Shade device |
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申请号 | US10763998 | 申请日 | 2004-01-22 | 公开(公告)号 | US20050161067A1 | 公开(公告)日 | 2005-07-28 |
申请人 | Phillip Hollins; | 发明人 | Phillip Hollins; | ||||
摘要 | A shade device configured to provide comfort, entertainment, or convenience to the people positioned adjacent to them is disclosed. In one embodiment, the shade device has an audiovisual media and a power source that powers an audiovisual media is disclosed. The audiovisual media may be positioned under a covering of the shade device to provide entertainment to the user. In other embodiments, the shade device includes a liquid source and a sprayer. The sprayer is configured to obtain liquid from the liquid source and spray the liquid to cool the temperature surrounding the user. The shade device may further include sprayer switch and a switch actuator that allow the user to control the amount of liquid sprayed by the sprayer. In certain embodiments, the shade device may include a container for the user to store food or beverage. The container may be cooled by the liquid from the same liquid source where the sprayer obtains the liquid to spray. | ||||||
权利要求 | |||||||
说明书全文 | None The present invention relates to furnitures and devices that provide shade to people. More particularly, the invention relates to furnitures that offer shade and that have accessories, which provide comfort, entertainment, or convenience to the users and the people positioned substantially adjacent to them. Beautiful, sunny days lure people to spend time outdoors. However, people can only spend a limited amount of time outdoors because of the power of the sun, which can cause sunburn or heat exhaustion. A common way to seek shelter from the sun is with an umbrella. Umbrellas can either be handheld or stationary, such as those used along with patio furnitures. Many accessories to umbrellas that are designed for use with patio furnitures have been conceived. However, the applicant believes that more can be done with these umbrellas. To illustrate, U.S. Pat. No. 5,273,062 issued to Mozdzanowski discloses an umbrella with a fan and a radio. An umbrella with more convenience and entertainment features is desired. Another umbrella is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,199,570 issued to Patarra, which has a container for picnic items. One problem with the container in Patarra is that the container cannot continuously be cooled. An umbrella with a cooler is desired. Umbrellas for use with patio furnitures have further been combined with misting devices. Misting devices spray water into the air to reduce the temperature within the vicinity of said furnitures. Umbrellas with misting devices may be found in U.S. Pat. No. 6,017,188 issued to Benton, U.S. Pat. No. 5,000,384 issued to Arnold, U.S. Pat. No. 5,979,793 issued to Louis, and U.S. Pat. No. 6,298,866 issued to Molnar. The applicant, however, believes that more features can be added to these umbrellas to offer more convenience, entertainment, or comfort to the users or to the people positioned substantially adjacent to them. Brief Description The present invention includes a shade device. The shade device may have an audiovisual media and a power source that powers the audiovisual media. The audiovisual media may be positioned under a covering of the shade device to provide entertainment to the user. The shade device may further have a liquid source and a sprayer. The sprayer is preferably configured to obtain liquid from the liquid source and spray the liquid to cool the temperature surrounding the user. The shade device may further include sprayer switch and a switch actuator that allow the user to control the amount of liquid sprayed by the sprayer. In certain embodiments, the shade device may include a container for the user to store food or beverage. The container may be cooled by the liquid from the liquid source. The above description sets forth, rather broadly, a summary of the preferred embodiments of the present invention so that the detailed description that follows may be better understood and contributions of the present invention to the art may be better appreciated. Some of the embodiments of the present invention may not include all of the features or characteristics listed in the above summary. There are, of course, additional features of the invention that will be described below and will form the subject matter of claims. In this respect, before explaining at least one preferred embodiment of the invention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of the construction and to the arrangement of the components set forth in the following description or as illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced and carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting. In the drawings, like elements are depicted by like reference numerals. The drawings are briefly described as follows. In the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments, reference is made to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this application. The drawings show, by way of illustration, specific embodiments in which the invention may be practiced. It is to be understood that other embodiments may be utilized and structural changes may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention. The covering 14 preferably includes a plurality of panels 30. Each panel 30 preferably has a top 30T. A plurality of solar cells 32 may be positioned on the top 30T of the panels 30. The solar cells 32 are preferably photovoltaic elements that are capable of generating DC electricity upon exposure to light by virtue of the photoelectric effect. The covering 14 may also have a perimeter skirt 14S, which may be made of vinyl, cloth, or other polymers known in the art. A plurality of