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Disposable umbrella

Disposable umbrella description/claims

This is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/605,166 filed on Nov. 28, 2006, currently pending.

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention generally relates to umbrellas and, in particular, to disposable umbrellas.

2. Description of the Prior Art

Umbrellas have long been known and numerous umbrella mechanisms exists for opening and closing or collapsing umbrellas. Umbrellas can typically be broken down into two main categories. The first is a group of relatively permanent or long lasting umbrellas and the second are disposable umbrellas. The traditional umbrellas of the permanent or long lasting type tend to be made with better and stronger materials, possibly more decorative and, for these reasons, are relatively expensive. The disposable umbrellas are generally relative inexpensive so that if such an umbrella is damaged and needs to be discarded the loss is relatively small.

It seems that you never have an umbrella when you need it, and this has led to numerous disposable umbrella designs that are not as complex or expensive as the more traditional umbrellas and are typically expected to fail after one or several uses. Examples of disposable umbrellas are disclosed, for example, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,286,528; 6,234,185; 5,964,234; 5,069,237; 4,821,756; 4,819,679; 4,370,993; 4,215,711; 4,542,757; and 3,889,700. All of these umbrellas, while different in design, all tend to be relatively inexpensive this making them “disposable”. However, the proliferation of such disposable umbrellas has created a problem for the environment. Thus, many of these umbrellas include materials that are not biodegradable, such as fiber glass stems or staffs, nylon canopies, various metallic parts, including metallic struts or ribs and spring actuated latches for maintaining the umbrellas in the opened condition. When such “disposable” umbrellas are discarded many of the parts continue to linger and thus present a long range problem for the environment.

While some umbrellas have been used, particularly in the Far East, which are made of bamboo materials and rice paper for a canopy, such umbrellas are primarily used as parasols to protect the user from the sun's rays and are not suitable for inclement rainy weather conditions.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a functional waterproof or water resistant disposable umbrella that does not have the disadvantages inherent in prior known umbrellas.

It is another object of the invention to provide a functional waterproof or water resistant disposable umbrella which can be used both for protection against the sun as well as with inclement rainy weather.

It is still another object of the invention to provide a functional waterproof or water resistant umbrella as in a previous object which is simple in construction and economical to manufacture.

It is yet another object of the invention to provide a functional waterproof or water resistant umbrella as in the aforementioned objects which is at least partially made of bio-degradable components so that the umbrella can be discarded while reducing the harm to the environment.

In order to achieve the above objects, as well as others which will be evident, a fully or partially biodegradable disposable functional waterproof or water resistant umbrella in accordance with the present invention comprises a staff having an upper end and a lower end suitable for gripping by a user. A fixed collar is mounted to said upper end of said staff. A plurality of main struts are pivotably attached to such fixed collar and extend radially from said fixed collar, said plurality of main struts being movable from collapsed positions wherein said main struts extend generally parallel to said staff to open positions wherein said main struts extend outwardly from said staff. A waterproof film in the form of a canopy is fixed to said plurality of main struts and extend generally from said staff to the extended ends of said main struts. A slidable collar having a core therethrough is slidably mounted on said staff. A plurality of actuating struts are provided which have inner ends pivotably attached to said slidable collar and outer ends pivotably that's attached to associated main struts so that moment of said slidable collar along said staff towards said upper end of said staff causes said main struts to move out to said open positions. Latching means is provided for selectively holding said slidable collar in a predetermined position on said staff to thereby hold said main struts in said open positions or releasing said slidable collar to allow movement of said slidable collar towards said lower end. Said staff, collars, struts and latching means are all formed of bio-degradable materials. The canopy is preferably formed of a bio-degradable waterproof or water resistant film, although any waterproof or water resistant film may be used. In this manner, the umbrella may be disposed of while reducing the harm to the environment.

The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will be better understood from the following specification when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of a bio-degradable disposable functional waterproof or water resistant umbrella in accordance with the present invention, shown partially broken away to show the cooperation of the supporting struts of the collapsible frame;

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