Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
UMBRELLA BUTTON LATCH
This invention relates to umbrellas. More
particularly, this invention relates to a latch system
by which an umbrella is retained in the closed or
collapsed configuration.
When a conventional umbrella is closed, it
usually is retained in a collapsed or storage position
through use of a spring loaded hook that is normally
biased to extend out of or beyond the sxterior surface
of the umbrella's centerpost. In other words, when
the umbrella is opened and in use, the spring loaded
hook protrudes beyond the outer surface of the center-
post. As the umbrella is closed, the umbrella's
runner slides down the centerpost over the hook and
depresses that hook into the hollow centerpost. When
a latch edge defined by the runner is presented, and
as the runner slides over the hook, the hook protrudes
out of the centerpost to engage with the runner so
that the runner, and therefor the umbrella's rib
linkages can be held in the closed or collapsed
position. In the case of automatic self-opening
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umbrellas, latching engagement of the hook with the
runner also holds the umbrella's spring loaded cenker-
post in the collaps~d position. One problem with this
prior art umbrella latch is that the hook must be
retracted interiorly of the centerpost, and this
limits the latch surface, as well as the exten
sion/retraction path length, for the hook. For this
reason, the latching engagement between the hook and
the runner may be unstable. Furthe~more, the hook is
sharp that protrudes outside the centerpost when the
umbrella is opened, and this poses a potential hazard
to the umbrella user's fingers and/or clothing.
Accordingly, it is one objective of this
invention to provide an improved latch system for an
umbrella where the umbrella's runner diractly engages
the umbrella's push button structure in a latching
relationship interiorly of the umbrella's handle to
hold the umbrella closed in the collapsed state.
It has been another objective of this
invention to provide an improved latch system for an
umbrella that eliminates the use of a spring loaded
hook mounted interiorly of the umbrella's centerpost,
w~ich hook is normally spring biased out of or beyond
`the exterior surface of that centerpost, thereby
eliminating the potential hazard to a user's fingers
or clothing that would otherwise be present if the
spring loaded hook is used.
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A further objective of this i~vention has
been to provide an improved latch system for a self-
opening umbrella in which the umbrella's push button
cooperates with the umbrella's runner where the push
button includes a stop adapted to latchingly engage a
lip formed on the runner, that lip being defined by
one of a bore in the runner's side wall and a rib on
the runner's side wall, the latched relation of the
push button and the runner being located interiorly of
the umbrella's handleO
In accordance with these objectives, this
invention is directed to a button latch system for an
umbrella. The umbrella includes a runner slideable on
a centerpost, the runner having a first latch com
ponent. A push button having a second latch component
integral therewith is reciprocably carried in a
handle, the button being continually spring loaded
toward a latch position. The runner's latch component
latchingly engages the button's latch component when
the runner slides down the centerpost into a closure
position adjacent the button, thereby holding the
umbrella's rib linkage in the collapsed position. In
preferred form, the runner's latch component is in the
form of a lip defined by a rib on the runner's side
wall or a bore in the runner-'s side wall, and the
button's latch component is in the form of a stop
adapted to latchingly engage that lip, the button (and
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therefor, the button's latch component) being recipro-
cable in the handle in a guide path generally normal
to the runner's guide path on the centerpost. As the
umbrella is closed, the runner slides down the center-
post and the runner~s lip latchingly engages the
button's stop to achieve easy and stable closure of
the umbrella.
Other objectives and advantages of this
invention will be more apparent from the detailed
description taken in conjunction with the drawings in
which:
Fig. 1 is a partially broken away side view
of an automatic umbrella in open configuration with a
first embodiment of an umbrella button latch in accord
with the principles of this invention;
Fig. lA is a partially broken away side view
of an automatic umbrella in open configuration with a
second embodiment of an umbrella button latch in
accord with the principles of this invention;
Fig. 2 is a partially broken away side view
of the Fig. 1 umbrella but with the umbrella closed to
a first stage,
Fig. 2A is a partially broken away side view
of the Fig. lA umbrella but with the umbrella closed
to a first stage;
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Fig. 3 is a partially broken away side view
o~ the Fig. 1 umbrella but with the umbrella closed to
a second stage;
Fig. 3A is a partially broken away side view
of the Fig. lA umbrella but with the umbrella closed
to a second stage;
Fig. 4A is a perspective view o~ a one piece
runner which includes a single latch bore;
Fig. 4B is a perspective view o~ a one piece
runner which includes two latch bores;
Fig. 4AA is a perspective view o~ a one
piece runner which includes a single annular rib stop;
Fig. 4BB is a perspective view of a one
piece runner which includes two annular rib stops;
Fig. 5 is a partially broken away side view
of an automatic umbrella with the umbrella closed to a
first staye, and with a third embodiment of an
umbrella button latch in accord with the principles of
this invention;
Fig. 6 is a partially broken away side view
of the Fig. 5 umbrella but with the umbrella closed to
a second stage;
Fig. 6A is an exploded perspective view of
the-runner used in the Figs. 5 and 6 embodiment:
Fig. 6B is an assembled perspective view of
- the runner used in the Fig. 5 and 6 embodiment;
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Fig. 7 is a perspective view showing a push
button in accord with the principles of this
invention; and
Fig. 8 is a cross sectional view of a latch
system for a prior art umbrella.
