Catch-free automatic closing umbrella as effected by lotus-shape top ribs

Abstract

A catch-free umbrella includes: a central shaft, a rib assembly pivotally secured to the shaft and an umbrella cloth secured on the rib assembly; with the rib assembly having a plurality of top ribs pivotally secured between an upper notch formed on the shaft and a plurality of stretcher ribs pivotally inclinedly secured to a runner slidably held on the shaft; and the top ribs radially arcuately bent to form a lotus-shape arrangement when opening the umbrella to form an upward force fraction acting on the runner for lifting the runner and the rib assembly without gravitational descending; whereby upon closing of the umbrella by initially lowering the runner, the top ribs of lotus-shape arrangement will serve as closing springs for closing the umbrella automatically.

I claim:  
     
         1 . An automatic closing umbrella comprising: 
 a central shaft having a grip formed on a lower portion of said shaft;    a rib assembly including a plurality of top ribs pivotally secured to an upper notch formed on said shaft by a plurality of inner adapters, a plurality of outer ribs connected to said top ribs by a plurality of joint members, and a plurality of stretcher ribs each pivotally connected between each said joint member and a runner slidably held on said shaft, with each said stretcher rib forming an acute angle between said stretcher rib and said shaft below said runner when opening the umbrella;    an umbrella cloth secured on said rib assembly;    each said inner adapter pivotally connected to said upper notch on said shaft, having a pair of said top ribs inwardly connected to each said inner adapter, with said pair of top ribs bifurcated divergently from each said inner adapter to be outwardly connected with two joint members neighboring each other, and correspondingly each said joint member having its inner portion connected with two said top ribs as directed from two said inner adapters neighboring each other, whereby upon opening of the umbrella by lifting said runner and extending said rib assembly, said top ribs will be radially arcuately bent to form a lotus-shape arrangement of said top ribs to produce tension force and store spring energy on said top ribs to act upon said stretcher ribs and said runner to produce an upward force fraction on said runner to prevent from a gravitational descending of the runner and the rib assembly for stably opening the umbrella; and upon an initiative lowering of said runner to overcome and release the force fraction, the top ribs will restore to retract the rib assembly to close the umbrella automatically.    
     
     
         2 . An automatic closing umbrella according to  claim 1 , wherein each said top rib has a cross section selected from the shapes of plate shape, semi-circular shape and rod shape, two outer end portions of two said top ribs fastened by a fastening ring adjacent to said joint member.  
     
     
         3 . An automatic closing umbrella according to  claim 1 , wherein each said inner adapter is integrally formed with said two top ribs.  
     
     
         4 . An automatic closing umbrella according to  claim 1  further comprises an umbrella-closing trigger means formed on said grip and said shaft operatively initiatively lowering said runner to overcome and release the upward force fraction on said runner to allow said top ribs to restore and close the umbrella automatically.  
     
     
         5 . An automatic closing umbrella according to  claim 4 , wherein said umbrella-closing trigger means includes: a control button resiliently formed on a grip at a lower portion of the central shaft, a tension spring normally tensioning the control button upwardly to be ready for downward depression on the button when closing the umbrella; a link having a lower link end secured to the control button and an upper link end formed as a hook portion to be normally engaged with a top portion of the runner when opening the umbrella, with the upper link end upwardly limited by a stopper pin fixed on an upper portion of the shaft.  
     
     
         6 . An automatic closing umbrella according to  claim 5 , wherein said control button is formed with a hopper diverging upwardly from the control button for receiving a plurality of ball tips formed on a plurality of outer ribs.  
     
     
         7 . An automatic closing umbrella according to  claim 4 , wherein said umbrella-closing trigger means includes: a control button slidably held in the grip, a lower latch resiliently secured in a lower sliding sleeve slidably held in an interior in a lower portion of the shaft to be engaged with a latch hole formed in a lower portion of the shaft to be contacted with the control button when opening the umbrella, a link having a lower end secured with the lower sliding sleeve and having an upper end of the link secured with an upper sliding block slidably held in an upper portion of the shaft with an actuating pin transversely formed in the upper sliding block and protruding outwardly through the shaft to be slidably held in a pin slot cut in the shaft and to be upwardly limited by an upper end wall of the slot when the actuating pin is upwardly moved by the runner when opening the umbrella, and a closing initiating spring which is a restoring spring resiliently retained between the upper sliding block and an upper notch on the shaft to normally urge the upper sliding block and the link downwardly when closing the umbrella.  
     
     
         8 . An automatic closing umbrella comprising: 
 a central shaft having a grip formed on a lower portion of said shaft;    a rib assembly including a plurality of top ribs pivotally secured to an upper notch formed on said shaft, a plurality of outer ribs connected to said top ribs, and a plurality of stretcher ribs each pivotally connected between a runner slidably held on said shaft and a joint portion formed between each said outer rib and two said top ribs, with each said stretcher rib forming an acute angle between said stretcher rib and said shaft below said runner when opening the umbrella;    an umbrella cloth secured on said rib assembly;    said plurality of top ribs operatively arcuately bent for forming a lotus-shape arrangement when opening the umbrella, having every two said top ribs inwardly pivotally connected to said upper notch, and every two said top ribs diverging from said upper notch to be outwardly connected with one said outer rib.    
     
     
         9 . An automatic closing umbrella according to  claim 8 , wherein every two said top ribs and one said outer rib are integrally formed as a Y shape rib structure.