The luminous umbrella of the present invention uses a high proportion of the light generated by mounting the light bulb high on the shaft such that most of the light from the light bulb is projected on the undersurface of the umbrella canopy The undersurface has a high luminous reflectance and is curved, consequently focusing the light from the light bulb down to illuminate a space immediately around the user. This luminous space widens towards the bottom, thereby providing the widest illumination at the ground where it is most needed. As a result of the light being efficiently focussed, the required luminosity of the light bulb is reduced, enabling the umbrella to be powered using an incandescent light bulb and a few 1.5 volt batteries. Alternatively, if it is desired to provide extremely bright illumination, the conventional incandescent bulb may be replaced with a halogen bulb. The batteries still suffice to provide bright illumination by the halogen bulb.
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1. A luminous umbrella for illuminating a luminous space proximate to the luminous umbrella, comprising
(a) a shaft; (b) a collapsible canopy mounted on a distal end of the shaft for sheltering the user, the collapsible canopy having, when open, (i) a concave undersurface, the concave undersurface being substantially constituted by a highly reflective portion, (ii) a central crest adjacent to the shaft and extending substantially radially from the shaft, (iii) a curved margin extending from the crest to a peripheral radial distance from the shaft, and (iv) a waterproof over-layer contiguous to the highly reflective undersurface, the waterproof over-layer including an opaque portion contiguous to the highly reflective portion of the undersurface for enhancing reflection from the highly reflective undersurface the collapsible canopy defining, when open, a concavity underneath the collapsible canopy and generally symmetrical about the shaft; (c) a handle mounted on the proximal end of the shaft; (d) a low-power light source (i) facing the undersurface of the collapsible canopy light source, and (ii) mounted on the shaft between the crest and the handle, such that much of the light from the light source is directed at the undersurface of the collapsible canopy; (e) a replenishable power source associated with the light source and contained within the shaft for powering the light source without requiring connection to an external power source; and (f) a light actuator on the handle for turning the light source on and off, the light actuator being operable by a hand holding onto the handle.
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(a) a red-light source for improving the visibility of the user and the ground in the luminous space while minimizing impairment of night vision; and (b) a white-light source suitable for greatly improving the visibility of the user and the ground in the luminous space.
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The invention relates generally to umbrellas and more particularly to an energy-efficient luminous umbrella.
When it is raining, visibility is generally reduced, making it possible that people in the rain will fail to see obstructions such as puddles or curbs. This, in turn, increases the likelihood of accidental soakings, or falls and possible injury.
While prior luminous umbrellas have been devised, such luminous umbrellas are not suitable for providing illumination to a mobile user while it is raining. For example, U. S. Pat. No. 2,087,537 (Finkel) discloses a garden umbrella having a light source that projects light upwardly. Some of the light projected upwardly is reflected by a disc mounted above the light. The light source receives electricity from an outlet via an extension cord; the umbrella is intended to be stationary during use.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,275,815 (Petroff ) discloses an umbrella in which a light is mounted in the end of a handle. The handle light projects light in a generally upward directions, some of the light being directed to the undersurface of the umbrella canopy. The fabric of the umbrella canopy is reflective with respect to some light and transparent with respect to other light so that both top and bottom surfaces of the umbrella canopy are luminous. While some of the light from the handle light may provide useful illumination, most of the light is projected off into the distance where it is dissipated in the darkness and does not provide useful illumination to the user.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,313,929 (Schiavone) discloses a luminous umbrella having a tubular source of light contained within the uppermost part of the umbrella shaft, adjacent to the umbrella canopying. The tubular source of light projects light outwardly in both an upwards and downwards direction. Some of the light that is projected upwardly shines through the umbrella canopy causing the fabric to take on a subdued glow. Optionally, the umbrella canopy may be made partially reflective by applying a reflectorized coating, such as a paint containing dispersed aluminum particles. The Schiavone umbrella is stationary, requiring electricity from an outlet to provide power for the light.
None of the foregoing umbrellas is suitable for providing illumination that enables mobile users to view their immediate surroundings while carrying the umbrella unfurled. In particular, the Finkel umbrella and Schiavone umbrella are intended to be stationary, and require an outlet to power their respective lights. While the Petroff umbrella is portable, it may not provide sufficient illumination to enable users to view their immediate surroundings as most of the light is lost as it is projected off into the distance or shines through the umbrella canopy.
Thus, a luminous umbrella that is portable and provides illumination to enable users to view their immediate surroundings, is desirable.
An object of one aspect of the present invention is to provide an improved luminous umbrella that concentrates illumination from the light close to the user.
In accordance with an aspect of the invention there is provided a luminous umbrella for illuminating a luminous space proximate to the luminous umbrella. The umbrella includes a shaft, and a collapsible canopy for sheltering the user mounted on a distal end of the shaft. The collapsible canopy has a concave undersurface with a high luminous reflectance. The concave undersurface is defined by the collapsible canopy having a central crest adjacent to the shaft and extending substantially radially from the shaft, and a curved margin extending from the crest to a peripheral radial distance from the shaft, to define a concavity underneath the collapsible canopy and generally symmetrical about the shaft. The umbrella also includes a handle mounted on the proximal end of the shaft, a low-power light source, a replenishable power source associated with the light source, and a light actuator on the handle for turning the light source on and off. The low-power light source is mounted on the shaft between the crest and the handle, and faces the undersurface of the collapsible canopy light source, so that much of the light from the light source is directed at the undersurface of the collapsible canopy. The replenishable power source is contained within the shaft and provides power to the light source without the need for a connection to an external power source. The light actuator is operable by the hand holding onto the umbrella by the handle.
