BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This is an invention relating to umbrellas. Presently, a major disadvantage with conventional umbrellas is that when a user reaches his destination, the umbrella is dripping wet and there may be no suitable location to store the umbrella. As a result, the umbrella will wet the surrounding environment. This problem is especially acute when a user tries to enter his car or other similar mode of transportation, and the rainwater drips onto the floor or surrounding environment within the vehicle. This problem also arises when a user reaches a public place such as a restaurant, shopping mall or office building, which does not have facilities to store or contain the wet umbrella. The rainwater from the umbrella will then drip all over the floor or carpets of the respective premises. This problem also arises when a user takes public transportation, such as a bus or mass transit railway. The rainwater would not only wet the surrounding environment, but would also wet the other passengers on the public transport system. Moreover during peak hours and when the transport system is heavily utilised, passengers are often all crowded together within a very small confined space. This problem is further accentuated in countries or cities which have a dense population, and/or which experience frequent and/or torrential rains.

In some buildings or public locations, plastic receptacles or bags are provided to the user to enclose or wrap around the umbrella, to contain the rainwater. However, such plastic receptacles or bags are not usually biodegradable, and therefore their use and subsequent disposal poses a threat to the environment.

Therefore, there is a long and unfulfilled need for a device to collect such rainwater from such umbrellas, when the said umbrellas are collapsed as the user enters a building or a vehicle.

It has been proposed in the past that a drip cup adjacent to the tip of an umbrella be used to collect the dripping rainwater. However, such drip cups suffer certain disadvantages. Firstly, once the umbrella has been collapsed, it is not always possible or practical to ensure that the umbrella is maintained in an upright or vertical manner. As a user walks through a building, the collapsed umbrella undergoes oscillatory motion. In a vehicle, more often than not the collapsed umbrella is stored horizontally and not vertically. In these situations, the water collected in the drip cup may accidentally spill out. Moreover, another disadvantage is that the wet canopy of the umbrella will still wet the surrounding environment, as the wet canopy takes a while to dry out.

It has also been proposed in the past that an umbrella be fitted with a reservoir attached to the tip of the umbrella and a cover or retractable sleeve which can be telescoped towards the reservoir when the frame and canopy of the umbrella are opened for use. For example, International Publication No. WO 92/03946 to CHAN, John et al discloses a cover that can be telescoped along the umbrella when the frame is collapsed and the canopy is folded after use, so as to guide the rainwater into the cover or retractable sleeve. One major disadvantage here is that rainwater can still leak out of the telescopic casing, through the joints between the telescopic sections. If the umbrella is laid out horizontally, the rainwater can also spill out of the retractable casing. In addition, there are considerable friction issues arising from the extension or retraction of the telescopic casing, in conjunction with the opening or collapsing of the umbrella and its canopy. As a result, an appreciable amount of time is required to for the user to extend or retract the cover as well as the umbrella, resulting in the user becoming wet when entering or alighting from a vehicle. Furthermore, such friction will in time wear out the canopy of the umbrella if it used frequently. A further disadvantage is that because the canopy is tightly encased by the cover, the rainwater within would have little chance of evaporating. Consequently, water retained in an umbrella and in constant contact with the canopy for an extended period of time will lead to damage to the parts of the umbrella and/or a nasty smell being produced.

Other means proposed in the past include utilising a sponge to absorb the collected rainwater. A disadvantage here is that such sponges are also apt to provide an environment for bacterial growth, and therefore would have to be constantly replaced. These proposed means also do not address the problem that the wet canopy of the umbrella will still wet the surrounding environment in the meantime, as the wet canopy takes a while to dry out.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention seeks to address the above problems. The present invention is an improved umbrella design, comprising a canopy that collapses inwards, a means of funnelling and collecting the rainwater that drips off the canopy, and a means of storing and eventually disposing of the collected rainwater.

