GB2120547A

GB2120547A - Umbrella

Info

Publication number: GB2120547A
Application number: GB08215441A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Zong Wu Tsun
Original assignee: Fu Tai Umbrella Works Ltd
Current assignee: Fu Tai Umbrella Works Ltd
Priority date: 1982-05-26
Filing date: 1982-05-26
Publication date: 1983-12-07
Also published as: GB2120547B

Abstract

A ferrule 1 is mounted to an attachment member 2 at the top of an umbrella shaft 3 by mating engagement between a downwardly projecting portion 11 of the ferrule in a central opening 21 of the member 2. A resilient ring or flange 211 engages in an annular groove 111 of the projecting portion 11 to prevent removal of the ferrule 1. In an alternative embodiment (not shown) the ferrule is of hat-like construction and includes a central opening adapted to receive an upwardly projecting portion of the attachment member. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Umbrella This invention relates to an upper attachment member and ferrule for an umbrella.

Previously, an umbrella ferrule has been screwed into an attachment member secured to the top of the umbrella shaft. However, experience has shown that such a linking can easily become loose and the ferrule may fall off. Thus, the umbrella user may lose it without notice at any time. Furthermore, if the ferrule inadvertently strikes the ground while there is a gap between the ferrule and attachment member as a result of loosening, then the impact force tends to be largely absorbed by the ferrule and therefore the screw fitting can be damaged. If the impact is particularly hard, the umbrella ferrule may be damaged or broken. With a broken ferrule, an umbrella has a scruffy appearance and moreover, the attachment member or boss is exposed when the umbrella is being used and this can be dangerous both to the user and to other people near him.Passers by themselves and/or their clothing or belongings may be scratched by the exposed attachment member.

As a result of keen competition in the umbrella industry, there is strict control of production costs and most manufacturers adopt automation to mass produce umbrellas at low costs. The traditional screw-type coupling structure for the ferrule wastes a lot of time from the viewpoint of mass production and is thus uneconomical.

According to the invention there is provided an umbrella or parasol wherein an attachment member mounted to or integral with the top of the umbrella shaft is secured to a ferrule by means of a push-fit mating connection, removal of the ferrule being restrained by means of a ring of resilient material acting between the male and female parts of the connection.

Thus, the ferrule and the attachment member may quickly and conveniently be coupled together.

The ferrule and the attachment member may both either be resilient or rigid.

Preferably, an impact force imparted to the ferrule is largely absorbed by opposed surfaces of relatively large areas of the attachment member and ferrule respectively so as to prevent damage or deformation thereto when the umbrella firmly strikes the ground due to carelessness on the part of the user.

A preferred embodiment of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which; Figs. 1 A and 1 B are exploded views of a ferrule and an upper attachment member of an umbrella.

Fig. 1 C is a sectional view of the attachment member and the ferrule of Figs. 1 A and 1 B secured together.

Figs. 2A and 2B are exploded views of a resilient ring and attachment member of a second embodiment.

Fig. 2C is a sectional view of the attachment member of Fig. 2B showing additionally the ferrule.

Figs. 3A, 3B and 3C are exploded views illustrating a third embodiment of the invention.

Fig. 3D is a sectional view of the third embodiment.

Fig. 4 is an exploded view of a fourth embodiment of the invention.

Figs. 5A and 5B are respectively partial perspective views of the ferrule and attachment member of a fifth embodiment.

Fig. 5C is sectional view of the fifth embodiment showing the ferrule only partly engaged with the attachment member.

Fig. 5D is a view similar to Fig. 5C but showing the ferrule fully engaged.

Figs. 6A, 6B, 6C and 6D illustrate a sixth embodiment, and Figs. 7A, 7B, 7C, 7D and 7E show a seventh embodiment of the invention.

In the embodiment of the invention shown in Fig. 1 a ferrule 1 for the top of an umbrella shaft 3 is made of a rigid material while an upper attachment member 2 secured to the shaft 3 is of resilient flexible material. The ferrule 1 includes a connecting part 11 having an upper portion 11 A, a lower portion 11 B and a middle portion 111. The diameter of the middle portion 111 is reduced compared with that of the upper and lower portions 1 A and 11 B. The attachment member 2 on the shaft 3 includes a central opening 21 in which there is an inwardly protruding ring 211.

