US 12,262,801 B2
Umbrella assembly with counterweight system
Zhun-An Ma, Ningbo (CN)
Filed by Zhun-An Ma, Ningbo (CN)
Filed on Jul. 1, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/856,634.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/203,210, filed on Jul. 13, 2021.
Prior Publication US 2023/0018195 A1, Jan. 19, 2023
Int. Cl. A45B 25/02 (2006.01); A45B 25/14 (2006.01)
CPC A45B 25/02 (2013.01) [A45B 25/14 (2013.01); A45B 2200/10 (2013.01)] 28 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An umbrella comprising:
a pole assembly comprising an upper portion, a lower portion, the pole assembly enclosing an interior space disposed along a longitudinal axis thereof;
a shade assembly disposed above the lower portion of the pole assembly, the shade assembly coupled with the upper portion of the pole assembly, the shade assembly comprising:
two or more ribs, a corresponding number of struts, a shade member, an upper hub and a lower hub, wherein the lower hub is moveable along the pole assembly, wherein the struts are coupled at one end to the corresponding ribs and at their other end coupled to the lower hub;
the upper hub comprising a guide rod moveable within the pole assembly, at least two recesses extending into the guide rod;
a counterweight system disposed within the interior space of the pole assembly, the counterweight system comprising a ballast, a cord having a first end coupled with the ballast and a second end coupled the lower hub, the cord being disposed over a pulley between the first end and the second end;
a locking device, the locking device comprising a hook assembly and a pushrod mechanism,
the hook assembly comprising at least two prongs sized to fit within the at least two recesses and a spring configured to urge the at least two prongs into engagement with the at least two recesses to lock the umbrella in an open state,
the pushrod mechanism disposed through a lower end of the guide rod, the pushrod mechanism comprising a fixture, a pushrod coupled to the fixture, and a lower surface disposed opposite to the fixture, and;
a handle extending downward from a lower portion of the lower hub;
wherein when opening the umbrella, the handle can be raised to raise the lower hub in an upward direction along the pole assembly as the ballast moves down within the interior space of the pole assembly, while at the same time the upper hub is lowered until the at least two recesses are aligned with the at least two prongs;
wherein when closing the umbrella, the lower surface is actuated to move the fixture upward to disengage the at least two prongs from the at least two recesses of the guide rod, allowing the handle to move downward and the ballast to move upward.