Patent Application
20240076888
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The disclosure relates to weighted tarpaulins and more particularly pertains to a new weighted tarpaulin for covering an article without moving due to wind or other environmental forces.
The prior art relates to weighted tarpaulins, many of which use sandbags placed in pockets to weigh them down. While myriad configurations exist in the prior art wherein sandbags or other weights are kept in pockets at the corners of a tarpaulin and possibly along the edges of the tarpaulin, the prior art does not disclose a device which disperses pockets across a face of the tarpaulin, including some pockets being positioned at distance from corners and edges of the tarpaulin, for weighing the tarpaulin down. Such an arrangement is advantageous over the prior art in that it allows smaller, lighter sandbags to be used to weight the tarpaulin down, easing placement of the tarpaulin. Another advantage is that wind that blows underneath the tarpaulin between sandbags or other weights will be less likely to cause the center of the tarpaulin to lift off the covered surface. This is helpful in situations where the whole of the tarpaulin is meant to abut or otherwise be positioned near the covered surface, such as for leak-prevention functions.
An embodiment of the disclosure meets the needs presented above by generally comprising a tarpaulin with a plurality of pockets dispersed across a face of the tarpaulin. Each pocket is configured for holding a sandbag of a plurality of sandbags. The plurality of sandbags weighs the tarpaulin down when contained in the plurality of pockets.
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
Each of a plurality of pocket panels 32 has an outer edge 34 comprising a first portion 36 and a second portion 38. The first portion 36 of the outer edge 34 of each pocket panel 32 is sewn to a face of the tarpaulin 12 such that each pocket panel 32 and the tarpaulin 12 cooperatively define a respective one of a plurality of pockets 40, each pocket 40 defining an associated chamber of a plurality of chambers 42. The second portion 38 of the outer edge 34 of each pocket panel 32 cooperates with the tarpaulin 12 to define an opening to the associated chamber. Each pocket 40 is configured for containing a sandbag 46 of a plurality of sandbags 46 wherein the plurality of sandbags 46 weighs down the tarpaulin 12 when contained in the plurality of pockets 40.
Each pocket panel 32 is rectangular, and the second portion 38 of the outer edge 34 of each pocket panel 32 comprising a side of the pocket panel 32. The second portion 38 of the outer edge 34 of each pocket panel 32 faces one of the first opposing edges 14 of the tarpaulin 12 when the tarpaulin 12 is in a planar position. The plurality of pocket panels 32 is positioned in a set of three evenly spaced rows 48 and a set of five evenly spaced columns 50, wherein each row 48 is parallel to each first opposing edge 14 of the tarpaulin 12 and each column 50 is parallel to each second opposing edge 16 of the tarpaulin 12 when the tarpaulin 12 is in the planar position.
Each of a plurality of pocket flaps 52 is coupled to the tarpaulin 12 adjacent to an opening to an associated chamber of the plurality of chambers 42. Each pocket flap 52 is releasably securable to an associated pocket panel 32 of the plurality of pocket panels 32 such that the opening to the associated chamber is closed. Each of a plurality of hook-and-loop fasteners 54 releasably secures an associated pocket flap 52 of the plurality of pocket flaps 52 to an associated pocket panel 32 of the plurality of pocket panels 32.
In use, each of the pockets 40 are filled with one of the plurality of sandbags 46. Each of the pocket flaps 52 is secured via the associated hook-and-loop fastener 54 to the pocket panel 32, thereby closing the opening and securing the associated sandbag 46 within the associated chamber. The tarpaulin 12 is weighed down by the sandbags 46.
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.
