Any and all applications for which a foreign or domestic priority claim is identified in the Application Data Sheet as filed with the present application are hereby incorporated by reference under 37 C.F.R. § 1.57.
This application is directed to an awning apparatus, which is a retractable device to provide shade or other shelter from the elements.
Awnings are well known, convenient devices that provide shade and shelter. Often awnings are retractable so that they can be out of the way when shade or shelter is not needed. Certain retractable awnings employ folding arms that can be coupled with an extendable end of a canvas structure to pull the extendable end outward away from a building to which the awning is coupled.
Sometimes awnings are configured to allow extendable arms to be retracted into a housing that is mounted to a building or other structure. The housing protects the extendable arm and the canvas structure from the elements when not in use. The housing also can enhance the appearance of the retracted awning by hiding the mechanism and other utilitarian components of the awning from view.
While extendable arms are known to be retractable into a housing, there is a need for improved devices of this type.
One type of awning that has become popular is one that allows an extendable end of canvas or other shade providing structure to be positioned at a lower elevation under some shade conditions. In some cases, a lower elevation position of the extendable end can be selected by adjusting a mechanism of the awning. In some prior art awnings a lower elevation position of the extendable end was provided, but such position prevented the retractable arms from being properly retracted into a housing of the awning. This can be particularly challenging for compact cassette and semi-cassette awnings. An improved mechanism or other arrangements enabling the elevation of the extended end of a retractable arm to be adjusted downward to a lower elevation position while still assuring that the retractable arm is properly retracted into a housing is needed.
Improved cassette awnings disclosed herein provide that an elevation of an extended end of a shade structure is in some examples automatically, e.g., simultaneously with retraction, adjusted upward to align the extended end with an opening into a housing. In some cases the extended end is configured to be retracted into or to close the opening in the cassette awning.
Improved awnings disclosed herein provide a degree of freedom of adjustment, e.g., rotation about a horizontal axis, to allow a front support or other outer end of a shade structure of the awning to be aligned with an opening of a housing of the awning upon retraction.
Improved awnings disclosed herein provide a limit on motion about at least one degree of freedom of adjustment, e.g., rotation about a horizontal axis, to prevent unwanted motion in at least one state of the awning. The awnings disclosed herein can limit such motion when the awning is fully extended.
In one embodiment, an awning is provided that includes a housing, a roller assembly disposed in the housing, and an extendable arm that has an inner end supported from within the housing and an outer end extendable away from the housing. The awning also has a front support coupled with the outer end of the extendable arms. The awning has a shelter member that has an outer portion coupled with the front support and disposed along the extendable arms. The awning also has a first mechanism adapted to adjust the orientation of the shelter member from a first extended orientation to a second extended orientation. The second extended orientation is at a higher angle from horizontal than the first extended orientation. The awning has a second mechanism responsive to a vertical force to raise the front support and the outer portion of the shelter member toward an angle corresponding to the first extended position.
In one variation of the foregoing embodiment, the front support is configured as a bar that extends between two extendable arms and that is coupled with, e.g., directly connected to the shelter member. The shelter member can be a canvas or other durable fabric suited for long term use in outdoor conditions. In another variation the front support is optional. For example, an outer portion of the shelter member can be connected directly to an outer end of one or more extendable arms.
In another embodiment, an awning is provided that includes an extendable arm, a shelter member, and a joint. The extendable arm has an inner end coupled with a support and an outer end extendable away from the inner end. The shelter member has an outer portion coupled with the extendable arm support and disposed along the extendable arm. The joint has a mechanism responsive to an awning retraction force to raise outer portions of the extendable arms and an outer portion of the shelter member toward a horizontal orientation relative to a shade enhancing orientation.
In another embodiment a joint for an awning is provided that includes an arm coupler, a first mechanism, and a second mechanism. The first mechanism has a threaded actuator for adjusting an orientation of the arm coupler from a first extended orientation to a second extended orientation. The second extended orientation is at a higher angle from horizontal than the first extended orientation. The second mechanism has a bracket pivoted to the first mechanism and responsive to a vertical force to raise the arm coupler toward an angle corresponding to the first extended position.
In another embodiment, a method of retracting an awning is provided. An initial force for retracting a shelter member of the awning is applied to gather the shelter member in a housing. A further force is applied to continue to retract the shelter member, to continue to gather the shelter member in the housing. A final force is applied to complete retracting the shelter member into the housing. The initial force retracts the shelter member without lifting the outer end of the shelter member. The further force lifts the outer end of the shelter member while retracting the shelter member. The final force retracts the awning into the housing without interference from the housing.
