Breakdown umbrella stand

Abstract

An umbrella stand receives, holds and supports a post of an umbrella in an upright manner. The stand includes a vertical stack of blocks, including a bottom block positionable on a fixed surface, a top block located above the bottom block and at least one middle block interposed between the top and bottom blocks. The blocks define bores aligned with each other for receiving a lower end of the post. Mateable pits and bosses are formed between adjacent blocks for positioning the blocks with respect to each other and releasably engaging the blocks with each other. Recesses are defined in a lower surface of each block to accommodate fingers of a person in handling and moving the blocks. A pin is formed in the bore for engaging a releasable spring-biased pawl arranged in the post thereby releasably coupling the post of the umbrella to the stand. Alternatively, threading engagement is formed between the post and the bore to fix the post to the stand to replace the pin-pawl coupling.

1 . An umbrella stand adapted to hold and support an umbrella in an upright manner, comprising: 
 a bottom block adapted to position on a fixed surface and defining a bottom bore;    a top block located above the bottom block defining a top bore aligned with the bottom bore; and    a middle block interposed between the top and bottom blocks and defining a middle bore axially aligned with the top and bottom bores whereby the blocks forms a vertical stack with the aligned bores adapted to receive a post of the umbrella;    engaging and positioning means form between the bottom block and the middle block and between the middle block and the block for properly positioning the bottom, middle and top blocks with respect to each other; and    finger accommodation cavities formed between adjacent ones of the blocks adapted to receive fingers of a person for moving the blocks.    
   
   
       2 . The umbrella stand as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein each block has upper and lower faces, the lower face being positioned on and contacting the upper face of the lower next one of the block in the vertical stack.  
   
   
       3 . The umbrella stand as claimed in  claim 2 , wherein the finger accommodation cavities comprise recesses defined in the lower face of each block.  
   
   
       4 . The umbrella stand as claimed in  claim 2 , wherein the engaging and positioning means comprises mateable pits and bosses formed on upper and lower faces of adjacent blocks that contact each other.  
   
   
       5 . The umbrella stand as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the top block has an upper face on which decorative patterns are formed.  
   
   
       6 . The umbrella stand as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the bottom block forms a pin inside the bottom bore for engaging a spring-biased pawl mounted to a post of the umbrella to thereby couple the umbrella to the stand.  
   
   
       7 . The umbrella stand as claimed in  claim 6 , wherein a diametrically extending notch is defined in a bottom end of the post to partially fit over the pin.  
   
   
       8 . The umbrella stand as claimed in  claim 1  comprising at least two middle blocks interposed between the top and bottom blocks.  
   
   
       9 . The umbrella stand as claimed in  claim 1  further comprising an extension post having a lower end fit into the bores of the stacked blocks of the stand and an upper end adapted to engage a post of the umbrella.  
   
   
       10 . The umbrella stand as claimed in  claim 9 , wherein a diametrically extending notch is defined in the lower end of the extension post to partially fit over the pin and a pin is mounted to the upper end of the extension post for engaging a spring-biased pawl mounted to the post of the umbrella to thereby couple the umbrella to the stand.  
   
   
       11 . The umbrella stand as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein at least one of the bottom bore, the middle bore and the top bore forms an internal threading engageable with an external threading of the post of the umbrella that is received in the aligned bores.  
   
   
       12 . The umbrella stand as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the bottom bore forms an internal threading engageable with an external threading of the post of the umbrella that is received in the aligned bores.