Recreational canopy

• US 9,849,940 B2
• Filed: 07/21/2017
• Issued: 12/26/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 09/29/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: George L. Williamson
• Original Assignee: George L. Williamson
• Inventors: Greer, Lawrence A
• Primary Examiner(s): Dunn, David R
• Assistant Examiner(s): Jackson, Danielle
• Application Number:
  US15/656,706
• Publication Number:
  US 20170321426A1
• Time in Patent Office: 158 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A47C 7/66 Means to protect against weather
• CPC Class Codes: B60J 11/00 Removable external protective coverings specially adapted for vehicles or parts of vehicles, e.g. parking covers covering of load on vehicles B60P7/00; guard strips for body finishing, identifying or decorating B60R13/04; tents for use as garages E04H15/00
• CPC Class Codes: B63B 17/02 Awnings , including rigid weather protection structures, e.g. sunroofs; Tarpaulins; Accessories for awnings or tarpaulins
• CPC Class Codes: E04H 15/02 Tents combined or specially associated with other devices
• CPC Class Codes: E04H 15/06 Tents at least partially supported by vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: E04H 15/10 Heating, lighting or ventilating
• CPC Class Codes: E04H 15/58 Closures; Awnings; Sunshades

Abstract

Method and apparatus for a recreational canopy which may be used with watercraft, or other structures, wherein the canopy is constructed by using a pair of flexible, resilient rod-like members wherein one end of each of the flexible rods is inserted through mating apertures in an upright support member mounted onto the watercraft, or other structure, so that the rods are bowed outwardly and frictionally held in the stanchion. A canopy, which may be constructed of solar cell fabric, is attached between the rods so that the canopy generally appears to be in an elongated V-shaped structure which stretches across a portion of the supporting structure, such as a watercraft, between the flexible rods.

Claims

1. A canopy, comprising:

a) an upright support post having upper and lower ends, said lower end supported on a structure;

b) first and second flexible rods, each flexible rod having first and second ends;

c) said first end of each said flexible rod removably attached adjacent said upper end of said upright support post, wherein said flexible rods are substantially horizontally disposed and extend outwardly from said upright support post at an angle to each other in the range of 30 to 120 degrees and terminating at said seconds ends;

d) a sheet of material having a first edge removably attached to said first flexible rod and a second edge removably attached to said second flexible rod so that said sheet of material forms a canopy extending between said first and second flexible rods and substantially from said first end of each said flexible rod to said second end of each said flexible rod;

e) said flexible rods being configured so as to bias the rods away from each other providing an effective amount of tension for maintaining the sheet of material in a stretched out disposition; and

f) wherein said upper end of said upright support post along with said flexible rods is rotatable to reposition said sheet of material.

2. The canopy of claim 1, wherein said structure is selected from the group consisting of a watercraft, a rod holder, a vehicle, a table, and a ground.

3. The canopy of claim 1, said first end of each said flexible rod extending through and removably held in apertures adjacent said upper end of said upright support post.

4. The canopy of claim 1, wherein said upright support post is adjustable in height.

5. The canopy of claim 1, further comprising means to rotate said upper end of said upright support post along with said flexible rods about said lower end of said upright support post whereby the sheet of material is repositioned.

6. The canopy of claim 1, further comprising a cross member having first and second ends, said cross member extending between said first and second flexible rods underneath said sheet of material having said first end of said cross member connected to said first flexible rod and said second end of said cross member connected to said second flexible rod.

7. The canopy of claim 1, further comprising a solar cell fabric portion disposed on said sheet of material to permit production of electrical energy.

8. The canopy of claim 1, wherein a top view of said canopy resembles a V-shape.

9. A method for assembling a canopy, comprising the steps of:

a) providing an upright support post having upper and lower ends, the lower end being supported on a structure;

b) providing first and second flexible rods, each flexible rod having first and second ends;

c) mounting the first end of each flexible rod adjacent the upper end of the upright support post so that the flexible rods are removable and substantially horizontally disposed, the rods extending outwardly at an angle to each other in the range of 30 to 120 degrees and terminating in free second ends;

d) extending a sheet of material between the first and second flexible rods wherein a first edge thereof is removably attached to the first flexible rod and a second edge thereof is removably attached to the second flexible rod so that the sheet of material forms a canopy extending between the first and second flexible rods and substantially from the first end of each flexible rod to the second end of each flexible rod, wherein the flexible rods bias away from each other providing an effective amount of tension for maintaining the sheet of material in a stretched out disposition; and

e) wherein the upper end of the upright support post along with the flexible rods are rotatable so as to reposition the sheet of material.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the structure is selected from the group consisting of a watercraft, a rod holder, a vehicle, a table, and a ground.

11. The method of claim 9, further comprising the step of extending the first end of each flexible rod through apertures adjacent the upper end of each upright support post, wherein each flexible rod is frictionally held in its respective aperture.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein the upright support post is adjustable in height.

13. The method of claim 9, further comprising the step of providing a cross member having first and second ends, the cross member extending between the first and second flexible rods underneath the sheet of material so that the first end of the cross member is connected to the first flexible rod and the second end of the cross member is connected to the second flexible rod.

14. The method of claim 9, further comprising the step of providing a solar cell fabric portion on the sheet of material to permit production of electrical energy.

15. The method of claim 9, wherein a top view of the canopy resembles a V-shape.

16. The method of claim 9, further comprising the step of rotating the upper end of the upright support post along with the flexible rods by using a line connecting to one of the flexible rods.

17. The method of claim 9, further comprising the step of rotating the upper end of the upright support post along with the flexible rods by a hand of a user.

18. The method of claim 9, further comprising the step of making each of the flexible rods in multiple pieces so that the canopy is capable of being folded for storage.

19. The method of claim 9, further comprising the steps of removably attaching the first edge of the sheet of material to the first flexible rod using a plurality of first rings and removably attaching the second edge of the sheet of material to the second flexible rod using a plurality of second rings.

20. The method of claim 9, further comprising the steps of removably attaching the first edge of the sheet of material to the first flexible rod using a first sleeve and removably attaching the second edge of the sheet of material to the second flexible rod using a second sleeve.