Abstract:
The present invention provides an awning, which is excellent in the appearance and the opening and closing operation. Roof cover  3  having a light shielding effect is provided so as to hang down forward above open cabin  2  of cruiser C, transparent window panel  4  is provided and inclined to be in parallel with said roof cover  3,  said window panel  4  is made to freely open and close by sliding in the space X between the front end of the roof cover  3  and the front portion of the open cabin at the front side of the roof cover, the opening and closing operability of the window panel  4  is made excellent, and in particular, when the window panel  4  is closed, the form becomes streamline in appearance in which the wind is directed to fall forward from the window panel  4  to the roof cover  3.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to an awning to be fit to an open cabin of a cruiser or recreational boat whose upper side is open. 
     2. Description of the Related Art 
     Conventionally, there is a cruiser that has a main cabin with a steering which is open to the air, a cruiser that has a flying deck (called a flying bridge, also) with a steering which is provided on the roof of a main cabin, and a cruiser having a cabin whose upper side is open (hereinafter, such as cabin is referred to as an open cabin). 
     Since the upper side of such an open cabin is open, a steersman can enjoy a refreshing sense of freedom during steering. 
     However, when steering in such an open cabin, a steersman may be exposed to a strong head wind, sprayed by the waves, or exposed to sunlight, so an enclosure is installed in the open cabin in order to enclose the steering seat and protect the steersman. 
     There are various types of enclosures, and most of them are formed so that transparent vinyl sheets are spread via fasteners on the front face and both side faces of a main frame constructed in the form of a box on the open cabin, and a shielding sheet is spread on the top face of the main frame. Therefore, such an enclosure does not have a good external appearance since the box-shaped enclosure projects from the streamlined hull. 
     Furthermore, the enclosure is ventilated by opening the fasteners of the transparent vinyl sheets, however, the cruiser is typically anchored while being left exposed to rain at a marina, so that the transparent vinyl sheets may deform due to changes in temperature and other environmental conditions making smooth opening and closing of the fasteners difficult. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     To solve the abovementioned problems such as a poor appearance of the enclosure and a difficulty in opening and closing the fasteners of the enclosure in the conventional art, in the present invention, a roof cover with a light shielding effect is provided so as to hang down toward the front side at the upper side of the open cabin of the cruiser, a transparent window panel is provided and inclined so as to be in parallel with said roof cover, said window panel is made to freely open and close by sliding in a space between the front end of the roof cover and the front portion of the open cabin that is provided at the front side of the roof cover, the opening and closing operability of the window panel is excellent, and in particular, when closing the window panel, the awning is made to have a streamlined form so that wind flows down forward from the window panel to the roof cover. 
     In short, according to the invention, since the roof cover  3  having a light shielding effect is disposed so as to hang down forward at the upper side of the open cabin  2 , the roof cover is in good harmony with the streamlined cruiser C, and can be used as a roof with an excellent appearance in comparison with the conventional box-shaped enclosure. 
     In addition, air resistance against a head wind heading for the open cabin  2  is relieved by the inclination of the roof cover  3  to reduce the pitching and rolling of the cruiser C due to the head wind, whereby the steering is made excellent. 
     Since the space X between the front end of the roof cover  3  and the front portion of the open cabin  2  is freely opened and closed by sliding the transparent window panel  4  disposed and inclined so as to be in parallel with the roof cover  3 , the space X can be opened and closed by the easy operation of sliding the window panel  4  in comparison with the conventional opening and closing means by means of fasteners that are troublesome to open and close, whereby, in the condition where the window panel  4  is opened, wind can be allowed to blow in the steering sheet of the open cabin  2 , and a steersman can feel a refreshing sense of freedom. 
     Furthermore, in the condition where the window panel  4  is closed, the form becomes an excellent streamline in appearance in which inclination continues from the window panel  4  to the roof cover  3  in comparison with the conventional type, the field of view is good, and a strong head wind and the sea spray can be avoided, so that the cruiser C can be steered with no problem. 
