EP0079865B1

EP0079865B1 - Stabilizing device for large sunshade supporting tables

Info

Publication number: EP0079865B1
Application number: EP82830273A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Giuseppe Cerati
Original assignee: Plastinova Italiana SpA
Current assignee: Plastinova Italiana SpA
Priority date: 1981-11-02
Filing date: 1982-10-29
Publication date: 1986-08-27
Also published as: ATE21612T1; EP0079865A1; DE3272929D1

Abstract

The stabilizing device comprises a box-like body (1), of preferably square plan, provided, at the upper side thereof, with a central hole (2) and an offset opening (3) effective to be closed and being provided, at the lower or bottom surface thereof, with seats (5) intended for housing corresponding tubular elements (9) crossing one another at the basement of the sunshade supporting small table and intended for lying under the stabilizing device.

Description

The present invention relates to a stabilizing device in accordance with the pre-characterizing part of claim 1.
As is well known, in order to provide protection againstthe sun rays in outdoor environments such as gardens and the like there are presently used the so-called large sunshades or umbrellas, that is large size unbrellas of gaudy colours.
Also known is the fact that the above mentioned large sunshades may be advantageously supported by a small table, provided with a central throughgoing hole and a lower engaging seat or housing effective to jointly restrain, in a vertical attitude, the rod or shaft of said sunshade.
It should be noted to this respect that, because of the large surface of the sunshade's top or dome, the latter, in a strong wind, greatly stresses by flexure the bearing rod which, as is conventional, is supported only at the lower section thereof.
For example US-A-4,296,693 (from which document the features of the first part of claim 1 are known) discloses a beach umbrella support consisting of a collapsible container which can be filled with solid or liquid material to give it stability, means being provided for retaining the beach umbrella shaft in the container, corners rods being further provided for additional stability, on the top ends of which, which project from the container, a table top may be engaged.
Thus, in the above mentioned Patent, the beach umbrella shaft is retained substantially at the bottom thereof and accordingly is susceptible to be greatly stressed and bent in a strong wind condition.
This drawback is also present in US-A-4,148,455 disclosing a stand for a beach umbrella comprising a container which can hold water, sand or other ballast, and having a lid, the base of the container having a formation which locates the end of the umbrella shaft and the lid having an orifice vertically above the formation, with the lid in its closed condition, to restrain the shaft from rotating. Thus, since the umbrella shaft is supported only for a short length thereof (at the bottom between the container bottom and lid), under a strong wind the umbrella may be upset.
Finally, this same drawback also affects the garden table disclosed in the US-A-2,838,351 in which the table top is supported exclusively by a central upright to which there are associated legs provided with right angle bottom integral portions for supporting the table on a substantially horizontal plane, which portions would sink in the beach sand and upsetthetable in strong wind conditions.
Accordingly, the supporting table or base, which is generally made from metal tubular elements and is rather small, is susceptible to being upset, along with the sunshade itself.
Accordingly, the task of the present invention is that of overcoming the thereinabove mentioned drawback, by providing a stabilizing device of the type set-out in the precharacterizing part of claim 1 with the features of the characterizing part of claim 1, to arrive at a stabilizing device which prevents the table being upset in strong wind conditions.
Within that task, it is a primary object of the present invention to also provide a combination of the stabilizing device and a specifically designed sunshade supporting table, which is constructed in such a way as to be able of perfectly fitting to the mentioned stabilizing device.
According to one aspect of the present invention the above task and object, as well as yet other objects which will become more apparent hereinafter, are achieved by a stabilizing device suitable for being fitted to the base of a table suitable for supporting a large size sunshade, said stabilizing device includes a substantially quadrangular plan box-like body provided with a central hole suitable for the shaft of the sunshade and an eccentric closable opening suitableforfilling the body with a high weight stabilizing material, said body being formed, at the corners thereof, with seats suitable for engaging legs characterized in that the seats are semi-cylindrical and that the legs are the legs of the table, and in that in the bottom surface of said body there are formed seats extending diagonally from the corners and crossing each other, which seats are suitable for housing the bent lower portions of the tubular table legs.
Further characteristics and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description, with reference to the figures of the accompanying drawings, where:

Fig. 1 is a top perspective view illustrating the stabilizing device according to the invention;
Fig. 2 is a bottom perspective view illustrating that same stabilizing device;
Fig. 3 illustrates the combination of the stabilizing device and a specifically designed small table suitable for supporting a large sunshade;
Fig. 4 illustrates the above combination with a large sunshade or umbrella.

With reference to the figures of the accompanying drawings, a stabilizing device according to the invention effective to be applied to a specifically designed sunshade supporting small table, which device includes a box-like body 1, having a square plan and preferably made of a suitable plastics material, is herein illustrated.
That box-like body is provided, on the top face thereof, with a round central hole 2, having a slightly raised edge, and with an opening 3, as formed at an offset position.
That opening is also preferably provided with a round cross-section and defines a seat effective to hold a closure cover member 4.
At the side corners of the mentioned box-like body, there are formed corresponding semicylindrical hollows 5, vertically extending through the overall thickness of the body 1 at the corners and being suitable for housing the lower portions of the legs 6 of the small table 7, the top surface whereof is provided, in known-way, with a central through hole 8.
According to the invention, in order to improve the stabilizing capability of the combination, the lower portions of the legs 6 may be bent to substantially right angles and housed in seats 13 formed on the lower side of that same box-like body 1, extending diagonally from the corners and crossing each other.
At the middle of the lower side or face, moreover, there is formed a substantially cylindrical seat 10, facing inwardly with respect to the box-like body and effective to restrain laterally and at the bottom the end of the rod or shaft 11 of the large sunshade 12.
Obviously, the base of the mentioned seat 10 will be provided with a flat or frustoconical shape in such a way as to fit said end of the sunshade rod or shaft 11.
The box-like body 1, in actual practice, is filled, in a known way, through the opening 3, with sand or water, to assume a great weight thereby efficiently preventing the small table from being upset, when it is in its operative condition supporting the large sunshade.
From the above disclosure and the observation of the figures of the accompanying drawings, the great functionality and ease of use of the stabilizing device according to the invention and the associated table and sunshade will be self-evident: in particular, due to the provision of legs which may be bent at the lower portions whereof and housed in diagonally extending and crossing seats formed in the bottom of the body 1, a greatly improved stabilizing effect will be obtained.

Claims

1. A stabilizing device suitable for being fitted to the base of a table suitable for supporting a large size sunshade, said stabilizing device including a substantially quadrangular plan box-like body (1) provided with a central hole (2) suitable for the shaft of the sunshade and an eccentric closable opening (3) suitable for filling the body with a high weight stabilizing material, said body being formed, at the corners thereof, with seats (5) suitable for engaging legs, characterized in that the seats are semicylindrical and that the legs (6) are the legs of the table, and in that in the bottom surface of said body (1) there are formed seats (13) extending diagonally from the corners and crossing each other, which seats are suitable for housing the bent lower portions of the tubular table legs (6).

2. A stabilizing device according to Claim 1, in combination with a table suitable for supporting a large size sunshade, said table including a top surface (7) provided with a central through hole (8) and four legs (6) rigid with said top surface, characterized in that the lower portions of said legs are bendable at substantially right angles to be housed in said seats (13) formed in the bottom surface of said stabilizing device body, the latter seats being semicylindrical.

3. A stabilizing device according to Claim 1, characterized in that said semicylindrical seats (5) formed at the corners of said body (1) extend through the overall thickness of the latter, at the corners.