U.S. patent application number 13/545622 was filed with the patent office on 2013-07-04 for user adjustable support assembly for a collapsible canopy.
This patent application is currently assigned to HKD INTERNATIONAL (HK) LIMITED. The applicant listed for this patent is Martin James Dotterweich, Bumjun Park, Rusty George Summar. Invention is credited to Martin James Dotterweich, Bumjun Park, Rusty George Summar.
Application Number | 20130167891 13/545622 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 38924107 |
Filed Date | 2013-07-04 |
United States Patent
Application |
20130167891 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Park; Bumjun ; et
al. |
July 4, 2013 |
USER ADJUSTABLE SUPPORT ASSEMBLY FOR A COLLAPSIBLE CANOPY
Abstract
A collapsible shelter assembly having a cover, a plurality of
legs, a truss system linking each pair of legs together and forming
a truss perimeter, rod for supporting the cover and having a
plurality of rod segments, brackets having a base adapted for
attachment to an upper end of a leg and a coupler pivotally mounted
to the base adapted for attaching to one of the rods, each bracket
having a locking mechanism configured for locking the rotatable
coupler relative to the base, and one or more hubs each configured
for coupling to the distal ends of two or more rods.
Inventors: |
Park; Bumjun; (Suzhou,
CN) ; Dotterweich; Martin James; (Escondido, CA)
; Summar; Rusty George; (Brenham, TX) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Park; Bumjun
Dotterweich; Martin James
Summar; Rusty George |
Suzhou
Escondido
Brenham |
CA
TX |
CN
US
US |
|
|
Assignee: |
HKD INTERNATIONAL (HK)
LIMITED
North Point
HK
|
Family ID: |
38924107 |
Appl. No.: |
13/545622 |
Filed: |
July 10, 2012 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
|
|
|
|
|
|
Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
12373247 |
Jan 9, 2009 |
8215326 |
|
|
PCT/US07/73170 |
Jul 10, 2007 |
|
|
|
13545622 |
|
|
|
|
60819713 |
Jul 10, 2006 |
|
|
|
Current U.S.
Class: |
135/145 ;
135/121 |
Current CPC
Class: |
E04H 15/50 20130101;
E04H 15/44 20130101; E04H 15/34 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
135/145 ;
135/121 |
International
Class: |
E04H 15/50 20060101
E04H015/50; E04H 15/34 20060101 E04H015/34 |
Claims
1. A collapsible shelter assembly comprising: a plurality of legs,
each of the legs having an upper end, a lower end and defining a
substantially vertical axis when the shelter is erected; a truss
system linking each pair of legs together and defining a truss
system perimeter, the truss system includes pairs of link members
connected to each of the legs, the link member pairs having a first
end connected to one leg and a second end connected to another leg,
and having a scissors link permitting folding of each link member;
a plurality of rods configured for supporting a cover, each rod
having a proximal end and a distal end, and each rod having a
plurality of rod segments coupled end to end with each two
consecutive rod segments being coupled end to end by a connector; a
plurality of brackets, each bracket having a base adapted for
attachment to the upper end one of the legs and a coupler rotatable
mounted to the base and adapted for attaching to one of the rods,
each bracket being configured so that at least one of the base and
the coupler is rotatable in a plane that is substantially
perpendicular to the vertical axis defined by the leg, and each
bracket includes a locking mechanism configured for locking the
rotatable coupler relative to the leg; and a cover supported by the
rods to form a canopy when the shelter is erected with the rods
attached to the bracket couplers and the bracket bases attached to
the upper ends of the legs.
2. The assembly of claim 1 wherein the locking mechanism includes
holes positioned radially about the base, at least one hole on the
coupler, and a pin configured for insertion into one of the holes
of the base and into the hole of the coupler.
3. The assembly of claim 1 wherein the locking mechanism includes
holes positioned radially about the coupler, at least one hole in
the base, and a pin configured for insertion into one of the holes
of the coupler and into the hole of the base.
4. The assembly of claim 1 wherein the bracket includes a bearing
assembly positioned between the rotatable coupler and the base for
aiding the rotation of the coupler relative to the base.
5. The assembly of claim 1 wherein the bracket includes a ball and
socket configured for providing the rotation of the coupler
relative to the base.
6. The assembly of claim 5 wherein the socket includes a clamp for
locking the position of the ball within the socket.
7. The assembly of claim 1 wherein the coupler is fixedly attached
to the base and wherein the base is rotatably mounting to the top
end of the leg.
8. The assembly of claim 7 wherein at least on of the top end of
the leg and the base includes fixture selected from the group
consisting of a ball and a socket.
