GB2223789A

GB2223789A - Canopy of greenhouse structure

Info

Publication number: GB2223789A
Application number: GB8822487A
Authority: GB
Inventors: John Robert Kunz
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1988-09-20
Filing date: 1988-09-20
Publication date: 1990-04-18
Anticipated expiration: 2008-09-20
Also published as: GB2223789B; GB8822487D0

Abstract

A canopy construction comprises a plurality of support rods fixed in a parallel arched arrangement over a site to be protected from the rain, and a flexible canopy sheet 6. Spaced rings 11 are attached to the sheet 6 to provide slidable connections to the rods. The sheet 6 can thus be drawn out over the arched arrangement of rods to extend over the site as required, for example when rain threatens or commences, and drawn back to one side when protection by the canopy is no longer required. The canopy is conveniently used at a building site, with the support rods 7 secured by means of suitable clips 9 to the usual scaffolding 3 at opposite sides of the building. Alternatively, the construction may be supported on the ground, and be used as a greenhouse, when water for spraying growing plants may be supplied through the support rods. <IMAGE>

Description

"CANOPY STRUCTURE" The invention relates to canopy structures and, in particular, to a canopy construction usable to provide temporary weather protection, for example at a building or other working site.

The building and repair of domestic houses, for example, is notoriously subject to excessive delays due to inclement weather but even so the expense and inconvenience erection of a semi-permanent weather canopy, as sometimes erected with large commercial building projects, is not justified. Accordingly, heavy rain frequently results in brick layers and roof tilers, in particular, being laid off when adequate weather protection would have allowed them to continue working.

There is accordingly a need for such weather protection, and to this end the invention provides a canopy construction which is easily erected and with a canopy which can quickly be extended over a working area, when rain threatens or commences, and be drawn back when dry weather returns. The construction comprises a plurality of support rods which can be fixed in a parallel arched arrangement over a site to be protected from the rain, and a flexible canopy sheet with spaced slidable connections to the rods so that it can be drawn out over the arched arrangement of rods (generally in the manner of a curtain) to extend over the site as required, and drawn back to one side when protection from the canopy is no longer required.

Preferably the rods are of sectional form for ease of transport, and the rod sections are conveniently naturally straight for the same reason but resiliently flexible so that the rods can readily be bent to the desired arched form. When the canopy is extended it preferably overlies the arched rods, and a multiplicity of the latter may be closely spaced in relation to the width of the canopy.

The canopy may comprise a single elongate sheet of suitably flexible plastics material, or to cover a larger area a plurality of such sheets may be arranged side by side in which case, as will be appreciated, for partial covering of the site area only a selected sheet or sheets need be used at any one time. Preferably the connection of the canopy to the rods is by way of rings slidable along the rods and fixed to the canopy sheet(s), and the or each canopy sheet may have a plurality of spaced and laterally extending reinforcing strips, which are relatively rigid and preferably secured to the upper surface of the canopy, to which the connecting slide rings are fixed.

Guy ropes are preferably attached to the arched arrangement to provide lateral support for the structure, these being anchored at suitable fixed points. These guy ropes may be attached to the two outermost arched rods.

A canopy construction in accordance with the invention is preferably fixed, when in use to provide weather protection for a building which is under repair or construction, to the usual scaffolding at opposite sides of the building. The structure preferably includes lateral base support rods to which the ends of the arched support rods are attached, these base support rods being securable to the scaffolding by means of suitable clips. For ground mounting such base support rods may be pegged down to the ground, and a structure in accordance with the invention then has application to protect sports pitches, for example, from rain or for use as a greenhouse. In the latter case the various rods of the structure may be hollow to act as water channels, and they may be fitted with nozzles to spray growing crops under the canopy.

Although there are some applications for which an opaque canopy is of no disadvantage or even advantageous, in general the canopy will be of a suitable transparent plastics material to allow enough light transmission for work to be performed in the protected area with the canopy in place.

The invention will now be further described with reference to the accompanying diagrammatic drawings which illustrate, by way of example, a preferred embodiment erected over a building under repair. In the drawings: Fig. 1 is a side view showing the erected structure in position over the building; Fig. 2 is a plan view; Figs. 3 is a detail view of the structure; and Fig. 4 is a sectional view on the line IV-IV in Fig. 2 Fig. 1 shows a canopy structure 1 in accordance with the invention erected over a domestic house during building or repair thereof. The usual scaffolding 3 is erected around the house 2 and an arched support arrangement 4 of the structure 1 is secured at opposite ends to upright poles such as 5 of scaffolding 3.A transparent plastics canopy sheet 6, when in the operative weather-protecting position shown, overlies the arched support arrangement 4 and extends fully across the latter.

