US2559421A - Umbrella for use on boats - Google Patents

Description

y 3, 1951 J. M. GARRETT K 2,559,421

UMBRELLA FOR USE ON BOATS Filed June 15, 1949 In ventot Jesse M. Gamer! Patented July 3, 1951 UNITED STATES -PATENT OFFICE UMBRELLA FOR USE ON BOATS Jesse M. Garrett, Longview, Tex.

Application June 15, 1949, Serial No. 99,327

The present invention relates to sturdy and relatively large umbrellas sufiicient in size to shield a plurality of persons, and has more particular reference to a novel clamp and staff construction for such an umbrella which will allow the umbrella to be conveniently erected on fishing skilfs and boats and employed for protection against sun and rain but used, primarily, as a sail for propelling said boat.

It is now common knowledge that umbrellas in the category under consideration have been used in the above capacities and that it is popular practice on fishing crafts used on lakes to rely on an umbrella as a sail while trolling. The difficulty has been that unless a wide range of adjustments be available, the umbrella, when open, of course, cannot be satisfactorily employed to gain best propulsion results. Confronted with this problem, I have now worked out a simple, practical and efficient structure which has to do primarily with the staff construction and find that my special adaptations make it feasible, indeed, to employ an umbrella, customarily used for protection against rain and sun, as an effective sail.

Briefly, novelty is predicated upon an umbrella of suitable size and strength for intended purposes and a strong sectional staff, said staff being made up of several units combining their functions and utilities in providing a series of individual and collective adjustments susceptible of attaining the wanted ends with requisite nicety and reliability.

One phase of novelty has to do with a staff construction having a clamp at one end, an umbrella at the opposite end, and a plurality of interconnected and intervening complemental units or sections, the latter being arranged to provide at least two joints with the parts working on horizontal axes, and ajoint between the staff and clamp which swivels on a vertical axis, whereby the parts, all working together, permits the umbrella to be tilted at an advantageous angle in respect to the wind and swivelled about, as the wind changes, the results being attainable conveniently by the duly appointed occupant of the boat.

, Other objects and advantages will become more readily apparent from the following description and the accompanying illustrative drawings.

In the accompanying sheet of drawings, wherein like numerals are employed to designate like parts throughout the views:

Figure 1 is a view primarily in elevation but partly in section, showing an umbrella and complements constructed in accordance with the in- 1 Claim. (Cl. 248-38) vention and showing the clamp attached to a seat I on a boat or the like (not shown) Figure 2 is also an elevational view with the structure removed from the boat seat and observing same by looking at Figure 1 in a direction from right to left;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional and elevational view on the line 33 of Figure 1; looking in the direction of the arrows; and

Figure 4 is a similar enlarged fragmentary sectional and elevational view on the line 44 of Figure 2, looking in the direction of the arrows.

It may be pointed out, by way of introduction to the detailed description, that the clamping means, the unit which I identify generally by the numeral 1, may be attached as shown to a boat seat board 8 or may be, of course, attached to the side or gunwale of the boat.

Referring now to the drawings by distinguishing reference numerals, we will start with the stated clamp 'l which comprises upper and lower jaws 9 and I0 and a body portion II, which body portion is shown provided with a tapered bore or passage l2 into which the screw-threaded shank of a set screw l3 projects. The lower jaw I0 is also provided with a set screw [4, here shown engaged with the bottom of the seat board 8.

The first unit of what may be referred to as a triple section staff for the umbrella I5 is shown mounted wholly on the clamp. This unit or section, identified at I6, comprises a stub member l1 having a reduced tapered spindle portion l8 which is swivelly mounted in the correspondingly tapered bore [2. the spindle is threaded to accommodate a knurled finger-adjusted clamping nut I9. With the nut l9 and set screw l3, it is possible to quickly and effectively adjust the unit IS in relation to the clamping unit 1. Unit [6 also includes a circular centrally apertured head member 20 having a toothed surface. This headed member is opposed to a complemental headed disk or member 2| which is also toothed and the coacting teeth of the respective heads are denoted generally at 22. These members 20 and 2| provide an adjustable positive clamp type joint which constitutes what may be called the lower joint 23. A tapered bolt 24 with a knurled grip 25 serves to effectively bind and clamp the heads 20 and 2| together to perfect a reliable joint. The head 2| is carried by a vertically disposable tube 26 constituting the intermediate section of the umbrella staff. The upper end of tube 26 is longitudinally slitted, tapered and screw-threaded to provide gripping jaws 21 and these are sur- The lower protruding end of rounded by a screw-threaded collet 28 which is suitably knurled and provided with a set screw 29 to engage the jaws 21. The features 21 and 28 provide a clamping collet for the lower telescoping and adjustable end portion of the tubular member 30. This adaptation wherein 30 is suitably chucked in the tube 26 allows for lengthening the overall dimension of the staff. The upper end of tube 30 is welded at 3| (see Fig. 3) to a disk-like jointing head 32 forming a complemental part of the upper joint 33. The remaining part of the joint is a complemental head 34 with the faces of the heads 32 and 34 having gear teeth 35 securely joining the'heads together. A bolt 36 is threaded into the central screw-threaded hole in the head 32 and said bolt has a tapered or conical shank 37 which is wedged into a conical bore in the head 34. The screw or bolt, as it may be called, is provided with a knurled adjusting grip 38. The uppermost staff section 39' iswelded at 40- to the head 34 and is connected at its upper end in any suitable manner with the collapsible umbrella I5.

