Abstract:
The present teachings provide a canopy that can be used in the area around a campfire for shelter during adverse weather conditions. The canopy includes a frame, a cover having a centrally located opening support by the frame, and a set of legs supporting the frame with the cover in an elevated position. The frame is constructed with a set of trusses which interconnect a lower support frame and an upper support frame. The trusses and support members are assembled such that the central opening remains unobstructed.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/303,936, filed on Feb. 12, 2010. The entire disclosure of the above application is incorporated herein by reference. 
    
    
     FIELD 
     The present disclosure relates to a canopy, and more particularly to a ventilating canopy configured for placement over a campfire or fire pit. 
     BACKGROUND 
     This section provides background information related to the present disclosure which is not necessarily prior art. 
     Outdoor enthusiasts often enjoy spending time around a campfire or bonfire. Adverse weather conditions, such as rain, snow, sleet, or hail, may hamper the ability to gather around a campfire. While known tents and umbrellas may have proven suitable for their intended purposes, a need for improvement in the art remains. In particular, there is a need for a canopy specifically adapted for placement over a fire pit which provides sufficient ventilation for the exhaust of combustions gases, while at the same time provides adequate protection from adverse weather conditions within an area proximate to the fire pit. 
     SUMMARY 
     This section gives a general summary of the disclosure, and is not a comprehensive disclosure of its full scope or all of its features. 
     The present teachings describe a canopy that can be used over a camp fire during adverse weather conditions. The canopy includes a frame, a cover supported by the frame and a set of vertical supports. The frame includes a set of trusses extending between a lower support frame and an upper support frame. The ends of the trusses are fixed to one of the lower and upper support frames. The trusses and support members define a central opening through the frame, such that the frame is exterior to the central opening. A first end of the vertical support members is fixed to the frame to support the canopy off the ground and above the fire pit. The cover is fixed to the frame, such that it is exterior to the central opening. 
     In another form, the present disclosure describes a canopy that includes a frame assembly, a plurality of legs, and a cover. The frame assembly includes an upper support section, a lower support section, and a plurality of trusses. The upper support section defines an upper opening and the lower support section defines a lower opening. The lower opening is generally concentric to the upper opening. The plurality of trusses extends between the upper support section and the lower support section. The frame is exterior to the upper opening. The legs support the frame assembly in an elevated configuration. The cover is fixed to the frame assembly such that they are exterior to the upper opening. 
     Further areas of applicability will become apparent from the description provided herein. The description and specific examples in this summary are intended for purposes of illustration only and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure. 
    
    
     
       DRAWINGS 
       The drawings described herein are for illustrative purposes only of selected embodiments and not all possible implementations, and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure. 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a canopy according to the principles of the present disclosure; 
         FIG. 2  is a side elevation of the canopy frame and vertical support members according to the principles of the present disclosure; 
         FIG. 3  is an exploded view of a vertical support member of the canopy frame in  FIG. 2 ; 
         FIG. 4  is an overhead view of the canopy frame of  FIG. 2 ; 
         FIG. 5  is a detail of the canopy frame truss of the canopy frame in  FIG. 2 ; 
         FIG. 6  is an exploded view of the corner assembly of the canopy frame in  FIG. 2 ; 
         FIG. 7  is a detail of a anchor stake for securing the canopy frame to the ground; and 
         FIG. 8  is a side elevation illustrating the anchoring system. 
     
    
    
