BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Field of the Invention The present invention relates generally to shades for shielding objects from sunlight, and more particularly to a miniature, portable umbrella apparatus that can be detachably mounted over a small object to shade the object from direct sunlight; and which devices are specifically adapted to be used as advertising structures.

Discussion of Prior Art Recreational outdoor activities such as sunbathing have long been a popular pastime.

However, while sunbathing it is desirable to protect certain objects normally used during outdoor activities such as cold beverages from direct sunlight. Shaded areas often are not conveniently located and sometimes not available at all. For example, there is no protection from the sun on an open beach, and only large beach umbrellas are available for shade. However, the large beach umbrellas can be troublesome on a crowded beach because they are cumbersome, take up a large amount of space, and cast a large shadow. These umbrellas are also prone to being uprooted by strong breezes.

Similarly, one may desire to stay outdoors for a while after dark; when the weather permits, and may as a result get irritated by flying insects or debris in the wind falling into his drinks. Quite often it is desirable to provide shade at small, select locations. For example, it may be desirable relax outdoors with a cold beverage while sunbathing, and the sunbather may wish to shade only those small objects.

With the foregoing in mind, it is clearly desirable to provide a versatile miniature canopy to meet the above outlined needs. To this end, it is an object of the present invention to provide a miniature shade with a canopy that can easily and selectively be positioned over a small object to shade the object from direct sunlight, without casting a large shadow.

A further object of the present invention is to provide shade that can be located over a drink, protect it from direct sunlight and keep it cool.

Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a multipurpose object and drink- holder as a base that releasably attaches to the canopy; and which may in the evenings, be used for serving snacks or even sauces. Another object of the present invention is to provide a major advertisement platform targeting a personalized audience by hotels and multi-national companies. The canopy may bear a message, the brand name or the logo of the company interested in advertising its products.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a modular assembly system for the advertising device that has folding mechanism to make it easier for it to be packed and carried to sports events, picnics, beaches; and could be a souvenir for people.

A further object of the present invention to provide a portable shade that can be easily carried to a beach to shade certain objects from direct sunlight.

A final object of the present invention is to provide a retractable anchoring mechanism to allow the fixing of the advertising device on the ground.

Summary of the Invention

In accordance with the above objects, the present invention broadly contemplates a miniature canopy (1) in the form of a shade or umbrella (2) with a support extending therefrom (3) and a versatile stand (33) for the said canopy which can be removably attached to it to form an advertising device usable for shading. There is a releasable anchor (12, 13) in the base (33) so that the assembly can be temporarily fixed around a desired object. The stand (33) consists of at least two foldable container receptacles (8), a straw holder (6, 9), a hollow pipe (5), a locknut (19) and two serviette or card holders (7) and an anchor pin (13). Any canopy (2) may be provided with attachments (3) to facilitate its attachment to the stand (33); but in a preferred embodiment of the invention where the canopy (2) takes the shape of an umbrella (2), the umbrella (2) is created on eight spokes (25, 26), which have been divided into eight upper (26) spokes and eight lower spokes (25).

A push-up hub (24) is connected to the lower spokes (25). By pushing this push-up hub (24) upwards the umbrella (2) is opened. The upper spokes (26) are fitted on one end to the upper hub (27) which is fitted at the upper end of the upper shaft (30). The upper spokes (26) are connected to the lower spokes (24) using rivets. The lower spokes (24) are linked on the other side to the push-up hub (24). The umbrella (2) is supported by a central shaft (3) which consists of the lower shaft (3), and the upper shaft (30). The upper and lower shafts are linkable together in order to tilt the umbrella at approximately 45°. The sliding bushing (32) can be pulled downwards over the joint (23) of the two shafts to prevent the umbrella from tilting. A stop (29) is located below the sliding bushing which can be in the form of a welding spot or a rivet. The lower shaft can be inserted into the stand pipe and locked in any desirable position by the locking bolt (22).

