Tent – canopy – umbrella – or cane – Portable shelter – Closure – viewing window – awning – or sunshade
Patent
1983-07-13
1987-07-07
Hafer, Robert A.
Tent, canopy, umbrella, or cane
Portable shelter
Closure, viewing window, awning, or sunshade
135119, 135DIG5, 52 63, 52222, 160328, E04H 1558, E04H 1564, E04B 112, A47H 2300
Patent
active
046779990
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a canopy and has been devised particularly though not solely as a shade canopy.
2. Description of the Related Art
It is necessary in many applications to provide an overhead canopy for shelter or shade and particularly in agricultural situations to provide shade for plants. Many other applications also require the provision of overhead canopies to protect or shade articles which are placed outside to prevent degradation from ultraviolet light. In the past shade canopies have been provided using various types of structures to support either opaque awnings or shade cloths using a rigid frame structure or a large number of upright poles or posts to support the cloth. It is a disadvantage of such systems that the poles or posts must be closely spaced in order to prevent excessive sagging of the canopy fabric which is difficult from the point of view of cultivation or the placing of large objects beneath the canopy.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is therefore an object of the invention to provide a canopy which will obviate or minimize the foregoing disadvantages in a simple yet effective manner or which will at least provide the public with a useful choice.
Accordingly in one aspect the invention consists in a method of erecting a canopy comprising the steps of erecting a plurality of posts in a predetermined array, providing a plurality of panels of canopy fabric of stretch material having inelastic or low stretch tendons fastened thereto at or adjacent the panel edges, fastening diagonally opposite corners of each said panel to selected ones of said posts and drawing together the remaining corners of adjacent panels so as to tension said tendons and hence tension said stretch fabric.
Preferably said tendons are fastened to said fabric continuously along the length of each tendon.
Preferably said panel edges are substantially straight and the tendons are fastened thereto in a curve having each end thereof at adjacent corners of the panel and extending inwardly into the panel at the mid-portion of the panel edge.
Preferably said curve is a bell shaped curve being convex with respect to the panel edge adjacent the corners of the panel and concave with respect to the panel edge adjacent the mid portion of the panel edge.
Preferably said panels are rectangular and said posts are arranged in a rectangular array.
Preferably five said posts are provided in said rectangular array, therebeing one said post at each corner and one post in the middle, and wherein four said panels are provided, each panel being fastened first to the centre post and one corner post and then having the other two diagonally opposite corners drawn together with the adjacent corners of the adjacent panels at the mid-points of the sides of the rectangular array.
Preferably said fabric comprises a stretch knit fabric and said tendons comprise rope or webbing.
Preferably said fabric comprises knitted shade cloth and said tendons comprise webbing of the type commonly used for automotive seat belts.
Preferably said webbing is sewn to said fabric along the entire length of the webbing.
In a further aspect the invention consists in a canopy comprising an array of posts and a plurality of panels stretched therebetween at the desired height, each said panel being formed from stretch fabric material having inelastic or low stretch tendons fastened thereto at or adjacent the panel edges in a curve extending inwardly between the panel corners so that when the tendons are tensioned between the posts the curved tendons at least partially straighten drawing fabric from the middle area of the panel and tensioning the panel.
Preferably said curve is a bell shaped curve being convex with respect to the panel edge adjacent the corners of the panel and concave with respect to the panel edge adjacent the mid-portion of the panel edge.
Preferably said fabric comprises a stretch knit fabric and said tendons comprise rope or webbing.
Preferably said fabric comprises knitted shade cloth a
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"The Country Life Book of Nautical Terms under Sail", Published 1978, by the Hamlyn Publishing Group Ltd., London.
Brazenor William J.
Cannon Stuart R.
Kneen Peter W.
Mullen John L.
Hafer Robert A.
Koch Robert J.
Muir D. Neal
S. & M. Cannon Pty. Ltd.
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