Natural Canopy and Foldable Roof

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to natural canopies and foldable roofs with all-natural, long-lasting natural canopies. The foldable roof is particularly useful for shading area outside of the home and, more particularly, for use in Jewish Sukkahs.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

A Jewish Sukkah is a living room including walls and natural canopy roof under the open sky. The roof requires shadowing or shading by plant-based material such as thin slivers of wood which are not fixed to a metal structure.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to the present invention there is provided an article of manufacture including: at least one rafter adapted receive thereon a natural mat in an anchoring arrangement wherein a weight of the natural mat is adapted to anchor the natural mat to the at least one rafter via the anchoring arrangement.

According to further features in preferred embodiments of the invention the at least one rafter includes a plurality of rafters; and wherein the natural mat includes: a plurality of elongated pieces of natural, plant-based material, laid side-by-side, coupling pieces at least bookending the plurality of elongated pieces, and threads of natural fiber threaded between the elongated pieces and tied to the coupling pieces; wherein each of the coupling pieces is adapted to be anchored to a respective rafter by the anchoring arrangement.

According to still further features in the described preferred embodiments the anchoring arrangement includes: spaced apart protrusions disposed on a sky-facing surface of each rafter of the plurality of rafters, and each coupling piece includes eyelets adapted to fit over the protrusions so as to anchor the natural mat to the rafters. According to still further features the eyelets are apertures formed in a surface of each coupling piece.

According to still further features the anchoring arrangement includes: spaced apart grooves formed in a sky-facing surface of each rafter; wherein each coupling piece is spaced apart from an adjacent elongated piece by a distance equal to a length of each of the grooves; and wherein when anchored in the anchoring arrangement, the coupling piece is disposed on a first side of the rafter, the adjacent elongated piece is disposed on a second side of the rafter and the threads are disposed inside the grooves.

According to still further features each of the plurality of rafters is slidably attached to two rails. According to still further features the two rails are adapted for sliding the rafters reversibly between an expanded state and a retracted state. According to still further features each rafter of the plurality of rafters is seated in two rafter hangers, one rafter hanger disposed on one end of the rafter and one rafter hanger disposed on a second end of the rafter, each rafter hanger coupled to one of the two rails. According to still further features each rafter hanger includes a U-shaped seat for receiving an edge of the rafter thereon. According to still further features each rafter hanger includes an attachment element for coupling the rafter hanger to a sliding piece disposed in the rail. According to still further features the two rails are adapted to be coupled to a ledger board attached to a wall or a support beam.

According to still further features the elongated pieces are selected from the group of: slivers of bamboo, shoots of a plant, branches of a tree, and combinations thereof. According to still further features the threads of natural fiber are threaded in a direction transverse to the axes of the elongated pieces. According to still further features the elongated pieces and coupling pieces each have a similar length, or the coupling piece is shorter than the elongated pieces.

According to still further features the natural mat is adapted to be anchored to the rafters by fastening the mat to the rafters. According to still further features the natural mat is adapted to be anchored to the rafters without fastening the mat to the rafters. According to still further features the anchoring arrangement includes: wherein the at least one rafter has a shelf cut into one side thereof, a coupling piece adapted to fit into the shelf, and wherein an edge of the natural mat is sandwiched between the shelf and the anchoring piece, and bound together with threads of natural fiber.

According to another embodiment there is provided a structure for a Jewish Sukkah, including: an upper frame including two lengthwise sliding rails and at least one widthwise support; two wooden support beams; a plurality of rafters wherein the rafters are adapted to be moved by the sliding rails while only being supported by the two wooden support beams.

According to still further features in each of the rafters a tongue protrudes from each end of the rafter, wherein each tongue is adapted to fit into a slot defined by a respective C-shaped wooden holder, and wherein each C-shaped wooden holder is adapted to be seated in a respective rafter hanger, which is adapted to be coupled to the one rail of the two sliding rails, wherein the rafters are adapted to be moved along the two sliding rails while being supported thereunder only by the two wooden support beams.

