Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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Umbreila Cover ConnPctor System
This invention relates to umbrellas. More
particularly, this invention relates to a cover
connector system for an umbrella.
The manufacture of an umbrella requires
significant hand assembly time. And one of the
important steps in manufacture of an umbrella is
interconnection of the umbrella's ferrule with the
umbrella's notch. The notch is fixed to the top end
of the umbrella's centerpost. The umbrella's rib
linkage system, which allows the umbrella's cover to
open into use position and fold into storage position,
is connected to the notch. The ferrule i5 mounted on
top of the notch to the notch with the umbrella's
cover being interposed or located between the ferrule
and the notch. The ferrule keeps the umbrella cover's
center in centered position relative to the umbrella
centerpost.
Heretofore, one of the common prior art
assembly methods used in connecting the ferrule with
the notch was simply to screw the ferrule to the
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notch. The ferrule was provided with a threaded pin
that extended into a threaded bore defined in the
notch. With the umbrella cover located on top -the
notch, the ferrule's pin was simply pushed through the
5cover, and the ferrule's pin then threaded into the
notch's bore until the ferrule's plate was seated
against the cover. This held the ferrule in fixed
relationship with the notch. But in use of the
umbrella, the ferrule can become unscrewed from the
10notch and get lost. This hand assembly method,
therefor, is relatively time consuming, and is without
structural certainty, when considered with respect to
the umbrella cover connector system of this invention.
Accordingly, it is the primary objective of
15this invention to provide an improved cover connector
system for an umbrella in which the umbrella's ferrule
can be mechanically latched to the umbrella's notch in
order to make easier the hand assembly of the ferrule
and notch components of a finished umbrella.
20In accord with this objective, the umbrella
cover connector system of this invention is directed
to a mechanical latch that holds a ferrule in inter-
fitted relation with a notch with the umbrella cover
being located therebetween. The mechanical latch is
25partially carried by the notch and partially carried
by the ferrule. The latch includes a spring-loaded
latch nose preferably connected to the ferrule which
is adapted to extend into a bore preferably defined in
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the ferrule. Upon assembly, the spring-loaded latch
nose is extended into the throughbore until the latch
nose springs into latched relation with a latch seat
dafined by the ferrule.
Other objectives and advantages of the
invention will be more apparent from the following
detailed description taken in conjunction with the
drawings in which:
Figure 1 is a top perspective view of an
umbrella cover connector system in accord with the
principles of this invention;
Figure 2 is a side cross sectional view
taken along the centerline of an umbrella centerpost
of a ferrule prior to being assembled with a notch in
accord with the principles of this invention; and
Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view similar
to Figure 2 illustrating an assembled ferrule and
notch in accord with the principles of this invention.
The umbrella cover connector system 10 of
this invention is directed to the interconnection of
an umbrella's ferrule 11 with an umbrella's notch 12.
The ferrule is interfi~ted with the notch, and same
cooperate to hold in place the umbrella's cover which
is located between the notch and the ferrule upon
finished manufacture of the umbrella.
The ferrule 11 includes a plate shaped cap
15 sized and configured to overlie the notch 12 with
the umbrelia's cover 13 located therebetween as shown
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in Figures 1 and 2. A pair of springs 16 are formed
to extend downwardly from the undersurface 17 of the
ferrule 11, each being in the form of a leaf spring
connected at end 18 to the ferrule's cap 15. The
other end 19 of each leaf spring 16 is provided with
a latch nose 20. The leaf springs 16 and latch noses
20 constitute components of a mechanical latch
partially carried by the ferrule 11 and partially
carried by the notch 12 to hold the ferrule in
innerfitted relation with the notch.
The notch 12 is fixed to the top end 25 of
the umbrella's centerpost 26, see Figures 1 and 2.
The notch 12 is provided with a series of slots 27
around its outer periphery. Each of the slots 27 is
adapted to interconnect with a cover rib 28 of the
umbrella's rib linkage system (not shown in detail).
As shown in the figures, each cover rib 28 is
connected to the notch 12 by wire 29 that is received
in peripheral groove 30 of the notch 12. A cup-shaped
sleeve 31 depends from the underside of the notch 12,
that sleeve 31 being adapted to interfit with the
centerpost's top end 25 so as to fix the notch to the
centerpost 26. Note particularly a throughbore 32 is
defined in the notch 12, that throughbore being co-
axially aligned with the centerpost's axis 34. This
throughbore 33 defines a latch seat 35 as described in
greater detail below. The latch seat 35 defined by
the notch 12 is another component of the mechanical
latch system partially carried by the notch 12 and
partially carried by the ferrule 11 to hold the
ferrule in interfitted relation with the notch.
In assembly of the ferrule 11 and notch 12
in accord with the principles of this invention, and
as illustrated in Figures 2 and 3, the notch is first
fixed to the centerpost's top end 25. Thereafter, the
umbrella cover 13 is positioned to overlie the notch
with hole 39 in the cover's center being generally co-
axially aligned with the centerpost's axis 34.
Thereafter the ferrule 11 is positioned above the
cover 13 (see Figure 2) with the latch noses 20
oriented to be thrust downwardly through the notch's
throughbore 33. Such is possible because the leaf
springs ~6 to which the latch noses 20 are connected
allow the latch noses to be biased inwardly relative
to the throughbore 33 as the latch noses are extended
into and through the throughbore during the assembly
step. The leaf springs 16 are of a length L greater
than the length L' of the notch~s throughbore so as to
allow the ferrule's latch noses 20 to be biased into
latched relation with the latch seat 35 formed on the
underside of the notch when the ferrule is interfitted
with the notch as shown in Figure 3.
This umbrella cover connector system 10
allows the ferrule 11 to be mechanically latched or
interconnected with the notch 12 by an assembler's
hands in a relatively easy and efficient manner. More
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particularly, this umbrella cover connector systPm 10
negates tha need for the use of screw threads in
interconnecting the umbrella's ferrule with the
umbrella's notch, and results in a finished assembly
where the ferrule cannot become detached from the
notch unless the component parts are broken.
Having described in detail the preferred
embodiment of my invention, what I desire to claim and
protect by Letters Patent is:
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