9. The assembly of claim 1 wherein the coupler includes a
receptacle for receiving a rod and passing a portion of the rod
there through, further comprising a stop positionable along the rod
for engaging with the coupler and defining a predefined distance
from the end of the rod and for extending an end of the rod
externally to the perimeter defined by the truss system and forming
a canopy perimeter that is greater than a perimeter defined by the
truss system.
10. The assembly of claim 1 wherein the coupler and rod are adapted
for attaching a rod at a predefined distance from the end of the
rod and for extending an end of the rod externally to the perimeter
defined by the truss system and forming a canopy perimeter that is
greater than a perimeter defined by the truss system.
11. The assembly of claim 1, further comprising one or more hubs
for coupling with the distal ends of two more rods together.
12. The assembly of claim 11 wherein at least one hub is releasably
coupled to the distal ends of the two or more rods.
13. The assembly of claim 1 wherein the rods are configurable for
forming two or more user selected differently shaped covered
shelters selected from the group consisting of a pyramid, a dome, a
hut, and an arch.
14. The assembly of claim 1 wherein each leg defines a cavity at
the upper end and wherein the base of each bracket is configured
for insertion into the cavity.
15. The assembly of claim 1 wherein the rods are multi-sectional
flexible rods.
16. The assembly of claim 1 wherein locking mechanism includes a
pair of mated knurled portions, a first of the mated knurled
portions being fixedly attached to the coupler with the receptacle
and a second of the mated knurled portions being attached to the
base, and wherein the pair of mated knurled portions being
selectively rotatable about the horizontal axis.
17. The assembly of claim 16 wherein each mated knurled portion
includes a knurled circular surface with each having a hole
defining the horizontal axis, and wherein the locking mechanism
include a fastener positioned within each hole selectively securing
the first mated knurled portions together in a selectively fixed
rotated position about the horizontal axis.
18. A collapsible shelter assembly having a plurality of legs, each
of the legs having an upper end and a lower end, and a truss system
linking each pair of legs together and forming a perimeter, the
shelter comprising: a plurality of rods, each rod having a proximal
end and a distal end and each includes a plurality of rod segments
coupled end to end with each two consecutive rod segments being
coupled end to end by a connector; a plurality of brackets, each
bracket having a base adapted for attachment to the upper end one
of the legs and a coupler pivotally mounted to the base adapted for
attaching to one of the rods, each bracket including a locking
mechanism configured for locking the coupler relative to the base;
one or more hubs, each configured for coupling to the distal ends
of two or more rods; and a cover configured to be supported by the
rods to form a canopy when the rods are attached to the bracket
couplers and the bracket bases are attached to the upper ends of
the legs.
19. The assembly of claim 18 wherein the bracket includes a bearing
assembly positioned between the rotatable coupler and the base.
20. The assembly of claim 18 wherein the bracket includes a ball
and socket configured for providing the pivoting of the coupler
relative to the base.
21. The assembly of claim 18 wherein the coupler includes a
receptacle for receiving a portion of the rod, passing the portion
of the rod there through, and the brackets are adapted for
attaching to the rods at a predefined distance from the end of the
rods for extending an end of the rods externally to the perimeter
defined by the truss system and forming a canopy perimeter greater
than the truss system perimeter.
22. The assembly of claim 18 wherein the rods are flexible
multi-sectional fiberglass rods coupled together to form the rods
for supporting the cover.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application is a continuation application of United
States national phase under 35 USC .sctn.371 of U.S. patent
application Ser. No. 12/373,247, filed on Jan. 9, 2009, which is
now U.S. Pat. No. 8,215,326, which claimed priority to
PCT/US2007/073170, filed Jul. 10, 2007, which claimed the benefit
of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/819,713, filed on Jul. 10,
2006, the disclosures of each are herein incorporated by
reference.
FIELD
[0002] The present disclosure relates to collapsible structures
and, more specifically, to an adjustable support assembly for
mounting a canopy support rod.
BACKGROUND
[0003] The statements in this section merely provide background
information related to the present disclosure and may not
constitute prior art.
[0004] There are a number of temporary shelters that can be
transported and rapidly set up for a variety of uses. In general,
these structures include an underlining or supporting frame, which
includes at least three, and often four-corner posts or legs.
Commonly, the legs are in two parts arranged to telescope within
one another so as to define a lower retracted position and an
extended position for use. A supporting beam or brace structure is
attached to each of the legs at an upper fixed position and at the
lower position at a slider moveably mounted on the leg. The slider
moves with and on the leg to an extended position for use. The beam
structure conventionally is a "scissors" arrangement, which enables
the legs and beam structure to be compressed into a low profile
configuration for transporting or storage. A supporting frame is
coupled to the legs to support a canopy.