According to the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the umbrella canopy should preferably consist of a waterproof material. When the umbrella is wet, the rainwater will lay on the upper surface of the canopy. However, instead of the usual manner in which umbrellas are collapsed outwards thus allowing the rainwater to flow off the canopy on the outside, the present invention proposes that the canopy collapses in an inward manner, thus containing the rainwater whilst at the same time funnelling the dripping rainwater towards the centre shaft of the umbrella.

This shaft is hollow, with a plurality of slits along its sides to allow the collected rainwater to flow through it and into the hollow space within the shaft. Within the hollow shaft, the collected rainwater flows through to the base of the shaft and into the hollow umbrella handle. The hollow umbrella handle stores the water until it is convenient for the water to be disposed off by the user. The preferred embodiment also utilises a means for the user to stopper the water within the hollow shaft from flowing back out through the slits along the shaft, once the water has been collected within the umbrella handle and the hollow shaft. Consequently, the umbrella in a closed condition can be positioned horizontally or even inversely vertical, without fear of having the rainwater spill or leak back out onto the surrounding environs.

In this manner, the present invention solves the current problems of a wet and dripping umbrella. The inward closing mechanism of the umbrella canopy ensures that the umbrella will not wet the surrounding environment once it is closed. The particular inward closing mechanism proposed in this invention also allows the umbrella to be collapsed and/or opened in an efficient and quick manner, which ensures that a user is exposed to the rain for a shoiter duration of time when entering or exiting a vehicle.

It is evident from the description above that the improved umbrella by design, also overcomes the problems of a conventional umbrella inverting during windy conditions.

A further object of the present invention is to provide an improved umbrella that is cost effective to manufacture and avoids the design difficulties of the prior art.

Yet a further object of the present invention is to minimise junctional contacts during its operation so as to improve the efficiency and durability of the umbrella.

Still further, it is an object of the present invention to ensure that any rainwater stored is easily disposed off subsequently, and is also not stored in such manner as would encourage the growth of bacteria or would be such as would promote unhealthy odours to emit from the umbrella. These and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments of the invention when viewed in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG 1 is an elevational view of the preferred embodiment of the umbrella in accordance with the present invention before use in the closed condition;

FIG 2 is a longitudinal view of the umbrella in FIG 1, when partially opened;

FIG 3 is a longitudinal view of the umbrella in FIG lwhen fully opened;

FIG 4 is a longitudinal view of the umbrella in FIG 1, when partially closed;

FIG 5 shows a cross-sectional view of the umbrella in FIG 1 when partially closed, and indicates the flow of the rainwater collected when the umbrella collapses inwards;

FIG 6 shows a cross-sectional view of the umbrella shaft, and the means of stoppering the rainwater which has been collected within the shaft and the umbrella handle; and

FIG 7 shows an enlarged cross sectional view of the umbrella shaft, with the collar around the shaft, and the lower part of the stoppering means within the shaft.

DETAILED DESCIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring to FIGS 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5, the improved umbrella comprises an inwardly closing canopy 11 usually made of a suitable fabric and accompanying mechanism. FIG 1 shows the umbrella in a closed condition and vertically upright, and with the canopy 11 closed and folded around the central shaft 2. The opening or locking mechanism comprises two running parts 6 & 7. FIG 2 shows the umbrella in a partially open position. The running parts 6 & 7 slide along the central shaft 2, thus exerting a force which spreads out radially through the plurality of ribs 10 supporting the canopy 11 of the umbrella.

These ribs are connected at one end to the runner or running part 6, and at the other end they are connected to the canopy 11. There are also connected coils or springs 9 between the ribs 10 and the canopy 11 to ensure an appropriate amount of tension between the ribs and the canopy, although it is conceivable that such tension could be achieved by other means. One skilled in the art would be able to modify the illustrated embodiment to derive the geometric proportions which are most desirable, and the illustrations provided are not drawn to scale. Nevertheless, in the preferred embodiment, the optimal diameter of the umbrella shaft 2 is between 8 to 14 millimetres, taking into account amongst others the requirement that the shaft be sufficiently durable on the one hand, and that it should also be aesthetically appealing on the other.