According to still further features the rafters are adapted to be moved manually or automatically along the sliding rails. According to still further features the rafters are adapted with an anchoring arrangement for anchoring a natural mat thereto.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Various embodiments are herein described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1A is a front top isometric view of the folding roof 100 of the present invention in an expanded state;

FIG. 1B is a front top isometric view of the folding roof 100 in a partially expanded/partially retracted state;

FIG. 1C is a front top isometric view of the foldable roof 100 is in a retracted state;

FIG. 2 is a front top isometric view of the folding roof 100 of the present invention, without natural canopy 120;

FIG. 3 view of one rafter 130 and a portion of the mat 150 exploded away from the rafter;

FIG. 3A is a magnified view of a selected region of FIG. 3;

FIG. 4A is an exploded front view of a rafter 130 exploded out of rafter hangers;

FIG. 4B is a profile/side view of a rafter;

FIG. 5A is a canopy 220 where the mat 250 is depicted exploded away from the rafter 230;

FIG. 5B is a canopy 220 where the mat 250 is anchored to the rafter 230;

FIG. 6A is an exploded view of rafter arrangement 320 for rafters 330 that are adapted to bookend a natural mat 350;

FIGS. 6B-6D are various steps in the assembly process of the rafter arrangement with a mat;

FIG. 7A is an isometric top view of a rafter arrangement 722;

FIG. 7B is an exploded view of the rafter arrangement;

FIG. 7C is a structure with a single, example rafter arrangement, installed therein;

FIG. 8 depicts a foldable roof according to one embodiment, at the deployed state;

FIG. 9 depicts the foldable roof at the deployed state of FIG. 8 showing the plates disposed separated above the foldable support, which is not a practical state;

FIG. 10 is a magnification of a portion of FIG. 9;

FIG. 11 is a front view of the magnification of FIG. 9 according to another embodiment;

FIG. 12 depicts the foldable roof of FIG. 8 at a semi-folded state, showing only one plate supported;

FIG. 13 depicts the foldable roof of FIG. 8 at the folded state;

FIG. 14 depicts the folded state of FIG. 8 from the opposite angle of view.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The principles and operation of a foldable roof according to the present invention may be better understood with reference to the drawings and the accompanying description.

Referring now to the drawings, FIGS. 1A-1C depict a foldable roof with a natural canopy in various states. The foldable roof includes two rails 110 and a natural canopy 120 slidably coupled to the rails. The natural canopy includes a plurality of rafters 130, and a mat 150. The mat is disposed on top of the rafters and anchored thereto.

FIG. 1A is a front top isometric view of the folding roof 100 of the present invention in an expanded state. FIG. 1B is a front top isometric view of the folding roof 100 in a partially expanded/partially retracted state. FIG. 1C is a front top isometric view of the foldable roof 100 is in a retracted state.

FIG. 2 illustrates a front top isometric view of the folding roof 100 of the present invention, without natural canopy 120.

FIG. 3 illustrates a view of one rafter 130 and a portion of the mat 150 exploded away from the rafter. FIG. 3A is a magnified view of a selected region of FIG. 3.

FIGS. 4A and 4B illustrate various views of a rafter 130. FIG. 4A is an exploded front view of a rafter 130 exploded out of rafter hangers 140. FIG. 4B is a side or profile view of the rafter 130.

With reference to all of the foregoing Figures, there is provided an example embodiment of the invention, a foldable roof 100 with a natural canopy 120 slidably coupled to two rails 110. The natural canopy 120 includes the plurality of rafters 130 and the mat 150 laid atop the rafters.

The two rails run parallel to each other, and rafters are hung between the rails, attached to the underside of the rails. In some embodiments, the rails are coupled, at least on one side, to a ledger board (not shown) which is attached to a wall of a building. In other embodiments, the rails are attached to support beams which are coupled to posts that are fixed to the surface. In some embodiments, the rails may be attached on one side to a wall and on the other side to a support beam and posts. In some embodiments, the rails may be attached to walls on both sides. The rails are adapted for the rafters to be coupled to them in a slidable manner. In some embodiments, the rafters are manually moved. In some embodiments, the foldable roof includes one or more motors for automatically moving the rafters from the retracted state to the expanded state and vice versa. In some embodiments, the roof is not foldable and the rafters are not slidably coupled to the rails but are rather stationary, the ‘rails’ acting as support beams.