[0005] Typically, these existing canopy support assemblies work
well for their intended purpose, their structures are relatively
expensive to manufacture and do not lend themselves easily to the
adoption of a variety of canopy top configurations. Additionally,
the coverage area of canopy is limited to the footprint defined by
the legs.
SUMMARY
[0006] The inventors hereof have succeeded at designing an improved
canopy support assembly.
[0007] According to one aspect, a collapsible shelter assembly
including a plurality of legs, each of the legs having an upper
end, a lower end and defining a substantially vertical axis when
the shelter is erected. The assembly includes a truss system
linking each pair of legs together and defining a truss system
perimeter and includes pairs of link members connected to each of
the legs, the link member pairs having a first end connected to one
leg and a second end connected to another leg, and having a
scissors link permitting folding of each link member. A plurality
of rods are configured for supporting a cover with each rod having
a proximal end and a distal end, and each rod having a plurality of
rod segments coupled end to end with each two consecutive rod
segments being coupled end to end by a connector. A plurality of
brackets having a base adapted for attachment to the upper end one
of the legs include a coupler rotatable mounted to the base and
adapted for attaching to one of the rods. Each bracket is
configured so that at least one of the base and the coupler is
rotatable in a plane that is substantially perpendicular to the
vertical axis defined by the leg. Each bracket includes a locking
mechanism configured for locking the rotatable coupler relative to
the leg. A cover is supported by the rods to form a canopy when the
shelter is erected with the rods attached to the bracket couplers
and the bracket bases attached to the upper ends of the legs.
[0008] According to another aspect, a collapsible shelter assembly
has a plurality of legs, each of the legs having an upper end and a
lower end, and a truss system linking each pair of legs together
and forming a perimeter. The shelter includes a plurality of rods
with each rod having a proximal end and a distal end and each
including a plurality of rod segments coupled end to end with each
two consecutive rod segments being coupled end to end by a
connector. A plurality of brackets each have a base adapted for
attachment to the upper end one of the legs and a coupler pivotally
mounted to the base adapted for attaching to one of the rods. Each
bracket includes a locking mechanism configured for locking the
coupler relative to the base. The shelter includes one or more hubs
with, each configured for coupling to the distal ends of two or
more rods. A cover is configured to be supported by the rods to
form a canopy when the rods are attached to the bracket couplers
and the bracket bases are attached to the upper ends of the
legs.
[0009] Further aspects of the present disclosure will be in part
apparent and in part pointed out below. It should be understood
that various aspects of the disclosure may be implemented
individually or in combination with one another. It should also be
understood that the detailed description and drawings, while
indicating certain exemplary embodiments, are intended for purposes
of illustration only and should not be construed as limiting the
scope of the disclosure.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0010] FIG. 1 is a side perspective view of an erected collapsible
canopy shelter having an adjustable support assembly according to
one exemplary embodiment.
[0011] FIG. 2 is a side view of a collapsed canopy shelter having
an adjustable support assembly according an exemplary
embodiment.
[0012] FIG. 3 is a top perspective view of an erected canopy
support structure with adjustable support assemblies according to
one exemplary embodiment.
[0013] FIGS. 4A and 4B are perspective views of top a leg assembly
and adjustable canopy support assembly according to another
exemplary embodiment.
[0014] FIGS. 5A and 5B are side perspective views of an adjustable
support assembly with a pivotal coupler and a locking assembly
according to one exemplary embodiment.
[0015] FIGS. 6A and 6B are side perspective views of an adjustable
support assembly with a pivotal coupler and a locking assembly
according to another exemplary embodiment.
[0016] FIG. 7 is a side perspective view of an adjustable support
assembly having a locking ball and socket according to yet another
exemplary embodiment.
[0017] FIG. 8A is a side perspective view of a multi-segment canopy
support rod adaptable for use with the adjustable support assembly
according to one exemplary embodiment.
[0018] FIG. 8B is a side perspective view of a stop for use with an
adjustable support assembly according to another embodiment.
[0019] FIG. 9 is a side perspective view of an adjustable support
assembly having a locking ball and socket according to another
exemplary embodiment.
[0020] FIG. 10 is a side perspective view of an adjustable support
assembly having a knurled locking feature according to another
exemplary embodiment.
[0021] FIG. 11 is a side perspective view of an adjustable support
assembly having rotational locking adjustment for locking with a
top of a round leg assembly according to another exemplary
embodiment.
[0022] FIGS. 12A and 12B are side perspective views of a canopy
support structure having a dome shape according to two exemplary
embodiments.
