Patent Application
20170049197
The present invention relates to umbrella covers. More specifically, the present invention provides an absorbent umbrella covers having a pocket for use in handling a wet umbrella.
Many individuals utilize umbrellas to protect themselves from rain or snow when outdoors. After they are used, umbrellas typically retain water for some time. Oftentimes users shake out the umbrella to dry it off, which leads to the individual's clothes or other articles becoming wet, which can be irritating and inconvenient. When umbrellas are closed before drying off the can remain wet for extended periods. Even handling a closed wet umbrella can cause the individual's clothing to become wet. It is therefore desirable to provide an umbrella cover that stores an umbrella and also absorbs the moisture from the umbrella in order to speed the drying process. It is further desirable to provide an umbrella cover having a pocket for grasping a wet umbrella without getting the hands wet.
Devices have been disclosed in the prior art that relate to umbrella covers. These include devices that have been patented that generally relate to umbrella bags and holders, such as U.S. Pat. No. 5,323,802, U.S. Pat. No. 8,590,551, U.S. Pat. No. 5,625,960, U.S. Pat. No. 6,694,992, and U.S. Pat. No. 6,701,947.
These prior art devices have several known drawbacks. These devices fail to provide an umbrella cover having absorbent and waterproof properties. These devices further fail to provide a pocket for a user to pick up a wet umbrella without getting their hands wet.
In light of the devices disclosed in the prior art, it is submitted that the present invention substantially diverges in design elements from the prior art and consequently it is clear that there is a need in the art for an improvement to existing umbrella covers. In this regard the present invention substantially fulfills these needs.
In view of the foregoing disadvantages inherent in the known types of umbrella covers now present in the prior art, the present invention provides an absorbent umbrella cover wherein the same can be utilized for providing convenience for the user when handling and storing a wet umbrella. The absorbent umbrella cover includes a sleeve having a base, a circumferential sidewall extending therefrom, and an open upper end defining an interior volume configured to receive an umbrella therein. A cover flap having a first side, a second side, a first end, and a second end is connected to an upper edge of the sleeve at the first end thereof. A pocket is disposed on the first side of the cover flap. The pocket may be used to grasp a wet umbrella without getting the hands wet. A fastener is disposed on the second side of the cover flap. The fastener removably secures the cover flap to the circumferential sidewall in order to secure the umbrella within the interior volume of the sleeve for storage.
One object of the present invention is to provide an absorbent umbrella cover having all of the advantages of prior art umbrella covers and none of the disadvantages.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an absorbent umbrella cover wherein the sleeve is composed of an absorbent material.
A further object of the present invention is to provide an absorbent umbrella cover wherein the base is composed of an absorbent material and the circumferential side all extending therefrom is composed of a waterproof material.
Other objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
Although the characteristic features of this invention will be particularly pointed out in the claims, the invention itself and manner in which it may be made and used may be better understood after a review of the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein like numeral annotations are provided throughout.
Reference is made herein to the attached drawings. Like reference numerals are used throughout the drawings to depict like or similar elements of the absorbent umbrella cover. For the purposes of presenting a brief and clear description of the present invention, the preferred embodiment will be discussed as used for handling and storing a wet umbrella. The figures are intended for representative purposes only and should not be considered to be limiting in any respect.
Referring now to
The base 12, circumferential sidewall 13, and open upper end 14 thereof define an interior volume 26. The interior volume 26 is configured to store an umbrella therein. A cover flap 15 having a first end 16 and a second end 17 is connected to upper edge of the circumferential sidewall 13 at the first end 16 thereof. A pocket 18 is disposed on the outer surface of the cover flap 15. The pocket 18 is configured to receive a hand therein. The pocket 18 may be utilized for grasping a wet umbrella without getting the hands wet.
The cover flap 15 further comprises a fastener 24 disposed on an inner surface 25 thereof. The fastener 24 secures the inner surface 25 of the cover flap 15 to the circumferential sidewall 13 when the cover flap 15 is folded over the open upper end 14 of the sleeve in order to enclose an umbrella therein. In the illustrated embodiment the fastener 24 is hook and loop material, with the hook portion disposed on the inner side 25 of the cover flap 15 and the loop portion disposed on the circumferential sidewall 13. However, other suitable fasteners 24 may be utilized, such as a button, snap closure, magnetic fastener, or the like. Additionally, the width of the first end 16 of the cover flap 15 is greater than the width of the second end 17 of the cover flap 15, providing for better coverage of the open upper end 14 when the cover flap 15 is in a closed position.
The absorbent umbrella cover further comprises a channel 27 disposed on the upper end 14 of the sleeve. A drawstring 28 is slidably disposed within the channel 27. A sliding stop 29 is slidably disposed on the drawstring 28. When pulled away from the circumferential sidewall 13, the drawstring 28 causes the channel 27 to tighten and close off the upper end 14 of the sleeve. The sliding stop 29 maintains the drawstring in the tightened position and keeps the upper end 14 of the sleeve closed. The drawstring 28 and sliding stop 29 provide additional securement and prevent an umbrella from falling from the interior volume 26 of the absorbent umbrella cover even if the cover flap 15 is not secured to the circumferential sidewall 13.
Referring now to
In order to secure the umbrella 101 within the absorbent umbrella cover, the second end 17 of the cover flap 15 is folded over the handle 102 of the umbrella and secured to the circumferential sidewall 13 via the fastener 24 thereon. The handle 101 is preferably inserted far enough into the absorbent umbrella cover such that the drawstring 28 may be pulled to tighten the channel 27 and close the upper end of the absorbent umbrella cover via the sliding stop 29.
The materials of which different portions of the absorbent umbrella cover are composed may vary. For instance, in one embodiment the base 12 is composed of an absorbent material while the circumferential sidewall 13 and cover flap 15 are composed of a waterproof material such as vinyl. In another embodiment of the invention, the interior volume 26 includes an absorbent material while the outer surface 24 of the circumferential sidewall 13 comprises a breathable material in order to let the absorbed moisture dissipate from the absorbent umbrella cover. In yet another embodiment of the invention, the entirety of the absorbent umbrella cover is composed of an absorbent material. The exact construction of the absorbent umbrella cover may vary in order to provide covers having different absorptive properties.
It is therefore submitted that the instant invention has been shown and described in what is considered to be the most practical and preferred embodiments. It is recognized, however, that departures may be made within the scope of the invention and that obvious modifications will occur to a person skilled in the art. With respect to the above description then, it is to be realized that the optimum dimensional relationships for the parts of the invention, to include variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and manner of operation, assembly and use, are deemed readily apparent and obvious to one skilled in the art, and all equivalent relationships to those illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification are intended to be encompassed by the present invention.
Therefore, the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention.
This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/206,474 filed on Aug. 18, 2015. The above identified patent application is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety to provide continuity of disclosure.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 62206474 | Aug 2015 | US |
