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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001]     1. Field of the Invention  
         [0002]     The present invention relates to collapsible structures, and in particular, to covers, shades and similar apparatus that can be used to cover or surround another object, and which may be twisted and folded to reduce the overall size of the assembly to facilitate convenient storage and use.  
         [0003]     2. Description of the Prior Art  
         [0004]     Collapsible objects have recently become very popular. Examples of such collapsible objects are shown and described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,038,812 (Norman), U.S. Pat. No. 5,467,794 (Zheng) and U.S. Pat. No. 5,560,385 (Zheng) in the form of collapsible structures. These structures can be used as play structures, shelters, tents, and storage structures, among other uses. These structures may be twisted and folded to reduce the overall size of the structures to facilitate convenient storage and use. As such, these structures are being enjoyed by many people in many different applications.  
         [0005]     Other examples of collapsible objects include blanket, mat and floating assemblies as illustrated in one or more of U.S. Pat. No. 6,073,283 (Zheng), U.S. Pat. No. 6,170,100 (Le Gette et al.) and U.S. Pat. No. 6,343,391 (Le Gette et al.). These assemblies can be used as blankets, floor mats, and floating mats. These blankets and mats may be twisted and folded to reduce the overall size of the blanket or mat to facilitate convenient storage and use.  
         [0006]     Yet other examples of collapsible objects include sunshades, as illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 4,815,784 (Zheng) and U.S. Pat. No. 5,024,262 (Huang). U.S. Pat. No. 6,192,635 (Zheng) illustrates a large variety of other collapsible objects, while U.S. Pat. No. 6,581,313 (Zheng) illustrates collapsible flags, signage and umbrellas.  
       SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE  
       [0007]     It is an object of the present invention to provide a cover or shade that can be folded and collapsed into a smaller configuration for convenient storage and transportation.  
         [0008]     It is another object of the present invention to provide a collapsible cover or shade for household items, including furniture.  
         [0009]     It is yet another object of the present invention to provide collapsible partitions, screens, window covers, door covers, lamp covers, and clock covers.  
         [0010]     In order to accomplish the objects of the present invention, there are provided assemblies and structures having one or more collapsible panels that are positioned to cover a variety of objects, including but not limited to boxes, furniture items, lamps, clocks, doors and windows. The panels are provided to act as covers, shades, dividers, partitions or canopies. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0011]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a panel according to the present invention.  
         [0012]      FIG. 2  is a cross-sectional view of the panel of  FIG. 1  taken from the region A thereof.  
         [0013]      FIGS. 3A-3E  illustrate how the panel of  FIG. 1  can be twisted and folded for compact storage.  
         [0014]      FIGS. 4-14  illustrate different embodiments of collapsible structures according to the present invention. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0015]     The following detailed description is of the best presently contemplated modes of carrying out the invention. This description is not to be taken in a limiting sense, but is made merely for the purpose of illustrating general principles of embodiments of the invention. The scope of the invention is best defined by the appended claims.  
         [0016]     The collapsible structures according to the present invention are configured in the form of one or more basic panels that are assembled together to create a resulting structure having the desired shape and size.  FIGS. 1 and 2  illustrate the construction of a basic panel  20 . The panel  20  is shown as having four sides, but can be configured to have any number of sides, depending on the desired shape (e.g., circular, oval, or rectangular, square, trapezoidal, or irregular). The panel  20  has a peripheral edge  22  that extends all the way around the panel  20 . A peripheral frame retaining sleeve  24  is provided along and traverses the peripheral edge  22 , and a continuous frame member  26  is retained or held within the frame retaining sleeve  24  such that the frame member  24  extends completely around the peripheral edge  22 .  
