Patent Application
20060283905
1. Field of the Invention
The present disclosure is for a device that can hold an umbrella. The device serves to both protect the umbrella from damage as well as hold excess water from a wet umbrella.
2. Background
When rainy weather strikes, umbrellas protect people from getting soaked while venturing outside. When going inside, however, be it into a building or a vehicle, the wet umbrella can be a cumbersome nuisance. A person must find an appropriate place to safely store it where it will not make the surroundings all wet.
Most establishments, such as restaurants or stores, place an umbrella receptacle at the door. Although this provides a convenient place to leave the umbrella while the owner is inside, the owner runs the risk of losing the umbrella. Many umbrellas look alike, so it is not unusual for another person to mistakenly take the wrong umbrella on the way out. Unscrupulous people may invite themselves to “borrow” an umbrella if they are caught without one with the rain. And if the umbrella is distinctive, it may become a target for theft.
Rather than risk losing an umbrella, some people wish to take it along with them. To do this, however, the umbrella must be sheathed to prevent a wet umbrella from spreading water around. One recent solution to this problem, shown in U.S. Pat. No. 6,805,144 issued to Usui, et. al., on Oct. 19, 2004, entitled “Protective Cover for Umbrellas and Umbrella with Protective Cover Fixed Hereto,” involves a set of telescoping concentric sections connected to the tip of the umbrella. The user collapses the wet umbrella and then slides the sections over it to encase it. This keeps the umbrella protected and the surrounding area dry.
Although this design is convenient because the sheath is compactly integrated into the umbrella, it presents some drawbacks. First, if the umbrella tips over, the excess water collected in the sheath can spill out. This can create an unsafe puddle of water on the floor or cause damage to surfaces, such as car or furniture upholstery. Further, this design does not include a receptacle to conveniently collect the water that drains off of the umbrella as it stands up. Therefore, excess water either leaks out of the sheath or remains trapped in the sheath, with no convenient way to remove it.
What is needed is a device for sheathing an umbrella that will collect and hold excess rain water, as well as allow for easy drainage and disposal of the water. This would permit people to keep their wet umbrellas with them wherever they go, without worrying about water leakage in the process.
a depicts a cross-sectional view of
a is a cutaway side view of the. embodiment shown in
The opening 105 at the proximate end of the device opens into a cavity 205 that allows a closed umbrella to expand, and narrows into a small portal 206 that squeezes the umbrella to form a water-tight seal with the dry inner side of the umbrella. The small portal 206 can be constructed of, or lined with rubber or similar material to form the water-tight seal.
The removable cap 104 can include a concentric central region 202 to accept an umbrella tip and hold it in place. The cap 104 may also house a piece of absorbent material 204 to collect excess water that drips down into the distal end.
a shows a cross-section of the distal region of the inner cylindrical member 200. A set of optional longitudinal channels 203 can be circumferentially arranged in the wall of the inner cylinder 200. These channels 206 allow water to drain into the distal end of the device.
In general, the device can accommodate umbrellas that are shorter than, or substantially the same length as the device, as long as the lip 102 can form a seal with the dry underside of the umbrella used. In embodiments of the device with a concentric central region 202, an umbrella tip 301 b can set into the concentric central region to be held in place. Additionally, when an absorbent material 204 is included within the end cap 104, excess water can be absorbed to assist in preventing spillage. When the absorbent material 204 becomes saturated, the user may remove the end cap 104 to remove excess water from the absorbent material 204 and allow it to dry out.
The device can be manufactured to numerous price ranges to fit the needs of the consumer. By way of example, it can be manufactured with expensive materials such as a leather cover for the outer shell, and/or being decorated with ornamental designs such as a company's logo. Alternatively, it can be made of cheap materials, such as cardboard, that allows for a single use and can be discarded afterwards.
Although the invention has been described in conjunction with specific embodiments thereof, it is evident that many alternatives, modifications and variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Accordingly, the invention as described and hereinafter claimed is intended to embrace all such alternatives, modifications and variations that fall within the spirit and broad scope of the appended claims.
