CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims benefit of U.S. Provisional No. 62/245,033, filed October 22, 2015, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates generally to weather protection equipment, and more particularly to an umbrella. Even more particularly, the invention relates to an umbrella with an additional protective sheath assembly for partial or full body protection from inclement weather or natural elements such as sun, wind, water, sand, mud, dirt, or gravel.

BACKGROUND

Canopies for protecting against inclement weather and / or the natural elements such as wind and sun are known. For instance, hand-held canopies like umbrellas are commonly used to protect the user from rain, while parasols are used to protect the user from sun exposure. Protective headgear, such as a mask, scarf, hood, or helmet may be worn to protect against wind and dust. To protect the main body from exposure to harsh weather conditions or the elements, protective clothing such as coats, jackets, ponchos, and other similar outerwear may be worn. Feet can be covered by wearing water-repellent shoes, including boots, to protect against rain, mud, and dirt, for example.

There exists a need, however, for a convenient hand-held device that serves to protect the entire body, from head to feet, against common weather conditions like rain and wind, and against natural elements like sun, water, dirt, mud, dust, sand, gravel, and other unwanted debris.

BRIEF SUMMARY The present invention provides an umbrella with a protective sheath assembly.

The protective sheath assembly provides partial to full body protection from inclement weather or natural elements including sun, wind, water, sand, mud, dirt, gravel, or other unwanted debris or dirt. In one embodiment, the umbrella can comprise a foldable canopy, a pole, a series of spokes extending from a hub slidable on the pole, the spokes supporting the canopy, a handle extended from the pole, and a foldable sheath selectively extendable from the canopy. A series of drawstrings can be provided for maintaining the sheath in a deployed state, the drawstrings connected to a cord for actuation of the drawstrings and consequently the deployment of the sheath.

In one exemplary embodiment, the foldable sheath is held in place within the canopy using a drawstring or cord. In another exemplary embodiment, the foldable sheath is held in place within the canopy with a fastening tab. In still another exemplary embodiment, the foldable sheath is held in place within the canopy in a slotted pocket. The foldable sheath can be actuated using a cord. The foldable sheath is adjustable lengthwise to accommodate different sized users and varying weather conditions. For instance, the sheath can be partially or fully released to allow the user to adjust the desired length of the sheath. The foldable sheath can comprise a transparent or translucent material to allow clear visualization during use.

It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory only and are not restrictive of the disclosure. Additional features of the disclosure will be set forth in part in the description which follows or may be learned by practice of the disclosure.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate several embodiments of the disclosure and together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the disclosure.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of an umbrella with additional protective sheath assembly of the present invention.

FIG. 2A is an underside view of the umbrella of FIG. 1 in an undeployed state.

FIG. 2B is an enlarged view of the umbrella of FIG. 2A showing the details of the sheath and drawstring.

FIG. 3 shows an exemplary embodiment of a fastening tab of the umbrella of

FIG. 1. FIG. 4 shows an exemplary embodiment of a slotted pocket of the umbrella of

FIG. 1.

DE TAILED DESCRIPTION

Turning now to the drawings, FIG. 1 shows an umbrella 10 in accordance with the present invention. The umbrella 10 comprises a pole 20, a foldable canopy 22, and a series of struts, or spokes 24 supporting the canopy 22. The spokes 24 extend radially from a central hub 26. The hub 26 slides along the pole 20, and controls the movement of the spokes 24. As the hub 26 moves up and down the pole 20, the spokes 24 can extend outward or collapse inward, and consequently open or close the canopy 22. A lock 30 may be provided to keep the hub 26 in a fixed position relative to the pole 20, which may also extend into a handle 28 for ease of holding the umbrella 10.

In one exemplary embodiment, the umbrella 10 may further include a protective sheath assembly 40 to provide even more protection from the weather or natural elements, including rain, wind, or unwanted debris or dirt. This assembly 40 may comprise a sheath 42 that extends from the canopy 22 a length L from the edge of the canopy 22. The length L can range from about 12 inches to about 60 inches, or about 1 to 5 feet. In use, the sheath 42 can protect the user from the shoulders, torso or midsection, all the way to the ground level to cover the user's feet, depending on the height of the user, weather, or environmental conditions like mud or puddles of water. Accordingly, the user can control the length of the sheath and the

corresponding amount of protection desired.

