WO2006098598A1

WO2006098598A1 - Umbrella cover for preventing rainwater dripping

Info

Publication number: WO2006098598A1
Application number: PCT/KR2006/000967
Authority: WO
Inventors: Seok Soo Kim
Original assignee: Seok Soo Kim
Priority date: 2005-03-18
Filing date: 2006-03-16
Publication date: 2006-09-21
Also published as: KR20060100746A; KR100647075B1

Abstract

Provided is an umbrella cover for preventing rainwater from dripping from a wet umbrella. The umbrella cover (1) comprises a waterproofed outer housing (10) having a cylinder shape having openings at respective ends, a waterproofed inner housing (20) having a drain (21) at a lower end thereof and an opening at an upper end thereof, in which the lower end of the inner housing (20) is suspended in the outer housing (10) and the upper end of the inner housing (20) is in contact with an inner circumferential surface of the outer housing (10), a zipper means (30) fixed onto an inner surface and at the lower end of the outer housing (10) in a circumferential direction, the zipper means not being in contact with the lower end of the inner housing, and a closing means (40) for closing the upper end of the outer housing (10).

Description

UMBRELLA COVER FOR PREVENTING RAINWATER

DRIPPING

Technical Field

[1] The present invention relates to an umbrella cover capable of allowing an umbrella to be carried and held in a neat state. More particularly, the present invention relates to an umbrella cover which is made of a flexible waterproof cloth and is capable of preventing rainwater from dripping from an umbrella by collecting rainwater present on the surface of a wet umbrella therein, thereby preventing a wet umbrella from causing inconvenience to other people. Background Art

[2] Generally, people use umbrellas when they go outside in rainy days, and usually carry wet umbrellas in a state of being folded when they go into buildings in order to use banks, shops and so on, and when they ride public transportation such as a subway or a bus. At this time, there is a problem in that rainwater on the surface of the umbrella drips off.

[3] The rainwater dripping off the wet umbrella soils indoor floors, and, further gets other people's wet clothes on a public transportation crowded with people, bothering other people.

[4] Accordingly, most buildings have a vinyl cover supply apparatus, so that people use vinyl covers in order to prevent indoor floors from being soiled when they enter buildings. That is, when people get to the entrance of a building, people fold their umbrellas, insert the umbrellas in vinyl covers in the apparatus and than pull out the vinyl covers from the vinyl cover supply apparatus. As a result, the umbrellas are discharged from the apparatus enclosed in respective vinyl covers. However, this method is disadvantageous from the viewpoints of environmental pollution and natural resource waste because the vinyl covers are generally for single use. Further, there is a further problem in that such method can not be adopted on public transportation, because most public transportation is not equipped with such apparatus.

[5] In order to solve the problems and obviate the disadvantages with the method of using vinyl covers, several water dripping prevention methods have been suggested.

[6] For example, Japanese Patent Laid-open Publication No. 2000-333714, Japanese

Patent Laid-open Publication No. Hei. 11-32821, and Japanese Patent Laid-open Publication No. Hei. 11-137318 disclose a water collecting cap having a water storing space and provided to a tip of a protrusion of a central shaft of an umbrella, the water collecting cap being provided with an elastic cover having a telescopic or bellow-like structure, and the elastic cover expanding to surround the umbrella when the umbrella is folded, so that rainwater is prevented from getting adjacent objects wet, and the rainwater is collected in the water storing space of the water collecting cap, and then is discharged outside at one time, resulting in the prevention of the soiling of an indoor floor due to rainwater dripping.

[7] However, the above described tool has problems in that it has a very complex structure, it negatively affects the appearance of an umbrella because the water collecting cap is attached to the tip of a protrusion of an umbrella in an integrated manner, and it cannot be applied to foldable umbrellas without having a protrusion at a central shaft thereof due to its characteristic structure. Further, since the cover does not completely cover the entire body of an umbrella, but covers the umbrella body from an end to a portion before a grip, rainwater can drip from an umbrella when a user holds the umbrella upside down.

[8] There have been still further conventional rainwater dripping prevention mechanisms for umbrellas. Examples include Korean Utility Model Registration No. 0226050 and Japanese Patent Laid-open Publication No. Hei. 7-143906. According to these disclosures, provided is an umbrella bag with a waterproof casing having an umbrella fixing holder or a cylinder therein, each with a water collecting structure, and further having a zipper for completely sealing the casing, thereby fully enclosing an umbrella.

