Umbrella for outdoor furniture and frame therefor
View Patent ↗The umbrella is constructed with a frame that allows one rib to be manually lifted in order to open the umbrella and allows a manually applied force to be placed on the cover between two adjacent ribs in order to close the umbrella. Mechanical cranks and the like are eliminated. In one embodiment, the upper yoke is movable relative to a fixed lower yoke and the tension in the cover maintains the upper movable yoke in the open condition of the umbrella.
1. A crankless umbrella comprising
a pole;
a first yoke movably and freely mounted on said pole at an upper end thereof;
a second yoke fixedly mounted on said pole below said first yoke;
a plurality of radially disposed ribs, each said rib being pivotally connected at one end to said first yoke to pivot between a lowered position adjacent said pole and a raised position outwardly splayed from said pole, each said rib being disposed at an angle of greater than 90° with respect to said pole in said raised position thereof;
a cover mounted at a central area on said pole and secured at a plurality of peripherally disposed points to said ribs for movement between a collapsed condition about said pole corresponding to said lowered position of said ribs and a raised tensioned position splayed outwardly of said pole corresponding to said raised position of said ribs;
a plurality of radially disposed struts, each strut being pivotally connected at one end to said second yoke and being pivotally connected at an opposite end to a respective one of said ribs;
whereby the amount of tension in said cover in said raised position of said ribs is sufficient to impart a biasing force on said ribs that counteracts the gravitational forces on said ribs that would otherwise collapse said ribs into said lowered position of said ribs; and
whereby pivoting of one of said ribs from said lowered position thereof causes said first yoke to move from a first raised position spaced from said second yoke to a second lowered position near said second yoke and a corresponding movement of the remaining ribs and said cover to splay outwardly of said pole and whereby a downwardly deflection of said cover between a pair of said ribs in said raised position thereof causes said ribs to simultaneously move from said raised positions thereof to said lowered position thereof and a corresponding movement of said cover to said collapsed condition thereof and a corresponding movement of said first yoke towards said raised position thereof.
2. A crankless umbrella frame as set forth in claim 1 where said each said strut is made of wood.
3. A crankless umbrella frame as set forth in claim 1 wherein said cover is secured to an end of each respective rib at a peripheral portion thereof.
4. A crankless umbrella frame as set forth in claim 1 further comprising a stop secured to said pole to limit movement of said first yoke to said lowered position thereof.
5. A crankless umbrella as set forth in claim 1 wherein said pole is made of wood.