Abstract:
The present invention relates to a novel rooftop shading system for recreational vehicles (RVs) and a method of installing the same. The shading system comprises a sheet of material generally sized to cover the roof of an RV. The sheet is supported over the roof with support rods which extend across the width of the roof and maintain a curved shape of the sheet. The sheet is secured to the RV by two strap systems which extend from the front end and rear end of the sheet. This system allows the sheet to be secured to and elevated from the roof of the RV providing space and producing shade to the rooftop of the trailer body or RV.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates generally to shading systems for recreational vehicles (RVs). More particularly, the present invention concerns a shade cover which can be secured to an RV and which extends over a roof of the RV to protect the roof from the sun&#39;s harmful ultraviolet rays and to provide a cooling effect for the roof. 
     2. Description of the Related Art 
     RVs give people the freedom to travel to a desired destination without having to make separate travel and accommodation arrangements. Once at a desired destination, the RV is parked for a period of time while the travelers enjoy their stay. The specific location where an RV is parked can range from rustic facilities to luxury resorts. Many times the RV will be parked at an “RV park,” which is an area specifically dedicated to RV travelers and RV parking, or, the RV may simply be parked in random locations such as a beach, a national park, or any other area where RV parking is allowed. 
     Regardless of the specific location, once parked, the RV typically remains there for some time. The duration of stay varies and many times extends over a substantial period of time. Although some RV parks have covered stalls, the RV is usually parked in an area with limited or no shading and the RV is continually exposed to the sun during daylight hours. With the sun bearing down, the RV suffers deleterious effects such as ultraviolet (UV) degradation. Various components on the roofs are commonly made from plastic or similar materials and are particularly susceptible to the UV degradation. Additionally, the roof of the RV heats up as it is continually exposed throughout the daylight hours. Therefore, there is a need for a shade system to shield the RV roof from the sun and to provide a cooling effect while the RV remains parked. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention is directed to a rooftop shade system for RV roofs. The rooftop shade system is formed with an RV and a novel shade cover extending over the RV. The RV is accepted as the type of RV that is towed behind a vehicle. It has trailer body with a front end, a rear end, opposing sides extending between the two ends, and a roof. A trailer tongue extends from the front end and a bumper is at the rear end. It is anticipated that this invention could be adapted to shade the roof of a drive-back motorhome. 
     The shade cover is a sheet of material in a generally curved shape. When in place, it has a concave lower surface that faces the roof of the trailer body and convex upper surface opposite of the lower surface. At least one support rod, and preferably a plurality of support rods, extends along the concave surface of the sheet in a direction generally lateral to the length of the roof. Each support rod is attached to the sheet at first and second rod attachment locations and may extend through a sleeve affixed to the concave surface of the sheet between the rod attachment locations. When in place, the support rods are curved and maintain the curved shape of the sheet, which allows at least a portion of the sheet to be elevated from the roof of the trailer body. Preferably, the supports rods are flexible but have resilience so that when the rods are bent they will return to their unbent state unless prevented from doing so. 
     One or more straps are affixed to the sheet at first and second strap attachment locations and extend under the concave surface of the sheet. Preferably, the first and second strap attachment locations are on the convex upper surface of the sheet and the straps extend around side boundaries of the sheet; however, the first and second strap attachment locations may be elsewhere on the sheet. Preferably, each strap is comprised of two lengths connected to each other with a buckle or similar connecting means. The straps are sized so that they pull the first and second side boundaries of the sheet toward each other and, therefore, cause the support rods to have a curved bend. 
     A first stability strap system and a second stability strap system secure the curved sheet to the trailer so that wind does not carry it away. It has been shown that these stability straps will also hold curved sheet in place while the RV is moving. The first stability strap system has one or more strap members affixed or otherwise secured to a front end of the sheet while the second stability strap system has one or more strap members affixed or otherwise secured to the rear end of the sheet. The first stability strap system attaches to the trailer tongue and the second stability strap system attaches to the rear bumper. Preferably, the first and second stability strap systems each incorporates a ratchet connection or some other connection that enables tightening of the sheet against the rooftop as further described herein below. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of the preferred embodiment of the present invention secured to an RV. 
         FIG. 2  is a top plan view of the preferred embodiment of the shade cover of the present invention. 
         FIG. 3  is a bottom plan view of the preferred embodiment of the shade cover of the present invention. 
         FIG. 4  is a partial section perspective view showing the preferred sleeve along the lower surface of the sheet between the first and second rod attachment locations. 
         FIG. 5  is cross-section side view of the shade cover on the roof of the trailer body prior to connecting the straps. 
