The present invention relates to an umbrella and more precisely an umbrella of the“portable” type, which is useful and practical for daily use.

As is known, the umbrella, or parasol, is an accessory used mainly to take shelter from the rain or from other atmospheric precipitation and, sometimes, also for providing shade and for sheltering from the sun.

Conventional umbrellas comprise a rod which is provided with a handle, often curved, and a covering made of fabric which can be kept open or folded by way of a ring, which can slide on the rod, and which is connected to folding slats.

The slats, generally, comprise metallic arms which are mutually pivoted and are connected to the sliding ring by way of further arms.

The covering is usually formed from sectors of natural or synthetic fabric sewn together so as to form a uniform and waterproof cap.

Some models of umbrella are provided with a telescopic rod which can be shortened so as to take up less space.

Conventional umbrellas, although useful and practical, have some aspects that can be improved.

In particular, the need is felt to have umbrellas that are increasingly small and light, which can be brought along with greater convenience and which take up less space when closed.

Lurthermore, in conventional umbrellas, the slats are particularly delicate and are often subject to breakages which render the entire umbrella unusable. This problem is even more accentuated in“portable” umbrellas, in which, in order to reduce the dimensions, the slats comprise a greater number of arms, joints and connectors.

Another aspect of conventional umbrellas that can be improved is represented by the environmental impact. In fact, conventional umbrellas comprise parts made of different materials (metals, polyester, varnished wood, synthetic fabrics) which make their disposal difficult, in particular preventing the differentiated disposal, and therefore the recycling, of the materials.

The aim of the present invention is to overcome the above mentioned drawbacks of the known art, by devising an umbrella that is convenient and functional and at the same time lighter and less bulky with respect to the known art.

Within this aim, an object of the present invention is to provide an umbrella that is stronger and reliable with respect to the known art.

Another object of the invention is to provide an umbrella with less environmental impact with respect to the known art.

Another object of the invention consists of providing an umbrella that is easy to implement and economically competitive.

This aim and these and other objects which will become better apparent hereinafter are achieved by an umbrella comprising a covering element, a telescopic rod which is adapted to be gripped at a lower end and a plurality of supporting elements which are connected to an upper end of said telescopic rod for the support of said covering element,

said umbrella being configurable at least in an open umbrella configuration, in which said supporting elements are arranged substantially radially so as to keep said covering element extended, and in a closed umbrella configuration, in which said covering element and said supporting elements are folded along said telescopic rod, said telescopic rod comprising at least one first tubular element which can slide coaxially inside a second tubular element between an extracted position and a retracted position, characterized in that said supporting elements comprise at least one distal tubular element which can slide coaxially inside a proximal tubular element between an extracted condition, in which they keep said covering element extended, and a retracted condition.

Further characteristics and advantages of the invention will become better apparent from the detailed description of a preferred, but not exclusive, embodiment of an umbrella according to the invention, which is illustrated by way of non-limiting example with the aid of the accompanying drawings wherein:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a possible embodiment of an umbrella, according to the invention, in the open umbrella configuration;

Figures 2 and 3 are perspective views of part of the umbrella in Figure 1, in the open umbrella configuration, with the locking element in the locking position;

Figure 4 is a perspective view of part of the umbrella in Figure 1, in the open umbrella configuration, with the locking element in the release position;

Figure 5 is a perspective view of part of the umbrella in Figure 1, in the closed umbrella configuration;

Figure 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along a vertical plane of part of the umbrella in Figure 1, in the open umbrella configuration;

Figure 7A is a cross-sectional view taken along a vertical plane of part of the umbrella in Figure 1, during the transition from the open umbrella configuration to the closed umbrella configuration;

Figure 7B is a cross-sectional view taken along a vertical plane of part of the umbrella in Figure 1, during the transition from the closed umbrella configuration to the open umbrella configuration;

Figure 8 is a cross-sectional view taken along a vertical plane of part of the umbrella in Figure 1, in the closed umbrella configuration.

With reference to the figures, the umbrella, generally designated by the reference numeral 1, comprises a covering element 99, such as for example a fabric or a canvas or any layer of preferably waterproof material, which has the function, in a known manner, of screening the carrier of the umbrella from the rain and/or from the sun. The covering element 99 is conveniently non-rigid and foldable so that it can be easily folded when the umbrella 1 is closed. In the preferred embodiment, the covering element is made of biodegradable plastic or another easily recyclable material.