     A pair of parallel rods  8  and  8   a  disposed in parallel at the right and left are provided on the lower ends of the side frames  12  and  12   a  supporting the roof cover  3 , and the parallel rods  8  and  8   a  are connected via the attaching and detaching means  24 ,  24   a  . . . to the handrails C 1  and C 1   a  provided at the left and right of the open cabin  2 , so that the awning  1  can be attached to the existing handrails C 1  and C 1   a  without providing and fixing an attaching member exclusive for the awning  1 , and the attaching work becomes easy. 
     The awning can be easily removed from the open cabin  2  as necessary. 
     Moreover, since the rear end of the roof cover  3  is extended so as to cover the upper side of the rear deck C 4 , the shading area of the roof cover  3  can be expanded not only to the steering sheet but also to the extent up to the rear deck C 4 , and this roof cover  3  also shields the rear deck C 4  from sunlight and rain. Therefore, the practical effect of the invention is great. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     The Foregoing and other features and advantages of the present invention will become more readily more appreciated as the same becomes better understood by reference to the following detailed description when taken into conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein: 
     FIG. 1 is a front view of the awning in the condition where the window panel is closed. 
     FIG. 2 is a rear view of FIG.  1 . 
     FIG. 3 is a plan view of FIG.  1 . 
     FIG. 4 is a bottom view of FIG.  1 . 
     FIG. 5 is a side view of FIG.  1 . 
     FIG. 6 is a sectional view along the A—A line of FIG.  3 . 
     FIG. 7 is a front view of the awning in the condition where the window panel is opened. 
     FIG. 8 is a sectional view similar to FIG. 6 of the awning in the condition where the window panel is opened. 
     FIG. 9 is a partial side view showing the attached condition of the awning. 
     FIG. 10 is an enlarged sectional view showing the striker and the locking device. 
     FIG. 11 is an enlarged front view showing the connected condition achieved by means of clamps. 
     FIG. 12 is a front view showing the awning in use. 
     FIG. 13 is a side view of FIG.  12 . 
     FIG. 14 is a plan view of FIG.  12 . 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     Hereinafter, an embodiment of the invention shall be described based on the drawings. 
     Awning  1  of the present invention is mainly comprised of a sheet-shaped waterproof roof cover  3  having a light shielding effect, which is disposed above open cabin  2  of cruiser C so as to angle downwardly as same projects forwardly, and transparent window panel  4  which moves between open and closed positions by sliding in space X between the front end of said roof cover  3  and the front portion of open cabin  2 , and is disposed and inclined so as to be in parallel with the roof cover  3 . 
     Also, the cruiser C in the drawing is a type provided with a flying deck (open cabin  2 ) on the roof of the main cabin, and, needless to say, in addition to this type of cruiser C, the awning  1  of the invention can be applied to other cruisers if they have open cabins without roofs. 
     The abovementioned roof cover  3  and window panel  4  are attached to mainframe  5 . 
     The mainframe  5  is formed by monolithically molding front frame  6  and rear frame  7 , and as shown in FIG. 4, the mainframe is formed into a roughly lateral rectangular shape so that the frame is bilaterally symmetric and the front and rear sides curve outward in the bottom view. 
     The front frame  6  is formed into a roughly U shape by connecting parallel rods  8  and  8   a,  which are disposed in parallel at the right and left sides on the same plane, and front arc rod  9 , which curves outward from the front end of said parallel rods  8  and  8   a.    
     The rear ends of the parallel rods  8  and  8   a  are continued from bow-shaped rods  11  and  11   a  that are arched so as to project forwardly as shown in FIG. 5, and the lower ends of said bow-shaped rods  11  and  11   a  are connected to the rear ends of the parallel rods  8  and  8   a  at almost right angles, whereby these frames and rods are united to form the mainframe  5 . 
     Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 6, in the mainframe  5 , arched side frames  12  and  12   a  which gently curve are laid across the front ends of the parallel rods  8  and  8   a  and the rear portions of the bow-shaped rods  11  and  11   a,  and said side frames  12  and  12   a  are disposed in parallel with each other so as to overlap with the parallel rods  8  and  8   a  and the bow-shaped rods  11  and  11   a.    
     At the front ends of the side frames  12  and  12   a,  the connecting portions to the parallel rods  8  and  8   a  form short standing portions  13  and  13   a.    
     At the forward portions of the side frames  12  and  12   a,  the arch-shaped front frame  14  is laid. 
