Collapsible In Length Patents (Class 135/25.1)
  • Publication number: 20020157693
    Abstract: An umbrella with quick connect and rotatable coupling including an umbrella portion having a handle portion. The handle portion has a lower end with an opening formed therein. A main body is coupled with respect to a handle bar. The main body has a generally cylindrical configuration defined by an upper end, a lower end, and an intermediate extent therebetween. The upper end has a connector pin extending outwardly therefrom. The connector pin is receivable within the opening formed in the lower end of the handle portion of the umbrella portion.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 27, 2001
    Publication date: October 31, 2002
    Inventor: Darrell Whitmer
  • Publication number: 20020157694
    Abstract: A switch for folding and opening an umbrella automatically, comprises an engaging tube having a first spring and a second spring, and a buckle; one end of the engaging tube has a tube; a lateral side of the tube having a protrusion; two outer lateral sides of the engaging tube being installed with parallel lateral sides; a button for covering the engaging tube being exactly located upon the receiving space; a central post, a third spring, and a movable block being pivotally installed in the sliding groove, wherein the movable block can slid on the central post freely; a sleeve being a hollow tube for receiving the engaging tube; a post being protruded from another end; an embedding hole being installed on the post at the connection to the wall of the sleeve; an outer edge of the post being installed with an embedding body; and a handle being inserted by the sleeve; and the blind hole being formed with an embedding seat for being embedded by the embedding body.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 30, 2001
    Publication date: October 31, 2002
    Inventor: Tien-Cheng Chen
  • Publication number: 20020153032
    Abstract: A multiple-fold automatic umbrella includes: a central shaft; a rib assembly pivotally secured to an upper notch and a lower runner on the central shaft; an opening spring and a plurality of closing springs for opening or closing the umbrella; and a control device including a push button, an opening controller having an upper latch for controlling the opening of the umbrella, a closing controller including a lower latch for controlling the closing of the umbrella, and a multiple-fold rope respectively sinuously wound on a plurality of rollers which are respectively mounted on an upper holder formed on an upper portion of the central shaft adjacent to the upper notch and on a lower holder formed on the lower runner for smoothly winding the rope on the rollers for enhancing a smooth opening or closing operation of the umbrella.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 18, 2001
    Publication date: October 24, 2002
    Applicant: Fu Tai Umbrella Works, Ltd.
    Inventors: Chung-Kuang Lin, Jung-Jen Chang
  • Patent number: 6446649
    Abstract: An apparatus and method for anchoring an umbrella that has a shaft are disclosed. The apparatus includes a plurality of containers that can contain a material or object that provides weight to the containers, preferably equal to the combined weight of the umbrella and the shaft.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 13, 2000
    Date of Patent: September 10, 2002
    Inventor: Barbara Bigford
  • Publication number: 20020112750
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a five-folded umbrella frame, which mainly provides a new hooked connecting structure between the extended rib and the frame for facilitating the manufacturing and assembling of an umbrella. Under the improved assembly, the frame obtains a better flexibility and the umbrella can be opened or closed smoothly. This provides improvement and utility.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 22, 2001
    Publication date: August 22, 2002
    Inventor: Shih-Shin Kuo
  • Publication number: 20020100497
    Abstract: A folding flat umbrella including a pair of plates each having an inner edge, an outer edge, and a span therebetween. The pair of plates are aligned along their respective inner edges to form a foldable central crease whereby the pair of plates can be extended to an extended position and can be collapsed to a collapsed position. The pair of plates are fabricated of a waterproof material. A pair of brackets extend between the pair of plates in a spaced relationship. The pair of brackets facilitate the extending and collapsing of the pair of plates with respect to one another. A handle portion is coupled with respect to the pair of plates.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 26, 2001
    Publication date: August 1, 2002
    Inventor: Jennifer Austin
  • Patent number: 6422250
    Abstract: A foldable umbrella includes a finishing cap with a plurality of first ribs pivotally connected thereto and a first recess is defined in an outer periphery of the finishing cap so that a first pulley and a first pin are received in the first recess. A shaft is connected to the finishing cap and has a plurality of tubes retractably connected with each other. A control device is connected to the shaft and a runner is movably mounted to the shaft. A plurality of stretchers are pivotally connected between the runner and the first ribs. The runner has a second recess in which a second pulley and a second pin are received. A wire has a first end thereof fixedly engaged with the finishing cap and a second end of the wire reeves through the second pin, the first pin, the second pulley, the first pulley and is connected to an end member in the control device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 16, 2001
    Date of Patent: July 23, 2002
    Inventors: Chieh-Chih Wu, Ching-Tsai Chen, Chen-Maan Chang
  • Patent number: 6418949
    Abstract: A multiple-fold umbrella shaft, consisting of a plurality of tubes telescopically engageable with one another, includes an inner tube having concave quadrants designated as Vi, and an outer tube slidably engageable with the inner tube and having concave quadrants designated as Vo, forming a relationship as defined by a formula of Vi−Vo≧1 in order for preventing twisting and vibration of the tubes and for enhancing a smooth folding or unfolding operation when closing or opening the umbrella.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 28, 2000
    Date of Patent: July 16, 2002
    Assignee: Fu Tai Umbrella Works Ltd.
