Abstract:
A sun and weather protection device having fewer individual parts, a stronger clamping force and an operation which is as easy as possible and requiring only a single operating element (e.g. a clamping screw) for all adjustment directions, it is proposed to adopt a hinge combination comprising two hinge halves with rotating disks and integrated gripper clamps.

Description:
[0001]    This application claims priority from German application No. DE 202015001957.9 filed on Mar. 13, 2015, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. 
       TECHNICAL FIELD 
       [0002]    The invention relates to a sun and weather protection device, particularly a parasol and further roof constructions. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0003]    In addition to other parasol constructions, parasols configured as a support rod with cross struts are known, for example from CH 314813 (Albert Glatz), CH 395446 (Karl Strotz) and CH 501798 (Albert Glatz). 
         [0004]    The advantages of these sail-shaped parasols are, amongst others, their rectangular shape and the adaptability to the position of the sun. A disadvantage is the complicated mounting of the separate fabric sheets onto the support rod. A particularly disadvantageous aspect is that adjustment of the roof to follow the variable path of the sun which depends on location, season and time of the day in accordance with prior art requires releasing and fixing again a plurality of locking devices. Also disadvantageous is that in some cases the clamping action of the locking devices according to the prior art is weak. In DE 24 30 234 A1 there is disclosed a hinge connection having only a single clamping screw. A disadvantage of the hinge connection of DE 24 30 234 A1 is the weak clamping action and the multipiece configuration of the hinge parts. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0005]    Therefore, the object of the present invention is to eliminate the above mentioned weak points of the prior art and, accordingly, to achieve the advantages of having fewer individual parts, a stronger clamping force and an operation which is as easy as possible and requiring only a single operating element (e.g. a clamping screw) for all adjustment directions. 
         [0006]    The object of the invention is achieved with a sun and weather protection device, particularly a parasol, with a standing rod, a support rod and a flexible protecting surface. The proposed sun and weather protection device comprises two hinge halves with closed gripper clamps and a toothed rotating disk plus a clamping bolt and a clamping handle. 
         [0007]    In this manner, all of the directions of movement can be fixed and released again with a single clamping handle, the clamping action is stronger and the mounting task and the number of components are reduced. 
         [0008]    As to what concerns stability, it is advantageous if the gripper clamp can be is closed with an insertable clamping wing. To ensure full flexibility of the sun and weather protection device it is of further advantage if the support rod is slidingly movable in its axial direction when the clamping screw is released. It is advantageous if the rotating disks for adjusting the angle between the standing rod and the support rod comprise mutually engaging indentations so as to achieve a form-locking connection. Alternatively, the rotating disks for adjusting the angle between the standing rod and the support rod can also be conically shaped—in order to establish a force-fitting connection. 
         [0009]    Advantageously, the support rod and also the standing rod are configured with tubular shapes. In order to increase stability the support rod—as well as the standing rod—can have an outer cross section deviating at least sectionwise from a circular outer cross section, with one hinge part comprising in its gripper clamp part adaptor elements to said outer cross section. For this purpose, oval or polygonal outer cross sections with or without rounded corners are advantageous. But it is also possible to use a support rod—as well as a standing rod—comprising at least sectionwise a longitudinal groove, in which case at least one hinge part comprises, in its gripper clamp part, adaptor elements for the longitudinal groove. To provide for a height adjustment of the sun and weather protection device, the standing rod can comprise at least two telescopically sliding profiles. 
         [0010]    To increase the stability and to improve the operation, mutually overlapping centering sleeves can be arranged around the center of the rotating disks. 
