U.S. patent application number 16/010778 was filed with the patent office on 2019-05-09 for retractable outdoor furniture cover.
The applicant listed for this patent is G. Thomas Ennis. Invention is credited to G. Thomas Ennis.
Application Number | 20190133336 16/010778 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 66328005 |
Filed Date | 2019-05-09 |
![](/patent/app/20190133336/US20190133336A1-20190509-D00000.png)
![](/patent/app/20190133336/US20190133336A1-20190509-D00001.png)
![](/patent/app/20190133336/US20190133336A1-20190509-D00002.png)
![](/patent/app/20190133336/US20190133336A1-20190509-D00003.png)
![](/patent/app/20190133336/US20190133336A1-20190509-D00004.png)
![](/patent/app/20190133336/US20190133336A1-20190509-D00005.png)
![](/patent/app/20190133336/US20190133336A1-20190509-D00006.png)
![](/patent/app/20190133336/US20190133336A1-20190509-D00007.png)
![](/patent/app/20190133336/US20190133336A1-20190509-D00008.png)
![](/patent/app/20190133336/US20190133336A1-20190509-D00009.png)
United States Patent
Application |
20190133336 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Ennis; G. Thomas |
May 9, 2019 |
RETRACTABLE OUTDOOR FURNITURE COVER
Abstract
Described is a retractable furniture cover. The cover is made of
a retractable material stored inside of a housing. The housing can
either be built into the furniture or have a mechanism for
attaching on. The cover can be extracted from the housing in order
to cover the furniture completely, or be extracted part way and
attached to a rigid, upright rod to form a shade structure for the
user.
Inventors: |
Ennis; G. Thomas;
(Inglewood, CA) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Ennis; G. Thomas |
Inglewood |
CA |
US |
|
|
Family ID: |
66328005 |
Appl. No.: |
16/010778 |
Filed: |
June 18, 2018 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
|
|
|
|
|
|
Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
62521195 |
Jun 16, 2017 |
|
|
|
Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A47C 31/11 20130101;
A47C 1/14 20130101; A47C 1/143 20130101; A47C 7/66 20130101 |
International
Class: |
A47C 31/11 20060101
A47C031/11; A47C 1/14 20060101 A47C001/14; A47C 7/66 20060101
A47C007/66 |
Claims
1. A retractable outdoor furniture cover, comprising: a housing;
and a retractable material attached with the housing that can be
selectively drawn from the housing or retracted into the
housing.
2. The retractable outdoor furniture cover as set forth in claim 1,
further comprising a piece of outdoor furniture, such that housing
is built into the piece of outdoor furniture, the piece of outdoor
furniture having a back, with the housing connected with the back
of the piece of outdoor furniture.
3. The retractable outdoor furniture cover as set forth in claim 2,
further comprising a shade support attached with the piece of
outdoor furniture, the shade support being pivotally connected with
the piece of outdoor furniture to transition between a first
position and a second position, such that when in the second
position, the shade support maintains the retractable material
upright in a sustained elevated position above a seating area of
the piece of outdoor such that a space exists between the piece of
outdoor furniture and the retractable material to accommodate a
user.
4. The retractable outdoor furniture cover as set forth in claim 3,
wherein the piece of outdoor furniture includes two front legs and
two rear legs, and further comprising a ball and socket wheel
attached with each of the rear legs.
5. The retractable outdoor furniture cover as set forth in claim 4,
further comprising a ball and socket wheel attached with each of
the front legs.
6. The retractable outdoor furniture cover as set forth in claim 5,
wherein the shade support is a u-shaped bar.
7. The retractable outdoor furniture cover as set forth in claim 6,
wherein the piece of outdoor furniture includes a top surface, with
a recess formed in the top surface to accommodate the shade support
when in a first position.
8. The retractable outdoor furniture cover as set forth in claim 1,
further comprising a shade support for attaching with a piece of
outdoor furniture, the shade support having a mechanism for
pivotally connecting with the piece of outdoor furniture to
transition between a first position and a second position, such
that when in the second position, the shade support maintains the
retractable material upright in a sustained elevated position above
a seating area of the piece of outdoor such that a space exists
between the piece of outdoor furniture and the retractable material
to accommodate a user.
