US20120018105A1

US20120018105A1 - Sunshade

Info

Publication number: US20120018105A1
Application number: US12/842,788
Authority: US
Inventors: Paul Lin
Original assignee: Macauto Industrial Co Ltd
Current assignee: Macauto Industrial Co Ltd
Priority date: 2010-07-23
Filing date: 2010-07-23
Publication date: 2012-01-26

Abstract

A sunshade includes a roller and a screen. The roller has an intermediate portion, two end portions extending respectively from opposite ends of the intermediate portion, and a screen-stretching portion disposed on an outer surrounding surface of the intermediate portion. The screen has a main body and two lateral portions. The main body is wound on the screen-stretching portion and the intermediate portion of the roller and has opposite ends. The lateral portions are connected respectively to the opposite ends of the main body and are wound respectively on the end portions of the roller.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a sunshade, more particularly to a sunshade including a screen wound on a roller.
2. Description of the Related Art
Referring to FIGS. 1 to 3, a conventional sunshade 1 is shown to comprise a roller 11, a screen 12, and a side strip 13. The roller 11 extends along an axial direction (X) and has two end portions 111. The screen 12 has a main body 121 wound on the roller 11 and having opposite ends in the axial direction (X). The screen further has two lateral portions 122 connected respectively to the opposite ends of the main body 121 and wound respectively on the end portions 111 of the roller 11. The side strip 13 is connected to a distal edge of the screen 12.
The lateral portions 122 of the screen 12 are used for stretching tautly the main body 121 of the screen 12 when the conventional sunshade 1 is at an extended state (see FIG. 3), where the screen 12 is unwound from the roller 11. However, since the lateral portions 122 are thicker than the main body 121, when the conventional sunshade 1 is at a retracted state (see FIGS. 1 and 2), where the screen 12 is wound on the roller 11, the screen 12 is not able to be wound on the roller 11 smoothly and compactly, and may result in creases on the main body 121 of the screen 12 (see FIG. 1), particularly at portions adjacent to the lateral portions 122.
Moreover, when the conventional sunshade 1 is at the retracted state and under external conditions such as humidity and temperature during delivery of the conventional sunshade 1, the creases may not be eliminated. Therefore, when the conventional sunshade 1 is at the extended state again, the creases on the main body 121 affect adversely the visual aesthetic quality of the conventional sunshade 1.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Therefore, the object of the invention is to provide a sunshade capable of alleviating the above drawbacks of the prior art.
Accordingly, a sunshade of the present invention comprises a roller and a screen. The roller extends along an axial direction and has an intermediate portion, two end portions, and a screen-stretching portion. The end portions extend respectively from axially opposite ends of the intermediate portion in the axial direction. The screen-stretching portion is disposed on an outer surrounding surface of the intermediate portion. The screen has a main body and two lateral portions. The main body is wound on the screen-stretching portion and the intermediate portion of the roller and has opposite ends in the axial direction. The lateral portions are connected respectively to the opposite ends of the main body and are wound respectively on the end portions of the roller.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Other features and advantages of the invention will become apparent in the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings, of which:

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary perspective view of a conventional sunshade at a retracted state;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary partly sectional view of the conventional sunshade at the retracted state;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary perspective view of the conventional sunshade at an extended state;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary perspective view of a first preferred embodiment of a sunshade according to the present invention at an extended state;

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary partly sectional view of the first preferred embodiment at a retracted state;

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary perspective view of a second preferred embodiment of the sunshade according to the present invention at the extended state;

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary partly sectional view of the second preferred embodiment at the retracted state; and