[0023] FIGS. 13A and 13B are side perspective views of a canopy
support structure having an arch shape according to two exemplary
embodiments.
[0024] FIGS. 14A and 14B are side perspective views of a canopy
support structure having a pyramid shape according to two exemplary
embodiments.
[0025] FIGS. 15A and 15B are side perspective views of a canopy
support structure having a triangular shape according to two
exemplary embodiments.
[0026] It should be understood that throughout the drawings,
corresponding reference numerals indicate like or corresponding
parts and features.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0027] The following description is merely exemplary in nature and
is not intended to limit the present disclosure or the disclosure's
applications or uses.
[0028] In some embodiments, such as the exemplary embodiments of
FIGS. 1, 2, and 3 include a collapsible shelter 10 having a support
assembly 12 and a cover 14. The support assembly 12 has legs 16 and
a truss system 18. While four legs 16 are depicted in FIG. 1, three
or more legs 16 are possible and still considered within the scope
of this disclosure. Each leg 16 has an upper end, a lower end, and
an axis X as illustrated in FIG. 3. Each leg 16 can be solid or
hollow and of any shape. In some embodiments, each leg 16 is hollow
and defines a cavity at its upper end.
[0029] Supporting rods 20 for the cover 14 are coupled to the legs
16 for forming a canopy or roof to the collapsible shelter 10.
Brackets 22 attach the rods 20 to the upper end of the legs 16.
[0030] The rods 20 extend between the tops of two legs 16 for
supporting a cover 14 to form a roof of the shelter 10. These can
form any shape of shelter 10 including a pyramid, a dome, a hut,
and an arch, by way of examples. A proximate end of the rod 20 can
attach or couple to a bracket 22 and a distal end can be coupled or
attached to a second bracket 22 or can be attached to a hub 24 as
shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. The bracket 22 and the hub 24 can be fixed
or releasably coupled to the rod 20.
[0031] The hub 24 can have any shape for attaching distal ends of
two or more rods 20, some of which are shown in FIG. 2 by way of
example. The rods 20 can be a single body of rigid or flexible
design, or can be assembled from two or more rod segments 26 with
connectors 28 as shown in FIG. 2. In this manner, the rods 20 can
be compactly stored when the shelter 10 is collapsed, but provide
from a proper elongated length for erection of the shelter 10.
[0032] As shown in the exemplary embodiments of FIGS. 4A, 4B, 5A,
5B, 6A, 6B, 7, 9, 10, and 11, each bracket 22 has a coupler 32 that
attaches to a rod 20 and a base 34 that attaches to the upper end
of one of the legs 16. The coupler 32 can include a receptacle 36,
such as a bore, for receiving an end of the rod 20 or can include
another means for attaching to the rod 20, such as a clamp or
saddle, not shown. The receptacle 36 can be configured to only
receive the end of the rod 20 or can be configured to allow a
predefined length of the end of the rod 20 pass through and beyond
the bracket 22. In such an embodiment, the extended rod 20 can
provide a coverage area for the cover 14 that has an area greater
than the footprint defined by the legs 16.
[0033] Additionally, the coupler 32 can be configured to engage one
or more stops, such as a connector 28 or clamp 29, as illustrated
in FIGS. 8A and 8B for securing the rod 20 within the receptacle
36. The base 34 couples to the upper end of the leg 16 such as by
insertion into a cavity of the leg 16, or having a cavity for
receiving the upper end of the leg 16, by way of examples.
[0034] The bracket 22 is configured for rotation of the attached
rod 20 relative to the leg axis X. This can be provided by the
rotation of the coupler 32 relative to the base 34 or rotation of
the base 34 relative to the attached leg 16, some of which are
shown in the exemplary figures.
[0035] In one embodiment, as illustrated in FIGS. 5A and 5B, the
base 34 can be fixed relative to the leg axis X. The coupler 32 is
rotatable relative to the base 34 about the axis X. In this
example, the bracket 22 has a locking mechanism 37 that is
configured to lock the rotatable coupler 32 in a fixed position
relative to the base 34. As shown, the base 34 includes a plurality
of locking holes 38 positioned radially about a portion of the base
34. The coupler 32 has at least one hole 40 for receiving a pin 42
that goes through the hole 40 and into one of the holes 38 of the
base 34 for preventing the further rotation of the coupler 32. A
locking pin 44 can be engaged with the pin 42 to secure the pin 42
if desired. The bracket 22 can also include a bearing 46 to aid in
the rotation of the coupler 32 about the axis X. In this
embodiment, the base 34 includes a cavity 48 for receiving the
upper end of the leg 16.
