CN108374528B - Improved awning - Google Patents

Abstract

A fixed or collapsible shelter designed to facilitate drainage of water, wherein the shelter comprises a support frame, shelter fabric, and a plurality of fabric support rails; wherein the support frame provides a pair of parallel frame sides and each fabric support rail is adapted to be supported between the frame sides generally perpendicular to the frame sides; the fabric is supported by the support rails with the support rails alternating on top of the fabric and under the fabric such that when the canopy is extended, the fabric forms a series of shallow grooves that each extend across the width of the canopy.

Description

Improved awning

Technical Field

The present invention relates to an improved design for a fixed or retractable shelter that may be self-contained or securable to a building or similar structure.

Background

There are many applications that require a horizontal shelter; in this specification the term "horizontal" means a canopy in which the plane of the extended canopy makes an angle of zero to five degrees with the horizontal.

Typical applications where a horizontal shelter is advantageous are:

a situation where the design of the associated building is such that a visually tilted canopy will not look appropriate;

the case of limited available height of the canopy frame;

the wind is particularly strong at the site, and it is therefore desirable to minimize the surface area of the shelter exposed to the wind.

However, horizontal shelters present a problem when they are extended in that rain will not easily drain from the shelter and tend to pool on the shelter; this is unsightly and may damage the shelter.

Disclosure of Invention

It is an object of the present invention to provide a shelter designed to drain water more efficiently when in an extended position than prior designs.

The present invention provides a shelter, comprising:

a support frame;

a canopy fabric;

a plurality of fabric support rails;

wherein:

the support frame provides a pair of parallel frame sides;

each fabric support rail is adapted to be supported between the frame sides with the longitudinal axis of each fabric support rail being substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the frame sides;

the fabric is supported by the fabric support rails with the support rails alternating on top of the fabric and under the fabric such that when the shelter is extended, the fabric forms a series of shallow grooves that each extend across the width of the shelter.

The canopy may be fixed in position, but preferably the canopy is a collapsible and extendable canopy, wherein one end of the canopy is fixed to one end of the support frame and the other end of the canopy is free to extend or collapse relative to the fixed end; and wherein each fabric support rail is arranged to slide along the length of the support frame.

The fabric is movable between a retracted position and an extended position by means of a push rod attachable to the free end of the canopy and/or by means of pairs of spaced apart pull cords, one of which extends along each side of the canopy, parallel to the adjacent frame side; each of the drawstrings is secured at one end to a free end of the shelter, travels around a first pulley mounted on an end of the corresponding side frame near the extended position of the shelter, and travels around a second pulley mounted on the opposite end of the corresponding side frame.

The free ends of the canopy may be provided with spaced hooks that releasably engage corresponding catches to secure the canopy in its fully extended position.

Preferably, the canopy is movable between the retracted position and the extended position by means of a motorized drive. In one embodiment, the motorized drive comprises:

a pair of racks, one of which extends parallel to and at or near at least a major portion of the length of the respective side frame;

pairs of drivable gears, one attached to each side of the free end of the shelter, each gear being in driving engagement with a respective adjacent rack;

means for driving the gear in either direction to extend or retract the canopy.

Preferably said pairs of drivable gears are mounted one on each end of a hollow roller extending across the full width of the free end of the shelter and secured thereto, and wherein said means for driving said gears comprises an electric motor mounted within said rollers.

In another embodiment, the motorized drive comprises:

two sets of equally spaced pins, each said set being supported so as to extend parallel to and at or near at least a major part of the length of each side frame;

pairs of drivable sprockets, one attached to each side of the free end of the canopy, each sprocket being in driving engagement with one of said sets of equidistantly spaced pins;

means for driving the sprocket in either direction to extend or retract the canopy.

The two sets of equally spaced pins may be replaced by two lengths of chain, each length being supported so as to extend parallel to and over or adjacent at least a major part of the length of each side frame; the drivable sprockets engage the length of the chain rather than the spaced pins.

