CONTAINER FOR STORING AND DRYING AN UMBRELLA IN A MOTOR VEHICLE

Abstract: The present invention relates to a container for storing and drying umbrellas in motor vehicles. It consists essentially of a box (1) with a lid (2), inside of which the umbrella is placed, said box containing the drying system which comprises a heating resistor (9) and a ventilator (10), the system for elevating the umbrella which comprises an elevator (18) activated by opening the box in order to remove the umbrella and also a detection and control system which comprises a detector (16) and a control element (11), a safety system and an alarm system.

Description: DESCRIPTION "CONTAINER FOR STORING AND DRYING AN UMBRELLA IN A MOTOR VEHICLE" The present invention relates to a container for storing and drying an umbrella in motor vehicles. Background to the invention It is commonly known that storing an umbrella inside a motor vehicle, especially when they are wet, is a task which if not complicated is at least very unpleasant since it always causes the place where the umbrella is stored and the user's hands and clothes to get wet. As well as the inconvenience mentioned above, it should be emphasised that an umbrella placed on the floor of a motor vehicle may move around when the actual vehicle accelerates and brakes, which can have serious consequences if the umbrella is placed on the driver's side, since it may interfere with normal driving. In order to avoid these inconveniences, a few umbrella containers are known. Of the documents known to the applicant, mention must be made of the following documents, among others: US 4445720, US 4807920, US 4795067, US 5800004, US 5709328, EP 0325896, EP 0376153, EP 0718154, EP 0754132 and WO 96/22198. All these documents relate to containers for umbrellas which consist of a box for storing the umbrella and possibly a container for collecting the water which may drain therefrom. None of the aforementioned documents has a box containing automatic drying mechanisms and activating and control mechanisms. Objective of the invention Thus, the basic objective of the present invention is to design an umbrella container for the inside of motor vehicles with an automatic drying system and systems for controlling, detecting and ejecting the umbrella. The intention is therefore to store an umbrella inside a motor vehicle in a container which is aesthetically adapted to the inside of said vehicle, namely the doors, in order to simply and effectively dry said umbrella without the inconveniences mentioned above. Short description of the drawings The description hereunder makes reference to two sheets of drawings which, by way of example and without any restrictive nature, present an embodiment of the invention in which: Figure 1 represents a perspective view of the container which is the subject of the invention; Figure 2 represents a view of the components which make up the subject of the invention; Figure 3 represents a schematic diagram of the functioning of the systems installed inside the container for umbrellas which are the subject of this invention. Detailed description of the invention As shown in figures 1 and 2, the container which is the subject of the model consists essentially of a box (1) with a lid (2), inside of which the umbrella is placed, said box containing the drying system which comprises a heating plate (9) and a ventilator (10), the system for elevating the umbrella which comprises an elevator (18) activated by opening the box in order to remove the umbrella, and also a detection and control system which comprises a detector (16) and a control element (11). The shape of the box (1) is suitable in order for it to be adapted to the interior of motor vehicle bodies, preferably the door area. It consists of a receptacle appropriate for the size of umbrellas; the box (1) is closed by a top lid (2). Said top lid (2) is attached to the inside of a door (6) which is articulated by means of arms at the back of the box (1). The ends of the box (1) are opened in order to force the hot air to circulate. Inside the box (1) there is a heating plate (9) in a curved "U" shape which is placed inside the box (1), said plate being activated by the switch (5) which is accessed from the outside of the box. At the ends of the plate a ventilator of a suitable size is coupled, which forces the hot air to circulate around the box thereby drying the umbrella and ensuring that all the humidity in the box (1) evaporates. The container which is the subject of this invention is also equipped with an electronic device (11) for data acquisition and processing and controlling the peripheral systems which control the drying process. These devices are the humidity sensor (not depicted), the heating resistor (5) and the ventilator (10). Whenever the user releases the lid opening device (19), the elevator (18) is activated in order to raise the umbrella to a position in which the user can remove it from the box (1). The sequence of operations is shown in the flow diagram represented in figure 3. As shown in said flow diagram, the invention also includes a safety system consisting of a timer, a temperature sensor and an LED which is activated when it reaches a certain temperature. There is also a buzzer which is activated when the vehicle is started up without the umbrella having been placed inside the container, when the controller module memory contains the information that the umbrella was in the right place during the last journey, which is typical of a situation in which the umbrella is forgotten. All the activating and safety systems are controlled by the electronic control (11).

Claims: CLAIMS 1. Container for storing and drying umbrellas in motor vehicles, comprising a box (1) and the respective top lid (2), characterised in that it consists of an automatic drying system, a system for elevating the umbrella, a system for detecting the presence of an umbrella, a humidity detection system, a safety and control system and an alarm system which, through a sequence of operations, guarantee that a wet umbrella placed insider the box will be dried within a certain amount of time. 2. Container for storing and drying umbrellas in motor vehicles according to the previous claim, characterised in that the drying system is activated by a switch (5) accessed from the outside of said box (1) whenever the humidity sensor detects humidity in the umbrella, said system functioning until the fixed amount of time set by the timer runs out or when the level of humidity measured in the sensor indicates that the umbrella is already dry. 3. Container for storing and drying umbrellas in motor vehicles according to the previous claims, characterised in that the drying system is activated by a switch (5) accessed from the outside of said box (1) whenever the humidity sensor detects humidity in the umbrella, said system functioning until the fixed amount of time set by the timer runs out. 4. Container for storing and drying umbrellas in motor vehicles according to claim 1, characterised in that the umbrella elevation system, which consists essentially of an elevator, is activated whenever the user releases the lid (2) opening device. 5. Container for storing and drying umbrellas in motor vehicles according to claim 1, characterised in that the system for detecting the umbrella inside the box (1) operates by means of a sensor (16) which detects its presence. 6. Container for storing and drying umbrellas in motor vehicles according to claim 1 , characterised in that the humidity detection system operates by means of a humidity sensor. 7. Container for storing and drying umbrellas in motor vehicles according to claim 1 , characterised in that the safety system operates by means of a temperature sensor and the control system operates by means of an electronic control module (11) which controls all the other systems mentioned above. 8. Container for storing and drying umbrellas in motor vehicles according to claim 1, characterised in that the alarm system used consists of buzzers and LEDs. 9. Container for storing and drying umbrellas in motor vehicles according to claim 1, characterised in that it has LEDs which provide warnings regarding the situation or functioning. 10. Container for storing and drying umbrellas in motor vehicles according to claim 1, characterised in that there is a warning alarm system for cases of overheating, which is activated by an LED.

Inventors: SIMOES GAMEIRO SIZUDO MANUEL, SIMOES GAMEIRO SIZUDO, MANUEL
Applicants: PLASFIL PLASTICOS DA FIGUEIRA, SIMOES GAMEIRO SIZUDO MANUEL, PLASFIL - PLASTICOS DA FIGUEIRA, LDA., SIMOES GAMEIRO SIZUDO, MANUEL
Application year: 1999
Main classification: B60R7
IPC codes: B60R7