The invention relates to a device for protection against rain either sunshine, said device comprising a rod, which at its free end can be provided with a handle and at its other end is provided with means for supporting a number of pivotable stays to which a cover of flexible material might be connected, in which said other end of said main rod, in the open configuration of the device, is positioned near an edge of said cover.

Providing the rod near an edge of said cover has the advantage that the user can be present nearly below the middle portion of said cover and so will be protected the best.

Positioning said rod in the described way is shown e.g. in WO 2004/030487 Al . In this said end of the rod is connected to a longitudinal support member, which at its other end is provided with means for supporting said stays. The stays extend from the middle of said cover substantially radial outwardly, as this is also the case in known umbrellas.

Eccentrically positioning of the rod in relation to a cover is also known by L 1029225, CA 2,141,482 and

DE 20 2005 014 161 Ul .

In all cases the further construction of the means for supporting the system of pivotable stays mainly corresponds with the generally known means. In that case each stay has at least two parts. The first part is pivotable connected to a fixed point of the construction and the second part is on the one side pivotable connected to about the middle of the first part and on the other side with a operating bush, being mova- ble along said rod.

For locking the protection device, as well when this is used either not used, further means are necessary. To this end, generally speaking, pivotable cams will be mounted in said rod, extending in sleeves in said bush. Said rod will have to be calculated for this and so will have to be executed heavier than otherwise should be necessary.

By this said known constructions are cumbrous and using them is not simple and often give disadvantages . The fingers of the user can be clamped between the stays when the protecting device is brought towards the closed configuration.

Further serving the cams in the rod and sliding the bush over said rod can give rise to difficulties e. g. when said rod is no longer exactly straight as this can be caused by a too heavy load.

Now the object of the invention is to raise said disadvantages and to this said end of the rod is pivotably connected to a housing, in which a number of parallel extending pivot shafts of said stays is present, in such a way that said stays, when the device is not used, will extend substantially parallel to each other and will substantially lie in one plane, in which position said rod will extend substantally parallel to said stays, the end of said rod, lying inside said housing, being provided with a cam-element, being shaped such that when the device is being used by rotating said rod in respect of said housing, a slide, present in said housing, is displaced and will rotate at least two primary stays towards the open configuration.

Add to this further stays will be present being positioned such that during rotation of said two primary stays towards the open configuration the other stays will be rotated as well towards the open configuration by the flexible cover material, connected to said stays.

In particular four other stays will be present. So the total number of stays is limited, while nevertheless a sufficient support of the cover material can be obtained.

So the operation of the device is particular simple, while the manufacturing of the housing and mounting the parts is simple and so cheap.

In particular the housing will consists of two relatively flat parts, running parallel to each other and connected to each other, which parts together are supporting the shafts of the stays, said two parts together forming a support for the pivotable cam-element to which said rod is connected and for the slide which can be moved by said cam-element for pivoting said primary stays .

In particular said primary stays will have a substantial square bended part, such that these stays, in the closed configuration of the device, from said shafts first will extend outwardly and away from each other and there after extend parallel to each other and to the other stays, in which said slide can act upon said square bended parts when the device is brought into its open configuration.

The invention is further explained by means of an embodiment shown in the drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 shows a view, obliquely from below, of a device according to the invention in the open configura ion;

Fig. 2 shows a side view of the device of figure 1 when this is not in its open configuration but is folded in;

Fig. 3 shows a perspective view, obliquely from above, of the device of figure 1;

Fig. 4 shows a perspective view, obliquely from above, of a part of the housing with the shafts, present therein, of the partly shown stays and with a part of the rod and of the cam- element in the open configuration of the device;

Fig. 5 shows a view corresponding to fig. 4 but in which the device is not in its open configuration but is folded in;

Fig. 6 schematically shows a side view of a part of the housing with the cam-element present in it, in the position when the device is in its open configuration; and

Fig. 7 shows a view corresponding to fig. 6 but in the position of the cam-element when the device is not in its open configuration but is folded in.

