US20070034342A1

US20070034342A1 - Adjustable sunshade

Info

Publication number: US20070034342A1
Application number: US11/199,183
Authority: US
Inventors: Steve Fill
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2005-08-09
Filing date: 2005-08-09
Publication date: 2007-02-15

Abstract

The adjustable sunshade includes an adjustable telescoping rod, an adjustable flexible rod (such as a gooseneck), and a flexible shade. A spike is formed on a lower end of the adjustable telescoping rod for engaging the ground and maintaining the adjustable telescoping rod in a substantially vertical position. The adjustable flexible rod is fixed to the upper end of the telescoping rod and holds the shade. The height of the sunshade is adjusted by adjusting the telescoping rod, and the flexible rod allows positioning of the shade over any selected region that the user may wish to shield from sunlight.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an adjustable sunshade for selective screening of ambient sunlight. The adjustable sunshade is user-adjustable in both the vertical and horizontal directions, allowing the user to selectively shade a single region of the area below the sunshade.
2. DESCRIPTION OF THE RELATED ART
With the increased threat and awareness of sun-related medical conditions, such as skin cancer, it is important to provide protection from direct exposure to sunlight. A user, however, may require a sunshade which only covers part of the body, or that only shields light over a specific patch of ground or other surface area. Further, given the wide variety of ground types and geographies, an adaptable sunshade that can be mounted on any sort of support surface or in any location is needed to offer full protection from the sun.
Further, since protection from the sun is required no matter where the user travels, a collapsible and transportable sunshade is needed. The sunshade should also provide protection from the elements and be sturdy and rugged enough to be utilized in inclement weather. It is additionally desirable to have a sunshade, which may be adjusted to cover just the user's face. Merely covering the face, while still allowing the remainder of the body to be bathed in sunlight, can make the user feel significantly cooler and also provides for exposure to a cooling breeze, which would be blocked by a full size sunshade or umbrella. Additionally, a facial-specific sunshade would be desirable, since the face of the user is the most susceptible to wrinkling and other forms of sun damage.
Thus, an adjustable sunshade solving the aforementioned problems is desired.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The adjustable sunshade includes an adjustable telescoping rod, an adjustable flexible rod and a flexible shade. A spike is formed on a lower end of the adjustable telescoping rod for engaging the ground and maintaining the adjustable telescoping rod in a substantially vertical position. Pivotal prongs are provided at the lower end of the telescoping rod for enhanced anchoring of the sunshade in the ground. An adjustable flexible rod, such as a gooseneck, is fixed to the upper end of the telescoping rod and holds the flexible shade, further allowing free articulated movement and positioning of the sunshade in both a vertical and horizontal direction. The height of the sunshade is adjusted by adjusting the telescoping rod, and the flexible rod allows positioning of the sunshade over any selected region that the user may wish to shield from ambient sunlight or the elements.
These and other features of the present invention will become readily apparent upon further review of the following specification and drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1A is an environmental, perspective view of an adjustable sunshade according to the present invention.
FIG. 1B is an environmental side view of the adjustable sunshade according to the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the adjustable sunshade according to the present invention.
FIG. 3 is a top view of the sunshade portion of the adjustable sunshade according to the present invention.
FIG. 4 is a top view of the spreader bars of the adjustable sunshade of the present invention.
FIG. 5 is a side view of the adjustable sunshade according to the present invention in a collapsed state.
FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a carrying pouch for transporting the adjustable sunshade according to the present invention.
FIG. 7 is an environmental perspective view of an alternative embodiment of an adjustable sunshade according to the present invention.
Similar reference characters denote corresponding features consistently throughout the attached drawings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The present invention is an adjustable sunshade, a first embodiment of which is designated generally as 10 in the drawings. Referring to FIGS. 1A, 1B and 2, the sunshade 10 includes an adjustable telescoping rod 46, an adjustable flexible rod 1 8, such as a gooseneck, and a shade 24. As shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B, a user may selectively position the shade 24 over a desired region of the ground below, or a particular body part, in order to provide shade from the ambient sunlight or protection from the elements. Although FIG. 1A illustrates shade 24 being dimensioned to produce shade covering only a specific surface area, it should be understood that shade 24 may have any desired size or shape, depending on the needs of the user.
Telescoping rod 46 includes an upper rod 14 received within lower rod 12 to form a height-adjustable telescoping rod, which the user may adjust to any desired length and position in a substantially vertical direction. Rods 12 and 14 are telescoping tubes, or tubular rods. FIG. 1B illustrates the sunshade 10 mounted in the ground at a substantially vertical angle. However, if desired, the user may embed the telescoping rod 46 into the ground at an acute angle.
As shown in FIG. 2, a collar 16 is mounted on an upper end of lower rod 12 in order to secure upper rod 14 within lower rod 12 and also, through frictional engagement, to limit movement of upper rod 14 within lower rod 12, thus providing a secure and stable interconnection between the two rods, and further allowing upper rod 14 to, be positionally adjusted with respect to lower rod 12 and maintained in a desired position. Collar 16 is formed from a plastic material or some other suitable material having a relatively high frictional component for maintaining the selective position of upper rod 14 with respect to lower rod 12.
As shown in FIG. 2, the lower end 26 of the lower rod 12 is shaped as a ground-engaging spike. The lower end 26 is tapered in order to easily engage the ground, as shown in FIG. 1B. The ability to maintain telescoping rod 46 in a substantially vertical position is dependent on such factors as ground moisture, the composition of the soil or sand, and temperature. Thus, a pair of pivotal auxiliary prongs 28 are provided, with the pivotal auxiliary prongs 28 being pivotally mounted to lower end 26 of rod 12 on either side of the tapered tip forming the ground spike. Pivotal auxiliary prongs 28 may be collapsed against lower end 26 if the ground conditions do not warrant their necessity, or they may be extended to the fully deployed position shown in FIG. 1B if required.
