AU2005202449A1 - A shelter - Google Patents

Description

P/00/011 Regulation 3.2

AUSTRALIA

Patents Act 1990 COMPLETE

SPECIFICATION

FOR A STANDARD PATENT

ORIGINAL

TO BE COMPLETED BY APPLICANT Name of Applicant: Actual Inventor: Address for Service: Invention title: MICHAEL ANDREW ATKINSON MICHAEL ANDREW ATKINSON JOHN R.G. GARDNER SUITE 398 ALBERT AVENUE BROADBEACH QLD 4218 A SHELTER Details of Associated Provisional Applications No: 2004902976 filed 4 June 2004 The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it know to me:- A SHELTER Technical Field This invention relates to a shelter and primarily to a foldable shelter particularly but not exclusively suited to use as a shade shelter, gazebo, tent or any other shade structure. The present invention also relates to a foldable frame assembly for a shelter or for any other application.

Background Art Many different forms of shade shelters are available ranging from shelters having a frame which is required to be assembled after which a shade fabric or other shading material is applied over the frame, to shelters which incorporate a frame. The former shelters suffer the disadvantage that the frame usually has a large number of separate components and it is usually necessary to expend a considerable time in assembling the components to form the frame and then disassemble the frame. In addition, these frames are not particularly stable when erected. A further disadvantage is that the large number of separate frame components makes the disassembled shade shelter heavy and difficult to carry.

Shelters which incorporate frames overcome the disadvantage of separate frame components and they can be of a relatively lightweight. As however the frame is incorporated into the shelter, shelters of this configuration are limited in their design.

Furthermore, for convenience of transport, shelters which incorporate frames are necessarily of limited size and therefore they can only provide a limited shelter. Often also the frames of the shelters either through use or because of the manner in which they are stored tend to become distorted.

The current shelters which are available which are commonly used on beaches suffer a number of disadvantages. In particular, the current shelters do not provide a large shade area and when assembled tend to be relatively hot inside. They are unstable in windy conditions and further are not easily assembled or disassembled.

Summary of the Invention The present invention aims to provide a shelter which overcomes or alleviates one or more of the above disadvantages. The present invention further aims to provide a foldable or collapsible shelter which may be simply and effectively changed between an erected position and a folded or collapsed attitude. The present invention in a further preferred aspect aims to provide a shelter which in its folded or collapsed attitude is relatively compact thereby facilitating transporting and storage. The shelter of the invention is particularly suited as a shade shelter for use for example on beaches however the shelter may be configured as a gazebo, tent or any other shading or sheltering device.

The present invention in yet a further aspect aims to provide an expandable frame assembly for a shelter of the above described type or for any other application. Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description.

The present invention thus provides in one aspect a shelter comprising a frame assembly and a cover of pliable material adapted to be supported by said frame assembly, said frame assembly having a plurality of frame sections, each said frame section having a pair of elongated substantially parallel side arms and an intermediate or central arm between and substantially parallel to said side arms, and a section of said cover secured at least to said side arms, said frame sections being movable between a collapsed position wherein said arms are substantially juxtaposed and an erected position in which said side arms are moved away from each other and said intermediate arm to tension said cover section.

Preferably, linkage means connect the side arms and the intermediate arm to guide movement of each side arm towards and away from the intermediate arm. Most preferably, the linkage means are adapted to guide the side arms in parallelism towards and away from the intermediate arm.

The linkage means suitably comprise first or major link members pivotally connected to the side arms and the intermediate arm. Preferably, slide brackets are carried by the intermediate arm for slidable movement therealong and the first link members are pivotally connected to the slide bracket at one end and at their opposite end are pivotally connected to respective side arms. The side arms suitably carry fixed brackets to which the opposite ends of the first link members are pivotally connected.

The fixed brackets are suitably provided at or adjacent opposite ends of the side arms.

Second or minor link members are suitably pivotally connected at one end to the first or major link members intermediate their ends and at their opposite ends to the intermediate arm. The intermediate arm is suitably provided with fixed brackets at or adjacent its opposite ends to which the minor link members are pivotally connected. The second or minor link members on one side of the intermediate arm are preferably parallel to the first or major link members on the opposite side of the intermediate arm such that the major and minor link members form a parallelogram linkage.

Preferably, actuating means are associated with at least one of the slide brackets to effect movement of the at least one slide bracket along the intermediate arm. The actuating means may comprise a further arm mounted to the intermediate arm for extension and retraction relative to the intermediate arm. The actuating arm is most suitably telescopically engageable with the intermediate arm for extension and retraction.

