Battery operated lighting apparatus

A battery operated lighting apparatus is provided particularly well suited for use in outdoor structures such as patio table umbrellas, dining canopies and tents. A housing containing a battery operated power source and an on/off switch is electrically connected to a lighting device for providing illumination to an outdoor structure. The present invention enables attachment of the housing to a support pole and attaching the lighting device to a member of an outdoor structure whereby battery powered illumination can be provided thereto.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
The present invention relates to an apparatus for attachment to an outdoor 
structure which provides illumination thereto and, more specifically, to a 
battery operated lighting apparatus that is especially adapted for use 
with a patio table umbrella or similar structures having a support pole. 
BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
Most patio tables are adapted to receive and support a table umbrella 
thereon to provide shade, aesthetics and comfort to the table occupants. 
While daytime use of the table and umbrella combination is quite 
enjoyable, nighttime use becomes burdensome due to the need to provide 
illumination to the table through the use of an offstanding lighting 
apparatus, an AC dependent lighting apparatus or other means of lighting 
which is not specifically designed for table illumination. Furthermore, 
the umbrella canopy in some cases must be collapsed from a raised position 
to a lowered position to alleviate excessive blocking of light and thereby 
permit illumination of the table through one of the above mentioned means. 
Consequently the ambiance of the table/umbrella combination is destroyed. 
It is, therefore, desirable to provide a battery operated lighting 
apparatus having a housing adapted to be secured to the umbrella support 
pole and electrically connected to at least one lighting device flexibly 
secured to an umbrella rib. It is further desirable to provide a battery 
operated lighting apparatus capable of remaining secured to the umbrella 
as the canopy is raised and lowered. Thus, the present invention is 
particularly well suited for use in outdoor structure applications where 
it is desirable to provide non-AC dependent illumination thereto. While 
the following is not to be interpreted as limiting, examples of preferred 
outdoor structure applications include patio table umbrellas, tarps, 
dining canopies, tents and other structures having a support pole and at 
least one elongated member extending therefrom. 
In general, the battery operated lighting apparatus of the present 
invention comprises a waterproof housing containing a battery operated 
power source and an on/off switch electrically connected to at least one 
lighting device. The lighting apparatus further comprises a means for 
attaching the lighting device to an elongated member of an outdoor 
structure and a second means for attaching the housing to a support pole. 
In the preferred embodiment, the housing includes a passageway extending 
from a top surface to a bottom surface and a hinge adjacent the passageway 
arranged to permit the housing to pivot to an open position to allow the 
support pole of the outdoor structure to pass into the housing and further 
arranged to permit the housing to be closed about the pole for attachment 
thereto.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
Referring to FIG. 1, an apparatus for providing illumination to an outdoor 
structure is shown. In particular, a patio table having an umbrella 
secured thereto is generally indicated by the reference numeral 1. A 
housing 10 and lighting devices 12 are secured to the umbrella 1 for 
providing illumination beneath the canopy 2. 
Referring also now to FIGS. 2, 3 and 4, the patio table umbrella 1 
generally includes a support pole 20 for supporting ribs 22 extending 
therefrom. Struts 24 are pivotably connected to the ribs 22 at a first end 
24(a) and are pivotally connected to a slide 26 at a second end 24(b). The 
slide 26 is slidably connected about the support pole 20 for vertical 
movement thereon. A rotatable handle 28 is operably connected to the slide 
26 for providing movement thereto. Therefore, rotation of the handle 28 
causes corresponding vertical movement of the slide 26 along the support 
pole 20 thereby moving the ribs 22 between a raised position and a lowered 
position via the struts 24. 
The housing 10, to be described in greater detail below, is shown in FIGS. 
3 and 4 attached about the support pole 20. In a preferred embodiment, the 
housing 10 is located above the slide 26 where it will not interfere with 
the vertical movement of the slide 26 as the canopy 2 (not shown) is moved 
between a raised position and a lowered position via ribs 22. As shown in 
FIG. 4, at least one lighting device 12 is secured to a rib 22 for 
providing light thereunder. In the preferred embodiment, lighting devices 
12 having a substantially elongated configuration are used although other 
lighting device configurations are equally appropriate. 
Referring to FIG. 5, the elongated lighting devices 12 are secured to the 
ribs 22 and are shown in an electrically disconnected configuration. The 
lighting device 12 is flexibly connected through a conducting element 14, 
preferably an insulated cable, to the housing 10 by inserting an end 14(a) 
of conducting element 14 into one of receptacles 16. In the configuration 
shown, a selective lighting arrangement is provided corresponding to the 
combination of lighting devices 12 connected or disconnected to the 
housing 10 through receptacles 16. Due to the primarily outdoor 
applications of the present invention, the housing 10, lighting devices 12 
and electrical connections therebetween are preferably resistant to water 
penetration. 
Referring to FIGS. 6, 7 and 8, the housing 10 of the lighting apparatus 
according to the present invention will now be described in greater 
detail. The housing 10 includes a case 30 and bottom and top surfaces 32 
and 34, respectively. The housing 10 includes a passageway 36 extending 
from the bottom surface 32 to the top surface 34 for receiving the support 
pole 20 (not shown) of the umbrella structure. A hinge 38 is provided 
adjacent the passageway 36 for allowing the housing 10 to pivot to an open 
position and back to a closed position. In the preferred embodiment, hinge 
38 is a "living hinge" although other equivalents may be used. 
