Static structures (e.g. – buildings) – Rigid barrier cantilevered from vertical support – Awning type
Reexamination Certificate
2001-01-19
2003-07-15
Friedman, Carl D. (Department: 3635)
Static structures (e.g., buildings)
Rigid barrier cantilevered from vertical support
Awning type
C135S090000, C135S087000, C052S023000, C052S090100, C160S010000, C160S046000, C160S049000, C160S056000, C160S154000, C160S313000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06591556
ABSTRACT:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
Not applicable.
STATEMENT OF FEDERALLY FUNDED RESEARCH/DEVELOPMENT
Not applicable.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to canopy structures, and in particular to damage-resistant canopies sheltering, for example, drive-up ordering stations of fast food restaurants.
It is well known to shelter from the weather particular areas, such as the drive-up ordering stations of fast food restaurants, with overhanging portions of a roof or a free-standing canopy structure. These structures are rigid and fixed in height. Consequently, they provide a prescribed maximum clearance for pedestrian or vehicular travel thereunder. The amount of clearance for roof overhangs usually depends on the height of the building to which it is attached. The height of the canopy may be selected to balance the competing interests of maximum clearance and adequate protection from the elements. That is, the canopy must not be too much higher than the subjects being sheltered, otherwise it may provide insufficient shelter because the weather elements (wind, rain, sleet, snow, etc.) may easily pass around the canopy. The size of the canopy structure is also selected with an eye to material and assembly costs. At the drive-up ordering station of a fast food restaurant, for example, a canopy with 100 inches of clearance may be selected to provide adequate shelter and still allow automobiles and many sizes of trucks to pass underneath.
It is possible for the canopy top to be struck by vehicles that are taller, or are carrying loads that are higher, than the maximum clearance. This can cause the canopy and the vehicle (or load) to be damaged. To overcome this problem, canopy structures have been designed with components that move or break-away when struck. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,390,710, incorporated herein by reference, discloses a canopy assembly having an upright post and a canopy top that can be pivoted about the post (and out of the way) by an overheight vehicle. The canopy top has an impact bar at a leading edge that when struck activates an alarm and travels a small distance. If the vehicle does not stop, the impact bar travels a further distance to release a latch and allow the canopy top to be swung by the vehicle out of the path of movement. While this device provides a damage-resistant canopy, it must be returned manually to the centered position after the vehicle has passed out of the way. Until the canopy top is repositioned, it will not shelter the desired area and it may be swung about the post by external forces, such as high wind, thus subjecting it (and nearby structures) to damage.
Accordingly, there exists a need for an improved canopy structure.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention provides a self-centering pivotal canopy assembly overcoming the problems of the prior art. In particular, the canopy assembly includes a support column, at an upper end, a roof structure having a frame supporting one or more sheltering members. A coupler is attached to the column and the roof to allow the roof to be pivoted about the column in response to a moment force about the column. A centering element is mounted to the support column to engage the coupler and bias the roof to a center position such that the roof returns to the center position in the absence of the moment force.
In one form, the coupler includes a pair of identical helical slots. In the centered position, the top ends of the slots rest on the pivot post. The coupler can rotate through approximately 180 degrees until the pivot post contacts a bottom end of the helical slots. When the coupler is rotated, the pivot post engages the slots so that the coupler translates upward. Gravity biases the coupler to return to the centered position. Preferably, the pivot post assembly includes a cylindrical rod fixed to the support column and supporting a plurality of cylindrical glides that ride within the helical slots.
In another form, a plastic spacer sleeve is disposed in the cavity between the coupler. The support column, coupler and spacer sleeve have a pair of openings aligned to receive the pivot post. The spacer sleeve has a top end with at least one wing extending outwardly to engage the top end of the support column.
The roof can also include a rectangular, perforated bottom panel that is supported by a the lip of a skirt extending around the perimeter of the roof frame. A front section of the skirt can be pivoted away from the frame to allow the bottom panel to be slid out from the roof assembly for accessing lighting mounted underneath the sloping panels of the roof assembly.
In a preferred form, the present invention provides a canopy assembly for sheltering a drive-up ordering station of a fast food restaurant that can pivot out of the path of a vehicle impacting a leading end of a pivotal portion of the assembly. The canopy assembly includes a support column mounting a roof assembly at a coupler. The support column has an upper end defining a cavity in which is disposed a plastic spacer sleeve through which a pivot post assembly extends across the cavity. The pivot post assembly includes a cylindrical rod fixed to the support column and supporting a plurality of cylindrical glides which ride within a pair of helical slots in the tubular coupler, which is mounted to the frame of the roof assembly. When the coupler is rotated, the pivot post engages the slots so that the coupler translates upward so that the coupler is biased by gravity to a centered position in which the top ends of the slots engage the pivot post. The coupler can rotate through approximately 180 degrees in which the pivot post engages a bottom end of the helical slots.
Thus, the invention provides a canopy assembly having a roof assembly that can pivot when impacted by a vehicle that is taller than the maximum clearance height of the canopy assembly. After the vehicle is passed clear of the canopy, the pivotal roof assembly automatically returns to its initial centered position, without manual intervention being necessary.
These and other advantages of the invention will be apparent from the detailed description and drawings.
REFERENCES:
patent: 1007306 (1911-10-01), Nevins et al.
patent: 2840848 (1958-07-01), Hickey
patent: 3044540 (1962-07-01), Hammersley
patent: 3121458 (1964-02-01), Blanchard
patent: 4945606 (1990-08-01), Eckel
patent: 4951351 (1990-08-01), Eckel
patent: 5390719 (1995-02-01), Barnes
Bergmann Kenneth R.
Bertheaume Paul R.
Dewey Matt
Michaud Maurice
Friedman Carl D.
Green Christy
Quarles & Brady LLP
The Howard Company, Inc.
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