This application discloses and claims various improved awning apparatuses that can improve shade structure and that can provide for more reliable storage of the awning.
The roller assembly 128 can be installed in the housing 104 by removing a cap 134 providing access from a side of the housing 104. The housing 104 can also have one or a plurality of supports 135 for holding the roller assembly 128.
With reference to
As shown in
In one advantageous embodiment, movement of an adjustment member similar to the adjustment member 142 can be provided without including a mechanism to automatically adjust the elevation of the front support 124 during retraction. In other words, an awning can be provided where the motion from a more horizontal state to a more angled state (as from the state of
By providing the through slot 147 and the slot 145 for connection with the supporting seat 141, as in some implementations, the adjustment member 142 can be afforded an additional degree of adjustability of the relative position between the adjustment member 142 and the supporting seat 141 (e.g., as compared with a single slot and pin aperture having a uniform circumference, which would provide only a rotation about the pin aperture as the single degree of freedom). The adjustment member 142 can rotate and/or translate in small amounts with respect to the supporting seat 141 about the slider shaft 149 (primarily providing translation) and the supporting shaft 143 (primarily acting as a pivot point, but also allowing translation where the slot 145 is included).
The slider shaft 149 can be threadingly mounted on a retaining pin assembly 146. The retaining pin assembly 146 can be rotatably mounted on the supporting seat 141 in a generally vertical orientation. The retaining pin assembly 146 can be coupled with the rotatable actuator 144. The supporting seat 141 can include a central slot or aperture housing the retaining pin assembly 146. Rotation of the rotatable actuator 144 can turn the retaining pin assembly 146 to translate the slider shaft 149 along the generally vertical direction. Translation of the slider shaft 149 can rotate the adjustment member 142 about the supporting shaft 143. By rotation of the rotatable actuator 144, the angle of the adjustment member 142 with respect to the supporting seat 141 can be selectively adjusted. The adjustment member 142 (and the inner member 113) can be tilted generally about the supporting shaft 143 to cause the front support 124 to be raised or lowered (e.g., angled downwards or upwards) to orient the canopy.
The adjustment member 142 can also include a lower periphery 148. A projection 150 can be provided on the lower periphery 148 to interact with a retraction joint 160 of the adjustment and retraction joint 136.
The retraction joint 160, which can be considered a second mechanism, is one example of a structure that can provide an additional degree of freedom in the awning assembly 100. The retraction joint 160 can provide for rotation about a horizontal axis as discuss further below. The degree of freedom provided by the retraction joint 160 facilitates alignment of the front support 124 with the housing 104 upon retraction as discussed further below. The retraction joint 160 can provide for rotation about with respect to the adjustment member 142 about an axle 192.
Although the retraction joint 160 is shown integrated into the adjustment and retraction joint 136 between the inner member 113 and the housing 104, the function of the joint can be provided at other locations on various modified embodiments. For example the function of the retraction joint 160 can be integrated into the joint 115 between the inner member 113 and the outer member 114. The function of the of the retraction joint 160 can be provided between the joint 115 and the front support 124, e.g., between the outer end of the outer member 114 and the front support 124.
The adjustment and retraction joint 136 also includes an arm coupler 152 that is coupled to the adjustment and retraction joint 136 by an axle 154 at one end. An opposite end of the arm coupler 152 is coupled in the illustrated embodiment with an inner member of one or both of the extendable arms 112. The opposite end of the arm coupler 152 and the inner member can be coupled in any suitable manner, such as by interference fit, by fasteners or by other structures.
The retraction joint 160 provides unique advantages in the retraction of the shade structure 108. The retraction joint 160 provides motion about a horizontal axis to allow for un-deflected position during retraction. A limiter 164 is provided in the adjustment and retraction joint 136 to limit the motion about a horizontal axis as discussed further below.
The retraction joint 160 includes a structure that allows the joint to rotate. The retraction joint 160 can include a u-shaped flange 180. The u-shaped flange 180 can include an inwardly facing bight 182. The inwardly facing bight 182 faces away from the front support 124 and toward a wall or other support structure to which the awning assembly 100 is mounted. The inwardly facing bight 182 can be defined between a first end 184 and a second end 188. The u-shaped flange 180 can also be coupled with or can have integrally extending therefrom a cylindrical member 190. The cylindrical member 190 enables the u-shaped flange 180 and the adjustment and retraction joint 136 to be coupled with the axle 154 and with the arm coupler 152.