         [0017]     The continuous frame member  26  may be provided as one continuous loop, or may be a strip of material connected at both ends to form a continuous loop. The continuous frame member  26  is preferably formed of flexible coilable steel, although other materials such as plastics may also be used. The frame member  26  should be made of a material which is relatively strong and yet is flexible to a sufficient degree to allow it to be coiled. Thus, the frame member  26  is capable of assuming two positions, an open or expanded position such as shown in  FIG. 1 , or a folded position (see  FIG. 3E ) in which the frame member  26  is collapsed into a size which is much smaller than its open position. The frame member  26  may be merely retained within the frame retaining sleeve  24  without being connected thereto. Alternatively, the frame retaining sleeve  24  may be mechanically fastened, stitched, fused, or glued to the frame member  26  to retain the frame member  26  in position.  
         [0018]     Sheet material  30  extends across the interior space defined by the sleeve  24 , and is held taut by the frame member  26  when the sheet material  30  is in its open position. The term “sheet material” is to be given its broadest meaning and should be made from strong, flexible yet lightweight materials and may include woven fabrics, sheet fabrics, meshed fabrics or even films. The sheet material  30  can be water-resistant and durable to withstand the wear and tear associated with extended use, and rough treatment by adults and children. The peripheral sleeve  24  may attached to the sheet material  30  by a stitching  32 . The stitching  32  can also operate to enclose the peripheral sleeve  22 . Alternatively, the peripheral sleeve  24  can be a part of or an extension of the sheet material  30 , where the outer edge of the sheet material  30  is wrapped around the frame member  26  to enclose the frame member  26 , and then a stitching is applied to enclose the sleeve  24 .  
         [0019]     The panel  20  can then be folded and collapsed into a compact configuration for storage, as illustrated in  FIGS. 3A-3E . In the first step illustrated in  FIGS. 3A-3C , the opposite border of the panel  20  is folded in to collapse the frame member  26  with the sheet material  30 . As shown in  FIG. 3D , the next step is to continue the collapsing so that the initial size of the panel  20  is reduced.  FIG. 3E  shows the next step with the frame member  26  and sheet material  30  collapsed on each other to provide for a small essentially compact configuration having a plurality of concentric frame members  26  and layers of the sheet material  30  so that the collapsed panel  20  has a size which is a fraction of the size of the initial panel  20 , as shown in  FIG. 3E .  
         [0020]     When the frame member  26  is in the collapsed position, the closed loop of the frame member  26  consists of three loop rings intertwined to lie flat. In the collapsed position, the panel  20  will have a significantly reduced diameter which makes it easy to store the collapsed panel  20 .  
         [0021]     The panel  20  can be expanded again by opening the coiled frame member  26 . The bias and resiliency of the frame member  26  will cause the frame member  26  (and the attached sheet material  30 ) to automatically open out to the expanded position shown in  FIG. 1 .  
         [0022]      FIG. 4  illustrates one embodiment of a collapsible structure  50  according to the present invention. The structure  50  has three separate panels  52 ,  54  and  56 , each having a construction that is the same as the panel  20 , but having different shapes. Two of the panels  54 ,  56  have a side edge  58  and  60 , respectively, that is attached to the sheet material  62  of the other panel  52 . This attachment can be the same as that which is described in connection with  FIGS. 1-3  of U.S. Pat. No. 6,267,128 (Zheng), whose entire disclosure is incorporated by this reference as though set forth fully herein. The two panels  54  and  56  define a space  64  therebetween. Any object or item can be placed in the space  64 , or adjacent the outer sides of the panels  54  and  56 . For example,  FIG. 4  illustrates a box or footlocker  72  that is placed inside the space  64  so as to be completely covered on three of its sides by the three panels  52 ,  54 ,  56 . In addition to the box  72 , a table, a nightstand or other piece of furniture can also be placed inside the space  64  so as to be completely covered on its three sides by the three panels  52 ,  54 ,  56 . The outer surface of the sheet materials  62 ,  66  and  68 , of the panels  52 ,  54 ,  56 , respectively, can be provided with any desired ornamental pattern, design, logo, or emblem  70  for decorative purposes.  
