AU2249800A

AU2249800A - Clothes line shade

Info

Publication number: AU2249800A
Application number: AU22498/00A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Terence Anthony Ryan; Robert Anthony Vecchio
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1999-03-23
Filing date: 2000-03-23
Publication date: 2000-09-28

Description

AUSTRALIA

Patents Act 1990 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION STANDARD PATENT et..

*fr** 0 ~0 Applicants: TERENCE ANTHONY RYAN ::::*ROBERT ANTHONY VECCHIO Invention Title: CLOTHES LINE SHADE The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to us: 2 CLOTHES LINE SHADE This invention relates to a clothes line shade, and in particular a shade for adaptation to a so called rotary clothes line having a central support pillar 20 supporting, at an upper end thereof, a plurality of radially extending arms between which are linked a plurality of cables from which clothing or other items are to be suspended, by clothes pegs or the like, in order to be dried and/or aired. The clothes line may be adapted to rotate, as the name implies, but may also be fixed against rotation, and furthermore may be of the type where the arms are pivotably associated with the support pillar whereby they can be collapsed, when the clothes line is not in use and/or the pillar is removably received within a socket in the ground whereby the clothes line as a whole can be removed from the site and stored off-site.

Such a clothes line structure, particularly when permanently situated, lends itself to purposes other than just as a clothes line, and one such purpose is to support a cover to form a shelter against the weather either as a shelter from the sun and/or rain.

H !\Leanne\Keep\PROV-PP9399.doc 22/03/00 3 It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a shade assembly adapted to form a shelter over the top of a rotary clothes line or the like, and in particular, a shade assembly adapted to extend radially from the top of the central support pillar of the clothes and adapted to be collapsed circumferentially in a concertina fashion from an expanded open sheltering position, at least partially covering the top of the clothes line, to a closed non-sheltering position.

In accordance with the present invention there is envisaged a shade assembly adapted for attachment to the top of a clothes line, such as a rotary clothes line or the 15 like, said shade assembly including attachment means to attach the assembly to the top of a central support pillar for the clothes line, a plurality of radially extending arms, and a flexible shade material attached to, and extending between the arms, and wherein at least one of 20 said arms is pivotably attached to the attachment means, whereby, when the arm or arms is, or are, swung away from, and toward, an adjacent arm, the shade extends between an a.

S: open position, at least partially shading said clothes **ae "line, and a substantially closed non-shading position.

Preferably means are provided to hold said arms in said open and closed positions.

Preferably said means are one or more coil springs coupled between at least one of said arms and the attachment means, and performing an overcentering function whereby on one side of said central position of said springs the arms are held in the open position and on the other side of said central position of said springs the arms are held in the closed position.

Alternatively, said coil spring or springs is, or H;\Leanrfe\Keep\PROV-PP9399.doc 22/03/00 4 are, coupled between the, or their, respective arms and the attachment means, whereby to bias said arm or arms to said open position for said shade and means are provided to draw and hold said arms in said closed position.

Two preferred embodiments of the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which; Figure 1 is a perspective view of the shade assembly in the closed position in accordance with a first preferred embodiment of the invention, Figure 2 is a perspective view of the shade 15 assembly of Figure 1 in its open position, Figure 3 is an enlarged perspective view of the attachment of the shade assembly of Figure 1 to the top of the central support pillar of an associated clothes line, S. "Figure 4 is a side elevational view of the e attachment of Figure 3,

*S

Figure 5 is a perspective view of the shade assembly in the closed position in accordance with a second preferred embodiment of the invention, Figure 6 is a perspective view of the shade assembly of Figure 5 in its open position, and Figure 7 is an enlarged perspective view of the attachment of the shade assembly of Figure 5 to the top of the central support pillar of an associated clothes line.

In accordance with the first preferred embodiment of the present invention the shade assembly, and generally indicated as 10, comprises an attachment means, generally H-\Leanne\Keep\PROV-PP9399.doc 22/03/00 5 indicated as 11, for attaching the cover assembly to the top of the central support pillar 12 of a rotary clothes line or the like, and which may be attached in a manner that will allow the shade assembly to rotate independently of the clothes line.

In this embodiment, three arms, which may be of tubular aluminium, and designated by 13, 14 and 15, are provided, extending radially outwardly from the attachment means 11 and over the underlying clothes line. The central inner arm 14 is fixed to the attachment means 11, whilst the two outer arms 13 and 15 are pivotably attached at 16 to the attachment means 11.

S. 15 The arms 13, 14 and 15 are overlaid and attached S to a sheet of shade material 20, which may be of a PVC shade cloth or other shade material, or a water proof material, and which may have fringe portions 20a hanging downwardly on the outer sides of the outer arms 13 and When the outer arms swing, or are swung, to their outer open positions the shade material unfolds in concertina fashion, as shown in Figure 2, to form a shelter over that part of the clothes line over which the shade assembly extends, and when the outer arms are swung to their closed position the shade material folds in concertina fashion to a non-sheltering position as shown in Figure 1.

