Abstract:
A collapsible sunshade according to the present invention has a panel comprising a foldable frame member having a folded and an unfolded orientation, the frame member defining a periphery for the panel with an interior space inside of the peiphery, a meshed material covering the interior space defined by the frame member to form the panel when the frame member is in the unfolded orientation, and a shade fabric having at least a portion thereof removably attached to the panel so that the shade fabric can assume a first position in which the shade fabric completely overlies, in a planar manner, the meshed material, and a second position where the portion of the shade fabric that is removably attached to the panel is disengaged from the panel to expose a portion of the meshed material.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    1. Field of the Invention 
         [0002]    The present invention relates to collapsible structures, and in particular, to collapsible sunshades that can be used for multiple purposes. 
         [0003]    2. Description of the Prior Art 
         [0004]    Collapsible sunshades have been well-known for some time, as illustrated by the sunshades shown and described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,024,262 (Huang), 4,815,784 (Zheng), 5,732,759 (Wan) and 5,553,908 (Shink), among others. All of these sunshades are provided solely for the purpose of blocking sunlight at a window or windshield when the vehicle is parked. None of these sunshades are capable of being used when the vehicle is in motion. 
         [0005]    There are other sunshades that are adapted for use when the vehicle is in motion. While these sunshades can provide partial shade to the occupants inside a vehicle, these sunshades are not effective in blocking heat and sunlight. 
       SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE 
       [0006]    It is an object of the present invention to provide a collapsible sunshade that can be deployed for different uses in an automobile. 
         [0007]    It is another object of the present invention to provide a collapsible sunshade that can be deployed for use in different environments, including use in the house or locations other than inside an automobile. 
         [0008]    In order to accomplish the objects of the present invention, the collapsible sunshade according to the present invention has a panel comprising a foldable frame member having a folded and an unfolded orientation, the frame member defining a periphery for the panel with an interior space inside of the peiphery, a meshed material covering the interior space defined by the frame member to form the panel when the frame member is in the unfolded orientation, and a shade fabric having at least a portion thereof removably attached to the panel so that the shade fabric can assume a first position in which the shade fabric completely overlies, in a planar manner, the meshed material, and a second position where the portion of the shade fabric that is removably attached to the panel is disengaged from the panel to expose a portion of the meshed material. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0009]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a collapsible sunshade according to one embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0010]      FIG. 2  illustrates a modification that can be made to the sunshade of  FIG. 1 . 
           [0011]      FIGS. 3A-3D  illustrate the two different uses for the sunshade of  FIG. 1 . 
           [0012]      FIGS. 4A through 4C  illustrate how the sunshade of  FIG. 1  may be twisted and folded for compact storage. 
           [0013]      FIG. 5  is a partial cut-away view of the section A of the structure of  FIG. 1  illustrating a frame member retained within a sleeve. 
           [0014]      FIGS. 6A and 6B  illustrate a modification that can be made to the sunshade of  FIG. 1   
           [0015]      FIG. 7  illustrates another embodiment of the sunshade of the present invention. 
           [0016]      FIG. 8  is a cross-sectional view of the section  8 - 8  in  FIG. 7 . 
           [0017]      FIGS. 9-15  illustrate other embodiments of sunshades according to the present invention. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
       [0018]    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. 
         [0019]    As shown in  FIGS. 1 and 5 , the sunshade  20  is comprised of a single panel  22 . The panel  22  can have four sides, such as a left side  30 , a bottom side  32 , a right side  34  and a top side  36 , although the panel  22  can assume any configuration and have any number of sides (e.g., square, rectangular, oval). The panel  22  has a frame retaining sleeve  38  provided along and traversing the four edges of its four sides. A frame member  40  is retained or held within each respective frame retaining sleeve  38  to support the panel  22 . 
         [0020]    The frame member  40  may be provided as one continuous loop, or may comprise a strip of material connected at both ends to form a continuous loop. The frame member  40  is preferably formed of flexible coilable steel, although other materials such as plastics may also be used. The frame member  40  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, each frame member  40  is capable of assuming two positions or orientations, an open or expanded position such as shown in  FIG. 1 , or a folded position in which the frame member  40  is collapsed into a size which is much smaller than its open position (see  FIG. 4C ). The frame member  40  may be merely retained within the frame retaining sleeve  38  without being connected thereto. Alternatively, the frame retaining sleeve  38  may be mechanically fastened, stitched, fused, or glued to the frame member  40  to retain it in position. 
