BAG FOR UMBRELLA
A bag for carrying and storing an umbrella includes an elongated, tubular sleeve portion with an open end and a closed end defining an interior sized to accommodate the umbrella. The opened end can receive the umbrella lengthwise into the interior. Attached to the closed end can be an end cap having a central drainage aperture disposed therethrough. The drainage aperture can sealingly engage with an elongated tip on the umbrella to retain moisture from the umbrella within the interior of the bag. The umbrella tip can be selectively removed from and inserted into the drainage aperture to selectively seal and unseal the drainage aperture. In some embodiments, a sealing gasket can be disposed in the end cap to facilitate sealing of the drainage aperture.
This patent application claims the priority benefit of FIELD et al., U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/488,534, filed on May 20, 2011, entitled “BAG FOR UMBRELLA,” the contents of which are expressly incorporated herein by reference in their entirety, including any references therein.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONUmbrellas are widely used to keep people protected from rain, snow and other inclement weather. Umbrellas include a collapsible fabric cover that, when opened, can be held overhead to shelter the user from precipitation, and that, when collapsed, forms a narrow staff-like shape that can be taken indoors and/or easily stored away. If the umbrella is wet, however, it will often drip when brought indoors making a mess and otherwise being inconvenient. To store the wet umbrella when collapsed, a flexible sleeve may be provided into which the umbrella can be inserted. However, these sleeves are often made of a thin, inexpensive material that may still leak, are prone to being lost and are otherwise inconvenient when not in use, and maybe relatively unattractive.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONA carrying bag for accommodating, storing and carrying an umbrella, including when the umbrella is wet, includes an tubular sleeve portion defining an interior for receiving the umbrella. The tubular sleeve portion has an opened first end and a closed second end. An end cap is attached to and encloses the second end. To permit water from a wet umbrella placed in the interior to exit the bag, the end cap has a drainage aperture disposed through it. To prevent the unintentional leakage of water from the bag, for instance when the bag is carried indoors, the drainage aperture is configured to sealingly engage with an elongated tip of the umbrella.
In a preferred embodiment, the bag is designed and constructed to be a high quality fashion item with a stylistic appearance. To this end, the bag may include several aesthetic and functional features. For example, the sleeve portion of the bag can be made from a three-ply, durable material that is water resistant to retain water in the interior. Grommets can be disposed through the sleeve portion to vent the interior and dry the umbrella. To facilitate carrying of the bag, an adjustable belt with a releasable buckle can be attached to it. A flexible spine can be incorporated along the length of the bag to provide some rigidity or stiffness but still also allow the bag to be bent or collapsed when not in use.
A possible advantage of the bag is that it can accommodate a wet umbrella without leaking when carried indoor or to other dry locations. Another possible advantage is that the bag includes a drainage aperture that can be selectively sealed or unsealed to permit selective discharge of water from the interior of the bag. Yet another possible advantage is that the bag may exude a stylish, fashionable and/or durable appearance. These and other advantages and features will be apparent from the included drawings and the detailed description.
Now referring to the drawings, wherein like reference numbers refer to like features, there is illustrated in
Referring back to
To insert the collapsed umbrella into the interior of the bag, as illustrated in
Referring to
To prevent water from unintentionally exiting the bag when, for example, the bag is brought indoors, the drainage aperture 132 can be configured to sealingly engage with the tip of the umbrella. As mentioned above, the length of the bag 100 generally corresponds to the length of the umbrella so that the tip of the umbrella is located proximate the closed second end 114 of the bag when the umbrella is inserted. The drainage aperture 132 may be centrally disposed through the end cap 130 so as to correspond to the location of the tip when the umbrella is inserted. Additionally, the circumference of the drainage aperture may be sized to sealingly mate with the tip, either by abutting against or sliding receiving the tip. Hence, the tip can block water from the interior of the bag from exiting through the drainage aperture 114. Further, a user can selectively release water from the interior by slightly removing an inserted umbrella upward from the bag to unseal the drainage aperture and then fully reinserting the umbrella to sealingly engage the tip and the drainage aperture.
Referring to
The bottom wall component 150 is attached to the tapered bore component 140 and provides a flat, bottom surface 152 which, when end cap is attached to the sleeve portion, protrudes slight from the sleeve portion. The bottom wall component 150 thereby provides both an aesthetically pleasing appearance and a flat surface upon which the bag can be vertically supported in an upright position or vertically leaned against a wall. The bottom wall component 150 can include circular bosses and grooves 156 that axially engage with corresponding, concentrically arranged, circular bosses and grooves 146 on the tapered bore component 140 to mate the two components together. The bottom wall component 150 can also be joined to the tapered bore component 140 by any other suitable means such as adhesive, ultrasonic welding, engagable threads formed on the two components, threaded fasteners, dowel pins and the like. The drainage aperture 132 is centrally disposed through the bottom wall component 150.