Each rafter 130 has spaced apart protrusion 132 disposed on a sky-facing surface 134 of the rafter. The protrusions may be an integral part of the rafter, shaped thus when the rafter was cut from a single piece of wood. Alternatively, the protrusions may be distinct pieces, such as, for example, wooden dowels, which are inserted into holes formed in the rafter surface 134.

Each rafter of the plurality of rafters is seated in two rafter hangers 140. Each rafter hanger 140 is disposed on one end of the rafter (i.e., one on the left-hand side of the rafter and one on the right-hand side of the rafter) and coupled to a respective rail of the two rails 110. Each rafter hanger includes a U-shaped seat 142 section for receiving or seating an edge of the rafter thereon. The U-shaped seat 142 may be made of a plant-based material, such as wood, or may be metal and the like. Each rafter hanger 140 includes an attachment element 144 for coupling the rafter hanger 140 to a sliding piece 112 (see FIG. 1A) disposed in the rail 110.

The mat 150 includes a plurality of elongated pieces of natural, plant-based material 152 such as wood. These elongated pieces may be slivers of split bamboo, shoots of various plants, and/or branches (such as from the willow family) The elongated pieces are laid side-by-side and woven together with natural fiber threads 154. In example embodiments, the threads of natural fiber are threaded in a direction transverse to the axes of the elongated pieces.

On each end of a group of elongated pieces are coupling pieces 160. The coupling pieces are located, at least, on either end of the plurality of elongated pieces, bookending the mat. In most cases, the coupling pieces are also disposed between one group of elongated pieces and another group of elongated pieces of a single lengthy mat. The threads 154 of natural fiber are threaded between the elongated pieces and tied to the coupling pieces 160. Each of the coupling pieces 160 includes eyelets 162 which adapted to fit over the protrusions 132 of the rafters so as to anchor the mat to the rafters. The eyelets 162 are openings that are formed (e.g., punched) along the length of the coupling pieces. The elongated pieces and coupling pieces generally each have a similar length. The mat is adapted to be anchored to the rafters without fastening the mat to the rafters. Thus, the coupling pieces also anchor the mat to the rafters without the need for tying or otherwise securing the mat to the rafters. Rather, the mat is anchored to the rafters by the weight of the mat and the anchoring arrangement described heretofore and depicted in FIGS. 1A to 1C and 3. However, it is noted that in an embodiment whereby the rafters are not directly coupled to the rails, such as when the rafter edges are seated in the U-shaped holders, in such a case it would be permissible to tie the mat to the rafters (e.g., with natural fibers). Therefore, it is made clear that in some embodiments (i.e., any of the embodiments where the rafters are not directly connected to the rails), the anchoring arrangement includes tying the mat to the rafters.

The two rails 110 are adapted for sliding the rafters reversibly between the expanded state where the mat is extended horizontally (e.g., FIG. 1A) and the retracted state where the mat is folded (e.g., between the rafters, as in FIG. 1C).

FIG. 3 depicts how the eyelets line up with the protrusions on the rafters. The magnified section in FIG. 3A also shows more clearly where and how the threads 154 are tied to the coupling piece 160.

The canopy 120 can alternatively be used in with stationary rafters 130 set in or on a support framework. Such a support framework includes, for example, at least one support beam coupled to posts secured to a surface, at least one ledger board attached to a wall, or any combination thereof. In such an embodiment, the rafters may or may not need to be seated in rafter hangers, such as rafter hangers 140, and even in situations where rafter hangers are necessary, the rafter hangers would not need attachment elements such as attachment elements 144. Any additional attachment, coupling and/or fastening hardware necessary for the stability of the structure would be known to one skilled in the art. The canopy may also be placed on top of a wooden or metal structure, or even an existing pergola, such as known, for example, to users of a Jewish Sukkah.

One guiding principle for all the configurations considered to be within the scope of the present invention (including other configurations and embodiments discussed in detail elsewhere herein) is that the arrangement of components would be acceptable to at least a portion of adjudicators of Jewish Law as being fit for use in a Jewish Sukkah. For example, in some embodiments, the rafters are to be seated in rafter hangers, without being attached or secured to the rafter hangers (such as with screws or bolts). As mentioned elsewhere herein, according to leading opinions in Jewish Law, the natural mat must be placed on top of supports (e.g., rafters) that are made of natural, plant-based material (e.g., wood), and must be held in place by gravity and/or plant-based materials (i.e., not fastened to the supports by non-plant-based materials such as screws and the like). The aforementioned configuration, whereby the rafters are not securely coupled to the rafter hangers by non-plant-based materials, follows the opinion of some adjudicators of the Law, that the plant-based supports themselves (e.g., the rafters) should also not be affixed to the metal rafter hangers in a secure manner, but rather held in place by other means such as gravity and/or friction.

