Patent Abstract:
A floating mounting base for a vertical support for use in water includes a base housing defining an interior chamber having an opening at a top of the base housing for maintaining a weighting material below a surface of the water to maintain the vertical support in a substantially vertical position. The base housing further defines a support chamber for supporting the vertical support in the substantially vertical position. A lid encloses the interior chamber from an external environment. The lid defines an opening aligned with the support chamber enables the vertical support to be inserted through the lid and into the support chamber. A bottom of the circular base housing is insertable within an opening of a float ring and one of the base housing or the lid defines a surface for engaging the float ring and preventing the float ring from moving past the lid.

Full Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 61/762,926, filed on Feb. 10, 2013, entitled A FLOATING SHADE BASE FOR AN UMBRELLA, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. 
     
    
     TECHNICAL FIELD 
       [0002]    The present invention relates to umbrella and pole bases, and more particularly to a floating umbrella or pole base. 
       BACKGROUND 
       [0003]    Umbrella, sign or flag bases have long been known and are widely used. The bases are configured to receive a pole or staff and to maintain the pole or staff in a vertical position. The majority of existing umbrella, sign or flag bases have been configured for use on land. However, due to the widespread use of pools, lakes, oceans or other types of water activities, there has arisen a need for an umbrella, sign or flag base that will support an umbrella, sign or flag pole or staff, while at the same time providing a floating base. The floating base must be stable while maintaining the umbrella, sign or flag pole or staff in an upright, vertical position. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0004]    The present invention, as disclosed and described herein, in one aspect thereof, comprises a floating mounting base for a vertical support for use in water that includes a base housing defining an interior chamber having an opening at a top of the base housing for maintaining a weighting material below a surface of the water to maintain the vertical support in a substantially vertical position. The base housing further defines a support chamber for supporting the vertical support in the substantially vertical position. A lid encloses the interior chamber from an external environment. The lid defines an opening aligned with the support chamber enabling the vertical support to be inserted through the lid and into the support chamber. A bottom of the base housing is insertable within an opening of a float ring and one of the base housing or the lid defines a surface for engaging the float ring and preventing the float ring from moving past the lid. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0005]    For a more complete understanding, reference is now made to the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying Drawings in which: 
           [0006]      FIG. 1  is a cross-sectional view of the base housing; 
           [0007]      FIG. 2  is a perspective view of the base housing; 
           [0008]      FIG. 3  is a top view of the base gasket; 
           [0009]      FIG. 4  is a perspective view of the base housing lid; 
           [0010]      FIG. 5  is a cross-sectional view of the base housing lid; 
           [0011]      FIG. 6  is a side view illustrating the interconnection of the base housing, base gasket, base lid, a float and an umbrella; and 
           [0012]      FIG. 7  is a perspective view of a further embodiment of an umbrella base float. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0013]    Referring now to the drawings, wherein like reference numbers are used herein to designate like elements throughout, the various views and embodiments of the floating shade base for an umbrella are illustrated and described, and other possible embodiments are described. The figures are not necessarily drawn to scale, and in some instances the drawings have been exaggerated and/or simplified in places for illustrative purposes only. One of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate the many possible applications and variations based on the following examples of possible embodiments. 
         [0014]    Referring now to the drawings, and more particularly to  FIGS. 1 and 2 , there are illustrated a cross-sectional view of a base housing  102  and a perspective view of the base housing  102 . The base housing  102  provides stability by differentiating water used as weight, from water in which the base housing is floating. The base housing  102  provides the primary resistance to external forces that would cause tipping or otherwise non-vertical support of the umbrella staff  604 . The base housing  102  includes a circular bottom  104 . From the edges of the circular bottom  104  rises a housing wall  106 . The housing wall  106  has a same diameter as the exterior edges of the circular bottom  104  on a lower portion  106   a  of the housing wall  106 . An upper portion  106   b  of the housing wall  106  has a greater diameter than the lower portion  106   a  of the housing wall  106 . The upper portion  106   b  and lower portion  106   a  of the exterior wall  106  are interconnected via a ledge  108 . The housing wall  106   a  and  106   b  diameter may be inverted from this if materials allow for it. Thus, the taper will be in either a tapered configuration that increases or decreases when going from the bottom  104  to the top edges. The configuration with the larger bottom  104  provides more stability. 
         [0015]    Rising from the circular bottom  104  of the base housing  102  is a pole support pillar  110 . The pole support pillar  110  is a conically shaped housing rising from the circular bottom  104 . The pole support pillar  110  has a larger diameter at its base next to the circular bottom  104  than at its upper end  112 . The pole support pillar  110  additionally defines a bore  112  for receiving an umbrella pole, flagpole or sign pole. The bore  112  has a larger diameter at its open end  114  than it does at its terminating end. This is to enable differing size poles to be securely affixed within the bore  112 . A pole that initially fits within the bore  112  will eventually come into contact and be secured by the sides of the bore  112  as it travels towards the terminating end  116 . Providing additional support to the pole support pillar  110  are various support vanes  118  providing vertical support between the circular base  104  and the sides of the pole support pillar  110 . A thumb screw  119  (or other securing device) threaded through support pillar  110  keeps the umbrella from rising out of base housing  102 . 
