AU2012101741A4 - Marquee - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention is directed to a marquee including a foldable support frame for supporting a canopy, and rolling means for rolling and mounting to the foldable support frame so as to assist the movement of the support frame.

Description

MARQUEE TECHNICAL FIELD [0001] The present invention relates to a marquee. BACKGROUND ART [0002] Marquees are often used at outdoor locations to provide shade and shelter for an outdoor function or event. Generally, several people are required to properly set up a marquee by erecting a frame of the marquee and securing a canopy over the frame. If the marquee is set up on a lawn, the marquee can generally be secured in the place using pegs/pins and rope. [0003] Setting up a marquee can sometimes be difficult and time consuming, especially for elderly people, for example if the frame is heavy or if the frame becomes stuck in muddy or uneven ground. [0004] It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved marquee, or a marquee which provides the consumer with a useful or commercial choice. [0005] It will be clearly understood that, if a prior art publication is referred to herein, this reference does not constitute an admission that the publication forms part of the common general knowledge in the art in Australia or in any other country. SUMMARY OF INVENTION [0006] According to one aspect of the invention, there is provided a marquee including a foldable support frame for supporting a canopy, and rolling means for rolling and mounting to the foldable support frame so as to assist the movement of the support frame. [00071 Advantageously, the rolling means assists the movement of the support frame such that the marquee in a collapsed condition or a fully erected and extended condition can be easily and conveniently moved between different locations by a single person. The rolling means may further assist the movement of different components of the support frame relative to each other to facilitate the setting up or collapsing of the marquee [0008] The rolling means may include one or more caster wheels. The rolling means may be lockable in position so as to prevent rolling.

[0009] The marquee may further include one or more weights, each weight being adapted for attachment to the support frame. The weights may include sand bags. [0010] The support frame may include a plurality of support legs such that the support legs can be moved away from one another to move the foldable support frame into an extended condition, and the support legs can be moved close together to move the foldable support frame into a collapsed condition. [0011] The foldable support frame may be held in the extended condition and the collapsed condition via one or more pins. Each support leg may be extendable and retractable. Each support leg may be held in an extended or retracted condition via one or more pins. [0012] The rolling means may be for mounting to each support leg to facilitate the movement of the support legs towards and away from one another. [0013] By facilitating the ease of movement of the support legs, the rolling means advantageously makes it effortless and convenient for one or more persons to erect the support frame into the extended condition to thereby set up the marquee. For commercial grade marquees, the support frame can be extremely heavy and bulky. The rolling means facilitate the ease of movement of the support frame so that less effort is required to set up the heavy and bulky support frame. [0014] The foldable support frame may include a plurality of interconnected arms forming a scissor-like assembly movable between an extended position and a collapsed position in a scissor-like manner. The foldable support frame may include a central roof support which is erected when the support frame is in the extended position so as to support a centre portion of the canopy. [0015] The canopy may be attached to the foldable support frame via any one or more of hooks, buckles, ropes, straps, hook and loop fasteners or a combination thereof. [0016] According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided a method for setting up a marquee, the method including supporting a canopy with a foldable support frame, and moving of the support frame by rolling rolling means mounted to the foldable support frame.

[00171 Any of the features described herein can be combined in any combination with any one or more of the other features described herein within the scope of the invention. [00181 The reference to any prior art in this specification is not, and should not be taken as an acknowledgement or any form of suggestion that the prior art forms part of the common general knowledge. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS [0019] Preferred features, embodiments and variations of the invention may be discerned from the following Detailed Description which provides sufficient information for those skilled in the art to perform the invention. The Detailed Description is not to be regarded as limiting the scope of the preceding Summary of the Invention in any way. The Detailed Description will make reference to a number of drawings as follows: [0020] Figure 1 is a perspective view of a foldable support frame for a marquee according to one embodiment of the present invention. [0021] Figure 2 is a perspective view of a caster wheel for mounting to the foldable support frame of Figure 1. [0022] Figure 3 is a perspective view of marquee according to one embodiment of the present invention. DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS [0023] In one embodiment of the present invention, the marquee includes a foldable support frame 100 as illustrated in Figure 1 for supporting a canopy (not shown). The marquee also includes rolling means in the form of caster wheels 200 for rolling and mounting to the foldable support frame 100 so as to assist the movement of the support frame 100. [0024] The support frame 100 includes four adjustable support legs 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d, and a scissor-like roof assembly 104. Each adjustable support leg 102 is extendable and retractable in a telescoping manner, and securable at a desired length using pins (not shown). [0025] The scissor-like roof assembly 104 includes a plurality of upper support arms 106, a plurality of lower support arms 108, a plurality of first intermediate arms 110, a plurality of second intermediate arms 112, and a central roof support 114.

