Flexible or portable closure – partition – or panel – With mounting – fastening – or supporting means – Automobile windshield weather protector or sunshield
Reexamination Certificate
2000-06-05
2001-04-17
Paul, David M. (Department: 3634)
Flexible or portable closure, partition, or panel
With mounting, fastening, or supporting means
Automobile windshield weather protector or sunshield
C160S070000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06216762
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a sun-shade device, more particularly to a sun-shade device which includes a stretching arm unit with upper and lower arm members that are aligned with each other when a screen thereof is fully stretched.
2. Description of the Related Art
A sun-shade device is commonly installed in an automobile adjacent to a rear window for shading the interior of the automobile from sunlight.
FIGS. 1 and 2
show a conventional sun-shade device
1
which includes an elongate housing
11
secured in the automobile, an elongate roller
12
journalled in the housing
11
, a screen
13
wound on the roller
12
and having an upper edge which extends out of the housing
11
and which is provided with an elongate frame member
15
, a torsion spring
14
provided in the housing
11
for biasing the roller
12
to rotate in a direction for winding the screen
13
on the roller
12
, a pair of stretching arms
16
mounted on two opposite ends of the housing
14
for stretching the screen
13
out of the housing
14
, and a drive unit
17
for driving movement of the stretching arms
16
. The frame member
15
on the upper edge of the screen
13
is formed with a longitudinally extending slide groove
151
that opens downwardly. Each of the stretching arms
16
has a lower end portion mounted pivotally on the housing
14
and an upper end portion formed with a sliding block
161
which extends into and which is slidable along the slide groove
151
. The drive unit
17
includes a gear member
171
which can be driven by a motor (not shown) and which engages a pair of transmission shafts
18
that are connected respectively and pivotally to the lower end portions of the stretching arms
16
. When the motor is activated to drive rotation of the gear member
171
, the stretching arms
16
are moved by the transmission shafts
18
to pivot upwardly and downwardly relative to the housing
14
for winding and unwinding the screen
13
. However, it is noted that the stretching arms
16
are designed to be inclined relative to a vertical line and to extend toward a central part of the screen
13
when the screen
13
is fully stretched so as to permit smooth operation of the stretching arms
16
when the drive unit
17
is subsequently activated for winding the screen
13
. The conventional sun-shade device is thus not satisfactory.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Therefore, the object of the present invention is to provide a sun-shade device with a modified stretching arm unit having upper and lower arm members that are aligned with each other when a screen is fully stretched.
Accordingly, the sun-shade device of the present invention includes an elongate housing having a top side formed with a longitudinally extending slit, and opposite first and second end portions, an elongate roller journalled in the housing and rotatable about a longitudinal axis thereof, a screen having a lower edge connected to the roller and an upper edge which extends out of the housing via the slit and which is provided with a horizontal strip that has opposite first and second end portions, a biasing member provided in the housing for biasing the roller to rotate in a direction for winding the screen on the roller, left and right stretching arm units, and a drive unit. Each of the stretching arm units includes an upper arm member having an upper first end connected pivotally to a respective one of the first and second end portions of the horizontal strip about a horizontal first pivot axis transverse to the longitudinal axis of said roller, and a lower second end, and a lower arm member having an upper third end connected pivotally to the second end of the upper arm member about a horizontal second pivot axis parallel to the first pivot axis, a lower fourth end, and a mounting portion formed between the third and fourth ends and mounted pivotally on a respective one of the first and second end portions of the housing about a horizontal third pivot axis parallel to the first and second pivot axes. The drive unit is mounted on the housing, and is connected to the fourth ends of the lower arm members of the stretching arm units for driving the fourth end of the lower arm member of each of the stretching arm units to pivot about the third pivot axis in a first direction toward the other one of the stretching arm units, thereby causing the upper arm members to pivot relative to the lower arm members and the horizontal strip for stretching from the lower arm members and for unwinding the screen from the roller. The drive unit further drives the fourth end of the lower arm member of each of the stretching arm units to pivot about the third pivot axis in a second direction away from the other one of the stretching arm units, thereby causing the upper arm members to pivot relative to the lower arm members and the horizontal strip for folding toward the lower arm members so as to permit retraction of the screen into the housing and winding of the screen around the roller due to biasing action of the biasing member. The third end of the lower arm member of each of the stretching arm units is formed with a pin projection that projects in a direction parallel to the second pivot axis. The second end of the upper arm member of each of the stretching arm units is formed with an engaging groove which engages the pin projection when the upper arm member is aligned with the lower arm member and is stretched from the lower arm member.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4836263 (1989-06-01), Ament
patent: 5468040 (1995-11-01), Hsieh et al.
patent: 5653278 (1997-08-01), Cheng
patent: 5896910 (1999-04-01), Chen
patent: 6032718 (2000-03-01), Chen
patent: 6135192 (2000-10-01), Suzuki et al.
Christie Parker & Hale LLP
Paul David M.
LandOfFree
Sun-shade device does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Sun-shade device, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Sun-shade device will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-2553555