In just a short amount of time, outdoor objects such as furniture, cushions, grills, fire pits, entertainment centers, Jacuzzis, indoor/outdoor equipment, air compressors, machinery, bikes, cars, boats, boating seats, and the like, may start to show age with rust marks, mildew, stains, and other forms of deterioration. In order to prevent aging, some objects are manufactured using materials that have been made with a protective coating which helps to repel/resist water, moisture, mold and mildew. However, the protective coating can wear down over time as the object is used and cleaned. To maintain the original beauty and condition of the investment, and to protect it from dirt, dust, water, pollen, wind, and other elements when not in use, temporary coverings such as tarps are often used.
However, many covers require a user to spend a significant amount of time tying the cover down, buttoning pieces together, strapping pieces in, etc. Furthermore, when the user needs to use the outdoor object, the cover or tarp typically cannot be conveniently stored or stored at a position on the object without interrupting the use of the object and therefore must be removed and stored elsewhere; be it a shed, barrel, basement, garage, etc. Accordingly, what is needed is a means for providing adequate covering protection to outdoor (and indeed indoor) objects and the ability to store that protection in convenient, easy to use storage while offering a deployment system that is connected on the object while also being easily and efficiently stored when not in use.
In an aspect of an example embodiment, provided is a cover assembly that includes a compartment that removably attaches to an object and includes a pouch-shaped interior and a rollable pouch-extending tongue that includes an interior end that is connected to the pouch-shaped interior and a distal end that is opposite to the attached end, wherein, when rolled-up, the pouch-extending tongue fits inside the pouch-shaped interior, and when unrolled, the distal end of the pouch-extending tongue extends outward and away from the pouch-shaped interior, and a cover portion that has a shape and size configured to cover the object, the cover portion comprising a cover-extending tongue that is connected to an underneath side of the cover portion and a distal end that extends outward and is configured to attach to the distal end of the pouch-extending tongue thereby attaching the cover portion to the compartment. A predetermined space exists on the underneath side of the cover portion between the cover-extending tongue and an exterior edge of the cover portion such that when the cover portion covers the object, the exterior edge hangs below the compartment thereby covering the compartment while the cover portion remains attached to the compartment via the cover-extending tongue.
In an aspect of another example embodiment, provided is a cover that includes a compartment that removably attaches to the object and includes a pouch-shaped interior, and a rollable cover portion that has a shape and size configured to cover the object, the rollable cover portion comprising a tongue that is connected to an underneath side of the rollable cover portion and, at an opposite end thereof, is integrated within the pouch-shaped interior of the compartment thereby connecting the cover portion and the compartment. In this example, when rolled-up, the rollable cover portion fits inside the pouch-shaped interior of the compartment, and when unrolled, the rollable cover portion unrolls outward and away from the pouch-shaped interior and is capable of being placed over the object, and a predetermined space exists on the underneath side of the rollable cover portion between the tongue and an exterior edge of the rollable cover portion such that when the rollable cover portion covers the object, the exterior edge drops below the compartment thereby covering the compartment while the rollable cover portion remains attached to the compartment via the tongue.
Other features and aspects may be apparent from the following detailed description in conjunction with the claims and the drawings.
Features and advantages of the exemplary embodiments, and the manner in which the same are accomplished, will become more readily apparent with reference to the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
Throughout the drawings and the detailed description, unless otherwise described, the same drawing reference numerals will be understood to refer to the same elements, features, and structures. The relative size and depiction of these elements may be exaggerated or adjusted for clarity, illustration, and/or convenience.
In the following description, specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the various exemplary embodiments. It should be appreciated that various modifications to the embodiments will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the generic principles defined herein may be applied to other embodiments and applications without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure. Moreover, in the following description, numerous details are set forth for the purpose of explanation. However, one of ordinary skill in the art should understand that embodiments may be practiced without the use of these specific details. In other instances, well-known structures and processes are not shown or described in order not to obscure the description with unnecessary detail. Thus, the present disclosure is not intended to be limited to the embodiments shown, but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and features disclosed herein.