     Corresponding reference numerals indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views of the drawings. This disclosure describes certain embodiments with specific dimensions. One skilled in the art should appreciate that these dimensions may be modified or scaled in accordance with the specific size and application of the canopy design. 
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Example embodiments will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings. 
     The following description is merely exemplary in nature and is not intended to limit the present teachings, application, or uses. It should be understood that throughout the drawings, corresponding reference numerals indicate like or corresponding parts and features. Therefore, it will be understood that the following discussions are not intended to limit the scope of the present teachings and claims herein. 
     With reference to  FIGS. 1-3 , a canopy  10  is provided which includes a frame  12 , a plurality of legs or vertical support members  14 , and a cover member  16 . The canopy  10  provides protection from the weather, while at the same time also provides ventilation for heat, smoke and combustion by-products emitted from a campfire. The frame  12  includes a lower support frame  20 , an upper support frame  22 , and a set of trusses or angled support members  24  interconnecting the lower and upper support frames  20 ,  22 . In one embodiment, the lower support section  20  includes four lower support members  88  defining a square lower support frame, and the upper support section  22  includes four upper support members  90  defining a square upper support frame. The length of the lower support members  88  may be substantially greater than the length of the upper support members  90  and the length of the angled support members  24 . In one embodiment, the dimension of the lower support section  20  is approximately 14′×14′, the dimension of the upper support section  22  is approximately 2′9″×2′9″, and the length of the angled support members  24  are approximately 8′1″. 
     The lower and upper support members  88 , 90  and the angled support members  24 , as well as leg assemblies  14  are generally thin-walled tubular members having any suitable cross-section, including but not limited to square, rectangular, or circular. A metal tubing is presently preferred, and in particular an extruded aluminum tubing for fabrication of the frame  12 . The size and wall thickness of the tubing is dictated by the load carrying requirements of the frame  12 . As presently preferred, a ¾″ round 6061 aluminum tubing with a wall thickness of 0.065″ is suitable for the 14′×14′ canopy described above. 
     The frame  12  is preferably constructed with a set of knock-down rail members  30 ,  32 ,  34 . The rail members are configured to be assembled in an end-to-end manner for providing supports of varying length. In addition, the length and end configuration of the rails are such that the frame  12  may only be assembled with each member in its proper position. For example, each side of the lower support frame  20  comprises four-3′6″ rails  30  interconnected end-to-end. As presently preferred, one end (a male end) is formed by reducing the outside diameter (OD) of the rail to a dimension slightly smaller than the standard inside diameter (ID) of the rail at the other end (a female end). Each truss  24  comprises two-3′6″ rails  30  and one-2′1″ rail  32 . To ensure proper assembly, the ends of rail  32  are simply square cut to maintain the standard OD at each end. In other words, rail  32  has two female ends. Each side of the upper support frame  22  comprises one-2′9″ rail  34  having a male end formed at each end. 
     The end configuration described above provides a male end having a reduced cross section and a female end having a standard cross section. In an alternate embodiment, a female end may be formed by expanding the ID of the rail to a dimension slightly larger than the standard OD. The opposite end would have a standard OD to form the male end. Alternately, a separate coupling element may be secured onto the end of the rail to form the female end. The coupling element would be secured to the rail by any suitable means including welding, adhesive, or fasteners such as rivets, screws, pins or the like or by any combination of these means. 
     The frame  12  includes four identical leg assemblies  14 . As shown in  FIG. 3 , each leg assembly  14  includes a lower leg member  36  having a pair of rails  30  and an upper leg member  38  also having a pair of rails  30 . The lower leg member  36  has a base plate  40  secured at one end thereof. The base plate  40  has a through bore formed therein for receiving a stake  100  for securing the frame  12  into the ground as described hereafter. The upper leg member  38  has a lower corner piece  42  secured at one end thereof. As seen in  FIG. 6 , the lower corner piece  42  also form a portion of the lower support frame  20 . Web elements  44 ,  46  extend between the rails  30  respectively to maintain them in a spaced parallel relationship. The lower leg member  36  and the upper leg member  38  are configured with complimentary male-female ends to be assembled in an end-to-end manner similar to the lower support frame  20 . 
     Turning now to FIGS.  2  and  4 - 6 , the frame  12  is constructed using four identical lower corner piece  42  and four identical upper corner pieces  48  which are supported in a spaced apart relationship by trusses  24 . With particular reference to  FIGS. 5 and 6 , the lower corner piece  42  includes a corner rail  50  generally curved at a radius of about 6″ and forming a 90° angle. One end  52  of the corner rail  50  is sized to be inserted into a female end of the rail member  30 . Another end  54  of the corner rail  50  is sized to receive a male end of the rail member  30 . A pair of couplings  56  extend downwardly from the bottom surface of the corner rail  50 . The couplings  56  are sized to receive the end of upper leg assembly  38 . An extension  58  is angled upwardly from the top surface of the corner rail  50  at an acute angle, preferably about 33°. The extension  58  is sized to couple with an end of the rail  30  functioning as an angled support member  24 . 
     The upper corner piece  48  includes a corner rail  60  generally curved to form a 90° angle. As presently preferred, both ends  62 ,  64  of the corner rail  60  are sized to form a female end and to receive the male end of rail member  34 . A coupling  66  is angled downwardly from the bottom surface of the corner rail  60  at an angle complementary to the acute angle of the extension  58 , preferably about 147°. Coupling  66  is sized to receive a male end of the rail member  32 . 
