Umbrella support for use in a kayak

Abstract

An umbrella support that includes a vertical support tube sized to accommodate the handle portion or lower end of an umbrella shaft, said vertical support tube having a lower end, a threaded neck at an upper end, and a medial portion; a clamping assembly slidably disposed on said medial portion of said vertical support tube; a base plate for placement on a kayak and having connection structure for connecting to said lower end of said vertical support tube; a slotted locking cap having interior threads for threadable attachment to said threaded neck and a slot sized to accommodate an umbrella shaft and to capture an umbrella handle in said vertical support tube; wherein an umbrella shaft is secured around its entire circumference by the combination of said threaded neck and said locking cap.

What is claimed as invention is: 
     
         1 . An umbrella support, comprising:
 a base having tube connecting structure;   a vertical support tube connected at a lower end to said base and having a cylindrical threaded neck at an upper end;   a clamp assembly disposed on said vertical support tube for securing said vertical support tube to a kayak cockpit rim;   a cylindrical slotted locking cap having a side slot open so as to allow placement of the locking cap around an elongate shaft, said side slot extending less than 180 degrees of the circumference of said slotted locking cap; and   an adjustable clamping assembly coupled to said vertical support tube, said clamping assembly configured for attachment to a kayak cockpit coaming or seat back.   
     
     
         2 . The umbrella support of  claim 1 , wherein said base is a plate. 
     
     
         3 . The umbrella support of  claim 1 , wherein said tube connecting structure is a receptacle. 
     
     
         4 . The umbrella support of  claim 3 , wherein said receptacle is a centrally disposed threaded female socket. 
     
     
         5 . The umbrella support of  claim 1 , wherein said vertical support tube is cylindrical and includes a cylindrical threaded lower end threadably insertable into said threaded female socket. 
     
     
         6 . The umbrella support of  claim 1 , wherein said clamp assembly includes a slide tube slidingly disposed on said vertical support tube, a clamping arm extending radially from said slide tube, gripping elements on a terminal end of said clamping arm to capture kayak structure, and adjustment structure to tighten the connection between said clamping elements and the kayak structure. 
     
     
         7 . The umbrella support of  claim 6 , wherein said clamping structure is a bolt disposed through said a proximal end of said clamping arm and a wing nut on the end of said bolt, tightening said wing nut brings said proximal end into closer proximity to said vertical support tube. 
     
     
         8 . The umbrella support of  claim 7 , wherein said gripping elements comprise angled fingers. 
     
     
         9 . The umbrella support of  claim 1 , wherein when an umbrella handle having an upper edge is inserted into said vertical support tube such that said upper edge is disposed below the upper edge of said threaded neck, and when said locking cap is placed around the shaft of said umbrella and then screwed onto said threaded neck, said locking cap captures the umbrella handle within said vertical support tube while allowing the umbrella to rotate when the umbrella canopy is urged to rotate by wind or contact with various obstacles. 
     
     
         10 . The umbrella support of  claim 1 , wherein said clamping assembly is configured to attach to a kayak seat back. 
     
     
         11 . A method shading a portion of a moving watercraft, comprising:
 providing an umbrella support including base having tube connecting structure; a vertical support tube connected at a lower end to said base and having a cylindrical threaded neck at an upper end; a clamp assembly disposed on said vertical support tube for securing said vertical support tube to a kayak cockpit rim; a cylindrical slotted locking cap having a side slot open so as to allow placement of the locking cap around an elongate shaft, said side slot extending less than  180  degrees of the circumference of said slotted locking cap; and an adjustable clamping assembly coupled to said vertical support tube, said clamping assembly configured for attachment to a kayak cockpit coaming or seat back;   positioning the base behind the seat back of a kayak either on the cockpit bottom of a sit-inside kayak or on the deck of a sit-on-top kayak;   inserting the lower end of the vertical support tube into the tube connecting structure;   placing the gripping elements of the clamping assembly onto rigid kayak structure;   tightening the clamping assembly until the vertical support tube is secure;   providing an umbrella having a shaft with a handle portion or other structure proximate the lower end of the shaft and extending radially from the shaft and sized in such a way that it fits within said vertical support tube;   placing the umbrella handle portion shaft into the vertical support tube;   placing the slotted locking cap around the umbrella shaft above the threaded neck; and   screwing the slotting locking cap onto the threaded neck until it captures the umbrella handle portion in the vertical support tube and prevents its removal while still allowing rotation of the shaft within the vertical support tube.   
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein the tube connecting structure is a female threaded socket and the lower end of the vertical support tube is threaded for threadable insertion into the female threaded socket. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein the base is a base plate and the step of positioning the base behind the seat back includes affixing the base plate to the kayak. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein the base is a base plate and the step of positioning the base behind the seat back includes placing the base plate on the cockpit bottom. 
     
     
         15 . An umbrella support for a watercraft, comprising:
 a vertical support tube sized to accommodate the handle portion or lower end of an umbrella shaft, said vertical support tube having a lower end, a threaded neck at an upper end, and a medial portion;   a clamping assembly slidably disposed on said medial portion of said vertical support tube;   a base plate for placement on a kayak and having connection structure for connecting to said lower end of said vertical support tube;   a slotted locking cap having interior threads for threadable attachment to said threaded neck and a slot sized to accommodate an umbrella shaft and to capture an umbrella handle in said vertical support tube;   wherein an umbrella shaft is secured around its entire circumference by the combination of said threaded neck and said locking cap.