In other embodiments, the rafters are attached or secured to the metal rafter hangers (such as with screws or bolts). This latter option being in accordance with the opinion of another school of adjudicators of Jewish Law.

In still other embodiments, the rafters may be directly coupled to the rails, even by non-plant-based materials such as metal screws or bolts. For example, sliding members (not shown) disposed inside the rails may have screws or bolts extending downwards from the sliding member and are adapted to couple directly with the rafter. It is noted that in this case, the mat should not be tied to the rafter, but merely employ gravity and/or an anchoring arrangement where the mat is not securely attached to the rafters.

Another possible configuration is shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B. FIGS. 5A and 5B depict a partial view of another example embodiment of a natural canopy 220 where a mat 250 is anchored to a rafter 230 in a manner different from that of canopy 120. FIG. 5A depicts canopy 220 where the mat 250 is depicted exploded away from the rafter 230. Mat 250 includes elongated pieces 252 that are coupled together with threads 254 of natural fiber. A coupling piece 260 is depicted in FIG. 5A slightly spaced apart from the elongated pieces 250, but still connected by the threads 254. The spacing between the last elongated piece and the coupling pieces corresponds to the length of grooves 232 formed in the sky-facing surface 234 of the rafter 230.

FIG. 5B depicts canopy 220 where the mat 250 is anchored to the rafter 230. The coupling piece is disposed on one side of the rafter (e.g., front side) while the elongated pieces are disposed on the other side (e.g., back side) of the rafter, with the sections of threads 254 (in the spaced apart area) seated inside the grooves 232. Thus, the coupling piece(s) also anchors the mat to the rafter(s) without the need for tying or otherwise securing the mat to the rafters. Rather, the mat is anchored to the rafters by the weight of the mat and the coupling arrangement described heretofore and depicted in FIGS. 5A and 5B.

In order to maintain the aforementioned spacing, it is necessary to provide some element that holds the elongated piece in place. In some embodiments, the threads are tied in knots on the side of the elongated piece closest to the coupling piece. In other embodiments, a tie, clip, or other stopper element is used to hold the adjacent elongated piece in place. Additional grooved rafters may be placed between the bookending rafters, with (or without) similar stopping elements forming corresponding spaces between the elongated pieces on either side of the intervening grooved rafters.

The canopy 220 can be used in place of natural canopy 120 in folding roof 100 or as a canopy with stationary rafters 230 set in or on a support framework. Such a support framework includes, but is not limited to, for example, at least one support beam coupled to posts secured to a surface, at least one ledger board attached to a wall, or any combination thereof. Any additional attachment, coupling and/or fastening hardware necessary for the stability of the structure would be known to one skilled in the art. The canopy may also be placed on top of a wooden or metal structure, or even an existing pergola, such as known, for example, to users of a Jewish Sukkah.

Yet another configuration is shown in FIGS. 6A-6D. FIG. 6A depicts an exploded view of rafter arrangement 320 for rafters 330 that are adapted to bookend a natural mat 350. The mat 350 may be a commercially available natural mat. The rafter 330 is preferably cut from a single piece of wood. It is shaped to form a shelf or step 332 that is lower than the upper surface 334 of the rafter. Each end of the rafter 330 has a tongue 336 that protrudes outwardly to the side.

The rafter arrangement 320 includes, at least, a rafter 330 and a coupling piece 360. Such an embodiment can be used, for example, when the canopy is placed on top of support structure or in a folding roof embodiment where the rafters are directly coupled to the sliders inside the rails, e.g., by screws of bolts.

