AU2004201866B2 - Sun shades - Google Patents

Description

P/00/011 Regulation 3.2 COMMONWEALTH OF AUSTRALIA Patents Act 1990 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION FOR A STANDARD PATENT Name of Applicant: Ekkehard KOEHN Actual Inventor(s): Ekkehard KOEHN Address for Service: AHEARN FOX Patent & Trade Mark Attorneys GPO Box 1149 Brisbane Queensland 4001 Invention Title: "SUN SHADES" The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to me: SUN SHADES This invention relates to sun shades. The invention has particular application to sun shades of the type which have a large diameter folding umbrella type shading structure depending from a boom or boom 5 member which in turn extends outwardly from a post or equivalent mounting structure. However, it is to be understood that the invention could be used with sun shades of other types or in other applications where a boom member must be anchored to another structure. The presently available large diameter sun shades which have a fixed position 10 boom extending outwardly from a post are typically sold in demountable form with the post and boom in segments which can be bolted together. A knee joint typically forms one segment which comprises the upper most part of the post and the lower (or inner) part of the boom. The two portions of the post and boom are typically welded together to form the knee joint with the angle between them determining the angle that the boom makes 15 relative to the post. One disadvantage with such sun shades is that the knee joint is undesirably expensive to manufacture with flow on effects to the whole sun shade. One object of the present invention is to provide a sun shade and components for a sun shade which overcome or at least ameliorate the aforementioned problem. Another object is to provide a sun shade which will be reliable and efficient in use or at least 20 provides a useful alternative to the presently available sun shades. With the foregoing in view, the invention in one aspect resides broadly in an anchor for connecting a boom (or boom member) of a sun shade to a post (or post member) adapted to be mounted to a base or other suitable foundation so as to extend upwards therefrom, the post having a substantially circular cross-sectional hollow 25 extending therethrough, said anchor being generally in the form of a cylindrical bar 2 adapted to engage in said substantially circular hollow, the bar being truncated at one end to form a first end face at an angle to the longitudinal axis of said bar which is substantially equal to the angle at which the boom is to be mounted to the post, said cylindrical bar including first securing means for securing it to the post and second 5 securing means by which said boom may be secured to said cylindrical bar, said second securing means including at least one screwed bore extending into said cylindrical bar substantially perpendicular to the truncated face and adapted to receive therein complementary bolts by which the boom may be secured to said cylindrical bar. Preferably, said first securing means includes one or more screw threaded bolt 10 holes. In a preferred form, said first securing means includes a plurality of circumferentially spaced screw threaded bolt holes which extend inwards from the cylindrical face of the bar towards the longitudinal axis of the bar and are adapted to receive therein complementary screw threaded bolts. Preferably, said second securing means includes one or more screw threaded bolt 15 holes. In a preferred form, said second securing means includes a plurality of spaced apart screw threaded bolt holes which extend perpendicularly inwards from the first end face of the bar and are adapted to receive therein complementary screw threaded bolts. In another aspect the invention resides broadly in a support structure for a sun shade, including: 20 a post adapted to be mounted to a base or other suitable foundation and a boom member extending from said post, said post being hollow or at least having a hollow end portion; and anchoring means removably mounted in said hollow and secured to said post and wherein said boom is removably secured to said anchoring means. 25 Preferably, said anchor in said support structure is an anchor as previously 3 described. In another aspect the invention resides broadly in a sun shade, including: a support structure including a post (or post member) adapted to be upstandingly mounted to a base or other suitable foundation, said post having a hollow end portion; 5 anchoring means removably mounted in said hollow; a boom (or boom member) extending from said post and removably secured to said anchoring means; and a shading structure operatively connected to said boom. In order that the invention may be more readily understood and put into practical 10 effect, reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings wherein: Fig. 1 is a schematic side elevation of a sun shade according to the invention; Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional end elevation of the post member and the boom member of the sun shade of Fig. 1; 15 Fig. 3 is an underside plan view of the anchor used to form the knee joint of the sun shade of Fig. 1; Fig 4. is a sectional elevation of the anchor of Fig. 3 along line 4-4. The sun shade 10 illustrated in Fig. 1 includes a support structure shown generally as 11 having a post 12 and a boom 13. A foldable shading structure 14 is connected to the outer 20 end of the boom by a pin 16. As can be seen in Fig. 2, the post and the boom are extruded square aluminium sections and have the same cross-section with a generally circular hollow 18 and 19 respectively extending fully therethrough with longitudinal fluted portions 21 extending into the four corners and also extending the full length of the two members. 25 The boom rests on the upper end of the post and extends outwardly and upwardly 4 therefrom making an angle of about 110 degrees to the post . It can be seen in Detail A that the upper end 23 of the post is cut at that angle. An anchor block 26 as shown in Figs. 3 and 4 is mounted in the upper end portion of the hollow 18 as will be explained more fully later. The anchor block is cut from a 5 round steel bar and has a diameter 27 which is slightly less than the diameter 20 of the circular hollow 18 so that the anchor block makes a sliding fit in the hollow 18. The lower end of the anchor block is cut from the bar at right angles to its longitudinal axis and the upper end is cut at the same angle as the upper end 23 of the post, that is, about 110 degrees, to form inclined face 28. Four screw threaded bolt holes 29 extend inwards from 10 the circumferential face 31 of the anchor block towards the longitudinal axis 32 at right angles to each other and are adapted to receive therein bolts shown typically as Item 33 in Detail A. As can be seen in Detail A, the anchor block is secured to the post member in the hollow 18 by the bolts 33 with the inclined face 28 aligned with the upper inclined end 23 of the post. Two other bolt holes 36 extend into the anchor block from the inclined face 15 28 perpendicular thereto and are adapted to receive therein bolt 37 as can be seen in Detail A to secure the boom member to the anchor block. The bolts 37 are shown aligned but could be staggered if desired. Advantageously, the anchor block provides a means by which the post and the boom can be connected without the use of a welded knee joint component while at the 20 same time providing for accurate assembly at the desired angle. Further, the upper end of the post member being cut at the same angle as the upper end of the anchor blocks results in the appearance of a welded joint. While the foregoing description has been given by way of illustrative example of the invention, all modifications and variations thereto as would be apparent to persons 25 skilled in the art are deemed to fall within the broad scope and ambit of the invention as 5 defined in the appended claims.

