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Portable shade assembly with clamping system

  • US 9,326,573 B1
  • Filed: 11/18/2013
  • Issued: 05/03/2016
  • Est. Priority Date: 11/16/2012
  • Status: Active Grant
First Claim
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1. An umbrella clamping system for clamping an umbrella to an external horizontal structural element such as a chair, said umbrella clamping system comprising:

  • an umbrella having a canopy selectively movable between an extended configuration and a collapsed configuration, a vertical shaft supporting said canopy at an upper end thereof and having a base attachment member at a bottom end thereof; and

    a clamping assembly securely receiving said umbrella base attachment member and configured for attachment to an external horizontal structural element, said clamping assembly comprising;

    a body having a single piece construction;

    an upper clamp disposed at an upper end of said body for receiving said umbrella base attachment member, said upper clamp comprising a main body portion of said body, and first and second opposing clamp arms of said body being integrally molded with, and extending in spaced apart side-by-side relationship to one another and outwardly from, said main body portion such that said main body portion and said first and second clamp arms together form a part of said single piece construction of said body, said main body portion and said first and second clamp arms also together defining a vertically oriented cavity, being open at an upper end, and also a gap between said first and second clamp arms extending outwardly from adjacent to a side of said vertically oriented cavity opposite from said main body portion, said upper clamp being capable of manipulation so as to adjust the size of said cavity relative to said umbrella base attachment member to permit selectively adjusting said cavity between an opened release position and a closed gripping position relative to said umbrella base attachment member and receiving said umbrella base attachment member in said cavity when in said opened release position; and

    a lower clamp disposed at a lower end of said body, said lower clamp having opposed downwardly depending fixed and movable jaws, said fixed jaw being integrally formed with, and extending downwardly as an extension of, said main body portion of said body so as to also form a part of said single piece construction of said body, said movable jaw being pivotally adjoined to said fixed jaw and selectively pivotable between an opened position and a closed gripping position relative to said fixed jaw, said fixed and movable jaws in combination defining a horizontally oriented gripping opening, said fixed and movable jaws being adjustable one with respect to the other to selectively increase and decrease a size of said gripping opening for attachment to the external horizontal structural element.

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