Patent Application
20100024855
1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to an outdoor umbrella, and more particularly to an electric fixture for an outdoor umbrella, wherein the electric fixture comprises a shaft supporter and a utility housing adapted for providing a secure attachment on the shaft and a stable support to the housing such that the user is able to securely mount the additional add-on electrical apparatus at the outdoor umbrella.
2. Description of Related Arts
A conventional outdoor umbrella is usually composed of an umbrella frame which comprises a supporting frame and an awning frame movably supported on the supporting frame, and an awning fabric supported on the awning frame for providing shade under the awning fabric. Conventionally, the outdoor umbrella is usually foldable so that when it is not in use, the outdoor umbrella can be folded into a compact size for convenient transport and storage.
People usually use the conventional outdoor umbrella for a wide variety of outdoor activities. For example, people may use the outdoor umbrella during camping for providing a shield from sunlight. On the other hand, the typical outdoors umbrella is adapted to incorporate a lighting system for providing a predetermined degree of illumination. Moreover, in order to listen to music, people often mount an audio system on the outdoor umbrella. Accordingly, a shaft incorporating a mounting arrangement is commonly used in the outdoor umbrella. However, such a mounting arrangement has several drawbacks.
The traditional mounting arrangement usually drills a tapped hole in the shaft of the outdoor umbrella. Therefore, the size and depth of the tapped hole are required perfectly match the screw. In other words, if the size between the tapped hole and the screw doesn't match, the mounting arrangement can't be attached on the outdoor umbrella. To make matters worse, with constant use, the screw and the tapped holes can wear and tear very easily. It not only causes damages to the main body of the outdoor umbrella, but also reduces the stability of the outdoor umbrella. People may require applying a relatively large force to screw the screw nail to attach and detach the mounting arrangement.
In addition, sometimes the audio system or the illuminator is really heavy. Therefore, mounting the mounting arrangement with the electrical apparatus on the outdoors umbrella is a challenging task. Other problems arise from the uneven weight distribution when the heavy electrical apparatus makes the whole outdoor umbrella unstable. For example, in the unstable situation, the strong wind may blow the outdoor umbrella down.
Moreover, the mounting arrangement must be provided at each of the drilling holes. Therefore, the user is not able to adjust a mounting position of the shaft supporter for their practical use. Moreover, because all the screw holes are fixed, the mounting arrangement is only allowable to put the restricted area. In other words, even if the user tries hard to adjust the direction of the outdoor umbrella, the only way they can do is to move the whole outdoor umbrella towards the direction they prefer. Furthermore, if the user tries to adjust the mounting position, a screw-driver is required. It is a hassle for people always carry the screw driver themselves.
As a matter of fact, the very purpose of using outdoors umbrella is to shade vigorous sunlight. Therefore, it would be more economical, more convenient and more environmentally friendly if one were able to detachably add an additional audio system to any conventional outdoor umbrella for providing an add on function thereto without altering the original structure of the outdoor umbrella.
A main object of the present invention is to provide an electric fixture for an outdoor umbrella, wherein the electric fixture comprises a shaft supporter and a utility housing adapted for providing a secure attachment on the shaft and a stable support to the housing. Therefore, it provides a secure and stable way to attach an additional add-on electrical fixture for the conventional outdoor umbrella such that the user is able to securely mounting the electric apparatus at the outdoor umbrella.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an electric fixture for an outdoor umbrella, wherein the shaft supporter comprises a flat seating platform such that the weight of the utility housing is equally distributed on the seating platform so as to enhance the stability of the electric apparatus add-on the outdoor umbrella.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an electric fixture for an outdoor umbrella, wherein the shaft supporter comprises a securing locker releasably locking the first securing body with the second securing body such that the user is able to adjust a mounting position of the shaft supporter for their practical use.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an electric fixture for an outdoor umbrella, wherein the securing locker contains a screw slot provided at the second securing body and comprises a hand-screw extending through the first securing body to engage with the screw slot such that the shaft supporter is adapted for selectively adjusting the mounting position in a tool-less manner.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an electric fixture for an outdoor umbrella, wherein the shaft supporter further comprises a frictional layer provided at a surrounding wall of the mounting slot for frictionally engaging with an outer circumferential surface of the elongated shaft of the outdoor umbrella so as to retain the shaft supporter in position.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an electric fixture for an outdoor umbrella, wherein an upper retention holder having a size smaller than the through slot of the utility housing, and a lower supporting holder having a size larger than the through slot of the utility housing to define the seating platform at the top side of the lower supporting holder, such that the user is able to adjust the direction of the electric apparatus through rotating the utility housing.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an electric fixture for an outdoor umbrella, wherein via the electric fixture the electric apparatus is adapted to detachably mount to any type of outdoor umbrella having an elongated shaft and without altering its original structure. Therefore, the user is able to mount any kind of electric apparatus from one outdoor umbrella to another outdoor umbrella easily.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an electric fixture for an outdoor umbrella, wherein potential risk of damage to the shaft is minimized, and therefore the electric fixture does not sustain unnecessary wear and tear.
