VENTED AWNING

AUVENT VENTILE

English Abstract

An awning having a V-shaped cross section is supported by a cantilever which
projects
from a vertical support. The vertical support is positioned such that one of
the walls of the
awning faces a prevailing wind while another wall is sheltered from the
prevailing wind The latter
upper wall has an elongated opening through which the wind may flow. The
opening is opened
and closed by a means of a flap which pivots from an open position for
allowing the wind to pass
through the opening to a closed position for preventing the wind and rain from
doing so. The flap
opens at such time as the force of the wind is sufficient to cause it to do so
and closes under the
force of gravity at other times.

Claims

I claim:
1. In combination, an inverted V-shaped awning having a pair of upper walls
which slope
downward and away from opposite sides of an elongated central apex; a
cantilever for supporting
said awning; a vertical support from which said cantilever projects and being
adapted to be
positioned such that one said upper wall faces a prevailing wind and forms the
windward side of
said awning while the other said upper wall is away from the prevailing wind
and forms the lee
side of said awning, the latter said side having an elongated opening through
which the wind may
flow; a flap movable from an open position for allowing wind to pass through
said opening to a
closed position for preventing wind and rain from doing so, said flap being
adapted to open at
such time as the force of the wind is sufficient to cause it to do so and to
close under the force of
gravity at other times.
2. The combination of claim 1 further including a mesh disposed in said
opening.
3. In combination, an inverted V-shaped awning having a pair of upper walls
which slope
downward and away from opposite sides of an elongated central apex; a
cantilever for supporting
said awning over a body of water; a vertical support from which said
cantilever projects and
being adapted to be positioned on dry land adjacent to said body of water such
that one said
upper wall faces a prevailing wind flowing from said body of water to said dry
land while the
other said upper wall is in the lee of said prevailing wind, said upper wall
in the lee having an
elongated opening having a longitudinal axis parallel to said apex through
which the wind may

flow; a flap movable from an open position for allowing wind to pass through
said opening to a
closed position for preventing wind and rain from doing so, said flap being
adapted to open at
such time as the force of the wind is sufficient to cause it to do so and to
close under the force of
gravity at other times.
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Description

CA 02748835 2011-08-12
This invention relates to awnings and more particularly to an awning which is
suspended
over water by a cantilevered frame in order to protect a boat from rain and
the sun while the boat
is moored beneath the awning.
An awning is vulnerable to damage in a heavy wind and an awning suspended over
a
large body of water such as the ocean or lake is particularly vulnerable. That
is because there
usually is little to moderate the force of wind on the side of the awning
facing the body of water
since that is often where the wind comes from. The wind will cause an awning
to flap
excessively, to lift, or to be forced away from where it is normally standing
with resulting tearing
and other damage to it.
Such damage can be reduced by means of vents for moderating the force of the
wind or
for deflecting the wind from where it will do most harm to an awning. Examples
of such vents
are described in a number of U.S. published applications and patents such as
no. 2011/0023921
and no. 2010/0243013 both to Li, no. 2004/0121721 to Williams and no. 7,913710
to
Bougioukos.
I have invented an awning and a cantilevered support for the awning which is
particularly
suitable for use to protect a boat from rain and the sun while it is moored at
a dock or elsewhere
on a body of water. To moderate the strength of the wind on the awning, a
longitudinally
extending opening is formed in the lee side of the awning and the opening is
opened or closed by
a flap which extends the length of the opening The opening may be entirely
open or covered with
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CA 02748835 2011-08-12
a mesh which serves to reinforce the area of the awning surrounding the
opening.
Briefly, my invention is a combination of an inverted V-shaped awning having a
pair of
upper walls which slope downward and away from opposite sides of an elongated
central apex
and a cantilever which supports the awning and projects from a vertical
support. The vertical
support may be positioned such that one of the upper walls of the awning faces
a prevailing wind
and forms the windward side of the awning. The other upper wall of the awning
is sheltered from
the prevailing wind and forms its lee side. The latter upper wall has an
elongated opening
through which the wind may flow. A flap is movable from an open position for
allowing the
wind to pass through the opening to a closed position for preventing the wind
from doing so. The
flap is adapted to open at such time as the force of the wind is sufficient to
cause it to do so and
to close under the force of gravity at other times.
The combination of awning and cantilevered support of the subject invention is
described
with reference to the accompanying photographs and drawing in which:
Figure 1 is a perspective view of the subject combination from below in
conjunction with
a boat and body of water;
Figure 2 is a perspective view from above of the subject combination;
Figure 3 is a simplified perspective view from above of the subject
combination, and
Figure 4 is an simplified end view of the subject combination.
Like reference characters refer to like parts throughout the following
description.
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With reference to Figures 1 & 2, the awning of the invention, generally 10, is
shown
supported by a cantilever, generally 12. The cantilever projects from a pair
of vertical support,
14, 16. The cantilever is composed of a framework of lower and upper stringers
18, 20 separated
by spacers 22 . The framework supports the awning such that the awning forms
an inverted V
made up of a pair of upper walls 10a and l Ob which slope downward and away
from opposite
sides of an elongated central apex 26.
The vertical supports are each composed of a pair of vertical columns 30, 32
spaced apart
by horizontal spacers 34. One column 32 of each vertical support is joined
integrally with lower
stringer 18 while the other column 30 is joined integrally with the upper
stringer 20.
The stringers and spacers of the cantilever and the columns and spacers of the
vertical
support are preferably composed of a light weight metal such as aluminum and
are hollow and
tubular in order to achieve sufficient strength to support the awning without
applying an
excessive weight on the deck or other solid surface on which the vertical
supports rest.
The columns of the vertical supports are welded or otherwise attached to shoes
or T-bars
36 in the form of flat bars or tubes which cover a relatively small area or
"footprint". Numerous
holes are formed in the shoes for accommodation of bolts for attachment to a
dock or other solid
base. The many holes makes it possible to position the vertical supports so
that one of the upper
walls in the awning faces the prevailing wind whatever its direction.
With reference to Figures 3 and 4, the vertical support are positioned such
that upper
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wall 10b of the awning faces the prevailing wind which is flowing in the
direction of arrows 40.
Wall IOa accordingly forms the windward side of the awning while the other
upper wall l Ob is
sheltered from the prevailing wind and forms the lee side of the awning.
An elongated longitudinally extending opening 42 (illustrated in Figures 3 & 4
but
omitted in Figure 2) is formed in the lee side of the awning through which the
wind may flow. A
flap 44 is attached to the awning adjacent to the upper edge of the opening
along the entire length
of the opening. In Figures 3 and 4, the flap is shown in an open position for
allowing the wind to
pass through the opening. When the flap is closed, it covers the entire
opening and prevents rain
from falling through the opening. The weight of the flap is such that it opens
at such time as the
force of the wind is sufficient to cause it to do so and to close under the
force of gravity at other
times.
In order to moderate the amount of flapping in the wind, the flap is attached
to the awning
adjacent to its lower edge 44a by pieces of cord or rope 46 preferably spaced
about 25 to 35 cm
apart.
If desired a mesh 50 can be placed over the opening to reinforce the area of
the awning
surrounding the opening Alternatively, the edges of the opening can be
reinforced by a hem to
reinforce the edge of the opening and the canvass adjacent to the opening.
It will be understood, of course, that modifications can be made in the
structure of the
cantilevered support and awning of the invention without departing from the
scope and purview
of the invention as defined in the appended claims.
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