     A plurality of lateral supporting rods  15 ,  15   a  and  15   b  of the roof cover  3  with the same curvature as that of the front frame  14  are disposed in parallel with each other between the front frame  14  and the rear arc rod  10 , supporting rods  16 ,  16   a  and  16   b  are disposed so as to intersect said lateral supporting rods  15 ,  15   a  and  15   b,  and the front and rear ends of said supporting rods  16 ,  16   a  and  16   b  are connected to the front frame  14  and rear arc rod  10 , respectively. 
     Herein, the roof cover  3  is spread over the curved surface surrounded by the rear arc rod  10 , front frame  14 , and side frames  12  and  12   a.    
     That is, each side of the roof cover  3  is turned up so as to wrap the rear arc rod  10 , front frame  14 , and side frames  12  and  12   a,  and as shown in FIG. 4, a lining spread on the back surface of the roof cover  3  and the abovementioned sides of the cover are stitched up by a string in zigzags. 
     Then, as shown in FIG. 13, this roof cover  3  is formed by extending the rear end of the roof cover  3  so as to cover the rear deck C 4  of the cruiser C in the condition where the awning  1  is attached to the cruiser C. 
     Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 5, slide rails  17  and  17   a  are provided in parallel with each other under the side frames  12  and  12   a  to follow the curves of the frames, and the front and rear ends of said slide rails  17  and  17   a  are connected to the rear portions of the standing portions  13  and  13   a  of the slide frames  12  and  12   a  and the arc rods  11  and  11   a,  respectively. 
     The window panel  4  is made from plastic such as polycarbonate, has an area roughly corresponding to the space X surrounded by the front frame  14 , front arc rod  9 , and side frames  12  and  12   a,  and is bent horizontally into an arch shape as the front frame  14 . 
     Reinforcing frame  18  is provided on the periphery of the window panel  4 , and cylindrical sliders  19  and  19   a  are fixed to the front and rear ends at the right and left sides of said reinforcing frame  18 , and said sliders  19  and  19   a  are slidably mounted on the slide rails  17  and  17   a,  whereby the window panel  4  opens and closes by sliding in the space X between the front frame  14  and the front arc rod  9  (corresponding to the space X between the front end of the roof cover  3  and the front portion of the open cabin  2 ). 
     In other words, the front side  18   a  and rear side  18   b  of the reinforcing frame  18  are disposed so as to overlap with the upper portion of the front arc rod  9  and the lower portion of the front frame  14 , respectively, in the condition where the space X is closed by the window panel  4  as shown in FIG. 6, and on the other hand, the window panel  4  is disposed so as to overlap the lower portion of the roof cover  3  in parallel in the condition where the space X is opened by sliding the window panel  4  rearward as shown in FIG.  8 . 
     U-shaped rear strikers  20  and  20   a  are provided at the middle portions of the front side  18   a  and rear side  18   b  of the reinforcing frame  18  corresponding to the lower edge and upper edge of the window panel  4  so that the strikers project forward and rearward in the direction of inclination of the window panel  4 . 
     U-shaped knob  21  for sliding operation of the window panel  4  is hung down from the middle portion of the rear side  18   b  of the reinforcing frame  18 . 
     In addition, the portion of the front arc rod  9  corresponding to the front striker  20  is provided with locking device  22  for locking and unlocking said striker  20 . 
     The portion of the rod corresponding to the rear striker  20   a  in the condition where the window panel  4  is moved rearward (corresponding to the intersection between the lateral supporting rod  15  and vertical supporting rod  16 ) is provided with locking device  22   a  for locking and unlocking the striker  20   a.    
     The locking devices  22  and  22   a  have the same structure, and as the schematic internal structure of one locking device  22  shown in FIG. 10, the locking device is comprised of latch  23  for attaching and detaching the strikers  20  and  20   a  and lever  23   a  for attaching and detaching operations of the strikers  20  and  20   a  with said latch  23 . 
     The latch  23  is forked so as to retain the strikers  20  and  20   a,  provided in a manner enabling the latch to freely rotate, and pressed in the direction of releasing the strikers  20  and  20   a  by a twist coil spring. On the other hand, the lever  23   a  is provided so that the front end is freely engaged and disengaged with one of the abovementioned forks, and pressed in the direction of engaging with the fork of the latch  23  by a twist coil spring. 
