GB2267640A

GB2267640A - Umbrella cover attachment system

Info

Publication number: GB2267640A
Application number: GB9212869A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Fu-Tien Liou
Original assignee: Totes Inc
Current assignee: Totes Inc
Priority date: 1992-06-05
Filing date: 1992-06-17
Publication date: 1993-12-15
Also published as: GB9212869D0; CA2070869A1; CN1079377A

Abstract

In an umbrella cover attachment system in which a mechanical latch holds a ferrule 11 in interfitted relation with a notch 12, the umbrella cover 13 is secured therebetween The mechanical latch is partially carried by the notch and partially carried by the ferrule, the latch consisting of a spring loaded nose 20, preferably on the ferrule, and a bore 33 into which it extends, preferably in the notch. Upon assembly, the spring loaded nose extends into the bore until the latch nose 20 springs into latched relation with a latch seat 35 on the end of the bore, holding the cover under the cap 15. <IMAGE>

Description

Umbrella Cover Connector Svstem 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 is 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 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 cover, 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 notch 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 this 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.

In accord with this objective, the umbrella cover connector system of this invention is directed to a mechanical latch that holds a ferrule in interfitted relation with a notch with the umbrella cover being located therebetween. The mechanical latch is partially 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 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 defined 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 interfitted 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 umbrella's cover 13 located therebetween as shown 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 inters it 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 coaxially 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 coaxially 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 16 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 particularly, this umbrella cover connector system 10 negates the 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.

It will of course be understood that the present invention has been described above purely by way of example, and that modifications of detail can be made within the scope of the invention.

Claims

(1) A cover connector system for an umbrella comprising a notch fixed to an umbrella centerpost, a ferrule connected to said notch, an umbrella cover located between said notch and said ferrule, said ferrule and said notch cooperating to hold said cover in place, and a mechanical latch partially carried by said notch and partially carried by said ferrule to hold said ferrule in connected relation with said notch, said latch comprising a bore defined in one of said notch and said ferrule, said bore defining a latch seat, a latch nose connected to the other of said notch and said ferrule, said latch nose being sized to extend into said bore, said nose and said seat being interengaged to hold said ferrule in connected relation with said notch, and a spring connected with said latch nose, said spring biasing said latch nose into latched relation with said latch seat upon assembly of said ferrule and said notch.
(2) A cover connector system as claimed in Claim 1, said bore being defined in said notch, and said spring and said latch nose being connected to said ferrule.
(3) A cover connector system as claimed in Claim 1 or Claim 2, said bore being one of generally parallel to and co-axial with the centerline of said centerpost.
(4) A cover connector system as claimed in any preceding Claim, said spring comprising a leaf spring connected at one end to said ferrule, said latch nose being connected to the other end of said leaf spring.
(5) A cover connector system as claimed in any preceding Claim, said bore being a throughbore, said latch seat being that surface of said notch opposite to the notch surface against which said cover is abutted.
(6) A cover connector system as claimed in any preceding Claim, said latch comprising at least two latch noses and at least two springs, one latch nose being connected to each spring, both springs and both latch noses being adapted to extend through said bore during assembly of said ferrule and said notch.
7. A cover connector system for an umbrella substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as shown in the accompanying drawings.