Patent Publication Number: US-2007113879-A1

Title: Car awning

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
      1. Field of the Invention  
      This invention relates to a car awning, particularly to one that can be easily positioned on top of a car at one side and supported with two poles standing on the ground at the other side with a shade stretched out between the two sides for sheltering from sunshine and rain.  
      2. Description of the Prior Art  
      A common conventional car awning  1 , as shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2 , is always fixed on one side of the top of a car. In using, just pull out one side of the shade of the conventional car awning and the outer side of the shade is supported by two poles standing on the ground. The conventional one, being screwed fixedly on the body of a car, is possible to give damage to the steel plate of the car&#39;s body and to shorten its serving life because of a long-term exposure to sunshine and rain. Moreover, the conventional one is stationary fixed, impossible to be moved to the other side of a car, inconvenient for using.  
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
      The prime object of this invention is to offer a car awning having an inner side possible to be fixed on either side of the top of a car or completely separately positioned on the ground, not depending on the top of a car.  
      The main characteristics of the invention are a shelter storing body, a cloth shelter, a reinforced stick set and two standing posts. The main body provided with two fixing suckers at its one side for sucking on a car is pivotally fixed with a rotating arm at its two ends respectively. The shelter cloth worn fixedly with the main body and the rotating arms by its one edge is provided with plural fixing holes on its inner surface for the reinforced stick set to wear in, so that the shelter cloth can be stretched out flat. The standing posts are locked with the reinforced stick set to lift up the shelter cloth. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS  
      This invention is better understood by referring to the accompanying drawings, wherein:  
       FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a conventional car awning, showing it collapsed on the top of a car;  
       FIG. 2  is a perspective view of the conventional car awning, showing it stretched out;  
       FIG. 3  is a perspective view of a first preferred embodiment of a car awning in a collapsed condition in the present invention;  
       FIG. 4  is a cross-sectional view of a shade storing case set in the first preferred embodiment of a car awning in the present invention, showing a position rod, two swingable arms and a shade wound around them stored in and a cover closed on an opening of a case body and a sucker connected at one side of the case body;  
       FIG. 5  is a cross-sectional and perspective view of the case body with the sucker in the first embodiment of a car awning in the present invention, showing the cover in an opened condition;  
       FIG. 6  is a side view of the car awning of the first preferred embodiment in the present invention, showing it positioned at one side of the top of a car and being in the collapsed condition;  
       FIG. 7   a  is a perspective view of a shade taken of the case body and expanded by the swung-out swingable arms in the first preferred embodiment of a car awning in the present invention;  
       FIG. 7   b  is a magnified view of the part marked (A) in  FIG. 7   a;    
       FIG. 8   a  is a perspective view of the shade stretched out by three stretch rods and supported on two standing poles in the first preferred embodiment of a car awning in the present invention  
       FIG. 8   b  is a magnified view of the part marked “A” in  FIG. 8   a;    
       FIG. 9  is a partial perspective view of a stretch rod unit in the first embodiment of a car awning in the present invention;  
       FIG. 10  is a partial perspective view of a fitting base on the case body and an additional standing pole in a second preferred embodiment in the present invention; and  
       FIG. 11  is a perspective view of the fitting base fitted in the case body and the additional standing poles combined with each other in the second preferred embodiment in the present invention,  
       FIG. 12  is a perspective view of the car awning in the second embodiment in an expanded condition for use in the present invention. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT  
      As shown in  FIGS. 3-9 , a first preferred embodiment of a car awning in the present invention includes a shade storing case set  2 , a cloth shade  3 , a stretch rod unit  4  and two standing poles  5 .  
      The shade storing case set  2  is composed of a case body  20 , two suckers  21 , a cover  22 , a position rod  24 , and two swingablearms  25   
      The case body  20  has a left side wall, an upper side wall and a lower side wall extending from the upper side wall, and a right side wall provided with a large opening  203 , and an interior space surrounded by the four walls for receiving the position rod  24  and the two swingable arms  25  with the cloth shade  3  therein when the cloth shade  3  is wound around the position rod  24  and two swingable arms  25 .  
      The two suckers  21  are movably combined with the case body  20  by means of combining base  27 , to be positioned stably on one side of the top of a car by sucking on the surface of the top of the car, temporarily keeping the shade storing case set  2  firmly on the top of the car. The suckers  21  respectively have an angle-adjusting rod  210  pivotally connected with the combining base  27  slidably connected with the case body  20 , and a position rod  211  and a position hole  212 .  
      The cover  22  is provided with a position projection  220  at a front end and a pivotal member  221  at a rear end, closing on the opening  203  with the pivotal member  221  serving a pivot. The position projection  220  fits in the lower end of the opening  203  and firmly contacts with a lower end edge  230  of the opening  203  when the cover  22  closes on the opening  203 .  
      The position rod  24  is stably positioned inside the case body  20 , with an intermediate portion of an inner end of the cloth shade  3  fixed thereon to let an intermediate portion of the cloth shade  3  wound around thereon.  
      The two swingable arms  25  are respectively combined pivotally with two ends of the position rod  24  so that the swingable arms  25  may be folded by swinging inward to lie beside and parallel to the position rod  24  in the case body  20 .  FIGS. 7   a  and  7   b  show how the two swingable arms  25  are pivotally connected with the position rod  24  by means of a pivotal base  26 . Further, the swingable arms  25  have an insert hole  250  near an outer end for combining with the standing poles  5  standing on the ground, and each swingable arm  25  is fixed with nearly one third of an inner side of the cloth shade  3  so the cloth shade  3  may be wound around thereon when the car awning is not used.  
