SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR SECURING A BEACH UMBRELLA

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Field of the Invention

This disclosure relates generally to systems and methods for anchoring objects, and more particularly to a system and method for anchoring a beach umbrella to prevent it from blowing away in the wind.

Description of the Related Art

When wind catches a beach umbrella, several problems can arise, posing both safety hazards and inconveniences. The umbrella, if not securely anchored, can be lifted and blown away, potentially causing injury to people nearby or damaging property. High winds can also cause the umbrella to topple over, leading to broken poles, torn fabric, or bent frames. Additionally, an airborne umbrella can create a dangerous situation for beachgoers, as its pointed pole and fast-moving structure can result in accidental injuries. Proper anchoring of the umbrella is essential to avoid these issues.

Accordingly, there is a need for a system and method for anchoring an umbrella to the ground, beach chair or other stationary object to prevent it from being dislodged by the wind.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a safety device that can be used to tether a beach umbrella to a heavy or fixed object such as a lounge chair, to prevent the umbrella from blowing away when hit with a gust of wind.

It is also an object of the invention to provide a safety device that can be quickly and easily attached to existing beach umbrellas and related beach accessories.

The present invention meets these objects by providing a safety device that has a clamp for attaching to a beach umbrella. A tethering device having a first end attached to the clamp and a second end attached to a fixed structure such as a lounge chair can the used to prevent the umbrella from blowing away when it becomes dislodged by a gust of wind.

According to one presently preferred embodiment of the invention, there is provided a safety device for securing a beach umbrella to a stationary object comprising a clamp and a tether. The clamp is configured to be removably attached to a shaft of said beach umbrella. The tether has a first end attached to the clamp and a second end attached to the stationary object such as a lounge chair.

The first spring clip may be provided at the first end of the tether for removably connecting the tether to said clamp, and a second spring clip may be provided at the second end of the tether for removably connecting the tether to said stationary object. According to one aspect of the invention, the tether comprises a length of chain.

A first eyelet may be provided on an outer surface of the clamp for removably engaging said first spring clip, and a second eyelet may be provided on the stationary object for removably engaging said second spring clip.

According to a further aspect of the invention, the clamp may comprise: a first arc-shaped member having a first end and a second end; a second arc-shaped member having a first end and a second end; gripping means located on inner surfaces of said first arc-shaped member and said second arc-shaped member, said gripping means configured to engage and grip an outer surface of said umbrella shaft; means for securing the first end of the first arc-shaped member to the first end of second arc-shaped member; and means for removably securing the second end of the first arc-shaped member to the second end of second arc-shaped member.

According to one preferred embodiment of the invention, the means for securing the first end of the first arc-shaped member to the first end of second arc-shaped member may comprise a pivot connection, and the means for removably securing the second end of the first arc-shaped member to the second end of second arc-shaped member may comprise a removable fastener.

According to an alternative preferred embodiment of the invention, means for securing the first end of the first arc-shaped member to the first end of second arc-shaped member may comprise a first removable fastener, and the means for removably securing the second end of the first arc-shaped member to the second end of second arc-shaped member may comprise a second removable fastener.

A further aspect of the present invention is a method for securing a beach umbrella to a stationary object comprising the steps of: removably affixing a clamp to a shaft of said beach umbrella; and attaching a second end of a tether to a stationary object, a first end of said tether being attached to said clamp.

The step of removably affixing a clamp to a shaft of said beach umbrella may further comprise the steps of: positioning a first arc-shaped member having a first end and a second end and gripping means located on an inner surface thereof to an outer surface of said umbrella shaft; positioning a second arc-shaped member having a first end and a second end and gripping means located on an inner surface thereof to the outer surface of said umbrella shaft proximate to the first arc-shaped member; and removably securing the first arc-shaped member to second arc-shaped member such that the gripping means frictionally engage the outer surface of the umbrella shaft. The first end of the first arc-shaped member may be pivotally connected to the first end of the second arc-shaped member, and the positioning step may further comprise pivoting the second ends of the arc-shaped members from an open position toward one another to a closed position wherein the gripping means engage the outer surface of the umbrella shaft. The removably securing step further may further comprise securing the second end of the first arc-shaped member to the second end of the second arc-shaped member by with a removable fastener.

Alternatively, the removably securing step may further comprise securing the first end of the first arc-shaped member to the first end of the second arc-shaped member by with a removable fastener and securing the second end of the first arc-shaped member to the second end of the second arc-shaped member by with a removable fastener.

According to a further aspect of the present invention, the step of attaching a second end of a tether to a stationary object may further comprise the step of removably attaching a second spring clip provided at the second end of the tether to a second eyelet provided on the stationary object. Further, the first end of the tether may be removably attached to a first eyelet on an outer surface of said clamp by a first spring clip provided at the first end of the tether.

These and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from a review of the following drawings and detailed description of the preferred embodiments of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention can best be understood in connection with the accompanying drawings. It is noted that the invention is not limited to the precise embodiments shown in the drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a system for securing a beach umbrella according to one preferred embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the system for securing a beach umbrella of FIG. 1 shown attached to a beach umbrella and beach chair.

FIG. 3 is a plan view of a clamp associated with the system according to an alternative embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a front perspective view of the system for securing a beach umbrella of FIG. 1 shown attached to a beach umbrella and double beach chair/table combination.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

For the purposes of promoting an understanding of the principles of the embodiments described herein, reference is now made to the drawings and descriptions in the following written specification. No limitation to the scope of the subject matter is intended by the references. This disclosure also includes any alterations and modifications to the illustrated embodiments and includes further applications of the principles of the described embodiments as would normally occur to one skilled in the art to which this document pertains.

