Tent – canopy – umbrella – or cane – Portable shelter – Framework
Reexamination Certificate
1999-08-26
2001-08-14
Callo, Laura A. (Department: 3635)
Tent, canopy, umbrella, or cane
Portable shelter
Framework
C135S098000, C135S090000, C052S063000, C052S082000, C052S074000, C160S081000, C160S134000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06273115
ABSTRACT:
The present invention concerns a wind and weather protection device in the form of a detachable partition or side wall for attachment to a wind and weather protection device in the form of a collapsible roof.
In order to be able to use outdoor sitting areas in inclement weather, they are commonly provided with protection equipment.
Probably the most common protection equipment consists of awnings that may be rolled up. However, awnings have the disadvantage that they must be rolled up when there is a strong wind to prevent them from breakage.
Awnings capable of withstanding strong wind loads are provided with strong guide bars or run in permanently mounted fixtures. They have the disadvantage that in order to erect them either a wall must be built, or fixed and permanently anchored mountings must be provided. This is time-consuming and correspondingly expensive.
Tents are also well known as weather protection devices. Tents that may be quickly erected and taken down are particularly user-friendly. A tent of this kind is for example the subject of the Patent EP 0 567 922 (publication date Nov. 3, 1993). This tent consists of two roof elements lying on hoops at opposite sides of a frame. These roof elements may be collapsed or extended by moving them along guide bars. The guide bars are assembled from several parts. Furthermore, the roof elements may be collapsed and stored in the frame. The roof elements are intended for tents with a rectangular base. They are carried on supports and are preferentially ridge-shaped. Tents of this type have the particular disadvantage of complex construction and are therefore expensive. In addition, they cannot be employed without vertical supports. For this reason, they are not very suitable as protection equipment for outdoor sitting areas. In addition, the U.S. Pat. No. 4,630,627 (publication date Dec. 23, 1986) proposes a collapsible frame for the erection of a tent with ridge roof having an upper and a lower frame. The upper and lower frames are connected by means of several hinged struts. The hinged struts are folded inwards in order to lower the upper frame relative to the lower frame. They are folded outwards to raise the upper frame relative to the lower frame. The hinged struts may be collapsed or extended with the aid of winches attached to the lower frame. This structure also has the disadvantage of relative complex construction and is therefore expensive. A further significant disadvantage is that the two frames cannot be folded together. This framework thus requires extensive storage space even when folded.
The U.S. Pat. No. 5,490,533 (publication date Feb. 1-3, 1996) describes a collapsible shelter with a raised roof covering.
The roof covering has at least three sides and three corners. It is supported by at least three vertically positioned supports, whereby each support is located under a corner of the roof covering. The roof covering has a framework that folds upwards. This framework consists of several stays. Each stay consists of two stay elements. The stay elements are arranged in an outer and an inner sector. The outer end of the outer sector is connected to the upper end of a vertical support. The inner end of the inner sector is connected to a long, central, mounting element. Each of the two sectors of a stay element consists of two bar-shaped elements that cross each other and are connected together at their centers so as to be rotatable. The stays can be moved from a collapsed position to an extended position. In the extended position, the stays lie above the vertical supports. In the collapsed position, they are located between the vertical supports. This shelter also has the disadvantage of relatively complex construction, and is therefore expensive. It is unsuitable for mounting on the wall of a building. Although the height of the stays can be reduced, their length remains unchanged. The shelter thus requires relatively extensive storage space even when folded.
A covering for large open spaces is proposed in the published applications DE 37 21 738 (day of disclosure Jan. 21, 1988) and DE 37 30 696 (day of disclosure Apr. 14, 1988). This covering comprises several vertical masts. Cables are suspended between these masts.
U-shaped profile guides are mounted on the cables in that holes are provided in the guides through which the cables may be passed, enabling the guides to be displaced along the cables. The ends of the guides are rolled up to form outward-facing tubes. Strips are attached to the U-shaped profile guides at their ends and extend over the entire length of the profile guides. The edges of the strips are rolled up to form a tube. Cables are passed through these tubes.
The tubes are inserted in the tube-shaped ends of the guides. The covering may be opened or closed by means of tension cables attached to the guides that may be moved back and forth via motorized shafts, rollers and guide pulleys. The covering can be reinforced with the aid of stabilizing cables. This covering is also unsuitable for mounting on the wall of a building.
A further tent construction is the subject of the published application DE 34 18 994 (day of disclosure Nov. 28, 1985). This tent design comprises a supporting framework consisting in the main of vertically positioned side supports and horizontally positioned or tilted roof spars. The side supports are positioned on the ground at equal intervals. The roof spars extend radially from at least one central nodal element to the upper ends of the side supports, and are connected to these. They are designed to telescope and may be adjusted to any desired length. At the free end of each spar, i.e. at the end opposite the central nodal element, peripheral nodal elements having three axes of rotation are positioned, one of which is attached to a side support and the other two to transverse horizontal spars. These transverse spars are positioned between the free ends of the roof spars. The central nodal element is attached to a vertical support or to a wall structure. The tent design also has side walls and a roof. The side walls are supported by the side supports, and the roof by the roof spars. The side walls and the roof consist of interconnected tent material elements.
This tent design is not collapsible. To erect it or take it down, the individual parts must be connected together or taken apart. This is relatively time-consuming.
The published application DE 43 22 417 (day of disclosure Jan, 12, 1995), which corresponds to the status of technology pertaining in the characterizing portion of Patent claim
1
, proposes a folding roof whose base consists of a frame. A cylinder having a vertical axis is attached to the center of one of the transverse sides of this frame. Several roof stays are attached radially to this cylinder. The roof stays are grouped together above and below at each side of the center line of the frame and connected by strap hinges next to the cylinder. Each group of roof stays is assigned a swivel arm that is attached radially to a shaft positioned near the cylinder so that it can rotate, and whose other end is attached to a hinge fixed to the outer roof stay of the group, in such a way that when the arm is swiveled beyond the frame, the roof stays of a group assume a radial position within a semicircle, whereby the strap hinge is in contact with the cylinder and tensions a roof covering element to form a semicircle. The frame can be permanently mounted on columns or posts. It may also however be mounted on a mobile sales stand. This folding roof is primarily intended as a roof for exhibition stands or for solar protection for balconies and restaurants. Since the folding roof is circular, it is not suitable for mounting on the wall of a building. A further disadvantage of this folding roof lies in the relatively unstable attachment of the roof stays by means of strap hinges. This folding roof does not provide sufficient resistance against high wind loads.
Finally, the Patent CH 678875 (publication date Nov. 15, 1991) proposes an umbrella-shaped folding roof in whi
Brown & Wood LLP
Callo Laura A.
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