Suitably an inner portion of the actuating arm is coupled to the at least one slide bracket.

Thus extension of the actuating arm from the intermediate arm will move the slide bracket outwardly along the intermediate arm and cause the opposite side arms to move away from the intermediate arm. Similarly, retraction of the actuating arm will move the slide bracket inwardly along the intermediate arm and cause the opposite side arms to move towards the intermediate arm.

Preferably, pairs of slide brackets are provided on each intermediate arm and sets of first and second link members are provided on opposite sides of the intermediate arm and between the intermediate arm and side arms and associated with the respective slide brackets.

Most preferably, the slide brackets are coupled to each other for simultaneous movement in opposite directions. Thus movement of one slide bracket outwardly along the intermediate arm will be accompanied by movement of the other slide bracket outwardly in the opposite direction along the intermediate arm to effect corresponding outward movement of the slide arms in parallelism relative to the intermediate arm.

Where actuating arms are provided, extension of the actuating arms will cause simultaneous outward movement of the slide brackets along the intermediate arm whilst retraction of the actuating arms will cause simultaneous movement of the slide brackets inwardly towards each other along the intermediate arm.

In a further aspect, the present invention provides a shelter comprising a frame assembly and a cover of pliable material adapted to be supported by said frame assembly, said frame assembly having a plurality of frame sections, each said frame section having a pair of elongated substantially parallel side arms and an intermediate or central arm between and substantially parallel to said side arms, and a section of said cover secured at least to said side arms of each said frame section, linkage means between said side arms and said intermediate arm of each said frame section for guiding said frame sections between a collapsed position wherein said arms are substantially juxtaposed and an erected position in which said side arms are moved in parallelism away from each other and said intermediate arm to tension said cover section and an actuating arm mounted to said intermediate arm and coupled to said linkage means of each said frame section, said actuating arm being movable relative to said intermediate arm to move said frame section between said collapsed and erected positions.

Preferably the slide brackets are coupled through a pulley and cable-type transmission for their simultaneous movement. Preferably, the transmission comprises a pair of pulleys mounted respectively for rotation on opposite end brackets carried by the intermediate bracket and cables or lines fixed at one end to one slide bracket, passing around the adjacent end bracket and fixed at its opposite end to the other slide bracket.

Preferably, the pivot axes of the link arms on opposite sides of the intermediate arms are angled at an acute angle to each other so that the side arms on opposite sides of the intermediate arms move in planes which are at an obtuse angle to each other. The angle between the pivot axes may be varied to vary the configuration of the shelter.

Preferably, the actuating arms form part of a frame of an awning of the shelter.

Further parts of the awning frame may be defined by further arms mounted on the same side of the shelter frame assembly to the actuating arms. The further arms may be mounted to the side arms for extension and retraction relative thereto. Preferably, the further arms are mounted for telescopic movement relative to the side arms. Further fabric may be secured to the further arms, the further fabric being extended and tensioned on expansion of the shelter frame assembly and extension of the actuating arms and further arms to define an awning at one end of the shelter.

At the end of the shelter opposite the actuating arms, fabric curtains may be provided to span portions of the end of the shelter, the curtains being fixed to the main fabric of the shelter to brace the shelter when erected. Preferably, the curtains when the shelter is in an erected position extend generally diagonally from the centre of the shelter to ends thereof to serve as the brace for the erected shelter. One or opposite ends of the shelter however may be substantially filled in typically by fabric to form the shelter into a tent or similar enclosure. Of course in such a configuration, the end fabric may be provided with window and/or door openings to provide access to the shelter.

The shelter may also be configured as a gazebo or similar structure and for this purpose, the shelter may be provided with legs for elevating the shelter off the ground.

The legs are suitably detachably engageable with side arms at opposite sides of the shelter.

Whilst the shelter typically forms a shade shelter, it may be used as a wind shelter with the frame and fabric carried thereby oriented substantially vertically.

The frame assembly may have any number of frame sections and typically the frame components are formed of lightweight material such as aluminium. Typically the fabric for the shelter comprises a lightweight fabric which most suitably comprises a fabric with a high Sun Protection Factor (SPF) however the fabric may be any form of pliable sheet material.