The diameter of the central opening 21 is substantially equal to the outer diameter of the upper portion 1 A of the ferrule connecting part 11 and is slightly larger than the outer diameter of the lower portion 11 B of part 11. The inner diameter of the inwardly protruding ring 211 is approximately equal to the outer diameter of the middle portion 111 of the connecting part 11 but is smaller than the diameter of the lower portion 11 B and smaller to a greater extent than the diameter of the upper portion 11 A.

Since the attachment member 2 and the protruding ring 211 in the central opening thereof are made of flexible or resilient material the ferrule 1 can be easily fitted to the attachment member 2 by matingly engaging the connecting part 11 in the central opening 21 of the attachment member 2. During fitting, the lower portion 11 B which is smoothly tapered engages the protruding ring 211 and owing to the flexibility of the ring 211 the lower portion 11 B can be forced through the ring 211 until the ring engages in the reduced diameter middle portion 111 of connecting part 11 as shown in Fig. 1 C. In this position the ferrule 1 cannot be easily removed under normal conditions and will only become detached if it is pulled away from the shaft with great force.

As shown in Fig. 1 C, between the bottom surface of the ferrule 1 and the top surface of the attachment member 2, there is a gap G which accommodates the umbrella cloth. In addition to the advantage of ease of fitting of the ferrule, the illustrated arrangement has a further advantage that the impact of the force if the umbrella firmly strikes the ground due to carelessness on the part of the user will be absorbed by cooperation between the bottom surface of the ferrule 1, the umbrella cloth and the top surface of the attachment member 2. Because the surfaces that sustain such an impact are flat and have a relatively large area, the possibility of the impact with the ground causing deformation and breakage to the various components of umbrella is minimised.

A second embodiment of the invention is shown in Fig. 2 in which the ferrule 1 is again made of rigid material although in this embodiment the attachment member is also rigid.

In the inner wall of the central opening 21 A of the attachment member 2A, there is a circular groove 211 A in which a flexible or resilient ring 5 as shown in Fig. 2A is fitted. A protruding ring 51 is formed in the inner wall of ring 5, the inner diameter of which is smaller than the diameter of the central opening 21 A of the attachment member 2A. The flexible ring 5 has a slit 52 allowing the outer diameter of the ring 5 to be adjusted and enabling easy fitting into the circular groove 211 A. Once it is inserted in the groove 211 A, the flexible ring expands owing to its resiliency and therefore the ring 5 becomes firmly coupled to the circular groove 211 A.When the flexible ring 5 is embedded in the circular groove 211 A of the attachment member 2A, the protruding ring 51 extends into the central opening 21 A and it will be seen that its function corresponds to that of the protruding ring 211 of the attachment member 2 shown in Figs. 1 B and 1 C. Thus, insertion of the ferrule 1 is exactly as discussed above in relation to the first embodiment and the same advantages are achieved.

A third embodiment of the present invention is shown in Fig. 3. The ferrule 1 A (Fig. 3A) has a hatlike configuration having flat upper and lower surfaces. The ferrule 1 A and the attachment member 2B are both made of rigid material. In a central opening 1 2A of the ferrule 1 A, the inner wall surface includes a ring-like groove 121 A for receiving a flexible or resilient ring 5 as shown in Fig. 3B. In order to accommodate the structure of the ferrule 1 A, the attachment member 2B of this embodiment includes a connecting part 21 B having a lower portion 21 B, a middle portion 21 2B and an upper portion 213B.The outer diameter of the lower portion 21 B equals that of the central opening 11 of the ferrule 1 A and is therefore larger than the inner diameter of an inwardly protruding flange 51 formed in the flexible ring 5. The upper portion 21 3B is tapered and its largest outer diameter is slightly larger than the inner diameter of the protruding flange 51. The diameter of the middle portion 21 2B is smaller than the upper and lower portions 211 B, 21 3B and corresponds to or is smaller than the inner diameter of the protruding flange 51.

The principle of coupling between the attachment member 2B and the ferrule 1 A according to this embodiment is similar to that of the embodiments shown in Figs. 1 and 2 except that the female and male parts forming the mating connection have been transposed.

