Umbrella Support Apparatus With Weighted Base and Hinge Assembly
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional umbrella stands are often insecure and inconvenient, especially in windy or loose ground conditions, as they fail to effectively stabilize beach umbrellas, limiting user mobility when hands are occupied.
Innovation Solution
A support device featuring a clamping structure with a weighted base, a locking mechanism, and a hinge assembly that securely attaches to a bucket, allowing for adjustable angular support and easy deployment, ensuring the umbrella remains upright and stable.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a conventional umbrella stand is used in loose ground or windy conditions, then the umbrella can be inserted into the ground, but the umbrella fails to remain stable and shifts position
Solution Approach 1:
The umbrella support system is divided into separate functional components: a base unit with weight distribution features, an adjustable support arm, and an umbrella holder. This segmentation allows each component to optimize its function - the base provides stable ground attachment while the adjustable arm maintains proper umbrella positioning, resolving the contradiction between ground insertion capability and position stability.
Solution Approach 2:
The support apparatus incorporates adjustable elements including an extendable support arm with telescoping sections and adjustable-angle mounting brackets. These dynamic features allow the system to adapt to varying ground conditions and umbrella sizes, maintaining reliability across different environments while preserving the ability to insert into loose ground.
2Reliability
If a secure locking mechanism is added to prevent umbrella movement, then the umbrella remains stable, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The support apparatus employs self-adjusting features including automatic tensioning springs and friction-based locking mechanisms that maintain umbrella security without requiring complex external locking systems. The weighted base automatically adjusts to ground conditions, and the support arm self-regulates its angle and extension, providing reliable holding with minimal additional components.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses adjustable parameters such as support arm length, mounting angle, and base weight distribution to achieve secure umbrella holding. By varying these parameters rather than adding complex locking mechanisms, the device maintains reliability while keeping the component count low and the design simple.
3Ease of operation
If the umbrella stand is designed to be easily assembled and deployed, then the ease of operation improves, but the stability in windy conditions may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The support apparatus comes pre-assembled in key structural sections with quick-connect interfaces, allowing rapid deployment without requiring complex assembly steps. The weighted base and support arm are pre-configured with adjustable features already in place, enabling users to quickly set up the device while maintaining the structural integrity needed for wind stability.
Solution Approach 2:
The quickly deployable design incorporates dynamic adjustment capabilities - the support arm can be rapidly extended and angled, and the base weight distribution can be quickly modified. These dynamic features allow the simplified assembly structure to adapt to wind conditions, maintaining reliability despite the ease of setup.
Data Source
AI summary
An umbrella support apparatus is an adapter device for supporting the shaft of an umbrella or parasol in an upright position. A first jaw panel and a second jaw panel as clamping members to support the shaft within a weighted base, with the first jaw panel and the second jaw panel releasably mounted to the weighted base. A shaft of the umbrella positioned through a shaft aperture in the first jaw panel and the second jaw panel, extending into the attached weighted base. A hinge assembly rotatably connects the first jaw panel to the second jaw panel to enable a user to attach the weighted base or adjust the shaft of the umbrella. Opposite the hinge assembly, a locking mechanism releasably fixes the first jaw panel and the second jaw panel together to prevent the shaft of the umbrella from deflecting within the shaft aperture.