Whilst the frame sections described above are particularly suited to use in a shelter, they may be used in other applications. Thus in a further aspect, the present invention provides a frame section having a pair of elongated substantially parallel side arms and an intermediate or central arm between and substantially parallel to said side arms, linkage means between said intermediate arm and said side arms, said linkage means being adapted to guide said frame section between a collapsed position wherein said arms are substantially juxtaposed and an erected position in which said side arms are moved away from each other and said intermediate arm. Preferably, slide brackets are mounted on, for movement relative to, the intermediate arm and are pivotally connected to the linkage means such that movement of the slide brackets along the intermediate arm in opposite direction effects movement of the frame section between the collapsed and erected positions. Preferably, a pair of slide brackets are mounted to the intermediate arms, the slide brackets being coupled to each other for simultaneous but opposite movement.

Brief Description of the Drawings In order that the invention may be more readily understood and put into practical effect, reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings which illustrate a preferred embodiment of the invention and wherein Figs. 1, 2 and 3 illustrate perspective, front and side views respectively, of a shelter according to an embodiment of the present invention; Fig. 4 illustrates the frame of the shelter in a collapsed attitude; Fig. 5 illustrates the frame of the shelter in a partially expanded attitude; Fig. 6 illustrates the frame of the shelter in a fully expanded attitude; Fig. 6A illustrates a frame section of the expanded frame of Fig. 6; Fig. 7 illustrates a main central arm of a frame section of the frame of the shelter; Fig. 8 is a perspective view of a bracket of the frame; Fig. 9 is an end view of the bracket of Fig. 8 supporting a pair of link arms; Figs. 10 illustrate in side view the shelter in the configuration of a gazebo; and Fig. 11 illustrates the connection between the gazebo and a support leg therefor.

Detailed Description of the Preferred Embodiment Referring to the drawings and firstly to Figs. 1 and 3, there is illustrated a shelter according to an embodiment of the invention in an erected configuration typically for use on a beach or other similar application. The shelter 10 includes a frame 11 (see also Figs. 4 to 6) to which a shade fabric 12 is attached which in the expanded position of the shelter 10 forms a main shading section 13 and an awning- like extension section 14.

The fabric 12 may be of any suitable material however most preferably the fabric 12 is a lightweight synthetic fabric having a high Sun Protection Factor (SPF). The frame 11 (and attached fabric 12) is movable between the collapsed or contracted position of Fig.

4, the partly expanded position of Fig. 5 and the fully expanded position of Fig. 6.

The frame 11 as more clearly shown in Figs. 5, 6 and 6A comprises a series of frame sections 15, each comprising a central elongated arm 16 and a pair of substantially parallel side arms 17 which are also substantially parallel to the central arm 16. The side arms 17 are common to adjacent frame sections 15 apart from at the ends of the frame 11.

Linkage and slide assemblies 18 at opposite ends of the central arms 16 connect the arms 17 in each frame section 15 to the central arm 16 for movement of the opposite side arms 17 in parallelism towards and away from the central arm 16. Each linkage and slide assemblies 18 comprise a slide bracket 19 arranged for sliding movement along the central arm 16, major link arms 20 on opposite sides of the central arm 16 which are pivotally connected at one end at 21 to the slide brackets 19 and at their opposite ends to brackets 22 fixed to common ends of the respective arms 17. Minor link arms 23 are pivotally connected at 24 at one end to the respective major link arms 20 between the ends of the link arms 20 and at their opposite end at 25 to a bracket 26 fixed to an end of the central arm 16. The minor link arms 23 are connected to the major link arms 20 at a position therealong such that the minor link arms 23 on one side of the central arm 16 are substantially parallel to the major link arms 20 on the opposite side of the central arm 16 to thereby form a parallelogram linkage 27.

It will be apparent in this configuration, that movement of the slide bracket 19 along the central arm 16 in opposite directions will cause the simultaneous outward movement of the side arms 16 towards and away from the central arm 16. Simultaneous and corresponding movement of each slide bracket 19 will cause the opposite side arms 17 to move in substantial parallelism towards and away from the central arm 16.

