Patent Document

CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. §119(e)(1) to provisional application Ser. No. 60/449,451 filed Feb. 24, 2003 by the inventors named herein, the entire subject matter of which provisional application is incorporated herein by reference. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to an umbrella for a pet, such as a dog, and particularly relates to a combined pet leash and umbrella which in an open position of the umbrella canopy overlies the pet to protect the pet from inclement weather conditions while also serving as a leash for the pet in both umbrella canopy opened and closed positions. 
     While umbrellas have been conventionally provided individuals to protect them from inclement weather conditions, animals likewise require protection from inclement conditions, e.g. when they are being walked. Obviously the protection afforded by the protective envelope or spread of a conventional umbrella useful to protect individuals from inclement weather conditions is insufficient to protect the pet from such conditions. The pet obviously would walk beyond the envelope of protection afforded by the individual&#39;s umbrella. 
     Umbrellas for pets are per se not new and a number of umbrella type devices have been adapted to protect pets from inclement weather conditions. For example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,546,970 and 5,918,611 disclose umbrellas for pets which are secured to conventional pet harnesses and the pet collars. These umbrellas are independent of any leash for the pet whereby the individual may retain control of the pet. Also the movement of the pet relative to the harness, collar and/or umbrella as can be discerned from those patents may cause the umbrella to be skewed from its intended protective position overlying the pet to a partially unprotecting position. See also U.S. design patents D324,117; D324,943; and D325,296. It will be appreciated therefore that there is a need for an umbrella to protect a pet from inclement weather conditions and which umbrella is under control of the individual walking the pet as well as enabling the pet to be under control of the individual via the umbrella and a leash in both umbrella opened and closed positions. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     In accordance with a preferred aspect of the present invention, there is provided an umbrella having a shaft with a handle at one end and a coupling at an opposite end for securing a leash to the umbrella whereby the umbrella/leash combination are used to secure and control the pet. The canopy of the umbrella is carried by the shaft and is secured to a sleeve slidable along the shaft between canopy opened and canopy closed positions. In the canopy open position, the canopy has an upper generally convex surface facing the handle and a generally concave lower surface facing the coupling and the pet. The canopy in the open position is angularly related to the axis of the umbrella shaft whereby the canopy is generally horizontal in use while the shaft is inclined in use and toward the individual holding the umbrella/leash combination. Ribs interconnect the sleeve and margins of the canopy and a plurality of struts interconnect between the umbrella shaft and the ribs to support the canopy. While a circular canopy using ribs of equal length and struts of unequal length, an oval canopy in plan is preferred. In that embodiment both ribs of unequal length and struts of unequal length are employed. Thus the major axis of the oval shaped canopy extends in the same direction as the shaft maintaining the angular relation between the canopy and the shaft. 
     In a preferred aspect of the present invention, there is provided a combined pet leash and umbrella comprising a shaft having a handle at one end and a leash coupled to said shaft adjacent an opposite end thereof. A canopy is carried by said shaft and secured thereto by a sleeve slidable along the shaft between a canopy opened position and a canopy closed position, the canopy in the opened position having a generally convex surface facing the handle. A plurality of ribs are pivotally coupled at one end to the sleeve and to the canopy at opposite ends thereof adjacent margins of the canopy to support the canopy in the opened position. A plurality of struts is pivotally connected at one end to said shaft and pivotally connected at opposite ends to the ribs, the struts supporting the ribs in the canopy opened position. A detent is co-operable between the shaft and the hub for releasably maintaining the canopy in the opened position. 