9. The retractable outdoor furniture cover as set forth in claim 8,
wherein the shade support is a u-shaped bar.
10. The retractable outdoor furniture cover as set forth in claim
8, wherein the piece of outdoor furniture includes a top surface,
with a recess formed in the top surface to accommodate the shade
support when in a first position.
11. A piece of outdoor furniture, comprising: a backrest section; a
seating section; a housing attached with the back section; a
retractable material attached with the housing that can be
selectively drawn from the housing or retracted into the housing; a
shade support, the shade support being pivotally connected with the
piece of outdoor furniture to transition between a first position
and a second position, such that when in the second position, the
shade support maintains the retractable material upright in a
sustained elevated position above the seating section of the piece
of outdoor such that a space exists between the piece of outdoor
furniture and the retractable material to accommodate a user;
wherein the piece of outdoor furniture includes two front legs and
two rear legs; and a ball and socket wheel attached with each of
the rear legs.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] The present application is a non-provisional application of
U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/521,195, filed on Jun. 16,
2017, the entirety of which is incorporated herein by
reference.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
(1) Field of Invention
[0002] The present invention relates to furniture covers and, more
particularly, to a retractable outdoor furniture cover.
(2) Description of Related Art
[0003] Outdoor furniture used on patios and decks, for instance,
can often be susceptible to elements such as rain and sun when
exposed for extended periods of time. This exposure can cause wear
and damage over time, so furniture covers are often used during
periods of non-use. Furniture covers can be designed to fit a
variety of furniture types, such as couches and reclining chairs,
and can prevent the damage of sun and precipitation. However, these
furniture covers are often bulky and large. This makes them time
consuming to put on and hard to manage individually.
[0004] Thus, a continuing need exists for an outdoor furniture
cover that is easier to put on, thereby reducing the time it takes
to use.
SUMMARY OF INVENTION
[0005] The present invention relates to furniture cover and, more
specifically, a retractable outdoor furniture cover for protecting
outdoor furniture during periods of non-use. The retractable
furniture cover includes a housing and a retractable material
attached with the housing that can be selectively drawn from the
housing or retracted into the housing. In various aspects, the
housing is built into the piece of outdoor furniture, the piece of
outdoor furniture having a back, with the housing connected with
the back of the piece of outdoor furniture.
[0006] In other aspects, a shade support is attached with the piece
of outdoor furniture. The shade support is pivotally connected with
the piece of outdoor furniture to transition between a first
position and a second position, such that when in the second
position, the shade support maintains the retractable material
upright in a sustained elevated position above a seating area of
the piece of outdoor such that a space exists between the piece of
outdoor furniture and the retractable material to accommodate a
user.
[0007] In yet another aspect, the piece of outdoor furniture
includes two front legs and two rear legs, and further comprises a
ball and socket wheel attached with each of the rear legs. In
another aspect, the ball and socket wheels are attached with the
front legs as well, or any combination thereof.
[0008] In yet another aspect, the shade support is a u-shaped
bar.
[0009] Further and in another aspect, the piece of outdoor
furniture includes a top surface, with a recess formed in the top
surface to accommodate the shade support when in a first
position.