The canopy can comprise a fabric or plastic, such as a water-repellent cotton, polyester, nylon or vinyl, for example. The sheath 42 may comprise a clear or translucent material, such as a plastic or vinyl material like a polyurethane or polyethylene, which would allow the user to be able to see without impedance while using the umbrella 10. In some embodiments, the sheath 42 may include a UV coating to provide a further level of sun protection to the user. In addition, the sheath 42 may include one or more air vents such as a closed flap over an opening that would allow for air circulation to ease breathability of the user while under the protective sheath assembly 40, as well as to improve wind resistance. As contemplated, the sheath 42 may be selectively actuated by the user. When not deployed, the sheath 42 may be folded and tucked away under the canopy 22 until needed. In one embodiment, the sheath 42 can be actuated by the user by pulling on a cord 46 that releases the sheath 42 from its folded configuration (FIG. 2A) to an extended configuration (FIG. 1). The cord 46 may connect in a way that the release will unfurl all of the sections of the sheath 42 at the same time, and pulling on the cord will fold up the sections of the sheath 42 simultaneously and at the same rate. The sheath 42 may be partially or fully extended as desired by the user, so that it is appropriate for any size user or any type of weather or environmental condition, as discussed above.

As shown in detail in FIG. 2B, in one embodiment, the cord 46 may be connected to a series of drawstrings or other cords 48 that are used to pull up or down various sections of the sheath 42. Pulling on the main cord 46 causes the secondary drawstrings 48 to pull up or fold on itself these sections of the sheath 42, much like a pulley system would work to draw up window curtains. As shown, the secondary cords or drawstrings 48 may reside within the spokes 24 of the umbrella to keep a smooth and low profile, and avoid entanglement. For example, the drawstrings 48 may lie against the spokes 24 where the spokes have a contour or curvature to capture the drawstring 48. Alternatively, the drawstrings 48 may be connected to the spokes 24 in a collinear or parallel fashion, with connector rings that hold them together but still allow for independent movement. A locking mechanism can be provided to lock the cord 24 and prevent further movement, thereby preventing the drawstrings 48 from allowing further unfolding or folding of the sheath 42.

To further keep the sheath 42 in its folded configuration and in place within the canopy 22, a fastening mechanism like a Velcro strap, snap closure strap, tie strap, or other similar tab closure may be employed. FIG. 3 shows an exemplary embodiment in which the fastening mechanism comprises a Velcro strap 52. When the tab 52 is removed, the sheath 42 is free to extend out from the canopy 22. The sheath 42 can be actuated with cord 46 to the desired length, similar to the cord or pulley system conventionally used for drawing curtains up and down. In still another embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4, the sheath 42 can be tucked away in a slotted pouch or pocket 54 within the canopy 22. In use, the sheath 42 can be quickly released from the slotted pocket 54 by manually removing the folded configuration away from the pocket 54. The sheath 42 is extended by means of the cord 46 as previously described.

The sheath 42 provides the user with an additional level of protection above that which a conventional umbrella provides, particularly from wind, rain, and dirt. The sheath 42 should be lightweight enough not to add a significant amount of unnecessary weight to the umbrella 10, but still have a sufficient heft to prevent it from flying about during use. Further, the sheath 42 should be thin and easily move from the folded configuration to the expanded configuration so that the umbrella is able to easily open and close, while the sheath 42 is also able to be operated quickly and easily. The entire umbrella 10 may be closed and secured in its folded, unexpanded configuration with fasteners like Velcro tabs or snap tabs as is commonly known.

Other embodiments will be apparent to those skilled in the art from consideration of the specification and practice of the embodiment disclosed herein. It is intended that the specification and examples be considered as exemplary only, with a true scope and spirit of the embodiment being indicated by the following claims.