Patent Application
20120017954
1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to a controller unit with holder for holding electronic appliance in position, and more particularly to the controller unit with electronic appliance holder for outdoor shading device.
2. Description of Related Arts
Outdoor shading device are usually provided in a campground, on a beach, or in the back yard of the house to give a pleasant shade for a user under the sun. Usually, the user uses the outdoor shading device especially on a sunshine day to prevent the sun directly pours on the user and coolers the temperature. Meanwhile, the user may want to listen to the music through a portable music player, charging the cell phone, or turning on the portable fan etc.
A conventional shading device, such as a conventional outdoor umbrella, generally comprises a supporting frame and a shading system supported by the supporting frame to define the predetermined shading area under the shading system. Over the years, there have been extensive developments for improving the quality and functions of such conventional shading device. For example, an outdoor umbrella may be equipped with a solar energy collection arrangement and a lighting system for providing environmental friendly illumination for the relevant users. Moreover, another shading device, such as a conventional gazebo, may be equipped with a specially designed ventilation system so that users of the gazebo have adequate access to fresh air when they are gathering within the gazebo while preserving their privacy.
Notwithstanding these developments, conventional shading devices, even with some sophisticated improvements, such as the lighting system and the speaker of the sound system, are usually not responsive enough to the change of environmental circumstances in which the shading devices operate. This discrepancy may be partially resolved by manual operation of the shading devices. For example, a user may easily turn on or turn off the illumination system whenever necessary. In some situations, however, frequent manual operation of the shading system may mean inconvenience and interruption of a scheduled activity in the shading system.
Therefore, a control panel may further be adapted for centrally and electrically control one or more electronic appliances incorporated with the outdoor shading device, such that the user is able to conveniently and adjustably control the electronic appliance through the control panel. For instance, the user may adjust the volume of the speaker mounted on the frame of the outdoor shading device via the control panel.
On the other hand, along with the growth of personal portable electronic devices become more and more popular, there raise a great need for incorporating the electronic device with the functional entertaining system of the outer shading device, such as electrically connecting the iPod Touch to the speaker for playing music therein. Therefore, the present invention provides a controller unit having electronic appliance holder for incorporating the control panel and the electronic appliances including the personal portable electronic devices, so that the user is able to easily incorporating their own portable personal device of the electronic appliances with the outdoor shading device.
The present invention is advantageous in that it provides a controller unit with at least an electronic appliance holder for an outdoor shading device, so that a user is able to electrically connect a portable electronic device of the electronic appliance with the controller unit to conveniently incorporate the electronic appliance with the outdoor shading device.
Another advantage of the present invention is to provide a controller unit with at least an electronic appliance holder for an outdoor shading device, wherein the control panel has one or more connecting slots for electrically connecting with one or more electronic appliances therethrough, so as to incorporate the electronic appliance, such as the personal portable electronic device, with the outdoor shading device.
Another advantage of the present invention is to provide a controller unit with at least an electronic appliance holder for an outdoor shading device, wherein the control panel of the controller unit and the electronic appliance holder is located at two opposed sides of the operation housing, so that the electronic appliance being held on the holder is able to conveniently and electrically link with the control panel, so as to integral the electronic appliances with the outdoor shading device.
Another advantage of the present invention is to provide a controller unit with at least an electronic appliance holder for an outdoor shading device, wherein the operation housing is able to coaxially coupling with the supporting frame to form a compacted and integrated controller unit and the electronic appliance holder thereat.
Another advantage of the present invention is to provide a controller unit with at least an electronic appliance holder for an outdoor shading device, wherein the holder is able to be rotatably adjusted to a predetermined angle, so as for conveniently viewing or controlling the electronic appliance being held thereat.
Additional advantages and features of the invention will become apparent from the description which follows, and may be realized by the following description of the instrumentalities and combinations particular pointing out in the appended claims.
According to the present invention, the foregoing and other objects and advantages are attained by providing an outdoor shading device which comprises a supporting frame and an awning frame movably supported by the supporting frame to define a shading area under the awning frame.
The outdoor shading device further comprises a controller unit, which comprises:
an operation housing mounted on the supporting frame at a hand reachable location, wherein the operation housing has a first wall surface and a second wall surface;
a control panel being supported at the first wall surface of the operation housing; and
an electronic appliance holder provided at the second wall surface of the operation housing for holding at least an electronic appliance thereat, wherein the control panel is adapted for communicatively linking to the electronic appliance to selectively control an operation of the electronic appliance.
Still further objects and advantages will become apparent from a consideration of the ensuing description and drawings.
These and other objectives, features, and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description, the accompanying drawings, and the appended claims.