[0036] FIGS. 6A and 6B illustrate another embodiment where the
locking mechanism 37 includes a plurality of holes 40 positioned
radially about the coupler 32 and one or more holes in the base 34.
The pin 42 configured for insertion into one of the holes 38 of the
base 34 and one of the holes 40 of the coupler 32.
[0037] FIGS. 7 and 9 illustrate additional embodiments wherein the
bracket 22 includes a ball 50 and socket 52 for providing the
rotational coupling of the rod 20 to the leg 16. In these examples,
the locking mechanism 37 includes a clamp 54 configured with the
socket 52 for locking the position of the ball within the socket.
In these embodiments, the coupler 32 is not only rotatable about
the axis X defined by the leg 16, but can also be rotated
vertically in a plane including the axis X. It should also be noted
that, in an alternative embodiment as represented by FIG. 9, the
ball 50 could be a feature of the top end of the leg 16 and the
socket 52 could be a feature of the base 34. This could also
include the alternative where the socket 52 is a feature of the leg
16 and the ball 50 is defined by the base 34.
[0038] Referring now to FIG. 10, another exemplary embodiment
provides for only the rotation of the coupler 32 in a plane
including the axis X. In this example, the coupler 32 attaches to
the base 34 via a locking mechanism 37 that includes one or more
and preferably a pair of mated knurled portions 55 and a fastener
56, which is illustrated as a bolt 58 and nut 60. Of course in
other embodiments, the rotatable arrangement and locking mechanism
37 can be combined with an assembly having a rotation only about
the axis X, such as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, for example.
[0039] FIG. 11 illustrates an exemplary embodiment where the top
end of the leg 16 is round. In this embodiment, a plurality of
holes 38 can be formed in the leg 16 or in the base 34, as shown,
and the pin 42 inserted through the holes 38 for securing the
angular position of the base 34 relative to the axis X defined by
the leg 16.
[0040] The truss system 18 attaches to or links each pair of
adjacent legs 16 together and defines a perimeter of the support
assembly 12. The truss system 18 can be of any design and
construction. In some embodiments, the truss system 18 includes
pairs of link members 30 (shown as 30A and 30B in FIG. 3) connected
to each of the legs 16. Each link member pair 30 has a first end
connected to one leg 16 and a second end connected to another leg
16 and has a scissors link that provides for the folding of each
link member 30.
[0041] In operation, a shelter 10 with a supporting structure 12
that includes one of the many embodiments of a bracket 22 as
described by way of examples in this disclosure, can provide for
increased erecting and collapsing a collapsible shelter 10.
Additionally, in some embodiments a variety of different canopy
designs can be provided by a common support structure 12 and
therefore the support for a variety of different shaped canopy
covers 14. The adjustable bracket 22 can be changed to provide for
different canopy heights and shapes as illustrated by some examples
in FIGS. 12, 13, 14, and 15. FIGS. 12A and 12B illustrate one
possible supporting structure 12 having a dome shape. FIG. 12A
being a dome wherein the canopy footprint is about equal to the
footprint defined by the legs. FIG. 12B illustrates the use of a
bracket 22 that allows for a predetermined length of rod 20 to
extend beyond the bracket 22 for providing a canopy footprint that
is greater than the footprint defined by the legs.
[0042] Similar designs for the supporting structure 12 are
illustrated in FIGS. 13A and 13B that provides arch shapes, FIGS.
14A and 14B that provides pyramid shapes, and FIGS. 15A and 15B
that provides triangular or house roofline shapes. These are just a
few of the exemplary embodiments that can be provided by a common
leg 16 and truss system 18 assembly for a supporting structure 12,
utilizing the flexible bracket 22 as described herein. The canopy
supporting structure 12 as described herein can provide flexibility
to the manufacturer, the retailer and the user of such a
collapsible shelter 10.
[0043] When describing elements or features and/or embodiments
thereof, the articles "a", "an", "the", and "said" are intended to
mean that there are one or more of the elements or features. The
terms "comprising", "including", and "having" are intended to be
inclusive and mean that there may be additional elements or
features beyond those specifically described.
[0044] Those skilled in the art will recognize that various changes
can be made to the exemplary embodiments and implementations
described above without departing from the scope of the disclosure.
Accordingly, all matter contained in the above description or shown
in the accompanying drawings should be interpreted as illustrative
and not in a limiting sense.
[0045] It is further to be understood that the processes or steps
described herein are not to be construed as necessarily requiring
their performance in the particular order discussed or illustrated.
It is also to be understood that additional or alternative
processes or steps may be employed.
* * * * *