FIG. 8 is a fragmentary perspective view of a third preferred embodiment of the sunshade according to the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Before the invention is described in greater detail with reference to the accompanying embodiments, it should be noted herein that like elements are denoted by the same reference numerals throughout the disclosure.
Referring to FIGS. 4 and 5, a first preferred embodiment of a sunshade according to the present invention comprises a roller 2 and a screen 4.
The roller 2 extends along an axial direction (X) and has an intermediate portion 21, two end portions 22, and three spaced-apart screen-stretching portions 23. The end port ions 22 extend respectively from axially opposite ends of the intermediate portion 21 in the axial direction (X). In this embodiment, each of the screen-stretching port ions 23 is configured as a C-ring that is disposed fixedly on an outer surrounding surface 211 of the intermediate portion 21 and that clamps the intermediate portion 21 therein, such that an outer diameter of the parts of the roller 2 at which the screen-stretching portions 23 surround the intermediate portion 21 is larger than that of the end portions 22.
The screen 4 is wound on the roller 2 and is formed with a longitudinal edge 413 connected fixedly to the roller 2 and clamped between the roller 2 and the screen-stretching portions 23. The screen 4 has a main body 41 and two lateral portions 42. The main body 41 is wound on the screen-stretching portions 23 and the intermediate portion 21 of the roller 2 and has opposite ends 411 in the axial direction (X). The lateral portions 42 are connected respectively to the opposite ends 411 of the main body 41 and are wound respectively on the end portions 22 of the roller 2 (see FIG. 5). The screen 4 is operable between the retracted state, where the main body 41 is wound on the roller 2, and the extended state, where the main body 41 is unwound from the roller 2. The lateral portions 2 of the screen 4 have a hardness greater than that of the main body 41 so as to stretch tautly the main body 41 when the sunshade is at the extended state.
By virtue of the screen-stretching portions 23 of the roller 2, when the sunshade of the invention is at the retracted state, the main body 41 of the screen 4 is stretched so that the screen 4 can be wound on the roller 2 compactly and evenly without resulting in creases on the main body 41. In addition, the lateral portions 42 of the screen 4 are also wound respectively on the end portions 22 of the roller 2 compactly and evenly when the sunshade of the invention is at the retracted state (see FIG. 5). As a result, the screen 4 of the sunshade of this invention can be unwound from the roller 2 without creases left thereon. Therefore, compared to the conventional sunshade 1 illustrated in FIG. 1, the sunshade of this invention ensures the visual aesthetic quality of the sunshade during use.
Referring to FIGS. 6 and 7, a second preferred embodiment of the sunshade according to the present invention has a structure similar to that of the first embodiment. The main difference between this embodiment and the first embodiment resides in the following. In this embodiment, the roller 2 includes one screen-stretching portion 23 that surrounds the intermediate portion 21 of the roller 2 with an axial length equal to that of the intermediate portion 21 of the roller 2. The screen-stretching portion 23 has a pair of side parts 231 that are opposite to each other in the axial direction (X), and a middle part 232 that interconnects the side parts 231. An outer diameter of the screen-stretching portion 23 of the roller 2 is configured to increase gradually from the side parts 231 toward the middle part 232. The second preferred embodiment has the same advantages as those of the first preferred embodiment.
Referring to FIG. 8, a third preferred embodiment of the sunshade according to the present invention has a structure similar to that of the first embodiment. The main difference between this embodiment and the first embodiment resides in the following. In this embodiment, the screen-stretching portion 23 is shaped as an isosceles trapezium, and has an end 233 connected integrally to the longitudinal edge 413 of the screen 4, and an opposite end 234 shorter than the end 233 and connected fixedly to and wound on the outer surrounding surface 211 of the intermediate portion 21 of the roller 2. It should be noted herein that the shape of the screen-stretching portion 23 is not limited to the isosceles trapezium in other embodiments of this invention. The third preferred embodiment has the same advantages as those of the first preferred embodiment.
While the invention has been described in connection with what are considered the most practical and preferred embodiments, it is understood that this invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments but is intended to cover various arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and equivalent arrangements.

Claims

1. A sunshade comprising:

a roller extending along an axial direction and having an intermediate portion, two end portions extending respectively from axially opposite ends of said intermediate portion in the axial direction, and a screen-stretching portion disposed on an outer surrounding surface of said intermediate portion; and

a screen having a main body that is wound on said screen-stretching portion and said intermediate portion of said roller and that has opposite ends in the axial direction, and two lateral portions that are connected respectively to said opposite ends of said main body and that are wound respectively on said end portions of said roller.

2. The sunshade as claimed in claim 1, wherein said screen-stretching portion surrounds said intermediate portion of said roller with an axial length equal to that of said intermediate portion, said screen-stretching portion having a pair of side parts that are opposite to each other in the axial direction, and a middle part that interconnects said side parts, and outer diameter of said screen-stretching portion increasing gradually from said side parts toward said middle pat.

3. The sunshade as claimed in claim 1, wherein said screen-stretching portion of said roller has an end connected integrally to a longitudinal edge of said main body of said screen, and an opposite end connected fixedly to and wound on said outer surrounding surface of said intermediate portion of said roller.