WO1997004681A2

WO1997004681A2 - A portable umbrella support

Info

Publication number: WO1997004681A2
Application number: PCT/GB1996/001778
Authority: WO
Inventors: Gregg Hazelgrove; Debbie Foreman
Original assignee: Gregg Hazelgrove; Debbie Foreman
Priority date: 1995-07-25
Filing date: 1996-07-25
Publication date: 1997-02-13
Also published as: WO1997004681A3; AU6619896A; GB2303546A; GB9515186D0

Abstract

A portable umbrella support is disclosed which comprises a hollow telescopically formed shaft with a locking arrangement (9, 10) such as a ball and ratchet intelocking the telescopic sections at any selected length. A deformable attachment, preferably in the form of a bendable stiff spring (2), is mounted at an upper end in use of the shaft. The spring (2) is provided with a clamp (3) at its outer end to clamp the shaft of an umbrella and to allow movement of the umbrella by bending the spring (2) into a selected position. The end of the telescopic shaft remote from the bendable spring (2) is provided with a screw thread (4) to allow detachable connection of various attachments to the shaft. Preferably, one such attachment is a swivel joint (5) with an adjustable crocodile clamp (20) having a rubber insert (21). Alternatively, the swivel joint can be replaced by a ground spike.

Description

A PORTABLE UMBRELLA SUPPORT

This invention relates to a portable umbrella support,

Supports for umbrellas are known. These generally take in the form of a hollow tube with a compression lock at one end usually operated by a lever action. A shaft of an umbrella is then introduced into the hollow support and the locking device operated when the umbrella is at an appropriate height. The opposite end of the support tube is supplied with a spike like tip to enable the support to be firmly embedded in the ground for example.

Alternatively, the support tube may have one end closed with a rubber or plastics bung and the locking device at its opposite end so that the support can simply be inserted through a hole in a table and then into a suitable aperture in a concrete or plastics support, for example, thereby to hold an umbrella inserted into the support in an upright position above the table.

These arrangements are disadvantageous in that they are for fixing the umbrellas relative to large immovable objects such as a table and are unsuitable for use on a movable device such as a pram or baby buggy, golf trolley etc to protect a person moving the pram, baby buggy, golf trolley etc.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an expandable umbrella support in which the above mentioned disadvantages have been substantially reduced.

According to the present invention there is provided a portable umbrella support comprising a hollow telescopically formed shaft, locking means for locking the telescopic sections one relative to the other, and deformable attachment means mounted at one end of the shaft for receiving and locking an umbrella to the support and for movement of the umbrella into a selected position.

In one embodiment of an umbrella support a plurality of the locking means comprises axially spaced apertures along each telescopic section for movement of the umbrella into a selected position.

In one embodiment of a portable umbrella support according to the present invention the deformable attachment means mounted at one end of the shaft comprises a deformable spring device fixed to one end of the telescopic shaft.

Preferably, the gripping means comprises a large clamping device conveniently in the form of openable jaws into which the umbrella is secured.

The opposite end of the telescopic shaft is provided with interconnecting means to which various attachments can be fitted. One such attachment is a lockable swivel joint having interlockable teeth on facing discs and a locking nut for locking the discs together with the teeth interengaged to prevent rotation once a selected position is determined. Conveniently, the outer one of said discs may be provided with an adjustable crocodile clamp of plastics material having a rubber insert so that the portable umbrella support may be mounted on a baby buggy, golf trolleys, balconies, tables, chairs, boats, etc.

Conveniently, the interconnecting means at the end of the telescopic shaft comprises a hard cylindrical plastics bung having an Edison screw thread thereon and onto which the attachments are fixable to the telescopic shaft. Conveniently, the swivel joint having the crocodile teeth connector can be removed and replaced by a ground spike which is screwed on to the Edison screw thread and then has a locking screw or nut to secure the spike in its attached position.

Preferably, the telescopic shaft is in three sections with a plurality of diametrically extending apertures on each section for receiving according to the selected height of the shaft a ball and ratchet locking device for setting the height adjustment of the shaft by selection of appropriate ones of the apertures on each section.

An embodiment of the present invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings in which.

Figure 1 is a side elevational view of a portable umbrella support according to the present invention.

Figure 2 is a diagrammatic side elevational view of an interconnecting device for connecting various attachments to the shaft, and

Figure 3 is a side elevational view of a ground spike attachment.

Referring specifically to the drawings Figure 1 shows a portable umbrella support comprising an expandable telescopic shaft 1 having at its uppermost end a deformable spring 2 with a gripping device 3 whilst at its opposite end there is provided a male Edison type screw thread device 4 onto which can be fixed a number of attachments such as that generally illustrated as a swivel joint 5 in Figure 1.

The tube 1 comprises a hollow cylindrical tube divided into three telescopically interconnected sections 6, 7 and 8 with a ball and ratchet locking device 9, 10 provided on telescopic tube sections 7 and 8 respectively, to lock the telescopic sections in any selected combination of positions. The ball and ratchet locking devices are conveniently located at diametrically opposite sides of the tube and engage in opposed pairs of diametrically extending apertures 6a, 7a or 8a to ensure secure interlocking of the tubes.

