Umbrella handle

The invention relates to handles and handle assemblies for umbrella frames.

Umbrellas of the kind having a handle, a shaft and several ribs and stretchers supporting the cover, in which the ribs fold down on to the shaft when the umbrella is not in use, usually also have a "tip-cup", i.e. an annular recessed retainer slidably mounted on the shaft next to the handle to hold the (usually beaded) tips of the ribs close to the shaft. The tip-cup can be slid axially up the shaft when it is desired to retain the tips of the ribs in the folded-down condition and down towards the handle to free the rib ends for unfolding or erecting the umbrella.

So that the tip-cup does not slide further up the shaft when the umbrella is unfolded, there must be some means for limiting the movement of the tip-cup to the region of the handle. In some umbrellas this is done by deforming the shaft slightly at a location a few centimetres from the handle so that the tip-cup cannot pass beyond that point. However, this is unsatisfactory because the tip-cup slides directly on the shaft, and it is difficult to ensure that it can slide over the required small distance for engaging or disengaging the rib tips with just the right clearance on the shaft so that the tip-cup is reliably retained whilst holding the tips; often it is prone to slip off again while the umbrella is folded, leading to spreading of the ribs and partial opening of the cover, causing some inconvenience to the user.

Another prior art construction uses an additional metal sleeve part, fixed to the shaft adjacent the handle, for the tip-cup to slide on. This ensures a correct clearance and good sliding behaviour for the tip-cup; a flange on the sleeve at the end away from the handle ensures that the cup remains on the sleeve. An umbrella handle of this general type is shown, for instance, in US 3882880 (Haas-Jordan Company). Here a plastics sleeve is located on the shaft next to the handle; the sleeve has a continuous flange at the end away from the handle for retaining a tip-cup. However, the use of the sleeve as an additional part is undesirable from a manufacturing point of view.

According to the invention there is provided an umbrella handle into which a shaft can be inserted, which handle has a sleeve-shaped axial extension on the shaft side for receiving a tip-cup to be slidably mounted thereon, the sleeve having an abutment to prevent the tip-cup sliding off the extension after assembly;

   characterised in that the sleeve-shaped extension is integral with the handle and is radially resiliently compressible in order to allow the tip-cup to be slid over the abutment and on to the extension before the shaft is inserted into the handle.

Conveniently, the abutment may be afforded by an outwardly protruding portion, for example an annular or part-annular lip integral with the end of the sleeve extension.

For ease of assembly the sleeve may be slit in the longitudinal direction so as to form two or more tongues, the free ends thus providing the necessary slight radial compressibility to allow the tip-cup to be slid on to it before the shaft is inserted into the handle. Once this shaft is in place the tongues will be kept apart by the shaft thereby ensuring that the tip-cup is held captive on the sleeve. The sleeve may further have an integral pip or collar at an intermediate point along its length so as to provide additional retention for the tip-cup in its forward position (i.e. when holding the umbrella tips closed).

The handle according to the invention may conveniently be moulded in one piece integrally with the smaller diameter sleeve extension from moldable plastics, though in other embodiments it could be made by machining.

Assembly of an umbrella handle with the shaft is simplified. All that needs to be done is to compress the sleeve slightly, slide an appropriately sized tip-cup onto the sleeve and then assemble the handle onto the shaft. The invention also comprises a handle as defined, with a tip-cup for it; and such a handle assembly when mounted on an umbrella shaft as part of an umbrella frame.

For a better understanding of the invention, an embodiment will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

• Figure 1 shows a first prior art umbrella handle assembly;
• Figure 2 shows a second prior art umbrella handle assembly;
• Figures 3 and 3a show an embodiment of the invention;
• Figure 4 shows a handle according to Figure 3 with a tip-cup mounted on the sleeve;
• Figure 5 shows the handle of Figure 4 with the tip-cup pushed into the tip retaining position.