         [0023]     Thus, the structure  50  can be used as a furniture cover, where the panels  50 ,  52 ,  54  are used to cover some of the sides of a table, chair, box or bed (among other types of furniture) so that other people can only see the decorative sides defined by the panels  50 ,  52 ,  54 . As a result, the user can vary the decorative designs for a piece of furniture by purchasing a plurality of structures  50  (each having different designs) and using different structures  50  at different times. This is an especially cost-effective way for decorating simple furniture, or allowing a piece of furniture to blend into the colors and designs of the rest of the furniture or paint colors in a room. For example, a simple and aesthetically unpleasant (e.g., unfinished) side table or box can be decorated by alternating different structures  50  having different designs, or blended into a new room (or among other furniture items) by providing a structure  50  having a matching color or design.  
         [0024]     The structure  50  can be collapsed into a smaller configuration by folding the panels  54 ,  56  flat onto the panel  52 , and then twisting and folding the entire structure  50  using the principles illustrated in  FIGS. 3A-3E .  
         [0025]      FIG. 5  illustrates another embodiment of a collapsible structure  80  according to the present invention that can also perform the same functions as the structure  50  in  FIG. 4 . The structure  80  has two separate panels  82 ,  84 , each having a construction that is the same as the panel  20 , but having different shapes. The panels  82 ,  84  are hingedly connected to each other along a side edge thereof. This hinged connection can be the same as that which is described in connection with  FIGS. 1 and 3 A- 3 F of U.S. Pat. No. 5,778,915 (Zheng), or  FIGS. 1, 4  and  9 - 16  of U.S. Pat. No. 6,220,265 (Zheng), whose entire disclosures are incorporated by this reference as though set forth fully herein. As described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,778,915 (Zheng) and U.S. Pat. No. 6,220,265 (Zheng), this hinged connection includes stitching a side edge of one panel to the side edge of another panel. The two panels  82 ,  84  define a space  86  therebetween when they are upright in a vertical orientation. Any object or item can be placed in the space  86 . For example,  FIG. 5  illustrates a chest of drawers  96  positioned in the space  86  and having two sides covered by the panels  82  and  84 . The inner and outer surfaces of the sheet materials  88  and  90 , of the panels  82 ,  84 , respectively, can be provided with any desired ornamental pattern, design, logo, emblem  92  for decorative purposes. Openings  94  can also be provided in one or both of the sheet materials  88  and/or  90 .  
         [0026]     The structure  80  can be collapsed into a smaller configuration by folding the panels  82 ,  84  against each other to form a stack of two flat panels  82 ,  84 , and then twisting and folding the entire structure  80  using the principles illustrated in  FIGS. 3A-3E .  
         [0027]     Not only can the structure  80  be used as a furniture cover for a table, chair or bed (among other types of furniture), the structure  80  can even be positioned in an upright position (as shown in  FIG. 5 ) and used as a screen, a partition, or even a play structure, with the opening  94  acting as a window.  
         [0028]     In addition, the dimensions of the two panels  82 ,  84  can be varied so that the two panels  82 ,  84  do not have to be of the same size or shape. For example, the panels  82 ,  84  can be provided in different shapes so that they can adequately cover an object that has an irregular shape. As another example, the panels  82 ,  84  can have different lengths to cover two adjacent sides of a rectangular object. In this regard, the panel  82  in  FIG. 5  is slightly wider than the panel  84  so as to adequately cover a rectangular chest of drawers  96 .  
         [0029]     The principles illustrated in  FIG. 5  can be modified and extended as shown in  FIGS. 6A-12 .  