The umbrella 1 also comprises a telescopic rod 20 which is adapted to be gripped at a lower end, and preferably is provided with a handle 12, and a plurality of supporting elements 30 which are connected to an upper end of such telescopic rod 20 for the support of the covering element 99.

The covering element 99 is fixed to the supporting elements, above them, with one of the well-known techniques, for example by way of stitching and/or slots and/or affixing rings and/or adhesive elements and/or caps fitted over the ends of the supporting elements 30.

In practice, as in conventional umbrellas, the supporting elements 30 form a frame that supports the covering element 99, keeps it extended when the umbrella 1 is open and keeps it close to the telescopic rod 20 when the umbrella 1 is closed.

Obviously, the umbrella 1 can be configured at least in an open umbrella configuration and in a closed umbrella configuration.

The open and closed configurations of the umbrella are well known and do not require further explanations, and here their descriptions are limited to the following:

- in the open umbrella configuration, shown for example in Figure 1, the supporting elements 30 are arranged substantially radially (not necessarily coplanar, for example arranged as though along the lateral surface of a cone or of a cap) so as to keep the covering element 99 extended, preferably perpendicular to the telescopic rod 20, and

- in the closed umbrella configuration, shown for example in Figure 5 where the covering element 99 is omitted in order to make the figure clearer, the covering element 99 and the supporting elements 30 are folded along the telescopic rod 20 and therefore they are positioned substantially parallel to the telescopic rod 20.

In more detail, the telescopic rod 20 comprises at least one first tubular element 22 which can slide coaxially inside a second tubular element 21 between an extracted position, i.e. elongated, in which such first tubular element 22 is for the most part outside the second tubular element 21, and a retracted position, i.e. shortened, in which such first tubular element 22 is for the most part inside the second tubular element 21.

In some embodiments, the telescopic rod 20 comprises more than two tubular elements which can coaxially slide one inside the other between the retracted condition and the extracted condition.

According to the invention, the supporting elements 30 comprise, i.e. each one of the supporting elements 30 comprises, at least one distal tubular element 32 which can slide coaxially inside a proximal tubular element 31 between an extracted condition, in which they keep the covering element 99 extended, and a retracted condition which preferably comes about in the closed umbrella configuration.

In more detail, in the extracted condition, i.e. elongated, the distal tubular element 32 is for the most part outside the proximal tubular element

31 and, in the retracted condition, i.e. shortened, the distal tubular element

32 is for the most part inside the proximal tubular element 31.

In other words, the supporting elements 30, similarly to the telescopic rod 20, are also telescopic and in some embodiments they comprise more than two tubular elements which can coaxially slide one inside the other between the retracted condition and the extracted condition.

Advantageously, it is therefore possible to vary the size of the covering surface by adding or removing tubular elements to/firom the supporting elements 30.

The tubular elements 31, 32 of the supporting elements 30, and also the tubular elements 21, 22 of the telescopic rod 20, in the preferred embodiment, are circular in cross-section, while in other embodiments (not shown) they have a different cross-section, for example a polygonal cross- section.

To make the description clearer, it is useful at this point to note that the term“proximal” means closer to the center of gravity of the open umbrella 1 and therefore closer to the central connecting element 50 which will be described below; mirror-symmetrically, the term“distal” means further from the center of gravity of the open umbrella 1 and therefore further from the central connecting element 50.

Preferably, the umbrella 1 comprises kinematic connection elements 4 A, 4B, which functionally connect the first tubular element 22 of the telescopic rod 20 to the distal tubular elements 32 and also to the proximal tubular elements 31 of the supporting elements 30 so that, by way of such kinematic connection elements 4A, 4B:

- by pulling the first tubular element 22 of the telescopic rod 20 from the retracted position toward the extracted position (as illustrated for example in Figure 7B), the distal tubular elements 32 are pulled and/or pushed from the retracted condition toward the extracted condition and, simultaneously or in succession, the supporting elements 30 are pulled and/or pushed from the closed umbrella configuration toward the open umbrella configuration, and

- by pushing the first tubular element 22 of the telescopic rod 20 from the extracted position toward the retracted position (as illustrated for example in Figure IK), the distal tubular elements 32 are pulled and/or pushed from the extracted condition toward the retracted condition and, simultaneously or in succession, the supporting elements 30 are free to pass from the open umbrella configuration toward the closed umbrella configuration.

In this manner, the supporting elements 30 are controlled by way of the telescopic rod 20 and, in practice, positioning the telescopic rod 20 in the extracted position results in the open umbrella configuration and, conversely, positioning the telescopic rod 20 in the retracted position results in the closed umbrella configuration.