I know of no sturdily built umbrella for both protection against sun and rain which may be adequately used as a fishing boat sail while trolling on lakes and the like which has a staff and clamp arrangement constructed as herein shown and described. Novelty is predicated upon the clamp unit 1- to which the lower unit or section [6 of the. staff is swivelly connected. Novelty is also predicated upon the clamp 'l' with a swivelly mounted unit It forming an essential part ofja hinge joint 23 which connects the intermediate section 26 of an umbrella shaft to a clamp. Thus, the clamp is detachable, unit l6 may be swivelled, and the hinge joint 23 may be adjusted to angle the section 26 in relation to the, clamp or boat as the case may be. Novelty is predicated upon the second or upper clamp 33 which is telescopically connected by way of the tubular member 39 with the intermediate staff section 26' and which clamp forms an essential part, of the uppermost staff member 39 which carries the. umbrella proper. So, we have a staff which is primarily made up of sections 26' and 39 connected by a hinge joint wherein the two seotions are regulatable on a horizontal axis, permitting the section 26 to be angled at a 45 pitch in relation to the boat and the other section to be angled in. a somewhat opposite direction to cant or tilt the umbrella over the boat. With thetwo sections thus in somewhat V-shaped relationship, the entire umbrella and shaft may be. swivelled on the vertical axis provided between the spindle l.8' turning in the bore 12 of the clamp 1. The tapered bolts which assemble the heads of the respective joints 23. and 33. serve to securely bindthe respective clamping heads together and make, the adjustment of parts easy on, the fingers.

Although, the invention has. been described primarily for use on fishing boats, it is obvious that. it may be used in other fields of endeavor. That is to say, it may well be used as protection against rain, snow, sleet. and wind on tractors, plows, automobiles, chairs, benches, tables, wagons, bathing beaches and so on, thus to serve the needs of welders, drivers, drilling attendants, bathers, and so on and so forth.

In View of the foregoing description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, it is believed that a clear understanding of the device will be quite apparent to those skilled in this art. A more detailed description is accordingly deemed unnecessary.

It is to be understood, however, that even though there'is herein shown and described a preferred embodiment of the invention, the same is susceptible to certain changes fully comprehended by the. spirit of the invention as herein described and within the scope of the appended claim.

Having described the claimed as new is:

A convertible boat type umbrella support comprising a clamp for attachment to a fixed support, said clamp having a tapered open-ended vertical bore, an adapter unit, embodying a vertical stub member having a shoulder and a reduced tapered spindle below said shoulder, said spindle being swivelled in said bore and. having a screw-threaded lower end portion passing through and beyond said bore and provided with. a thumb nut adapted to clamp either loosely or tightly against said clamp, a set-screw carried by said clamp and releasably engageable. with said spindle, said shoulder resting rotatably on said clamp, a jointing and hinging head carried by the upper end of said stub member, an elongated staff section provided on its lower end. with a complemental jointing and hinging head opposed to said first-named head, an assembling and binding bolt piercing said heads and providing a. combination clamp and hinging joint, a third hinging and jointing head detachably, rotatably and extensibly mounted on the upper end of said staff section, a, second stafi section adapted to carry an umbrella canopy on its upper end, a, fourth hinging and jointing head mounted on the lower end of said second staff section and opposed, to said third-named head, and an assembling, clamping and hinging bolt. passing through said thirdand fourth-named heads, said bolts being parallel to invention, what is each other, and at. right angles. to said spindle and" the detachable, rotatable and extensible mounting between the third. head and first staff. section embodying a chuck carried by the upper end ofsaid. latter section- JESSE M. GARRETT.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 565,001 Horton Aug. 4, 1896 840,241 Nootbaar Jan. 1, 1907 1,143,990 Oelkers June 22, 1915 2,497,642 Wagner Feb. 14', 1950 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 11,555 Great Britain May 15, 1912

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