U.S. patent application number 11/306789 was filed with the patent office on 2006-09-07 for sunshade with radio device.
Invention is credited to Benson Tung.
Application Number | 20060196532 11/306789 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 46323601 |
Filed Date | 2006-09-07 |
United States Patent
Application |
20060196532 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Tung; Benson |
September 7, 2006 |
SUNSHADE WITH RADIO DEVICE
Abstract
A sunshade includes a post, a radio device mounted in a casing
on the post. The casing receives a reel for controlling opening and
closing of the sunshade. No additional space is required for the
radio device and operation of the sunshade is not adversely
affected.
Inventors: |
Tung; Benson; (Kaohsiung,
TW) |
Correspondence
Address: |
NIKOLAI & MERSEREAU, P.A.
900 SECOND AVENUE SOUTH
SUITE 820
MINNEAPOLIS
MN
55402
US
|
Family ID: |
46323601 |
Appl. No.: |
11/306789 |
Filed: |
January 11, 2006 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
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10663047 |
Sep 15, 2003 |
|
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11306789 |
Jan 11, 2006 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
135/16 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H04B 1/08 20130101; A45B
2200/1027 20130101; A45B 3/00 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
135/016 |
International
Class: |
A45B 3/00 20060101
A45B003/00 |
Claims
1. A sunshade comprising: a post; a casing mounted on the post, the
casing receiving a reel for controlling opening and closing of the
sunshade; and a radio device mounted in the casing, the radio
device being adapted to receive signals from a broadcaster.
2. The sunshade as claimed in claim 1, with the sunshade further
comprising means for supplying power to the radio device.
3. The sunshade as claimed in claim 2, with said means for
supplying power to the radio device being a solar energy
receiver.
4. The sunshade as claimed in claim 2, with said means for
supplying power to the radio device comprising a tubular member
releasably connected to a lower end of the post, a
battery-receiving member releasably received in the tubular member,
and a battery unit received in the battery-receiving member.
5. The sunshade as claimed in claim 1, with the casing comprising
two casing halves securely connected together and mounted around
the post.
6. The sunshade as claimed in claim 5, with the casing comprising a
circuit board and a loud speaker mounted therein, the loud speaker
being electrically connected to the circuit board, the casing
further comprising a control panel section and a control plate
mounted to the control panel section, a plurality of control
elements being mounted on the control panel and extending beyond
the control panel section for manual operation.
7. The sunshade as claimed in claim 6, with the control panel
section being a recessed section of the casing, with the sunshade
further comprising a lid mounted to the casing and slidable between
a first position in which the control panel section is hidden by
the lid and a second position in which the control panel section is
exposed for manual operation.
8. The sunshade as claimed in claim 7, with the post comprising a
slot through which the control panel extends.
9. The sunshade as claimed in claim 5, with each said casing half
comprising a groove in an upper end thereof, and with a washer
being mounted in the grooves of the casing halves for preventing
water from entering the casing.
10. The sunshade as claimed in claim 6, with the circuit board
further comprising a wire electrically connected to the post,
thereby forming an antenna for receiving the signals from the
broadcaster.
Description
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
[0001] This is a continuation-in-part application of U.S. patent
application Ser. No. 10/663,047 filed Sep. 15, 2003, now
abandoned.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] 1. Field of the Invention
[0003] The present invention relates to a sunshade with a radio
device.
[0004] 2. Description of the Related Art
[0005] A sunshade or umbrella shields people from sunlight and is
thus widely used in outdoor cafes and rest areas as well as on
beaches. U.S. Pat. No. 6,840,657 discloses a sunshade with an
illuminating device that has a solar energy receiver for receiving
solar energy and providing electricity to the bulbs attached to the
sunshade. U.S. Pat. No. 5,273,062 discloses an umbrella that
comprises a container connected to the runner, and a radio is
housed in the container. However, the container is exposed and thus
adversely affects the appearance of the umbrella. Further, the
container occupies a space and causes inconvenience to
opening/closing of the umbrella.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0006] An objective of the present invention is to provide a radio
in a casing for a reel on a post of a sunshade for increasing
utility of the sunshade without adversely affecting the appearance
and opening/closing of the sunshade.
[0007] A sunshade in accordance with the present invention
comprises a post, a casing mounted on the post, the casing
receiving a reel for controlling opening and closing of the
sunshade, and a radio device mounted in the casing, the radio
device being adapted to receive signals from a broadcaster.
[0008] Preferably, the sunshade further comprises means for
supplying power to the radio device.
[0009] The means for supplying power to the radio device may be a
solar energy receiver.
[0010] Alternatively, the means for supplying power to the radio
device comprises a tubular member releasably connected to a lower
end of the post, a battery-receiving member releasably received in
the tubular member, and a battery unit received in the
battery-receiving member.
[0011] Preferably, the casing comprises two casing halves securely
connected together and mounted around the post.
[0012] Preferably, the casing comprises a circuit board and a loud
speaker mounted therein. The loud speaker is electrically connected
to the circuit board. The casing further comprises a control panel
section and a control plate mounted to the control panel section. A
plurality of control elements are mounted on the control panel and
extend beyond the control panel section for manual operation.
[0013] Preferably, the control panel section is a recessed section
of the casing. The sunshade further comprises a lid mounted to the
casing and slidable between a first position in which the control
panel section is hidden by the lid and a second position in which
the control panel section is exposed for manual operation.
[0014] Preferably, the post comprises a slot through which the
control panel extends.
[0015] Preferably, each casing half comprises a groove in an upper
end thereof, and a washer is mounted in the grooves of the casing
halves for preventing water from entering the casing.