A detailed description of the preferred embodiments is provided herein below with reference to FIG. 1 that, in a sectional view, illustrates a luminous umbrella in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.
Referring to FIG. 1, there is illustrated in a sectional view, a luminous umbrella 20 in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention. The luminous umbrella 20 includes a shaft 22 and a collapsible canopy 24. The collapsible canopy 24 has a crest 23, and is mounted at the distal end of the shaft 22 at the crest 23. The collapsible canopy 24 also has a margin 25 extending radially from the crest 23 to define a concavity underneath the collapsible canopy. The collapsible canopy 24 has a highly reflective undersurface 26. In the embodiment shown, the collapsible canopy 24 is deeply curved in that the outermost part of the collapsible canopy 24 extends downwardly at a constant radial distance from the shaft 22 or even slightly inwardly towards the shaft 22 such that most of the light shone on any part of the reflective undersurface 26 is focussed to concentrate the illumination underneath the collapsible canopy.
A light bulb 28 is mounted on the shaft 22 between the handle 30 and the crest 23 of the collapsible canopy 24, and faces the undersurface 26 such that much of the light from the light bulb 28 is projected at the undersurface 26. In the embodiment shown, the light bulb 28 is within the concavity defined by the undersurface 26; therefore, the remaining light that is not projected onto the undersurface 26 is projected underneath the collapsible canopy 24.
Preferably, the shaft 22 is reflective to avoid losing light that is projected at the shaft 22. The light bulb 28 is shielded from water by a bulb case 36. The reflective undersurface 26 is preferably a silver or white colour and has an extremely high luminous reflectance such that most of the light from the light bulb 28 is reflected by the undersurface 26. Due to the orientation of the undersurface 26 resulting from the collapsible canopy 24 being deeply curved, the light that is reflected by the undersurface 26 of the collapsible canopy 24 is focussed primarily underneath the collapsible canopy 24 such that relatively little light is projected radially far beyond the margin 25. Of course, the focussing of the light provided by the undersurface 26 is diminished as the distance from the undersurface 26 increases, so that light that is projected radially beyond the margin 25 is typically concentrated on the ground, as the ground is typically at the furthest distance from the collapsible canopy 24, thereby illuminating the ground around the user of the umbrella to enable the user to notice puddles or other obstacles.
The undersurface 26 can be made reflective by applying a reflective coating to a substantially opaque collapsible canopy 24. Preferably, however, the undersurface 26 is made reflective by attaching a highly reflective material to the underside of the collapsible canopy 24. The collapsible canopy 24 preferably comprises a substantially opaque and waterproof fabric to catch all of the light that shines though the reflective material.
In the embodiment shown, the shaft 22 has a handle 30 at its proximal end. The handle 30 includes an end cap 40 that is removable to permit batteries 32 to be inserted into a housing 46 within the handle 30. The batteries 32 are connected to the light bulb 28 via conductors 38. When a push-button 44 is pressed, the circuit between the batteries 32 and light bulb 28 is opened or closed thereby turning the light on and off. The push-button 44 is sealed to prevent leakage of moisture into the housing 46.
The combination of the feature that the light bulb 28 is mounted within the concavity so that most of the light is projected at the undersurface 26, together with the feature that the undersurface 26 of the collapsible canopy 26 is deeply curved and has a very high luminous reflectance, results in the light from the light bulb 28 being focussed down to illuminate a space immediately around the user. This luminous space widens towards the bottom, thereby providing the widest illumination at the ground where it is most needed. As a result of the light being very efficiently focussed, the required luminosity of the light bulb is greatly reduced, enabling the umbrella to be used for many hours using an incandescent light bulb and just three 1.5 volt batteries. Alternatively, if it is desired to provide extremely bright illumination, the conventional incandescent bulb may be replaced with a halogen bulb. The three 1.5 voltage batteries still suffice to provide extremely bright illumination by the halogen bulb for at least a couple of hours.
In order to minimize impairment of the user's night vision, the light bulb 28 may provide red-light only, or the light may include a red-light source (or a red filter) and a white-light source, in which case the light source is switchable between a red-light setting for improving the visibility of the user and the ground in while minimizing impairment of night vision, and a white-light setting suitable for greatly improving the visibility of the user and the ground.
Modifications and variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Specifically, in an alternative embodiment, the handle 30 comprises a rechargeable battery that is intended to remain within the handle 30 when being recharged, and an electrical inlet for receiving electricity to recharge the battery. In another embodiment, the light is provided by a light source that includes light control means for changing the width of the light emitted between a wide-beam setting and a narrow-beam setting. On the wide-beam setting, the light source illuminates a larger space around the user; on the narrow-beam setting, illumination is radially confined to a space immediately surrounding the user. The light source is switchable between the wide-beam setting and the narrow-beam setting by the light actuator. Accordingly, the invention is as defined in the claims.
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