The support arrangement 4 comprises a plurality of spaced parallel support rods such as 7 connected at respective ends to rigid base support rods 8. The rods 7 are secured to the scaffolding 3 by means of suitable clips 9. As shown three clips 9 may be used for each support rod 8 and these rods may have a typical length of say 6 metres, which is a convenient length for transport. If a wider canopy is required two or more of the 6 metre lengths may then be used.

In the support arrangement 4 eleven (for example) rods 7 extend between the two support rods 8, being detachably secured thereto and each comprising a plurality of normally straight but resiliently flexible sections.

These may be spigoted together and or have "running nipple" type screwed connections, and for ease of transport they are typically of a length of say 2 metres.

The canopy 6 is in this case a single strip which extends across the full width of the arch arrangement 4 and has a plurality of relatively rigid plastics reinforcing strips such as 10 secured to its upper surface. To each of these strips 10 a row of connecting rings such as 11 is secured, and these slidably connect the canopy 6 to the arched support rods 7. Thus when not required the canopy can be slid to one end of the arch arrangement 4, bunched up out of the way against the corresponding support rod 8.

As soon as rain starts or is threatened, the canopy 6 can very rapidly be drawn across the arch, to the other side of the building, to provide weather protection for workmen on the scaffolding 3 or the roof of the building.

The two outermost arched support rods 7 each have two guy ropes 12 suitably anchored at fixed points to provide lateral rigidity for the whole structure.

The drawings illustrate the canopy in use when the building shown has reached full height, and it will be appreciated that it can be used at intermediate height stages and, as building progesses, the clips 9 disconnected and the rods 8 raised and refixed at a higher level of the scaffolding 3. The whole structure is light enough for this easily to be accomplished by hand, and the arrangement is such that the whole structure is easily and quickly dismantled and erected and when dismantled the components of the structure are easily transportable to another site.

Claims

CLAIMS:

1. A canopy construction comprising a plurality of support rods which can be fixed in a parallel arched arrangement over a site to be protected from the rain, and a flexible canopy sheet with spaced slidable connections to the rods so that it can be drawn out over the arched arrangement of rods to extend over the site as required, and drawn back to one side when protection by the canopy is no longer required.

2. A canopy construction according to claim 1, wherein the rods are of sectional form.

3. A canopy construction according to claim 2, wherein the rod sections are naturally straight but resiliently flexible so that they can readily be bent to the desired arched form.

4. A canopy construction according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the canopy sheet when extended overlies the arched rods.

5. A canopy construction according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein a multiplicity of the arched rods are closely spaced in relation to the width of the canopy.

6. A canopy construction according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the canopy comprises at least one elongate sheet of flexible plastics material.

7. A canopy construction according to claim 6, wherein said sheet of plastics material is one of a plurality of such sheets arranged side by side, and for partial covering of the site area only a selected sheet or sheets need be used at any one time.

8. A canopy construction according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the connection of the canopy sheet(s) to the rods is by way of rings slidable along the rods and fixed to the canopy sheet(s).

9. A canopy construction according to claim 8, wherein the or each canopy sheet has a plurality of spaced and laterally extending reinforcing strips, which are relatively rigid and to which the connecting slide rings are fixed.

10. A canopy construction according to claim 9, wherein said reinforcing strips are secured to the upper surface of the canopy sheet(s).

11. A canopy construction according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein guy ropes are attached to the arched arrangement to provide lateral support for the structure, these being anchored at suitable fixed points.

12. A canopy construction according to claim 11, wherein said guy ropes are attached to the two outermost arched rods.

13. A canopy construction according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the construction is adapted to be positioned to provide weather protection for a building which is under repair or construction and in use is fixable to scaffolding at opposite sides of the building.

14. A canopy construction according to claim 13, wherein the structure includes lateral base support rods to which the ends of the arched support rods are attached, these base support rods being securable to the scaffolding by means of suitable clips.

15. A canopy construction according to any one of claims 1 to 13, wherein the structure includes lateral base support rods to which the ends of the arched support rods are attached, for ground mounting the base support rods being adapted for pegging down to the ground.

16. A canopy construction according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein various rods of the structure are hollow to act as water channels.

17. A canopy construction according to claim 15 and claim 16, adapted for use as a greenhouse and wherein said hollow rods are fitted with nozzles for the spraying of growing crops under the canopy.

18. A canopy construction according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the canopy comprises transparent plastics material allowing sufficient light transmission for work to be performed in the protected area with the canopy in place.

19. A canopy construction constructed and arranged substantially as hereinbefore particularly described with reference to the accompanying drawings.