The pivot axes of the pivot connections between the major link arms 20 and minor link arms 23 to the central arm 16 at the brackets 26 and slide bracket 19 are angled at an acute angle to each other such that the opposite side arms 17 move in planes angled at an obtuse angle to each other towards and away from the central arm 16. The brackets 19 (and 26) for this purpose and as more clearly shown in Figs. 8 and 9 have pairs of opposite flanges 28 which are angled downwardly on opposite sides of the brackets 19 at an acute angle with reference to Fig. 9. Ends of opposite major link arms are located neatly between the flanges 28 and connected thereto by pivot pins 29 passing through the flanges 28 and the link arms 20. The pivot axes 30 of the major link arms 20 are thus angled at an acute angle to each other such that the link arms 20 and arms 16 are guided for movement in planes 31 which are at an obtuse angle to each other.

The brackets 26 are of a similar configuration to the brackets 19 to support the minor arms 23 for movement in the same obtuse planes. The brackets 19 and 26 also have a central opening 32 for receipt of the arm 16. In the bracket 19, the arm 16 is freely slidable through the opening 32. In the bracket 26, the arm 16 is fixed to the brackets 26 such as by rivets. Brackets 22 are of similar configuration to the bracket 19 and are fixed such as by rivets to the opposite ends of the arms 17.

To effect movement to of the brackets 19 along the arms 16, each central arm 16 supports an elongated actuating arm 33. Typically the arms 16 as shown in Fig. 9 are of a U or channel-shaped cross section and the actuating arms 33 are of similar but smaller cross section such that they may nest with the channels of the arms 16 in an opposing relationship so as to be extendable telescopically therefrom. The actuating arm 33 is fixed at its inner end to one slide bracket 19 and is provided with a T-shaped handle 34 at its opposite end which facilitates gripping. Movement of the bracket 19 along the arm 16 in opposite directions can thus be achieved by gripping the handle 34 and pulling it outwardly of the arm 16 or pushing it inwardly towards the arm 16.

To effect simultaneous movement of the brackets 19 towards and away from each other upon movement of the actuating arm 33, the brackets 19 are coupled together through a cable or line and guide roller or pulley coupling shown generally at 35 in Fig.

7. This coupling 35 comprises guide rollers or pulleys 36 mounted rotatably on the opposite end brackets 26. The brackets 26 for this purpose are provided with slots 37 (see Fig. 9) which extend parallel to the openings 32 with rollers or pulleys 36 supported rotatably in the slots 37. The brackets 19 are also provided with slots 37 through which a cable or line may pass. One line or cable 39 is fixed at one end to one slide bracket 19, passes along the arm 16 towards the adjacent end bracket 26 to pass around the roller 36 and back along the arm 16 and through a slot 37 in the adjacent slide bracket 19 to be fixed to the other slide bracket 19. The other line or cable 40 is fixed at one end to the other slide bracket 19 passes along the arm 16 to the adjacent end bracket 26, around the roller 36 and back along the arm 16 through the slot 37 in the other slide bracket 19 and fixed to the one slide bracket 19.

Spring loaded push buttons 41 (see Fig. 9) are provided on the actuating arms 33 for location in apertures in the arms 16 to positively but releasably lock the actuating arms 33 when they are moved to an extended position. Further elongated extension arms 42 (see Figs. 5 and 6) are slidably supported on the side arms 17 (apart from the end arms 17' at the opposite ends of the frame 11), the arms 42 being of similar configuration to the arms 33 so as to be slidable telescopically relative to the arms 16. The arms 42 however are not connected to any bracket. The arms 42 may also be releasable locked in an extended position by spring loaded push button arrangement similar to the arrangement 41 for the arms 33. The frame 11 terminates at the opposite end arms 17' which are of similar configuration to the arms 17 whilst adjacent frame sections 15 have common side arms 17.

The fabric 12 of the shelter 10 comprises a first elongated rectangular length of fabric 43 for the main section 13 which is secured at opposite ends to the side arms 17 and central arm 16 in each frame sections 15 and extends between opposite end arms 17' of the frame 11. For this purpose, the fabric 43 is provided with tubes of fabric stitched to the main fabric 43 and extending width-wise for receipt of the side arms 17 and opposite end arms 17' whilst the fabric 43 is secured to the central arms 16 at positions adjacent its opposite ends by any suitable fasteners. The length of the fabric 43 between the side arms 17 of each frame section 15 is such that when the frame sections 15 are fully expanded, the fabric 43 is tensioned between the side arms 17 and over the central arm 16 as is more apparent in Figs. 1 to 3.

Fabric 44 for the awning 14 (see Fig. 3) comprises a substantially rectangular length of fabric which is tapered at each end to terminate at the end arms 17' at opposite ends of the frame 11. The fabric 44 is secured along one longitudinal edge 45 to a longitudinal side edge of the fabric 43 whilst the fabric 44 is secured at spaced positions along its opposite longitudinal edge 46 to the actuating arms 33 and extension arms 42 adjacent the T-shaped handles 34.

