PORTABLE SHELTER HAVING RESILIENTLY SUPPORTED AWNING
A portable shelter has a canopy assembly that includes a main portion and an awning. The shelter also includes a frame assembly with a main frame and an awning support member. The main frame defines a main area and supports the main portion of the canopy assembly such that the main portion covers the main area. The awning support member includes a first portion operably coupled to the main frame and a second portion that extends away from the main area. The awning support member is resiliently flexible, and the awning support member supports the awning such that the awning covers an adjacent area that is adjacent the main area.
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This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/160,811, filed on Mar. 17, 2009. The entire disclosure of the above application is incorporated herein by reference.
FIELDThe present disclosure relates to a portable shelter and, more particularly, relates to a portable shelter having a resiliently supported awning.
BACKGROUNDPortable shelters have been proposed for conveniently providing shade from the sun, for providing shelter from inclement weather, and the like. These shelters can include a self-supporting frame and a tarp, canvas, or other foldable roof or canopy that is coupled to and supported by the frame. The frame can be assembled or expanded to unfold, unfurl, or otherwise extend the canopy such that the canopy provides shelter. The frame can also be disassembled or retracted to fold, furl, or otherwise retract the canopy and to make the shelter more compact and portable.
In some cases, the canopy can include a main portion and an awning that spans transversely away from the roof portion, over and above the ground. The awning can be supported above the ground by a metal or other rigid rod.
Although conventional portable shelters with awnings have been adequate for the intended purposes, they do suffer from certain disadvantages. For instance, the awning can be inadequately supported, and weight of the awning and/or external forces on the awning (e.g., wind, rain, etc.) can cause the awning to droop, sag, or even fall. In addition, rainwater can pool on the awning. This can add additional weight to the awning and cause the awning to droop, sag, or fall. Also, in order to remove the pooled water, the awning can be poked from within, below the pool. However, it can be difficult to direct the flow of water as it rushes off the awning. Thus, rainwater can inadvertently flow off the awning and onto people or other objects below.
SUMMARYAccordingly, despite the improvements of known devices described above, there remains a need for a portable shelter having a canopy assembly that includes a main portion and an awning. The shelter also includes a frame assembly with a main frame and an awning support member. The main frame defines a main area and supports the main portion of the canopy assembly such that the main portion covers the main area. The awning support member includes a first portion operably coupled to the main frame and a second portion that extends away from the main area. The awning support member is resiliently flexible, and the awning support member supports the awning such that the awning covers an adjacent area that is adjacent the main area.
A portable shelter for providing shelter above a base surface is also disclosed. The shelter includes a canopy assembly having a main portion and an awning that is fixedly attached to the main portion. The shelter further includes a frame assembly with a main frame and a plurality of elongate, resiliently flexible awning support members. The main frame includes a plurality of upright legs having a respective axis. A main area is defined between the plurality of legs. The main frame supports the main portion of the canopy assembly such that the main portion covers the main area. The awning support members each include a respective first portion removably coupled to respective ones of the legs. The first portions extend substantially parallel to the axis of the respective ones of the legs. The awning support members each also include a respective second portion that extends away from the main area and transverse to the axis of the respective ones of the legs. The awning support members support the awning such that the awning covers an adjacent area that is adjacent the main area. Furthermore, the shelter includes at least one guy-line that is operably coupled to the awning and that is operably coupled to the base surface to bias the awning toward the base surface.
In addition, a portable shelter is disclosed having a canopy assembly that includes a main portion and an awning. The awning includes a proximal end that is fixed to the main portion and a distal end that is opposite the proximal end. The awning also includes a first edge and a second edge that are opposite each other and that each extend between the proximal and distal ends. Furthermore, the shelter includes a main frame with a plurality of upright legs and a plurality of roof frame members. The legs support the roof frame members above a base surface. The main frame supports the main portion of the canopy assembly to cover a main area defined between the legs. In addition, the shelter includes a plurality of resiliently flexible, elongate awning support members that collectively support the awning to cover an adjacent area that is adjacent the main area. The awning support members each include a first portion that is removably coupled to an outer surface of a respective one of the legs. Also, the awning support members each include a second portion that extends away from the respective leg and that is received in a respective pocket of the awning to removably couple to the awning. Each of the first portions extend parallel to an axis of the respective leg, and each of the second portions extend transverse to the axis of the respective leg to be cantilevered over the adjacent area. The plurality of awning support members include a first awning support member that extends along the first edge of the awning, a second awning support member that extends along the second edge of the awning, and a third awning support member that is disposed between the first and second awning support members. Still further, the shelter includes a first resiliently flexible guy-line that couples a first corner of the awning to the base surface to bias the first awning support member toward the base surface. The shelter additionally includes a second resiliently flexible guy-line that couples a second corner of the awning to the base surface to bias the second awning support member toward the base surface. Moreover, the shelter includes a plurality of securing straps that are each attached to the awning and that each extend about respective awning support members to secure the respective awning support members to the awning.
