UMBRELLA ANCHORING SYSTEM FOR A TABLE

Description

FIELD

The field of the present disclosure relates generally to the field of outdoor furniture and more specifically to table umbrellas.

BACKGROUND

Umbrella tables are commonly found in home backyards and restaurant patios, and typically include an umbrella recess extending from the table's top surface to its bottom surface. This recess is designed to hold the umbrella pole in place. However, the recess often fails to secure the umbrella firmly, leaving the umbrella prone to shaking, rattling, and even being blown away by strong winds.

Although certain umbrella anchoring mechanisms exist, these mechanisms generally require the umbrella to be secured to an external surface. For instance, U.S. Pat. No. 10,287,793 discloses an anchor that must be screwed into the ground—such as beach sand—to hold the umbrella. Such a design becomes inoperable when used with umbrella tables, as there is no way to anchor the umbrella to the ground without permanently fixing the table's position to the ground.

Therefore, what is needed is an anchoring system that securely stabilizes an umbrella within an umbrella table, preventing unwanted movement caused by table shifts, wind, or other disturbances. This solution must do so without restricting the table's functionality or requiring the table to remain immobile.

SUMMARY

The present disclosure relates to an umbrella anchoring system for anchoring an umbrella to a table that has a top surface, a bottom surface, and an umbrella recess extending from the top surface to the bottom surface for receiving an umbrella pole. The umbrella includes an umbrella pole, and the umbrella anchoring system comprises a male piece and a female piece that together securely clamp the umbrella pole in place.

The male piece can include a male shaft portion designed to fit into the umbrella recess from the top surface of the table, a top plate configured to abut the top surface of the table, and a male hollow interior sized to receive the umbrella pole. The female piece can include a female shaft portion designed to align with the umbrella recess from the bottom surface of the table, a bottom plate configured to abut the bottom surface of the table, and a female hollow interior sized to receive the umbrella pole, as well as at least a portion of the male shaft portion.

During operation, the female shaft portion can align the female hollow interior with the umbrella recess from the bottom surface of the table. The male shaft portion is insertable into the female shaft portion from the top surface of the table. The umbrella pole can thus be fitted into both the male and female hollow interiors. As the male and female pieces come together, the top plate contacts and compresses against the top surface of the table, and the bottom plate contacts and compresses against the bottom surface of the table. This top and bottom compression creates a clamp that anchors the umbrella to the table, preventing movement or tipping and ensuring a stable, secure connection.

Covered embodiments are defined by the claims, not this summary. This summary is a high-level overview of various aspects and introduces some of the concepts that are further described in the Detailed Description section below. This summary is not intended to identify key or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used in isolation to determine the scope of the claimed subject matter. The subject matter should be understood by reference to appropriate portions of the entire specification, any or all drawings, and each claim.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates an example umbrella anchoring system according to the present disclosure.

FIG. 2 illustrates an example table configured for use with the umbrella anchoring system described herein.

FIG. 3A illustrates an example male component of the umbrella anchoring system. FIG. 3B illustrates an example female component of the umbrella anchoring system. FIG. 3C illustrates the engagement of the male and female components of the umbrella anchoring system.

FIGS. 4A and 4B provide magnified views of the engagement mechanism between the male and female components of the umbrella anchoring system.

Some embodiments of the disclosure are herein described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings. With specific reference now to the drawings in detail, it is stressed that the embodiments shown are by way of example and for purposes of illustrative discussion of embodiments of the disclosure. In this regard, the description taken with the drawings makes apparent to those skilled in the art how embodiments of the disclosure may be practiced.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring to FIG. 1, the disclosed umbrella anchoring system—comprising a male piece (300) and a female piece (400)—can anchor an umbrella (100) having an umbrella pole (101) to a table (200). The umbrella (100) can also include an umbrella canopy (102).

FIG. 2 shows that the table (200), which may be a commercially available table, can include a top surface (201), a bottom surface (202), and an umbrella recess (203) extending through the table (200) from the top surface (201) to the bottom surface (202). This umbrella recess (203) can receive the umbrella pole (101). The table (200) can be supported by at least one support member (204), which can be a plurality of legs in some embodiments, or a singular support base in other embodiments. As defined herein, the terms “top” and “bottom” are defined relative to the orientation of the at least one support member (204), such that the top surface (201) is opposite the at least one support member (204) and the bottom surface (202) is adjacent to the at least one support member (204) of the table shown in FIG. 2.

The umbrella anchoring system can include components configured to secure the umbrella pole (101) in the umbrella recess (203). As shown in FIGS. 3A-3C and 4A-4B, in some embodiments, the umbrella anchoring system can include a male piece (300) and a female piece (400), both adapted to interact with the umbrella recess (203). The male piece (300) and the female piece (400) can be arranged so that, when assembled, the umbrella pole (101) is secured within the umbrella recess (203) without contacting the ground. In some embodiments, the female piece (400) can hang within the umbrella recess (203) from below the table (200) without contacting the ground, thereby remaining suspended above any underlying surfaces.

Referring to FIG. 3A, the male piece (300) can include a male shaft (301) sized to fit into the umbrella recess (203) from above. The male piece (300) can also include a top plate (302) configured to engage the top surface (201) of the table (200), as well as a male hollow interior (303) sized to receive the umbrella pole (101). The male piece (300) can comprise male threads (304) on an exterior portion of the male shaft (301).