As shown in Fig. 4, a fourth embodiment of the invention is similar to the embodiment shown in Fig. 3. The rigid ferrule 1 B again has a hat-like configuration with a ring-like groove 121 formed in the inner wall of the central opening 1 2B. The attachment member 2C in this embodiment is resilient and includes an upper connecting part 21C. The part 21C includes integral lower, middle and upper portions 211 2120 and 213C. The outer diameter of the lower portion 21 1C is approximately equal to the inner diameter of the central opening 1 2B of the ferrule 1 B.The diameter of the middle portion 212C is the largest and the outer diameter of the upper portion 213C is smaller than that of the lower portion 21 1C and has a tapered configuration.

When the ferrule 1 B is fitted to the attachment member 2C due to the flexibility of the middle portion, the flange of the middle portion 212C can be pushed into and engages in the groove 121 B of the ferrule 1 B to achieve coupling between the attachment member and the ferrule.

A fifth embodiment of the present invention is shown in Fig. 5 in which the ferrule 1C is again rigid in nature and includes a protruding connecting part 10C having integral formed upper, middle and lower portions 11 120 and 13C. The outer surface of the upper portion 11 C is formed with concave surfaces which accommodate the corrugated portion of umbrella cloth disposed between the ferrule 1 C and the attachment member 2D and thus improve the appearance of the umbrella. The lower portion 13C of connecting part is tapered.

The outer diameter of the ferrule connecting part I OC is approximately equal to the inner diameter of a central opening 21 D of the attachment member 2D and is larger than the diameters of middle portion 12C and lower portion 13C. The maximum diameter of the lower portion 13C is slightly larger than the inner diameter of a resilient protruding ring 211 D projecting from the inner wall surface of the central opening 21 D of the attachment member 2D while the diameter of the middle portion 12C is smaller than inner diameter of the ring 21 D. As shown in Fig. 5B, there is an annular space 212D between the protruding ring 211 D and upper inner wall surface of the central hole 21 D. The diameter of the central opening 22D below the protruding ring 211 D is approximately equal to the diameter of a section 131 C of the lower portion 13C of the ferrule connecting part 1 or.

During attachment, when the ferrule 1C is first inserted into the attachment member 2D as shown in Fig. 5C, the upper portion 1 1C of the connecting part fits snugly into the central opening 21 D and a lowermost section 132C of the tapered portion 13C enters the protruding ring 211 D. The ferrule 1C is then urged downwardly so that the tapered lower portion 1310 of the ferrule connecting part pushes against the protruding ring 211 D which expands outwardly to an extent limited by the width of the space 212D between the ring 211 D and the wall of the opening. The inner diameter of the protruding ring 211 D enlarges to accommodate the insertion of the lowermost section 131 C of the connecting part of the ferrule.When the reduced diameter middle portion 12C of the ferrule connecting part 1 OC lies adjacent the protruding ring 21 1D,the resilient protruding ring 211 D can return to its original diameter as shown in Fig. 5D. In this position, the lowermost section 131C of the ferrule connecting part 10C has passed through the protruding ring 211 D and is located underneath the ring and thus the ferrule is secured to the attachment member.

A sixth embodiment of the invention is shown in Fig. 6 which is similar to the second embodiment shown in Fig. 2. The ferrule which may either be rigid or resilient is again secured by means of a flexible ring 5A disposed in a groove in the attachment member opening. As shown in Fig.

6A1, the protruding ring 51A has a thickness T.

The diameter of the attachment member groove 2 is "H" to accommodate the ring 5A. The diameters of the groove and ring are such that after the ring 5A has been inserted into the groove 211 A there is an annular space P between the outer surface 52A of the ring 5A and the inner wall surface of the groove 211 A, as shown in Fig. SD.

Assuming the diameter of the lower portion 11 B of the connecting part of the ferrule 1 is W, then the groove should have a diameter H satisfying the equation H = W + 2T. It will be seen that the annular space P formed between the ring 5A and the wall of the ring-like groove 21 1A accommodates expansion of the ring 5A during attachment of the ferrule.