         FIG. 6  is a cross-section side view of the shade cover on the roof of the trailer body after connecting the straps. 
         FIG. 7  is a perspective view showing the shade cover being pulled over the front end of the trailer body during one state of installation. 
         FIG. 8  is a perspective view showing the shade cover on the roof of the trailer during another stage of installation. 
         FIG. 9  is an end view of the present invention during installation after connecting the first stability strap system to the trailer tongue at the front end of the trailer body. 
         FIG. 10  is a side elevation view of the present invention after installation is complete. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     Referring to  FIG. 1 , the preferred embodiment of a recreational vehicle rooftop shade system  10  is shown. The system  10  generally comprises a trailer body  12  with a shade cover  14  secured to it. The trailer body  12  has a front end  16  and a rear end  18  opposite the front end  16 . Opposing sides of the trailer body  12  extend between the front and rear ends  16 ,  18 . A first side  20   a  of the opposing sides is shown in  FIG. 1  while a second side  20   b  of the opposing sides is shown in  FIG. 10 . 
     Referring back to  FIG. 1 , the shade cover  14  extends over the roof  22  of the trailer body  12 . The shade cover  14  has a sheet  26  in a generally curved shape which provides shade for the roof  22 . The curved shape of the sheet  26  has a concave lower surface  28  that faces the roof  22  and a convex upper surface  30  opposite of the lower surface  28 . The curved shape causes the sheet  26  to be elevated from the roof  22  of the trailer body  12 , with the largest degree of elevation being at the apex of the concave surface  28 . Due to the elevation, however, the shade cover  24  is at risk of being windblown from the roof  22  and, therefore, a first stability strap system  32  and a second stability strap system  34  are employed to secure the shade cover  24  to the trailer body  12 . 
     In  FIG. 2 , the sheet  26  is shown in a top plan view, however, the normally convex surface  30  is not convex because the sheet  26  is flattened in this view. The sheet  26  has a first side boundary  36  and a second side boundary  38  opposite each other. One or more straps  40  are attached to the sheet  26  at a first strap attachment location  42  and at a second strap attachment location  44 . The first and second strap attachment locations  42 ,  44  are oriented on the sheet  26  so that the straps  40  extend in a generally lateral direction across the sheet  26 . The first and second strap attachment locations  42 ,  44  may be on the upper surface  30  of the sheet  26  as shown in  FIG. 2  or could be located elsewhere on the sheet  26 . For example, one or both strap attachment locations  42 ,  44  may be at the first and second boundaries  36 ,  38  in alternative embodiments. 
     Each of the straps  40  preferably has a first length  46  extending over the first side boundary  36  and a second length  48  extending over the second side boundary  38 . The second length  48  may have a buckle  50  or some other connecting means like a hook (e.g., snap hook, S-hook), carabineer, or any other structural member for connecting the first and second lengths  46 ,  48  to each other. For example, one type of buckle  50  is shown in  FIG. 2  while another type of buckle  50  (i.e., an adjustable side release buckle) is shown in  FIG. 3 . Referring back to  FIG. 2 , the first and second lengths  46 ,  48  are sewn to the sheet  26  with a box stick  52  or other suitable stitching at the first and second strap attachment locations  42 ,  44 , respectively. Alternatively, the first and second lengths  46 ,  48  may be secured to the sheet  26  in some other manner. 
     A front end  54  and a rear end  56  of the sheet  26  extend between its first and second side boundaries  36 ,  38 . Although the sheet  26  is shown as a rectangle, with the front and rear ends  54 ,  56  and first and second side boundaries  36 ,  38  all being a straight edge, the sheet  26  may be shaped differently. Preferably, the width of the flattened sheet  26  is shaped similar to, though slightly larger than, the width of the roof  22  of the trailer body  12 . 
     The first and second stability strap systems  32 ,  34  are shown affixed to the upper surface  30  of the sheet  26  with stitching  58 . Alternatively, one or both of the strap systems  32 ,  34  may be affixed to the lower surface  28  of the sheet  26 . Preferably, the first stability strap system  32  has a first strap member  60  and a second strap member  62  each with one end affixed to the upper surface  30 . The first and second strap members  60 ,  62  extend from the front end  54  of the sheet  26  and converge toward each other. The first and second strap members  60 ,  62  join at a vertex  64  and are sewn to a trapezoidal piece of material  66  for strength. Alternatively, a differently shaped piece of material may be used, or, the strap members  60 ,  62  may be directly affixed to each other. 
