This invention relates to canopies, sunshades or sunshields for chairs, and in particular to a canopy of very simple and light construction which can be easily reduced to a compact configuration for storage and transportation and later opened to function properly on a plurality of chairs with backrests, including foldable beach and quad chairs.
This application incorporates by reference U.S. provisional application number U.S. 61/572,683.
There exists a need for a low-cost, easily manufactured, efficient canopy which can be quickly attached to portable chairs lacking canopies to shield their occupants against the light and heat from the sun. Ideally such a canopy would have a simple structure, be quick and easy to deploy for use on a plurality of chair types and models, and be quick and easy to collapse into a compact configuration for storage and transport. The compact configuration should be light and small enough so that the canopy can be easily attached to the chair for ease of transport with the chair.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,431,389 by Reeb discloses a canopy chair that makes use of a support structure using pivotally attached rigid bars.
A collapsible automobile shade is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,024,262 by Huang comprising a single planar sheet.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,302,957 by Ross describes a tent that can also be mounted as a canopy on the back of a chair, but its shape, size and structure are primarily intended for a tent and are poorly suited to be used as a dedicated chair canopy.
Preferred embodiments of the present invention have a combination of elements that enable it to be compactly folded and eliminate the need for cumbersome hardware that can make assembly, disassembly, and transport more laborious. No rigid framework elements, pivot hardware, nor specific attachment points are used for the main framework of the present invention. Neither are any tie downs or stakes used to maintain the structure. Also, when preferred embodiments of the present invention are unfolded from the collapsed configuration, the shape of the framework is defined by the sheets of the invention so that users do not need to deform the framework in order to install it on a chair. Further features, aspects, and advantages of the present invention over the prior art will be more fully understood when considered with respect to the following detailed description and claims.
This patent discloses a compactly collapsible chair canopy comprising two attached sheets. The first sheet is held flat and open by a flexible closed loop rod and the other sheet is held by a flexible open arc rod. The invention also includes anchors for fastening the canopy to the backrest of a chair.
The canopy can be easily compactly folded to reduce its size for storage and transport and simply unfolded later for use. The first sheet is first folded on top of the second around a hinge at the junction between them. The two overlaying sheets are then twisted and additionally folded to form sets of stacked rings or loops of layers. In preferred embodiments, the anchors used to fasten the canopy to the chair also keep the canopy in its compactly collapsed configuration. For unfolding, the sets of stacked loops are unstacked, and the canopy naturally unfolds such that the two sheets overlay each other absent any rings or loops. Installation onto a chair involves attaching the anchors to the chair and extending the second sheet into its open configuration. In some preferred embodiments, a rib can be used to keep the second sheet extended in case of wind.
In accordance with the described embodiments, this invention describes a compactly collapsible chair canopy comprised of the following:
In one preferred embodiment, one or more elastic bands are attached to the first sheet and function as the anchors fastening the first sheet to the backrest of a chair.
In another preferred embodiment, the anchors are attached to the ends of the open arc rod so that they can fasten the first sheet to the backrest of a chair.
The first and the second sheets include material that substantially block sunlight and heat radiation from the sun. In its open configuration, the first sheet is placed against the inside or outside surface of the chair backrest and fastened to the backrest by the anchors. The occupant of the chair is thereby at least partially protected from light and heat radiation from the sun.
The two sheets of the canopy can be easily folded into a compact form by stacking one on top of the other, grasping the stack with both hands and twisting and folding it into a compact configuration comprising sets of smaller rings or loops and folded sheets that can easily be stored and transported. The canopy can additionally comprise an attachment device such as a bag or a strap for maintaining the compact configuration for storage and transport, or this feature can be fulfilled by the anchors already being used to attach the canopy to a chair.
The exact shape of the closed loop rod can vary from a generally rectangular shape with slightly rounded corners to an oval or generally elliptical shape. The closed loop rod keeps the first sheet open and flat and is secured to the sheet along its periphery. In variation of this invention, portions of the first sheet can extend beyond points at which the closed loop rod is secured.