The examples herein are directed to a cover (also referred to herein as a cover assembly) that may be used to protect objects. For example, the cover may be waterproof, heat-resistant, and the like, and may be able to withstand year-round weather and elements, as well as protect from pollen, dust, etc. in an indoor environment. The cover can be used to protect many different types of objects such as furniture (e.g., indoor furniture, outdoor furniture, tables, chairs, sofas, etc.), boat seats, yacht furniture, equipment, machinery, vehicles (e.g., work vehicles, leisure vehicles, motorcycles, motorbikes, bicycles, tractors, cars, campers, ATVs etc.) garden equipment, patio furniture, plants, and the like. The cover may be used to protect objects that are in an outdoor setting and which may be vulnerable to rains, snow, ice, and high temperatures and all other outdoor elements. Also, the cover may be used for covering objects in indoor settings where dust, pollen, and other particles can fill the air. The objects capable of being covered by the cover assembly should not be construed as being limited to the examples provided herein.
The cover includes a cover portion (also referred to as a cover piece) for covering the object and a compartment for storing the cover portion when it is not in use. The cover portion and the compartment may be integrated together as a uniform piece, or in the alternative, the cover portion and the compartment may be attachable/detachable from one another in a cover assembly thereby enabling a user to assemble the cover portion to the compartment and also substitute a different cover portion should the need arise to cover a different size/shape object. When not in use, the cover portion may be rolled up and/or folded and stored within the compartment by the user.
The compartment is capable of being easily and conveniently carried by a user while the cover portion is rolled-up/folded and stored therein. For example, the compartment may have a strap capable of being worn around the shoulder of a user, but is not limited thereto. The compartment does not need to be attached to an object but may be used as a storage system for storing the cover portion. According to various aspects, the compartment may include a duffle bag shape (e.g., cylinder, sphere, cube, rectangle, etc.) that includes an adjustable attachment mechanism such as a strap, Velcro, ties, buckles, elastic, magnets, hooks and loops, etc., and is capable of attaching to on object temporarily. The compartment may include the aforementioned strap such as an adjustable strap connected on an exterior of the compartment and which can be held in a user's hand or carried around a user's shoulder. In some cases, the strap can be detachable from the compartment such that the strap can be separated from the compartment.
During deployment of the cover portion, the cover portion may be withdrawn from the compartment by a user and placed over the object such that the cover portion provides coverage for both the object and the compartment while at the same time maintaining an attachment to the compartment. Accordingly, the cover assembly can be removably attached to the object, and the cover portion may be quickly and easily deployed into a covering position for both the object and the compartment housing the cover portion. Furthermore, the cover portion can be quickly put away (e.g., rolled-up and inserted into the compartment) when use is no longer desired and stored on the object without interrupting the use of the object. In some examples, the compartment may also include a mesh ventilation panel or panels that provide ventilation to the cover portion while it is folded, rolled-up, or otherwise compressed inside the compartment.
The cover assembly may be waterproof and/or heat resistant. The compartment and the cover portion may be made of a flexible material that may be inherently waterproof and/or heat resistance, or applied with other chemicals and/or materials to be waterproof and/or heat resistance. For example, the material used to construct the compartment and the cover piece may be a fabric including one or more of vinyl, nylon, polyester, cotton, Gore-Tex, rubber, silicone, and the like. However, a type of material is not limited to these examples. Because the cover portion may be flexible (e.g., fabric or cloth material), a user may be able to place the cover piece over the object and gravity can cause the cover portion to fall down and hang around the object with ease.
The cover assembly described herein has a number of advantages in comparison to related covers and other traditional means for protecting objects. For example, the compartment of the cover assembly may include an adjustable strap which may also include a buckle or other separating mechanism for securing the compartment to different types of objects. The cover assembly also includes a unique interior attachment/detachment system that includes one or more tongues disposed between the compartment and the cover portion that allow the cover portion to be deployed and placed around the object while maintaining adequate covering for both the object and the compartment, while the cover portion is able to maintain a connection to the compartment. The compartment may remain attached to the object at a same position while the cover portion is both in use and not in use creating an easy and efficient use of the cover assembly. Furthermore, the compartment may be attached to different locations on the object and the cover portion may be able to adequately cover the object. That is, even though the compartment may be attached at different locations on the object, the cover portion may still provide adequate cover and protection to the object at each of these positions based on a size of the cover portion and/or the interior unique tongue system connecting the cover portion and the compartment.