Figure 1 shows a known handle assembly consisting of a handle 1 into which a shaft 9 is inserted, the shaft being deformed at a location 3 a short distance from the upper end of the handle. A tip-cup 6 slides axially on the shaft between the end of the handle and the deformation 3; the tip cup 6 naturally has to be fitted on the shaft before the latter is inserted in the handle. The cup 6 is prone to being too loose for effective operation or too tight for convenience of use, depending on the actual diameter of the shaft, particularly if the latter is painted with a layer of a thickness which is variable or difficult to control.

Figure 2 shows another known arrangement where an additional sleeve 10 is provided, secured to the shaft 9 at the end of the handle 1. The sleeve 10 has a flange or lip 4 at the end away from the handle so as to retain the tip-cup 6 after assembly. The provision of an additional part complicates the manufacturing process, though the frictional sliding engagement of the tip-cup on the sleeve 10 can be controlled better.

Figure 3 shows a handle in accordance with the invention. The main part of the handle is made of plastics material and has a conventional shape but its upper end (i.e. the end towards the head of the umbrella) has an integral sleeve 2 through which the shaft can pass. The sleeve terminates in a slight lip 4 forming an abutment for retaining a tip-cup, and it is axially slit to form slots 5 so that the free ends of the sections or tongues can be slightly compressed radially during assembly in order to allow the tip-cup to pass over the lip portions 4 onto the sleeve before inserting the shaft into the handle through the sleeve. When assembled in this way, the abutment lip 4 cannot again be compressed owing to the presence of the shaft inside the sleeve 2, and the abutment lip 4 thus prevents the tip-cup sliding off the sleeve and up the shaft.

Figure 3A shows an end view of the sleeve and handle. As can be seen, there are four axial slots 5 which provide four arcuate tongues, though it will be appreciated that there could alternatively be only two or three slots and tongues, or more than four. Conceivably a sleeve with merely one slot could be used if it could be closed sufficiently to reduce the lip diameter to allow the hole in the tip-cup to fit over it.

As Figure 4 shows, when the tip-cup 6 is mounted on the sleeve the tip-cup can slide on the sleeve a short distance defined between a lower position adjacent the handle proper and the upper position defined by the lip 4. Since the sleeve is moulded integrally with the handle, the tolerance required for sliding can be easily maintained. In this embodiment the sleeve has a small protrusion or pip 3 which normally confines the tip-cup 6 to one or other part of the sleeve because the tip-cup can only pass over the pip 3 using slight pressure and it will not slide over the pip freely inadvertently. As Figure 5 shows, when the umbrella is to be kept in the furled condition the pip 3 provides additional retaining means for the cup, ensuring that the tip-cup does not unintentionally slip off the rib tips and release the ribs 8. The user can, however, easily slide the cup 6 over the pip 3 when the umbrella is to be put up.

A significant advantage of a handle in accordance with the invention is that it can be moulded in one piece from any suitable mouldable plastics material with the sleeve for the tip-cup formed integrally during moulding. Conceivably it would be possible to make a handle according to the invention other han by moulding, e.g. by machining from wood, metal or plastics, and in that respect the invention is applicable to any type or shape of umbrella handle. In that case, before or after forming the axial hole for receiving the shaft, the sleeve would simply be machined by turning it down to a smaller diameter, leaving the end lip, and then cutting the axial slots.

Whether moulded or manufactured in other ways the axial slots need not extend the full axial extent of the sleeve provided they are long enough to allow the lipped end to be compressed.

The sleeve need not necessarily be radially compressible by means of such slots; other means could be provided for allowing the tip-cup to be slid onto the sleeve and keep it from sliding off, e.g. by resilience of the sleeve or tip-cup itself.

Where the abutment is constituted by a lip as shown, it need not be present all round the sleeve end in the form of an annulus; one or more part-annular portions would do. In other embodiments, the abutment could be at minimum just one protrusion, or two diametrically opposite protrusions, could suffice.