     With reference to  FIG. 2-8 , a preferred construction of the frame  12  will be described. The lower support frame  20  is constructed using four lower corner pieces  50  and sixteen rail members  30 . First, a lower rail is assembled using four rail members  30  connected in an end-to-end having a male end and a female end. The male end of lower rail is inserted into the end of one lower corner piece  42 , and the female end of lower rail is inserted into the end of another lower corner piece  42 . This procedure is repeated with the remaining lower corner pieces  42  and rail members  30  until the lower support frame  20  is constructed to form a square lower frame section. While a square lower frame has been described and illustrated herein, one skilled in the art will understand that the frame may be configured in any closed-form configuration (i.e. circle, ellipse, or polygon). 
     The upper support frame  22  is constructed in a similar manner using four upper corner pieces  48  and four rail members  34 . The male ends of a rail member  34  are inserted into the end  62 ,  64  of the upper corner pieces  48 . This procedure is repeated with the remaining upper corner pieces  48  and rail members  34  until the upper support frame  22  is constructed to form a square upper frame sections. Again, while a square upper frame has been described and illustrated herein, one skilled in the art will understand that the frame may be configured in any closed-form configuration. 
     The lower support frame  20  and the upper support frame  22  are connected together using twelve rail members  30 ,  32 . First, an angled truss  24  is assembled using two rail members  30  and one rail member  32  connected in an end-to-end manner. The female end of truss  24  is inserted into the coupling  66  of one upper corner piece  48 , and the female end of the truss  24  is inserted into the extension  58  of a lower corner piece  42 . This procedure is repeated with the rail members  30 ,  32  until the lower support frame  20  connected to the upper support frame  22 . As assembled, the lower support frame  20  defines a lower opening  68 , and the upper support frame  22  defines an upper opening  70 . As best seen in  FIG. 4 , the lower opening  68  is generally concentric with the upper opening  70 . 
     With reference to  FIGS. 1-3  and  8 , the canopy  10  is completed by installing the lower leg members  36  to the upper leg members  38 . With reference now to  FIGS. 7 and 8 , the canopy is designed to be secured to the ground with a self-contained tie-down system which does not extend beyond the envelop of the frame. Specifically, a stake  100  is provides which has a helical portion  102  threaded through a hole (not shown) in the base plate  40 . A washer  104  is disposed between the base plate  40  and an eyelet  106  to secure the leg assembly to the ground. An adjustable strap  108  is feed through the eyelet  106  and wraps over the web plates  44 ,  46  of the lower and upper leg assemblies  36 ,  38 . The adjustable strap is tensioned to pull the frame  12  towards the stake  100 . In this manner, the tie-down system can generate sufficient downward force to hold the canopy  10  in place. 
     While the canopy has been described and illustrated using a pair of legs at each corner, one skilled in the art will understand that the number of legs and their location may vary as needed to support the frame in an elevated position. For example, a single leg may be employed to elevate the frame  12 . Likewise, the legs  14  are described as being about 7 feet in length, however, any length sufficient to prevent fire and extreme heat, produced by a campfire pit, from reaching the canopy  10 , may be used to support and elevate the frame  12 . To this point, it has been observed that the bottom of the canopy  10 , or in other words the lower frame section should be elevated at least five feet above the top of the campfire or fire pit. 
     With reference to  FIG. 1 , a cover member  16  is removably secured the frame  12 . The cover member  16  includes a series of trapezoidal panels  200  joined to each other along a seam so that the cover member  16  is fitted to the frame  12 . A top panel  202  extends over the upper support frame  22  and has an opening  204  formed therethrough to form a flue. In this way, the frame  12  does not obstruct the upper opening  70  which provides an outlet for the heat, smoke and other combustion by-products produced by the campfire. The outer or bottom edge  200  of the cover  16  is secured to the lower frame section  20 . The cover may also be secured to the trusses and the lower support frame at  208 . The top panel  202  in combination with the lower frame ties to secure the upper portion of the cover  16  in place. Optionally, the top may be secured to the upper support frame at  210 . The cover member  16  is fixed to the frame  12  preferably with bungee ties which include a loop of elastic cord having a ball at the free end of the loop. Other suitable means, including but not limited to string, cable ties, wire, and the like may be used to releasably secure the cover  16  to the frame  12 . 
     The cover member  16  may be formed from a heat-resistant material adequate to maintain its structural integrity when exposed to temperatures above a campfire. The cover member  16  may be formed with a material having fire retardant qualities to further safeguard against failure of the cover during use. The cover member  16  may also include a foil backing facing toward the interior of the canopy in order to reflect the heat produced by the campfire pit, and thus provide heat to the area beneath the canopy  10 . With reference to  FIG. 1 , the cover  16  may include a spark arresting screen  206  which is placed between the frame  12  and the cover  16 . The screen  206  lies against the upper portion of the cover  26  and across the flue opening  204 . 
     The foregoing description of the embodiments has been provided for purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention. Individual elements or features of a particular embodiment are generally not limited to that particular embodiment, but, where applicable, are interchangeable and can be used in a selected embodiment, even if not specifically shown or described. The same may also be varied in many ways. Such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the invention, and all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of the invention. For example, various components have been described as being releasably secured to one another. However, select components may be fixedly secured to each other for facilitating in the fabrication and assembly of a canopy.