This section provides a general summary of the disclosure, and is not a comprehensive disclosure of its full scope or all of its features. Further areas of applicability will become apparent from the description provided herein. The description and specific examples in this summary are intended for purposes of illustration only and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure.
The drawings described herein are for illustrative purposes only of selected embodiments and not all possible implementations, and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure.
Corresponding reference numerals indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views of the drawings.
DETAILED DESCRIPTIONExample embodiments will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings.
Referring to
It will be appreciated that the portable shelter 10 can be quickly assembled and supported. Also, the shelter 10 can be relatively light to allow users to move the frame assembly 12 over the base surface 13 if necessary. Moreover, the shelter 10 can be quickly and easily disassembled such that the shelter 10 is even more portable and compact.
Moreover, in some embodiments, the shelter 10 can incorporate one or more features of Applicants' co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/401,213, filed Mar. 10, 2009 and/or U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/720,932 filed Mar. 10, 2010, each of which are incorporated by reference in their entirety. Thus, the frame assembly 12 can include a plurality of hinges, pivot joints, or other rotational joints that rotatably or hingeably connect separate members of the frame assembly 12. In addition, the frame assembly 12 can be constructed such that the frame assembly 12 can remain assembled and yet still move between an extended state (as shown in
Referring now to
The main portion 20 of the canopy assembly 14 can cover a main area A defined by the portable shelter 10, and the awnings 22a, 22b can cover respective adjacent areas A1, A2, which are on opposite sides of and adjacent to the main area A. As will be discussed, the awnings 22a, 22b can be supported by the frame assembly 12 such that the awnings 22a, 22b are more likely to remain fully deployed and unfurled in the presence of external forces and such that water and other debris can be directed off of the awnings 22a, 22b in a controlled fashion.
The frame assembly 12 will now be discussed in greater detail with reference to
Moreover, the main frame 15 can include a plurality of roof frame members 18. The roof frame members 18 can be constructed in a similar manner to the legs 16, but the roof frame members 18 can each extend between respective pairs of legs 16 to be thereby supported above the base surface 13. Some of the roof frame members 18 can extend in a generally horizontal direction between pairs of legs 16, and others of the roof frame members 18 (i.e., rafters) can extend at an acute angles relative to the ground.
The main area A of the portable shelter 10 can be defined between the legs 16 and underneath the roof frame members 18. For instance, the main area A can be a rectangular and elongate area of the base surface 13. However, it will be appreciated that the main frame 15 could be arranged such that the main area A has any other suitable shape (e.g., an octagonal shape, a hexagonal shape, ovate shape, and the like) without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.
Moreover, the legs 16 and roof frame members 18 can include fasteners, couplings, or other suitable members for assembling and operably coupling the components and sections of the frame assembly 12. For instance, the frame assembly 12 can include nuts and bolts, pins, detents, hinge joints, ball and socket joints, tubular couplings, or any other suitable components for this purpose.
The frame assembly 12 can further include one or more awning support members 24. The awning support members 24 can be elongate poles or rods that are resiliently flexible. It will be appreciated, however, that the awning support members 24 can be made out of strong, rigid material in some embodiments. In some embodiments, the awning support members 24 can include any one of the various features disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,450,187, entitled REINFORCED SUPPORT MEMBER AND METHOD, issued Sep. 17, 2002, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. Thus, the awning support members 24 can each include a core (not specifically shown) made out of fiberglass or other suitable material, and the core can be jacketed in a resiliently elastic material, such as polyethylene, polyvinyl chloride, vinyl, polypropylene, polyurethane, rubber and/or latex, to decrease the likelihood of splintering of the core.