         [0021]    A meshed material  42  extends across the panel  22 , and is held taut by the frame member  40  when in its open position. The meshed material is made from strong, lightweight materials and may include woven fabrics or nylons. The meshed material  42  defines a plurality of small uniform openings  24  so that a person can see through the meshed material  42  through these openings  24 . The meshed material  42  should be water-resistant and durable to withstand the wear and tear associated with rough treatment. 
         [0022]    In addition, a shade fabric  26  is provided to extend across the meshed material  42  in the interior space defined by the sides of the panel  22 . The shade fabric  26  can be provided in the form of a fabric material that has a reflective surface that is adapted to reflect sunlight and heat. The shade fabric  26  is preferably made from strong, lightweight materials that are adapted to withstand sunlight and heat, such as nylons, thick fabrics, and the like. In the embodiment shown in  FIG. 1 , the shade fabric  26  has a lower edge  44  that is permanently attached (e.g., by stitching) to the bottom side  32  of the panel  22 . Lower portions  46  and  48  of the left edge  50  and right edge  52 , respectively, of the shade fabric  26  are permanently attached (e.g., by stitching) to the lower portions of the left and right sides  30  and  34 , respectively, of the panel  22 . The permanent attachment of the lower edge  44  and lower portions  46 ,  48  to the meshed material  42  defines a pocket  28 . The rest of the left and right edges  50 ,  52  of the shade fabric  26  are not permanently attached to the left and right sides  30  and  34 , respectively, of the panel  22 , but are instead adapted to be removably attached to the left and right sides  30  and  34 , respectively, of the panel  22 . The removable attachment can be accomplished by a number of different mechanisms. For example, in  FIG. 1 , the mechanism can be a zipper  56  provided along the edges  50 ,  52  and the top edge  54  of the shade fabric  26  and the left, right and top sides  30 ,  34  and  36  of the panel  22 . 
         [0023]      FIG. 2  illustrates the use of opposing VELCRO™ pads  60  instead of the zipper  56 . These pads  60  can be provided in spaced-apart manner along the edges  50 ,  52 ,  54  of the shade fabric  26  and the sides  30 ,  34  and  36  of the panel  22  to facilitate removable engagement thereof. 
         [0024]    The shade fabric  26  is adapted to be folded (or rolled) and tucked into the pocket  28 . This allows the sunshade  20  to be used in two different ways: a first use where the shade fabric  26  is attached to the rest of the panel  22  in a manner such that the shade fabric  26  overlies the meshed material  42 , and a second use where enough of the periphery of shade fabric  26  is detached from the panel  22  so that the detached portion of the shade fabric  26  is tucked into the pocket  28 , thereby exposing a portion of the meshed material  42 . In the first use, the sunshade  20  can be deployed against a window or windshield for use when the vehicle is parked, and in the second use, the sunshade  20  can be deployed against a window or windshield while the vehicle is in motion. In the second use, the exposed portion of the meshed material  42  allows the occupants of the vehicle to see through the exposed portion of the meshed material  42  to the outside of the vehicle. Referring to  FIGS. 3A-3D ,  FIG. 3A  shows the sunshade  20  configured to be deployed against a window or windshield when the vehicle is parked, with the shade fabric  26  overlying the meshed material  42 . To convert the sunshade  20  to the second use, the shade fabric  26  is detached from the meshed material  42  by detaching the VELCRO™ pads  60  (or the zipper  56 ) (see  FIG. 3B ), and then rolling (or folding) the shade fabric  26  (see  FIG. 3C ) and tucking the rolled (or folded) shade fabric  26  into the pocket  28  (see  FIG. 3D ). 
         [0025]    Suction cups  58  can be attached to the meshed material  42  and/or the shade fabric  26  at the location of the pocket  28 . The suction cups  58  allow for the sunshade  20  to be removably attached to the inner surface of a window or windshield. 
         [0026]      FIGS. 4A through 4C  describe the various steps for folding and collapsing the sunshade  20  of  FIG. 1  for storage. The first step consists of twisting and folding to collapse the frame member  40  and panel  22  into a smaller shape. In particular, the opposite border of the panel  22  is folded in (see arrow  2  in  FIG. 4A ) upon the previous fold to further collapse the frame member  40  with the panel  22 . As shown in  FIG. 4B , the folding is continued so that the initial size of the sunshade  20  is reduced until the frame member  40  and panel  22  are collapsed on each other (see  FIG. 4C ) to provide for a small essentially compact configuration having a plurality of concentric frame members  40  and layers of the panel  22  so that the collapsed sunshade  20  has a size which is a fraction of the size of the initial structure. 