Preferably said sprockets are mounted one on each end of a hollow roller extending across the full width of the free end of the canopy and secured thereto, and wherein said means for driving said sprockets comprises an electric motor mounted within said rollers.

The electric motor may be any suitable type of electric motor, such as a tubular motor.

The term "fabric" as used herein includes not only fabrics (woven or non-woven), but also plasticized fabrics, coated fabrics (including metal coated fabrics) and plastic sheets.

Preferably, each fabric support rail is pre-arched so as to curve along its longitudinal axis.

Preferably, each fabric support rail is removably secured to the fabric.

One technique for securing each fabric support rail to the fabric is to form a pocket secured to the canopy fabric to receive each rail. Another possibility is to secure the individual cross-bars to the canopy fabric by means of an insert which provides a slot which is partially circular in cross-section and in which the canopy fabric can be held by a press-fit retention cylinder; each insert is removably attached to a corresponding fabric support rail.

Preferably each said insert is removably attached to either of the opposite faces of the fabric support rail.

The design of the present invention provides a shelter that may be installed in any of a variety of ways, for example, supported by a separate vertical support, or from an adjacent building or other suitable support structure. Of course, the shelter may be supported such that the frame of the shelter, and hence the shelter fabric, is supported at any desired angle, but the design of the present invention allows for effective drainage of water from the shelter even if the shelter is mounted such that it is visually parallel (i.e. the plane of the shelter is at an angle of no more than 5 ° to the horizontal).

The invention also provides a drainage channel design used in combination with the above canopy. Preferably, the gutter design comprises a fixed gutter secured generally parallel to and below the longitudinal axis of each frame side, and a gutter extension pivotally secured to the fixed gutter so as to be pivotable between a retracted position and an extended position.

Drawings

Preferred embodiments of the present invention are described in detail, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is an isometric view of a portion of a retractable shelter according to the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a vertical section through a portion of the shelter of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a side view showing the shelter of FIG. 1 partially collapsed;

FIG. 4 is a vertical section through the connection between the sides of the frame and the fabric support rail;

FIG. 5 is a vertical section through a portion of the shelter of FIG. 1 on an enlarged scale;

FIG. 6 is a vertical cross-section through one design of a drainage channel according to the present invention;

FIG. 6A is a vertical cross-section through a second design of a drainage channel;

FIG. 7 is a plan view showing the canopy of FIG. 1 fully extended;

FIG. 8 is a plan view showing the shelter of FIG. 1 fully collapsed;

FIG. 9 is a side view of a detail of a canopy buckle; and

fig. 10 is a plan view of a fixed shelter according to the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a diagrammatic plan view of a shelter according to the present invention;

FIG. 12 is a side view of a portion of the shelter of FIG. 11 with the frame side removed;

FIG. 13 is a detail of FIG. 12 on a larger scale;

FIG. 14 is a plan view of a portion of the apparatus of FIG. 13 taken in the direction of arrow A;

FIG. 15 is a side view of the roller; and

FIG. 16 is a cross section through a portion of the roller and crossbar;

FIG. 17 is a side elevational view of the improved drive sprocket;

FIG. 17a is a cross-section on line A-A of FIG. 17; and

figure 18 is a longitudinal section of a modified cross-bar profile.

Detailed Description

Referring to fig. 1,7 and 8, a collapsible shelter 10 according to the present invention comprises a support frame made up of an end frame 11 plus 2 spaced parallel coplanar frame sides 12, each frame side 12 extending with its longitudinal axis a-a (fig. 8) at right angles to the longitudinal axis B-B of the end frame 11. The length of the side frames 12 is the maximum length of the shelter when the fabric is fully extended as described below.

The end frames 11 will generally be mounted on a building or similar support, but may be mounted on a separate support.

The frame sides 12 may be supported in any known manner, for example, by being mounted on the ground or by separate vertical supports from adjacent buildings. Alternatively, the ends 12a of the frame sides 12 furthest from the end frame 11 may be secured together by a second end frame (not shown) parallel to the end frame 11.

