The present invention relates to an adjustable pipe coupling assembly and, in particular, to an assembly for coupling or cross connecting pipes at desired angles in a roof support arrangement for a shade structure.
Although the background, objects and preferred embodiments of the invention will be hereinafter described with reference to an assembly and process for cross connecting pipes during the construction of shade structures, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited thereto but has wider application. For example, the adjustable pipe coupling assembly may be used for constructing scaffolding used in building construction, or for constructing equipment in which pipes that are to be cross connected need to be directed at specific angles to each other.
It is to be understood that the terminology employed herein is for the purpose of description only and should not be regarded as limiting. For instance, the terms “comprising” or “comprises” are to be understood as meaning “including”, unless otherwise stated. Also, the term “pipe” is to be understood as including small or large diameter pipes and pipes of any suitable cross sectional shape.
There are many kinds of shade structures and they are put to many types of use. Commonly, they are used to create shade from the sun at the rear of homes, but may also be used in commercial and industrial settings.
A typical shade structure comprises posts that hold aloft a water proof fabric sheet by cross connected roof pipes, the angle of cross connection being determined prior to “on site” welding of the roof support arrangement. The pipes used in such roof support arrangements have flanges welded thereto that cross connect the pipes when a bolt is passed through a common hole formed when the two flanges overlap. The setting of the bolt in this predetermined position prohibits slight adjustment of the relative positions or angle of cross connection of the pipes that may be necessary to counter any unforeseen inaccuracies during “on site” construction, such as those that may arise from variation in the post height or the level of the ground.
These inaccuracies are particularly pronounced in the “on site” construction of shade structures in which the cross connected pipes define an arched roof support arrangement, where pipes serving as linear bearers and extending in a first direction are connected with pipes serving as curved rafters and extending in a cross direction. For each curved rafter, a slightly different angle of connection is required at different locations along its length where it is cross connected with a respective bearer so as to attain an optimum contour of roof support arrangement for tightly fitting a water proof fabric sheet thereto.
It has been found by the present inventor that none of the prior art methods of cross connecting pipes in a roof support arrangement of a shade structure allow for slight adjustment of the angle of cross connection of the pipes during “on site” construction that would counter any unforeseen inaccuracies in the pipe angles and attain the optimum contour mentioned above.
It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to overcome or substantially ameliorate the disadvantages and problems of the aforementioned prior art, or at least provide a useful alternative.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an adjustable pipe coupling assembly that can be used to cross connect pipes during the “on site” construction of a shade structure without the requirement for welding, and that preferably will enable no more than two people to carry out the construction.
It has been found by the present inventor that these and other objects of the invention may be achieved in general by providing an adjustable pipe coupling assembly comprising:
Preferably, the first and second clamps include respective planar surfaces that face each other, each planar surface having a hole formed therethrough, the holes being aligned to define the first common axis, and a pin passing through the holes to allow the clamps to rotate independently about the first common axis.
In a preferred form, the pin is a bolt.
It is preferred that the first clamp includes a cradle for tightly receiving a head of the bolt.
There has been thus outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the invention in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood and put into practical effect, and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated.
There are additional features of the invention that will be described hereinafter. As such, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the conception, upon which the disclosure is based, may be readily utilized as
the basis for designing other assemblies and processes for carrying out the objects of the present invention. It is important, therefore, that the broad outline of the invention described above be regarded as including such equivalent constructions in so far as they do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present invention.
The invention will be better understood and objects other than those set forth above will become apparent when consideration is given to the following detailed description thereof. Such description makes reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
With reference now to the above summarized drawings of
The shade structure shown in
Adjustable pipe coupling assemblies 10 cross connect the roof pipes 16, 18 of the shade structure at desired angles. As shown in
The adjustable pipe coupling assembly 10 shown in
A preferred rotating means is partly shown in each of the clamps 34, 36 shown in
The first clamp 30 of the adjustable pipe coupling assembly 10 shown in
The second clamp 32 of the adjustable pipe coupling assembly 10 shown in
In use of the adjustable pipe coupling assembly 10, the clamps 30, 32 are rotated with reference to their respective orientation notches 70, 72 so as to adjust the horizontal angle between the second and third common axes (and so correspondingly rotating the pipes 16, 18), and each of the pipes 16, 18 are pivoted so as to adjust the vertical angle between them. Such independent angular movement of the pipes 16, 18, as facilitated by the assembly 10, both horizontally and vertically allows for slight adjustment in the angle of cross connection of the pipes during “on site” construction of the shade structure as required to attain the optimum contour of roof support arrangement for tightly fitting a water proof or other fabric sheet thereto.
Referring to
Referring to
Referring to
As another example of its versatility in use, the clamp 34 may generally be connected to the top of a post in a desired structure or to the top of a wall if required.
It will be readily apparent from the above that there are various advantages of the present invention.
One advantage is that, by using the adjustable pipe coupling assembly of the present invention to cross connect pipes in a roof support arrangement of a shade structure, slight adjustments of the angles of cross connection of the pipes during “on site” construction can be made so as to counter any unforeseen inaccuracies in the pipe angles and attain the optimum contour mentioned above.
Other advantages are that the adjustable pipe coupling assembly of the present invention can be used to cross connect pipes during the “on site” construction of a shade structure without the requirement for welding, and that no more than two people will be required to carry out the construction.
Still further advantages of the present invention will be apparent to persons skilled in the art.
It will also be readily apparent to persons skilled in the art that various modifications may be made in details of design and construction of the embodiments of the adjustable pipe coupling assembly, and in the steps of the process using the assembly described above without departing from the scope or ambit of the present invention.
For example, a small coupling pipe or adaptor of a predetermined length may be used to space apart the first and second clamps of the adjustable pipe coupling assembly to a required distance to suit the spacing apart of the cross connected pipes to a similarly required, but wider, distance. Having a number of such adaptors of different lengths available “on site” would be useful in circumstances where the distance that the cross connected pipes must be spaced apart varies in a structure under construction.
The reference in this specification to any prior publication (or information derived from it), or to any matter which is known, is not, and should not be taken as an acknowledgement or admission or any form of suggestion that that prior publication (or information derived from it) or known matter forms part of the common general knowledge in the technical field to which this specification relates before the priority date of this patent application.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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2007905106 | Sep 2007 | AU | national |
Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind | 371c Date |
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PCT/AU2008/001402 | 9/19/2008 | WO | 00 | 3/17/2010 |
Publishing Document | Publishing Date | Country | Kind |
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WO2009/036518 | 3/26/2009 | WO | A |
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20100213708 A1 | Aug 2010 | US |