[9] However, the umbrella bag also has a problem in that it has a complex structure, resulting in high cost, because it has a rigid umbrella fixing means such as the holder or the cylinder for fixing an umbrella therein and collecting rainwater from the umbrella. A further problem is that the bag must be separately carried in a state of being free from raindrops, when using an umbrella since the casing is not foldable and does not have a small size.

[10] As disclosed in Korean Utility Model Registration No. 0226050, the bag can be attached to an umbrella in an integrated manner. However, in this case, since the umbrella tends to incline under the weight of the bag, the umbrella cannot be used conveniently and the bag is easily get wet. As a result, it happens that the bag cannot play its given role.

[11] A yet further conventional art, Japanese Utility Model Registration No. 3085331, discloses an umbrella holding pouch comprising a cone shaped main body made of a waterproof seat, a drain provided at a lower end of the cone shaped main body, and a rope provided to an upper end thereof, so that the pouch can enclose and seal most of the body of an umbrella, except for a grip, therein. Further, the pouch has a loop and a lace at an upper end portion thereof, so that the pouch can enclose even a foldable umbrella. That is, when a foldable umbrella is enclosed in the pouch, the lower half of the pouch is folded up and the lace is wound around the folded lower end portion and the upper end portion and is fixed by the loop.

[12] However, the above described pouch has a problem in that a gap can exist between the pouch and the central axis of an umbrella since the pouch is made of a single sheet of cloth, and an upper portion thereof, having a wide opening, is tightened by the lace provided under the grip of the umbrella. Accordingly, when a user holds the umbrella in the pouch upside down, the collected water can leak through the gap. Further, in the case of the foldable umbrella, water leaking can more frequently occur since a portion of the foldable umbrella is exposed out of the pouch when the foldable umbrella is enclosed in the pouch, and the appearance is not good since the pouch is wound by the lace in the state of being folded.

[13] Japanese Patent Laid-open Publication No. 2000-300321 discloses a portable umbrella cover having a cylindrical body made of waterproof cloth in which a lower opening thereof is closed in a button manner, a lower portion of the cylindrical body is folded up to correspond to the length of the umbrella, the folded portion is fixed by a clip or velcro, and the upper opening of the umbrella cover is sealed with a zipper provided at an upper end portion of the umbrella cover, thereby completely enclosing an umbrella therein. This umbrella cover has a problem in that collected water is likely to run out when the umbrella cover is held upside down or the lower end portion of the umbrella cover is positioned higher than the upper end portion of the umbrella since the umbrella cover is a single fold and a water collecting part is provided merely by folding up a lower end portion thereof. Accordingly, the umbrella must be carefully used.

Disclosure of Invention Technical Problem

[14] Accordingly, the present invention has been devised in consideration of the aforementioned problems and situations, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a rainwater dripping prevention umbrella cover that has a simple structure, is conveniently carried and is capable of fully enclosing an umbrella therein, thereby being capable of completely preventing collected rainwater from leaking and easily discharging the collected rainwater.

[15] It is a further object of the present invention to provide a rainwater dripping prevention umbrella cover that can most completely prevent collected rainwater from leaking even when the umbrella cover is upside down, so that it can be comfortably used without the fear of collected water leaking. Technical Solution

[16] In order to achieve the above objects, according to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided an umbrella cover for preventing rainwater from dripping, comprising an outer housing made of a waterproofed sheet and having a cylinder shape having openings at respective ends, an inner housing made of a waterproofed sheet and having a drain at a lower end thereof and an opening at an upper end thereof, in which the lower end of the inner housing is suspended in the outer housing and the upper end of the inner housing is in contact with an inner circumferential surface of the outer housing, a zipper means fixed onto an inner surface and at the lower end of the outer housing along a circumferential direction, the zipper means not being in contact with the lower end of the inner housing; and a closing means for closing the upper end of the outer housing.

[17] The zipper means may comprise a plurality of zippers, and the zippers are installed parallel to each other on the inner surface of the outer housing. The inner housing and the outer housing may be preferably made in a form of a single body, in which the inner housing and the outer housing are prepared by folding the single body at about a middle position thereof and forcing a part of the single body into the other part of the single body.

[18] The closing means may comprise a string passage formed in a circumferential direction of the outer housing, near the upper end portion of the outer housing, and between the outer housing and the inner housing, and a looped lace partially received in the string passage and partially exposed outside the outer housing. Alternatively, the closing means may be a zipper means fixed to an inner surface and at an upper end portion of the inner housing.