Each frame side 12 may have any range of cross-sectional shapes, but is preferably rectangular in cross-section with the longitudinal slot 12b below the inner side.

The design of the present invention allows the shelter to be mounted so that the planes of the shelter are visually parallel, i.e. the plane of the shelter frame (and hence the plane of the extended shelter) is at an angle of no more than five degrees to the horizontal.

Referring specifically to fig. 1,2 and 7, the canopy fabric 13 is a piece of fabric having a width slightly less than the length of the end frame 11 and a length that is the length of the canopy that is fully extended in use. Preferably, the canopy fabric is manufactured as a single piece of fabric, but two or more pieces may be used if desired.

Preferably, the shelter fabric is waterproof, UV resistant, and has a surface treatment that makes it easy to clean.

One end 13a of the fabric 13 is permanently or semi-permanently secured to or near the end frame 11 and the length of fabric 13 travels under and over alternating fabric support rails 14 (see fig. 2). The fabric 13 is secured to each support rail as described below.

Each of the fabric support rails 14 has a main body portion (15) that is rectangular in cross-section (see fig. 5); the upper surface 16 and the lower surface 17 of the body portion 15 are formed with channels 18,19, respectively. Any of these channels can receive a fabric support 20, which is comprised of a flat bottom plate 21 sized to easily slip fit within the channels 18,19 and a central boss 22 of a support slot 23. The groove 23 is partly circular in cross-section and opens at the end of the groove furthest from the projection 22. The canopy fabric may be secured to each fabric support rail 14 by looping the entire width of the fabric into the corresponding slot 23 and retaining it in the slot by pressing a retention tube 24 into the slot as shown in fig. 5. The cross-sectional dimensions of the barrel 24 are such that it is a firm press-fit or slip-fit into the slot 23 so that the fabric is firmly secured to the entire length of each crossbar 14. Alternatively, a cord (not shown) may be sewn into the slot to secure the fabric.

As shown in fig. 5, a fabric support 20 may be secured to the upper or lower surface of each crossbar 14, such that fabric 13 may be secured to the upper or lower surface of crossbar 14.

Alternatively, the canopy fabric 13 may be configured with a series of transverse pockets sized to receive the various crossbars as a snug fit, with the pockets formed sequentially on the underside and upper side of the canopy. Each crossbar is simply slid through one of the pockets to attach the crossbar to the canopy fabric (not shown).

As shown in fig. 4, each end of each crossbar 14 has one or more wheels 25 freely rotating, mounted on the body portion 15 and projecting outwards to engage in the cavity 12b of the corresponding frame side 12. The engagement of the wheels 25 with the sides 12 of the frame allows the crossbar 14 to slide freely along the length of the frame. As the crossbar 14 moves in either direction along the frame side 12, the fabric travels with the crossbar to extend or retract the canopy.

The canopy can be extended or retracted using any of a number of different mechanisms: three possible mechanisms are described below, but it will be appreciated that these may be varied as needed to suit a particular installation.

The simplest arrangement is to use a push bar held by the operator to pull the end rail 14a (fig. 7 and 8) back or forth along the frame. The upper end of the push rod may be attached to the crossbar 14a or, to avoid damaging the crossbar and fabric, a purposely configured rod 27 may be mounted parallel to the end crossbar 14a but slightly spaced from the front of the end crossbar 14 a.

The use of push rods is not always convenient as there may be no headroom on the ground below the shelter to allow the operator to walk backwards and forwards. To accommodate this, the canopy may be fitted with drawstrings 30 extending along each side of the canopy. One end of the rope 30 runs around a first pulley 32 mounted near the end of the corresponding side frame 12a and runs along the upper side of the side frame 12 to a second pulley 33 at the end of the side frame 12 near the end frame 11. The other end 31a of the rope 30 is secured to the other end of the end crossbar 14a via a buckle 41, runs around a pulley 32a mounted near the end of the corresponding side frame 12a, and runs along the other side of the side frame 12 to a second pulley 33a near the end frame 11.