     Extending from the vertex  64  is a trailer-tongue attachment strap  68 . The trailer-tongue attachment strap  68  is affixed to the trapezoidal piece of material  66  with a box stitch  70  but other stitch patterns may be used. The trailer-tongue attachment strap  68  is preferably a ratchet-style strap with a ratchet  72  that allows for length adjustment as well as for tightening the shade cover  24  against the roof  22 . Alternatively, other types of adjustable straps may be used or the first stability strap system  32  may be custom fit depending on the make and model of the RV. The trailer-tongue attachment strap  68  preferably terminates with an “S” hook  74  or other termination hardware. 
     The second stability strap system  34  also preferably has first and second strap members  76 ,  78  extending from the rear end  56  of the sheet  26 , though more or less strap members may be present. The first and second strap members  76 ,  78  may be adjustable or may be custom fit depending on the make and model of the recreational vehicle. In the preferred embodiment, the first and second strap members  76 ,  78  are doubled back to create a loop  80  and inserted through a strap adjuster  82 . The length of the strap members  76 ,  78  can be shortened by pulling on an end  84  of the strap members  76 ,  78  and lengthened by canting the strap adjuster  82  with respect to the strap members  76 ,  78 . Alternatively, the first and second strap members  76 ,  78  of the second stability strap system  34  may be a ratchet-style strap. 
     Also shown in  FIG. 2  is stitching  86  around the sheet  26  and stitching  88  in the interior of the sheet  26 . The stitching  86 ,  88  is for elements appearing on the lower surface  28  of the sheet  26 , which are shown in  FIG. 3 . Referring to  FIG. 3 , the sheet  26  is shown in a bottom plan view; however, the normally concave lower surface  28  is not concave because the sheet  26  is flattened in this view. At the first and second side boundaries  36 ,  38  and the front and rear ends  54 ,  56  of the sheet  26 , the material is folded back on itself and stitched to form a reinforced edge of the sheet  20 . The stitching  86  affixes the edges of the material and a pocket  90  is created around the sheet  26 . The stitching  88  on the interior of the sheet  20  affixes sleeves  92  along the lower surface  28 . 
     One or more support rods  94  are attached to the sheet  26 , extending between a first rod attachment location  96  and a second rod attachment location  98 . The first and second rod attachment locations  96 ,  98  are located where the support rods  94  attach to the sheet  26 . In the preferred embodiment, the first and second rod attachment locations  96 ,  98  are positioned at the first and second side boundaries  36 ,  38  of the sheet  26  where the T-shaped polyvinyl chloride (PVC) pipe connecting sleeves  100  are positioned within the pocket  90  as shown in  FIG. 4 . Alternatively, the connecting sleeves  100  may not be T-shaped, or, there may be alternative methods of attachment for the support rods  94 . For example, if they were grommets and the support rods  94  may be inserted into grommets or simply a reinforced pocket in the material (not shown). 
     Referring back to  FIG. 3 , the support rods  94  extend through the sleeves  92  and along the lower surface  28 . The first and second rod attachment locations  96 ,  98  are positioned along the first and second side boundaries  36 ,  38  of the sheet  26 . Alternatively, the first and second rod attachment locations  96 ,  98  may be elsewhere on the lower surface  28 . Or, as an even further alternative, the first and second rod attachment locations  96 ,  98  may be on the upper surface  30 , with the support rods  94  extending along the upper surface  30 , possibly through sleeves  92  located on the upper surface  30  (not shown). 
     When the first and second lengths  46 ,  48  of the straps  40  are connected and the shade cover  14  is installed, the support rods  94  maintain the curved shape of the sheet  26 . The support rods  94  are preferably made from PVC pipe or a similarly resilient material. As shown in  FIGS. 5 &amp; 6 , as the support rods  94  are bent into a curved shape, the sheet  20  follows the curvature of the support rods  94  and forms a curved sheet surface. When the first and second lengths  46 ,  48  of the straps  40  are connected with the buckle  50  the support rods  94  and the sheet  20  are then held in the curved shape.  FIG. 5  shows the straps  40  prior to connecting the first and second lengths  46 ,  48  while  FIG. 6  shows the straps  40  after the lengths  46 ,  48  are connected. The first and second lengths  46 ,  48  extend from the first and second strap attachment locations the convex surface  30  around the first and second side boundaries  36 ,  38  of the sheet  20 . 
     Preferably, each of the straps  40  is linearly aligned with one of the support rods  94  as shown in  FIG. 3  so that when the first and second lengths  46 ,  48  of the straps  40  are connected each of the straps  40  and its corresponding support rod are positioned in the same vertical plane. Alternatively each of the straps  40  could be offset from its corresponding support rod; however, each of the straps  40  would still preferably extend in the same general direction as its corresponding support rod. As such, the curved shape is prevented from twisting when the first and second lengths  46 ,  48  are connected. 