         [0011]    The aforementioned elements as well as those claimed and described in the following exemplary embodiments, to be used according to the invention, are not subject to any particular conditions by way of exclusion in terms of their size, shape, use of material and technical design, with the result that the selection criteria known in the respective field of application can be used without restrictions. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0012]    Further details, advantages and features of the object of the present invention will become apparent from the following description and the corresponding drawings, in which a sun and weather protection device according to the present invention are illustrated by way of example. In the drawings there are shown in: 
           [0013]      FIG. 1  a schematic view of a sun and weather protection device according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention with the hinge, in the folded state, without rendering of the protection roof; 
           [0014]      FIG. 2  a view of the sun and weather protection device according to  FIG. 1 , in the opened state with rendering of the protection roof; 
           [0015]      FIG. 3  a view of the sun and weather protection device according to  FIG. 1 , in the folded state, with rendering of the protection roof; 
           [0016]      FIG. 4  a perspective view of the operating elements of the sun and weather protection device according to  FIGS. 1 to 3 ; with a hinge according to a preferred exemplary embodiment of the present invention as central element, wherein the support rod as well as the standing rod are oriented in a vertical direction; 
           [0017]      FIG. 5  a view of the hinge according to  FIG. 4  as a sectional view, wherein the support rod as well as the standing rod are oriented in a vertical direction; 
           [0018]      FIG. 6  a perspective view of the hinge according to  FIG. 4 , wherein the support rod is oriented in a direction rotated by 90° from the standing rod; and 
           [0019]      FIG. 7  a view of the hinge according to  FIG. 4  as an exploded view, wherein the support rod as well as the standing rod again are oriented in a vertical direction. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
       [0020]    The parasol shown in  FIGS. 1 to 3  and denoted as a whole as  2  comprises a standing rod  4  which in the present exemplary embodiment comprises two pipe parts  6  and  8  that are telescopically sliding into each other and which can locked and released with a first attachment device  9  provided with a first clamping handle  10 . 
         [0021]    At the upper end of the upper pipe part  8  there is arranged a hinge  20  according to a preferred exemplary embodiment of the present invention. Moreover, the parasol of  FIG. 1  comprises a support rod  22  which is depicted for the case of a horizontal orientation and which is also arranged at the hinge  20 . 
         [0022]    In  FIG. 4  there is shown the hinge  20  which receives, on the one hand, the standing rod  4 , namely the upper pipe part  8  of the standing rod, and, on the other hand, the support rod  22 , both of which are slidable when the clamping handle  40  is released and both of which are locked when the clamping handle  40  of the hinge  20  is locked. Basically the hinge  20  of this exemplary embodiment comprises four functions which are all enabled when the clamping handle  40  is released and which all are prevented when the clamping handle  40  is locked, namely. The rotatability A of the standing rod  4  about the hinge  20 , the slidability B of the support rod  22  in the hinge  20 , the rotatability C of the support rod  22  about its own axis in the hinge  20  and also the rotatability D of the support rod  22  about the standing rod  4 —in the exemplary embodiment by means of form-fitting indentations in two rotating disks  42  and  44  in the locked state. In an alternative exemplary embodiment—which is not shown separately the locking of the rotatability of the support rod  22  against the standing rod  4  is provided in a force-fitting manner preferably by having the rotating disks  42  and  44  for adjusting the angle between the standing rod  4  and the support rod  22  to be conically shaped. In a further alternative exemplary embodiment—which is not shown separately—the locking of the rotatability of the support rod  22  against the standing rod  4  is provided as a mixed form- and force-fitting type by having the rotating disks  42  and  44  configured with a roughened surface. 
         [0023]    Due to the fact that in the proposed embodiment the hinge is configured with two hinge halves with closed gripper clamps and with two toothed rotating disks  42 ,  44  or in the above mentioned alternative embodiment, with conical or roughened-surface rotating disks, respectively - and further with clamping bolts  46  and a clamping handle  40 , all of the directions of movement can be fixed and released again with a single clamping handle  40 . The clamping action is stronger and the mounting task and the number of components are reduced. In the present exemplary embodiment, the hinge  40  thus comprises substantially two hinge halves in the form of rotating disks  42  and  44  with integrated gripper clamps  43 ,  45  and a clamping bolt  46 . In the exemplary embodiment shown, the support rod  22  as well as the standing rod  4  have a circular outer cross section. In alternative exemplary embodiments, the support rod  22  and/or the standing rod  4  have an outer cross section deviating therefrom. To nonetheless provide for rotatability of the support rod  22  or the standing rod  4 , the respective hinge part comprises. In its gripper clamp part, adaptor elements to said outer cross section. For this purpose, one can use an outer cross section that is at least sectionwise oval or a polygonal outer cross section with or without rounded corners, or a support rod and/or standing rod can be inserted which comprises at least sectionwise a longitudinal groove. In the exemplary embodiment as shown in  FIG. 5 , mutually overlapping centering sleeves  48  and  49  are arranged around the center of the rotating disks  42  and  44 . 