         [0016]    An anchoring tab  120  is a rectangular shaped tab that extends below the circular bottom  104  and defines an opening  122  therein. The anchoring tab  120  allows a rope or cable to be connected to the opening  122  and an anchor or other tie down attached to the base housing  102  to keep it from floating around and in a tethered position. 
         [0017]    The base housing  102  additionally defines a number of securing tabs  124  along a top edge of the upper surface  106   b  of the exterior wall  106 . The securing tabs  124  are configured to flex in a first direction and secure a lid to the base housing as will be described more fully herein below. In the present configuration, the securing tabs  124  define a latching ledge  126  that secures a lid to the top opening of the base housing  102 . 
         [0018]    Referring now also to  FIG. 3 , there is illustrated a housing gasket  302 . The housing gasket  302  is used to prevent sand or other items from escaping base housing  102 . The housing gasket  302  may comprise a rubber or other type of sealing material in the shape of an annular ring. An opening  304  within the interior of the gasket ring  302  goes over the upper portion of the pole support pillar  110 . The bottom side of the gasket side  302  then rests on the housing wall ledge  108  defined within the housing wall  106  and a pole support pillar ledge  128  defined within the outer surface of the pole support pillar  110 . In this manner, the housing gasket  302  will rest in the upper portion of the base housing  102  and prevent sand and other unwanted materials from escaping base housing  102  defined by the lower portion  106   a  of the housing wall  106 . 
         [0019]    Referring now to  FIGS. 4 and 5  there are illustrated a perspective view of the base housing lid  402  and a cross sectional view of the base housing lid  402 . The base housing lid  402  comprises a substantially circular disc that cover the open end of the base housing  102 . The base housing lid  402  when placed on the base housing  102  prevents water and other materials from entering into the interior of the base housing. The base housing lid  402  defines therein openings  404  for receiving the securing tabs  124  defined with on the upper portion  106   b  of the exterior wall  106  of the base housing  102 . When the securing tabs  124  slide within the openings  404 , the latching ledge  126  will engage a top surface  406  of the base housing lid  402  and secure the base housing lid  402  in place. The base housing lid  402  further defines an opening  408  for receiving an umbrella pole. The opening  408  is placed in such a manner to line up with the opening  114  of the pole support pillar  110  within the base housing  102 . 
         [0020]    The base housing lid  402  additionally defines a number of cup holders  410 . The cup holders  410  are defined by a larger upper ring portion  502  and a lower smaller diameter ring portion  504 . This will enable cups of differing size to be placed in either the upper ring  502  or lower ring  504 , or alternatively, enable a user to grasp the top of a container held within the lower ring  504 . Lower ring  504  also presses against gasket  302  to provide a seal and secure it in place. 
         [0021]    The base housing lid  402  and base housing  102  may be constructed entirely of common plastic injection molded raw materials such as nylon, polyethylene, polyvinylchloride or polypropylene but is not limited to these materials. In a further embodiment, the lower portion  106   a  of the housing wall  106  and the pole housing  110  may additionally be constructed of a watertight flexible material. This will enable these portions of the base housing  102  to be collapsed into a transportable configuration. 
         [0022]    Referring now to  FIG. 6 , there is illustrated the manner in which the base housing  102 , housing lid  402  and housing gasket  302  are inter-connected with a float  602  and flagpole  604  in order to utilize the floating housing in a preferred manner. The housing gasket  302  is inserted within the base housing  102  to rest on the ledges  108  and  128  as described previously herein. Before the gasket  302  is placed, water, sand, gravel or some other type of weighting material may be added within the bottom portion of the base housing  102  in order to counteract the weight of an umbrella or other pole. The weighting material is thus maintained below the surface of the water within the base housing  102 . Once the housing gasket  302  and any weighting material are placed within the base housing  102 , the housing lid  402  is placed upon the top of the base housing  102  and secured in place via the securing tabs  124 . Some type of ring float  602  may be placed around the base housing  102 . The ring float  602  may comprise a life-saving ring or inflatable ring type float to provide buoyancy to the base housing  102 . The only requirement with respect to the ring float  602  is that the inner ring opening  606  be of sufficient size to fit around the base housing  102  yet not too large to exceed the edges of the base housing lid  402 . Thus, the buoyancy of the ring float  602  will force the ring float upward until it comes in contact with the base lid  402  or the upper portion  106   b  of the exterior wall  106 . The umbrella staff  604  is inserted into the opening in the base lid  402  and into the pole support pillar  110  within the interior of the base housing  102 . In this manner the umbrella and umbrella staff  604  are held in an upright position that floats upon the water. 