In the description of the umbrella button
latch of this invention, the following reference
numerals are used: handle 1, runner 2, push button 3,
compression spring 4, tube 5, centerpost 6, centerpost
7, grip 20, latch portion 21, notch 22, stop 31,
detent 51, recess 61, first bore 210, first annular
rib stop 210A, second bore 211 and second annular rib
stop 21lA.
A latch system for a conventional automatic
or self-opening umbrella is shown in Fig. 8, and it is
over this system that applicant's invention consti-
tutes an improvement. The primary drawback of the
prior art latch is that after the umbrella is opened,
the hook on the pivoted latch arm is always exposed or
extended outside the centerpost at a location near the
handle because of its spring loading, as shown in Fig.
8. Thus, the sharp hook may hurt the user, or may
harm the user's clothing, upon careless operation.
The present invention is characterized in
that there is no hook exposed outside the centerpost
7, and thus it is safe. This invention is particu-
larly directed to an automatic self-opening umbrella
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with a rib linkage, a telescoped centerpost comprised
of two sections, a compression spring for extending
those two sections into use position, and a handle.
The handle 1 is provided with a slide path
in which a push button 3 is located and is recipro-
cable, see Figs. 1, lA, 2, 2A, 3 and 3A. The push
button 3 includes, and is integral with, a frame that
defines an elliptical hole. That end oE the hole
opposite the button end is provided with a latch
component in the form of stop 31, see Fig. 7. A
compression spring 4 is provided between that end of
the button frame opposite the button end, and the
inner wall of the handle 1, such that the push button
3 is continually spring biased toward a latching
position as shown in the figures. Note the centerpost
7 extends through the button frame's elliptical bore,
and that the button's stop is spring loaded against
that centerpost when the umbrella is opened as shown
in Fig. 1. Note also the top surface of the button's
stop is beveled so that the button can move in a
direction counter to its compression spring bias when
a downward force is directed against that beveled
surface.
` ` Five different runner 2 embodiments are
illustrated in the drawings. One piece runners are
shown in Fig. 4A, 4AA, 4B and 4BB, same being illus- .
trated with a single bore, a single rib stop, two
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bores 210, 211, and two annular rib stops 210A, 211A,
respectively. In each case, each bore and each rib
stop is the structural embodiment of the respective
runner's latch component with the lower edge of each
bore constituting a latch lip and the top edge of each
annular rib also constituting a latch lip. The two
bore and two rib embodiment runners allow the umbrella
to be closed in two stages, i.e., an intermediate
stage where the cover on the collapsed rib linkage can
be furled around the centerpost, and a final stage
where the umbrella's rib tips are received within the
confines of the handle. Alternatively, the runner
embodiments with one bore or one rib only allow for a
single closure stage for the umbrella. In use of the
two bore and two rib embodiment runners, and when the
umbrella is closed to the first stage by collapsing
the centerpost, the runner 2 will be drawn into the
handle and into the elliptical hole of the push button
3, and the stop 31 will firmly engage the first bore
210 or the first rib 210A. When the user collapses
the centerpost further, the runner 2 will move deeper
into the handle to make the second bore 211 or the
second rib 211A to engage the stop 31. Note that easy
angagement of the button's stop with the runner's
bores 210, 211 or ribs 210A, 211A, as the runner moves
down the centerpost, is accommodated because of the
button stop's beveled top surface that cooperates with
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the runner's beveled heel when the runner's latch
component is defined by bores and the beveled lower
edges of the ribs when the runner's latch component is
defined by ribs.
Another runner embodiment is shown in Figs.
5, 6, 6A and 6B. The runner Z according to this
embodiment may be formed by the combination of a grip
20 together with a separate tube 5 having a single
bore or two bores. The purpose of the tube 5 is to
distinguish the grip 20 portion from the tube 5
portion of the runner such that the user will hold the
grip 20 instinctively. This makes operation more
convenient since the user normally will not inadver~
tently grip the tube 5. The grip 20 is provided with
a notch 22 and the tube 5 is provided with a single
bore or two bores and a detent 51. A runner 2 is
formed when the tube 5 is inserted into the grip 20
and the detent 51 is engaged with the notch 22. A
separate centerpost section 6 is further provided in
the handle 1. A recess 61 is provided on that section
6 to increase the contact area of that stop 31 at a
position corresponding to the button's stop 31. The
opening and closing motions of this umbrella are
` identical with the one described above.
Having describQd in detail the preferred
embodiments of our invention, what we desire to claim
and protect by Letters Patent is:
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