A further sliding runner 5 is also positioned above the opening or locking mechanisms 6 & 7, and is connected to them via a further spring mechanism 12. This runner 5 is attached to the canopy 11 and when it is pushed upwards in the opening condition, it will exert a force onto the canopy that when acting in conjunction with the forces that are being exerted onto it by the springs 9 and the ribs 10 will cause the canopy to open outwards to eventually form the open canopy, as in the case of a conventional umbrella.

FIG 3 shows the umbrella in a fully opened condition, with the canopy fully extended and the runner 5 also being fully extended to the top of the umbrella shaft 2. There would be a locking mechanism that one skilled in the art would be able to easily implement, to lock the umbrella and canopy rigidly in this position. Once it is desired that the umbrella should then be closed, applying finger pressure to the lever 15 located on the lower runner 7 would unlock the mechanism, allowing the umbrella to collapse inwards.

FIG 4 illustrates the umbrella in a partially closed condition, where the lower runner 7 has been pulled all the way down the shaft 2 such that it is now in contact with the handle 3. By virtue of the spring mechanisms 12 which encircle the length of the shaft 2 between the runners, a downward force is also exerted onto runners 6 and 5. The sliding movement of runners 6 and 5 will in turn exert proportional force and tension onto the connecting ribs 10, springs 9 and canopy 11 such that the said canopy 11 will collapse inwards until it is positioned vertically and parallel to the umbrella shaft 2.

As the umbrella is collapsed inwardly, the rainwater that has collected on the upper surface of the canopy 11 will gradually flow inwards as well, collecting at the base of the shaft 2 between the runner 5 and the canopy 11. FIG 5 shows the accumulation and flow of such rainwater. A waterproof seal 16 is applied to runner 5 such that the accumulated rainwater will not be able to leak through the outer surface of the shaft 2. At this position, the accumulated rainwater will naturally flow into the shaft 2 via the slits or grooves 14 which have been made along the shaft 2 and at the appropriate height, as illustrated in FIG 5. The accumulated rainwater flowing into the shaft will then accumulate at the base of the hollow umbrella handle 3. If the volume of the handle 3 is insufficient to contain the rainwater, some of it may be contained within the hollow shaft 2. The shaft 2 of the umbrella and handle 3 should be made of material that amongst others is resistant to water corrosion and bacterial growth. In the preferred embodiment, it is also proposed that the handle 3 comprise a detachable lower part which would enable the accumulated water to be easily disposed off, when the bottom part of the handle is detached.

FIG 6 is a cross sectional view of the preferred embodiment of the invention, with a cap 4 situated at the top of the umbrella shaft 2. Affixed to this cap is a stopper or plunging mechanism 20, which runs along the hollow insides of the shaft 2. This stopper comprises an "O" ring affixed to the bottom of the stopper 20 such that when the cap 4 is activated, the stopper descends below the level of the slits 14 such that any rainwater accumulated in the hollow shaft 2 and handle 3 will not be able to flow back out. FIG 7 is an enlarged cross sectional view of the interaction between the plunger 20, the slits 14 in the shaft and the runner 5 encircling the shaft 2. In FIG 7 however, the stopper or plunger is shown in an "unactivated" position, as the stopper is still positioned above the height of the slits.

From the foregoing, it should now be apparent how the present invention provides an improved umbrella design, which achieves all of the intended objects and purposes of the invention. In addition, it can be seen how the present invention provides a cost-effective yet simple solution while avoiding the design difficulties of the relevant prior art. Further, it can be seen how the present invention provides an inwardly collapsing umbrella that minimises contact between frictional parts that could adversely impact upon the durability and usability of the umbrella. Unlike other designs that suggest some form of binding of the canopy, binding of the canopy here is minimised thus improving the overall durability, efficiency and aesthetics of the invention.

While a preferred embodiment of the present invention is shown and described above, it is understood that the drawings are designed for illustration purposes only and are not intended to define the limits and/or scope of the invention disclosed. It is understood that there may be other embodiments, referring to the same inventive concept, and which all fall within the protective scope of the claims hereinafter.