AU608021B2

AU608021B2 - Awnings

Info

Publication number: AU608021B2
Application number: AU18717/88A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Jerrold Harold Salamon
Original assignee: KENLOW (1982) Pty Ltd
Current assignee: KENLOW (1982) Pty Ltd
Priority date: 1982-11-19
Filing date: 1988-07-05
Publication date: 1991-03-21
Anticipated expiration: 2002-11-19
Also published as: AU1871788A

Description

LL_ 11 /AO A I "I 4UTAI PATENTS ACT 1952 P/00/01 1 Form COMPLET E SPECIFICATION

(ORIGINAL)

FOR OFFICE USE Short Title: Int. Cl: Application Number: Lodged: Complete Specification-Lodged: Accepted: Lapsed: Published: Priority: This document contains thel amendments made under S&,.tion 49 and is co~rrect for p- ij i ti n g.

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Related Art: Name of Applicant: Address of Applicant: Actual Inventor: TO BE COMPLETED BY APPLICANT \cQk Address for Service: 7Q C Complete Specification for the invention entitled: vj.) The follpwing statement is a full description of this in~entlon, including the best method of performing it known to me:- Nate: The description is to be typed In double spa/,,Ing, pica type face, In an area flat exceeding 250 mm in depth and 160 mm in width, an tough white paper goad quality and It Is to be inserted Inside this farm.

1459908-1. 1 499/8-LPrinted by C, J. Tttow"5o, Commonwealth. Gov'ern mnt Printer, Canberra 2 BACKGROUND TO THE INVENTION This invention relates to retractible awnings ar.d the present application is filed as an application for a patent of addition to Australia patent No. 551336 in the name of the applicant.

Australian patent No. 551336 relates to a retractible awning which has a cover movable between extended and retracted positions. The awnina include- a rigid support member which is secured at one end to a fi')ed structure and which projects laterally from that structure. There is a guide track on the operative underside of the laterally projecting member and a series of spaced stiffene2s attached to the cover. The stiffeners span o across the cover in a direction transverse to the support eo«° 15 member and runners attached to the stiffeners are engaged S with the runners for free sliding movement along the length of the member. When the runners are moved to o 0 0 increase the spacing of the stiffeners, the cover is extended and when they arp moved to decrease such spacing, the awning is retracted.

While awnings of this kind have proved to be most popular, they are not suiced to use on a balcony in, say, a high-rise apartment block. The present invention relates to a modification of the awning described in patent No. 551336 which makes it suitable for use in this S'kind of application.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In broad terms the invent.on may be described as an awning which includes at least two spaced, ;igid support 30 members which are secured at their one end o a fixed structure, guide trac:s provided on the support members, the guide tracks extending lengthwise along the support members and providing opposing lips, a rectangular cover of flexible material, spaced parallel pockets formed in the material of the cover, a stiffener located in each ,I pocket at right angles to the support members, runners attached to the stiffeners and engaged behind the lips of the guide tracks for free movement along the length thereof between extended and retracted positions of the cover, the cover in its retraced position assuming a festoon arrangement with the stiffeners adjacent to one another, and in its extended position extending over a rectangular area with the stiffeners spaced apart from one another, wherein means are provided for securing operatively the :,'per ends of the support members to the support structure so that the support members are capable of extending substantially vertically downwardly, with the cover being downwardly extendable and upwardly retractable.

a In one version of the invention, means are provided o 15 for fixing the operatively lower end of each support member to the floor or to a balustrade wall so that the 'oO, support member is permanently, substantially vertically o o oriented. This can be achieved by the provision of holed 0600 0 flanges top and bottom through which the upper and lower ends of the support member can be bolted or otherwise fixed to the overhead supporting structure and to the a floor or balustrade wall.

In another version of the invention, means are o o provided for hinging the operatively upper end of the or oBO 25 each support menrier to the overhead supporting structure, 00 a such means permitting pivotal moveient of the support member between a first position in which it extends S. substantially vertically downwardly and a second position in which it projects laterally from the supportin.

0o 30 structure, BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS An embodiment of the invention will now be described in more detail, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:- 35 Fig. 1 shows a perspective view of an awning jr tZ.I 1,4-'S, I

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3a according to the invention; Fig. 2 shows a side view of the same awning with the support members projecting laterally and with the cover extended; and Figs. 3 to 5 illustrate othe embodiments go 000 0 0 4schematically.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The awning illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2 includes two extruded aluminium support members 10 which are generally channel-shaped with re-entrant lips 11 at the mouth of the channel. At their upper ends, the support members are hinged about a horizontal axis with respect to a beam 14 connected to the underside of an overhead balcony.