-r [00261 Each of the upper support arms 106 has one end pivotally coupled to an upper end of a support leg 102 and an opposite end pivotally coupled to an adjacent upper support arm 106. Each of the lower support arms 108 has one end slidingly and pivotally coupled to an intermediate portion of a support leg 102 and an opposite end pivotally coupled to an adjacent lower support arm 108. Each support leg 102 has two upper support arms 106 and two lower support arms 108 coupled thereto. [00271 Each first intermediate arm 110 has one end pivotally coupled to a joint between two lower support arms 108 and an opposite end pivotally coupled to a base of the central roof support 114 to form a hub 113. Each second intermediate arm 112 has one end pivotally coupled to a joint between two upper support arms 106 and an opposite end slidingly and pivotally coupled to an intermediate portion of the central roof support 114. [0028] To move the foldable support frame 100 from a collapsed condition to an extended condition, the support legs 102 are moved away from one another to thereby cause one end of the lower support arms 108 to slide upwardly along a respective support legs 102. At the same time, one end of the second intermediate arms 112 slide downwardly along the central roof support 114 towards the hub 113 whilst the central roof support 114 is pushed upwardly by the first intermediate arms 110. [0029] Conversely, to move the foldable support frame 100 from the extended condition to the collapsed condition, the support legs 102 are moved close together, which causes one end of the lower support arms 108 to slide downwardly along the respective support legs 102. At the same time, one end of the second intermediate arms 112 slide upwardly along the central roof support 114 away from the hub 113 whilst the central roof support 114 is withdrawn downwardly by the first intermediate arms 110. [0030] Accordingly, the upper support arms 106, lower support arms 108, first and second intermediate arms 110, 112 move in a scissor like manner to move the foldable support frame 100 between its collapsed condition and its extended condition. The foldable support frame 100 is held in its extended and collapsed conditions via pins (not shown). The pins are fitted in holes at appropriate locations along the support legs 102 and the central roof support 114. [0031] Each support leg 102 has a caster wheel 200 mounted thereto. As shown in Figure 2, the caster wheel 200 can pivot about a base of the corresponding support leg 102 so that the caster wheel can assist the movement of the support leg 102 in any direction. The caster wheel 200 includes a locking means 202 for locking the movement of the caster wheel 200 so as to prevent movement of the support leg 102, for example once the marquee is fully erected. [0032] The locking means 202 includes a lever button 204. One end of the lever button 204 can be pushed downwardly to lock the caster wheel 200 or lifted upwardly to unlock the caster wheel 200. [0033] Figure 3 illustrates a fully erected marquee 300 in which the foldable support frame 100 is in its fully extended condition. A canopy 302 is supported by the support frame 100 to provide shade and shelter for the area beneath the canopy 302. [0034] The canopy 302 is attached to the support frame 100 via straps, hooks, and hook and loop fasteners when the scissor-like roof assembly 104 is partially extended. Once the canopy 302 is properly attached to the support frame 100, the scissor-like roof assembly 104 is moved into its fully extended position by pulling the support legs 102 away from one another such that the central roof support 114 pushes a centre point 304 of the canopy 302 upwardly to expand the canopy 302. The height of the support legs 102 can then be adjusted as desired. [0035] The marque 300 further includes four weights in the form of sand bags 304. Each sand bag 304 is attached to a support leg 102 via straps so as to stabilize the marquee 300. [0036] The method of setting up the marque 300 includes first pulling the support legs 102 away from one another by rolling the caster wheels 200 on the ground such that the scissor-like roof assembly 104 becomes partially extended. Then, the canopy 302 is attached to the support frame 100. Once the canopy 302 is attached, the support legs 102 are moved further apart from one another so that the scissor-like roof assembly 104 becomes fully extended and the canopy 302 is fully expanded as shown in Figure 3. Then, the length of the support legs 102 are adjusted and secured at a desired height. The caster wheels 200 are locked by pushing down the respective lever buttons 204. The sand bags 304 are then attached to a base of the support legs 102 to stabilize the marquee 300. [00371 The method of collapsing the marquee 300 includes removing the sand bags 304, unlocking the caster wheels 200 by lifting the respective lever buttons 204, and shortening the support legs 102. The support legs 102 can be moved closer towards one another by rolling the caster wheels 200 along the ground. Once the canopy 302 is no longer taut on the support frame 100, the canopy 302 can then be removed. The support frame 100 can then be fully collapsed by pushing the support legs 102 together further.

[00381 In the described marquee 300, the caster wheels 200 greatly assists the movement of the support legs 102 to move support frame 100 between its collapsed condition and its fully erected and extended condition. The caster wheels 200 also permit a single person to effortlessly move the marquee 300 from one location to another. [0039] In conventional marquees, the support legs can often become stuck in muddy or uneven ground. The caster wheels 200 of marquee 300 facilitates the mobility of the support legs 102 and prevents the support legs 102 from becoming stuck on and dragged along the ground, especially if the support frame 100 is heavy and bulky. As such, the marquee 300 according to an embodiment of the present invention would be convenient and effortless to use especially for elderly persons or those with limited strength. [0040] In an alternative embodiment, the caster wheels 200 may be replaced by ball bearings. [0041] In the present specification and claims (if any), the word 'comprising' and its derivatives including 'comprises' and 'comprise' include each of the stated integers but does not exclude the inclusion of one or more further integers. [0042] Reference throughout this specification to 'one embodiment' or 'an embodiment' means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the present invention. Thus, the appearance of the phrases 'in one embodiment' or 'in an embodiment' in various places throughout this specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment. Furthermore, the particular features, structures, or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more combinations. [0043] In compliance with the statute, the invention has been described in language more or less specific to structural or methodical features. It is to be understood that the invention is not limited to specific features shown or described since the means herein described comprises preferred forms of putting the invention into effect. The invention is, therefore, claimed in any of its forms or modifications within the proper scope of the appended claims (if any) appropriately interpreted by those skilled in the art.

Claims (5)

1. A marquee including a foldable support frame for supporting a canopy, and rolling means for rolling and mounting to the foldable support frame so as to assist the movement of the support frame.

2. A marquee as claimed in claim 1, the rolling means including one or more caster wheels.

3. A marquee as claimed any one of the preceding claims, the rolling means being lockable in position so as to prevent rolling.

4. A marquee as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, further including one or more weights, each weight being adapted for attachment to the support frame.

5. A marquee as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the support frame includes a plurality of support legs such that the support legs can be moved away from one another to move the foldable support frame into an extended position, and the support legs can be moved close together to move the foldable support frame into a collapsed position.