Brief Description of the Drawings

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the preferred embodiment of the device according to the present invention; FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the base of a shade according to the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a detail of the anchor pin slot in the base of the device according to the present invention;

FIG. 4 is the side view of the device according to the present invention showing details of the anchor pin components; FIG. 5 is a plan view of the base of the device according to the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a side elevation of the assembled device according to the present invention;

FIG. 7 is a bottom view of the canopy according to the preferred embodiment of the device according to the present invention;

FIG. 8 shows the assembly details for the canopy according to the preferred embodiment of the device according to the present invention; and,

FIG. 9 shows the tilting shaft of the canopy according to the preferred embodiment of the device according to the present invention.

The above and other objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of preferred embodiments when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which the same reference markings are used to identify the same or similar parts in the several views.

Detailed Description of a Preferred Embodiment of the Invention

Referring to FIG. 1-9; wherein the labeled components bear consistent markings throughout, the present invention includes a miniature canopy (2) attachable to a corresponding base (33). In the preferred embodiment of the shade illustrated using metal and textile construction, the canopy is dome-shaped, similar to an umbrella, but can have any desired shape. The canopy (2) can be decoratively colored, or may display an advertising message, a logo or an emblem.

The canopy (2) in the form of an umbrella is created on eight spokes, these have been divided into eight upper spokes (26) and eight lower spokes (25). The push-up hub (24) is connected to the upper spokes (26) and by pushing this push-up hub upwards the umbrella is opened. The upper spokes (26), which are preferably 180mm long and 3 mm wide, are fitted on one end to the upper hub (27) which is fitted at the upper end of the upper shaft (30). The upper spokes (26) are preferably connected to the lower spokes (25) using rivets at a distance of about 83mm from the upper end of the upper spokes (26). The lower spokes (25) are linked on the other side to the push-up hub (24). A hard rubber bushing (28) spaces the two hubs (24, 27) when the umbrella (2) is open.

The umbrella is supported by a central shaft which consists of a lower shaft (3) of preferred dimensions 90 mm in length and 7 mm in width; and an upper shaft of preferable dimensions 102mm in length and 7mm in width (30). The upper (30) and lower (3) shafts are linked together by a suitable joint (23) in order to tilt the umbrella at approximately 45° if desired. The angle of fixing the umbrella is determined by the sliding bushing (32), which can be pulled downwards over the joint (31) of the two shafts to prevent the umbrella from tilting. A stop (29) is located below the sliding bushing (32) to prevent the bushing from sliding too far down. This stop can be in the form of a welding spot or a rivet. The lower shaft (3) can be inserted into the upper end of stand pipe (5) and locked in any desirable position by the locking bolt (4). A hollow pipe (5) forms the backbone of the stand (33). This pipe is preferably 18 cm in length with an outer diameter of 10mm and an inner diameter of 8mm. The hollow pipe (5) connects the stand (33) to the canopy (2). The lower shaft (3) of the umbrella is inserted into the hollow pipe (5). The locknut (19) allows for the length of the umbrella to be adjusted depending on the type of drink and the size of the glass. A slot (1 1) is provided for the anchor pin (12, 13) situated on the rear side of the hollow pipe (5). This slot is preferably 16 mm from the ground, is 74 mm long and has a width of 5.5 mm. This anchor pin handle (12) allows for the anchor (13) to be inserted and removed from the ground. The stand further comprises of a plurality of plates with raised edges (8); which are used as containers for the drinks. In the illustrated embodiment, two plates (8) are attached one on each side of the hollow pipe (5). The plates (8) are connected to the hollow pipe (5) using two metal hinges (10). The edges of these plates (16) are raised to create support for the drink; while the bottoms of the plates (8) present a flat surface (17). These plates (8) are preferably 100 mm in diameter from the hinge to the edge of the plate (8) and 2mm thick, while the preferred thickness of the edges (16) is 4mm. The hinges (10) facilitate the folding of the plates (8) about the shaft (5) by reducing the angle (d) on each side of the shaft when the shade (1) is not in use thus making it easier to store and transport it.

