Flexible or portable closure – partition – or panel – With outriggers – Roll type
Patent
1998-07-17
2000-01-11
Johnson, Blair M.
Flexible or portable closure, partition, or panel
With outriggers
Roll type
160122, 242594, 135 97, E04F 1006
Patent
active
060125055
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
The invention generally relates to an awning of variable size, e.g. a sun shade, and in particular a variable awning comprising a canvas capable of being rolled up on a shaft provided with a drive.
In known awning arrangements, a canvas is arranged on a rotatable shaft which is rotatable by hand or by means of a motor, one rim of the canvas being affixed to the shaft. From this shaft, the canvas can be drawn out in one direction by using a cantilevering carrier. However, these known arrangements are only poorly suited for roofing over large areas because they sag too much and because very high forces act on the cantilevering carrier and its fastening elements because of the cantilevered arrangement.
It is thus an object of the invention to provide an awning of the initially defined type with which large areas can be roofed, in which it is possible to keep the canvas taut by a respective introduction of force, without overloading the carrying structures.
It is furthermore an object of the invention to provide a rope coiling pulley which is particularly suitable for the awning of the invention and which allows for a tight coiling up of the tensioned ropes.
The invention is based on the consideration that it would be advantageous to suspend or support the canvas at its center and at its ends, while simultaneously it should always be as taut as possible. Such an arrangement may then cover larger areas, the suspension points of the corners of the canvas which can be drawn out or which have been drawn out merely having to accommodate the tention of the canvas and a small part of the weight of the unrolled canvas.
The awning according to the invention of the initially defined type thus is characterized in that in the region of a parting or folding line, the canvas is fastened to the shaft which is provided with a single drive only, and that for rolling up and unrolling the canvas parts provided by the parting or folding line, at least two tensioning ropes are provided which engage on the canvas parts and are capable of being coiled up on the shaft, preferably on at least one coiling pulley seated thereon.
Thus, in case of the present awning, in particular sun-shade, the canvas (a sailcloth or the like) either is folded along a line, e.g. a diagonal line of symmetry, whereby two canvas parts are formed, or it consists of two separate parts whose contacting rim lines form a type of "folding" line or correspond to the folding line; the canvas parts may be differently sized and/or differently shaped. In the region of the folidng line (or parting line), the canvas or the canvas parts, respectively, is (are) fastened to the drivable shaft; to wind up or unroll, respectively, the canvas parts, preferably two tensioning ropes are provided, each engaging on one canvas part and capable of being rolled up on the shaft or on coiling pulleys seated on the shaft. Suitably, the canvas is provided with sail-board-type flat sections, e.g. of glass fiber reinforced plastic material, in parallel to the rolling-up shaft.
Rolling in a folded cloth is, e.g., known for headsails of boats, where the cloth is rolled up on the forestay and can be drawn out at unrolling by means of two separate tensioning devices to a so-called butterfly sail, whereby it is particularly suitable for sailing in trade wind. However, this field of application is far removed from the field of application of the invention which relates to awnings, preferably sun shades. Moreover, only a single drive associated to a shaft is used in the invention in the unrolling and rolling up operation.
By the "double", optionally two-layered (in case of a respective overlap of the canvas parts) rolling up of the canvas, starting in the region of the folding or parting line, also the most varying designs are possible for the shape of the awning. For a good compensation of forces it is advantageous if the points of the canvas parts, at which the respective tensioning rope device is fastened, lie on one and the same line which extends at a right angle to the shaft, as well as if
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Kautzky Norbert
Wurz Gerald
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