An adjustable flexible rod 18 is fixedly secured to upper rod 14, as shown in FIGS. 1B and 2. The adjustable flexible rod 18 may be a gooseneck-type rod or cable, providing full articulating movement in both the horizontal and vertical directions, but being stiff and resilient enough to maintain a user-selectable position. The adjustable flexible rod 18 allows for the selective positioning of shade 24 in both the vertical and horizontal directions, giving the user full control over the protective area provided by the adjustable sunshade 10.
A retention member 20 is mounted to an upper end of the adjustable flexible rod 18. As best shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, the retention member receives and secures spreader bars 30 of the shade 24, which will be described in greater detail below.
The retention member 20 is attached to the adjustable flexible rod 18 and further receives securement means for releasably securing spreader bars 30 of shade 24. The securement means is shown as a T-bolt 22 with a threaded (either externally or internally threaded) shaft in FIGS. 1B and 2-4. However, the securement means may be any suitable means for providing releasable and controllable securement of spreader bars 30 within retention member 20, such as a nut and bolt, a clamp, a screw, or other suitable releasable securement means.
As shown in the phantom lines of FIG. 2, the shade 24 includes a plurality of spreader bars 30. FIGS. 2 and 4 show three spreader bars 30, however, this is for exemplary purposes only and any desired number of spreader bars 30 may be used.
Spreader bars 30 are covered by flexible cover member 44 to form the shade 24. Cover member 44 may be cloth, canvas, plastic or any other suitable fabric or sheet material, with the opacity, flexibility, waterproofing and other qualities of the material being dependent upon the particular needs of the user.
As shown in FIG. 3, user-selectable indicia 32 may be printed on cover member 44 of shade 24. Indicia 32 may be imprinted through silk screening or through any other suitable means, dependent upon the aesthetic and design choices of the user. Indicia 32 is shown having a palm leaf design; however, this is for exemplary purposes only, and the indicia 32 may have any user-selectable design or configuration. For example, advertising phrasing or symbols, or other personalized messages, could be imprinted as indicia 32 on sunshade 24.
As shown in FIG. 4, the spreader bars 30 are rotatable within retention member 20 (illustrated by the directional arrows). Each spreader bar 30 has a first end received within retention member 20 and held by the securement means. When the securement means is tightened, spreader bars 30 are clamped in place. When the retention means is loosened, spreader bars 30 are free to rotate about the axis of retention member 20. This allows sunshade 24 to be folded or collapsed like a fan. As shown in FIG. 5, the telescoping rod 46, the adjustable flexible rod 18 and sunshade 24 may all be collapsed to a minimal volume condition, allowing for easy and space-efficient transport of the adjustable sunshade 10 (pivotal auxiliary prongs 28 may also be collapsed against lower end 26 of rod 12, although not shown in a collapsed state in FIG. 5).
A portable receiving pouch 34 may be provided, as shown in FIG. 6, for receiving and transporting the adjustable sunshade 10. When the adjustable sunshade 10 is collapsed into the transportable state illustrated in FIG. 5, the sunshade 10 may be placed within the main flexible receptacle 36 of the portable receiving pouch 34, through an opening 40 formed at the upper end thereof.
The portable receiving pouch 34 further includes a shoulder strap 38, allowing a user to easily carry the portable receiving pouch 34 and the adjustable sunshade 10. A drawstring 42 is provided along opening 40 at the upper end of flexible receptacle 36 for releasably sealing opening 40. Alternatively, other releasable closure means, such as a zipper or buttons, may be utilized. The pouch 34 may be formed of any suitable resilient material, although lightweight resilient materials are preferred, allowing for easy transport.
FIG. 7 illustrates an alternative embodiment of the adjustable sunshade. Adjustable sunshade 1 00 includes a telescoping rod 146 having a lower rod 112, an upper rod 11 4 and a collar 116, similar to the construction of telescoping rod 46 of the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1B and 2. Similarly, the adjustable sunshade 100 includes a flexible rod 118, retention member 120, securement means 122 and a shade 124.
A clamp 110 is attached to a lower end of lower rod 112. The clamp 110 may be a C-clamp, a bracket, a ring or any other suitable means for clamping the adjustable sunshade 100 to a support surface. In FIG. 7, the clamp 110 is shown holding lower rod 112 to the arm 126 of a beach chair 128. It should be understood that clamp 110 may secure the adjustable sunshade 100 to any suitable support surface, including, but not limited to, baby strollers, wheel chairs, benches, seats or fences.
Alternatively, clamp 110 may be detachable, allowing a ground spike 26 and pivotal prongs 28, such as those of the embodiment of FIG. 1B, to be removably placed on the lower end of lower rod 12, thus providing an adjustable sunshade which can be used in any environment and fixed to any suitable surface.
Adjustable sunshades 10 and 100 provide protection from ambient light and the elements and are portable, lightweight, easily transportable, and adjustable both in the horizontal and vertical directions. The height adjustment of telescoping rods 46, 146 and the articulation of adjustable flexible rods 18, 118 allows for full user control over the shading and protective positioning of shades 24, 124, and further allows the user to shade only certain parts of the user's body or the geography of the landscape. Further, the collapsible, fan-like nature of shades 24, 124 allows the entire assembly to be collapsed into a highly space-efficient and transportable state. Adjustable shades 24, 124 also allow for facial-specific coverage, which not only allows the user access to cooling breezes, but is further convenient for such activities such as reading while sunbathing, allowing the user to remove his or her sunglasses while offering protection for the user's eyes and further allowing the user to bathe his or her body in the sunlight. The adjustability and portability of the sunshade allows the user to selectively shade specific body parts, not just the face, thus providing user selectability in protection from the sun.
It is to be understood that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, but encompasses any and all embodiments within the scope of the following claims.