In some embodiments, including the preferred one, the kinematic connection elements 4A, 4B comprise wires or cables or filaments or the like, which pass at least partially inside the telescopic rod 20 and inside the supporting elements 30. For example, in a possible embodiment, the kinematic connection elements 4A, 4B comprise filaments made of synthetic or biodegradable material, such as for example filaments of nylon or braided filaments of the type usually used for fishing. Hereinafter the term“wire” will be used to mean, very generally, any wire or cable or filament or the like.

Preferably there is at least one kinematic connection element 4A, 4B for each supporting element 30 and therefore each one of the kinematic connection elements 4A, 4B functionally (i.e. mechanically) connects a respective supporting element 30 to the first tubular element 22.

In the preferred and illustrated embodiment, the kinematic connection elements 4A, 4B comprise, for each supporting element 30, an extensor wire portion 4A, which guides such supporting element 30 toward the extracted condition and toward the open umbrella configuration when the first tubular element 22 is pulled toward the extracted position, and a tensor wire portion 4B, which guides the same supporting element 30 toward the retracted condition when the first tubular element 22 is pushed toward the retracted position.

The extensor wire portion 4A and the tensor wire portion 4B can equivalently be two portions of a single wire or two separate wires, preferably, but not necessarily, connected at the ends.

In more detail, the extensor wire portion 4A is fixed with a first end to the first tubular element 22 and with a second end to the distal tubular element 32 of the respective supporting element 30 and it interacts mechanically with the proximal tubular element 31 of the respective supporting element 30.

More precisely, the extensor wire portion 4A is configured so that, by pulling such first tubular element 22 from the retracted position toward the extracted position, such extensor wire portion 4A is pulled and consequently applies a mechanical moment to the proximal tubular element 31 of the respective supporting element 30, causing such supporting element 30 to rotate toward the open umbrella configuration. Furthermore, again by pulling the first tubular element 22 from the retracted position toward the extracted position, the extensor wire portion 4A, in turn, pulls the distal tubular element 32 toward the extracted condition.

In addition, the extensor wire portion 4A is also configured so that, by pushing the first tubular element 22 from the extracted position toward the retracted position, the tension of the extensor wire portion 4A decreases, leaving the respective supporting element 30 free to rotate toward the closed umbrella configuration.

The tensor wire portion 4B is also fixed with a first end to the first tubular element 22 and with a second end to the distal tubular element 32 so that, by pushing the first tubular element 22 from the extracted position toward the retracted position, the tensor wire portion 4B itself is pulled and consequently pulls the distal tubular element 32 of the respective supporting element 30 toward the retracted condition.

The figures show in detail one of the possible configurations of the extensor wire portion 4A and of the tensor wire portion 4B in order to carry out what is described above. Note, with particular reference to Figure 6, that:

- the extensor wire portion 4A: is fixed with the first end to the distal end 221 of the first tubular element 22, passes longitudinally inside such first tubular element 22, exits from the first tubular element 22 through the proximal end thereof and then continues inside the second tubular element 21 up to the proximal end thereof, then exits from the second tubular element 21 through the proximal end of the latter and enters the respective proximal tubular element 31 through a proximal end of such proximal tubular element 31 and then exits from the proximal tubular element 31 through a proximal hole 311 of the proximal tubular element 31, then extends longitudinally along the external wall of such proximal tubular element 31, then reenters this through a distal hole 312 of the proximal tubular element 31, passes between this and the respective distal tubular element 32, and finally is fixed with the second end to the proximal end of the distal tubular element 32;

- the tensor wire portion 4B: is fixed with the first end to a distal end 221 of the first tubular element 22, passes longitudinally inside such first tubular element 22, exits from this through a proximal radial hole 223, then passes between the first tubular element 22 and the second tubular element 21 and then exits from this through a distal radial hole 211 of the second tubular element 21 , continues by extending longitudinally along the external wall of the second tubular element 21, then enters the second tubular element 21 through a proximal radial hole 212 of the second tubular element 21, exits from the second tubular element 21 through a proximal end of the latter and enters the respective proximal tubular element 31 through a proximal end of such proximal tubular element 31 , and finally is fixed with the second end to a proximal end of the distal tubular element 32 inside the proximal tubular element 31.

Preferably, the umbrella 1 also comprises a central connecting element 50 to which the second tubular element 21 and all the proximal tubular elements 31 are connected and which comprises a plurality of perimetric seats 51 each one of which is adapted to be engaged by one of the proximal tubular elements 31 at least in the open umbrella configuration.