Accordingly, in order to accomplish the above objects, the present invention provides an electrical fixture for an outdoor umbrella having a shaft, comprising:
a shaft supporter adapted for securely mounting at elongated shaft of the outdoor umbrella, wherein the shaft supporter has a seating platform;
a utility housing having a through slot engaging with the shaft supporter, wherein the utility housing is supportively sat at the seating platform of the shaft supporter for suspendedly supporting the utility housing at the elongated shaft of the outdoor umbrella; and
an electrical apparatus received in the utility housing for providing an added-on function of outdoor umbrella.
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 umbrella, such as a conventional outdoor umbrella, comprises a supporting frame 11 and an awning frame 12 suspendedly supported by the supporting frame 11 to support an awning element and to define a shading area under the awning element, wherein the awning frame 12 is adapted to fold between an opened position and a closed position.
The supporting frame 11 comprises a ground stand 111 and a supporting shaft 112 is upwardly extended from the ground stand 111 to support the awning frame 12. The awning frame 12 comprises a plurality of awning arms 121 radially and pivotally extended from the upper housing 122 to support the awning element, and a plurality of folding arms 124 radially and pivotally extended from the lower housing 123 to pivotally couple with the awning arms 121.
According to the preferred embodiment, the shaft supporter 20, having a seating platform 21, is adapted for securely mounting at the elongated shaft 10 of the outdoor umbrella, wherein the shaft supporter 20 is arranged for detachably mounting at the supporting shaft 112 as the elongated shaft 10 of the outdoor umbrella.
The utility housing 30 is supportively sat at the seating platform 21 of the shaft supporter 20 for suspendedly supporting the utility housing 30 at the elongated shaft 10 of the outdoor umbrella within the shading area thereof, wherein the utility housing 30 has a through slot 31 engaging with the shaft supporter 20. The electrical apparatus 40 is received in the utility housing 30 for providing an added-on function for outdoor umbrella.
According to the preferred embodiment, the shaft supporter 20, which has a hollow structure, contains a mounting slot 22 having a size for the elongated shaft 10 of the outdoor umbrella fitting therewithin. In order to mount the shaft supporter 20 at the elongated shaft 10 of the outdoor umbrella, the shaft supporter 20 further comprises a first securing body 23 and a second securing body 24 defining the mounting slot 22 when the first and second securing bodies 23, 24 are coupled with each other.
As shown in
According to the first embodiment, the securing locker 25 contains a screw slot 251 provided at the second securing body 24 and comprises a hand-screw 252 extending through the first securing body 23 to engage with the screw slot 251 such that the shaft supporter 20 is adapted for selectively adjusting the mounting position in a tool-less manner. As shown in
As shown in
The mounting slot 22 is extended through the upper retention holder 26 and the lower supporting holder 27 to form a through channel for the elongated shaft 10 of the outdoor umbrella passing through. As shown in
As shown in
The retention unit 29 contains a retention slot 291 at the second securing body 24 and comprises a retention protrusion 292 outwardly protruded from the first securing body 23 to engage with the retention slot 291 such that when the second securing body 24 is coupled with the first securing body 23, the retention protrusion 292 is slidably inserted into the retention slot 291 to retain the retain the shaft supporter 20 along the elongated shaft 10. It is worth to mention that two securing lockers 25 can be used in order to substitute the retention unit 29 that the mounting slot 22 is positioned between the two securing lockers 25. By using two securing lockers 25, the second securing body 24 can be further securely coupled with the first securing body 23.
Preferably, the seating platform 21 of the shaft supporter 20 is a flat supporting surface such that the weight of the utility housing 30 is evenly distributed on the seating platform 21 so as to enhance the stability of the utility housing 30 with the electric apparatus 40 being added to the outdoor umbrella. In addition, since the utility housing 30 is supportively sat at the seating platform 21 of the shaft supporter 20, the user is able to selectively turn the utility housing 30 around the elongated shaft 10. In other words, the utility housing 30 is stably and suspendedly supported at the elongated shaft 10 in a free rotating manner.
The shaft supporter 20 further comprises a frictional layer 28 provided at a surrounding wall of the mounting slot 22 for frictionally engaging with an outer circumferential surface of the elongated shaft 10 of the outdoor umbrella so as to retain the shaft supporter 20 in position.
According to the preferred embodiment, the frictional layer 28 is made of elastic material adapted to be self-deformed for applying an urging force against the outer circumferential surface of the elongated shaft 10 of the outdoor umbrella when the shaft supporter 20 is mounted thereat. Preferably, the frictional layer 28 is made of foaming material or rubber providing a secure and stable way to attach the shaft supporter 20 to the conventional outdoor umbrella to prevent any unwanted movement of the shaft supporter 20 along the elongated shaft 10 of the outdoor umbrella. In addition, when the shaft supporter 20 is mounted at the elongated shaft 10, the frictional layer 28 will be self-adjustably deformed by the compression force to fill the gap between the surrounding wall of the mounting slot 22 and the outer circumferential surface of the elongated shaft 10. Therefore, the frictional layer 28 not only enhances the secure attachment of the shaft supporter 20 via the frictional force but also ensures the size of the elongated shaft 10 being fitted to the size of the mounting slot 22.