In the figures the rod of the device according to the invention is indicated by 1. The free end might have a handle 2 and the other end 3 is connected to a cam-element 4, which is pivotable mounted in a housing 5.

Further in the housing 5 two primary stays 6 and four further stays 7 are pivotable mounted. Means are present for fixing the ends of the stays 6 and 7 to a flexible cover material 8, that e.g. is water resistant.

Fixing the cover material to the stays e.g. can take place by means of, not shown, little bags, which at given places are conneted to the cover material 8, such as e.g. by sewing . The says 6 and 7 can be drawn somewhat curved by the cover material 8 in the open configuration of the device, such that the cover material in cross and/or longitudinal direction has a given curvature, as shown in figure 3.

Figure 3 shows as well that the housing 5 consists of a lower part 9 and an upper part 10, which are connected to one another in a not further shown way, e.g. by means of some screws .

In the figures 4 and 5 the lower part 9 of the housing 5 is shown. As appears the stays 6 and 7 are provided with shafts 11, which are supported by the part 9 and, after mounting, also by the part 10 of the housing 5.

By mounting the shafts 11 of the stays 6 and 7 at given places of the housing 5 it is obtained that in the closed configuration of the device, the stays extend substantially parallel to each other, as shown in some of the figures.

As very schematically shown in the figures 4 and 5 the parts 9 and 10 of the housing 5 are as well provided with means for pivotally supporting the cam-element 4. To this end the cam-element can e.g. be provided with, not further indicated, cylindrical portions in which circular running sleeves are present, in which inwardly extending ribs in the parts 9 and 10 can be received.

The cam-element 4 co-operates with a U-shaped slide 12, which is slidable received in the housing 5, as shown in the figures 4 - 7.

The figures 5 and 7 show the device in the closed configuration, in which the stays 6 and 7 as well as the rod 1 extend mainly parallel to each other. Parts 13 of the slide 12 press against square bended parts 14 of the primary stays 6.

When now the rod 1 is rotated in respect of the housing 5 from the position shown in the figures 5 and 7, the cam-element 4 will move the slide 12 to the position shown in the figures 4 and 6. During this the slide 12 in particular pres- ses against the parts 14 of the stays 6 for rotating these.

As in particular appears from figure 6 the cam-element will then be in such a position, that it is locked by the friction forces acting between the various parts. By this it will only be pressed away from this position when a substantial force is exerted on the rod 1.

So the latter will take place when the device is brought into its closed configuration. By said cover material 8 a given force will be exerted on the stays 6 and 7 such that, when the device is brought towads its closed configuration the slide 12 will be pressed over a given distance back to its initial position, shown in the figures 6 and 7. The user will take care for further bringing the device to its closed confi- guration.

It will be obvious that also use can be made of a resi- lent element for pressing either drawing the device completely in its closed configura ion. For an exactly guiding of the slide 12 use might be made of one or more springs.

Near the part 3 the rod 1 might be provided with screw thread, such that this part can be screwed into a corresponding threaded hole in said cam-element 4. Then the rod can be easely replaced, e.g. by a shorter or longer rod, adapted to the use of the device.

It will be obvious that the parts 9 and 10 of the housing

5 can be produced from plastic, such as by injection molding.

Further mounting of the device is very simple. The part 9 of the housing 5 can be laid down for receiving in it the shafts 11 of the stays 6 and 7, the cam-element 4 and the slide 12.

After this the part 10 can be placed upon the part 9 and these parts can be connected to each other such as by some screws, not shown.

Bringing the part 10 on the part 9 can be made easier by executing the receiving parts of the part 10 somewhat obliquely outwardly either inwardly, such that the shafts 11, the cam-element 4 and the slide 12 will be brought gradually towards the right place in the part 10.

Further it is remarked that obviously also more stays 7 can be used, such when the cover material has to extend over a larger surface. The shape of said stays can be adapted too and the stays e.g. can be connected to each other.

So obviously only a single possible embodiment of a device according to the invention is shown in the drawing and is described above and that many modifications can be applied without departing from the inventive idea, as this is indicated in the accompanying claims .