On the opposite end of the shelter 10, a pair of further elongated fabric lengths 47 which form stabilising curtains (shown more clearly in Fig. 2) have one longitudinal edge 48 secured to the longitudinal edge 49 of the fabric 43 and their opposite longitudinal edge 50 extending from a corner of the frame 11 to the centre thereof. These fabric lengths 47 serve to brace the shelter 10 when erected as described further below.

In use and assuming that the shelter 10 is in collapsed position, the frame 11 is in the configuration of Fig. 4 with adjacent arms 16 and 17 substantially juxtaposed, the actuating arms 33 retracted into the arms 16 and similarly the extension arms 42 retracted into the arms 17. The frame 11 because of the configuration of the brackets 19, 22 and 26 and the pivot axes defined thereby will adopt a generally curved trough-like configuration. To erect the shelter 10, the frame 11 is typically arranged in a substantially upright attitude and pulled at each end to partly expand the frame 11 to the position of Fig. 5. The actuating arms 33 are then pulled outwardly from their supporting arms 16 and similarly the arms 42 are pulled outwardly from the arms 17. Erection is best achieved by extending the arms sequentially by first extending one and then the other outermost arms 33 (with reference to Fig. 6) and then extending the arms 33 immediately adjacent to the outermost arms 33 and then the remaining central arm 33. As the arms 33 are pulled outwardly, the side arms 17 of a frame section 15 will be moved away from a central arm 16 until the arms 33 latch through the spring loaded pins 41 in their extended position of Fig. 6. This tensions the fabric 43 in each frame section 15 between the arms 17 and across the arms 16 and also tensions the fabric curtains 47. Movement of the arms 42 to their extended positions of Fig. 6 in which they are latched by the spring loaded pins forms in combination with the arms 33 a support for the awing fabric 44.

The frame 11 thus adopts the fully expanded position of Fig. 6 and the expanded frame 11 can then be tipped over so that the shelter 10 adopts the position shown Figs. 1 to 3. In this position, the fabric 43 is tensioned over the whole frame 11 and the fabric 44 is tensioned by the extended arms 33 and 42 to form the awning section 14. In addition, the fabric curtains 47 are tensioned and extend generally diagonally from the centre of the 11 shelter 10 and span a region between the centre of the shelter 10 and opposite ends thereof. The tensioned fabric curtains 47 thus act as braces to resist side forces on the shelter due for example to wind.

It will be apparent that the shelter 10 provides a substantial shade area beneath the tensioned fabric 43 and awning section 14 defined by the tensioned fabric 44. Further, as the shelter 10 is substantially open at the front and rear, substantial flow through of air is allowed.

To assist in maintaining the shelter 10 in a fixed position, pockets 51 (see Figs. 1 and 3) may be provided on the outer side of the fabric 43 at each side of the shelter for receipt of soil, sand or the like which acts as an anchor. If necessary to provide additional support to the shelter in high wind conditions, tie down straps or guy lines 53 (see Fig. 3) may be secured at one end to anchor points 54 on the shelter 10 and at their opposite ends by pegs to the ground on opposite sides of the shelter 10. Pockets 55 (see Figs. 1 and 2) may be also formed on the inside of the shelter 10 on each side for defining a storage area for any articles such as the tie down straps or guy lines 53 and pegs therefore and also legs for the shelter 10 (described further below). A detachable floor or ground sheet 56 (see Figs. 1 and 2) may be secured at each end to the opposite end arms 17' of the shelter frame 11 as shown in Fig. 1.

To collapse the shelter 10 for storage or carrying purpose, the reverse procedure described above for erection is used with the shelter 10 preferably being placed on its rear end and the arms 33 pushed downwardly into the arms 16 sequentially in a reverse order to the erection sequence to move the arms 17 and 17' inwardly with the arms 42 also being pushed into the arms 17. The collapsed shelter 10 with the frame 11 in the configuration of Fig. 4 may then be conveniently stored or transported in an elongated carry bag.

