U.S. patent application number 16/059749 was filed with the patent office on 2019-02-14 for adjustable and removable canopy for a lounge or chair.
This patent application is currently assigned to Aqua-Leisure Industries, Inc.. The applicant listed for this patent is Aqua-Leisure Industries, Inc.. Invention is credited to Gregory J. Autore, Scott R. de Grasse.
Application Number | 20190045935 16/059749 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 65274395 |
Filed Date | 2019-02-14 |
United States Patent
Application |
20190045935 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Autore; Gregory J. ; et
al. |
February 14, 2019 |
ADJUSTABLE AND REMOVABLE CANOPY FOR A LOUNGE OR CHAIR
Abstract
An adjustable and removable canopy may be affixed to a chair,
lounge, recliner, or the like. The canopy comprises two flexible,
aligned rods having a fabric panel extending between them. The rods
attached to the lounge or chair so as to form an arc across and
over the user of the lounge or chair. Adjustment straps extend from
the rods to the lounge or chair. A plurality of connectors located
on the adjustment straps allow the shortening or lengthening of the
straps so that the position of the canopy relative to the user may
be selectively adjusted.
Inventors: |
Autore; Gregory J.; (Spring
Valley, OH) ; de Grasse; Scott R.; (Marshfield,
MA) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Aqua-Leisure Industries, Inc. |
Avon |
MA |
US |
|
|
Assignee: |
Aqua-Leisure Industries,
Inc.
Avon
MA
|
Family ID: |
65274395 |
Appl. No.: |
16/059749 |
Filed: |
August 9, 2018 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
62542867 |
Aug 9, 2017 |
|
|
|
Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A47C 7/66 20130101; A47C
15/006 20130101; A47C 1/14 20130101; A47C 1/143 20130101 |
International
Class: |
A47C 7/66 20060101
A47C007/66; A47C 1/14 20060101 A47C001/14; A47C 15/00 20060101
A47C015/00 |
Claims
1. A canopy for a lounge or chair comprising: a pair of spaced
apart, aligned, flexible rods; a panel of material attached to each
of the rods and extending therebetween along substantially the
entire length of the rods; first attachment means for attaching
each of the rods to the lounge or chair at each end of the rod to
form an arc over the lounge or chair; a first adjustment strap
connected to and extending from a location adjacent a first one of
the rods for attachment to the lounge or chair; a second adjustment
strap connected to and extending from a location adjacent to the
second one of the rods for attachment to the lounge or chair;
second attachment means for securing an end of each strap to the
lounge or chair. said first and second adjustment straps being
configured to allow the selective adjustment of the position of
canopy relative to the lounge or chair by adjusting the length of
the strap connecting the canopy to the lounge or chair.
2. The canopy of claim 1, wherein the panel material and the
adjustment straps are removably attached to the lounge or
chair.
3. The canopy of claim 2, wherein said second attachment means
comprises a loop of material extending from the lounge or
chair.
4. The canopy of claim 3, wherein the adjustment strap comprises
means to selectively shorten or increase the length of the strap
between the canopy and the lounge or chair so as to permit the
selection of the position of the canopy.
Description
RELATED APPLICATION
[0001] This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. Section
119(e) to U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 62/542,867 entitled
"ADJUSTABLE AND REMOVABLE CANOPY," filed on Aug. 9, 2017, which is
hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety for all
purposes.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0002] This invention relates to canopies for providing shade to a
person sitting or reclining on a lounge or chair, and particularly
to canopies that are adjustable and removable from the lounge or
chair.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0003] While many individuals enjoy sunbathing or sunning while
sitting in a chair or lying on a lounge or recliner, they often
desire to have some shade, at least over the face and neck or the
upper part of the body. Sometimes a person wants to read a book
without the annoyance of glare from the sun, or simply desires to
avoid the direct rays of the sun for health reasons.
[0004] The instant invention provides a canopy or shade that may be
readily attached to and removed from a chair, lounge, recliner, or
the like. The position of the canopy relative to the user may be
easily adjusted to provide the desired protection from the sun. If
the user desires full sun, the canopy may readily be removed.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0005] Non-limiting embodiments of the present invention will be
described by way of example with reference to the accompanying
figures, which are schematic and are not intended to be drawn to
scale. In the figures, each identical or nearly identical component
illustrated is typically represented by a single numeral. For
purposes of clarity, not every component is labeled in every
figure, nor is every component of each embodiment of the invention
shown where illustration is not necessary to allow those of
ordinary skill in the art to understand the invention. In the
figures:
[0006] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a canopy according to the
instant invention, attached to a floating lounge.
[0007] FIG. 2 depicts the canopy removed from the lounge and in a
flattened position.
[0008] FIG. 3 is an illustration of the canopy adjusted to three
different positions.
[0009] FIG. 4 depicts an adjustment strap attached to the side of
the lounge and to the canopy, and the two rods attached to the same
side of the lounge.