[0010] Finally, as can be appreciated by one in the art, the
present invention also comprises a method for forming and using the
invention described herein.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0011] The objects, features and advantages of the present
invention will be apparent from the following detailed descriptions
of the various aspects of the invention in conjunction with
reference to the following drawings, where:
[0012] FIG. 1A is an illustration of the retractable outdoor
furniture cover, in one possible form, while rolled into a housing
to attach to a piece of furniture;
[0013] FIG. 1B is a cross-sectional, side-view illustration taken
from a section as depicted in FIG. 1A;
[0014] FIG. 2 is a top-view illustration, depicting the retractable
outdoor furniture cover in a housing, and placement of the housing
with respect to a couch according to various embodiments;
[0015] FIG. 3 is a top-view illustration of the retractable outdoor
furniture cover in both an retracted and expanded position;
[0016] FIG. 4 is a top-view illustration of the retractable outdoor
furniture cover, depicting an aspect in which the retractable
outdoor furniture cover is attached with a reclining chair
according to various embodiments;
[0017] FIG. 5 is a top-view illustration of the retractable outdoor
furniture cover attached to a reclining chair, demonstrating the
retracted and expanded positions;
[0018] FIG. 6A is an elevated-view illustration of a secondary use
for the retractable outdoor furniture cover, depicting a shade
support in a first position;
[0019] FIG. 6B is an elevated-view illustration of the secondary
use for the retractable outdoor furniture cover, depicting the
shade support being moved into position and the cover being pulled
to engage with the shade support;
[0020] FIG. 6C is an elevated-view illustration of the secondary
use for the retractable outdoor furniture cover, depicting the
shade support in a second position, such that the cover is secured
with the shade support to form a temporary shade structure; and
[0021] FIG. 7 is an elevated-view illustration of the retractable
outdoor furniture cover in the expanded position, while securing to
the end of the chair to provide full coverage of the furniture, and
showing the wheels attached to the legs.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0022] The present invention relates to furniture covers and, more
particularly, to a retractable outdoor furniture cover. The
following description is presented to enable one of ordinary skill
in the art to make and use the invention and to incorporate it in
the context of particular applications. Various modifications, as
well as a variety of uses in different applications will be readily
apparent to those skilled in the art, and the general principles
defined herein may be applied to a wide range of embodiments. Thus,
the present invention is not intended to be limited to the
embodiments presented, but is to be accorded the widest scope
consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed
herein.
[0023] In the following detailed description, numerous specific
details are set forth in order to provide a more thorough
understanding of the present invention. However, it will be
apparent to one skilled in the art that the present invention may
be practiced without necessarily being limited to these specific
details. In other instances, well-known structures and devices are
shown in block diagram form, rather than in detail, in order to
avoid obscuring the present invention.
[0024] The reader's attention is directed to all papers and
documents which are filed concurrently with this specification and
which are open to public inspection with this specification, and
the contents of all such papers and documents are incorporated
herein by reference. All the features disclosed in this
specification, (including any accompanying claims, abstract, and
drawings) may be replaced by alternative features serving the same,
equivalent or similar purpose, unless expressly stated otherwise.
Thus, unless expressly stated otherwise, each feature disclosed is
only one example of a generic series of equivalent or similar
features.
[0025] Furthermore, any element in a claim that does not explicitly
state "means for" performing a specified function, or "step for"
performing a specific function, is not to be interpreted as a
"means" or "step" clause as specified in 35 U.S.C. Section 12,
Paragraph 6. In particular, the use of "step of" or "act of" in the
claims herein is not intended to invoke the provisions of 35 U.S.C.
112, Paragraph 6.
[0026] Please note, if used, the labels left, right, front, back,
top, bottom, forward, reverse, clockwise and counter clockwise have
been used for convenience purposes only and are not intended to
imply any particular fixed direction. Instead, they are used to
reflect relative locations and/or directions between various
portions of an object.
[0027] (1) Description
[0028] The present invention relates to furniture covers and, more
particularly, to a retractable outdoor furniture cover. The outdoor
furniture cover is used to allow a user to easily draw out the
retractable cover and cover any desired outdoor patio furniture. As
a non-limiting example and as depicted in FIG. 1A, the outdoor
furniture cover 100 is composed of a retractable material 102 (such
as a spring actuated vinyl roller shade as is commonly used for
window coverings) which can be attached with a housing 104 or other
component (such as wound around a rod, etc.) for affixing with
patio furniture. A non-limiting example of such a retractable
material 102 is the Levolor.RTM. roller shade, produced by Levolor,
Inc., located at 3 Glenlake Parkway NE, 10th Floor Atlanta, Ga.