         [0030]     Referring first to  FIG. 6A , two separate structures  80   a  and  80   b , each of which can be identical in construction (but may have different shapes and sizes) to the structure  80 , are provided, and detachable connectors  98  (e.g., hooks, ties, VELCRO™ pieces, etc.) can be provided along the unattached side edges of the panels  82   a ,  82   b ,  84   a ,  84   b  for removably attaching the two structures  80   a ,  80   b  together. When the structures  80   a ,  80   b  are attached in this manner, they can be used to completely cover the four sides of any four-sided object or furniture  96   a  (e.g., bed, table, chair, cabinet, etc.).  
         [0031]     Similarly, in  FIG. 7 , two separate structures  80   c  and  80   d  are provided, each of which is the same in construction as the structure  80  except that they are provided in different shapes. Here, the panels  84   c ,  84   d  are wider than the panels  82   c ,  82   d . Detachable connectors  99  (e.g., hooks, ties, VELCRO™ pieces, etc.) can be provided along the unattached side edges of the panels  82   c ,  82   d ,  84   c ,  84   d  for removably attaching the two structures  80   c ,  80   d  together. When the structures  80   c ,  80   d  are attached in this manner, they can also be used to completely cover the four sides of any four-sided object or furniture  96   d  (e.g., bed, table, chair, cabinet, etc.).  
         [0032]     The structures in  FIGS. 6A and 7  can be further modified by hingedly connecting all four panels together, while leaving one free unattached side in two of the panels. For example, the panels  82   a ,  84   a ,  82   b ,  84   b  in  FIG. 6A  can all be hingedly attached to each other, with each of the panels  82   a  and  84   b  having one free unattached side that has connectors  98  provided therealong for connecting the two panels  82   a ,  84   b  when necessary. This is illustrated in  FIG. 6B , with the panels  82   a ,  84   a ,  82   b ,  84   b  covering an object  96   b.    
         [0033]      FIG. 8  illustrates a structure  102  where another panel  100  is hingedly connected (using any of the hinged connections described above) to the panel  84  of the structure  80  in  FIG. 5 . Another way to look at the structure  102  is that it is a modification of  FIG. 6B  with the panel  84   b  removed or omitted. Weights  104  can be attached to the bottom side of each panel  82 ,  84 ,  100  so that the structure  102  can be used as a screen or partition that separates the space within a room or open area, or to separate different objects or furniture items. Although only  FIG. 8  shows the provision of weights  104 , weights  104  can be provided at any desired location on any of the panels illustrated in any of the embodiments of the present invention.  
         [0034]     The structures in  FIGS. 6A-7  can be further modified by hingedly connecting all four panels together to form a ring of flat panels. For example, the panels  82   a ,  84   a ,  82   b ,  84   b  in  FIG. 6A  can all be hingedly attached to each other in the same manner as described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,301,705 (Zheng) or U.S. Pat. No. 5,816,279 (Zheng), whose entire disclosures are incorporated by this reference as though set forth fully herein. For example,  FIG. 9  illustrates a lamp cover  110  which is formed by a ring of four panels, such as panels  82   a ,  84   a ,  82   b ,  84   b  in  FIG. 6A , where all the sides of the panels  82   a ,  84   a ,  82   b ,  84   b  are hingedly connected to a side of an adjacent panel. Here, the user can purchase a single lamp base  112  and a plurality of lamp covers  110  having different shapes, sizes, colors and decorations, so that the user can change the look of the lamp on different occasions, or as desired. The lamp cover  110  can be collapsed by folding the four panels  82   a ,  84   a ,  82   b ,  84   b  on top of each other in the manner described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,816,279 (Zheng) to form a stack of panels, and then applying the steps illustrated in  FIGS. 3A-3E .  
         [0035]     Similarly,  FIG. 10  illustrates a clock support  120  which is also formed by a ring of four panels, such as panels  82   a ,  84   a ,  82   b ,  84   b  in  FIG. 6A , where all the sides of the panels  82   a ,  84   a ,  82   b ,  84   b  are hingedly connected to a side of an adjacent panel. A clock face  122  can be removably coupled (e.g., by VELCRO™ pads, hooks, etc.) to one of the panels  82   a ,  84   a ,  82   b ,  84   b . Here, the user can purchase a single clock face  122  and a plurality of clock supports  120  having different shapes, sizes, colors and decorations, so that the user can change the look of the clock on different occasions, or as desired. In addition,  FIG. 10  illustrates that the panels  84   a ,  84   b  can be made smaller than the panels  82   a ,  82   b  to provide the overall clock with a different aesthetic appeal.  