In the example shown, the central connecting element 50 is substantially cylindrical and hollow inside and the perimetric seats 51 are constituted, in practice, by windows which are provided on the lateral wall of such cylindrical central connecting element 50.

The proximal tubular elements 31 are conveniently pivoted to the central connecting element 50 that they can be rotated between the closed umbrella configuration and the open umbrella configuration.

In the example shown, the proximal tubular elements 31 are pivoted by way of respective pins, in another embodiment (not shown) they are all hinged by way of a single ring which is positioned adjacent to the internal wall of the central connecting element 50.

In the preferred embodiment, the umbrella 1 comprises a locking element 60 for locking the open umbrella configuration, being substantially gear-shaped, provided with teeth 61 with rounded ends which are arranged radially and are alternated with recesses.

Such locking element 60 is able to rotate between a locking position

(shown in Figure 3) and a release position (shown in Figure 4).

In the locking position, each tooth 61 locks one of the proximal tubular elements 31 in one of the perimetric seats 51, thus preventing its rotation toward the closed umbrella configuration.

In the release position, the recesses are arranged at the proximal tubular elements 31 so as to allow the rotation of the supporting elements 30 between the open umbrella configuration and the closed umbrella configuration.

According to an optional and advantageous characteristic, the second tubular element 21 is coupled with a proximal end to the central connecting element 50 so that it can be rotated about its own longitudinal axis with respect to such central connecting element 50 and is further coupled in rotation (preferably fixed and integral) to the locking element 60, so as to guide the latter in rotation between the locking position and the release position. In this manner, to lock the umbrella 1 once open and to release it in order to close it, it is sufficient to rotate the second tubular element 21.

Alternatively, in an embodiment (not shown), the umbrella is provided with an external tubular element, which is positioned coaxial to the second tubular element 21, externally to this, coupled with a proximal end to the central connecting element 50 so that it can be rotated about its own longitudinal axis with respect to the central connecting element 50 and coupled in rotation (preferably fixed and integral) to the locking element 60, so as to guide the latter in rotation between the locking position and the release position.

In other embodiments, the umbrella 1 is provided with systems for locking and releasing of a different type, for example systems for locking the telescopic rod 20 in the extracted position of the type of those in use in conventional umbrellas.

In an embodiment that is particularly advantageous from the point of view of environmental impact, the covering element 99, the telescopic rod 20, the supporting elements 30, and preferably also all the other elements that make up the umbrella 1, are made of biodegradable material and preferably of biodegradable plastic. In this manner disposal and recycling are simplified.

Operation of the umbrella is clear and evident from the foregoing description.

It should be noted at this point that in order to open the umbrella 1 it is sufficient to grip the second tubular element 21 with one hand and with the other hand pull the first tubular element 22 up to the extracted position. Then it is possible to lock the umbrella in the open configuration simply by rotating the second tubular element 21 in either direction.

Conversely, to close the umbrella 1, after having rotated the second tubular element 21 in either direction in order to release the umbrella 1 , it is sufficient to grip the second tubular element 21 with one hand and with the other hand push the first tubular element 22 up to the retracted position.

It should further be noted that, by virtue of the peculiarity of having telescopic supporting elements, in the event of breakage, it is possible to easily substitute a single tubular element 31, 31, without having to throw away the whole umbrella.

Finally, it should be emphasized that the supporting elements 30, since they do not have joints and by virtue of the telescopic tubular structure, are much more robust with respect to the known art.

In practice it has been found that the umbrella, according to the present invention, achieves the intended aim and objects in that it is particularly convenient and functional and at the same time lighter and less bulky with respect to the known art.

Another advantage of the umbrella, according to the invention, consists in that it is stronger and more reliable with respect to the known art.

Another advantage of the umbrella, according to the invention, consists in that it has less environmental impact with respect to the known art.

Another advantage of the umbrella, according to the invention, consists in that it is easy to implement and economically competitive.

The umbrella, thus conceived, is susceptible of numerous modifications and variations, all of which are within the scope of the appended claims.

Moreover, all the details may be substituted by other, technically equivalent elements.

The disclosures in Italian Patent Application No. 102018000009224 from which this application claims priority are incorporated herein by reference.

Where technical features mentioned in any claim are followed by reference signs, those reference signs have been included for the sole purpose of increasing the intelligibility of the claims and accordingly, such reference signs do not have any limiting effect on the interpretation of each element identified by way of example by such reference signs.