         [0023]    Referring now to  FIG. 7 , there is illustrated an alternative embodiment of the floating mounting base. In this embodiment, the floating mount includes a base container  702 . The base container  702  include a bottom portion  704  having a side wall  706  extending upward from the edges thereof defining an interior area for containing weighting material and maintaining it below the surface of the water. The side wall  706  defines an opening  708  for providing access to the interior of the base container  702 . The base container  702  further comprises a pair of handles  710  for carrying the floating mounting base and securing a float ring  712  thereto. Alternative to the handle  710 , a curved lip or edge may be defined upon the housing container  702  or on the lid  750  in order to support the floatation ring  712 . 
         [0024]    A base insert cylinder  714  provides a container for holding sand, water, gravel or other weighted material that may be placed inside the base container  702 . The base insert cylinder  714  includes a base bottom  716  connected to a base outer wall  718  that extends from the periphery of the base bottom  716 . Also extending from the base bottom  716  is a base inner wall  720  that forms a cylinder including a central aperture  722  defining an opening for receiving a pole insert  730  as will be described below. The base insert cylinder  714  additionally includes an annular lid  726  that covers the base insert cylinder  714  to enclose the weighting material placed therein. Annular lid  726  may be disc shaped and include a central aperture  728  to receive the pole insert  730 . The annular lid  726  may threadedly engage the base insert cylinder  714  or be interconnected therewith via some other type of latching, locking or securing mechanism. 
         [0025]    The opening defined within the base insert cylinder  714  is for receiving the pole insert  730 . The pole insert  730  includes a pole insert bottom  732  and a pole insert side wall  734  extending from the periphery of the pole insert bottom  732 . A pole insert inner side wall  736  also extends from the bottom of the pole insert bottom  732  and includes a central aperture  738  that extends through the pole insert bottom  732  to enable a pole  724  to extend through the pole insert  730 . A pole insert lid  740  comprises an annular ring defining an aperture  742  therein for aligning with the aperture  738  of the pole insert inner side wall  736 . The pole insert lid  740  may threadedly engage the pole insert side wall  734  or be secured thereto by some type of latch, locking or other securing mechanism. The pole insert  730  is placed within the aperture  728  and  722  defined within the base insert cylinder  714 . The aperture  738  defined within the pole insert  730  then receives the umbrella, sign or flag pole  724 . 
         [0026]    Finally, the entire mechanism is sealed using a bucket base lid  750 . The bucket base lid  750  comprises a disc that defines an opening  752  therein for receiving a staff or flagpole  724 . The bucket base lid  750  threadedly engages the side wall  706  of the bucket container housing  702  or alternatively may be secured thereto via a latch, locking mechanism or other type of securing mechanism. 
         [0027]    A floatation ring  712  may comprise an inflatable or non-inflatable donut shaped device defining an opening  754  therein for going around the container housing  702 . The buoyancy of the floatation ring  712  will then force it upward against the handles  710  of the container housing  702 . The floatation ring  712  may comprise a foam or other type of floatation material, or alternatively, may comprise an inflatable ring that may be more easily transported by a user. The float  712  is detachably connected to the container housing  702  to provide resistance for the weight of the container  702  and a mounted pole  724 . The floatation ring  712  may be deflated in travel mode but can also be inflated via oral ports or valve stems using a pump. The float  712  may be a standard “pool float” or “inner tube” design. The float  712  could also be encased within a mesh netting to provide added strength and container support. 
         [0028]    The opening  752  within the lid  750  may also include some type of locking mechanism  756  for securing the pole  724  inserted therein. The locking mechanism  756  may comprise a compression fitting of correct size to allow for the manual tightening and loosening to secure the pole  724  inserted into the floating base. A compression fitting is a leak-resistant pipe joint designed for a tight filling sleeve that exerts a large inward pressure on the exterior of the pipe. The compression fitting would be sized according to the requirement of the umbrella or flag being supported. 
         [0029]    As described with respect to the previous embodiment the components may be formed primarily of common injection molded plastic such as polyethylene, polyvinylchloride and polypropylene but can be made of other flexible materials or components if desired. 
         [0030]    Thus, using the above-described configurations a staff or pole of an umbrella, flag or sign may be floatably supported within the water in a useful fashion. It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art having the benefit of this disclosure that this floating shade base for an umbrella provides a water based float for supporting an umbrella, flag, sign staff or pole. It should be understood that the drawings and detailed description herein are to be regarded in an illustrative rather than a restrictive manner, and are not intended to be limiting to the particular forms and examples disclosed. On the contrary, included are any further modifications, changes, rearrangements, substitutions, alternatives, design choices, and embodiments apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art, without departing from the spirit and scope hereof, as defined by the following claims. Thus, it is intended that the following claims be interpreted to embrace all such further modifications, changes, rearrangements, substitutions, alternatives, design choices, and embodiments.

Technology Classification (CPC): 1