Rotation of the u-shaped flange 180 about a horizontal axis can be provided by an axle 192 that extends horizontally through the adjustment and retraction joint 136. The axle 192 extends through the first end 184 and the second end 188 of the u-shaped flange 180. The axle 192 extends through a hollowed out portion 193 of the adjustment member 142 in one embodiment, as shown in
The retraction joint 160 and the axle 192 can operate independently of the adjustment joint 140 such that the position of the arm coupler 152 and the extendable arms 112 coupled therewith can be changed by a force applied to the shade structure 108. A force applied to the front support 124 can be applied from the roller assembly 128, e.g., by rotating a roller thereof in a direction to tension and to roll up the shelter fabric 116. Such a force can be resolved into a vertical component and a horizontal component. The vertical component of the force can have a lifting effect on the shade structure 108, particularly on the outer end thereof, e.g., on the front support 124. As discussed further below,
The motion of the u-shaped flange 180 of the retraction joint 160 can have one or more limiting structures. In one embodiment, the u-shaped flange 180 has a downward facing bight 194 that can allow the u-shaped flange 180 to engage the adjustment joint 140. As noted above, the adjustment joint 140 can have a projection 150. The downward facing bight 194 can be sized to fit over the projection 150. The projection 150 can have an outward extent that is the same as or more than the thickness of the u-shaped flange 180 such that the bottom surface of the u-shaped flange 180 can be fully supported by the projection 150. The projection 150 is a vertical limiter on downward rotation of the retraction joint 160 about a horizontal rotation axis through the axle 192. In the absence of an upward force, the orientation of the arm coupler 152 when extended (and the extendable arm coupled therewith) is provided when the downward facing bight 194 is disposed over and engages the projection 150. An upward force applied to the arm coupler 152, e.g., from the outer end of the shade structure 108 can lift the u-shaped flange 180 relative to the adjustment joint 140. A downward force would not allow the shade structure 108 to be moved downwardly in the extended configuration beyond the point when the downward facing bight 194 engages the projection 150.
Upward motion of the shade structure 108 is limited in some embodiments by structures that prevent such motion. In other embodiments, gravity can limit upward motion which can be sufficient to control the orientation of the shade structure 108 when extended. For those embodiments where specific limit on unintended upward motion is desired the limiter 164 can be provide. The limiter 164 can provide active limitation on motion of the shade structure 108. The limiter 164 actively limit in one status or configuration, such as when the shade structure 108 is fully extended. The limiter 164 can be inactive in one status or configuration, such as during retraction of the shade structure 108 or when the shade structure 108 is fully retracted. The limiter 164 can take any suitable form. In one embodiment the limiter 164 includes a plate member 200 that can be disposed between the adjustment joint 140 and the retraction joint 160. In some embodiments the plate member 200 can be disposed over or under a portion of the adjustment joint 140 to resist motion of the retraction joint 160 relative thereto in at least one direction. The plate member 200 can be disposed below a portion of the adjustment joint 140 in at least one configuration of the awning assembly 100.
In one embodiment, the plate member 200 includes an aperture and is disposed about the axle 154. The plate member 200 can be disposed between the cylindrical member 190 and a lower portion of a fork portion of the arm coupler 152. The plate member 200 can be configured to rotate into a position at least partially below the adjustment joint 140 when the arm coupler 152 is in an extended position. The plate member 200 can be configured to rotate into a position not below the adjustment joint 140 when the arm coupler 152 is in a retracted position. When the plate member 200 rotates such to not be below the adjustment joint 140 a force applied to the shade structure 108 with an upward component can lift the shade structure 108, e.g., the front support 124 and the outer end of the shelter fabric 116 from a position corresponding to
The plate member 200 can have an asymmetric shape providing the configurations for blocking rotation of the retraction joint 160 about a horizontal axis and for not blocking such rotation. The asymmetric shape can include a first extent 208 and a second extent 212 as shown in
The second extent 212 preferably is less than the first extent 208. The second extent 212 can be oriented along the longitudinal axis of the arm coupler 152. The second extent 212 can extend away from the arm coupler 152 along the longitudinal axis of the arm coupler 152.
Continued application of the force F causes the front support 124 and the shelter fabric 116 to be further drawn into the housing 104. For example, the vertical component force Fv can raise the front support 124 to an elevation above the lower boundary to an opening into the housing 104 and below the upper boundary to the opening into the housing 104 as shown schematically in
As discussed above, the function of the retraction joint 160 can be provided at the joint 115 or outward of the joint 115, e.g., between the outer member 114 and the front support 124. The initial application of the force F can provide vertical component Fv to lift the outer member 114 relative to the inner member 113. This arrangement can advantageously allow a lower vertical force Fv to provide vertical lifting of the outer member 114 and the rest of the outer portion of the shade structure 108 due to not having to raise the weight of the inner member 113. If the function of the retraction joint 160 is provided between the outer member 114 and the front support 124 an even lower vertical force component Fv can achieve lifting and alignment of the front support 124 and at least a portion of the shelter fabric 116 coupled therewith.