Accordingly, the traditional mounting arrangement usually drills a tapped hole at the elongated shaft 10 of the outdoor umbrella. Therefore, the size and depth of the tapped hole are required perfectly match the screw. Compared to the traditional mounting arrangement, the present invention does not require any altering to the original structure. Thus, potential risk of damage to the elongated shaft 10 is minimized, and therefore the electric fixture does not sustain unnecessary wear and tear.
As shown in
The electrical apparatus 40 further comprises an illuminating unit 43 received in the utility housing 30 to electrically connect to the power source 41, wherein the illuminating unit 43 comprises a plurality of illuminators 431 spacedly supported in the utility housing 30 for producing an illumination as an add-on function for the outdoor umbrella.
According to the preferred embodiment, the utility housing 30 comprises a first housing body 33, a second housing body 34 defining through slot 31 when the first and second housing bodies 33, 34 are coupled with each other, and a detachable locker 35 detachably locking up the second housing body 34 with the first housing body 33 to sit at the seating platform 21 of the shaft supporter 20.
As shown in
Accordingly, The detachable locker 35 comprises a first locker 351 provided at the first housing body 33 and a second locker 352 which is provided at the second housing body 34 and is releasably locked with the first locker 351 so as to detachably lock up the second housing body 34 with the first housing body 33.
The first locker 351 contains two locking slots formed at the inner guiding walls 331 of the first housing body 33 respectively at a position close to the opened end of the guiding channel 332.
The second locker 352 comprises two ball-shaped locking elements retractably provided at the outer guiding walls 341 of the second housing body 34 respectively to engage with the locking slots 351 respectively for locking up the second housing body 34 with the first housing body 33 but also to disengage with the locking slots 351 respectively through the retraction of the locking element 352 for releasing the second housing body 34 with the first housing body 33 so as to allow the second housing body 34 being detached from the first housing body 35.
The first and second housing bodies 33′, 34′ are two identical half circular bodies pivotally coupling with each other via a pivot hinge, wherein each of the first and second housing bodies 33′, 34′ has two biasing surfaces 331′, 341′ arranged when the biasing surfaces 331′ of the first housing body 33′ engage with the biasing surfaces 341′ of the second housing body 34′ respectively, the utility housing 30′ is formed to have a donut shape and to define the through slot 31 ′ at a center of the utility housing 30′.
The detachable locker 35′ comprises a first locker 351′ provided at the first housing body 33′ and a second locker 352′ which is provided at the second housing body 34′ and is releasably locked with the first locker 351′ so as to detachably lock up the second housing body 34′ with the first housing body 33′.
Is The first locker 351′ comprises a first locking latch outwardly protruded from one of the biasing surfaces 331′ of the first housing body 33′. The second locker 352′ comprises a second locking latch movably supported in the second housing body 34′ to align with a locking hole on the respective biasing surface 341′ of the second housing body 34′, wherein when the first locking latch 351′ is engaged with the second locking latch 3521′ through the locking hole, the second housing body 34′ is locked up with the first housing body 33′.
In order to mount the electrical fixture of the present invention to the elongated shaft 10 of the outdoor umbrella, the user is able to firstly mount the shaft supporter 20 at the elongated shaft 10 by attaching the first and second securing bodies 23, 24 around the elongated shaft 10. Then, the user can loosely lock up the first and second securing bodies 23, 24 via the securing locker 25 to selectively adjust the mounting position of the shaft supporter 20 along the elongated shaft 10. Once the mounting position is set, the user is able to tightly lock up the first and second securing bodies 23, 24 via the securing locker 25. Therefore, the utility housing 30 can be supported on the seating platform 21 of the shaft supporter 20 by attaching the first and second housing bodies 33, 34 to the shaft supporter 20.
The shaft supporter 20′, as it is mentioned above, comprises an upper retention holder 26′ having a size smaller than the through slot 31 of the utility housing 30, and a lower supporting holder 27′ having a size larger than the through slot 31 of the utility housing 30 to define the seating platform 21′ at a top side of the lower supporting holder 26′, such that the utility housing 30 is supported on the lower supporting holder 26′ to encircle around the upper retention holder 27′ in a free rotating manner.
The shaft supporter 20′ further comprises a securing locker 25′ detachably coupling with the folding arm 124 and pivotally coupling with the upper retention holder 26′. As shown in
Accordingly, the upper retention holder 26′ is downwardly and pivotally extended from the clamping element 251′, such that when the securing locker 25′ is locked at the folding arm 124, the upper retention holder 26′ is pivotally moved at a position that the upper retention holder 26′ is perpendicular to the ground surface. Therefore, the lower supporting holder 27′ provides a horizontal flat surface as the seating platform 21′ to support the utility housing 30. In other words, even though the folding arm 124 is extended in an inclined manner, the utility housing 30 is always retained at the horizontal position.
Moreover, via the electrical fixture, the electrical apparatus 40 is adapted to detachably mount to any type of outdoor umbrella having the elongated shaft 10 and without altering its original structure. Therefore, the user is able to mount any kind of electrical apparatus from one outdoor umbrella to another outdoor umbrella easily.
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. The embodiments and their alternatives 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.