sprayers 34 may be positioned on the perimeter skirt 14S for spraying liquid, such as cool water, thereby creating a mist. Preferably, four sprayers 34 are provided and are positioned substantially ninety degrees apart on the perimeter skirt 14s. Of course, the sprayers may be positioned in a variety of ways. The sprayers may also be made of nozzles known in the art and preferably adjustable nozzles. Attached to the covering 14 is the shaft 16. The shaft 16 preferably extends vertically between the covering 14 and the base 12. The shaft 16 preferably has an upper end 16U near the covering 14 and a lower end 16L that is preferably near the base 12. Attached to the lower end 16L of the shaft 16 is a base 12. The base 12 preferably has a bottom 12B and a base sidewall 12S. The base 12 preferably has a plurality of wheels 50, such as castor wheels, which forms part of a mobility unit that provides mobility to the shade 10. The plurality of wheels 50 may be attached to a motor (not shown), which may be connected to or in communication with the remote control 18. In general, the shade 10 is preferably configured to be movable by the user to control the area and degree of shade. It is noted that in the preferred embodiment, for aesthetic purposes, the base sidewall 12S substantially covers the plurality of wheels 50 to discreetly show the wheels 50. A plurality of intake ports 52 may be positioned on the base 12 for allowing an air current through the air vents, as will be described in further detail hereinafter. The base 12 may have a plurality of air vents 40 for providing a cooled air current to the user. The air vents 40 are preferably positioned at a height consistent with that of a standard lounge chair, so that they are located in a position suitable for cooling occupants seated on the lounge chairs and positioned alongside the shade 10. A plurality of sprayers 42 may also be positioned on the base 12. The sprayers 42 may be useful for cooling the person sitting near or under the covering 14. A table 11 may be added to the shade 10. The table 11 may have a flat top surface to support any item placed thereon. The table 11 is preferably removeably mounted to the shaft 16 in a manner known in the art. The table 11 may be mounted using fasteners known in the art, such as screws. Alternatively, the shaft 16 may define a receiving slot (not shown) that may receive and support a part of the table 11. A remote control 18 may be added and programmed to give control to a user over the functionality of the shade 10, as will be described in detail. The remote control 18 may allow the user to control the sprayers 34, the sprayers 42, the fan (not shown) within the base, illuminating lights (not shown), audiovisual device (not shown), and the motor (not shown) operating the wheels 50. The remote control 18 may also allow the user to control the tilt of the covering 14 so that the covering 14 can effectively be positioned to block the sun. Referring now to Drain ports (not shown) may be provided. In addition, a coolant level sensor may be provided within the reservoir 54 to selectively illuminate at least one light (not shown) that may be mounted on the shaft 16 or on the base 12 to inform the user that coolant must be refilled. It can be appreciated that the use of the reservoir 54 eliminates the need for heavy and expensive traditional refrigeration equipment, such as a compressor, evaporator, and condenser. With continued reference to Referring back to Referring now to Referring now to With continued reference to Referring now to With reference to Within the power hub 90 are preferably a plurality of rechargeable storage batteries 94. The rechargeable storage batteries 94 are preferably in communication with the solar cells 32 ( Alternatively, fuel cells may use propane or natural gas. The micro fuel cells 96 may further employ gas tanks 97 to produce electricity from a fuel of methanol. In addition, since one typical byproduct of the chemical reaction is water, the fuel cells may each have a water drain tube 98 to direct such water through the central conduit 46 and to the reservoir. Referring now to The control unit 100 preferably selectively operates the fans 82, the pump 80, the lights, the entertainment unit 70, and the mobility unit 102, which is used to physically move or reorient the whole shade 10. It is noted that pivots, joints, or swivels known in the art may be inserted to the shaft 16 (not shown in As further illustrated in With reference now to With reference now to Referring now to It can now be realized that the various embodiments of the shade device of the present invention has more features that provide comfort, convenience, or entertainment than the existing devices. Certain embodiments provide a shade device that provides readily available audiovisual source of entertainment that may have readily available source of power and thus can be operated anywhere. Certain embodiments provide a highly convenient source of beverage or food, which may continuously be chilled. Certain embodiments provide a controllable misting system with individually controllable sprayers. Yet certain embodiments provide a highly moveable and adjustable shade that can be positioned to effectively block the sun. Although the description above contains many specifications, these should not be construed as limiting the scope of the invention but as merely providing illustrations of some of presently preferred embodiments of this invention. For example, the number of solar panels, the shape of the covering, and the spatial orientation of the sprayers, the lights, air vents, the audiovisual device, and other components may be varied. Thus, the scope of the invention should be determined by the appended claims and their legal equivalents rather than by the examples given. |