A final embodiment of the invention is shown in Fig. 7. The ferrule 6 (Fig. 7A) again includes a connecting part having upper, middle and lower portions, 611,612 and 613 respectively. In the middle portion a groove 61 2A is formed to accept a resilient ring 7 (Fig. 7B). The lower portion 513 is tapered, the diameters of the lower portion 613 and middle portion 612 being similar. The resilient ring 7 has an outwardly directed flange 71 the diameter of which is larger than the diameter of the lower portion 61 3 of the ferrule connecting part, but smaller than or equal to the diameter of the upper portion 611 thereof.

In order to secure the ferrule 6, an inwardly directed ring 82 is formed in the central opening 81 of the attachment member 8 (Fig. 7C). The inner diameter of this ring 82 is larger than the maximum diameter of the lower portion 613 of the ferrule connecting part but smaller than the outer diameter of the flange 71 of the resilient ring.

During assembly the ferrule connecting part 61 is pushed into the central opening 81 of the attachment member and as shown in Fig. 7D, since the outer diameter of the lower portion 613 of the connecting part is smaller than the central opening 81 and smaller than the inwardly directed ring 82 thereof, the connecting part 61 of the ferrule can readily be partly inserted into the central opening 81 until the flange 71 of the resilient ring 7 fitted into the groove 61 2A of the ferrule connecting part engages the ring 82. By pushing the ferrule 6 harder, the flange 71 can be slightly deformed so as to pass through the ring 82, where it restores its original shape and prevents removal of the ferrule.

Claims

1. An umbrella or parasol wherein an attachment member mounted to or integral with the top of the umbrella shaft is secured to a ferrule by means of a push-fit mating connection, removal of the ferrule being restrained by means of a ring of resilient material acting between the male and female parts of the connection.

2. An umbrella as claimed in claim 1 wherein the ferrule includes the male part of the connection in the form of a downwardly projecting portion disposed in a central opening of the attachment member.

3. An umbrella as claimed in claim 2 wherein the attachment member is of resilient material, said ring being in the form of an inwardly directed flange within the opening integrally formed with the member.

4. An umbrella as claimed in claim 3 wherein an annular space is formed adjacent the outer periphery of the flange to accommodate expansion thereof during insertion of the ferrule downwardly projecting portion into the attachment member opening.

5. An umbrella as claimed in claim 2 wherein the ring is mounted in an annular groove formed in the wall of the attachment member central opening and includes an inwardly directed annular flange adapted for engagement with the ferrule downwardly projecting portion.

6. An umbrella as claimed in claim 5 wherein there is an annular space adjacent the outer periphery of the ring to accommodate expansion thereof during insertion of the ferrule downwardly projecting portion into the attachment member opening.

7. An umbrella as claimed in any of claims 2 to 6 wherein the ring engages in an annular groove formed in the downwardly projecting portion of the ferrule, the lower part of said portion below the slot being tapered so as to enable easy insertion thereof through the ring during fitting.

8. An umbrella as claimed in claim 2 wherein the ferrule downwardly projecting portion mounts the ring which includes an outwardly directed annular flange adapted for engagement with the inner wall of the attachment member opening underneath an inwardly directed annular flange thereof.

9. An umbrella as claimed in claim 1 wherein the attachment member includes the male part of the connection in the form of an upwardly projecting portion, the ferrule being of a hat-like construction and having a central opening in which said portion is disposed.

10. An umbrella as claimed in claim 9 wherein the ring is mounted in an annular groove formed in the wall of the ferrule opening and includes an annular flange adapted for engagement with the upwardly projecting portion of the attachment member.

11. An umbrella as claimed in claim 10 wherein the flange engages in an annular groove formed in the upwardly projecting portion, the part of said portion above the slot being tapered so as to enable easy insertion thereof through the ring during fitting.

12. An umbrella as claimed in claim 9 wherein the attachment member is of resilient material and the ring is in the form of an outwardly directed annular flange formed integrally with the upwardly projecting portion, the flange being adapted for engagement with an annular groove formed in the interior wall of the ferrule opening.

13. An umbrella as claimed in any preceding claim wherein opposed upper and lower surfaces of the attachment member and ferrule respectively are of relatively large area whereby stresses imparted to the connection as a result of the ferrule striking the ground are largely absorbed by said surfaces.

14. An umbrella substantially as herein described with reference to any of the accompanying drawings.

1 5. A matingly engaging ferrule and attachment member for an umbrella as claimed in any of the preceding claims.