Referring to FIG. 3B, the female piece (400) can include a female shaft (401) sized to align with the umbrella recess (203) from below, a bottom plate (402) configured to engage the bottom surface (202) of the table (200), and a female hollow interior (403) sized to receive the umbrella pole (101) and at least a portion of the male shaft (301). The female piece (400) can include female grooves (404) that correspond to, and engage with, the male threads (304), and in some embodiments, a fastener (405) can be included within the female hollow interior (403) to engage the umbrella pole (101) and tighten the clamp (500) formed by the top plate (302) and the bottom plate (402), as discussed further below and shown in FIG. 3C. In alternative embodiments, the fastener may be included on the male piece rather than the female piece. In yet further embodiments, a fastener may be included on both the male and female pieces.

Referring to FIG. 3C, the male piece (300) can be placed within the umbrella recess (203) from above, while the female piece (400) can be placed within the umbrella recess (203) from below. When the male piece (300) and the female piece (400) are drawn together, the top plate (302) can press against the top surface (201) of the table (200) and the bottom plate (402) can press against the bottom surface (202) of the table (200). This configuration can form a clamp (500) that may secure the umbrella pole (101) and prevent vertical or lateral movement of the umbrella (100).

As shown in FIGS. 1-4C, the male hollow interior (303) and the female hollow interior (403) can be coaxially aligned with the umbrella recess (203) to allow the umbrella pole (101) to pass seamlessly through. The top plate (302) and the bottom plate (402) can distribute a force from the clamp (500) evenly across the top surface (201) and bottom surface (202) of the table (200). Such a distribution of force can prevent damage to the table (200) and provide stability against lateral forces that may be exerted on the umbrella pole (101).

The male shaft (301) and the female shaft (401) can have any suitable cross-sectional shape, such as circular or polygonal, and can be formed from metal, plastic, composite materials, or any combination thereof. The male shaft (301) and the female shaft (401) can each have a length sufficient to extend through the umbrella recess (203), securing the umbrella (100) firmly in place and preventing unintended removal. In some embodiments, the male hollow interior (303) may have a cross-sectional diameter less than that of the umbrella recess (203) but greater than that of the umbrella pole (101) to ensure a proper fit. The female hollow interior (403) may have a cross-sectional diameter less than or equal to that of the umbrella recess (203) but larger than the umbrella pole (101) to accommodate the assembly of both pieces around the pole without excessive friction.

In some embodiments, the umbrella anchoring system can be dismantled when not in use, leaving the table (200) substantially unobstructed. The male hollow interior (303) and the female hollow interior (403) can be sized so that the umbrella recess (203) remains compatible with the umbrella pole (101), providing a stable and secure engagement when the umbrella anchoring system is assembled and permitting easy removal when disassembly is desired. Such a configuration can reduce the likelihood of the umbrella (100) being pulled out under vertical forces or tipping over under lateral forces, thereby increasing the overall stability of the umbrella (100) when positioned through the table (200).

The description and drawings described herein represent example configurations and do not represent all the implementations within the scope of the claims. For example, the operations and steps may be rearranged, combined or otherwise modified. Also, structures and devices may be represented in the form of block diagrams to represent the relationship between components and avoid obscuring the described concepts. Similar components or features may have the same name but may have different reference numbers corresponding to different figures.

Some modifications to the disclosure may be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the principles defined herein may be applied to other variations without departing from the scope of the disclosure. Thus, the disclosure is not limited to the examples and designs described herein, but is to be accorded the broadest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein. Among those benefits and improvements that have been disclosed, other objects and advantages of this disclosure will become apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying figures.

Detailed embodiments of the present disclosure are disclosed herein; however, it is to be understood that the disclosed embodiments are merely illustrative of the disclosure that may be embodied in various forms. In addition, each of the examples given regarding the various embodiments of the disclosure which are intended to be illustrative, and not restrictive. In this disclosure and the following claims, the word “or” indicates an inclusive list such that, for example, the list of X, Y, or Z means X or Y or Z or XY or XZ or YZ or XYZ. Also, the words “a” or “an” indicate “at least one.” Throughout the specification and claims, the following terms take the meanings explicitly associated herein, unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. The phrases “in one embodiment,” “in an embodiment,” and “in some embodiments” as used herein do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment(s), though it may. Furthermore, the phrases “in another embodiment” and “in some other embodiments” as used herein do not necessarily refer to a different embodiment, although it may. All embodiments of the disclosure are intended to be combinable without departing from the scope or spirit of the disclosure. As used herein, the term “based on” is not exclusive and allows for being based on additional factors not described, unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. In addition, throughout the specification, the meaning of “a,” “an,” and “the” include plural references. The meaning of “in” includes “in” and “on.”

All prior patents, publications, and test methods referenced herein are incorporated by reference in their entireties. Variations, modifications and alterations to embodiments of the present disclosure described above will make themselves apparent to those skilled in the art. All such variations, modifications, alterations and the like are intended to fall within the spirit and scope of the present disclosure, limited solely by the appended claims. Any feature or element that is positively identified in this description may also be specifically excluded as a feature or element of an embodiment of the present disclosure as defined in the claims.

The disclosure described herein may be practiced in the absence of any element or elements, limitation or limitations, which is not specifically disclosed herein. Thus, for example, in each instance herein, any of the terms “comprising,” “consisting essentially of and “consisting of” may be replaced with either of the other two terms. The terms and expressions which have been employed are used as terms of description and not of limitation, and there is no intention in the use of such terms and expressions of excluding any equivalents of the features shown and described or portions thereof, but it is recognized that various modifications are possible within the scope of the disclosure.