When the shelter is in the retracted position shown in figures 3 and 8, the shelter fabric 13 is looped and suspended, and the drawstring 30 is also looped and suspended (not shown) below the end frame 11.

Thus, to extend the shelter from the retracted position, the operator stands under the end rails 11 and pulls the eye of the pull cord 30 to extend the shelter until the clasp 41 on each end of each rail 14a is secured as described below.

When the shelter is fully extended it will remain taut, both for a good appearance and to assist in draining any rain water that falls onto the shelter. This is achieved by applying additional tension to the rearmost crossbar 14, for example by manually tensioning a separate cord (not shown) attached to the crossbar via a toothed pulley (not shown).

As shown in fig. 9, a clasp 41 incorporating retention hook 36 is pivotally mounted at each end of the front rail 14a of the shelter. At the end 12a of each frame side 12a clasp in the form of a tube 37 is mounted near the corresponding pulley 32,32 a. The pivot 38 corresponding to each hook 36 is set back from the hook 36 so that the hook tends to pivot downward under its own weight. When the canopy reaches the fully extended position, each hook 36 rides over a catch 37, riding on the inclined front face 39 of the corresponding hook 36, and each hook 36 then falls under its own weight, thereby engaging the corresponding catch 37 and securing the extended canopy in place. As described above, in this position, additional tension may be applied to the rearmost rail 14 to keep the canopy taut.

The connection between each end of the front rail 14a and the corresponding clasp 41 incorporates a tension spring 35 to provide resilience to the extended canopy in the event of high wind loads on the extended canopy.

When the shelter is to be collapsed, each hook 36 is lifted out of engagement with the corresponding clasp 37 by pulling on the retraction cord 43, the retraction cord 43 extending over the upper surface of the fabric along the centre line of the shelter as shown in figure 7, with the end of the cord 43 adjacent the front rail 14a being secured to a two part yoke 44, the outer ends of which are attached to spaced apart locations on the releasable crossbar 40 which extends across the shelter parallel to the front rail 14a but vertically higher than the rail 14 a.

At a position rearward of the clasp's pivot 38, a release crossbar 40 is secured at each end to a corresponding clasp 41. Pulling yoke 44 in the direction of arrow a, as shown in fig. 9, pivots each clasp 41 to the position shown in phantom, thereby releasing each hook 36 from engagement with the corresponding clasp 37 and allowing the shelter to be collapsed by pulling on end 42 of retraction cord 43.

When the shelter is fully collapsed as shown in figure 3, the fabric 13 is suspended in a loop adjacent the rear member 11.

If the canopy is extended and retracted by means of the push rod, the clasp 41 is still used as described above to keep the canopy taut when extended.

If the canopy is extended and retracted by means of a rope, the rod 27 can be omitted. However, it may be used to fit the lever 27 so that it is usable in the event of a rope break.

The cord extending/retracting means has been described in terms of manually pulling the cord, but it will be appreciated that this may be mechanized if desired.

For most applications, it is important that the extended shelter itself drains so that rain/dew accumulating on the shelter does not bend the shelter and cause damage. As discussed above, a known solution to this problem is to tilt the shelter (e.g. up to at least 10 °), but there are many applications where such significant tilting is undesirable or impossible. The shelter of the present invention may be erected horizontally or with a small degree of inclination such that the shelter is horizontal (as defined).

Alternating the fabric support rails 14 above and below the canopy fabric 13 creates a series of spaced shallow troughs in the fully extended canopy that each extend the full width of the canopy, i.e., alternating "peaks" and "valleys" along the length of the canopy, and any water that accumulates on the canopy naturally tends to drain into the "valleys" indicated by the double-headed arrows in fig. 1. Any water drained in this way can drain out of one side of the shelter by giving it a very slight inclination (typically about 2 °).

Water collection in the "valleys" can be improved by pre-arching the individual fabric support rails 14. Pre-arching the rails means that each rail is slightly curved along its length such that the midpoint of the rail is located above the plane of the straight rails by a predetermined amount, for example, 50 to 75 mm. Of course, the amount of pre-arching may be adjusted for a particular application.