To further assist in sealing the bag, a sealing gasket 160 can be placed within or proximate to the drainage aperture 132 and between the joined tapered bore component 140 and the bottom wall component 150. The sealing gasket 160 may be shaped as an annular ring or washer with a circular center hole 162 and may be made from an elastomeric or semi-flexible material. The sealing gasket can be made from any suitable material such as natural or synthetic rubber or a relatively soft plastic. The mating boss and grooves 146, 156 on the tapered bore component and the bottom wall component 150 can also be shaped and sized to provide a gasket seat for receiving and maintaining the sealing gasket 160 in position.
The center hole 162 can be sized to slidingly receive at least a portion of the umbrella tip and can urge against the umbrella tip to for a water-tight seal. In an embodiment, the sealing gasket 160 can include an annular groove concentrically disposed about the center hole 162 which provides a lip seal structure to the sealing gasket. As can be appreciated by those of skill in the art, when the umbrella tip is inserted through the center hole 162, the portion of the sealing gasket 164 inside the annular groove 162 can displace outwardly and urge back against the tip. Such a lip seal structure may prolong the life of the sealing gasket.
Referring to
Referring back to
To provide an aesthetically pleasing and durable appearance, in a preferred embodiment the sleeve portion 110 of the bag can be comprised of a multilayer or multi-plied materials and in particular the three-plied material 200 as illustrated in
All references, including publications, patent applications, and patents, cited herein are hereby incorporated by reference to the same extent as if each reference were individually and specifically indicated to be incorporated by reference and were set forth in its entirety herein.
The use of the terms “a” and “an” and “the” and similar referents in the context of describing the invention (especially in the context of the following claims) are to be construed to cover both the singular and the plural, unless otherwise indicated herein or clearly contradicted by context. The terms “comprising,” “having,” “including,” and “containing” are to be construed as open-ended terms (i.e., meaning “including, but not limited to,”) unless otherwise noted. Recitation of ranges of values herein are merely intended to serve as a shorthand method of referring individually to each separate value falling within the range, unless otherwise indicated herein, and each separate value is incorporated into the specification as if it were individually recited herein. All methods described herein can be performed in any suitable order unless otherwise indicated herein or otherwise clearly contradicted by context. The use of any and all examples, or exemplary language (e.g., “such as”) provided herein, is intended merely to better illuminate the invention and does not pose a limitation on the scope of the invention unless otherwise claimed. No language in the specification should be construed as indicating any non-claimed element as essential to the practice of the invention.
Preferred embodiments of this invention are described herein, including the best mode known to the inventors for carrying out the invention. Variations of those preferred embodiments may become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art upon reading the foregoing description. The inventors expect skilled artisans to employ such variations as appropriate, and the inventors intend for the invention to be practiced otherwise than as specifically described herein. Accordingly, this invention includes all modifications and equivalents of the subject matter recited in the claims appended hereto as permitted by applicable law. Moreover, any combination of the above-described elements in all possible variations thereof is encompassed by the invention unless otherwise indicated herein or otherwise clearly contradicted by context.
Claims
1. A bag for an umbrella, comprising:
- an elongated tubular sleeve portion having an opened first end and a closed second end, the sleeve portion defining an interior for receiving the umbrella via the first end;
- an end cap attached to and enclosing the closed second end, the end cap having a drainage aperture disposed therethrough; wherein the drainage aperture is configured to engage an elongated tip of the umbrella.
2. The bag of claim 1, further comprising a sealing gasket proximate the drainage aperture, the sealing gasket having an annular shape and comprised of an elastomeric or semi-flexible material, the sealing gasket defining a center hole for permitting moisture from the interior to exit the bag; the sealing gasket configured to at least partially receive the tip of the umbrella in the center hole to generally seal the interior.
3. The bag of claim 2, wherein the end cap is generally cylindrical with a partially tapered bore disposed therein, the bore oriented toward the opened first end of the sleeve portion and terminating at a bottom-most wall, the drainage aperture disposed through the bottom-most wall; the bore configured to receive a distal end of the umbrella.
4. The bag of claim 3, wherein the tubular sleeve portion is a multi-ply material including a water-resistant inner ply, an outer ply, and a padding between the inner ply and the outer ply.
5. The bag of claim 4, wherein the tubular sleeve portion includes an elongated rod-like spine extending from proximate the opened first end to proximate the closed second end; the spine comprising a resilient material configured to enable the tubular sleeve portion to bend form a normal, elongated tubular shape.
6. The bag of claim 1, further including a plug for reception in the drainage aperture to seal the interior.
7. The bag of claim 1, further comprising a belt with a releasable buckle extending between the opened first end and the closed second end.
Type: Application
Filed: May 18, 2012
Publication Date: May 23, 2013
Inventor: Jeffrey FIELD (Chicago, IL)
Application Number: 13/475,726
International Classification: A45B 25/26 (20060101);