A latch 40 is positioned opposite the hinge 38 and adjacent the passageway 
36 for locking the housing 10 in a closed position. In this way, the latch 
40 can be released to enable the housing 10 to pivot along the hinge 38 to 
an open position for receiving the support pole 20 into the passageway 36. 
Upon receiving the support pole 20 into the passageway 36, the housing 10 
is closed about the support pole 20 and locked in a closed position by the 
latch 40. 
An on/off switch 42 is provided to permit selective electrical 
communication between the power source enclosed within the housing 10 (to 
be described in greater detail below) and the lighting devices 12. As can 
be seen more clearly in FIG. 8, the housing 10 is provided with battery 
contacts 46 for supporting batteries 60 which provide power for the 
lighting devices 12. Also, FIGS. 6 and 7 clearly show the receptacles 16 
for flexibly connecting a conducting element 14 to the housing 10. Due to 
the intended outdoor use of the present invention, it is desirable to 
ensure that the on/off switch 42 and receptacles 16 are waterproof. 
Referring to FIGS. 9 and 10, in the preferred embodiment of the present 
invention, the housing 10 is attached to the support pole 20 by passing 
the support pole 20 into the passageway 36 of the housing 10 above the 
slide 26. In this way, the housing 10 will not interfere with the vertical 
motion of the slide 26 as the canopy 2 (not shown) is raised and lowered. 
If the umbrella is of the type having a stop member 48, the housing 10 is 
preferably located about the support pole 20 above the stop member 48 
thereby providing greater ease of vertical motion of the slide 26. This 
configuration permits the housing 10 to remain stationary about the 
support pole 20 above the stop member 48 as the canopy is raised and 
lowered through vertical motion of the slide 26. In umbrellas of the type 
without stop member 48, the housing 10 can be arranged so that friction 
between the support pole 20 and top and bottom surfaces 32 and 34 along 
passageway 36 support the housing 10. 
It is also preferred to have the batteries 60 within the housing 10 aligned 
parallel to the support pole 20, although other arrangements are 
acceptable. The parallel alignment of the batteries 60 with the support 
pole 20 ensure that the housing 10 is narrow enough so as to not interfere 
or excessively contact the canopy 2 as it is folded or stored in its 
lowered position. 
Referring now to FIG. 11, a circuit diagram representing the power source 
and step up circuitry is generally designated by the reference numeral 
100. Preferably, the circuitry is housed in a waterproof box. Batteries 60 
are connected through the on/off switch 42 to step up circuitry 102, which 
is known in the art, for raising the voltage from the batteries 60 to an 
appropriate level for powering the lighting devices. Step up circuitry 102 
generally includes transistors 120 and 122 arranged to form an oscillator. 
Transistors 120 and 122 are coupled to receptacles 16 through flyback 
inverter transformer 110. It is to be understood that while step up 
circuitry 102 is preferred in the present invention, other arrangements 
suitable for raising the voltage at the batteries 60 to a level required 
to power the lighting devices 12 are anticipated. 
Although the step up circuitry 102 may be used for many applications, it is 
particularly suitable for use in conjunction with the preferred lighting 
devices 12 of the present invention. Lighting devices 12 include a light 
wand 104 having a transparent outer sheath 106 and at least one elongated 
fluorescent filament element 108 located therein. This elongated 
configuration is particularly well suited for use in conjunction with the 
umbrella ribs 22 since its elongated arrangement enables the lighting 
devices 12 to remain secured to the ribs in any umbrella position. 
A second embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIGS. 12-17. In 
this embodiment, a housing 310 contains batteries 360 in parallel 
alignment with the support pole 320. However, in this embodiment, the 
batteries 360 are arranged side-by-side on a single level as opposed to 
the "stacked" two level configuration of the first embodiment. Therefore, 
this embodiment permits the housing 310 to have a shorter height between 
the bottom surface 332 and the top surface 334 allowing for particularly 
advantageous use on outdoor structures, such as some patio table 
umbrellas, having a location for attachment with limited vertical space. 
Similar to the first embodiment, the housing 310 includes a passageway 336 
extending from the bottom surface 332 to the top surface 334 for receiving 
a support pole 320 therein. A hinge 338 is provided adjacent the 
passageway 336 for permitting the housing 310 to pivot to an open position 
and back to a closed position. A latch 340 is provided for locking the 
housing 310 about the support pole 320. An on/off switch 342 is provided 
for permitting electrical communication to the lighting devices 12. In 
this embodiment, a pull-chain type switch is shown as opposed to the 
toggle type of the first embodiment. 
The second embodiment is also preferably attached to a support pole 320 
above the slide 326 or above a stop member 348, if one is present, thereby 
assuring the lighting apparatus does not interfere with the vertical 
motion of the slide 326 as the canopy 302 (not shown) is moved between a 
raised and lowered position. 
It will be appreciated that the lighting apparatus according to the present 
invention enables nighttime use of outdoor structures. It is particularly 
well suited for use in combination with a patio table umbrella where 
battery powered illumination under the canopy is desirable. Moreover, the 
lighting apparatus of the present invention will not interfere with the 
movement of the umbrella canopy between a raised or lowered position. 
While the above description constitutes the preferred embodiments of the 
invention, it will be appreciated that the invention is susceptible to 
modification, variation and change without departing from the proper scope 
or fair meaning of the accompanying claims.