Patent Publication Number: US-2021188432-A1

Title: Drone Operated Umbrella

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/952,760 filed on Dec. 23, 2019. The above identified patent application is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety to provide continuity of disclosure. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to hands-free umbrellas. More particularly, the present invention provides a device that will fly an umbrella over a user. 
     There are many different forms of protecting an individual from weather. When there is precipitation in the forecast some individuals use a coat. Others choose to use an umbrella. Umbrellas may also be used to protect individuals from exposure to the sun. 
     Traditional umbrellas have a waterproof canopy attached to a skeleton. The skeleton is then attached to a rod having a handle at one end. While an umbrella may be extremely useful, having to hold the handle is a draw back. This means that an individual only has one hand to conduct activities with. If a user needs to hold an item, for example, a traditional umbrella may be difficult to handle. 
     Consequently, there is a need for an improvement in the art of rain protection. The present invention substantially diverges in design elements from the known art while at the same time solves a problem many people face when needing protection from the elements but also not having the hands to hold an umbrella. In this regard the present invention substantially fulfills these needs. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention provides a drone operated umbrella wherein the same can be utilized for providing convenience for the user when using a hands free umbrella. The drone operated umbrella is comprised of a waterproof canopy secured to a framing. The framing is secured to a drone housing. The drone housing has a plurality of arms which extend through the waterproof canopy. Each of the plurality of arms has a propeller rotatably attached to the end of the arm. The drone is comprised of at least one power source. The at least one power source is coupled to at least one motor. The power source is further coupled to a wireless transceiver. 
     Another object of the drone operated umbrella is to have a clear canopy. 
     Another object of the drone operated umbrella is to have framing which is collapsible. 
     Another object of the drone operated umbrella is to have the wireless transceiver connected to a locational beacon. 
     Another object of the drone operated umbrella is to have the drone is configured to fly using artificial intelligence. 
     Another object of the drone operated umbrella is to have the drone will fly over the beacon. 
     Another object of the drone operated umbrella is to have the wireless transceiver connected to a mobile device. 
     Another object of the drone operated umbrella is to have the mobile device runs a mobile application. 
     Another object of the drone operated umbrella is to have the mobile application will summon the drone to the mobile devices location. 
     Another object of the drone operated umbrella is to have the mobile application will chart a path for the drone. 
     Another object of the drone operated umbrella is to have the mobile application has a height selector that will tell the drone how high to fly. 
     Other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       Although the characteristic features of this invention will be particularly pointed out in the claims, the invention itself and manner in which it may be made and used may be better understood after a review of the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein like numeral annotations are provided throughout. 
         FIG. 1  shows a perspective view of an embodiment of the drone operated umbrella. 
         FIG. 2  shows a cross-sectional view of an embodiment the drone operated umbrella. 
         FIG. 3A  shows a top down view of an embodiment of the drone for the drone operated umbrella. 
         FIG. 3B  shows a perspective view of an embodiment of the umbrella skeleton. 
         FIG. 4  shows a wiring diagram for an embodiment of the drone operated umbrella. 
         FIG. 5  shows an alternative wiring diagram for an embodiment of the drone operated umbrella. 
         FIG. 6  shows a top down view of an embodiment of a mobile application for the drone operated umbrella. 
     
    
    
     LIST OF REFERENCE NUMERALS 
     With regard to the reference numerals used, the following numbering is used throughout the drawings.
           101  Canopy     102  Apex     103  Drone arms     103   a  Telescopic section     103   b  Telescopic section     103   c  Telescopic section     104  Propeller     105  Waterproof seal     201  First material     202  Second material     203  Skeleton     203   a  Center pole     203   b  Skeleton arms     204  Drone housing     205  Motion sensor     206  Plurality of motion sensors     601  hinge connection     301  Power source     302  Motor     303  CPU     304  Wireless transceiver     305  Beacon     401  Mobile device     402  wireless transceiver     403  CPU     501  Select height     502  Chart course     503  Follow phone     504  request drone     505  Manual control       