In other embodiments, wooden U-shaped holders 342 are disposed on either end of the rafter 330 such that on each end of the rafter a tongue 336 is seated inside the slot 343 defined by the U-shaped holder 342. In this way, the rafter on which the mat is disposed is directly supported by a plant-based material (wood). In turn, the wooden U-shaped holder can rest on a structure (even a metal structure), or be attached (e.g., with screws or bolts) to rails (e.g., rails 110) of a foldable roof (e.g., similar in structure to foldable roof 100) or similar, non-foldable roof.

In yet another embodiment, the U-shaped holders are adapted to be seated inside metal rafter hangers 340. These metal rafter hangers may be installed on a wall or coupled to support beams or attached to rails (stationary or sliding) in any of the relevant configurations discussed elsewhere herein.

FIGS. 6B-6D depict various steps in the assembly process of the rafter arrangement with a mat. The depicted process relates specifically to the latter embodiment. However, it is made clear that relevant steps of the process are employed in the other embodiments, mutatis mutandis. FIG. 6B depicts a first step in the process in which an edge of the mat is placed on the seat and running up the wall (between the seat and the upper surface). The coupling piece 360 is depicted away from the rafter. In FIG. 6C a second step in the process is depicted whereby the coupling is placed in or on the shelf 332, sandwiching the edge of the mat between the coupling piece and the shelf. The next step, which is not depicted separately, but the result of which is depicted in FIG. 6D, is to tie, bind or couple the coupling piece and mat to the rafter with threads 354 of a natural fiber.

Said another way, the anchoring arrangement according to the present configuration includes a rafter that has a shelf cut into one side thereof, a coupling piece that is adapted to fit into the shelf, and wherein an edge of the natural mat is sandwiched between the shelf and the anchoring piece, and bound together with threads of natural fiber.

FIG. 6D depicts a final stage in the process (according to the last embodiment discussed above), the rafter, mat, and coupling piece are bound together and the tongues 336 of the rafter are seated in the U-shaped holders 342, which in turn are seated in the metal rafter hangers 340.

Still another configuration is depicted in FIGS. 7A-7C. FIG. 7A depicts an isometric top view of a rafter arrangement 722. The rafter arrangement includes a rafter 730, wooden C-shaped holders 742, and rafter hangers 740. FIG. 7B depicts an exploded view of the rafter arrangement. Each of the rafters 730 is shaped with one tongue 736 that protrudes from one end (e.g., left-hand side) of the rafter and a second tongue 736 that protrudes from the other end of the rafter (e.g., right-hand side). Each tongue 736 is adapted to fit into a slot 743 defined by a respective C-shaped wooden holder 742. Note that there is no bottom (or top) barrier in the wooden holder, therefore the tongue of the rafter can be slid into the slot from the top and out from the bottom. Said another way, the wooden C-shaped holder does not prevent the rafter/tongues falling vertically through the slot.

Each C-shaped wooden holder 742 is adapted to be seated in a respective rafter hanger 740. Each rafter hanger is adapted to be coupled to the one rail of the two sliding rails. The rafters are adapted to be moved along the two sliding rails 710 while being supported thereunder only by the two wooden support beams 770.

FIG. 7C depicts a structure with a single, example rafter arrangement, installed therein. In an example embodiment, the structure 700 is a structure for a Jewish Sukkah. The structure includes an upper frame including two lengthwise sliding rails 710 and at least one widthwise support rod 715. In the depicted, example embodiment, there are two support rods 715. The upper frame is held up by posts 780. In preferred embodiments, the posts are wooden (plant-based) posts.

The structure 700 further includes two wooden support beams 770. The wooden support beams are attached to the posts. It is important to note that the rails 710 are disposed on top of the posts, while the support beams 770 are attached to the inner sides of the posts. As a result, the support beams are not disposed directly below the rails (even though both the rails and the support beams run in the same direction).

The structure includes a plurality of rafters 730. However, for increased clarity, only one rafter is shown, installed in place. The rafters are adapted to be moved by the sliding rails while only being supported thereunder by the two wooden support beams. To further clarify, if the support beams 770 were to be removed, the rafters would fall to the ground. The rafters are adapted to be moved manually or automatically along the sliding rails. In the embodiment whereby the rafters are moved automatically, the structure further includes one or more motors for, a controller for the motor(s), and an interface for controlling the movement of the rafters.