30328.
[0029] The housing 104 or component can be built into the patio
furniture or separately formed and attached with patio furniture
using any suitable mechanism or device 106, such as clips, screws,
etc. In various embodiments, the outdoor furniture cover 100 can
include a handle 108 attached to the end of the retractable
material 102 for ease of pulling the retractable material 102 out
of the housing 104. The drawings submitted herewith provide a few
non-limiting examples of a retractable outdoor furniture cover 100.
Importantly, the retractable outdoor furniture cover 100 is any
suitable mechanism or device that allows the retractable material
102 (e.g., sunshade, plastic, tarp, canvas, etc.) to retract or be
selectively drawn from the housing 104 to cover the outdoor
furniture.
[0030] For further understanding, FIG. 1B provides a
cross-sectional side-view illustration of the retractable outdoor
furniture cover 100, depicting the retractable material 102 as
rolled up within the housing 104.
[0031] The retractable cover 100, as described above, can be
designed for use on any type of outdoor furniture. As a
non-limiting example and as shown in FIG. 2, the cover housing 104
can be used on a couch 200. The housing 104 can be attached or
built-in to the back face of the couch 200 (or any other
furniture), in order to have full range of coverage when extended.
As shown in FIG. 3, once attached, the retractable material 102 can
be pulled out of the housing 104 to cover the couch 200 completely.
To assist the retractable material 102 from withdrawing back into
the housing, Velcro or some other suitable fastener or mechanism
can be attached with retractable material 102 and/or furniture to
affix the retractable material 102 in the expanded position. As a
non-limiting example, the furniture (e.g., couch 200) can include a
tab or clip 202, allowing the handle 108 to easily wrap around and
become affixed with the clip 202. Thus, as depicted, when the
retractable material 102 is withdraw and the handle 108 is wrapped
around the clip 202, the retractable material 102 remains affixed
in the expanded position.
[0032] As noted above, the retractable outdoor furniture cover 100
can be implemented in any suitable outdoor furniture. As another
non-limiting example, the retractable outdoor furniture cover 100
can be used on an outdoor reclining chair as well. Shown in FIG. 4,
the cover housing 104 can be attached or built-in to the back of
the chair 400. Similar to the process described above, depicted in
FIG. 5, the retractable material 102 can be pulled out of the
housing 104 to cover the full length of the reclining chair.
[0033] In some aspects and as depicted in FIGS. 6A through 6C, the
outdoor furniture (e.g., chair 400) and retractable cover 100 can
be also be formed to include a shade support 600 that allows the
retractable material 102 to also operate as a sunshade. As shown in
FIGS. 6A through 6C, the shade support 600 is any suitable
mechanism or device that is operable for maintaining the
retractable material 102 in an elevated positioned above a seating
area 602 of the chair 400 such that a space exists between the
chair 400 and retractable material 102 to accommodate a user. In
this aspect, the retractable material 102 then operates as a
sunshade to provide partial shade to a user sitting on the chair
400. As a non-limiting example, the shade support 600 can be a
u-shaped bar that is pivotally attachable with a mechanism 604 with
the chair 400. In this aspect, the shade support 600 can be rotated
upwards (or in the desired direction depending on the particular
shade support 600 shape or configuration) into a desirable position
to engage with the cover 100 and protect the user from the sun. The
cover 100 can be formed to include any suitable attachment
mechanism 606 (e.g., hook and loop fasteners, etc.) that allows a
user to easily attach the retractable material 102 with the end of
the shade support 600. For example and as shown in FIGS. 6B and 6C,
when the shade support 600 is positioned next to the retractable
material 102, the attachment mechanism 606 can simply wrap around
the shade support 600 to affix with the retractable material 102
and maintain the retractable material 102 in the desired position
and maintain the shade support 600 in the second or use position.