Advantageous Effects

[19] Accordingly, the umbrella cover according to the present invention has the following advantages. That is, the umbrella cover has a simple structure and a good appearance when it holds a wet umbrella because it completely encloses a wet umbrella therein. Further, the umbrella cover can be easily carried, can completely prevent rainwater from dripping off of a wet umbrella, and can easily discharge rainwater collected therein. Still further, a user can conveniently carry a wet umbrella using the umbrella cover because the umbrella cover can substantially completely prevent rainwater collected therein from leaking even when it is upside down. Thanks to the above described advantages, the umbrella cover has high reliability and stability and contributes to the improvement of convenience of use of an umbrella. Brief Description of the Drawings

[20] FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating an umbrella cover capable of preventing rainwater dripping;

[21] FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along the line H-H in FIG. 1 ; [22] FlG. 3 is an enlarged view showing a portion denoted by a symbol in in FlG. 2;

[23] FlG. 4 is a plan view illustrating the umbrella cover partially cut away along the line IV in HG. 2;

[24] FlG. 5 is a sectional view taken along the line V-V in FlG. 4;

[25] FlG. 6 is a sectional view illustrating the umbrella cover in a state of being used;

[26] FlG. 7 is an abstracted sectional view for explaining the method of discharging collected rainwater in the umbrella cover;

[27] FlG. 8 is an abstracted side view illustrating an umbrella cover according to another embodiment of the present invention;

[28] FlG. 9 is an abstracted side view illustrating an umbrella cover according to a further embodiment of the present invention; and

[29] FlG. 10 is a sectional view taken along the line X-X in FlG. 9.

Mode for the Invention

[30] Hereinafter, the characteristics and other advantages of an umbrella cover according to the present invention will be more apparent from the following description with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[31] Referring to FIGS. 1 to 4, the umbrella cover according to an embodiment of the present invention includes an outer housing 10, an inner housing 20, a zipper 30 for opening and closing respective ends of outer an inner housings 10 and 20 in order to collect and discharge rainwater W, and a closing means 40 for closing an upper end of the outer casing 10 when an umbrella U is received in the umbrella cover.

[32] The outer housing 10 and the inner housing 20 are made of synthetic resin such as a vinyl sheet or waterproofed fabric sheet. The outer housing 10 has a cylindrical shape having openings at an upper end and a lower end, respectively, thereof. The inner housing 20 has an opening at an upper end, and a drain at a lower end, that is, the inner housing 20 has a bag shape.

[33] The inner housing 20 is a separate body from the outer housing 10. The inner housing 20 can be placed in the outer housing 10, and is in contact with the inner surface of the outer housing 10. Alternatively, the inner housing 20 and the outer housing 10 are preferably integrated in one body.

[34] The outer housing 10 and the inner housing 20 can be manufactured in a manner such that a long hollowed cylinder is made using a vinyl sheet or a fabric sheet, the long hollowed cylinder is folded at about a middle position, and one half (serving as the inner housing) of the folded cylinder is forced into the other half (serving as the outer housing) of the folded cylinder, so that the inner housing 20 and the outer housing 10 are formed in a single body.

[35] In this instance, since the inner housing 20 is shorter than the outer housing 10, the lower end of the inner housing 20 is separated from the lower end of the outer housing 10 by an appropriate distance. That is, the umbrella cover is divided into an umbrella enclosing part serving as the inner housing 20 and into a rainwater collecting part serving as the outer housing 20. Accordingly, referring to FlG. 6, when an umbrella U is inserted into the inner housing 20, the lower end of the inner housing 20 supports the lower end of the umbrella U, and only rainwater W running down the surface of the umbrella U and passing through the drain 21 of the inner housing 20 is collected in a lower end portion of the outer housing 10.

[36] In order to form the drain 21 at the lower end of the inner housing 20 having a bag shape, referring to FlG. 5, the lower end portion of the inner housing 20 is provided with a string passage 22 by a sewing method, and an elastic band 23 having a ring shape and having a diameter less than that of an opening at the lower end of the inner housing 20 is enclosed in the string passage 22. Accordingly, as the opening of the lower end of the inner housing 20 is shriveled, the drain 21 is formed.

[37] Although not shown in the drawings, the drain 21 can be made when manufacturing a cover body to serve as the outer housing 10 and the inner housing 20 by manufacturing the cover body to have a bag shape with a drain hole at one end.