    Inventors: Chung-Kuang Lin, Jung-Jen Chang
  • Patent number: 6415805
    Abstract: A closing mechanism used in an automatic quadruple folding collapsible umbrella is provided that comprises a pair of rollers and a round pin that cooperate with a rope to perform a closing operation. The pair of rollers is provided on one side of the umbrella runner. The round pin is disposed on the cap and orientated in the same direction as the rollers. With that mechanism, the rope extending from the interior of the umbrella rod passes to the outside through an opening in the cap to be routed around the rollers and the pin and finally tied to the cap. Thus the rope of the mechanism is longer, five times longer than the distance between the rollers and the round pin.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 9, 2000
    Date of Patent: July 9, 2002
    Inventor: Shih-Shin Kuo
  • Patent number: 6401736
    Abstract: An umbrella device incorporating an engaging mechanism for securing the umbrella to fixed location. The device includes an elongated shaft having a top end and a bottom end and which is capable of being extended across an overall axial length. A fabric covering portion is supported by an outwardly actuable frame secured to the shaft, the frame including a plurality of elongate and arcuate ribs to which is secured the fabric covering portion. An annular collar is mounted about the elongated shaft in axially extending fashion. An additional plurality of supporting ribs extend from the collar, each of the supporting ribs engaging an associated fabric securing rib so that, upon a selected upward axial extension of the collar, the frame is engaged in the outwardly actuated manner. A substantially “C” shaped clamp is secured in axially slidable fashion along the extended axial length of the shaft, the clamp affixing the umbrella device to a substantially horizontally extending ledge support.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 21, 2000
    Date of Patent: June 11, 2002
    Inventor: Alex Jerry
  • Publication number: 20020066476
    Abstract: A double-story umbrella includes an upper umbrella, and a lower umbrella detachably coupled with the upper umbrella and operatively opened to be a beach umbrella or a big umbrella having large shielding area; whereby upon uncoupling of the upper and lower umbrellas, each umbrella can be folded to have a short folding length for a convenient handling and storage when the umbrella is folded.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 4, 2000
    Publication date: June 6, 2002
    Inventors: Chung-Kuang Lin, Jung-Jen Chang
  • Publication number: 20020062850
    Abstract: An improved multiple folding collapsible umbrella structure consists of an umbrella rod, an umbrella stretcher system mounted on the upper portion of the umbrella rod, and an actuating mechanism attached to the lower end of the umbrella rod and urged by a driving mechanism. The actuating mechanism has an inner seat, in which a groove is formed to accommodate a compression spring and a retainer ring. A movable block along with a spring is housed in the longitudinal central hole of the inner seat. An intermediate element is attached to the outer wall surface of the movable block, with its side protrusion extending through a spring seated in the through hole on the cylindrical wall of the movable block. A push block is arranged on the outer side of the intermediate element.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 30, 2000
    Publication date: May 30, 2002
    Inventor: Shih-Shin Kuo
  • Patent number: 6390107
    Abstract: A double-story umbrella includes an upper umbrella, and a lower umbrella detachably coupled with the upper umbrella and operatively opened to be a beach umbrella or a big umbrella having large shielding area; whereby upon uncoupling of the upper and lower umbrellas, each umbrella can be folded to have a short folding length for a convenient handling and storage when the umbrella is folded.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 4, 2000
    Date of Patent: May 21, 2002
    Assignee: Fu Tai Umbrella Works Ltd.
