Abstract:
A roof mounted container which has a plurality of compartments, one of which stores a retractable cover and the other stores supports for a roof rack and/or awning support. The container can rotate so it can stretch toward the back of the vehicle or to the side of the vehicle.

Description:
This a conversion of Provisional application Ser. No. 60/145,110, filed Jul. 23, 1999. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention relates, in general, to trailers, and, in particular, to a trailer which can store and protect items on the trailer and a pull out awning for the trailer. 
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART 
     In the prior art various types of protective devices for trailers have been proposed. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,056,350 to Brutsaert discloses a vehicle which has a retractable sun shade. 
     The patent to Diliberti discloses a vehicle which has a frame work that attaches to the side of the vehicle with a retractable awning. 
     The patent to Hartzner discloses a portable awning that attaches to the roof of a trailer. 
     The patent to Brandon discloses a canopy that is attached to the roof of a vehicle and which can be pulled out to the side of the vehicle. 
     The patent to Chamberlain discloses a canopy attached to a roof of a vehicle and which can be extended out from a storage roll. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention is directed to a roof mounted container which has a plurality of compartments, one of which stores a retractable cover and the other stores supports for a roof rack and/or awning support. The container can rotate so it can stretch toward the back of the vehicle or to the side of the vehicle. 
     It is an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved accessory for a trailer. 
     It is an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved accessory for a trailer which provides storage for the trailer. 
     It is an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved accessory for a trailer which provides a retractable cover which can rotate so it can stretch toward the back of the vehicle or to the side of the vehicle. 
     These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will be fully apparent from the following description, when taken in connection with the annexed drawings. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a side view of the present invention mounted on a trailer. 
     FIG. 2 is a partial perspective view of the present invention. 
     FIG. 3 is a partial view of the storage compartments of the present invention. 
     FIG. 4 is a partial perspective view of the present invention showing the storage compartments rotated 90°. 
     FIG. 5 is a partial view of the awning retainer of the present invention. 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     Referring now to the drawings in greater detail, FIG. 1 shows the present invention  1  mounted on the roof of a horse trailer  8 . It should be noted that although the present invention is described as being used with a horse trailer, it is not limited to use only with such a trailer. The present invention can be used with any type of trailer or recreational vehicle. The present invention comprises a storage compartment  2  which is divided internally into two compartments  13 ,  14  (see FIG.  3 ). One of the compartments will be used to store an awning support framework comprising poles  15 ,  18 , which, as shown in FIG. 4, can be assembled into a frame work to support the awning  4  (shown in FIG.  1 ). The compartment  14  can be accessed by a hatch  12  (see FIG. 2) which can be of any conventional design. 
     The second compartment, as shown in FIG. 3, stores an awning or canopy which can be made from any suitable material, but not limited to canvas or plastic. The awning  4  would be wound on a reel  5 , which could be similar to a window shade reel which is spring wound and will allow the awning to be extended to cover and protect items mounted on the roof of the trailer, such as the bales of hay  11 , shown in FIG.  1 . Alternatively, the reel  5  could be operated by a crank  3  so the awning could be hand cranked onto and off of the reel  5 . A hook  10  is attached to a rear portion of the roof of the trailer  8  by any conventional means to cooperate with a projection  9  on the end of the awning  4  to keep the awning in an extended position (see also FIG.  5 ). 
     As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a roof rack formed of vertical and horizontal poles  6 ,  7  can be attached to the roof of the trailer to support items stored on the roof, such as bales of hay  11 . The vertical poles  7  can be secured to apertures  21  in the roof (see FIG. 4) in order to make the rack removable. The horizontal and vertical poles  6 ,  7  can be attached to each other in any conventional manner. 
     The compartment  2  is rotatable on the roof of the trailer  8 , as shown by the arrows AA, in FIG.  2 . The compartment is rotatable through an arc of 90° so the awning  4  can be extended to the rear of the trailer  8 , as shown in FIG. 1, or when the compartment  2  is rotated 90°, it can be extended to the side of the trailer and secured to the poles  15 ,  18  (see FIG.  4 ). The side  19  of the compartment  2  has a slot  23  through which the awning  4  can be pulled to extend or retract the awning. In this manner the awning can be pulled out without opening the compartment. Also, the end of the awning has a ring  24 , or some other projection, so the awning can be easily grasped and manipulated. 
     The compartment is secured to a base  16  (see FIG. 3) and the base is secured to a second base  17  which in turn is secured to the roof of the trailer. The bases  16 ,  17  are similar to a conventional “Lazy Susan”, and therefore, no further description is necessary. The two bases will rotate with respect to each other and, therefore, will allow the compartment to be rotated from the position shown in FIG. 2 to the position shown in FIG. 4, to either cover the back of the trailer or to extend from the side of the trailer. The compartment can be secured in either position by any conventional means such as, but not limited to, a friction catch or spring biased detents between the two bases. 
     When the awning is extended to the side of the trailer, the poles  15 ,  18  will be secured together in the form shown in FIG.  4 . The horizontal poles  15  will be secured into apertures  20  in the side of the trailer and held there by any conventional means such as, but not limited to, a friction fit. The vertical poles  18  are secured to the horizontal poles  15  by conventional fittings  22 . In addition, the poles  18  are telescoping as shown at  19  to adjust the height of the poles to different terrain. 
     Although the Apparatus for Horse Trailer and the method of using the same according to the present invention has been described in the foregoing specification with considerable details, it is to be understood that modifications may be made to the invention which do not exceed the scope of the appended claims and modified forms of the present invention done by others skilled in the art to which the invention pertains will be considered infringements of this invention when those modified forms fall within the claimed scope of this invention.