     In a further aspect of the present inventions, there is provided an umbrella for a pet comprising a shaft having a handle at one end and a coupling adjacent an opposite end of the shaft enabling attachment of a pet leash. A canopy is carried by the shaft and secured thereto by a sleeve slidable along the shaft between a canopy opened position and a canopy closed position, the canopy in the opened position having a generally convex surface facing the handle and a generally concave lower surface facing the coupling. A plurality of ribs is pivotally coupled at opposite ends to the sleeve and the canopy, respectively. A plurality of struts is pivotally connected at opposite ends to the shaft and the ribs, respectively, and supporting the ribs and the canopy in the canopy opened position. A detent co-operable between the shaft and the sleeve for releasably maintaining the canopy in the opened position. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a schematic illustration of a combined leash and umbrella for a pet constructed in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 2  is a view similar to  FIG. 1  illustrating the umbrella in an open position protecting the pet from inclement weather conditions; 
         FIG. 3  is a schematic illustration showing the opening and closing mechanism of the umbrella/leash with the canopy in the open position; 
         FIG. 3   a  is a fragmentary view illustrating a different type of handle for the umbrella/leash combination; 
         FIG. 4  is a schematic illustration similar to  FIG. 3  illustrating the umbrella in a canopy closed position; 
         FIG. 5  is a perspective view of the umbrella/leash combination in an open position; and 
         FIG. 6  is a schematic top plan view of a further embodiment hereof illustrating a circular umbrella. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     Referring now to the drawings, particularly to  FIGS. 1 and 2 , there is illustrated an umbrella/leash combination generally designated  10  with an umbrella canopy in closed and opened positions, respectively. The umbrella is mounted on a shaft  12  having a handle  14  at one end and a coupling  16  at its opposite end for connecting the umbrella with one end of a leash  18 . It will be appreciated that leash  18  may be releasably secured to a collar  20  on the pet, in this instance a pet dog is illustrated. 
     In  FIG. 2  the umbrella/leash combination is illustrated with the umbrella canopy  22  in an opened position overlying the pet. While the canopy in the opened position may be circular (as discussed hereafter), preferably the canopy is in a generally oval configuration in plan with the major axis of the oval configured canopy extending in a vertical plane also containing the shaft  12  and handle  14 . From a review of  FIGS. 1 and 2  it will be appreciated that the canopy  22  is supported by a plurality of ribs or spokes  24  which in turn are supported by a plurality of struts  25 . Canopy  22  is also preferably formed of a clear plastic see-through material, preferably vinyl, although other materials including opaque materials can be used. 
     Referring now to  FIGS. 3 and 4 , the shaft  12  mounts a sleeve  26  slidable axially along the shaft  12  between detented canopy opened and closed positions illustrated in  FIGS. 3 and 4 , respectively. As illustrated in  FIG. 3 , the sleeve  26  is detented in the canopy opened position by a spring biased tab  28  carried by the shaft  12 . Tab  28  is receivable in an opening or slot, not shown, through the sleeve  26  when the sleeve  26  is advanced to the canopy opened position. Another spring biased tab  30  is carried on the shaft  12  at a location adjacent the handle  14  and, in cooperation with sleeve  26 , similarly serves to detent the sleeve  26  in the canopy closed position as illustrated in FIG.  4 . The ribs  24  are pivotally mounted at proximal ends to sleeve  26 . The opposite distal ends of ribs  24  are secured to margins of the canopy  22 . Any suitable connection between the distal ends of the ribs  24  and the canopy  22  may be utilized and is well known in the art. As illustrated in  FIGS. 3 and 4 , the sleeve  26  has an annular recess  27  angled relative to shaft  12 . Proximal ends of the ribs  22  are pivotally mounted to sleeve  26  in the annular recess  27  and slots are formed in the lower portion of the sleeve  26  to accommodate the pivoting movement of the ribs  22  when the umbrella is moved between canopy opened and canopy closed positions. While six ribs and six struts are illustrated in this preferred embodiment, it will be appreciated that a fewer or greater number of ribs and struts may be utilized to support the canopy. 