The crossbars may be pre-arched by bending each crossbar 14 with the corresponding fabric support 20 until the desired amount of pre-arching is achieved. The pre-arching of the crossbar may then be maintained by securing the crossbar 14 to the fabric support 20 (e.g., by riveting).

When the crossbar is attached to the canopy fabric, the crossbar is oriented such that the pre-arching effect will create a slightly raised area along the centerline of the canopy in use, i.e., generally below the retraction cords 43 shown in fig. 7. This allows drainage towards the sides of the shelter so that the shelter can be mounted horizontally without sideways tilting.

For some applications, water may simply be allowed to drain freely from the sides of the shelter. However, for many applications, it is desirable to collect any drained water into a drain tank so that the water can be directed into a treatment system, such as a downspout.

As shown in fig. 6A, the gutter used may be a standard low profile gutter 50 which fits under each frame side 12, extending the entire length of the frame side, and which is arranged to drain into a standard downpipe system (not shown). When the shelter is collapsed, the shelter fabric 13 is hung in a loop and it is therefore not possible to have the drainage channel 50 actually under the edge of the fabric, in the collapsed shelter the looped fabric will catch on the drainage channel. Instead, each drainage channel 50 is located vertically below the corresponding frame side 12, and on each fabric support rail 14 secured to the upper surface of the canopy fabric (i.e., the "valley" rail), a rail drainage channel 51 is mounted below each end of the corresponding rail. Each rail drainage channel 51 is simply a short V-section channel secured beneath each respective rail and arranged to extend a short distance beyond the ends of the rails so that the outer ends of the rail drainage channels 51 overhang the drainage channel 50.

Fig. 6 shows an alternative gutter 53 comprising a section of a fixed gutter 54 vertically below and extending the entire length of each frame side 12, with a pivoting gutter extension 55 secured along each inner end of the fixed gutter.

The fixed drainage channel 54 includes a first side 56 which is generally vertical in use, a base 57 which is generally vertical to the side 56, and inclined sides 58 which extend at an acute angle to the side 56 towards an area not further below the shelter. The pivot 59 is mounted along the upper inner edge of the sloping side 58 which is located short of the area actually covered by the extended canopy so that the loops do not catch on the fixed gutters when the canopy is collapsed and the loops are suspended.

The pivot shaft 59 supports the drain tank extension 55 and the weight portion 60 along the free end of the drain tank extension 55, and the drain tank extension 55 is formed of a flat plate fixed at its lower end to the pivot shaft 59 so that it can pivot with respect to the fixed drain tank free end. The weighted portion 60 helps stabilize the drain tank extension so that it rests in either the extended or retracted position as desired.

In the extended position of the drain channel extension 55 (shown in solid lines in fig. 6), the drain channel extension is located below the shelter so that water dripping from the sides of the shelter falls into the channel formed by the combination of the drain channel extension 55, the sloping side 58, the base 57 and the fixed side 56. In the retracted position, the gutter extension is pivoted away from the shelter and above the fixed gutter.

The gutter extension may be pivoted between the two positions using any suitable means, for example, manually or by a lever or control cord.

Fig. 10 shows a fixed shelter permanently in place and thus not requiring any cords for extension and retraction. The fixed shelter 50 is constituted by a horizontal shelter frame, which is rectangular in plan and has parallel sides 51 and parallel ends 52; the frame may be secured to a building or other support along one of the sides or ends, or may be free-standing with its own vertical support (not shown).

The fabric 53 of the shelter 50 is associated with a set of spaced apart rails 54, the rails 54 being securable to the fabric if desired, but not necessarily so. The fabric 53 travels along the length of the shelter under one crossbar 54, over the next crossbar 54, under the next crossbar 54, etc., and is secured to the frame end 52 by any suitable means. Thus, similar to the fabric of a collapsible shelter, the fabric 53 securing the shelter is formed as a series of shallow grooves each extending across the width of the shelter.

