Granted Patent B2

US 12,268,316 · App. 18/104,846 · Granted Apr 8, 2025

Inventor: Tom Lavin (Minneapolis, MN)

A47G33/12E04H12/22A45B2023/0012A47G33/1213E04H12/2238

Abstract

Claims (26)

1. An umbrella stand assembly for gripping or releasing an umbrella, said assembly comprising:

a base being positionable on a support surface, said base having an opening for insertably receiving a pole of an umbrella, said base being weighted for enhancing stability of said base when said pole of said umbrella is inserted into said opening;

a gripping unit being movably integrated into said base, said gripping unit being aligned with said opening, said gripping unit being biased into a gripping position having said gripping unit engaging said pole of said umbrella for retaining said pole in said base, said gripping unit being urgeable into a releasing position having said gripping unit being disengaged from said pole thereby facilitating said pole to be removed from said base; and

a foot pedal being movably attached to said gripping unit wherein said foot pedal is configured to be stepped upon by a user, said foot pedal urging said gripping unit into said releasing position when said foot pedal is urged downwardly wherein said foot pedal is configured to facilitate said gripping unit to be disengaged from said pole without requiring the user to bend over to manipulate said gripping unit;

wherein said base has a bottom wall, a top wall and an outer wall extending between said top wall and said bottom wall, said outer wall sloping outwardly between said top wall and said bottom wall having said outer wall being continuously arcuate about a central axis of said base such that said base has a frusto-conical shape, said base being substantially hollow, said opening extending through said top wall into an interior of said base, said opening being centrally positioned on said top wall, said opening having a bounding edge;

wherein said outer wall has a slot extending from said top wall toward said bottom wall, said slot intersecting said bounding edge of said opening;

wherein said base having a plurality of first pivot points each extending upwardly from said bottom wall, said plurality of first pivot points being arranged to form a circle being aligned with said opening in said top wall;

wherein said base having a second pivot point extending away from said outer wall such that said second pivot point is positioned inside said base, said second pivot point being aligned with an intersection between said outer wall and said top wall; and

wherein said assembly includes a stem extending upwardly from said bottom wall of said base such that said stem is positioned inside said base, said stem being aligned with said opening in said top wall of said base.

2. The assembly according to claim 1 , wherein said gripping unit comprises a disk having an aperture extending through a top surface and a bottom surface of said disk, said aperture being centrally located on said disk, said stem extending through said aperture, said disk having a pair of receivers each extending upwardly from said top surface, each of said receivers being aligned with a perimeter edge of said disk, each of said receivers having a pin slot.

3. The assembly according to claim 2 , wherein said foot pedal comprises a pedal member being perpendicularly oriented with a central member of a yoke having a pair of outward members of said yoke extending away from said pedal member, said yoke having a pair of pins each extending laterally away from a respective one of said outward members, each of said pins extending through said pin slot in a respective one of said receivers on said disk thereby pivotally attaching said yoke to said disk.

4. The assembly according to claim 3 , wherein said pedal member extends through said slot in said outer wall of said base, said foot pedal having a plate being attached to a distal end of said pedal member wherein said plate is configured to be stepped upon, said pedal member being pivotally attached to second pivot point on said outer wall of said base.

5. The assembly according to claim 3 , wherein said disk is positioned adjacent to a bend in each of said plurality of arms when said plurality of arms is biased toward each other, said disk being lifted upwardly on said stem thereby facilitating said disk to urge said second section of each of said plurality of arms away from each other when said pedal member is urged downwardly thereby urging said plurality of arms away from each other to facilitate said pole to be removed from said base.

6. The assembly according to claim 1 , wherein said gripping unit includes a plurality of arms, each of said arms having a first end and a second end, each of said arms having a bend being positioned closer to said first end than said second end to define a first section of said arms forming an angle with a second section of said arms, said first section being associated with said first end, said second section being associated with said second end, said first end of each of said arms being pivotally coupled to a respective one of a plurality of first pivot points on said bottom wall of said base having said second section of each of said arms being directed toward each other, said second section of each of said arms extends upwardly through said opening in said top wall of said base, said second section of each of said plurality of arms abutting said perimeter edge of said disk.

7. The assembly according to claim 6 , wherein each of said arms has a knob extending away from said first section, said knob on each of said arms being positioned adjacent to said bend, said knob on each of said arms being directed toward said bottom wall of said base.

8. The assembly according to claim 6 , wherein said gripping unit includes a plurality of panels, each of said plurality of panels having a first surface being bonded to said second section of a respective one of said arms, each of said plurality of panels being positioned adjacent to said second end of said respective arm, each of said plurality of panels being curved such that each of said plurality of panels forms a half-pipe shape curving away from said respective arm.