Turning particularly to Figures 3 and 4 of the drawings, the attachment means 11 comprises an attachment plate 21 to which the relevant ends of the arms 13, 14 and are attached, which plate 21 is attached, via a threaded upstanding bolt member 22 and nut 23, with an intervening washer 24 and a plastic sealing gasket 25, to a C-shaped bracket 26 to which the bolt member is attached and upstands. The bracket 26 is in turn carried by a clamping assembly 27 made up of two halves 27a surrounding radially inwardly directed pins 28 carried by the bracket H!\Leanne\Keep\PAOvpp9 99 .doc 22/03/00 6 26, and also surrounding the central support pillar 12 of the clothes line, whilst the two halves of the clamping assembly are fastened together by bolts at 29 to clamp the bracket to the pins 28 and the central support pillar 12 of the clothes line.

In accordance with the second preferred embodiment of the present invention, and as shown in Figure 6, the shade assembly, and once again generally indicated as 10, comprises an attachment means, generally indicated as 11, for attaching the cover assembly to the top of the central support pillar 12 of a rotary clothes line or the like.

15 In this embodiment, once again three arms, which may be of tubular aluminium, and once again designated by 13, 14 and 15, are provided, extending radially outwardly from the attachment means 11 and over the underlying clothes line. The central inner arm 14 is once again fixed to the attachment means 11, whilst the two outer arms 13 and 15 are pivotably attached at 16 to the attachment means 11. In this second embodiment of the invention, two outer arms 13 and 15 have overcentering coil springs 17 attached outwardly of the pivot points 16 of the arms 13 and 15 and 25 extend back to the attachment means 11 and are attached thereto, whereby the arms are held in an open position relative to, and separated from, the central inner arm 14, or held in a closed position relative to, and adjacent, the central inner arm 14.

In addition, in this second preferred embodiment, of the invention, a draw cord 18 may be provided attached at either end to the outer ends of the outer arms 13 and and to extend midway along its length through an adjustable cord gripping member 19 carried by the outer end of the central inner arm 14, and which may be of plastics material, whereby when a midway loop 18a of the cord is H:\Leanne\Keep\PROV-PP9399.doc 22/03/00 7 pulled the two outer arms are drawn to their closed position by overcentering the coil springs 17 with the member 19 gripping the cord to hold the arms in their closed position. Upon release of the cord from the member 19, and manually pushing the outer arms away from the inner central arm, the coil springs act to swing the outer arms to their open positions relative to the inner arm.

Alternatively, the coil springs 17 may be such as to continually bias the outer arms to their open position and the draw cord used, via locking engagement with the member 19, to hold the arms in their closed position, and which when the draw cord is unlocked from the member 19 S:i" allows the outer arms to swing automatically to the open 15 position.

The arms 13, 14 and 15 are, once again, overlaid and attached to a sheet of shade material 20, which may be of a PVC shade cloth or other shade material, or a water proof material, and which may have fringe portions S"hanging downwardly on the outer sides of the outer arms 13 and 15. When the outer arms swing, or are swung, to their outer open positions the shade material unfolds in concertina fashion, as shown in Figure 6, to form a shelter S 25 over that part of the clothes line over which the shade assembly extends, and when the outer arms are drawn to their closed position the shade material folds in concertina fashion to a non-sheltering position as shown in Figure Turning particularly to Figure 7 of the drawings, the attachment means 11 once again comprises an attachment plate 21 to which the relevant ends of the arms 13, 14 and and to which the coil springs 17, in this embodiment, are attached and in other respects the attachment means 11 is the same as that of the first embodiment described previously in this specification.

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Claims

1. A shade assembly adapted for attachment to the top of a clothes line, such as a rotary clothes line or the like, said shade assembly including attachment means to attach the assembly to the top of a central support pillar for the clothes line, a plurality of radially extending arms, and a flexible shade material attached to, and extending between the arms, and wherein at least one of said arms is pivotably attached to the attachment means, whereby, when the arm or arms is, or are, swung away from, and toward, an adjacent arm, the shade extends between an open position, at least partially shading said clothes :i line, and a substantially closed non-shading position. g.

2. A shade assembly as claimed in Claim 1, wherein means are provided to hold said arms in said open and closed positions.

3. A shade assembly as claimed in Claim 2, wherein said means are one or more coil springs coupled between at least one of said arms and the attachment means, and performing an over centering function whereby on one side of said central position of said springs the arms are held in the open position and on the other side of said central position of said springs the arms are held in the closed position.

4. A shade assembly as claimed in Claim 2, wherein said means are one or more coil springs coupled between at least one of said arms and the attachment means, whereby to bias said arm or arms to said open position for said shade. A shade assembly as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein means are provided to draw and hold said arms in said closed position.

H:\Leanne\Keep\PROV-PP9399 .doc 22/03/00 9

6. A shade assembly as claimed in Claim 5, wherein said means to draw and hold said arms in said closed position is a draw cord attached to the outermost arms of the cover assembly with a loop of a mid portion of said cord passing through an adjustable cord gripping member.

7. A shade assembly substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Figures 1 to 4 or Figures 5 to 7 of the accompanying drawings. Dated this 23rd day of March 2000 TERENCE ANTHONY RYAN and ROBERT ANTHONY VECCHIO 15 By their Patent Attorneys GRIFFITH HACK Fellows Institute of Patent and Trade Mark Attorneys of Australia H:\Lenne\Keep\PROV-PP9399.doc 22/03/00