Hands free umbrella apparatus

Abstract

A hands free umbrella apparatus includes a harness comprising a shoulder strap and a chest-encircling belt. The shoulder strap is configured to overlap the user's shoulder in a generally vertical configuration. It has slots adjacent its ends for receiving the chest encircling belt. The belt is provided with an adjustable quick-disconnect buckle for securing the belt around the user's lower chest or upper abdominal region and allowing the user to adjust the length of the belt to accommodate different size individuals. An automatically deployable umbrella is secured to the front-facing external surface of the shoulder strap about midway between the belt and the top of the shoulder curve. The umbrella stem is secured to the shoulder strap by an adjustable joint having a full 180° of elevation adjustment so that the umbrella can be moved from a fully vertical upward direction to a fully vertical downward direction by rotating the stem around the joint in a vertical plane.

1 . A hands free umbrella apparatus comprising: 
 an umbrella having a stem upon which there is at least one latch for opening and closing the umbrella;    a shoulder strap having front and rear-facing surfaces and a belt for encircling the torso of a user and securing the shoulder strap in a substantially vertical position over a shoulder of the user; and    an elevation-adjustable joint affixed to said shoulder strap on the front-facing surface thereof, said umbrella stem affixed to said joint for selective elevational adjustment in at least a substantially vertical plane and anywhere between a substantially upward and a substantially downward position in said plane.    
   
   
       2 . The apparatus recited in  claim 1  wherein said joint has sufficient friction to maintain said umbrella stem in any selected elevation between fully upward and fully downward.  
   
   
       3 . The apparatus recited in  claim 1  wherein said shoulder strap comprises slots on said front and rear facing surfaces and wherein said belt is threaded through said slots.  
   
   
       4 . The apparatus recited in  claim 1  wherein said belt comprises a buckle for securing said belt around the torso of a user.  
   
   
       5 . The apparatus recited in  claim 4  wherein said buckle is configured as a quick-release buckle.  
   
   
       6 . The apparatus recited in  claim 4  wherein said buckle has an adjustable portion for selectively altering the length of said belt.  
   
   
       7 . A hands free umbrella apparatus comprising: 
 a shoulder encircling portion having an articulatable joint for receiving an umbrella;    a belt for encircling the torso of a user and adjustably affixed to said shoulder encircling portion;    said joint being adjustable in elevation between at least a vertical position and a horizontal position for facilitating the opening and the closing of an umbrella attached to said joint.    
   
   
       8 . The apparatus recited in  claim 7  wherein said joint has sufficient friction for maintaining said horizontal position of said joint with an umbrella attached thereto.