     When the latch  23  rotates while retaining the striker  20  or  20   a  between the forks, one of the forks engages the front end of the lever  23   a,  the locking devices  22  and  22   a  retains the strikers  20  and  20   a,  and in this condition, the base end of the lever  23   a  is swung so as to disengage the fork, whereby the latch  23  rotates in the releasing direction by the pressing force of the twist coil spring to release the strikers  20  and  20   a  from the locking devices  22  and  22   a.    
     Also, as shown in FIG. 9, the existing bar-shaped handrails C 1  and C 1   a  are fixed to the right and left edges of the open cabin  2  of the cruiser C in a horizontal manner with respect to the open cabin  2 , and awning  1  is connected to the handrails C 1  and C 1   a  via attaching and detaching means  24 ,  24   a  and  24   b  comprised of clamps. 
     Concretely, parallel rods  8  and  8   a  on the mainframe  5  that are provided at a space corresponding to the space between the handrails C 1  and C 1   a  are disposed in parallel with each other by the clamps  24 ,  24   a  and  24   b  so as to overlap the handrails C 1  and C 1   a.    
     As shown in FIG. 11, the clamps  24 ,  24   a  and  24   b  connect the upper clamp  25  clamping the parallel rod  8  or  8   a  and lower clamp  26  clamping handrail C 1  or C 1   a  via U-shaped joint  27 . 
     The upper clamp  25  and lower clamp  26  have almost the same structure and are formed of upper plates  28  and  28   a  and lower plates  29  and  29   a  in pairs, respectively, and in the lower surfaces of the upper plates  28  and  28   a  and the upper surfaces of the lower plates  29  and  29   a,  semicircular concave portions corresponding to the arcs of the parallel rods  8  and  8   a  or the handrails C 1  and C 1   a  are made, respectively, and female screws that communicate both ends of the upper plates  28  and  28   a  and lower plates  29  and  29   a  are threaded. 
     Then, the parallel rods  8  and  8   a  and handrails C 1  and C 1   a  are disposed between the concave portions of the upper plates  28  and  28   a  and lower plates  29  and  29   a  of the upper clamp  25  and lower clamp  26 , and bolts B are screwed into the female screws in the upper plates  28  and  28   a  and the lower plates  29  and  29   a,  whereby the parallel rods  8  and  8   a  and handrails C 1  and C 1   a  are clamped by the upper clamp  25  and lower clamp  26  to connect the parallel rods  8  and  8   a  and the handrails C 1  and C 1   a.    
     Thereby, as shown in FIG. 9, the awning  1  is fixed to the open cabin  2 , and in the condition where the window panel  4  is closed, the space X is closed by the front face upper edge of windproof panel C 2  provided on the periphery of the open cabin  2  and the front end of the roof cover  3 . 
     Furthermore, at the front side of the open cabin  2 , strut C 3  that connects and supports the front arc rod  9  on the main frame  5  is erected. 
     Depending on the type of the cruiser C, the cruiser may not have the existing handrails C 1  and C 1   a,  and in this case, the strut C 3  is erected around the open cabin  2  to connect and support the front arc rod  9  and the parallel rods  8  and  8   a  on the main frame  5 . 
     Next, the operation of the awning  1  of the present invention is explained. 
     When windproofing is not necessary, handle  21  attached to the window panel  4  is gripped, the window panel  4  is slid rearward until the rear striker  20   a  attached to the window panel  4  (reinforcing frame  18 ) is locked by the rear lock device  22   a,  and the space X between the front end of the roof cover  3  and the front part of the open cabin  2  (the front face upper edge of the windproof panel C 2 ) is opened. 
     Since the roof cover  3  is extended so that the rear end covers the upper side of the rear deck C 4  of the cruiser C, the area including the steering sheet of the open cabin  2  up to the deck C 4  is shaded. 
     Although particular preferred embodiments of the invention have been disclosed in detail for illustrative purposes, it will be recognized that variations or modifications of the disclosed apparatus, including the rearrangement of parts, lie within the scope of the present invention.