The bendable spring 2 is securely attached to the free outer end 11 of the innermost tube 6 and extends upwardly from the tube by for example 10 inches. The gripping device 3 is located at the uppermost part of the bendable spring 2 with a pair of elongate jaws 12 shaped to receive an umbrella shaft and having a rubber insert (not shown) to enhance gripping of the umbrella shaft thereby to securely hold the shaft in position upon the end of the bendable spring. The gripping device 3 may be of a bulldog type clip arrangement having finger and thumb levers 13 on the diametrically opposed side of the spring 2 to the clamping jaws 12 for opening the same. Over a 10 inch length of bendable stiff spring 2 it is expected the jaws will extend 4 inches from free end 14 of the spring and the bendability of the spring will be achieved by the remaining 6 inches of the spring.

Turning now to Figure 2 there is disclosed a lower end of telescopic tube section 8 into the hollow end which a bung 15 is inserted to tightly fit the internal diameter of the section 8. The bung 15 has an enlarged diameter rim 16 which engages the end of the section 8 to prevent the bung being inserted too far into the section 8. The opposed side of the rim 16 to that inserted into the end of the section 8 projects outwardly of the section 8 and comprises the Edison screw thread 4. The swivel joint 5 in Figure 1 is provided with a female Edison type screw thread 17 for attaching the swivel joint attachment 5 to the male^* Edison type screw thread 4 projecting, in Figure 1, from the lower end of the telescopic tube section 8. The screw thread portion 17 of the swivel joint 5 is attached to one disc of two separate overlying discs with interengaging teeth indicated in Figure 1 by a circle in a broken line 18 and which arrangement is in itself well known. An outermost disc 19 is fixed with an adjustable crocodile clamp 20 of plastics material having a rubber insert 21. A locking bolt 22 is provided to lock the two discs together with their teeth 18 interengaging to prevent further rotation from a selected angular position between the longitudinal axis of the telescopic shaft 1 and the longitudinal direction of extension of the jaws of the crocodile clamp 20.

In use of the portable umbrella support 1 the support can be permanently attached to a baby buggy, golf trolley, balcony, tables, chairs, boats etc., and by use of the interconnecting swivel joint 5 the support 1 can be located in a stored out of the way position or can be fixed in an upright or tilted position with an umbrella shaft inserted between the jaws 12 of the gripping device 3. Once an umbrella is secured to the portable umbrella support via the gripping device 3, the umbrella can be manoeuvred into any position by bending the deformable spring 2 to any suitable position to ensure that the umbrella is shading from the sun or rain the person pushing the baby buggy etc.

In one alternative use the telescopic arm 1 can be detached from the swivel joint 5 by unscrewing the Edison screw 4 and then having a ground spike attachment 23 attached to the Edison screw thread 4 so that the telescopic arm can be used in the ground or on a beach with any type of umbrella. Alternatively, the ground spike attachment 23 may comprise a hollow tube into which the end of the telescopic tube section 8 is insertable. The internal diameter of the spike portion is large enough to take the enlarged rim 16 and to maintain stability the locking bolt 22 is locatable in a lower one of the apertures 8a. The bolt 22 may extend diametrically across the tube 8 and be fixed by a nut preferably a wing nut.

The portable umbrella support device has been described as being of hollow cylindrical sections, however, the cross-sectional shape of the telescopically interconnected sections may be of any convenient shape such as rectangular or elliptical. Furthermore, the tube may be made out of any suitable material such as metal or hard plastics material which will provide sufficient upright support. Conveniently, the telescopic 1 tube has been shown in three sections 6, 7 and 8 and may be approximately 48 inches in height with each section being 16 inches long. Preferably, the holes on each tubular section are spaced at 2 inches between their centres.

Claims

CLAIMS :

1. A portable umbrella support comprising a hollow, telescopically formed shaft, locking means for locking telescopic sections one relative to the other, and deformable attachment means mounted at one end of the shaft for receiving and locking an umbrella to the support and for movement of the umbrella into a selected position.

2. A support as claimed in claim 1 wherein the deformable attachment means mounted at one of the shaft comprises a deformable spring device fixed to a free end of the telescopic shaft.

3. A support as claimed in claim 1 or 2 comprising gripping means including a large clamping device in the form of open jaws into which the umbrella is secured.

4. A support as claimed in claim 3 wherein the opposite end of the telescopic shaft is provided with interconnecting means to which various attachments are attachable.

5. A support as claimed in claim 4, wherein one such attachment is a lockable swivel joint having interlockable teeth on facing discs and a locking nut for locking the discs together with the teeth interengaged to prevent rotation once a selected position is determined.

6. A support as claimed in claim 5, wherein the outer one of said discs is provided with an adjustable crocodile clamp of plastics material having a rubber insert for gripping a mounting.

7. A support as claimed in any one of preceding claims wherein the interconnecting means at the end of the telescopic shaft comprises a hard cylindrical plastic bung having an Edison screw thread thereon and onto which the attachments are fixable to the telescopic shaft.

8. A support as claimed in claim 7 including a ground spike with an Edison screw thread on the end of the shaft remote from the bendable spring.

9. A support as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the telescopic shaft is in three sections with a plurality of diametrically extending apertures on each section for receiving a ball and ratchet locking device for setting the height of the shaft by selection of appropriate ones of the apertures on each section.