[38] Further, a pocket 11 may be preferably provided to an outer surface of the outer h ousing 10, so that a plurality of objects such as a cellular phone can be easily held in the pocket 11.

[39] The zipper 30 is fixed onto an inner surface of the lower end of the outer housing 10 in a sewing manner. Referring to FIGS. 3 and 4, the zipper 30 comprises a pair of long flexible synthetic resin socket channels 31, and a plug bar 32 combined with the socket channels 31. The socket channels 31 are attached to respective divided sides of the outer housing 10 to face each other.

[40] The number of zippers 30 can be one, but two or more zippers 30 can be provided to the circumferential outer surface of the housing in parallel to each other in order to ensure the prevention of water leakage.

[41] The closing means 40 can be realized in a variety of forms. One example is a lace

40 for tying an upper end portion (an opening for inserting and discharging an umbrella) of the outer housing 10. In the case that the closing means 40 is a lace, a string passage 42 is provided at an upper portion of the umbrella cover along a circumference thereof, the passage 42 being prepared by sewing the outer housing 10 and the inner housing 20 together. The lace 41 is inserted into the string passage 42, and respective ends of the lace 41 are exposed outside of the string passage 42.

[42] The ends of the lace 41, exposed out of the outer housing 10, are tied, so that the lace forms a loop. Referring to FlG. 6, the loop allows a user to easily hold the umbrella cover by inserting his or her arm through the loop or holding the loop in the hand when carrying an umbrella as the umbrella is enclosed in the umbrella cover.

[43] Hereinafter, the operation and method of using the umbrella cover will be described.

[44] In rainy days, a user folds an umbrella U after use in order to go into a building or to ride public transportation such as a subway or bus, and then, referring to FlG. 6, the user inserts the folded wet umbrella U into the above described umbrella cover 1 through an upper opening thereof in a manner such that a grip of the umbrella U is directed upward.

[45] At this time, the umbrella U is suspended in the outer cover 10 of the umbrella cover by being placed on the lower end of the inner housing 20. That is, the umbrella U is received only in the inner housing 20, but cannot reach a rainwater collecting space Ib formed at the lower end portion of the outer housing 10.

[46] Next, when the umbrella U is inserted into the umbrella cover 1, respective ends of the lace 41 provided around the upper end portion of the outer housing 10 are pulled to close the upper end of the umbrella cover 1 as shown by the imaginary line in FlG. 6, and then a loop formed by the lace 41 is held in the user's hand or hung from the user's arm, so that the user easily carry the umbrella.

[47] In this state, rainwater on the surface of the wet umbrella U is collected in the rainwater collecting space Ib of the cover 1, formed by the outer housing 10, via the drain 21 in the lower end of the inner housing 20.

[48] At this time, the lower end of the outer housing 10 is securely sealed by the zipper

30, and the rainwater from the umbrella U in the inner housing 20 cannot leak out of the umbrella cover 1, and is collected in the rainwater collecting space Ib in the outer housing 10. Accordingly, an indoor floor is not soiled by dripping rainwater and it is possible to prevent the wet umbrella from causing a trouble to other people by getting the clothes of other people wet.

[49] Further, the lace 41 securely closes the upper end portion of the umbrella cover 1 without leaving a gap in a manner such that the umbrella U is completely enclosed in the umbrella cover 1. Accordingly, even if the umbrella cover 1 is upside down, the collected rainwater does not leak from the umbrella cover 1. Further, since the umbrella cover 1 is in two parts, that is, the umbrella cover 1 is physically divided into the umbrella receiving space Ia and the rainwater collecting space Ib, even if the umbrella cover 1 is upside down, the rainwater W in the rainwater collecting space Ib in the outer housing 10 scarcely flows back into the umbrella receiving space Ia in the inner housing 20, so there is almost no possibility in that the rainwater will leak through the upper end of the umbrella cover 1.

[50] That is, since the rainwater collecting space Ib is disposed under the umbrella receiving space Ia, and the two spaces Ia and Ib are physically separated, when the umbrella cover 1 is inclined, the rainwater W in the rainwater collecting space Ib flows down to a lower side due to its natural properties, and the surface of the rainwater is maintained in a horizontal state. Accordingly, even though the umbrella 1 is upside down, the rainwater W in the rainwater collecting space Ib flows in a cavity provided between the inner housing 20 and the outer housing 10 along the inner surface of the outer housing 10, but does not flow directly back through the drain 21 of the inner housing 20.