In some aspects, to prevent the shade support 600 from simply
dropping down toward the chair 400, the mechanism 604 that allows
for rotation of the shade support 600 can be sticky or otherwise
strong enough (i.e., resistant to rotation when not forcibly
rotating the shade support 600) to simply maintain the shade
support 600 in the desired position. In other aspects, the
mechanism 604 can be a pivoting hinge with periodic detents to
selectively stop the rotation of the shade support 600 in the
desired position.
[0034] As yet another non-limiting example and only as shown in
FIG. 6C for illustrative purposes, a stop bar 608 can be pivotally
connected with the shade support 600, with a corresponding
receptacle 610 formed on the chair 400 or otherwise attached with
the chair 400 to receive the stop bar 608. Thus, in this
non-limiting example, a user would lift the shade support 600 and
then pivot the stop bar 608 and nest the stop bar 608 into the
receptacle 610 to fix the shade support 600 in the elevated
position.
[0035] In some aspects and as shown in FIGS. 6A and 7, the chair
400 can be formed to include a recess 612 to accommodate the shade
support 600 when in the rest or first position. For example, a
channel can be formed in a top surface of the chair to receive the
shade support 600 when positioned upon the chair 400. As yet
another example, the top surface of the chair 400 can be formed of
slats, with the slats spaced such that a recess exists between the
slats to receive the shade support 600.
[0036] In various aspects, when the sunshade is not in use, the
cover 100 can be rolled back into the housing (as shown in FIG. 6A)
or rolled out to cover the reclining chair 400 (as shown in FIG.
7). In such a case, the shade support 600 can rotate down to rest
on chair 400, as seen in FIG. 7, or on the side of the chair 400 or
any other location depending on the actual shape and configuration
of the shade support 600. When the retractable material 102 is in
the expanded position, as shown in FIG. 7, the retractable material
102 can be affixed with the chair 400 using any suitable mechanism
or device. As a non-limiting example, the same the attachment
mechanism 606 that was used to attach with the shade support 600
can also be used to affix the retractable material 102 with the
chair 100. For example, hook and loop fasteners (or snaps, etc.)
can be used to affix the retractable material 102 with the end of
the chair 400 to cover the surface of the chair 400 and protect the
chair 400 for weather elements. It should be noted the cover 100
and shade support 600 described herein can be formed and sold with
any suitable outdoor furniture, or separately sold as a kit that
can be affixed with a pre-existing outdoor furniture piece using
the necessary hardware as can be appreciated by those skilled in
the art.
[0037] It shall also be noted that the furniture with the
retractable cover 100 can also have wheels attached. As seen in
FIG. 6, the wheels 702 are any suitable mechanism or device that
allows a user to selectively roll the chair 400 to the desired
location. The wheels 702 can be attached with two or any desired
numbered of legs 704 of the chair 400. In one aspect, the rear two
legs 704 have wheels 704, while the front two legs do not, allowing
the user to lift the front of the chair 400 to roll the chair 400
to the desired location. However, desirably and in yet another
aspect, all of the legs 704 have wheels 702. When weight by the
user is put upon the chair 400, the weight helps to lock the wheels
702 to prevent further rolling.
[0038] In various aspects, the wheels 704 are configured as a
rolling mechanism inside of a housing (e.g. ball and socket
wheels). As a non-limiting example, the wheels are bearings housed
in a flange, such as the Hudson Bearing LPBT-1 Series, produced by
Hudson Bearings, LLC, located at 7060 Huntley Rd, Columbus, Ohio
43229.
[0039] Finally, while this invention has been described in terms of
several embodiments, one of ordinary skill in the art will readily
recognize that the invention may have other applications in other
environments. It should be noted that many embodiments and
implementations are possible. Further, the following claims are in
no way intended to limit the scope of the present invention to the
specific embodiments described above. In addition, any recitation
of "means for" is intended to evoke a means-plus-function reading
of an element and a claim, whereas, any elements that do not
specifically use the recitation "means for", are not intended to be
read as means-plus-function elements, even if the claim otherwise
includes the word "means". Further, while particular method steps
have been recited in a particular order, the method steps may occur
in any desired order and fall within the scope of the present
invention.
* * * * *