The exact shape of the second sheet includes, but is not limited to, a generally rectangular shape, a generally trapezoidal shape, the union of two generally trapezoidal shapes, and a semi-elliptical shape. The combination of the open arc and closed loop rods maintain the shape of the second sheet. A portion of the outer perimeter of the second sheet is attached to the open arc rod, and an opposite edge is attached to the closed loop rod along at least the top edge of the first sheet.
Variations include extending the second sheet beyond where the open arc rod is secured to provide more shading to the occupant of the chair. Grommets and sleeves can also be used to confine the range of motion of the open arc rod within the second sheet if it is not completely encased in the second sheet, and the shape of the second sheet can be optionally reinforced with one or more ribs.
The chair canopy of the present invention is simple. It comprises only two rods, two sheets attached to each other, and anchors to attach the canopy to a chair. It has the advantage of eliminating a substantial amount of material needed for constructing other canopies. It easily and quickly attaches and detaches to chairs' backrests. The design allows the canopy to be more easily folded, transported, unfolded, and installed than other canopies.
For ease of illustration and description, the drawings illustrate only the pertinent features of the present invention and do not show the remaining conventional features.
The flexible materials 12 and 22 can be conveniently made from one or more layers of a densely woven fabric made of organic, synthetic, or a mix of organic and synthetic material. In this embodiment, the sheets are made from a single piece of fabric. The bottom 26 of the second sheet 20 is attached to the top 16 of the first sheet 10. The flexible rods 14 and 24 can be made in part of spring steel, of flexible but tough plastic material, or of any other material capable of reversible deformation while generating appropriate forces in response to the deformation. Spring clips 30 secured to the ends of open arc rod 24 are used to attach the canopy to a chair.
If the sheets 10 and 20 comprise a single layer of material, the flexible rods 14 and 24 can be secured respectively to the sheets 10 and 20 by sewing hems along the perimeter of the sheets and inserting the rods 14 and 24 into the hems or by use of strips of flexible material surrounding the rods and sewn to the sheets.
If the sheets 10 and 20 comprise two or more layers of material, the outer perimeters of the layers may be sewn together with the rods 14 and 24 contained between the layers. Other ways of securing rods 14 and 24 to sheets 10 and 20 will occur to those of ordinary skill in the art. Since rod 24 is open, rod 24 can be removed from the second sheet 20 when the canopy is not in its open configuration as long as the anchors do not get in the way or can be reversibly removed.
The closed loop rod 14 maintains the first sheet 10 open and generally flat, suitable for installation against the backrest of a chair. This rod can have several different shapes. In the preferred embodiment of
FIG. 's 2, 2A and 2B shows various views of a spring clip 30 suitable as the anchors to fasten the chair canopy to the backrest of a chair.
Referring to
To prevent the second sheet 20 from sagging during use on a chair, a rib 72 is mounted on the second sheet 20. This rib 72 is permanently secured at one end to attachment 62 and is capable of rotating freely through an arc of 90° as indicated. The rib 72 is reversibly secured at its other end to either attachment 64 or 66. If needed during use on a chair, rib 72 secured to attachment 64 helps maintain the canopy in its open configuration. When rib 72 is secured to attachment 66, it is out of the way when the canopy is folded into its storage configuration. One or more guides 68 can keep rib 72 adjacent to closed loop rod 14 during storage. As shown, attachment 62 is adjacent to closed loop rod 14, but it could just as effectively be located adjacent to open arc rod 24, with concomitant switches to attachment 64 adjacent to closed loop rod 14 and attachment 66 adjacent to open arc rod 24.