As described with reference to fig. 1-8, each crossbar 54 may be pre-arched to help drain any moisture that may accumulate on the shelter toward the edges of the shelter. If desired, a drain channel may be mounted along one or both sides 51 of the frame. The drain channel may be of any suitable type, for example, as described above with reference to fig. 6 and 6A.

Referring to fig. 11, a collapsible shelter 10 is generally described with reference to fig. 1-9, and like reference numerals are used where appropriate. Specifically, the canopy fabric canopy end frame, frame sides and fabric support rails are constructed and arranged as described with reference to FIGS. 1-9. An end frame may not be required for some installations. However, the mechanism for extending or retracting the canopy is completely replaced by the mechanized arrangement described below.

In a mechanized variant, the parallel frame sides 12 of the support frame also each support a rack 80 that extends along the length of each frame side 12 for a major portion of the length of each frame side. As shown in fig. 12, each rack 80 terminates at a point on the corresponding frame side in the fully retracted position of the shelter.

In fig. 13, the rack 80 is shown supported from the respective frame side so as to be above the plane of the shelter when extended; however, the rack 80 may be supported from the frame side so as to be below the plane of the canopy when extended.

As with the non-mechanized embodiment, one end 13a of the canopy fabric 13 is secured to or near the end frame 11 (if present). The opposite ends 13b of the canopy fabric 13 are secured to end fabric support rails 85, each end of which is secured to one end of a bracket 84 by bolts 86. The roller 81 extends across the entire width of the end 13b, parallel to the fabric support rail 85, and each end of the roller 81 is rigidly attached to a respective bracket 84. The other end of each bracket 84 carries a roller 87 arranged to engage the corresponding frame side 12 so that the roller 81 and the member secured thereto can travel along the length of the frame side.

The roller 81 is composed of an outer cylindrical shell 82 and an inner cylinder 83. The inner drum 83 contains a tubular motor of known type, which is located within the non-rotatable inner drum 83 and is secured at each end to a bracket 84. The tubular motor is supplied with electrical power via a flexible cable 89, which flexible cable 89 is arranged to extend along an upper channel 90 formed in the corresponding frame side 12 and is kept tensioned by a tensioning system (not shown) so that the cable 89 does not wrap around any other components during operation of the system.

The tubular motor is arranged to rotate a mounting collar (not visible) at one end of the roller 81. The first gear 91 is mounted on the mounting collar and rotates with the mounting collar. The outer cylindrical shell 82 of the roller 81 is connected to the mounting collar and rotates therewith; the housing 82 carries a second gear 92 at an end opposite the first gear 91. Thus, when the tubular motor rotates the mounting collar, this rotates both the first gear 91 and the second gear 92.

As described above, the rack 80 is installed along each side frame; the teeth formed on each rack are sized and arranged so as to mesh with the corresponding gear 91,92, such that rotation of the gear 91 (which in turn rotates the gear 92) drives the combination of the roller 81, the gears 91,92, the bracket 84 associated with each gear, and thus the end fabric support rail 85, in a corresponding direction relative to the side frames to extend or retract the shelter.

Preferably, the gears and corresponding racks are made of a UV resistant, strong plastic material so that the shelter can be extended and retracted quietly.

It will be appreciated that the above described mechanized arrangement has a minimum number of moving parts and provides a quiet, fast and reliable means of extending and retracting the shelter. The tubular motor is controlled by a remote control in a known manner.

The shelter shown in figures 11 to 16 may be provided with a drainage channel as described with reference to figures 6 and 6A.

Referring to fig. 17, this discloses a modified version of the rack and pinion drive shown in fig. 12 and 13.

The drive shown in fig. 12 and 13 consists of a first gear 91 and a second gear 92 running along the rack 80; the racks are formed with teeth that mesh with each corresponding gear. The driver works well and is reliable. However, it is expensive to manufacture because the rack must be cut separately and it is important that the teeth on the pinion mesh accurately with the teeth on the rack to provide a good positive drive.