[0016] Preferably, the circuit board further comprises a wire
electrically connected to the post, thereby forming an antenna for
receiving the signals from the broadcaster.
[0017] Other objects, advantages, and novel features of the
invention will become more apparent from the following detailed
description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying
drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0018] FIG. 1 is a side view of a sunshade with a radio device in
accordance with the present invention.
[0019] FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of a portion of the
sunshade and the radio device in FIG. 1.
[0020] FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along plane 3-3 in FIG.
1.
[0021] FIG. 4 is a side view illustrating a modified embodiment of
a power device of the sunshade in accordance with the present
invention.
[0022] FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view illustrating the
modified embodiment of the power device in FIG. 4.
[0023] FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken along plane 6-6 in FIG.
4.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0024] Referring to FIG. 1, a radio device 2 in accordance with the
present invention is attached to a sunshade 1 that generally
comprises a post 13, a rib-mounting member 11 on top of the post
13, a plurality of ribs 14 each having an end pivotally connected
to the rib-mounting member 11, a runner 12 slidably mounted to the
post 13, a plurality of stretchers 15 each having a first end
pivotally connected to the runner 12 and a second end pivotally
connected to an intermediate portion of an associated one of the
ribs 14.
[0025] Still referring to FIG. 1 and further to FIGS. 2 through 4,
the radio device 2 in accordance with the present invention is
mounted in a casing 20 on the sunshade 1. The radio device 2
receives signals from a broadcaster (not shown) and a power device
3 is mounted on the sunshade for supplying power to the radio
device 2. The power device 3 in this embodiment is a solar energy
receiver for converting solar energy into electricity. Preferably,
the power device 3 comprises at least one solar cell for storing
electricity.
[0026] The casing 20 receives a reel 25 for controlling opening and
closing of the sunshade. The reel 25 includes a handle 24 and a
cable (not shown) for controlling opening/closing of the sunshade,
which is conventional. By mounting the radio device 2 in the casing
20 for receiving a reel 25 which is currently available, operation
of the sunshade is not adversely affected and additional space is
not required for the radio device 2.
[0027] In this example, the casing 20 includes two casing halves 21
that are coupled with each other and securely mounted around the
post 13. Each casing half 21 includes a groove 212 (preferably
semi-circular) in an upper end 211 thereof, with a washer 23 (FIG.
3) being received in the grooves 212 to provide a sealing effect.
Thus, water is prevented from entering the radio module 2 via an
outer periphery of the post 13.
[0028] The casing 20 further includes a recessed control panel
section 213. A lid 22 is mounted to the casing 20 and slidable
between a closed position in which the recessed control panel
section 213 is hidden by the lid 22 and an open position in which
the recessed control panel section 213 is exposed for manual
operation. A circuit board 214 and a loud speaker 215 are mounted
in one of the casing halves 21. Further, this casing half 21
includes two pegs 216 each having a screw hole (not labeled). A
control plate 217 is secured to the pegs 216 by fasteners (not
labeled) and includes a plurality of control elements such as
buttons and/or knobs 218 that extend beyond the recessed control
panel section 213 via holes 210 in the recessed control panel
section 213. The post 13 includes a slot 131 through which the
control plate 217 extends, best shown in FIG. 3. The loud speaker
215 and the control plate 217 are electrically connected by wires
219 to the circuit board 214. The circuit board 214 is electrically
connected by wires 219 to the post 13 so that the post 13 may act
as an antenna for receiving signals from a broadcaster. The buttons
and/or knobs 218 allow the user to control on/off, tuning in,
volume adjustment, etc. of the radio device 2.
[0029] FIGS. 4 through 6 illustrate a modified embodiment of the
power device (now designated by 4) for supplying electricity to the
radio device 2. In this embodiment, the post 13 includes a reduced
lower end 132 on which a spring-biased positioning button 133 is
mounted. The power module 4 includes a tubular member 42 having a
transverse positioning hole 421, a battery-receiving member 41
mounted in the tubular member 42, and a connecting member 43. The
connecting member 43 includes a conductive member 431 provided in a
central portion thereof for electrical connection with the circuit
board 214 by wires 219. An annular conductive member 432 is
provided on the connecting member 43 and spaced from the conductive
member 431. The annular conductive member 43 is also electrically
connected to the circuit board 214 by wires 219. The spring-biased
positioning button 133 extends through the transverse positioning
hole 421 of the tubular member 42, which will be described later.
The tubular member 42 has two protrusions 422 on an inner periphery
of a lower end thereof. The protrusions 422 are formed by punching
the tubular member 42.
[0030] The battery-receiving member 41 includes a compartment 410
for receiving a battery unit (several cells 412 in this example)
having a positive pole and a negative pole that are respectively
and electrically connected by wires 219 to two conductive pins 411,
which, in turn, are respectively in contact with the conductive
member 431 and the annular conductive member 432. Thus, the power
module 4 provides power to the radio module 2. A lower end of the
battery-receiving member 41 rests on the protrusions 422 of the
tubular member 42. When replacement of the battery unit 412 is
required, the spring-biased positioning button 133 is pressed and
disengaged from the transverse positioning hole 421 of the tubular
member 42, allowing the tubular member 42 to be disengaged from the
post 13. Next, the battery-receiving member 41 is removed for
subsequent replacement of the battery unit 412.
[0031] Although the invention has been explained in relation to its
preferred embodiments, it is to be understood that many other
possible modifications and variations can be made without departing
from the scope of the invention as hereinafter claimed.
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