The rib is shown constructed on the outside of the canopy, but it could just as usefully be constructed on the inside surface of the canopy. An advantage of being on the outside is that it might be more easily accessible to the user. An advantage of being on the inside is that it is somewhat constrained by the sheets when it is in its storage position. The rib can be made of a flexible strip, wire or rod, either be the same or different from the material used for the closed loop rod and/or open arc rod. Attachments 62, 64, and 66 can be cloth sleeves or made of any of a number of mechanisms, or combination thereof, familiar to those of ordinary skill in the art, such as, but not limited to, hooks, loops, snaps, and hook-and-loops (Velcro®). Guide 68 can also be a cloth sleeve or made of any of a number of mechanisms, or combinations thereof, familiar to those of ordinary skill in the art, such as, but not limited to, hooks, loops, snaps, and hook-and-loops (Velcro®).
An alternative preferred embodiment for handling the rib is to construct it so that it is secured to attachments 62 and 64, both reversible attachments in this embodiment, when in use to maintain the canopy in its open configuration and then stored alongside the closed loop or open arc when not in use. The mechanism for storage could be a sleeve or snaps running adjacent to either closed loop rod 14 or open arc rod 24 or any other mechanism familiar to those of ordinary skill in the art. In this case, there is no need for attachment 66. When not in use to keep the canopy open, rib 72 is completely detached from attachments 62 and 64 and put in the mechanism for storage.
Referring to
In another preferred embodiment,
There are a couple of noteworthy advantages of the embodiment of
Referring to
Referring to
The chair canopy 40 can be easily and conveniently collapsed into a compact configuration for storage when not in use. Referring to
The preferred method of collapsing a canopy 40 is shown in
The rods, sheets and anchors are designed so that they stack neatly and fold compactly. If additional rods and sheets are used to create a larger canopy, then they too will be designed to stack appropriately if the method described above is also used. Clearly other left/right, top/down, clockwise/counterclockwise symmetrical folding patterns can achieve the same compacting results.
The chair canopy 40 can be maintained in its collapsed configuration by using a clip, clamp, strap, snap, hook-and-loops, or any other mechanism known to those of ordinary skill in the art. In preferred embodiments, the collapsed configuration is maintained by the anchors used to attach the canopy to the chair. Referring to
Deploying the canopy is also quick and easy. Remove the collapsed canopy from the chair and unsecure the mechanism keeping the canopy collapsed, allow the stacked loops to unfold, place the first sheet against a chair backrest, use the anchors to attach the first sheet to the chair, and extend the open arc rod away from the closed loop rod until the second sheet is taught. If the canopy has a rib, it can be deployed to help prevent collapse of the second sheet.
The present invention provides for a chair canopy comprising two sheets attached together, a flexible frame that holds the sheets, and anchors to attach the canopy to a chair. The first sheet is held open by a flexible closed loop rod and the second sheet by a flexible open arc rod. In some preferred embodiments, the entire open arc rod, including its ends, can be encased in the second sheet. In this case, anchors such as elastic straps attached to the first sheet can be used to attach the canopy to a chair. In other preferred embodiments, the open arc rod includes anchors at its ends that attach the first sheet to a chair. The chair canopy can be quickly and easily opened and attached to a chair backrest, protecting the occupant of the chair from light and heat radiation from the sun. The canopy can also protect the occupant from precipitation. The canopy can also be quickly and easily removed from a chair and collapsed to a compact size for convenient storage and transportation.
It should be understood that the invention in its broader aspects is not limited to the specific embodiments shown and described herein, but departures may be made therefrom within the scope of the claims without departing from the principles of the invention and without sacrificing its chief advantages. All such modifications and changes will make themselves apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art and all such changes and modifications are intended to be covered by the claims.
While the above description contains many specificities, the reader should not construe these as limitations on the scope of the invention, but merely as exemplifications of preferred embodiments thereof. Those skilled in the art will envision many other possible variations within its scope. Accordingly, the reader is requested to determine the scope of the invention by the appended claims and their legal equivalents, and not by the examples which have been given.
This application claims priority pursuant to 35 U.S.C. Par 119(e)(i) to U.S. Provisional Application 61/572,683, filed Jul. 20, 2011, titled Compactly Collapsible Chair Canopy naming Stuart Bussell as inventor.
Number | Date | Country | |
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61572683 | Jul 2011 | US |