As best shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, one presently preferred embodiment of the invention comprises a safety device 10 for securing a beach umbrella 100 in the wind. The safety device 10 comprises a clamp 11 and a tether 12 for securing the device 10 to the umbrella 100 and to a stationary object such as a lounge chair 200. The clamp 11 is preferably a hinged shaft clamp comprising two arc-shaped halves 11a, 11b that connect at a hinge or pivot point 13 that allows the clamp 11 to be opened to fit around the shaft 102 of the umbrella 100. The inner surfaces of the two arc-shaped clamp halves 11a, 11b may include a plurality of teeth 14 to better secure the clamp 11 to the umbrella shaft 102. The inner diameter of the closed clamp 11 may also be slightly smaller (e.g. ⅛″) than the umbrella shaft 102 to further aid in securing the clamp 11 to the umbrella shaft 102.

A fastener, such as a threaded bolt 15 and wingnut 16 can be used to secure the clamp 11 to the umbrella shaft 102. The bolt 15 passes through openings 17a, 17b in the clamp halves 11a, 11b and the wingnut 16 can be threaded onto the bolt 15 and tightened to secure the clamp 11 to the umbrella shaft 102. While the present preferred embodiment discloses a threaded bolt and wingnut passing through openings in the clamp halves, the invention anticipates the use of any sort of fastener that can be used to pull the clamp halves together to better engage the umbrella shaft.

An anchor point such as an eyelet 18 is provided on an outer surface of the clamp 11. The eyelet 18 allows the clamp 11 to be secured to the tether 12. As shown in FIG. 1, the tether 12 may comprise a chain 19 having first and second spring clips 20a, 20b disposed at each end thereof. While FIG. 1 shows the tether comprising a chain, any suitable tethering device, such as a cable or rope, can be substituted. Also, while FIG. 1 depicts spring clips 20a, 20b at each end of the tether, any suitable clip or device that allows the tether to be quickly and easily connected will suffice.

To connect the safety device 10 to the umbrella 100, the two halves 11a, 11b of the clamp are pivoted away from one another about pivot point 13, which opens the opposite end of the clamp 11. The clamp 11 is then place about the umbrella shaft 102 at a desired height, and the two halves 11a, 11b of the clamp are pivoted toward one another about pivot point 13, bringing the inner surface of each half, and the teeth 14 protruding therefrom, into contact with the outer surface of the umbrella shaft 102. The bolt 15 is then fed through the openings 17a, 17b in the clamp halves 11a, 11b. The wingnut 16 is then threaded onto the free end of the bolt 15 and tightened to draw the two halves 11a, 11b toward one another causing the inner surface of the clamp, and the teeth 14 thereon, to frictionally engage the outer surface of the umbrella shaft 102.

Once the clamp 11 is secured to the umbrella shaft 102, the spring clip 20a at the first end of the tether 19 is attached to the eyelet 18 on the outer surface of the clamp 11. The spring clip 20b at the second end of the tether is then attached to an anchor point such as an eyelet 202 or other anchor point on a surface of the lounge chair 200. Alternatively, the spring clip 20b at the second end of the tether could be attached to an anchoring device that is secured in the sand, or some other object that has sufficient weight to keep the umbrella from blowing away in high winds. Further, the length of the tether 19, or, more specifically the slack between the two ends of the tether, may be varied to provide additional security.

The component parts of the safety device 10, namely the clamp 11, chain 19 and the spring clips 20a, 20b can be formed of any rigid material that is of sufficient strength to withstand the strains and stresses that will be placed on the assembly when the wind causes the umbrella shaft to dislodge from the sand. It is also of interest to use a material that is light-weight for portability. At present, aluminum, steel and cast iron are preferred materials.

FIG. 3, shows a clamp 111 for the safety device associated with the system according to an alternative embodiment of the present invention. The clamp 111 according to the alternative embodiment comprising two arc-shaped halves 111a, 111b that fit around the shaft 102 of the umbrella 100.

A pair of fasteners, such as a threaded bolts 115a, 115b and corresponding nuts 116a, 116b that are cast into the flanges of the clamp halves 111a, 111b can be used to secure the clamp 11 to the umbrella shaft 102. The bolts 115a, 115b passes through openings 117a, 117b in the respective clamp halves 111a, 111b and are threaded into the corresponding nuts 116a, 116b and tightened to secure the clamp 111 to the umbrella shaft 102.

According to the alternative embodiment shown in FIG. 4, there may also be provided a safety device 10 for securing a beach umbrella 100 in the wind. The safety device 10 also comprises a clamp 11 and a tether 12 for securing the device 10 to the shaft 102 of the umbrella 100 and to a stationary object such as one of a pair of lounge chairs 200a, 200b that are attached to one another by a table 300. According to this embodiment, the shaft 102 of the umbrella 100 may pass through an opening 302 in the table 300. While the tether 12 is shown in FIG. 4 as being attached to an eyelet 202 located on a second chair 200b, alternatively, it may be attached to the other chair 200a or to the table 300.

This detailed description, and particularly the specific details of the exemplary embodiment disclosed, is given primarily for clearness of understanding and no unnecessary limitations are to be understood therefrom, for modifications will become evident to those skilled in the art upon reading this disclosure and may be made without departing from the spirit or scope of the claimed invention.