Patent Application
20180368542
Not Applicable
Not Applicable
Not Applicable
The disclosure and prior art relates to umbrella devices and more particularly pertains to a new umbrella device facilitating hands-free use of an umbrella.
An embodiment of the disclosure meets the needs presented above by generally comprising a belt that may be worn around a waist. An umbrella is provided that has a shaft and a canopy that is coupled to the shaft. A hinge is coupled to the shaft and an engagement is coupled to the hinge. The engagement engages the belt such that the umbrella is removably coupled to the belt. In this way the canopy is retained over the user when the belt is worn.
There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the disclosure in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood, and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are additional features of the disclosure that will be described hereinafter and which will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto.
The objects of the disclosure, along with the various features of novelty which characterize the disclosure, are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this disclosure.
The disclosure will be better understood and objects other than those set forth above will become apparent when consideration is given to the following detailed description thereof. Such description makes reference to the annexed drawings wherein:
With reference now to the drawings, and in particular to
As best illustrated in
An umbrella 22 is provided that has a shaft 24 and a canopy 26 that is coupled to the shaft 24. The shaft 24 has a distal end 28 with respect to the canopy 26 and the shaft 24 has a first half 30 slidably receiving a second half 32. Thus, the shaft 24 has a telescopically adjustable length. The first half 30 has an inside surface 34 and the second half 32 has an outside surface 36. Moreover, each of the inside 34 and the outside 36 surfaces is threaded. The outside surface 36 threadably engages the inside surface 34 such that the second half 32 is selectively screwed into and out of the first half 30 thereby lengthening and shortening the shaft 24.
A hinge 38 is coupled to the distal end of the shaft 24 and the hinge 38 has a first half 40 that is hingedly coupled to a second half 42. The hinge 38 may be a mechanical hinge 38 of any conventional design that may include a pin that pivotally engages each of the first 40 and second 42 halves of the hinge 38. A receiver 44 is coupled to and extends away from the first half 30 and the receiver 44 insertably receives the distal end 28 of the shaft 24. In this way the shaft 24 is removably coupled to the hinge 38. The receiver 44 may comprise a sleeve 43 that has a distal end 45 with respect to the second first half 30 and the distal end 45 of the sleeve 43 may be open. Thus, the distal end 45 of the sleeve 43 may receive the shaft 24.
An engagement 46 is provided and the engagement 46 is coupled to the hinge 38. The engagement 46 engages the belt 12 such that the umbrella 22 is removably coupled to the belt 12. In this way the canopy 26 is retained over the user when the belt 12 is worn. The engagement 46 is coupled to the second half 32 of the hinge 38. Additionally, the hinge 38 facilitates the shaft 24 to be positioned at a selected angle with respect to the belt 12. In this way the umbrella 22 is selectively positioned at a selected orientation with respect to the user, including being tilted in front of the user and being tilted behind the user.
The engagement 46 may include a pair of members 48 that are each coupled to the second half 32 of the hinge 38. Each of the members 48 may a central portion 50 extending between a pair of end portions 52. Each of the end portions 52 corresponding to each of the members 48 may be coupled to the second half 32 of the hinge 38 having the central portion 50 corresponding to each of the members 48 being spaced from the second half 32. The belt 12 may be extended between the central portion 50 of each of the members 48 and the second half 32. In this way the belt 12 may be removably coupled to the engagement 46.
In an alternative embodiment 54 as shown in
In use, the belt 12 is removably coupled to the engagement 46 and the belt 12 is worn around the waist 14. In this way the shaft 24 extends upwardly from the belt 12 and the canopy 26 is positioned above the user. The first half 30 of the shaft 24 is manipulated to adjust the length of the shaft 24 thereby positioning the canopy 26 at a selected height. The canopy 26 is opened in the convention of umbrella 22s to provide shade from sunlight and to block precipitation. In this way the belt 12 and the umbrella 22 facilitate hands free employment of the umbrella 22.
With respect to the above description then, it is to be realized that the optimum dimensional relationships for the parts of an embodiment enabled by the disclosure, 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 an embodiment of the disclosure.
Therefore, the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the disclosure. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the disclosure 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 disclosure. In this patent document, the word “comprising” is used in its non-limiting sense to mean that items following the word are included, but items not specifically mentioned are not excluded. A reference to an element by the indefinite article “a” does not exclude the possibility that more than one of the element is present, unless the context clearly requires that there be only one of the elements.