The cover portion can include an attachment mechanism such as a zipper, buttons, ties, etc., that attaches and detaches the cover portion to and from the compartment. In the alternative, the cover portion may be uniformly integrated together with the compartment without requiring attachment. The cover portion and the one or more tongues may be compressed in some fashion, for example, by rolling, folding, bending, and/or the like, by the user, and stored within the compartment. Furthermore, because the cover portion remains attached to the compartment while in the covering state, the cover portion may be easily returned to the compartment when the user desires to uncover the object.
Another benefit of the cover assembly described herein is the ability of the compartment to be easily attached to an object by a simple user action (e.g., sliding the strap around the object, buckling the strap around the object, placing the strap over the object, etc.) which secures the cover portion to the object via the compartment. Here, the compartment and the cover portion may remain in place and attached to the object and not be blown away when exposed to wind or other elements. Another benefit of the cover is that the object does not need to be specially designed or specially modified (e.g., with specific attachment mechanisms) for the cover, or vice versa. The cover may be flexible and may be used on different sized objects and at different locations on an object because of the unique interior tongue attachment system.
In addition,
Referring to
One benefit of such a tongue system is that it allows a user to conveniently and easily attach the cover-extending tongue 206 to the pouch-extending tongue 106 via the combination of attachment mechanisms 108/208. Furthermore, because the pouch-extending tongue 106 is able to be withdrawn completely from the compartment 103 thus exposing attachment mechanism 108 on the distal end thereof, the user can quickly and easily attach the cover portion 200 via the attachment mechanism 208, or substitute a different cover portion that has a same attachment mechanism. As another example, the pouch-extending tongue 106 and the cover-extending tongue 206 may be constructed of one piece without the need to attach/detach the two tongues (i.e., without needing to attach/detach the cover portion 200 to the compartment 103). In this example, the cover portion 200 may be unified with or otherwise integrated with the compartment 103 without attachment mechanisms 108/208.
The cover assembly provided herein provides an easy, convenient, and well-protected storage compartment for storing a cover piece as well as easy retrieval, deployment, and return of the cover piece while the compartment is attached to a precise location of need. Furthermore, different combinations of cover pieces may be attached/substituted easily allowing the cover to be modified in mere seconds and used to cover different types of objects. Furthermore, the cover may attach to multiple positions on any one object where it does not interfere or intrude with the function of the respective object. As a result, during storage the cover may remain attached to the object even when not being used without interrupting the use and enjoyment of the object. The multi-positioning ability of the cover assembly enables the cover to be placed at multiple or even many different positions on the object while still providing adequate coverage for the object. Furthermore, the cover portion may be designed with enough size such that the multi-positioning of the cover assembly does not affect the ability of the cover portion to provide adequate protection to the object.
While the examples above describe the cover assembly being used to cover an object such as a piece of furniture, the embodiments are not limited thereto. As another example, the cover assembly may be used to cover a motorcycle or other vehicle or bicycle. In this example, the compartment of the cover assembly may attach to a seat of the motorcycle using a strap, attach to location on the body of the motorcycle using magnets embedded with the cover assembly, or the like. In this example, the compartment and the cover portion of the cover assembly may be shaped and sized different to correspond to the size of a motorcycle or other vehicle.
The above descriptions and illustrations of processes herein should not be considered to imply a fixed order for performing the process steps. Rather, the process steps may be performed in any order that is practicable, including simultaneous performance of at least some steps. Although the present disclosure has been described in connection with specific exemplary embodiments with reference to the drawings, it should be understood that various changes, substitutions, and alterations apparent to those skilled in the art can be made to the disclosed embodiments and drawings without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure as set forth in the appended claims.
The present application claims the benefit under 35 USC §119(e) of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/327,128, filed on Apr. 25, 2016, and U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/340,824, filed on May 24, 2016, the entire contents of both of which are hereby incorporated by reference for all purposes.
Number | Date | Country | |
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62340824 | May 2016 | US | |
62327128 | Apr 2016 | US |