     Similarly, a hub  34  is mounted on shaft  12  at a location along the shaft  12  remote from the handle and on the opposite side of the sleeve  26  from the handle  14 . Hub  34  is preferably fixed to the shaft but may be movable relative thereto. The hub  34  includes an annular recess  36  in which proximal ends of the struts  25  are pivotally mounted to the hub  34 . Upper edge margins of the hub  34  have slots for receiving the struts  25  in the canopy closed position illustrated in FIG.  4 . The opposite ends of struts  25  are of course pivotally connected to the ribs  22  intermediate opposite ends of the ribs. It will be appreciated that planes P 1  and P 2  passing through the annular recesses  27  and  36  of the movable sleeve  26  and hub  34 , respectively, lie in parallel planes. Also it will be appreciated that the major axis of the oval shaped canopy lies in a vertical plane generally also including the shaft  12  and normal to planes ρ 1  and ρ 2 . Thus the shaft  12  and the planes P 1  and P 2  passing through sleeve  26  and hub  34  in the recesses  27  and  36  form an included angle α in the vertical plane containing the major axis of the canopy  22 . The angle α preferably lies in a range of about 30°-60°. It will also be appreciated that the minor axis of the oval shaped canopy extends perpendicular to the major axis and passes perpendicularly through the vertical plane containing the shaft  12  and the major axis of the oval shaped canopy. The handle  14  and coupling  16  for the leash lie on respective opposite sides of the minor axis. 
     Also, as illustrated in  FIG. 3   a , the handle  14  may comprise a straight handle  14   a  as compared with the arcuate handle  14  illustrated in FIG.  3 . Additionally, the sleeve  26  may have a non-circular interior opening complementary to the shaft, or maybe be slidably detented to the shaft to prevent the canopy from twisting relative to the shaft. 
     From a review of the drawing figures, it will be appreciated that the ribs  24  defining the generally oval shaped canopy are symmetrical about the major axis. Ribs  24  along opposite sides of the canopy are, however, different in length as compared to the ribs  24  extending along the major axis of the oval shaped canopy. Likewise, the struts  25  are symmetrical about the major axis. Struts  25  along the opposite sides of the canopy are, however, different in length as compared with the struts parallel to the major axis. Further, as illustrated in  FIG. 3 , the strut  25   a  between hub  34  and the rib  24  forwardly of the minor axis is shorter than the strut  25   b  extending between hub  34  and the rearwardly extending rib  24  on the opposite side of the minor axis. Thus, the struts paralleling the major axis of the oval shaped canopy  22  and on opposite sides of the minor axis are unequal in length relative to one another. 
     In use, the leash  18  is attached to the pet collar  20  and also to the distal end of the umbrella i.e., to the coupling  16 . Any suitable connection may be used. In the canopy closed position, the shaft  12  serves as part of the leash for the pet. To open the umbrella during inclement weather conditions, detent  30  is depressed enabling the sleeve  26  to be manually displaced along shaft  12  in a direction away from the handle  14  and toward the coupling  16 . Upon the sleeve  26  obtaining a position along the shaft in registration with tab  28 , the tab is biased outwardly into the slot formed on the sleeve  26  to maintain the sleeve in position along the shaft with the canopy extended in the canopy opened position as illustrated in FIG.  3 . It will be appreciated that the different lengths of the ribs  24  and the struts  26  enable the canopy  22  to open into a generally oval configuration in plan. Additionally, it will be appreciated that in the canopy opened position, a vertical plane passing through the major axis also contains the shaft  12 . The included angle between the shaft  12  and the planes P 1  and P 2  preferably lies in a range of approximately 35°-60°. Thus the canopy extends forwardly from the individual holding the handle  14 , lies in a generally horizontal position and extends lengthwise from the individual. When it is desired to close the canopy  22 , the tab  28  is depressed releasing the sleeve  26  for manual sliding movement in a direction toward the handle where it is once again detented by the tab  30  in the canopy closed position. 
     Referring now to  FIG. 6 , there is illustrated a further embodiment of the combined umbrella/leash hereof with a canopy having a generally circular configuration. In this form, the shaft  12   a  connects to the movable sleeve  26   a  at the apex of the circular canopy  22   a . The shaft  12   a  extends below the canopy to a fixed hub similarly as in the previous embodiment to which the struts are pivotally connected. In this form, the ribs  24   a  supporting the canopy  22   a  are of equal length while the struts supporting the canopy are of unequal length. This enables the circular canopy to lie in a generally horizontal orientation when in the canopy opened position with the shaft  12   a  being inclined relative to the canopy. 
     While the invention has been described in connection with what is presently considered to be the most practical and preferred embodiment, it is to be understood that the invention is not to be limited to the disclosed embodiment, but on the contrary, is intended to cover various modifications and equivalent arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

Technology Category: 1