9. The assembly according to claim 8 , wherein said gripping unit includes a plurality of biasing members, each of said biasing members extending between said first section of a respective one of said plurality of arms and said bottom wall of said base, said plurality of biasing members biasing said second section of said plurality of arms toward each other such that each of said plurality of panels compresses against said pole of said umbrella.

10. An umbrella stand assembly for gripping or releasing an umbrella, said assembly comprising:

a base being positionable on a support surface, said base having an opening for insertably receiving a pole of an umbrella, said base being weighted for enhancing stability of said base when said pole of said umbrella is inserted into said opening, said base having a bottom wall, a top wall and an outer wall extending between said top wall and said bottom wall, said outer wall sloping outwardly between said top wall and said bottom wall having said outer wall being continuously arcuate about a central axis of said base such that said base has a frusto-conical shape, said base being substantially hollow, said opening extending through said top wall into an interior of said base, said opening being centrally positioned on said top wall, said opening having a bounding edge, said outer wall having a slot extending from said top wall toward said bottom wall, said slot intersecting said bounding edge of said opening, said base having a plurality of first pivot points each extending upwardly from said bottom wall, said plurality of first pivot points being arranged to form a circle being aligned with said opening in said top wall, said base having a second pivot point extending away from said outer wall such that said second pivot point is positioned inside said base, said second pivot point being aligned with an intersection between said outer wall and said top wall;

a stem extending upwardly from said bottom wall of said base such that said stem is positioned inside said base, said stem being aligned with said opening in said top wall of said base;

a gripping unit being movably integrated into said base, said gripping unit being aligned with said opening, said gripping unit being biased into a gripping position having said gripping unit engaging said pole of said umbrella for retaining said pole in said base, said gripping unit being urgeable into a releasing position having said gripping unit being disengaged from said pole thereby facilitating said pole to be removed from said base, said gripping unit comprising:

a disk having an aperture extending through a top surface and a bottom surface of said disk, said aperture being centrally located on said disk, said stem extending through said aperture, said disk having a pair of receivers each extending upwardly from said top surface, each of said receivers being aligned with a perimeter edge of said disk, each of said receivers having a pin slot;

a plurality of arms, each of said arms having a first end and a second end, each of said arms having a bend being positioned closer to said first end than said second end to define a first section of said arms forming an angle with a second section of said arms, said first section being associated with said first end, said second section being associated with said second end, said first end of each of said arms being pivotally coupled to a respective one of a plurality of first pivot points on said bottom wall of said base having said second section of each of said arms being directed toward each other, said second section of each of said arms extending upwardly through said opening in said top wall of said base, each of said arms having a knob extending away from said first section, said knob on each of said arms being positioned adjacent to said bend, said knob on each of said arms being directed toward said bottom wall of said base;

a plurality of panels, each of said plurality of panels having a first surface being bonded to said second section of a respective one of said arms, each of said plurality of panels being positioned adjacent to said second end of said respective arm, each of said plurality of panels being curved such that each of said plurality of panels forms a half-pipe shape curving away from said respective arm; and

a plurality of biasing members, each of said biasing members extending between said first section of a respective one of said plurality of arms and said bottom wall of said base, each of said biasing members being positioned around said knob on said first section of said respective arm, said plurality of biasing members biasing said second section of said plurality of arms toward each other such that each of said plurality of panels compresses against said pole of said umbrella, said second section of each of said plurality of arms abutting said perimeter edge of said disk; and

a foot pedal being movably attached to said gripping unit wherein said foot pedal is configured to be stepped upon by a user, said foot pedal urging said gripping unit into said releasing position when said foot pedal is urged downwardly wherein said foot pedal is configured to facilitate said gripping unit to be disengaged from said pole without requiring the user to bend over to manipulate said gripping unit, said foot pedal comprising a pedal member being perpendicularly oriented with a central member of a yoke having a pair of outward members of said yoke extending away from said pedal member, said yoke having a pair of pins each extending laterally away from a respective one of said outward members, each of said pins extending through said pin slot in a respective one of said receivers on said disk thereby pivotally attaching said yoke to said disk, said pedal member extending through said slot in said outer wall of said base, said foot pedal having a plate being attached to a distal end of said pedal member wherein said plate is configured to be stepped upon, said pedal member being pivotally attached to second pivot point on said outer wall of said base, said disk being positioned adjacent to said bend in each of said plurality of arms when said plurality of arms is biased toward each other, said disk being lifted upwardly on said stem thereby facilitating said disk to urge said second section of each of said plurality of arms away from each other when said pedal member is urged downwardly thereby urging said plurality of arms away from each other to facilitate said pole to be removed from said base.

Continuity (1)

References Cited (17)