[51] Accordingly, the umbrella cover 1 according to the present invention allows a wet umbrella W to be carried and held without the fear of causing other people trouble, i. e., without the fear of rainwater dripping. Further, since the umbrella cover 1 fully encloses the wet umbrella U, the umbrella cover 1 according to the present invention has the advantage of an improved appearance when a user carries a wet umbrella.

[52] Subsequently, referring to FIG. 7, the rainwater W collected in the rainwater collecting space Ib of the umbrella cover 1 is easily discharged by opening the lower ends of the outer housing 10 and unzipping the zipper 30 of the outer housing 10. After the rainwater is discharged, the lower end of the umbrella cover is closed by zipping up the zipper 30.

[53] FIG. 8 illustrates an umbrella cover according to another embodiment of the present invention. This umbrella cover 1 additionally includes a handle 50 at an upper end thereof, compared to the umbrella cover according to the above described embodiment. Thanks to this structure, since it is possible to more securely tie the lace 41, the effect of preventing rainwater from leaking from the upper end of the umbrella cover 1 is enhanced.

[54] FIGS. 9 and 10 illustrate an umbrella cover according to a further embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, the closing means for closing the upper end of the cover is a zipper 43, like the zipper 30 provided at the lower end of the outer housing 10, instead of a lace 41. Further, the umbrella cover 1 according to this embodiment has a handle 50 at an upper end portion thereof. The zipper 43 as the closing means 40 comprises socket channels 44 to engage to each other and a plug bar 45, and the socket channels 44 are fixed to the inner surface of the inner housing 20.

[55] According to this embodiment, rainwater can be completely prevented from leaking through the upper end of the umbrella cover 1, so that a user can comfortably carry a wet umbrella U.

[56] In the above description, the umbrella is a foldable umbrella, but the present invention is not limited thereto. That is, if the length of the umbrella cover is varied, the umbrella cover can be used for long unfoldable umbrellas.

[57] Although preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described for illustrative purposes, those skilled in the art will appreciate that various modifications, additions and substitutions are possible, without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention as disclosed in the accompanying claims.

Industrial Applicability [58] As described above, the umbrella cover according to the present invention has the following advantages. [59] First, the umbrella cover has a simple structure, can be easily carried, can prevent rainwater from dripping from a wet umbrella, can easily and simply discharge rainwater collected therein, and can improve appearance of an umbrella by completely enclosing a wet umbrella therein. [60] Second, the umbrella cover can be comfortably used because it can substantially completely prevent rainwater therein from leaking out even when it is upside down. [61] Thanks to the above described advantages, the present invention contributes to the improvement of convenience of use of an umbrella cover, and the improvement of safety and reliability of an umbrella cover.

Claims

[1] 1. An umbrella cover for preventing rainwater from dripping, comprising: an outer housing made of a waterproofed sheet and having a cylinder shape having openings at respective ends; an inner housing made of a waterproofed sheet and having a drain at a lower end thereof and an opening at an upper end thereof, in which the lower end of the inner housing is suspended in the outer housing and the upper end of the inner housing is in contact with an inner circumferential surface of the outer housing; a zipper means fixed onto an inner surface and at the lower end of the outer housing along a circumferential direction, the zipper means not being in contact with the lower end of the inner housing; and a closing means for closing the upper end of the outer housing.

[2] 2. The umbrella cover as claimed in claim 1, wherein the zipper means comprises a plurality of zippers, and the zippers are installed parallel to each other.

[3] 3. The umbrella cover as claimed in claim 2, wherein the inner housing and the outer housing are made in a form of a single body, in which the inner housing and the outer housing are prepared by folding the single body at about a middle position thereof and forcing a part of the single body into the other part of the single body.

[4] 4. The umbrella cover as claimed in claim 3, wherein the closing means comprises a string passage formed along a circumferential direction of the outer housing, near the upper end portion of the outer housing, and between the outer housing and the inner housing, and a looped lace partially received in the string passage and partially exposed outside the outer housing.

[5] 5. The umbrella cover as claimed in claim 3, wherein the closing means is a zipper fixed to an inner surface and at an upper end portion of the inner housing.

[6] 6. The umbrella cover as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 5, further comprising a handle at the upper end of the outer housing.

[7] 7. The umbrella cover as claimed in claim 6, wherein the outer housing has a pocket on an outer surface thereof.

[8] 8. The umbrella cover as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the drain of the inner housing comprises a string passage formed along the opening of the lower end of the inner housing, and an elastic band received in the string passage and having a diameter smaller than that of the opening of the inner housing.