     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     Reference is made herein to the attached drawings. Like reference numerals are used throughout the drawings to depict like or similar elements of the drone operated umbrella. For the purposes of presenting a brief and clear description of the present invention, a preferred embodiment will be discussed as used for the drone operated umbrella. The figures are intended for representative purposes only and should not be considered to be limiting in any respect. 
     Referring now to  FIG. 1 , there is shown a perspective view of an embodiment of the drone operated umbrella. The drone operated umbrella includes a canopy  101 . The canopy  101  is comprised of at least a first material. The first material is a waterproof material. The canopy  101  is sized to extend past the shoulders of a human being. In one embodiment the canopy  101  forms an apex  102  at the top of the canopy  101 . The apex  102  will be the highest point of the umbrella all other parts will slope away from the apex  102 . This will ensure that no liquids are trapped within the canopy  101 . 
     The canopy  101  has a plurality of drone arms  103  protruding therethrough. In one embodiment the drone arms  103  protrude through apertures located in the canopy  101 . In one embodiment the apertures in the canopy  101  have water proof seals  105  located around the drone arms  103 . This will prevent liquid from leaking around the drone arms and onto the individual using the device. In another embodiment the canopy is configured to cover the drone arms  103 . The drone arms  103  will attached to a drone body as described in the description of  FIG. 2 . 
     Each of the plurality of drone arms  103  are rotatably coupled to at least one propeller  104 . The propellers  104  are sized to spin and create lift to the drone controlled umbrella. The propellers  104  are further sized and positioned to rotate without contacting the canopy  101 . In the shown embodiment there are four drone arms  103 , and four propellers  104 . The shown number is not meant to be limiting to the number of drone arms  103  or propellers  104  in any way and varying number of drone arms  103  and propellers  104  may be used. 
     In one embodiment the drone arms  103  are separable. This means that the drone arms  103  will have the ability to have the section where the propellers  104  are attached to be separated from the drone. In one embodiment the drone arms  103  will secure together via a friction fit. In another embodiment there are fasteners that will secure the drone arms  103  together. 
     Referring now to  FIG. 2 , there is shown a cross-sectional view of an embodiment the drone operated umbrella. The shown embodiment the canopy  101  is made from a first material  201  and a second material  202 . The first material  201  is a dark colored waterproof material. The second material  202  is a clear waterproof material. This will allow the canopy  101  to lower around a user&#39;s head still allowing the user to see through the canopy  101 . In other embodiments different combinations of canopy materials may be used. 
     The is a skeleton  203  that is secured to the underside of the canopy  101 . The skeleton  203  is comprised of a plurality of light weight rods. The light weight rods are coupled together to support the canopy  101  in an open position. In one embodiment the plurality of light weight rods are coupled together such that the skeleton  203  is collapsible. This will allow the canopy  101  to be collapsed for better storage. 
     The drone arms  103  are secured to a drown housing  204 . The drone housing  204 . The drone housing  204  will hold the operational components of the drone as described in the description of  FIG. 3  and  FIG. 4 . The drone housing  204  is secured to the underside of the skeleton  203 . This will hold the skeleton  203  above the drone housing  204 . 
     In one embodiment there are a plurality of motions sensors  206  located at the end of each drone arm  103 . The motions sensors will help the drone to fly directly over an individual or at a certain height. In another embodiment there is a motion sensor  205  secured to a bottom of the drone housing. This sensor will help enable the drone to fly over an individual and remain centered over the individual. 
     Referring now to  FIG. 3A , there is shown a top down view of an embodiment of the drone for the drone operated umbrella. In one embodiment the done arms  103  are collapsible for storage. In one embodiment an end of the drone arms  103  attached to the propeller  104  is removed as described above. The drone arms  103  may then be bent toward the drone housing  204  via a hinge connection  601  of each arm. In one embodiment the propeller  104  is then secured to the drone housing  204  for storage. 
     In one embodiment the drone arms  103  have telescopic sections  103   a ,  103   b ,  103   c . Each of the telescopic sections  103   a ,  103   b ,  103   c  will fit within the next section. This will allow the drone arms  103  to further collapse into an even smaller size for storage. In on embodiment the arms  103  are locked into the extended position. In another embodiment the drone arms  103  are held in the extended position via a friction fit. 
     Referring now to  FIG. 3B , there is shown a perspective view of an embodiment of the umbrella skeleton. In one embodiment the skeleton  203  is separable form the drone housing  204 . In another embodiment the skeleton is collapsible. In this embodiment the skeleton will function much like that of a traditional umbrella. The skeleton  203  will include a center post  203   a  which has a slider and will pull arms  203   b  of the skeleton toward the center post as it is lowered. This will allow the umbrella portion to be removed and collapsed for storage. 