    Inventors: Chung-Kuang Lin, Jung-Jen Chang
  • Patent number: 6382222
    Abstract: An improved safety locking mechanism according to the invention is particularly suitable for use in a five or more folding collapsible umbrella. The mechanism comprises a specially designed runner in conjunction with an actuator element. A plunger and a spring are disposed under the actuator element in a through hole formed on the runner. The plunger is urged by the spring and so will project out to abut against the upper rim of the bowed resilient element when the umbrella is opened. With such arrangements, an umbrella can be effectively kept at an open state. To close the umbrella users depress the bowed resilient element to make the plunger disengaged from the runner.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 9, 2000
    Date of Patent: May 7, 2002
    Inventor: Chin-Sung Ko
  • Patent number: 6371686
    Abstract: An improved central shaft for collapsible umbrella includes a plurality of telescopic tubes. Each pair of adjacent tubes are overlapped and engaged by a circular perimeter section and a flat indent plane, or a flat indent plane and an inside concave section formed at the ends of the tube. The overlapped engagement sections of the tube may be made at a selected length desired to obtain strong engagement strength. The tube number may be increased to five so that each tube may be shorter to make the umbrella compact and convenient to carry and use.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 28, 2000
    Date of Patent: April 16, 2002
    Inventor: Tsun-Zong Wu
  • Patent number: 6360759
    Abstract: A multiple-fold automatic umbrella includes a penta-fold rope having its inner rope end secured with a locking head locked in a grip of a central shaft and defining a first rope section of the penta-fold rope from the locking head through an interior of the shaft to an upper guiding roller rotatably mounted in an upper portion of the shaft; a second rope section of the penta-fold rope from the upper guiding roller to a first lower guiding roller rotatably mounted on a lower runner slidably held in the shaft; a third rope section of the rope from the first lower guiding roller towards at least an uppermost guiding roller rotatably mounted in a top portion of the shaft; a fourth rope section from the uppermost guiding roller towards a second lower guiding roller rotatably mounted on the lower runner opposite to the first guiding roller; and a fifth rope section from the second lower guiding roller towards an outer rope end secured to an upper notch formed on the top of the shaft, thereby providing a rope dynami
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 2, 2000
    Date of Patent: March 26, 2002
    Assignee: Fu Tai Umbrella Works Ltd.
    Inventors: Chung-Kuang Lin, Jung-Jen Chang
  • Publication number: 20020033187
    Abstract: A foldable umbrella includes a finishing cap with a plurality of first ribs pivotally connected thereto and a first recess is defined in an outer periphery of the finishing cap so that a first pulley and a first pin are received in the first recess. A shaft is connected to the finishing cap and has a plurality of tubes retractably connected with each other. A control device is connected to the shaft and a runner is movably mounted to the shaft. A plurality of stretchers are pivotally connected between the runner and the first ribs. The runner has a second recess in which a second pulley and a second pin are received. A wire has a first end thereof fixedly engaged with the finishing cap and a second end of the wire reeves through the second pin, the first pin, the second pulley, the first pulley and is connected to an end member in the control device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 16, 2001
    Publication date: March 21, 2002
    Inventors: Chieh-Chih Wu, Ching-Tsai Chen, Chen-Maan Chang
  • Patent number: 6341613
    Abstract: A foldable umbrella includes a control device on the handle of the umbrella and the control device includes a ring which has a projection that is engaged three aligned holes in three tubes of a shaft when the when the umbrella is folded. An end member is connected to a wire which reeves through pulleys on a finishing cap and a runner on the shaft. The end member is compressed by a compressing plate in the control device. The ring is pushed by pushing a control button at a first time to disengage the projection from the aligned holes to let the shaft expand. The control button is pushed at a second time to remove the end member from the compressing plate to fold the umbrella.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 7, 2000
    Date of Patent: January 29, 2002
    Inventors: Chieh-Chih Wu, Ching-Tsai Chen, Chen-Maan Chang
  • Patent number: 6338353
    Abstract: A four-segment foldable umbrella comprises a shank, a rib assembly, an opening spring, a closing spring, a control mechanism, and a plurality of gores. The shank further comprises a top fulcrum, an outer pipe, a second middle pipe, a first middle pipe, an inner pipe, a handgrip. a long plastic pipe, and an outer pipe plug. The rib assembly consists of a plurality of top stretchers, lower ribs, inner connection ribs, middle ribs, inner resilient ribs, small slide sockets, outer resilient ribs, outer connection ribs, tail ribs, and a runner. An upper end or a lower end of the opening spring sustains a lower end of the outer pipe plug or props a long controller at its upper end respectively. The long controller, the inner pipe, and a main body sheathing the long plastic pipe are fixed by nailing the main body to the opening spring. Besides, the closing spring is disposed on the rib assembly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 18, 2000
    Date of Patent: January 15, 2002
    Assignee: Ming Ho Umbrella Industry Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Tien-Cheng Chen
  • Patent number: 6302124
    Abstract: An open spaced apart patio sun umbrella which, when the top thereof is raised, undergoes a reshaping into an inverted v-shape closed condition and makes, to the extent it is raised, the location of an unlatching mechanism within convenient reach of a user making unobserved unlatching contact therewith through the bottom opening of the v-shape, even though the unlatching mechanism is masked from view.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 23, 2000
    Date of Patent: October 16, 2001
    Inventor: Joseph H. Demarco
  • Patent number: 6296001
    Abstract: A rib assembly for multiple-fold umbrella includes: an aluminum top rib pivotally secured to an upper notch formed on a top portion of a central shaft, an aluminum stretcher rib pivotally connected between the top rib and a lower runner slidably held on the central shaft, a plastic intermediate rib interconnected between the top rib and an aluminum or plastic outer rib, an aluminum connecting rib pivotally connected between the stretcher rib and the intermediate rib, and a spring rib slidably coupled to the intermediate rib by a ring member fastened on the intermediate rib; with the plastic intermediate rib interconnected among those light ribs for strengthening the rib assembly substantially made of light-weight materials.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 22, 2000
    Date of Patent: October 2, 2001
    Assignee: Fu Tai Umbrella Works, Ltd.
    Inventors: Chung-Kuang Lin, Jung-Jen Chang
  • Publication number: 20010010231
    Abstract: A foldable umbrella includes a post; a stationary hub secured to an upper end of the post; a canopy centrally secured to the stationary hub; a sleeve slidably mounted on the post; a plurality of radially oriented ribs secured to the canopy in equiangularly spaced relation, each rib having a radially inner end and a radially outward end; a plurality of foldable strut assemblies, each strut assembly connected between the sleeve and a respective one of the ribs, each strut assembly including a first strut having one end pivotally connected at a first pivot point to the sleeve and a second end pivotally connected to a respective one of the ribs at a second pivot point spaced radially outwardly from the radially inner end of the rib, a second strut having one end pivotally connected at a third pivot point to the stationary hub and a second end pivotally connected at a fourth pivot point to an intermediate point of the first strut, and a third strut having one end pivotally connected at a fifth pivot point to an in
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 25, 2001
    Publication date: August 2, 2001
    Inventors: Gary D. Johnson, Ruth Hochfeld, Alfonso Murcia, Frank Holloway
  • Patent number: 6199571
    Abstract: A lightening multiple-fold automatic umbrella comprises: a central shaft consisting of a plurality of tubes telescopically engageable with one another; a rib assembly having at least a top rib and a stretcher rib pivotally secured to an upper notch on the central shaft and a lower runner slidably held on the central shaft for securing an umbrella cloth on the rib assembly; an opening spring retained within the central shaft for opening the umbrella; a drag rope retained between the central shaft and the lower runner for pulling the lower runner as upwardly moved when opening the umbrella and extending the rib assembly; and a control module embedded in a grip of the central shaft normally locking the lower runner when closing the umbrella for folding the rib assembly; and operatively unlocking the lower runner when opening the umbrella for extending the rib assembly. By these mechanisms, a multiple-fold automatic umbrella will be produced for quick assembly and convenient operation or maintenance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 1, 1999
    Date of Patent: March 13, 2001
    Assignee: Fu Tai Umbrella Works, Ltd.
    Inventors: Chung-Kuang Lin, Jung-Jen Chang
  • Patent number: 6192906
    Abstract: An automatic opening umbrella mechanism which provides a new design, by which users can open an umbrella in a quick and accurate manner with enhanced efficiency. The structure primarily contains a spring disposed between the midpoint of a first main umbrella stretcher and the upper end of the umbrella runner. The resilient restoring force of the spring helps opening an umbrella.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 24, 1999
    Date of Patent: February 27, 2001
    Inventor: Cheng Miao Ling Kuo
  • Patent number: 6186157
    Abstract: A windproof umbrella includes: a central shaft, a rib assembly having at least a top rib and a stretcher rib pivotally secured to the central shaft for securing an umbrella cloth thereon, a pulling rod secured on the stretcher rib and a pulling rope connected between the pulling rod and the top rib (or an outer rib portion of the rib assembly), with the pulling rope and pulling rod fastening the top rib (or the outer rib portion of the rib assembly) towards the central shaft for preventing inversion of the umbrella cloth and the rib assembly when opening the umbrella, whereby upon folding of the umbrella, the pulling rod and pulling rope will be tensely folded within the rib assembly without loosening for forming a compact folded umbrella.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 4, 1999
    Date of Patent: February 13, 2001
    Assignee: Fu Tai Umbrella Works, Ltd.
    Inventors: Chung-Kuang Lin, Jung-Jen Chang
  • Patent number: 6176246
    Abstract: A multiple-fold automatic umbrella includes: a central shaft consisting of plural tubes telescopically engageable with one another; a rib assembly including at least a top rib pivotally secured to an upper notch of the central shaft, a stretcher rib pivotally secured between the top rib and a lower runner slidably held on the central shaft, and other ribs pivotally connected with one another and pivotally secured to the top rib and the stretcher rib; an opening spring resiliently retained in the central shaft for opening the umbrella; a plurality of closing springs for closing the umbrella; and a control device including a drawer shaped push button slidably held in a grip of the central shaft having an upper latch integrally formed on the push button operatively disengaging the lower runner for opening the umbrella, and a lower latch for closing the umbrella when opened and perpendicularly secured under the lower latch with a safety spring member resiliently held in a front chamber formed in a front portion o
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 31, 1999
    Date of Patent: January 23, 2001
    Assignee: Fu Tai Umbrella Works, Ltd.
    Inventors: Chung-Kuang Lin, Jung-Jen Chang