[0010] FIG. 5 is a close-up view of the adjustment strap extending
from the front of the canopy to the side of the lounge.
[0011] FIG. 6 is a close-up view of the attachment mechanism
affixed to the lounge for receiving the end of one of the rods
forming the canopy.
[0012] FIG. 7 is a view of the canopy from the head of the lounge,
showing the adjustment straps attached at one end to the lounge and
at the other end to the canopy.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0013] As shown in FIG. 1, in one aspect, the canopy 10 of the
instant invention is comprised of two fiberglass or plastic rods 12
and 14 that are spaced apart, with a fabric panel 16 attached and
extending between the rods to form a canopy. The rods are removably
attachable to the lounge 18 and are of such a length that, when so
attached, they bend to form a curved or arced canopy over the user.
In one aspect of the invention, adjustment straps 20 are affixed to
the front and rear of the canopy and are removably attachable to
the lounge (see FIGS. 3 and 4) to allow positioning and securement
of the canopy at the desired angle relative to the sun, as
explained more fully below.
[0014] FIG. 2 depicts the canopy removed from the lounge. As
previously stated, fabric panel 16 extends between rods 12 and 14.
Adjustment straps 20 are attached to and extend from the canopy.
The fabric panel may be comprised of sections of different
materials: for example, it may include a section of mesh material
16A at each end with opaque fabric material 16B comprising the
remainder.
[0015] FIG. 3 illustrates three possible positions for the canopy
10 in this particular aspect of the invention. Each of two
adjustment straps 20 is affixed to or secured on the front edge of
the canopy 10 and may be removably attached to each side of the
lounge 18 as described below. Each of two adjustment straps 20
affixed to the rear edge of the canopy may similarly be removably
attached to the lounge. (See FIG. 7). It will be recognized that
other known attachment means, such as clips, buttons, or
hook-and-loop fasteners, may be employed to attach the adjustment
straps to the lounge Likewise, although the adjustment straps 20
are here shown as affixed to the canopy as by sewing, they could be
removably attached to the canopy by various attachment means, such
as clips, buttons, or hook-and-loop fasteners.
[0016] FIG. 4 depicts one of the adjustment straps 20 extending
from the front of the canopy 10 to a side of the lounge. In this
embodiment, the strap 20 may be connected via a fabric loop 22
extending from the lounge, As shown in FIG.5, strap 20 has two sets
of snap connectors 24 along its length: on one side, three male
connectors and on the other, three female connectors. After
threading the end of strap 20 though loop 22, one may adjust the
span of strap 20 (between the canopy and the lounge) by selecting
the appropriate opposed connectors to snap together.
[0017] By shortening or lengthening the span of the adjustment
straps 20, the position and angle of the canopy relative to the
user may be selectively altered. In this particular aspect of the
invention, three possible positions are illustrated in FIG. 3, but
more or fewer positions could be accommodated by including the
desired number of connecting paired snap connectors on the front
and rear adjustment straps.
[0018] FIG. 6 shows the end of one of the rods 12 or 14 positioned
for receipt by a connector 26 welded to lounge 18. Connector 26
includes a slot or aperture 28 into which the end of the rod may be
inserted. The outward tension on the rods 12 and 14, once inserted
in connectors 26 will serve to maintain the ends of the rods within
the connectors until such time as removal of the canopy is desired.
Of course, the rods could be removably attached to the canopy by
various other attachment means, such as clips, loops, or
hook-and-loop fasteners.
[0019] Finally, FIG. 7 depicts canopy 10 as seen from the headrest
end of the lounge 18. Adjustment straps 20 removably and adjustably
attach canopy 10 to the lounge using the same loop and snap
arrangement as described above.
[0020] Although the instant invention has been described and
illustrated herein as applied to a lounge, it is equally applicable
to a chair, a recliner, and like devices. Those of ordinary skill
in the art will readily comprehend how to attach the canopy to the
arms and back of a chair, or the sides and headrest end of a
recliner, in accordance with the instant invention.
[0021] A variety of other means and/or structures for performing
the functions and/or obtaining the results and/or one of more of
the advantages described herein, and each of such variations and/or
modifications is deemed to be within the scope of the present
invention. More generally, those skilled in the art will readily
appreciate that all parameters, dimensions, materials, and
configurations described herein are meant to be exemplary and the
actual parameters, dimensions, materials and/or configurations will
depend upon the specific application or applications for which the
teachings of the present invention is/are used.
[0022] Those skilled in the art will recognize or be able to
ascertain, using no more than routine experimentation, many
equivalents to the specific embodiments of the invention described
herein. It is therefore to be understood that the foregoing
embodiments are presented by way of example only and that, with the
scope of the appended claims and equivalents thereto, the invention
may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described and
claimed. The present invention is directed to each individual
feature, system, article, material, and/or method described herein.
In addition, any combination of two or more such features, systems,
articles, materials, and/or methods, if such features, systems,
articles, materials, and/or methods are not mutually inconsistent,
is included within the scope of the present invention.
* * * * *