Patent ID: 7992581

Claim:
A canopy system, comprising: a rod; a canopy of flexible material connected to the rod close to an end of the rod; an operating device displaceable along the rod for closing or opening the canopy; and a tensioning device for tensioning the canopy, the tensioning device comprising a set of first tensioning members and a set of second tensioning members, wherein the first tensioning members are each pivotally connected at a first outer end to the rod and extend therefrom along the canopy to a second outer end close to the periphery of the canopy, wherein the second tensioning members are each pivotally connected at a first outer end to the operating device and extend therefrom to a second outer end close to the periphery of the canopy, the first outer ends of the corresponding first and second tensioning members being spaced apart from each other along the rod when the canopy is in an open position, the second outer ends of the corresponding first and second tensioning members being connected to each other substantially close to the periphery of the canopy; wherein the first and second tensioning members extend substantially parallel in contact with each other over a distance from their mutual connection toward the rod to define a mutual contact surface area; wherein when wind applies a load to the canopy, the mutual contact surface area between the first and second tensioning members increases to an increased mutual contact surface area and the central axes of the tensioning members are not substantially transversely displaced, thereby absorbing the load while preventing the first and second tensioning members from shifting past each other; and wherein the canopy a has an as asymmetrical form the rod is connected eccentricall to the canopy, and the tensioning members have differing lengths.