Another advantage of the awning assembly 100 is that a downward configuration of the shade structure 108 can be maintained even when the shade structure 108 is folded within the housing 104.
The foregoing provides a distinct advantage that the awning assembly 100 can be extended out of the housing 104. When so extended the adjustment and retraction joint 136 can be initially in a downwardly oriented configuration enabling the shade structure 108 to be oriented downwardly. The gap G can be closed as the extendable arms 112 is being extended. As the extendable arm(s) 112 is or are being extended, the retraction joint 160 can rotate downward about the horizontal of the axle 192 without separate input from the user. As the extendable arm(s) 112 is or are being extended the downward facing bight 194 can come down to rest on the projection 150. Thus, the downward orientation of the shade structure 108 can arise automatically from a single mechanism, e.g., from rotating the rotatable actuator 144 using the hand crank 132 or from a motor for example. On the other hand the rotatable actuator 144 can be rotated in the opposite direction to adjust the shade structure 108 to a horizontal configuration prior to retracting the shade structure 108 as discussed above and as illustrated schematically in
Conditional language, such as “can,” “could,” “might,” or “may,” unless specifically stated otherwise, or otherwise understood within the context as used, is generally intended to convey that certain embodiments include, while other embodiments do not include, certain features, elements, and/or steps. Thus, such conditional language is not generally intended to imply that features, elements, and/or steps are in any way required for one or more embodiments or that one or more embodiments necessarily include logic for deciding, with or without user input or prompting, whether these features, elements, and/or steps are included or are to be performed in any particular embodiment.
The terms “approximately,” “about,” and “substantially” as used herein represent an amount close to the stated amount that still performs a desired function or achieves a desired result. For example, the terms “approximately”, “about”, and “substantially” may refer to an amount that is within less than 10% of, within less than 5% of, within less than 1% of, within less than 0.1% of, and within less than 0.01% of the stated amount. As another example, in certain embodiments, the terms “generally parallel” and “substantially parallel” refer to a value, amount, or characteristic that departs from exactly parallel by less than or equal to 15 degrees, 10 degrees, 5 degrees, 3 degrees, 1 degree, 0.1 degree, or otherwise.
Some embodiments have been described in connection with the accompanying drawings. However, it should be understood that the figures are not drawn to scale. Distances, angles, etc. are merely illustrative and do not necessarily bear an exact relationship to actual dimensions and layout of the devices illustrated. Components can be added, removed, and/or rearranged. Further, the disclosure herein of any particular feature, aspect, method, property, characteristic, quality, attribute, element, or the like in connection with various embodiments can be used in all other embodiments set forth herein. Additionally, it will be recognized that any methods described herein may be practiced using any device suitable for performing the recited steps.
For purposes of this disclosure, certain aspects, advantages, and novel features are described herein. It is to be understood that not necessarily all such advantages may be achieved in accordance with any particular embodiment. Thus, for example, those skilled in the art will recognize that the disclosure may be embodied or carried out in a manner that achieves one advantage or a group of advantages as taught herein without necessarily achieving other advantages as may be taught or suggested herein.
Although these inventions have been disclosed in the context of certain preferred embodiments and examples, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that the present inventions extend beyond the specifically disclosed embodiments to other alternative embodiments and/or uses of the inventions and obvious modifications and equivalents thereof. In addition, while several variations of the inventions have been shown and described in detail, other modifications, which are within the scope of these inventions, will be readily apparent to those of skill in the art based upon this disclosure. It is also contemplated that various combination or sub-combinations of the specific features and aspects of the embodiments may be made and still fall within the scope of the inventions. It should be understood that various features and aspects of the disclosed embodiments can be combined with or substituted for one another in order to form varying modes of the disclosed inventions. Further, the actions of the disclosed processes and methods may be modified in any manner, including by reordering actions and/or inserting additional actions and/or deleting actions. Thus, it is intended that the scope of at least some of the present inventions herein disclosed should not be limited by the particular disclosed embodiments described above. The limitations in the claims are to be interpreted broadly based on the language employed in the claims and not limited to the examples described in the present specification or during the prosecution of the application. which examples are to be construed as non-exclusive.
Number | Date | Country | |
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62596369 | Dec 2017 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
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Parent | 16213895 | Dec 2018 | US |
Child | 18398539 | US |