Claims (11)

1. An anchor for connecting a boom of a sun shade to a post adapted to be mounted to a base or other suitable foundation so as to extend upwards therefrom, the post having a 5 substantially circular cross-sectional hollow extending therethrough, said anchor being generally in the form of a cylindrical bar adapted to engage in said substantially circular hollow, the bar being truncated at one end to form a first end face at an angle to the longitudinal axis of said bar which is substantially equal to the angle at which the boom is to be mounted to the post, said cylindrical bar including first securing means for securing it to the post and second securing 0 means by which said boom may be secured to said cylindrical bar, said second securing means including at least one screwed bore extending into said cylindrical bar substantially perpendicular to the truncated face and adapted to receive therein complementary bolts by which the boom may be secured to said cylindrical bar.

2. An anchor according to Claim 1, wherein said first securing means includes 5 one or more screw threaded bolt holes.

3. An anchor according to Claim 1, wherein said first securing means includes a plurality of circumferentially spaced screw threaded bolt holes which extend inwards from the cylindrical face of the bar towards the longitudinal axis and are adapted to receive therein complementary screw threaded bolts. 20

4. An anchor according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein said second securing means includes one or more screw threaded bolt holes.

5. An anchor according to Claim 1, wherein said second securing means includes a plurality of spaced apart screw threaded bolt holes which extend perpendicularly inwards from the first end face of the bar and are adapted to receive 7 therein complementary screw threaded bolts.

6. A support structure for a sun shade, including: a post adapted to be mounted to a base or other suitable foundation and a boom member extending from said post, said post being hollow or at least having a hollow end 5 portion; and anchoring means including an anchor as defined by any one of Claims 1 to 5 removably mounted in said hollow and secured to said post and wherein said boom is removably secured to said anchoring means.

7. A support structure according to claim 6, wherein the end of said post and 0 said first end face of said anchor are substantially co-planar.

8. A sun shade, including: a support structure including a post adapted to be upstandingly mounted to a base or other suitable foundation, said post having a hollow end portion; anchoring means including an anchor as defined by any one of claims I to 5 15 removably mounted in said hollow; a boom extending from said post and removably secured to said anchoring means; and a shading structure operatively connected to said boom.

9. An anchor for connecting the boom of a sun shade to a post with reference 20 to the accompanying drawings.

10. A support structure for a sun shade as hereinbefore described with reference to he accompanying drawings 8

11. A sun shade as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings. 5 Dated this 15 th day of December, 2009 EKKEHARD KOEHN 0 By his Patent Attorneys AHEARN FOX