Easily openable and collapsible folding umbrella having further reduced collapsed volume

Abstract

A folding umbrella includes multiple sets of rib members, each of which includes pivotally connected connecting element, inner, middle, and outer main ribs, stretcher, and inner and outer links. Since the inner link is a round-sectioned rib, and the inner main rib and the stretcher are U-sectioned ribs, the inner link is received in the inner main rib, and the inner main rib with the inner link received therein along with the connecting element are received in the stretcher when the folding umbrella is fully collapsed, allowing the collapsed folding umbrella to have a further reduced volume. The folding umbrella also includes a lower hub having an inward curved waist portion and a conic lower wall portion that provide an increased contact area for a user to comfortably and easily move the lower hub upward or downward to open or collapse the folding umbrella.

1 . An easily openable and collapsible folding umbrella having further reduced collapsed volume, comprising: 
 a shaft formed from three telescopically connected shaft sections, namely, an upper shaft section, a middle shaft section, and a lower shaft section;    an upper hub fixedly connected to a top of said shaft;    a lower hub including a runner upward and downward slidably mounted on said shaft;    a grip fixedly connected to a lower end of said shaft;    multiple sets of rib members; and    an umbrella cover connected to and covering a top of said multiple sets of rib members;    each of said multiple sets of rib members including:    a connecting element;    an outer main rib, which is a round-sectioned rib;    an inner main rib, which is a U-sectioned rib defining a longitudinal channel; said inner main rib being pivotally connected at an inner end and an outer end to said upper hub and an outer end of said connecting element, respectively;    a middle main rib, which is a round-sectioned rib; said middle main rib being pivotally connected at an inner end and an outer end to the outer end of said connecting element and a near-inner-end point on said outer main rib, respectively;    a stretcher, which is a U-sectioned rib defining a longitudinal channel, an inner section of which is sideward expanded to form an expanded channel; said stretcher being pivotally connected at an inner end and an outer end to said lower hub and a near-middle point on said inner main rib, respectively;    an inner link, which is a round-sectioned rib; said inner link being pivotally connected at an inner end and an outer end to a near-outer-end point on said stretcher and an inner end of said connecting element, respectively; such that when said folding umbrella is fully collapsed, said inner link is received in said longitudinal channel defined by said inner main rib, and said inner main rib with said inner link received therein along with said connecting element are received in said longitudinal channel defined by said stretcher with said connecting element, the outer end of said inner link and the outer end of said inner main rib located in the expanded channel of said stretcher, and    an outer link which is a round-sectioned rib; said outer link being pivotally connected at an inner end and an outer end to a near-outer-end point on said inner main rib and an inner end of said outer main rib, respectively; and said outer link being formed at a near-middle point with a curved bend to wind around the middle main rib.    
   
   
       2 . The easily openable and collapsible folding umbrella having further reduced collapsed volume as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein said runner of said lower hub includes an upper flange located around a top of said runner, an inward curved waist portion downward extended from a bottom of said upper flange, and a conic lower wall portion integrally downward extended from said waist portion to a bottom of said runner.