Two napkin/card holders (7) are provided and these are situated directly opposite each other and attached to the hollow pipe (5). The napkin/card holders (7) are preferably 47mm high and of total length 55mm. They are preferably situated 26mm from the bottom of the hollow pipe (5) and 107 mm from the top. These napkin/card holders (7) can be used for putting business cards, bills, napkins or serviettes, notices such as menu of the day or notes relating to events/games taking place. A two piece straw holder (6, 9) is provided attached to the hollow pipe (5). The lower straw holder (9) is situated between the two hinges (10) and its preferred outer and inner diameters are respectively 22mm and 16mm. In the illustrated embodiment the holder (6) is a ring created from mild steel of 3mm thickness. A similar ring ( 14) in the lower holder (9) has its bottom of this lower ring is supported by a metal plate (15) of preferable dimension 1mm thick; so as to avoid that the straws from. The upper ring (6) is preferably positioned at 45mm from the top of the hollow pipe. This has been aligned with the lower ring (14) and has been placed there to create support for the straws.

The canopy (2) is affixed relative to the hollow pipe (5) when in use by means of a locking bolt (22) matched to the locking nut (21 ) situated on the periphery (19) of the hollow pipe (5); in fitting alignment with the drilled hole (18) on the walls of the hollow pipe (5). This locking bolt (22) is preferably 22 mm long and 6mm wide. This device allows the overall height of the shade (1) to be adjusted.

Two hinges (10) connect the metal plates (8) to the hollow pipe (5). These hinges have been made from mild steel 1 mm thick and 45 mm wide in the illustrated embodiment; and are attached to the plates (8) by means of welding (20) the base plate (17) of the drink holder (8) to the hinge (10).

An anchor pin (12, 13) is made by assembling a larger solid shaft (13) and an attachable handle (12) for use in providing stability to the shade (1) especially when it is placed on uneven surfaces such as the lawn or the beach. It is located in the anchor slot (1 1) in the hollow pipe (5) and is slideably positioned in the said tube (5) controlled by the anchor pin handle (12). In the illustrated embodiment, the anchor pin (13) is a solid pipe which is 6mm in diameter and 90 mm long. Since the anchor pin (13) is retractable it is usable both on even and uneven surfaces. The handle (12) for the anchor pin (13) is preferably situated some 6mm from the top of the anchor pin (13). The preferred dimensions are total length 24 mm, main diameter of 5mm and the diameter of the part of the pin handle (12) that is positioned in the pin (13) is 4mm. The inner part of the anchor pin is connected to the anchor. The outer part of the anchor pin is the one that is for sliding the anchor in and out of the hollow pipe (5).

Description of Other Embodiments of the Device

While the above preferred embodiment has specified the details of a device according to the present invention characterized by a welded steel frame capped with a miniature textile based umbrella; and showing indicative dimensions, it is fairly obvious that the following embodiments of miniature shades are directly derived from the described shade; hence are within the scope of the present invention:-

• Shades (1) of generally similar or proportional dimensions to those outlined above • Shades having an umbrella as the canopy (2); where the top of the umbrella can be made from cloth such as nylon, canvas or polyester or any other material. The stem of the umbrella could be made from any suitable material including metals such as steel, iron and aluminum; or nonmetals like wood, plastic or fibre glass. · The stand (33) and its various sub-components can be made from any suitable material including metals such as iron, steel or aluminum; or nonmetals such as wood, plastic or fibre glass.

• A shade having a canopy (2) selected from any material suitable for advertising; but of a shape other than the conventional umbrella. · A shade having a lighting system attached under the canopy (2); preferably comprising of Light Emitting Diode (LED) and a small button battery (ies) preferably located invisibly under the canopy (2) which is independent from the normal power supply. This will allow the shade (1) to be used in the evening and will provide a nice romantic atmosphere and support the advertisement in the darkness. · A shade provided with a removable screen such as a mosquito net hanging near the edges of the canopy (2) around the drinks below the canopy to protect the drinks from insects such as flies and bees.

It is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the features, embodiments and uses specifically set forth above, but may be carried out in other ways without departure from its spirit.