The shelter 10 as shown in Figs. 10 and 11 may also be adapted for use as a gazebo 56 or similar shelter by providing legs 57 at each corner of the shelter 10. For this purpose, the brackets 22 at the opposite ends of the end arms 16 of the shelter 10 are provided at each end with insert members 58 which are of a complementary cross-section to and which are receivable in the ends of the legs 57 as shown in Fig. 12. For this purpose, the legs 57 which in this embodiment are of square section but which may be of other cross sections, are provided with a longitudinally extending slot 59 and a necked region 60 is provided between the insert members 56 and ends bracket 22 such that the 12 necked portion 60 can be received in the slot 59.

The gazebo 56 may be erected in a similar manner to erection of the shelter with the legs 57 usually fitted after the shelter is moved to its expanded position. Tie downs similar to the ties 53 may also be used to provide stability to the erected gazebo 56 as shown in Fig. 11.

The shelter 10 may be provided in a number of different configurations in varying widths and lengths by varying the configuration of the frame 11 and the number of frame sections 15 which make up the frame 11. The front and or rear of the shelter 10 may be closed in by suitably infill fabric panels to form the shelter 10 into a tent-like configuration.

The arms of the frame 11 are preferably formed of aluminium to be of a lightweight construction and of a channel-shaped cross section but they may be of other cross sections and of other materials. The brackets are suitably moulded from a plastics material most preferably nylon. The fabric covering of the shelter and/or awning may be a synthetic lightweight material such as polyester or nylon.

The terms "comprising" or "comprises" or derivatives thereof as used throughout the specification and claims are taken to specify the presence of the stated features, integers and components referred to but not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other feature/s, integer/s, component/s or group thereof.

Whilst the above has been given by way of illustrative embodiment of the invention, all such variations and modifications thereto as would be apparent to persons skilled in the art are deemed to fall within the broad scope and ambit of the invention as herein defined in the appended claims.

Claims (33)

1. A shelter comprising a frame assembly and a cover of pliable material adapted to be supported by said frame assembly, said frame assembly having a plurality of frame sections, each said frame section having a pair of elongated substantially parallel side arms and an intermediate or central arm between and substantially parallel to said side arms, and a section of said cover secured at least to said side arms, said frame sections being movable between a collapsed position wherein said arms are substantially juxtaposed and an erected position in which said side arms are moved away from each other and said intermediate arm to tension said cover section.

2. A shelter as claimed in claim 1 wherein linkage means connect the side arms and the intermediate arm and are adapted to guide movement of the side arms towards and away from the intermediate arm.

3. A shelter as claimed in claim 2 wherein said linkage means are adapted to guide the side arms in parallelism towards and away from the intermediate arm.

4. A shelter as claimed in claim 2 or claim 3 wherein said linkage means in a said frame section comprise first or major link members pivotally connected to the side arms and the intermediate arm.

A shelter as claimed in claim 4 wherein slide brackets are carried by the intermediate arm for slidable movement therealong and wherein the first link members are pivotally connected at one end to a slide bracket at their opposite end to a said side arm.

6. A shelter as claimed in claim 5 wherein said side arms carry fixed brackets to which said opposite ends of the first link members are pivotally connected.

7. A shelter as claimed in claim 6 wherein said fixed brackets are provided at or adjacent opposite ends of the side arms.

8. A shelter as claimed in any one of claims 4 to 7 wherein second or minor link 14 members are pivotally connected at one end to the first or major link members intermediate their ends and at their opposite ends to the intermediate arm.

9. A shelter as claimed in claim 8 wherein said intermediate arm is provided with fixed brackets at or adjacent its opposite ends to which the minor link members are pivotally connected.

A shelter as claimed in claim 8 to claim 9 wherein said second or minor link members on one side of the intermediate arm are parallel to the first or major link members on the opposite side of the intermediate arm such that the major and minor link members form a parallelogram linkage.

11. A shelter as claimed in any one of claims 8 to 10 and including actuating means associated with at least one of the slide brackets to effect movement of the at least one slide bracket along the intermediate arm.

12. A shelter as claimed in claim 11 wherein said actuating means comprises an actuating arm mounted to the intermediate arm for extension and retraction relative to the intermediate arm.

13. A shelter as claimed in claim 12 wherein said actuating arm is telescopically engageable with the intermediate arm for extension and retraction.

14. A shelter as claimed in claim 12 or 13 wherein an inner portion of the actuating arm is coupled to the at least one slide bracket whereby extension of the actuating arm from the intermediate arm will move the slide bracket outwardly along the intermediate arm and cause the opposite side arms to move away from the intermediate arm.