         [0024]    At both ends of the support rod  22 , there are short support struts  24 ,  24   a  articulately attached opposite to each other with one end thereof, and with the other end thereof connected to hinges in the central part of long tensioning struts  26 ,  26   a . The long tensioning struts  26 ,  26   a  are articulately connected at one end thereof with slides  28  running on the support rod  22 , whereas at the outer ends of the tensioning struts  26 ,  26   a  there are attached the corners  30 ,  30   a  of the flexible protecting surface  32 . The two slides  28  which are slidable in opposite directions and are equipped with a spring-loaded tilting lever  29  having claws that engage into a catch when the roof is open. Upon actuating the tilting lever  29 , the sliders  28  are again released and can be slidingly pushed back. This arrangement of the struts  24 ,  24   a ,  26 ,  26   a  have the effect that the ends of the tensioning struts  26 ,  26   a , which are connected with the corners  30 ,  30   a  of the protecting surface  32 , move almost perpendicularly and linearly with respect to the support rod  22  and that the protecting surface  32  is brought to a parallel folding  33 , thus allowing for unimpeded operation of the hinge  20  also when the roof is closed. Advantageously, the long tensioning struts  26 , 26   a  are arranged in such manner that in their folded position the outer ends thereof are arranged in a recessed position relative to the ends of the support rod  22 , so as to avoid excessive stretching of the protecting surface  32  upon opening or closing operation. 
         [0025]    In the exemplary embodiment shown, the protecting surface  32  comprises corners  30 ,  30   a , the corners  30 ,  30   a  of the protecting surface  32  being rotatably mounted at the ends of the struts. The support rod  22  comprises guiding grooves  34  for preventing twisting of the slides  28 . In the guiding grooves  34  of the support rod  22  there are arranged stopper pawls  35  for the end position of the slides  28 . For opening and closing, a tilting lever  29  with claws  29   a  provided with a spring is arranged in each of the slides  28  which holds the open tensioning struts  26 ,  26   a  in position by engaging with a counter catch at the support rod  22 . The long tensioning struts  26 ,  26   a  are provided with spring-loaded extensions for compensating tension. The outer ends of the long tensioning struts  26 ,  26   a  in their closed position are arranged in a recessed position relative to the ends  22   a  of the support rod so as to avoid an excessive stretching of parts of the protecting surface  32 . In the present exemplary embodiment, the struts are provided with spreading springs (alternatively: with spacers). Moreover, the protecting surface  32  comprises additional attachments  25  to the support rod  22  at one or both sides of the adjusting hinge, the support rod being provided in each case with a protection ring  25   a.    
       LIST OF REFERENCE NUMERALS 
       [0026]      2  standing parasol 
         [0027]      4  standing rod 
         [0028]      6  lower pipe part 
         [0029]      8  upper pipe part 
         [0030]      9  first attachment device 
         [0031]      10  first clamping handle 
         [0032]      20  hinge 
         [0033]      22  support rod 
         [0034]      22   a  support rod end 
         [0035]      24  support strut 
         [0036]      24   a  support strut 
         [0037]      25  additional attachments 
         [0038]      25   a  protection ring 
         [0039]      26  tensioning strut 
         [0040]      26   a  tensioning strut 
         [0041]      28  slide 
         [0042]      29  tilting lever 
         [0043]      29   a  claw 
         [0044]      30  corner 
         [0045]      30   a  corner 
         [0046]      32  protecting surface 
         [0047]      33  folding 
         [0048]      34  guiding groove 
         [0049]      35  stopper pawls 
         [0050]      40  clamping handle of the hinge 
         [0051]      42  rotating disk 
         [0052]      43  integrated gripper clamp 
         [0053]      44  rotating disk 
         [0054]      45  integrated gripper clamp 
         [0055]      46  clamping bolt 
         [0056]      48  centering sleeve 
         [0057]      49  centering sleeve