The awning also includes a flexible cover 16 which is formed with horizontal pockets in which gtiffeners 18 are located. Attached at intervals to the stiffeners are 0 runners which locate behind the re-entrant lips af the o 0* support members and which are free to slide along the O° .,lenqth of the support members. The pockets, stiffenerz 15 and runners are of the same kind as those described in the specification of Australian Patent No. 551336 to which reference may be made for the details.

As an alternative to the use of sliding runners, it o° is also possible to have runners which incorporate wheels 0'.o 20 arranged to locate behind the re-entrant lips and to roll along inside the support members.

•With the support members 10 hanging vertically downward as seen in full lines in Fig. 1, movement of the runners to decrease the spacing of the stiffeners results in upward retraction of the cover 16 to the full line position. Movement of the runners to increase the spacing of the stiffeners results in downward extension of the cover 16. The spacing of the runners is varied by means of cords 20 which are attached to the stiffeners 18.

Fig. 1 shows the balustrade wall *22 of the balcony which is to be shaded by the awning. When the support members hang vertically, their lower ends are close to the top of the balustrade wall. Thus with the support members in this position and with the cover extended, the balcony in question is closed off and completely shaded. To prevent undue movement of the support members and cover in this position, the lower ends of the support members can be temporarily connec.ed, for instance by means of suitable bracket, to the balustrade wall.

In this embodiment, the fact that the support members are hinged at their upper ends permits each of them to be swung outwardly to the laterally projecting position seen in broken outline in Fig. 1 and in Fig. 2. With the support members in the Fig. 2 position, diagonal stays 26 are provided. These stays are pinned at one end to the members 10 while their opposite ends are free to slide up *9 o 6 and down in guides 28 fixed to the side walls 30 of the balcony. An appropriate locking arrangement is provided 0o to lock the sliding end of each stay to its guide 28, o 15 thereby permitting the support members to be locked at a chosen angle of lateral projection, In one convenient @0*0*0 0 system, the sliding ends may be holed and the guides 28 holed at intervals so that a pin can be inserted through .0 o registering holes in the sliding end and in the guide when o 0 20 the chosen angle is attained.

Note that the cover can be retracted and extended 66o when the support members 10 are in their Fig. 2, laterally projecting positions. Thus close control can be maintained over the degree of shade provided by the awning.

S, o 25 Note also that, while the illustrated embodiment has *00 0 the facility for swinging the support members 10 outwardly to lateral orientations, this will not be the case in all embodiments.

In some embodiments, the upper and lower ends of the support members may carry transverse flanges enabling them to be bolted permanently to the balustrade wall and to the overhead structure, the support members then being permanently vertically oriented. In yet other arrangements according to the invention, the lower end of each support member me. be cranked at a right angle, the

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T 6 extreme ends of the support member then carrying holed flanges through which the upper end can be bolted to the underside of the overhead structure and the lower end to the inner or outer vertical surface of the balustrade wall. These two possibilities are illustrated schematically in Figs. 3 and 4 of the drawings.

It is also possible for the support members to be very slightly inclined to the vertical for part of their length and to be fixed to the overhead structure and to the outer vertical surface of the balustrade wall. This arrangement, which is illustrated schematically in Fig. has the purpose of deflecting rainwater outwardly.

C. Yet another possibility is for a patio to be fitted with an awning of the invention in such a way that the coo** 15 awning when extended extends right from the roof of the patio to floor level. In other words, the awning serves in this case as an upwardly retractible wall for the patio. In this situation, the support members will be oo permanently fixed top and bottom to the roof of the patio oo 20 and to the floor.

V.,r 9 eo 99 *e 99 1o °oo 9

Claims

2. The awning of claim 1 in which means are provided for fixing the operatively lower end of each support member to a the floor or to a balustrade wall so that the support member is permanently s ;bstantially vertically ov'iented.
3. The awning of claim 2 in which the operatively upper and lower ends of each support member carry holed flanges through which those ends can be bolted or otherwise fixed Sto the overhead supporting structure and to the floor or balustrade.
4. The awning of claim 1 in which means are provided for hinging the operatively upper end of the or each support member to the overhead supporting structure, such means permitting pivotal movement of the support member between ~a first position in which it extends substantially vertically downwardly and a second position in which it projects laterally from the supporting structure. The retractible awning of any one of the preceding claims wherein the runners are arranged to slide along the guide track.
6. The jetractible awning of any one of claims 1 to 3 wherein cords are attached to the stiffeners for extending and retracting the cover.
7. The retractible awning of claim 4 wherein a stay is provided for maintaining the or each support member in its second position.
8. A retractible awning substantially as herein described with reference to Figs. 1 and 2, Fig. 3, Fig. 4 or Fig. 5 of the accompanying drawings. 0oo000 DATED this llth day of September 1990 JERROLD HAROLD SALAMON Patent Attorneys for the Applicant: F.B. RICE CO. t*e t I L I /^CTw t /0