Inflatable and collapsible weather protection outdoor cover

Abstract

The present invention relates to a multi-use cover. More particularly, the present invention relates to a covering system that is easy to deploy and does not require tie downs. The covering system uses an expandable hose attached to a covering material. To deploy the cover over an object to be protected, the expandable hose is filled with a filling material such as air or water, and once the cover is over the entire object to be protected, the filling material is removed from the hose, causing the cover to contract snugly over the object to be protected. To remove the cover, the hose is once again filled with filling material until it can be removed from the object. For efficient storage of the cover, the filling material can be completely removed from the hose.

1 . A cover system for an outdoor object to be protected from weather or outdoor elements, comprising:
 a) an expandable tubing frame comprised of sections of hollow tubing and having a hollow bore;   b) a sheet of cover material that fits over the frame;   c) at least one inlet fitting that enables fluid flow to the hollow bore of the tubing frame;   d) wherein the expandable tubing frame has an expanded position and a deflated position;   e) wherein the expandable tubing frame is arranged in a closed shape and the cover material is attached to the expandable tubing frame such that when the expandable tubing frame is in the expanded position, the cover material is stretched across the entirety of the closed shape; and   f) wherein the expandable tubing frame can be moved between the expanded and deflated positions via the at least one inlet fitting.   
     
     
         2 . The cover system of  claim 1  wherein the expandable tubing frame is moved from the deflated position to the expanded position by filling it with water via the at least one inlet fitting. 
     
     
         3 . The cover system of  claim 1  wherein the expandable tubing frame is moved from the deflated position to the expanded position by filling it with air via the at least one inlet fitting. 
     
     
         4 . The cover system of  claim 1  wherein the expandable tubing frame is arranged in a plurality of concentric closed shapes, and wherein the cover material is attached to the expandable tubing frame such that when the expandable tubing frame is in the expanded position, the cover material is stretched across the entirety of the outermost closed shape of the concentric closed shapes. 
     
     
         5 . The cover system of  claim 4  wherein the closed shape is an oval. 
     
     
         6 . The cover system of  claim 4  wherein the closed shape is a rectangle. 
     
     
         7 . The cover system of  claim 4  further comprising connectors, wherein the connectors attach the concentric shapes of expandable tubing to one another. 
     
     
         8 . The cover system of  claim 1  wherein there are at least two inlet fittings, and at least one of the at least two inlet fittings is for inflating the expandable tubing frame, and at least one of the at least two inlet fittings is for deflating the expandable tubing frame. 
     
     
         9 . The cover system of  claim 8  further comprising a yoke, wherein the yoke is attached to the innermost concentric shape and the at least one inlet fitting for inflating is attached to the yoke, and the at least one inlet fitting for deflating is attached to the outermost concentric shape. 
     
     
         10 . The cover system of  claim 9  further comprising at least one hose attachment, wherein the hose attachment is connected to the at least one inlet fitting for inflating, and wherein the hose attachment is able to be connected to a standard garden hose. 
     
     
         11 . A cover system comprising:
 a) an expandable frame having sections of hollow tubing arranged in one or more closed shapes and fluidly connected via a hollow bore;   b) a cover material that attaches in between the sections of hollow tubing;   c) one or more valves on the frame that enable fluid flow to the hollow bore, wherein the expandable frame can be moved between a deployed position and a collapsed position via the one or more valve; and   d) wherein when the expandable frame is in the deployed position, the cover material is stretched across the sections of hollow tubing and the closed shapes.   
     
     
         12 . The cover system of  claim 11  wherein the closed shapes include an inner ring and an outer ring and the inner ring sits concentrically inside the outer ring. 
     
     
         13 - 15 . (canceled) 
     
     
         16 . The cover system of  claim 11  wherein one of the one or more valves is connected to a pneumatic system that causes the expandable frame in the collapsed position to fill with air and change to the deployed position. 
     
     
         17 . The cover system of  claim 11  wherein one of the one or more valves is connected to a hydro system and causes the expandable frame in the collapsed position to fill with water and change to the deployed position. 
     
     
         18 . (canceled) 
     
     
         19 . The cover system of  claim 11  wherein one of the one or more valves has a release mechanism that causes the expandable frame in a deployed position to release the fluid and return the frame to the collapsed position. 
     
     
         20 . (canceled) 
     
     
         21 . A method of covering an object to be protected from rain, sun, snow or other outdoor element, comprising the steps of:
 a) placing a covering system on top of the object, the covering system comprising:
 an expandable tubing frame; 
 a cover material that fits over said tubing frame; and 
 at least one inlet fitting 
   b) wherein the expandable tubing frame of step “a” has an expanded position and a deflated position;   c) wherein the expandable tubing frame of step “a” is arranged in a closed shape and the cover material is attached to the expandable tubing frame such that when the expandable tubing frame is in the expanded position, the cover material is stretched across the entirety of the closed shape;   d) wherein the expandable tubing frame of step “a” can be moved between its expanded and deflated positions via the at least one inlet fitting;   e) inflating the expandable tubing frame of the covering system via the inlet fitting until the cover material covers the entire object;   f) fitting the covering system over the object; and   g) deflating the expandable tubing frame of the covering system via the inlet fitting so that it contracts over the object.   
     
     
         22 . The method of  claim 21  wherein in step (b) the expandable tubing frame is inflated with air. 
     
     
         23 . The method of  claim 21  wherein in step (b) the expandable tubing frame is inflated with water. 
     
     
         24 . The method of  claim 21  further comprising a step for removing the cover from the object:
 (e) inflating the expandable tubing frame of the covering system via the inlet fitting until the covering system can be easily lifted off the object. 
 
     
     
         25 . The method of  claim 24  further comprising a step for preparing the covering system for storage:
 (f) deflating the expandable tubing frame of the covering system via the inlet fitting until it is completed deflated and can be folded for storage. 
 
     
     
         26 . (canceled)