       FIG. 7  shows the shade cover  14  being installed on the trailer body  12 . A person  102  grabs the loops  80  on the first and second strap members  76 ,  78  of the second stability strap system  34  and pulls the sheet  26  onto the roof  22  from the front end  16  of the trailer body  12 . The first and second lengths  46 ,  48  of each of the straps  40  are unconnected for this step. The person  102  pulls the shade cover  14  toward the rear end  18  of the trailer body  12  so that the sheet  26  covers the roof  22  as shown in  FIG. 8 . 
     Referring to  FIG. 8 , the first length  46  of each of the straps  40  hangs from the sheet  26  and awaits connection with the second length  48 . The first stability strap system  32  also hangs from the front end  54  of the sheet  26 , while the second stability strap system  34  has been attached to a bumper  104  at the rear end  18  of the trailer body  12 . In this regard, the loop  80  on the first strap member  76  of the second stability strap system  34  can be seen around the bumper  104  in  FIG. 8  while the loop  80  on the second strap member  78  can be seen around the bumper  104  in  FIG. 10 . Once looped over the bumper  104 , the lengths of the first and second strap members  76 ,  78  can be adjusted at the strap adjuster  82  for optimal positioning of the shade cover  14  on the roof  22 . 
     To achieve optimal positioning of the shade cover  14  on the roof  22 , the first and second strap members  60 ,  62  of the first stability strap system  32  and the first and second strap members  76 ,  78  of the second stability strap system  34  are each positioned so that a portion of each strap  60 ,  62 ,  76 ,  78  extends around a corner  24  of the trailer body  12 . In  FIG. 8 , the first strap member  60  of the first stability strap system  32  and the first strap member  76  of second stability strap system  34  are both shown extending around their respective corners  24 . In  FIG. 10 , the second strap members  62 ,  78  of the first and second stability strap systems  32 ,  34  can both be seen extending around their respective corners  24 . Once each of the strap members is retained around its respective corner  24 , the first and second strap members  60 ,  62  of the first stability strap system  32  are shortened using strap adjusters  112 . Shortening the strap members  60 ,  62  pulls the front end  54  of the sheet  20  toward the roof  22  and prevents it from moving laterally across the roof  22 . 
     With the shade cover  14  positioned as described, the first and second lengths  46 ,  48  of the straps  40  are connected as shown and discussed with regard to  FIGS. 5 &amp; 6 . To do this, the person  102  positions a ladder (not shown) at one of the first lengths  46  which hangs from the roof  22  as shown in  FIG. 8 . The person  102  lifts the sheet  20  and throws the first length  46  across the roof  22  toward the other side  20   b  of the trailer body  12  and moves the moves the ladder to the next first length  46 . Once each first length  46  has been thrown to the other side  20   b , the ladder is positioned on the other side  20   b  and the person  102  connects each first length  46  to its respective second length  48 , thereby attaining curved shape of the sheet  20  as previously described. 
     Referring now to  FIG. 9 , the trailer-tongue attachment strap  68  is wrapped around a vertical portion  106  of a trailer tongue  108  with the S-hook  74  around the strap  68  while the sheet  20  is in the curved shape. Alternatively, the trailer tongue attachment strap  68  may be wrapped around a horizontal portion  110  of the trailer tongue  108 , or, as an even further alternative, the S-hook  74  may be hooked into part of the trailer tongue  108  or otherwise secured to the trailer body  12 . Once secured to the trailer body  12 , the trailer-tongue attachment strap  68  is ratcheted down using the ratchet  72 . Ratcheting down the trailer-tongue attachment strap  68  tightens the first stability strap system  32  and acts to secure the shade cover  14  toward the roof  22 . 
       FIG. 10 , depicts the shade cover  14  fully installed and secured to the roof  22  so that lateral and vertical movement of the shade cover  14  is prohibited. Each of the first and second stability strap systems  32 ,  34  extends are positioned and secured as previously described. Peaks  114  can be seen along the convex surface  30  where the support rods  94  are located under the sheet  26  and the ends to the straps  40  can be seen. 
     Although the present invention has been described with reference to specific embodiments, this description is not meant to be construed in a limiting sense. Various modifications of the disclosed embodiments, as well as alternative embodiments of the invention will become apparent to persons skilled in the art upon the reference to the above-description of the invention. It is, therefore, contemplated that the appended claims will cover such modifications that fall within the scope of the invention.