Tent – canopy – umbrella – or cane – Umbrella – Nonsymmetrical – axially offset – or inclined canopy
Patent
1998-01-21
2000-01-18
Canfield, Robert
Tent, canopy, umbrella, or cane
Umbrella
Nonsymmetrical, axially offset, or inclined canopy
135 203, 135 21, A45B 1700, A45B 2300, A45B 1100
Patent
active
060149809
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
TECHNICAL REALM
The invention relates to a free-arm canopy as set out in the introductory part of Patent claim 1.
STATE OF TECHNOLOGY
Free-arm canopies of the type mentioned at the outset are well known, for example, from U.S. Pat. No. 4,606,366. The free-arm canopy, shown in FIGS. 34 to 43 of said patent, has at the upper end of a mast a luffing jib which bears on one end an articulated folding canopy. The end of the jib that faces away from the canopy is connected to the mast by means of articulated struts. Turning down the struts will cause the jib to retract and the canopy to close. By turning the struts upward, the jib will extend and simultaneously open the canopy because one end of a rope of a control device is fastened to a slider which is connected to canopy rods. The rope is guided upwards by a canopy pole, articulated on the jib, and runs along the jib up to the mast at which the other end of the rope is rigidly secured. Due to the rigid fastening of the rope to the mast on the one hand and to the slider of the canopy on the other hand, the canopy is open only if the jib assumes a certain extended position. A height adjustment of the jib and consequently of the canopy is not possible. It is also not possible to swivel the jib around its axis and to swivel the canopy around the axis of the jib.
Other free-arm canopies are known from DE-A-33 39 163, DE-A-33 07 718 and EP-A-O 466 661. Also, in these cases it is not possible to swivel the canopy around the axis of the jib.
A free-arm canopy is described in U.S. Pat. No. 905,187 which allows the canopy to swivel around the axis of the jib while the swivelled position can be secured by means of a fastening device. Due to the fact that the canopy is situated in an unstable equilibrium position above the jib, there is the risk when disengaging the securing device, especially when adjusting the swivelled position, that the canopy will make an undesired swivel motion as a result of its weight and will come to rest below the jib. Due to the absence of stabilizing struts, the described forms of constructions are limited to comparatively small canopies. In addition, the inclination of the jib in relation to the mast cannot be changed. Consequently, the height of the canopy is not adjustable.
DE-A-32 29 776 describes a free-arm canopy in which the jib articulates on the mast by means of a universal joint. The jib can be slid in the longitudinal direction by loosening a setscrew. With respect to inclination and swivelled position, the jib can be adjusted around its longitudinal axis. The disadvantage here is that when loosening the setscrew, the jib is free to move, thus creating the risk of the canopy folding or turning down unintentionally and the operator becoming injured. Such a free-arm canopy is difficult to handle and completely unsuitable for larger free-arm canopies.
REPRESENTATION OF THE INVENTION
It is the task of the invention to further improve a free-arm canopy of the type mentioned at the outset.
This problem is solved, according to the invention, by the free-arm canopy, as set out in claim 1. On the one hand this refinement makes it possible to adjust the height of the canopy within certain limits in order to change the ground clearance and to adapt the canopy, for example, to persons of a certain height and, on the other hand, to swivel the canopy around the axis of the jib and thus to swivel the canopy around the axis of the jib in such a way as to achieve improved sun and/or wind protection. The latter can still be improved by making it possible to swivel the canopy around the axis of the mast. Furthermore, such a free-arm canopy provides special security against unintentional folding because the jib, due to bearing the canopy on its free end and due to the connecting element, cannot retract into the normal position or fold down if, for any reason, the stopping device is not effective, which means if it has not been activated.
Advantageous refinements of the free-arm canopy are described in claims 2 to 23.
Claim 2 describes an advanta
REFERENCES:
patent: 2905187 (1959-09-01), Croce
patent: 3486514 (1969-12-01), Prescott
patent: 4586525 (1986-05-01), Glatz et al.
patent: 4606366 (1986-08-01), Collet
patent: 5116258 (1992-05-01), Vennik
patent: 5678585 (1997-10-01), May
patent: 5735302 (1998-04-01), Saliva
patent: 5785069 (1998-07-01), Glatz
Canfield Robert
Glatz AG
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