Referring to
The outdoor shading device 10 further comprises a controller unit 30 for centrally and selectively controlling one or more electronic appliances 20 incorporated with the outdoor shading device 10 via electrically link to a CUP of the controller unit 30. The outdoor shading device 10 may includes fans, speaker system 14, environmental sensor device, lighting apparatus, wherein the electronic appliances 20 can be any personal portable electronic device 21 electrically linking to the controller unit 30 for adjustably controlling the electronic appliances 20. Therefore, a user is able to incorporate his/her own portable electronic device 21 with the outdoor shading device. For instance, the user is able to electrically connect the “iPhone”, other smart phones, or MP3 player of portable electronic device 21 to the controller unit 30 for playing music through the integrated speakers of the outdoor shading device 10 and controllably adjust the volume of the speaker through the controller unit 30. According to the preferred embodiment, the speaker system 14 is supported within the shading area under the awning frame 12 and is an integrated component of the outdoor shading device 10.
The outdoor shading device 10 further comprises an awning folding arrangement 13, which is operatively connecting with the awning frame 12 for movably folding the awning frame 12 between a folded position and an unfolded position. At the folded position, the awning arms 121 are pivotally moved at a position that the awning shelter 122 is folded up to minimize the shading area thereof; and at the unfolded position, the awning arms 121 are pivotally expanded at a position that the awning shelter 122 is to maximize the shading area thereof.
It should be noted that the awning folding arrangement 13 may electrically connect to the controller unit 30 for being automatically controlled between the folded and unfolded positions. The awning folding arrangement 13 may also be arranged that the awning frame 12 is able to be manually operated to move the awning frame 12 between the folded and unfolded positions.
As one of the embodiments for the manually operated outdoor shading device 10, the awning folding arrangement 13 comprises a folding cable extended within the supporting frame 11 to the awning frame 12 and a manual operation handle 131 provided at the supporting frame 11 for operatively controlling with the awning frame 12 via the folding cable 132, such that the user is able to rotatably move the operating handle 131 for manually folding the awning frame 12 between the folded and unfolded positions.
According to the preferred embodiment, the controller unit 30 comprises an operation housing 40 mounted on the supporting frame 11 at a hand reachable location, wherein the operation housing 40 has a first wall surface 41 and a second wall surface 42, and a control panel 50 being supported at the first wall surface 41 of the operation housing 40.
According to the preferred embodiment, the awning folding arrangement 13 is received at the operation housing 40 such that the operation housing 40 forms an integrated component of the outdoor shading device 10. Accordingly, the operation handle 131 is rotatably coupled at the operation housing 40 between the first and second wall surfaces 41, 42 thereof to actuate the folding cable 132 for controlling a folding operation of the awning 122 between the unfolded position and the folded position.
The controller unit 30 further comprises an electronic appliance holder 60 provided at the second wall surface 42 of the operation housing 40 for holding the electronic appliance thereat, wherein the control panel 50 is adapted for communicatively linking to the electronic appliance to selectively control an operation of the electronic appliance.
As shown in
Accordingly, the operation housing 40 further has a receiving cavity 43 indently formed at the second wall surface 42 to detachably receive the electronic appliance holder 60 within the receiving cavity 43.
According to the preferred embodiment, the control panel 50 comprises a controller interface 51 and a wireless communication link 52 for communicatively linking with the electronic appliance 20 in a wireless connection manner, so as to enable the controller interface 51 being activated to control the operation of the electronic appliance.
As shown in
The control panel 50 further comprises one or more connecting slots 53, such as SD card slot and/or USB slot, for electrically linking with external electronic appliances 20, such as the above mentioned portable electronic device 21, so that the portable electronic device 21 is able to simply plug into the connecting slot 53 for incorporating with the outdoor shading device 10 via a connecting cable. Therefore, the user is able to simply plug a MP3 player of the portable electronic device 21 for electrically linking the MP3 player with the speaker of the electronic appliance 20 of the outdoor shading device 10 and/or place the personal portable electronic device 21 at the holder for conveniently connecting to the connecting slot 53, so that the user is able to play the music through the speaker of the outdoor shading device 10, so as to adjust the volume or the likes through the setting preferences on the control panel 50.
The electronic appliance holder 60 has a storage side 61 and an opposed holding side 62 arranged in such a manner that when the storage side 61 of the electronic appliance holder 60 is engaged with the operation housing 40, the holding side 62 of the electronic appliance holder 60 faces outwardly for holding the electronic appliance 20 in position, and when the holding side 62 of the electronic appliance holder 60 is engaged with the operation housing 40, the storage side 61 of the electronic appliance holder 60 is aligned with the second wall surface 42 to house the electronic appliance holder 60 at the operation housing 40.