     Referring now to  FIG. 4 , there is shown a wiring diagram for an embodiment of the drone operated umbrella. The drone housing will hold at least the following components, other components may also be housed within the drone housing. The drone housing holds a power source  301 . In one embodiment the power source  301  is a battery. The power source  301  is electrically coupled to at least one motor  302 . The at least one motor  302  will rotate and control the plurality of propellers, thus controlling the drone. 
     The power source  301  and the at least one motor  302  will further be electrically coupled to a CPU  303 . The CPU  303  will control the at least one motor  302  to control the drone. The CPU  303  and the power source  301  are electrically coupled to a wireless transceiver  304 . The wireless transceiver  304  will receive instructions to deliver to the CPU  303  to control the drone. In some embodiments the CPU  303  will be able to use an artificial intelligence to control the drone. 
     In one embodiment the wireless transceiver  304  is wirelessly coupled to a beacon  305 . The beacon  305  will transmit the position of the beacon  305 . This will allow the CPU  303  to direct the drone over that position. Further, in one embodiment, the beacon  305  will transmit the height above sea level of the beacon  305 . This will allow the CPU  303  to direct the drone at a proper height over the beacon  305 . 
     Referring now to  FIG. 5 , there is shown an alternative wiring diagram for an embodiment of the drone operated umbrella. The drone housing holds a power source  301 . In one embodiment the power source  301  is a battery. The power source  301  is electrically coupled to at least one motor  302 . The at least one motor  302  will rotate and control the plurality of propellers, thus controlling the drone. 
     The power source  301  and the at least one motor  302  will further be electrically coupled to a CPU  303 . The CPU  303  will control the at least one motor  302  to control the drone. The CPU  303  and the power source  301  are electrically coupled to a wireless transceiver  304 . The wireless transceiver  304  will receive instructions to deliver to the CPU  303  to control the drone. 
     In one embodiment the wireless transceiver  304  is wirelessly coupled to a mobile device  401 . The mobile device includes a wireless transceiver  402  operably coupled to a CPU  403 . While not necessarily and electrical connection the CPU  403  will run a mobile application to give direction to the drone. In one embodiment the mobile device  401  will control the drone similar to the beacon. In other embodiments as described in the description of  FIG. 5  the mobile device  401  will control the drone in other manners. 
     Referring now to  FIG. 6 , there is shown a top down view of an embodiment of a mobile application for the drone operated umbrella. In different embodiments the mobile application to operate the drone operated umbrella will include different combinations of elements. The elements described and shown are to be exemplary of many of the drone features. The mobile application is further shown as an example of a home screen other screens, GUIs, and images may be used. 
     In one embodiment the mobile application has the ability to select the height for which the drone is to fly  501 . In one embodiment this selection allows for selection of the height above sea level. In another embodiment the selection allows for the height of the drone from the mobile device. These options will help to ensure that a user can select the desired height. 
     In one embodiment the mobile application has a chart course option  502 . The chart course option  502  allows a user to chart a course for the drone to fly. In one embodiment the course is shown on a map. In another embodiment the user can select how fast the drone should fly along the course. In yet another embodiment the chart course option gives the drone a general course then the course will be made specific to the location of the mobile device. 
     In yet another embodiment the mobile application has a follow phone option  503 . In this option the phone will operate as the beacon described in  FIG. 3 . In one embodiment this option further allows a user to set following parameters. In one embodiment the parameter includes the height of the drone and the distance at which the drone should follow the mobile device. 
     In other embodiments the mobile application has a request drone option  504 . This option will allow for the drone to be summoned to the device location. In another embodiment the request drone option  504  will allow for the drone to be summoned to a chosen location. 
     In a further embodiment the mobile application will allow for manual control of the drone  505 . In one embodiment when this option is selected the phone will operate as a drone controller. In another embodiment a separate controller will be needed to control the drone when the manual control option is selected. 
     It is therefore submitted that the instant invention has been shown and described in what is considered to be the most practical and preferred embodiments. It is recognized, however, that departures may be made within the scope of the invention and that obvious modifications will occur to a person skilled in the art. With respect to the above description then, it is to be realized that the optimum dimensional relationships for the parts of the invention, to include variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and manner of operation, assembly and use, are deemed readily apparent and obvious to one skilled in the art, and all equivalent relationships to those illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification are intended to be encompassed by the present invention. 
     Therefore, the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention.