Land vehicles: bodies and tops – Tops – Load cover
Reexamination Certificate
2000-02-24
2001-05-08
Dayoan, D. Glenn (Department: 3612)
Land vehicles: bodies and tops
Tops
Load cover
C296S100010
Reexamination Certificate
active
06227603
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND
1. Technical Field
This invention generally relates to golf carts, and more specifically to a portable canopy removably attachable to a motorized golf cart to provide a cover over its rear compartment and golf club bags therein.
2. Prior Art
Motorized golf carts commonly have a seating cabin covered by a roof and an uncovered rear deck or compartment on which golf bags with clubs are transported. Thus, golfers within the cabin may be protected during rain but their golf clubs get wet. Wet, and therefore slippery, club grips become an annoyance to golfers, so they seek a means of keeping their clubs dry as well as themselves, such as a canopy over the golf bag compartment.
It is known in the art to have canopies for golf cart rear compartments. Generally, it advantageous for the canopy to unfold over and in close proximity to the clubs to minimize exposure to the weather. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,741,041 shows a portable, removable rear cover for an electric cart in the form of a flexible plastic sheet with a woven panel secured to the golf cart with shock cords. The cover drapes over the club bags in the golf cart compartment but requires the golfer to detach the shock cords on each cart side to access the golf bags. This is a nuisance to golfers who prefer the ease of quickly accessing the golf bag and clubs within preferably by simply lifting a cover from over the clubs. U.S. Pat. No. 4,830,037 describes a protective canopy for a motorized golf cart rear compartment that provides ease of access by simply lifting the cover on a frame from over the clubs in the compartment However, the flame is permanently mounted to the golf cart. Because the need for golf carts with rain protection for the clubs is not usual, it is preferred that the canopy be quickly attachable to and detachable from the cart as need arises. Thus, a golf cart facility might choose to reduce his costs by maintaining an inventory a smaller number of canopies than golf carts and attaching a canopy to a cart only upon request of a user.
Thus it is an object of the present invention to provide a portable, removable golf cart canopy for its rear golf cart compartment that can be easily opened by simply lifting up the canopy without detaching tying cords. It is another object that the portable, removable canopy by removable and portable. It is a further object that the canopy unfold over and in close proximity to the clubs in the cart rear compartment to minimize exposure to the weather. It is yet another object that the canopy be easily and quickly mounted to and removed from a golf cart. It is a still further object that the canopy be of general applicability, adjustable to fit on golf carts of different rear compartment design. It is a yet still further object that the canopy fame fold into a common plane to minimize protrusion into the rear compartment, avoiding inadvertent bumps on the frame which could damage the frame or knock it loose from the cart and also avoiding protruding brackets otherwise for mounting a canopy frame to the cart, eliminating snags and scrapes and other user injuries.
SUMMARY
These objects are achieved in a golf cart canopy with a primary frame having a base that rests in a cart transverse corner formed between the rear compartment deck and a vertical wall component between the cart cabin and the rear compartment. Clearly, the primary canopy frame base could also rest on a like corner formed between cart rear fenders or other nominally horizontal components at the rear compartment and the vertical wall component. A canopy cover is draped over the primary frame with a first side removably attached to the golf cart roof Typically, a first strip of flexible hook and loop tape is secured on the roof and another is secured on the cover first side, providing a grip that removably attaches the cover to the roof when brought into contact. The primary frame is adjustable in length on parallel side members with extendable telescoping elements to adjust to a distance between a chosen corner and the roof, or a preferred distance below the roof The canopy primary frame is also adjustable in width with a top member having telescoping elements between the side members at side member first ends, again to accommodate golf carts of various dimensional configurations.
A secondary frame, adjustable in width similar to the primary frame, also includes parallel first and second secondary frame side members spaced apart by a telescoping top therebetween. In a storage position, the secondary frame fits in folded disposition within the primary frame in a common plane defined by the primary frame vertically alongside the cabin between the cabin and the rear compartment with the cover with the primary frame base resting in the corner. In operational, or unfolded, disposition, the primary frame pivots on its base in the corner with the primary frame top member separating from cart roof, and the secondary frame pivots away from the primary frame on pivot pins pivotably connecting secondary frame second ends intermediate primary frame side members, respectfully. With cover first side attached to the cart roof and a cover second side attached along the secondary member top member, the cover becomes a limit to the degree the primary and secondary frame can separate from the roof and supports them as the cover draws taut between the roof and the secondary frame. Typically, the cover is of length sufficient to allow the secondary frame to fold to a near horizontal position. By design, the pivot pins are located on the primary frame side members in cooperation with the cover so that when the canopy is in operational position, the secondary frame and cover extend over the golf clubs in the compartment and partially over the golf club bags to at least cover the clubs exposed as they extend out of the golf club bags. With the secondary frame pivoting on the outside of the primary frame, area within the secondary frame is increased. Thus, as it folds over the golf club bags, the secondary frame is less likely to come down on the bags because more of the rear compartment is covered with the same fit or setting of the primary frame on the golf cart.
Thus, in operation, with the canopy in operational position, a user simply lifts the secondary top member up and toward the cart roof to access clubs within the rear compartment, which also lifts the primary frame back toward the cart roof The canopy can then remain folded back to the roof in stored position or lowered back to operational position.
REFERENCES:
patent: 670268 (1901-03-01), Braun
patent: 780141 (1905-01-01), Thomas
patent: 956563 (1910-05-01), Bertrand
patent: 3773379 (1973-11-01), Loiseau
patent: 4681362 (1987-07-01), Taylor
patent: 4830037 (1989-05-01), Held
patent: 5069481 (1991-12-01), Strange
patent: 5072987 (1991-12-01), Allen
patent: 5190340 (1993-03-01), Nuscher
patent: 5741041 (1998-04-01), Sullivan
Coletta Lori L.
Dayoan D. Glenn
Tingey David L.
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