Accordingly, the electronic appliance holder 60 is able to be detached from the operation housing 40 to select either one of the storage side 61 and the holding side 62 of the electronic appliance holder 60 to be coupled at the second wall surface 42 of the operation housing 40 so as to transform the electronic appliance holder 60 between the storage position and the operation position, as shown in
It will be readily appreciated that the storage side 61 and the holding side 62 of the electronic appliance holder 60 have identical shape and size corresponding to the receiving cavity 43 for detachably engaging the electronic appliance holder 60 therewith.
In order to detachably and securely retain the electronic appliance holder 60 within the receiving cavity 43 of the operation housing 40, the controller unit 30 further comprises a releasable interlocker 31 provided at a peripheral wall of the electronic appliance holder 60 to releasably lock the electronic appliance holder 60 within the receiving cavity 43 of the operation housing 40. As shown in
Accordingly, each of the resilient protrusions 312 can be a spring-loaded protrusion that a head portion thereof is outwardly protruded from the peripheral wall of the electronic appliance holder 60 such that when the user applies a pushing force against the electronic appliance holder 60, the head portions of the resilient protrusions 312 are inwardly pressed along the surrounding wall of the receiving cavity 43 until the head portions of the resilient protrusions 312 engage with the engaging slots 311 to interlock the electronic appliance holder 60 within the receiving cavity 43 of the operation housing 40. When the user applies a pulling force against the electronic appliance holder 60, the head portions of the resilient protrusions 312 are inwardly pressed to unlock the electronic appliance holder 60 within the receiving cavity 43 of the operation housing 40. It is worth mentioning that the releasable interlocker 31 will interlock the electronic appliance holder 60 within the receiving cavity 43 of the operation housing 40 at either the storage side 61 or the holding side 62 of the electronic appliance holder 60.
The electronic appliance holder 60 further comprises a plurality of length-adjustable retracting arms 63 provided at the holding side 62 of the electronic appliance holder 60 for adjustably holding a surrounding rim of the electronic appliance 20 at the holding side 62 of the electronic appliance holder 60. As shown in
As shown in
As shown in
As shown in
In order to release the locking position of each of the first and second retracting arms 631, 632, a locker unit 650 is provided to drive the first and second locking members 645, 647 to move. The locker unit 650 comprises two spring-loaded actuators alignedly coupled with the first and second locking members 645, 647, wherein when the actuators are pressed, the first and second locking members 645, 647 are driven to move to release the engagement of the first and second gear members 644, 646 respectively, such that the first and second retracting arms 631, 632 are pushed outwardly via the second and third spring elements 648, 649 respectively.
The electronic appliance holder 60 further comprises a turntable base 66 rotatably coupling at the holding side 62 of the electronic appliance holder 60, wherein the retracting arms 63 are radially and outwardly extended from the turntable base 66 such that the turntable base 66 is adjustably rotated at the holding side 62 of the electronic appliance holder 60 to selectively adjust the electronic appliance between a vertical display orientation, as shown in
It is worth mentioning that when the holding side 62 of the electronic appliance holder 60 is coupled at the second wall surface 42 of the operation housing 40 within the receiving cavity 43, the first and second retracting arms 631, 632 are received within the receiving cavity 43 in a hidden manner such that the storage side 61 of the electronic appliance holder 60 is aligned with the second wall surface 42 of the operation housing 40 so as to keep the aesthetic appearance of the outdoor shading device 10 and to minimize the overall size of the operation housing 40 at the storage position with the electronic appliance holder 60.
Therefore, the operation housing 40′ can be detachably mounted at the supporting frame 11 via any fastener, such as screw in
It is worth mentioning that the control panel 40 can also be detachably coupled at the first wall surface 41 of the operation housing 40 via the same mechanism of the releasable interlocker 31 such that the control panel 40 not only wirlessly links to the electronic appliance 20 at the second wall surface 42 of the operation housing 40 via the electronic appliance holder 60, but also forms a remote control to wirelessly control the electronic appliance 20. It is appreciated that an additional cavity can be formed at the first wall surface 41 of the operation housing 40 to receive the control panel 40 at the cavity of the operation hosing 40.
One skilled in the art will understand that the embodiment of the present invention as shown in the drawings and described above is exemplary only and not intended to be limiting.
It will thus be seen that the objects of the present invention have been fully and effectively accomplished. It embodiments have been shown and described for the purposes of illustrating the functional and structural principles of the present invention and is subject to change without departure from such principles. Therefore, this invention includes all modifications encompassed within the spirit and scope of the following claims.