As best shown in
It will be appreciated that the portable shelter 10 can include any suitable number of awning support members 24. As shown in
As shown in
Thus, as shown in
As shown in
As shown in
Moreover, as shown in
As such, the support members 24 can be securely coupled to both the frame assembly 12 and the respective awning 22a, 22b. It will be appreciated that the portable shelter 10 could include any suitable feature for securing the awning support members 24 to the awnings 22a, 22b. For instance, in some embodiments, the awnings 22a, 22b can include an elongate sleeve (not shown), which receives a significant length of a respective support member 24.
As shown in
The first awning support member 61 can extend along and can support the first edge 55. The second awning support member 67 can extend along and can support the second edge 57. The third and fourth awning support members 63, 65 can be disposed between the first and second awning support members 61, 67.
In addition, as shown in
Each guy-line 40 can be secured to a respective corner 41 of the distal end 53 of the awning 22a, 22b. As shown in
Each guy-line 40 can bias and pull the respective corner 41 downward toward the ground such that the respective awning 22a, 22b remains taut. More specifically, the awning support members 24 can bias the respective awning 22a, 22b upwards, and the guy-lines 40 can bias and pull the respective awning 22a, 22b downward against the biasing force supplied by the support members 24.
Accordingly, the awnings 22a, 22b are likely to remain taut, even if substantial loads are applied thereto. For instance, the awnings 22a, 22b can resist and absorb forces due to sudden gusts of wind. Furthermore, rain is unlikely to pool on the awnings 22a, 22b because of the tautness. Moreover, the resiliently flexible portions 46 can resiliently extend to absorb loading on the awnings 22a, 22b such that the shelter 10 can further withstand applied loads.
Furthermore, because the guy-lines 40 are attached to the corners 41, the guy-lines 40 can bias the first and second awning support members 61, 67 toward the base surface 13 such that the first and second awning support members 61, 67 are bent further toward the base surface 13 than the third and fourth support members 63, 65. As a result, a channel 83 (
In addition, as shown in
In summary, the awnings 22a, 22b can be supported in mid-air away from the main portion 20 of the canopy assembly 14 for providing shelter over the adjacent areas A1, A2. Also, as mentioned above, the support members 24 can be made out of a resilient material. Thus, the support members 24 can each be resiliently bent downward toward the base surface 13, for instance, due to the weight of the awning 22a, 22b, wind, rain, and the like. Because of the resilient flexibility of the support members 24, the support members 24 can bias the awning 22a, 22b upward away from the base surface 13. Accordingly, the awning 22a, 22b is more likely to remain supported outward above the ground, regardless of loads thereon. Furthermore, it will be appreciated that intermittent loads (e.g., due to wind gusts) can be absorbed due to the resilience of the support members 24.
The foregoing description of the embodiments has been provided for purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention. Individual elements or features of a particular embodiment are generally not limited to that particular embodiment, but, where applicable, are interchangeable and can be used in a selected embodiment, even if not specifically shown or described. The same may also be varied in many ways. Such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the invention, and all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of the invention.
Claims
1. A portable shelter comprising:
- a canopy assembly that includes a main portion and an awning; and
- a frame assembly that includes a main frame and an awning support member, the main frame defining a main area and supporting the main portion of the canopy assembly such that the main portion covers the main area, the awning support member including a first portion operably coupled to the main frame and a second portion that extends away from the main area, the awning support member being resiliently flexible, the awning support member supporting the awning such that the awning covers an adjacent area that is adjacent the main area.
2. The portable shelter of claim 1, wherein the awning is fixed to the main portion of the canopy assembly.
3. The portable shelter of claim 1, wherein the awning support member biases the awning in a first direction, and further comprising a guy-line that is operably coupled to the one of the awning and the awning support member to bias the awning in a second direction that is opposite the first direction.
4. The portable shelter of claim 3, wherein the awning includes a proximal end that is adjacent the main portion, and wherein the awning includes a distal end that is opposite the first end, the guy-line being operably coupled to the distal end.
5. The portable shelter of claim 4, wherein the guy-line is operably coupled to a corner of the distal end.
6. The portable shelter of claim 3, wherein the guy-line is resiliently flexible.
7. The portable shelter of claim 1, wherein the awning support member is elongate.
8. The portable shelter of claim 1, wherein the main frame includes a leg that has an axis, wherein the first portion of the awning support member extends substantially parallel to the axis of the leg, and wherein the second portion of the awning support member extends transverse to the axis of the leg, the second portion being cantilevered over the adjacent area.