      The cloth shade  3  has its inner lengthwise side fixed on the position rod  24  and the two swingable arms  25 , and plural fitting rings  30  sewn spaced apart on a lower surface of the cloth shade  3  in a curved line on the outer lengthwise side and to an outer section of two lateral sides and two cloth tubes  31  sewn on the lower surface of the cloth shade  3  in a diagonally crossing condition for two straight stretch rods  4  to extend therethrough for stretching the cloth shade  3  in a flat condition, not drooping down.  
      The stretch rod unit  4  are composed of a curved stretch rod  4 , and the two straight stretch rods  4 ′, and the curved stretch rod  4  fits through the fitting rings  30  and the two straight stretch rods  4 ′ extend through the two cloth tubes  31  in the diagonal crossing condition on the lower surface of the cloth shade  3 . Additionally, one end of the two straight stretch rods  4 ′ is placed on the top of the two standing poles  5 , where the curved stretch rod  4  is fitted in the top of the standing poles  5  fitting through the holes  250  so that the two standing poles  5  may keep the stretched-out flat cloth shade  3  stably together with the case body  20  kept stably on the top of a car, as shown in  FIG. 8   a , forming the first embodiment of the car awning in the present invention.  
      Each standing pole  5  has a fitting member  50  at its top, enabling the curved stretch rod  4  to fit easily in the fitting member  50  in place.  
      In using, first, take out the shade storing case set  2  put inside a car and place it on one side of the top of the car. Then, move the suckers  21  to slide along the case body  20  and keep them at an appropriate position respectively on one side of the top of the car, and adjust the angle-adjusting rod  210  to let the suckers  21  inclined in a proper angle respectively, so that the suckers  21  may suck on the upper surface of the top of the car tightly by pulling up the position rod  211 . Should the suckers  21  be wanted to be kept more stably, a rope can be used and tied around the top of the car by inserted through the position rod  212  of each sucker  21 , as shown in  FIG. 6 . The cover  22  of the case body  20  is then opened up to let the pivotal member  221  of the cover  22  clamped by the clamming member  231  of the opening  203 . Then, pull out the cloth shade  3  stored in the case body  20  through the opening  203  and stretch it out from the positioning rod  24  and the two swingable arms  25 . Next, swing out the two swingable arms  25  outward with the pivotal bases  26  serving as pivots, as shown in  FIGS. 7 and 8 , until the two swingable arms  25  become aligned to the position rod  24  or the case body  20 , as shown in  FIG. 8 . Then the curved stretch rod  4  is inserted through the fitting rings  30  of the cloth shade  3  and the two straight stretch rods  4 ′ are extended through the two cloth tubes  31 . The fitting member  50  of each standing pole  5  is combined with the curved stretch rod  4 , as shown in  FIG. 8 , with the lower end of the standing poles  5  standing on the ground.  
      Next, a second preferred embodiment of a car awning in the present invention shown in  FIGS. 10, 11  and  12  includes a shade storing case set  2 , a cloth shade  3 , a stretch rod unit  4 , two standing poles  5  and two additional standing poles  6 .  
      The shade storing case set  2  of the second embodiment is composed of a case body  20 , a cover  22 , a position rod  24 , two swingable arms  25 , and two combining bases  27 .  
      The cloth shade  3 , the stretch rod unit  4  and the standing poles  5  are all the same as those in the first embodiment.  
      The additional standing poles  6  possess a fitting portion  60  at an upper end for fitting with the combining bases  27  of the case body  20 , and a sharp lower end  61  possible to insert in the ground for stabilizing the additional standing poles  6  on the ground.  
      In using, first, take out the shade storing case set  2  put inside a car. Insert the sharp lower end  61  of the additional standing poles  6  properly in the ground so as to keep the main standing poles  6  stand up steadily on the ground. Next, move the combining bases  27  along the case body  20  to a position where it can be combined with the fitting portion  60  of the additional standing poles  6 . The cover  22  is then opened up to let the pivotal member  221  clamped by the clamming member  231  of the opening  203 . Then, pull out the cloth shade  3  stored in the case body  20  through the opening  203  and stretch it out. Next, swing out the two swingable arms  25  with the pivotal bases  26  serving as pivots until the swingable arms  25  become aligned to the position rod  24 . Then, the cloth shade  3  is stretched out completely. Finally, the curved stretch rod  4  and the two straight stretch rods  4 ′ are fitted through respectively the cloth tubes  31  and the fitting rings  30  as described in the assembling way of the first embodiment of the car awing. Next, the standing poles  5  are combined with the curved stretch rod  4  also in the same way described in the first embodiment. Thus, the second embodiment of the car awning is assembled together for use, independently and not depending on the top of a car.  
      The advantages of the present invention are described as below:  
      1. The car awning in the present invention can be stored in a car and then taken out and assembled together for use, able to have its serving life very long.  
      2. All components of the car awning in the present invention can be assembled or disassembled to be collapsed inside the case body  20 , reducing a storing space effectively.  
      3. The suckers  21  can be fixed temporarily on the top of a car, simplifying assembling work of the car awning in the present invention.  
      4. Since the suckers  21  of the shade storing case set  2  can be moved along the case body  20  freely to stay at one of many varied positions, they enable the car awning in the present invention to be used very conveniently by a user.  
      5. The suckers  21  can be replaced with the combining bases  27 , and the additional standing poles  6  can replace the top of a car, forming the car awning not depending on the car, but independently to stand on the ground.  
      While the preferred embodiment of the invention has been described above, it will be recognized and understood that various modifications may be made therein and the appended claims are intended to cover all such modifications that may fall within the spirit and scope of the invention.