Claims

1. An adjustable sunshade, comprising:

an adjustable, telescoping rod having an upper rod and a lower rod, said lower rod terminating in a spike adapted for anchoring the telescoping rod in the ground in a substantially vertical position;

an flexible rod having first and second opposed ends, the first end of said flexible rod being attached to said upper rod, said flexible rod being adjustable laterally and vertically and having sufficient rigidity to maintain position after adjustment; and,

a flexible shade mounted on the second end of said flexible rod adapted for screening sunlight.

2. The adjustable sunshade as recited in claim 1, further comprising a retention member attached to the second end of said adjustable, flexible rod, said retention member securing and supporting said shade.

3. The adjustable sunshade as recited in claim 2, wherein said shade includes a plurality of spreader bars covered by a flexible cover member, said shade being collapsible.

4. The adjustable sunshade as recited in claim 3, further comprising securement means engaging said retention member and said plurality of spreader bars for securing said plurality of spreader bars to said retention member, said securement means being adjustable, allowing for the selective positioning of said plurality of spreader bars with respect to said retention member.

5. The adjustable sunshade as recited in claim 1, further comprising a pair of prongs pivotally secured to said lower rod, the prongs being adapted for engagement with the ground.

6. The adjustable sunshade as recited in claim 1, wherein said shade has indicia disposed thereon.

7. The adjustable sunshade as recited in claim 1, further comprising a hollow pouch, said adjustable telescoping rod, said adjustable flexible rod and said shade being received within said hollow pouch when said adjustable telescoping rod, said adjustable flexible rod and said shade are in a collapsed state.

8. The adjustable sunshade as recited in claim 1, wherein said adjustable flexible rod is a gooseneck.

9. The adjustable sunshade as recited in claim 8, wherein said flexible shade is selectively rotatable through 360° in both the vertical and horizontal directions.

10. An adjustable sunshade, comprising:

an adjustable telescoping rod having an upper rod and a lower rod;

means for adjustably and releasably clamping said adjustable telescoping rod to a support surface, said means being attached to said lower rod;

an adjustable flexible rod having first and second opposed ends, the first end of said adjustable flexible rod being attached to said upper rod, said flexible rod being adjustable laterally and vertically and having sufficient rigidity to maintain position after adjustment; and,

a flexible shade mounted on the second end of said adjustable flexible rod adapted for screening sunlight.

11. The adjustable sunshade as recited in claim 10, further comprising a retention member attached to the second end of said adjustable flexible rod, said retention member securing and supporting said shade.

12. The adjustable sunshade as recited in claim 11, wherein said shade includes a plurality of spreader bars covered by a flexible cover member, said shade being collapsible.

13. The adjustable sunshade as recited in claim 12, further comprising securement means engaging said retention member and said plurality of spreader bars for securing said plurality of spreader bars to said retention member, said securement means being adjustable, allowing for the selective positioning of said plurality of spreader bars with respect to said retention member.

14. The adjustable sunshade as recited in claim 10, wherein said shade has indicia disposed thereon.

15. The adjustable sunshade as recited in claim 10, wherein said flexible shade is selectively rotatable through 360° in both the horizontal and vertical directions.

16. The adjustable sunshade as recited in claim 10, further comprising a hollow pouch, said adjustable telescoping rod, said flexible rod, said clamping means, and said shade being received within said hollow pouch when said adjustable telescoping rod, said adjustable flexible rod, said clamping means, and said shade are in a collapsed state.

17. The adjustable sunshade as recited in claim 10, wherein said adjustable flexible rod is a gooseneck.