In preferred embodiments, the rafters are adapted with an anchoring arrangement for anchoring a natural mat thereto. Any of the examples detailed above (eyelets and protrusions, groove and spaced apart members, sandwiching the edge of a natural mat between the rafter and coupling piece), or other such anchoring arrangements that would be obvious to one skilled in the art, can be applied to the rafters in the present configuration, mutatis mutandis.

Yet another configuration is shown in FIGS. 8 to 14.

FIG. 8 depicts a foldable roof according to one embodiment, at the deployed state. A foldable roof 10 according to one embodiment, includes a plurality of plates 12A, 12B, etc., each including a wood frame 50 binding a plurality of bamboo or other wood rods 52, thus being Kosher for a roof of a Sukkah according to Jewish law.

Each of plates 12A, 12B, etc. is supported at non-folded state 15A by a foldable support 14. Foldable support 14 is slideable and foldable in relation to parallel rails 16A and 16B, forming a structure 18 together with other bars.

FIG. 9 depicts the foldable roof at the deployed state of FIG. 8 showing the plates disposed separated above the foldable support, which is not a practical state. Plates 12A, 12B, etc. and support 14 are configured not to be fixed to one another, but rather to lay plates 12A, 12B, etc. horizontally on support 14, thus the connection therebetween at the non-folded state relies on gravity only. This since fixing of wood rods 52 to a metal structure, such as to support 14 being of metal, is forbidden by Jewish law of Sukkah.

FIG. 10 is a magnification of a portion of FIG. 10. Support 14 includes a plurality of supporting members 28A, 28B, etc. being pivotally connected to one another via pivots 29. Each plate is supported at the non-folded state by one supporting member, thus plate 12A is supported by supporting member 28A, plate 12B is supported by supporting member 28B, etc.

Plate 12A and its supporting member 28A include gravity disposition elements 26A and 26B respectively, configured to allow perpendicular displacement 17A therebetween while not allowing parallel displacement 17B therebetween. According to one embodiment, disposition element 26A of plate 12A constitutes a protrusion being right angled to plate 12A; and disposition element 26B of supporting member 28A constitutes a hole being fitted to protrusion 26A for housing thereof.

FIG. 11 is a front view of the magnification of FIG. 10 according to another embodiment. According to another embodiment, disposition element 26A of plate 12A is the thickness of plate 12A; and gravity disposition element 26B of supporting member 28A constitutes vertical walls 26B being fitted to the thickness of plate 12A.

FIG. 12 depicts the foldable roof of FIG. 8 at a semi-folded state, showing only one plate supported. At the semi-folded state 15B, disposition elements 28A (not shown) and 28B sufficiently disallow parallel displacement 17B between plate 12A and supporting member 28A even while plate 12A and supporting member 28A are tilted at the semi-folded state.

FIG. 13 depicts the foldable roof of FIG. 8 at the folded state. At the completely folded state 15C of which plates 12A and 12A are disposed erected and attached to one another, disposition elements 28A and 28B of FIG. 10 allow perpendicular displacement 17A displacement 17B between plate 12A and supporting member 28A, at the folded state of FIG. 12, thus gravity does accompany disposition elements 28A and 28B of FIG. to connect plate 12A to supporting member 28A at the folded state.

This is not problematic since at folded state 15C plate 12A is erected and disposed attached to a barrier 19 extending from structure 18, thus barrier 19 instead of the gravity force presses the last plate 12A towards its supporting member 28A. Plate 12B as well is erected at folded state 12C and disposed attached to a plate 12A, thus plate 12A presses plate 12B towards its supporting member 28B.

FIG. 14 depicts the folded state of FIG. 12 from the opposite angle of view. The last plate 12C is pressed by the last supporting member 28C.

Thus, in one aspect, the invention is directed to a foldable roof (10), including: a plurality of elongated plates (12A,12B), for being disposed one aside the other; and a plurality of supporting members (28A,28B) each for supporting one of the elongated plates (12A,12B), wherein each two adjacent supporting members of the supporting members (28A,28B) are pivotally (29) connected to one another, thereby allowing deploying and folding the elongated plates (12A,12B); and for each of the plates (12A) and its supporting member (28A), gravity disposition elements (26A,26B) configured to allow perpendicular displacement (17A) between the plate (12A) and the supporting member (28A) while limiting parallel displacement (17B) therebetween, thereby at any state (15A,15B) of the foldable roof (10) except for a folded state (15C), each plate (12B) is connected to the supporting member (28B) thereof by gravity only, whereas at the folded state (15C), the plate (12B) is connected to the supporting member (28B) thereof by pressure applied on the plate (12B) by a plate (12A) being adjacent thereto.