9. The portable shelter of claim 8, wherein the leg includes an outer surface, and wherein the first portion of the awning support member abuts and extends along the outer surface of the leg.
10. The portable shelter of claim 1, wherein the awning includes a pocket that receives the second portion of the awning support member.
11. The portable shelter of claim 1, wherein the awning support member is removably coupled to the main frame.
12. The portable shelter of claim 1, wherein the awning support member includes a resiliently flexible, elongate member and a rigid tube, the resiliently flexible, elongate member being received within the rigid tube and extending out of the rigid tube.
13. The portable shelter of claim 1, wherein the awning includes a securing strap that extends about the awning support member to secure the awning support member to the awning.
14. The portable shelter of claim 1, wherein the frame assembly includes a first awning support member and a second awning support member, the first and second awning support members each supporting the awning, the first and second awning support members each extending away from the main area generally in a first direction, the first and second awning support members spaced apart from each other in a second direction that is perpendicular to the first direction.
15. The portable shelter of claim 1, wherein the awning has a first position in which the awning support member supports the awning and the awning covers the adjacent area, and wherein the awning has a second position in which the awning support member is disconnected from the main frame and the awning defines an upright wall that at least partially walls off the main area.
16. A portable shelter for providing shelter above a base surface comprising:
- a canopy assembly that includes a main portion and an awning that is fixedly attached to the main portion;
- a frame assembly that includes a main frame and a plurality of elongate, resiliently flexible awning support members, the main frame including a plurality of upright legs having a respective axis, a main area defined between the plurality of legs, the main frame supporting the main portion of the canopy assembly such that the main portion covers the main area, the awning support members each including a respective first portion removably coupled to respective ones of the legs, the respective first portions extending substantially parallel to the axis of the respective ones of the legs, the awning support members each also including a respective second portion that extends away from the main area and transverse to the axis of the respective ones of the legs, the awning support members supporting the awning such that the awning covers an adjacent area that is adjacent the main area; and
- at least one guy-line that is operably coupled to the awning and that is operably coupled to the base surface to bias the awning toward the base surface.
17. The portable shelter of claim 16, wherein the at least one guy-line is resiliently flexible.
18. The portable shelter of claim 16, wherein at least one of the first portions of the awning support members abuts and extends along an outer surface of the respective one of the plurality of legs.
19. The portable shelter of claim 1, wherein the awning includes at least one pocket that receives one of the second portions of the awning support members.
20. A portable shelter comprising:
- a canopy assembly that includes a main portion and an awning, the awning including a proximal end that is fixed to the main portion, the awning also including a distal end that is opposite the proximal end, the awning also including first edge and a second edge that are opposite each other and that each extend between the proximal and distal ends;
- a main frame with a plurality of upright legs and a plurality of roof frame members, the plurality of upright legs supporting the plurality of roof frame members above a base surface, the main frame supporting the main portion of the canopy assembly to cover a main area defined between the plurality of upright legs;
- a plurality of resiliently flexible, elongate awning support members collectively support the awning to cover an adjacent area that is adjacent the main area, the plurality of awning support members each including a first portion that is removably coupled to an outer surface of a respective one of the legs, the plurality of awning support members each including a second portion that extends away from the respective leg and that is received in a respective pocket of the awning to removably couple to the awning, each of the first portions extending parallel to an axis of the respective leg, each of the second portions extending transverse to the axis of the respective leg to be cantilevered over the adjacent area, the plurality of awning support members including a first awning support member that extends along the first edge of the awning, the plurality of awning support members including a second awning support member that extends along the second edge of the awning, the plurality of awning support members including a third awning support member that is disposed between the first and second awning support members;
- a first resiliently flexible guy-line that couples a first corner of the awning to the base surface to bias the first awning support member toward the base surface;
- a second resiliently flexible guy-line that couples a second corner of the awning to the base surface to bias the second awning support member toward the base surface; and
- a plurality of securing straps that are each attached to the awning and that each extend about respective ones of the plurality of awning support members to secure the respective ones of the plurality of awning support members to the awning.
Type: Application
Filed: Mar 17, 2010
Publication Date: Feb 10, 2011
Applicant: YJIP, INC. (Addison, TX)
Inventors: Tseng Hsiang Lin (Kuala Lumpur), Craig B. Adams (Portland, OR)
Application Number: 12/725,891
International Classification: E04H 15/18 (20060101); E04H 15/34 (20060101);