A shelter as claimed in any one claims 12 to 14 wherein pairs of slide brackets are provided on each intermediate arm and sets of first and second link members are provided on opposite sides of the intermediate arm and between the intermediate arm and side arms and associated with the respective slide brackets.

16. A shelter as claimed in claim 15 wherein said slide brackets are coupled to each other for simultaneous movement in opposing relationship whereby movement of one slide bracket outwardly along the intermediate arm will be accompanied by movement of the other slide bracket outwardly in the opposite direction along the intermediate arm to effect corresponding outward movement of the slide arms in parallelism relative to the intermediate arm.

17. A shelter as claimed in claim 16 wherein extension of the actuating arms will cause simultaneous outward movement of the slide brackets along the intermediate arm and wherein retraction of the actuating arms will cause simultaneous movement of the slide brackets inwardly towards each other along the intermediate arm.

18. A shelter comprising a frame assembly and a cover of pliable material adapted to be supported by said frame assembly, said frame assembly having a plurality of frame sections, each said frame section having a pair of elongated substantially parallel side arms and an intermediate or central arm between and substantially parallel to said side arms, and a section of said cover secured at least to said side arms of each said frame section, linkage means between said side arms and said intermediate arm for guiding said frame sections between a collapsed position wherein said arms are substantially juxtaposed and an erected position in which said side arms are moved in parallelism away from each other and said intermediate arm to tension said cover section and an actuating arm mounted to said intermediate arm and coupled to said linkage means, said actuating arm being movable relative to said intermediate arm to move said frame section between said collapsed and erected positions.

19. A shelter as claimed in claim 18 wherein said slide brackets are coupled through a pulley and cable-type transmission for their simultaneous movement.

A shelter as claimed in claim 19 wherein said transmission comprises a pair of pulleys mounted respectively for rotation on the opposite end brackets carried by the intermediate bracket and cables or lines fixed at one end to one slide bracket, passing around the adjacent end bracket and fixed at its opposite end to the other slide bracket. 16

21. A shelter as claimed in any one of claim 18 to 20 wherein the pivot axes of the link arms on opposite sides of the intermediate arms are angled at an acute angle to each other so that the side arms on opposite sides of the intermediate arms move in planes which are at an obtuse angle to each other.

22. A shelter as claimed in any one of claims 18 to 21 wherein said actuating arms form part of a frame of an awning of the shelter.

23. A shelter as claimed in claim 22 wherein further parts of the awning frame comprise further extension arms on the same side of the shelter frame as the actuating arms, said further arms being mounted to the side arms for extension and retraction relative thereto.

24. A shelter as claimed in claim 23 wherein said further arms are mounted for telescopic movement relative to the side arms.

A shelter as clamed in claim 23 or claim 24 wherein further fabric is secured to the actuating arms and further arms, the further fabric being extended and tensioned on expansion of the shelter frame and extension of the actuating arms and further arms to define an awning at one end of the shelter.

26. A shelter as claimed in any one of claims 18 to 25 wherein fabric curtains are provided to span portions of the end of the shelter opposite said actuating arms, the curtains being fixed to the cover of the shelter to brace the shelter when erected.

27. A shelter as claimed in claim 26 wherein said curtains when the shelter is in an erected position extend generally diagonally from the centre of the shelter to ends thereof.

28. A shelter as claimed in any one of claims 18 to 27 and including legs for elevating the shelter off the ground, said legs being detachably engageable with side arms at opposite sides of the shelter.

29. A frame section having a pair of elongated substantially parallel side arms and an intermediate or central arm between and substantially parallel to said side arms, linkage means between said intermediate arm and said side arms, said linkage means being adapted to guide said frame section between a collapsed position wherein said arms are substantially juxtaposed and an erected position in which said side arms are moved away from each other and said intermediate arm.

A frame section as claimed in claim 29 and including slide brackets mounted on, for movement relative to, the intermediate arm and pivotally connected to the linkage means such that movement of the slide brackets along the intermediate arm in opposite direction effects movement of the frame section between the collapsed and erected positions.

31. A frame section as claimed in claim 30 wherein a pair of slide brackets are mounted to the intermediate arms, the slide brackets being coupled to each other for simultaneous but opposite movement.

32. A shelter substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

33. A frame section substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Figs. 4 to 6 of the accompanying drawings. Dated this third day of June 2005 MICHAEL ANDREW ATKINSON By His Patent Attorney JOHN R G GARDNER