Pool Umbrella Stand with Ballast Base and Beverage Holder Integration
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing solutions for supporting beverage containers and pool umbrellas at swimming pools are either cumbersome, expensive, or do not provide adequate shade and stability, often requiring substantial space and being impractical for user convenience.
Innovation Solution
A lightweight, stackable stand with a hollow plastic or metal base that allows the umbrella post to pass through, providing close shade and stability through ballast options like water, sand, or additional weights, and featuring a clamping mechanism to secure the umbrella and multiple beverage holders.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If elaborate molded seats with beverage holders and umbrella stands are used (Weir devices), then shade and beverage support are provided, but the devices become large and cumbersome to use and move
Solution Approach 1:
The device is divided into separate functional components: a simple base for stability, a tray for beverages, and an umbrella holder. This segmentation allows each component to be simple while the combination provides comprehensive functionality, avoiding the need for a single large complex structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The tray structure serves multiple functions: it holds beverages, provides a surface for items, and integrates an umbrella holder. This multi-functionality eliminates the need for separate elaborate molded seats, achieving versatility without increasing overall device complexity or size.
2Strength
If elaborate leg and angled support leg structures are used (Karpinski device), then structural support is provided, but the devices become expensive to manufacture and use
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses a simple flat base with a recess instead of elaborate legs and angled support structures. This simplified geometry is much easier and cheaper to manufacture while still providing adequate structural support through the recess design that engages with the pool edge.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of using vertical legs and angled supports extending below the tray, the invention utilizes the horizontal plane by creating a recess in the base that engages with the pool coping. This dimensional shift eliminates the need for complex vertical support structures.
3Stability of the object's composition
If devices with substantial space requirements are used, then stability and support are achieved, but they take up substantial amounts of space in the pools and storage
Solution Approach 1:
The hollow base is designed to be filled with water or sand to provide ballast and stability. This counterweight approach allows the device to be stable without requiring a large physical structure, as the weight is concentrated within the compact base rather than distributed across a large frame.
Solution Approach 2:
The umbrella holder is integrated within the tray structure, and the entire device is designed to be compact. The nested arrangement of components maximizes functionality within a minimal footprint, reducing both in-pool and storage space requirements.
4Ease of operation
If floating chairs with beverage holders are used, then beverage support is provided, but the user must be seated in the chair to use the beverage holder
Solution Approach 1:
The device is designed to be placed on the pool edge and remains stationary, automatically providing beverage support without requiring the user to be seated in a specific position. The umbrella holder and tray are always accessible from the pool side, making the system self-service oriented.
Solution Approach 2:
The device acts as an intermediary between the pool environment and the user's beverages, providing a stable platform on the pool edge that eliminates the need for floating chairs or seated positioning. Users can simply place beverages in the tray while standing or swimming nearby.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution offers a cost-effective, space-efficient, and user-friendly method to support beverage containers and umbrellas, ensuring stability and shade while allowing for easy adjustment and storage.
Implementation Method 1
The base can be hollow with a fill cap to allow it to be filled with water or sand for stability and ballast.
Implementation Method 2
The base can have a tear drop shaped through-hole so that when the clamping screw is tightened, it forces the post into the wedge shape side of the teardrop through-hole, keeping the umbrella stable.
Data Source
AI summary
Pool stands, trays, devices, and methods for supporting beverage containers on the edge of a swimming pool while supporting a pool umbrella. One embodiment of the stand can be generally disc shaped with a lower front step portion, and a through-hole passing through the stand to allow an umbrella post to be supported therein. A clamping screw knob can lock the umbrella post to the stand. The stand can be positioned on the edge of a swimming pool so that shade from the umbrella can be provide to person(s) in the pool. Another embodiment can have a generally rectangular configuration with a lower front step portion that can also be positioned on the edge of a swimming pool so that shade from the umbrella can be provided to person(s) in the pool. The interior of the stands can be hollow, and can be filled with a ballast, such as sand or water.