In the drive shown in fig. 17, each of the first and second gears 91,92 is replaced by a sprocket 100 and each rack 80 is replaced by a length of U-section cross-bar 101, the cross-bar 101 having a series of spaced pins 102 secured across the arms of the U. The spacing between adjacent pins 102 is a distance "d" that is equal to the spacing "d" between the root portions of adjacent sprocket teeth 103 so that the sprocket teeth mesh with the pins 102 as shown in fig. 17. Each pin 102 may carry a roller 102a to engage a tooth 103. The sprocket 100 is mounted and driven in the same manner as the gears 91, 92.

The above arrangement is equivalent in effect to a gear engaging a rack but is very inexpensive to manufacture: the pin 102 may be threaded or riveted through the crossbar 101 and the shape of the pin 102/roller 202a and sprocket 103 are such that they do not require an exact fit in driving engagement. Another possibility is to use a chain instead of the crossbar 101 and the pin 102 and to engage the sprocket 103 with the chain link in a known manner.

The modification shown in fig. 18 relates to a modification of the profile of the crossbar to make it easier to pre-arch the crossbar.

The cross-bar section shown in fig. 5 provides a well-functioning cross-bar, but it is relatively rigid and therefore difficult to pre-arch as previously described in this specification at page 7, line 24. Pre-arching involves bending each crossbar along its length such that the midpoint of the crossbar is above the plane of the straight crossbar by a predetermined amount as described above.

In order for each crossbar to bend, the crossbar needs to be bent along its longitudinal axis. The crossbar 110 shown in fig. 18 is significantly more flexible and therefore more easily bent to the desired camber.

As shown in fig. 18, the cross-bar is constituted in cross-section by two sides 111,112, which are fixed opposite each other by a central support 113. The side portions 111,112 and the center support 113 may be integrally formed. Each side 111,112 is formed at each end with a part circular channel 114,115,116,117, and inserts 118,119 can be placed into these channels as desired.

Each design of insert 118,119 is shaped to have an annular portion 120,121 along each outer edge; each annular portion 120,121 is sized to easily slide fit within the corresponding partial circular channel.

Each insert 118 is formed with a part-circular groove 123 midway between the annular portions 120; the partially circular slots 123 are used to secure the canopy fabric to the rails 110 by looping the entire width of the canopy fabric into each slot 123 and retaining it in the slot by pressing a retention tube (not shown) into the slot to securely secure the fabric along the entire length of each rail.

Each insert 119 is formed with straight bars 124 between the annular portions 121; the insert 119 serves to stabilize the crossbar.

Since the canopy fabric is alternately secured to the upper and lower surfaces of each rail 110, inserts 118 are alternately secured to the upper and lower surfaces of each rail, alternating with inserts 119.

It has been found that the best way to arch the crossbars is to engage inserts 118/119 with the corresponding crossbars 110 and then arch the crossbars in the desired orientation and secure the end of each insert 118/119 to the adjacent end of the crossbar. This helps to maintain the cross-bar in the desired arched configuration.

It will be appreciated that the above design provides a shelter from which water can be easily and efficiently drained, but which is relatively inexpensive to manufacture and reliable in operation.

Claims (21)

1. A shelter, comprising:

a support frame;

a canopy fabric;

a plurality of fabric support rails;

wherein:

the support frame provides a pair of parallel frame sides;

each of the fabric support rails is adapted to be supported between the frame sides with the longitudinal axis of each fabric support rail perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the frame sides;

the fabric is supported by the fabric support rails with the fabric support rails alternating on top of the fabric and under the fabric such that when the canopy is extended, the fabric forms a series of shallow grooves that each extend across the width of the canopy.

2. A shelter as claimed in claim 1 which is a collapsible and extensible shelter in which one end of the shelter is fixed to one end of the support frame and the other end of the shelter is free to extend or collapse relative to the fixed end; and wherein each of the fabric support rails is arranged to slide along the length of the support frame.

3. A shelter as claimed in claim 2 in which the shelter is movable between a retracted position and an extended position by means of a push rod attachable to a free end of the shelter.