         [0036]     The structure  80  in  FIG. 5  can be further modified by forming the panels  82 ,  84  in a curved configuration, and then attaching (either removably or hingedly, as appropriate) the sides of the panels  82 ,  84 . For example,  FIG. 11  illustrates a lamp cover  130  that is formed by attaching the sides of the curved panels  82   g ,  84   h . The connected curved panels  82   g ,  84   h  define an interior space  134  which is adapted to house or retain a lamp (not shown). Bars or other spacing mechanisms  132  can be positioned between the central portions of the panels  82   g ,  84   h  to maintain the panels  82   g ,  84   h  in their curved configurations. The cover  130  can be used for other applications (other than as a lamp cover), such as a cage, a basket, and a hamper, among other applications. The cover  130  can be collapsed by removing the spacing mechanism  132 , and folding the panels  82   g ,  84   h  on top of each other to form a stack of panels, and then applying the steps illustrated in  FIGS. 3A-3E .  
         [0037]     The single panel  20  illustrated in  FIGS. 1 and 2  can itself be used as a cover, shade or partition. For example,  FIG. 12  illustrates a panel  20   a  that can have the same construction as the panel  20 , with the panel  20   a  used as a window cover or door cover. Connectors  140  can be provided on the panel  20   a  to allow the panel  20   a  to be secured to a window or a door. Openings  142  can be provided in the panel  20   a  at the location of the actual window or door. The panel  20   a  can be provided together with another panel  20   b  to further enhance the aesthetics of a door or window. This panel  20   b  can have the same construction as the panel  20 , and sized larger than the panel  20   a , so that the panel  20   b  can actually be secured to the window or door (using connectors similar to connectors  140 ), with the panel  20   a  removably secured to the panel  20   b  at the location of the door or the window, as shown in  FIG. 12 . The panel  20   b  can also have an opening  138  that is aligned with the opening  142 . Thus, the panel  20   b  provides a permanent background or border for a door or window, and the user can removably attach different panels  20   a  to the background panel  20   b  to vary the look and feel of the door or window. Additional panels (not shown) having the same construction (but possibly having different shapes and sizes) as the panel  20  can be “sandwiched” between the panels  20   a ,  20   b  to enhance or vary the aesthetics of the door or window.  
         [0038]     As another example,  FIG. 13  illustrates the single panel  20  of  FIG. 1  (but having a slightly different shape) in use as a partition or divider between two objects  124  and  126  (e.g., boxes).  
         [0039]      FIG. 14  illustrates a collapsible canopy  200  as a different embodiment according to the present invention. The canopy  200  has a frame member (not shown, but the same as frame member  26 ) that is retained in a peripheral frame retaining sleeve  224 . A fabric material  230  extends across the interior space defined by the sleeve  224 , and is held loosely by the frame member to define a domed configuration when the fabric material  330  is in its open position. A fabric curtain  232  extends downwardly from the peripheral sleeve  224 . The frame member can be collapsed using the techniques illustrated in  FIGS. 3A-3E .  
         [0040]     While the description above refers to particular embodiments of the present invention, it will be understood that many modifications may be made without departing from the spirit thereof. The accompanying claims are intended to cover such modifications as would fall within the true scope and spirit of the present invention.

Summary:
Assemblies and structures are disclosed having one or more collapsible panels that are positioned to cover a variety of objects, including but not limited to boxes, furniture items, lamps, clocks, doors and windows. The panels are provided to act as covers, shades, dividers, partitions or canopies.