Each of the elongated plates (12A,12B) may include: at least one wood frame (50); and a plurality of wood rods (52) bound by each of the at least one wood rod (52).

The foldable roof (10) may further include: a structure (18) including two rails (16A,16B) for sliding and for folding the supporting members (28A,28B) in relation thereto. The foldable roof (10) may further include: a barrier (19) extending from the structure (18), for pressing a last plate (12A) of the plurality of plates (12A,12B) towards the supporting member (28A) thereof.

In another aspect, the invention is directed to a foldable roof (10), including a plurality of elongated plates (12A,12B), for being disposed one aside the other horizontally deployed and vertically attached to one another, wherein each of the elongated plates (12A,12B) includes: at least one wood frame (50); and a plurality of wood rods (52) bound by each of the frame/s (50).

In the figures and/or description herein, the following reference numerals (Reference Signs List) have been mentioned: numeral 10 denotes the foldable roof according to one embodiment of the invention;

- 12A,12B,12C: plates;
- 14A,14B: foldable supports, each including supporting members 28A,28B, etc.;
- 15A: non folded state;
- 15B: semi folded state;
- 16A: rail for sliding foldable support 14A;
- 16B: rail for sliding foldable support 14B;
- 17A: displacement of plate 12A perpendicular to plate 12A;
- 17B: displacement of plate 12A parallel to plate 12A;
- 18: structure;
- 19: barrier;
- 26A,26B: elements for obtaining disposition of plates by gravity;
- 27: zone;
- 28A,28B,28C: supporting members;
- 29: pivot;
- 31: bar for obtaining pivotal connection;
- 32: cart for sliding supporting member 28A;
- 50: wood frame;
- 52: wood rods for shadowing;

Implementation of the method and/or system of embodiments of the invention can involve performing or completing selected tasks manually, automatically, or a combination thereof. Moreover, according to actual instrumentation and equipment of embodiments of the method and/or system of the invention, several selected tasks, such as controlling of the motorized movement of various folding roofs detailed above, could be implemented by hardware, by software or by firmware or by a combination thereof using an operating system.

For example, hardware for performing selected tasks according to embodiments of the invention could be implemented as a chip or a circuit. The functioning of the motorized/automated folding roof with a natural canopy may be controlled by interfacing with the chip or circuit from a local panel, and/or remotely with a remote-control device, and/or as part of a smart-house that can be controlled from anywhere by a computing device (computer, laptop, tablet, smartphone, etc.) via the Internet. As software, selected tasks according to embodiments of the invention could be implemented as a plurality of software instructions being executed by a computer using any suitable operating system. In an exemplary embodiment of the invention, one or more tasks according to exemplary embodiments of method and/or system as described herein are performed by a data processor, such as a computing platform for executing a plurality of instructions. Optionally, the data processor includes a volatile memory for storing instructions and/or data and/or a non-volatile storage, for example, non-transitory storage media such as a magnetic hard-disk and/or removable media, for storing instructions and/or data. Optionally, a network connection is provided as well. A display and/or a user input device such as a keyboard or mouse are optionally provided as well.

For example, any combination of one or more non-transitory computer readable (storage) medium(s) may be utilized in accordance with the above-listed embodiments of the present invention. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium may be, for example, but not limited to, an electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system, apparatus, or device, or any suitable combination of the foregoing. More specific examples (a non-exhaustive list) of the computer readable storage medium would include the following: a portable computer diskette, a hard disk, a random-access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or Flash memory), a portable compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), an optical storage device, a magnetic storage device, or any suitable combination of the foregoing. In the context of this document, a computer readable non-transitory storage medium may be any tangible medium that can contain or store a program for use by or in connection with an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device.

A computer readable signal medium may include a propagated data signal with computer readable program code embodied therein, for example, in baseband or as part of a carrier wave. Such a propagated signal may take any of a variety of forms, including, but not limited to, electro-magnetic, optical, or any suitable combination thereof. A computer readable signal medium may be any computer readable medium that is not a computer readable storage medium and that can communicate, propagate, or transport a program for use by or in connection with an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device.

