable to tilt toward the shank
1
as shown in FIG.
4
A. So the tilting directions of the upper and the lower ring
24
and
25
are opposite to each other, impossible to the both
24
and
25
fit with each there. However, a user has to slide up the slide sleeve
12
with one hand and to grip the shank
1
with the other hand, impossible to adjust the upper and the lower rings
24
and
25
. Then the user needs another person to help adjust them to fit with each other as shown in
FIGS. 1 and 2
, making up an annoying problem.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
This invention has been devised to offer a simple hanging parasol expansible by only one person, with an upper and a lower ring automatically fitting with each other and thus convenient to use.
The feature of the invention is an elastic pulling member provided to have its outer end hooked with one spreader pivotally connected to a fix base fixed on top of a hanging shank. When the parasol is expanded from a collapsed condition to an expanded condition by manually moving up a slide sleeve fitted movable around the hanging shank, the slide sleeve moves up that spreader with other spreaders and all ribs supporting a canopy, and the ribs have inner ends pivotally connected to an upper ring located at the center of the canopy and intermediate portions pivotally connected with outer ends of the spreaders expanded to the expanded condition, with help of the elastic pulling member automatically resiliently let a tubular member of a lower ring pivotally connected with inner ends of all spreaders to fit with a conical insert rod of the upper ring so as to keep the parasol in the expanded condition stably.
REFERENCES:
patent: 604275 (1898-05-01), Stover
patent: 4606366 (1986-08-01), Collet
patent: 5937882 (1999-08-01), Harbaugh
patent: 6152156 (2000-11-01), Tung
patent: 6196242 (2001-03-01), Xu
patent: 6401735 (2002-06-01), Chou
patent: 6401739 (2002-06-01), Bright et al.
patent: 4407188 (1994-12-01), None
Bacon & Thomas PLLC
Yip Winnie S.
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