         [0027]      FIGS. 6A and 6B  illustrate another modification that can be made to the sunshade  20  of  FIG. 1 . The lower portions  46  and  48  of the left edge  50  and right edge  52 , respectively, of the shade fabric  26  that are permanently attached to the lower portions of the left and right sides  30  and  34 , respectively, of the panel  22  can be lengthened, with a stitch line  59  provided across the top of the pocket  28  to attach the shade fabric  26  to the mesh material  42  along the stitch line  59 . Removable attachment mechanisms (e.g., VELCRO™ pads  61 ) can be provided along the periphery of the outer surface of the shade fabric  26  so that the upper unattached portion of the shade fabric  26  can be folded over about the stitch line  59 , and opposing pads  61  removably attached to each other (see  FIG. 6B ) to secure the upper portion of the shade fabric  26  to the pocket  28 . The embodiment in  FIGS. 6A and 6B  provides a larger lower portion of the shade fabric  26 . 
         [0028]      FIG. 7  illustrates another embodiment of the present invention, where the sunshade now includes a first panel  22   a  and a second panel  22   b  positioned such that the two panels  22   a  and  22   b  are hingedly connected to each other along adjacent sides  32   a  and  36   b,  respectively. The two panels  22   a,    22   b  can be identical in construction to the panel  22  in  FIG. 1 , except that both panels  22   a,    22   b  now share the shade fabric  26 .  FIG. 8  illustrates one possible connection for connecting adjacent sides  32   a,    36   b.  The meshed materials  42   a,    42   b  are stitched at their edges by a stitching  45  to the respective sleeves  38 . Each sleeve  38  may be formed by folding a piece of fabric. The stitching  45  also acts as a hinge for the panels  22   a  and  22   b  to be folded upon each other, as explained below. 
         [0029]    A single shade fabric  26   a  is provided, and has one edge  44   a  stitched to the hinged connection shown in  FIG. 8 . The shade fabric  26   a  can be removably attached to either meshed material  42   a  or  42   b  via the same removable attachment mechanisms described above. To fold and collapse the two panels  22   a,    22   b,  one panel  22   a  is folded on top of the other panel  22   b,  with the shade fabric  26   a  between the two panels  22   a,    22   b,  and then the combined panels  22   a,    22   b  can be twisted and folded according to the method shown in  FIGS. 4A-4C . 
         [0030]    In the embodiments described above, the shade fabric  26  does not need to be permanently attached to the panel  22 . It is possible to provide the shade fabric  26  as a separate piece of fabric that can be completely removably attached to the panel  22 . For example,  FIG. 9  illustrates the embodiment of  FIG. 1  with the zipper  56  extending completely around the peripheries of the shade fabric  26  and the panel  22 .  FIG. 10  illustrates the embodiment of  FIG. 2  with the VELCRO™ pads  60  extending around the peripheries of the shade fabric  26  and the panel  22 . Referring to  FIG. 11 , the separate shade fabric  26  can be rolled up and tied to a side  32  of the panel  22  via tie members  64  provided along the side  32 . 
         [0031]      FIG. 12  illustrates yet another modification that can be made to the sunshade in  FIGS. 10-11 . The shade fabric  26  can be replaced by two separate shade fabrics  26   c,    26   d  that can be completely detached from the panel  22 . The provision of two separate shade fabrics  26   c,    26   d  allows the user to completely cover selected portions of the panel  22 , thereby providing additional flexibility in use. 
         [0032]      FIG. 13  combines the principles of  FIGS. 1 ,  7  and  8 . The sunshade in  FIG. 13  comprises three of the sunshades  20  shown in  FIG. 1 , but hingedly connected to each other using the hinged connection shown in  FIGS. 7 and 8 . The embodiment of  FIG. 13  provides a larger overall sunshade that can be used with larger windows, such as in recreational vehicles or inside buildings. 
         [0033]      FIG. 14  illustrates a modification to the embodiment of  FIG. 13 . In  FIG. 14 , the sunshade is made up of three smaller panels that are different in size and/or shape. In  FIG. 14 , the panels  22   f  and  22   g  are the same size and shape, but the panel  22   h  is smaller and has a different shape. This embodiment is best suited for use with the windshield W, with the smaller panel  22   h  accomodating the location of the rear-view mirror RV. Additional fabric material  70  can be provided between the panels  22   f,    22   g,  and above and below the panel  22   h,  to fill out the surface area of the windshield W. 
         [0034]      FIG. 15  extends the principles of  FIG. 14  even further by illustrating the provision of another smaller panel  22   j.  The smaller panels  22   h  and  22   j  are provided one above the other, and between the larger panels  22   f,    22   g.  As shown in these embodiments, a sunshade according to the present invention can be provided with one or more panels  22  arranged in any desired configuration so that the sunshade can be adapted for use in almost any desired location or environment. 
         [0035]    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.