As will be understood with reference to the paragraphs and the referenced drawings, provided above, various embodiments of computer-implemented methods are provided herein, some of which can be performed by various embodiments of apparatuses and systems described herein and some of which can be performed according to instructions stored in non-transitory computer-readable storage media described herein. Still, some embodiments of computer-implemented methods provided herein can be performed by other apparatuses or systems and can be performed according to instructions stored in computer-readable storage media other than that described herein, as will become apparent to those having skill in the art with reference to the embodiments described herein. Any reference to systems and computer— readable storage media with respect to the following computer-implemented methods is provided for explanatory purposes and is not intended to limit any of such systems and any of such non-transitory computer-readable storage media with regard to embodiments of computer-implemented methods described above. Likewise, any reference to the following computer-implemented methods with respect to systems and computer-readable storage media is provided for explanatory purposes and is not intended to limit any of such computer-implemented methods disclosed herein.

The flowcharts and block diagrams in the Figures illustrate the architecture, functionality, and operation of possible implementations of systems, methods and computer program products according to various embodiments of the present invention. In this regard, each block in the flowchart or block diagrams may represent a module, segment, or portion of code, which comprises one or more executable instructions for implementing the specified logical function(s). It should also be noted that, in some alternative implementations, the functions noted in the block may occur out of the order noted in the figures. For example, two blocks shown in succession may, in fact, be executed substantially concurrently, or the blocks may sometimes be executed in the reverse order, depending upon the functionality involved. It will also be noted that each block of the block diagrams and/or flowchart illustration, and combinations of blocks in the block diagrams and/or flowchart illustration, can be implemented by special purpose hardware-based systems that perform the specified functions or acts, or combinations of special purpose hardware and computer instructions.

The descriptions of the various embodiments of the present invention have been presented for purposes of illustration but are not intended to be exhaustive or limited to the embodiments disclosed. Many modifications and variations will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the described embodiments. The terminology used herein was chosen to best explain the principles of the embodiments, the practical application or technical improvement over technologies found in the marketplace, or to enable others of ordinary skill in the art to understand the embodiments disclosed herein.

As used herein, the singular form “a”, “an” and “the” include plural references unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.

The word “exemplary” is used herein to mean “serving as an example, instance or illustration”. Any embodiment described as “exemplary” is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other embodiments and/or to exclude the incorporation of features from other embodiments.

It is appreciated that certain features of the invention, which are, for clarity, described in the context of separate embodiments, may also be provided in combination in a single embodiment. Conversely, various features of the invention, which are, for brevity, described in the context of a single embodiment, may also be provided separately or in any suitable sub-combination or as suitable in any other described embodiment of the invention. Certain features described in the context of various embodiments are not to be considered essential features of those embodiments, unless the embodiment is inoperative without those elements.

The above-described processes including portions thereof can be performed by software, hardware and combinations thereof. These processes and portions thereof can be performed by computers, computer-type devices, workstations, processors, micro-processors, other electronic searching tools and memory and other non-transitory storage-type devices associated therewith. The processes and portions thereof can also be embodied in programmable non-transitory storage media, for example, compact discs (CDs) or other discs including magnetic, optical, etc., readable by a machine or the like, or other computer usable storage media, including magnetic, optical, or semiconductor storage, or other source of electronic signals.

The processes (methods) and systems, including components thereof, herein have been described with exemplary reference to specific hardware and software. The processes (methods) have been described as exemplary, whereby specific steps and their order can be omitted and/or changed by persons of ordinary skill in the art to reduce these embodiments to practice without undue experimentation. The processes (methods) and systems have been described in a manner sufficient to enable persons of ordinary skill in the art to readily adapt other hardware and software as may be needed to reduce any of the embodiments to practice without undue experimentation and using conventional techniques.

While the invention has been described with respect to a limited number of embodiments, it will be appreciated that many variations, modifications and other applications of the invention may be made. Therefore, the claimed invention as recited in the claims that follow is not limited to the embodiments described herein.

	Number	Date	Country
Parent	17705335	Mar 2022	US
Child	18523997		US

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