4. A shelter as claimed in claim 3 in which the shelter is movable between the retracted position and the extended position by means of pairs of spaced apart drawstrings, one of which extends along each side of the shelter parallel to the adjacent frame side; each of the drawstrings is secured at one end to a free end of the shelter, travels around a first pulley mounted on an end of the corresponding side frame near the extended position of the shelter, and travels around a second pulley mounted on the opposite end of the corresponding side frame.

5. A shelter as claimed in claim 4 in which the free ends of the shelter are provided with spaced apart hooks which releasably engage corresponding catches to secure the shelter in the fully extended position.

6. A shelter as claimed in claim 2 in which the shelter is movable between the retracted position and the extended position by means of a motorised drive.

7. The shelter of claim 6, wherein the motorized drive comprises:

a pair of racks, one of said racks extending parallel to and at or near at least a major portion of the length of the respective side frame;

pairs of drivable gears, one connected to each side of the free end of the canopy, each gear being in driving engagement with a respective adjacent rack;

means for driving the gear in either direction to extend or retract the canopy.

8. A shelter as claimed in claim 7 in which the pairs of driveable gears are mounted one on each end of a hollow roller extending across the full width of the free end of the shelter and secured thereto, and in which the means for driving the gears comprises electric motors mounted within the rollers.

9. The shelter of claim 6, wherein the motorized drive comprises:

two sets of equally spaced pins, each of said sets being supported so as to extend parallel to and at or near at least a major part of the length of each side frame;

pairs of drivable sprockets, one attached to each side of the free end of the canopy, each sprocket being in driving engagement with one of the two sets of equally spaced pins;

means for driving the sprocket in either direction to extend or retract the canopy.

10. The shelter of claim 6, wherein the motorized drive comprises:

two chains, each chain being supported so as to extend parallel to and on or near at least a major part of the length of each side frame;

pairs of drivable sprockets, one attached to each side of the free end of the canopy, each sprocket being in driving engagement with one of the chains;

means for driving the sprocket in either direction to extend or retract the canopy.

11. A shelter as claimed in claim 9 or claim 10 in which the sprockets are mounted one at each end of a hollow roller which extends across the full width of the free end of the shelter and is secured thereto, and in which the means for driving the sprockets comprises electric motors mounted within the rollers.

12. A shelter as claimed in claim 1 in which the shelter fabric is selected from the group of: a woven fabric, a non-woven fabric, a plasticized fabric, a coated fabric, a metal coated fabric, a plastic sheet material, or a combination thereof.

13. A shelter as claimed in claim 1 in which each of the fabric support rails is pre-arched so as to curve along its longitudinal axis in a direction above the plane of extension of the shelter.

14. A shelter as claimed in claim 1 in which each fabric support rail is removably secured to the shelter fabric.

15. A shelter as claimed in claim 14 in which each fabric support rail is removably secured to the shelter fabric by means of a bag secured to the shelter fabric.

16. A shelter as claimed in claim 14 in which each fabric support rail is removably secured to the shelter fabric by means of an insert providing a slot whose cross-section perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the fabric support rail is circular with an opening and in which the shelter fabric is retainable by a cooperating retention tube; each insert is removably attached to a corresponding fabric support rail.

17. A shelter as claimed in claim 16 in which each insert is removably attached to either of the opposite faces of the fabric support rail.

18. The shelter of claim 1 in which each end of each fabric support rail engages a slot formed along the longitudinal axis of the adjacent frame side.

19. The shelter of claim 18, wherein each end of each fabric support rail engages the slot by means of a freely rotatable roller attached to the end.

20. A shelter as claimed in claim 1 in which the plane of the shelter is visually horizontal in the sense that the plane of the shelter makes an angle of no more than five degrees with the horizontal.

21. The shelter and gutter combination of claim 1 wherein said gutter comprises a fixed gutter secured below parallel to the longitudinal axis of each frame side and a gutter extension pivotally secured to said fixed gutter so as to be pivotable between a retracted position and an extended position.

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