WO2002019854A1

WO2002019854A1 - Foldable solar protection device

Info

Publication number: WO2002019854A1
Application number: PCT/FR2001/002826
Authority: WO
Inventors: David Galimant
Original assignee: Societe Civile G.D.I.D.
Priority date: 2000-09-11
Filing date: 2001-09-11
Publication date: 2002-03-14
Also published as: US20040019953A1; FR2813764B1; AU2001290010A1; FR2813764A1; CN1455649A; EP1337167A1

Abstract

The invention concerns a foldable solar protection device comprising several articulated elements, characterised in that the articulated elements are stacked panels (1) linked by a single pivot (4) proximate to one (6) of their ends to be unfolded in a circular movement and in that it has means maintaining the panels (1) in unfolded position. The invention is particularly applicable in the field of clothing accessories for advertising.

Description

"Collapsible sun protection device with several articulated elements"

The present invention relates to a folding sun protection device comprising several articulated elements.

It will find its application in particular in the field of clothing accessories and in the advertising field to constitute advertising media. Given its practical and original nature, it can also find outlets in the field of gifts or the sale of gadgets. It could be headgear, parasols or even parasols. Headgear intended to be folded and unfolded according to the needs of the user is already known. In particular, document FR-A-2,678,486 presents a head covering which comprises a covering part of substantially hemispherical shape, a coronal strip forming a cylindrical section at the base of the covering part and a visor which extends, in its part. anterior, the lower border of the strip. The covering part is made using a succession of elements in the form of spindle, arranged side by side, and the ends of which are on the same side are superimposed so as to form two stacks respectively fixed in two opposite locations of the strip. This head covering can be produced by cutting, folding and assembling a blank of semi-rigid material. According to this prior art, a deployment of different elements making up the covering part is permitted by means of two rotating articulations located each substantially at the level of the user's temples.

However, this system has the disadvantage of not allowing folding of the visor. Furthermore, it does not come in flat form when the head cover is folded.

Consequently, this headgear remains particularly bulky even when it is in the non-use position.

What is more, this space is increased by the significant length of the headgear in the folded position.

Indeed, the elements hinged together which make up the covering part have a length corresponding to the entire width of the headgear, even when folded.

The present invention overcomes the drawbacks of current devices. One of its objectives is to facilitate the folding and deployment of the sun protection device.

These operations are carried out in a single circular motion, flat, of the constituent parts of the sun protection device around a single joint. Furthermore, the invention aims to provide a sun protection device whose size in the folded position is particularly reduced.

It has the advantage to do this of allowing complete folding including the visor which is however optional according to the invention.

Furthermore, the articulated elements making up the sun protection device have a large dimension corresponding only to half of the circular profile of the sun protection device.

Another advantage of the sun protection device according to the invention is to propose during unfolding the use in the form of a fan. Other objects and advantages will appear during the description which follows, which however is not limitative of the invention.

The present invention relates to a collapsible sun protection device comprising several articulated elements, characterized in that the articulated elements 5 are sections of stacked flexible material connected by a single pivot near one of their ends for deployment by a circular movement and the fact that it has means for holding the panels in the deployed position.

Different variants are envisaged for the invention, including those set out below:

- The holding means consist of slides formed between the successive panels 1 and means for assembling the extreme panels;

- each slide formed between two successive sections is made up of:

- an oblong hole formed on one of the sides curved in an arc of a circle centered on the pivot,

- A rivet arranged on the second panel and movable in the oblong hole between two stop positions corresponding one to the folded position of the sides, the other to the deployed position;

- It includes a visor assembled by two corners with two sides to form a cap;

- The visor is pivotally mounted by a corner on a panel, towards its second end and that it has, at the second corner, a hook capable of cooperating with a fastening rivet located on a second panel, towards its second end ;

25. - the middle panel, located at equal distance from the two assembly faces of the visor, has a tab whose tip is capable of being inserted at the bottom of a slot formed on the visor, to reinforce its retention;

- The panels include one or more longitudinal cuts capable of increasing their flexibility and ventilation.

The attached drawings are given by way of non-limiting examples. They represent a preferred embodiment according to the invention in the form of headgear. They will allow the invention to be easily understood.

Figure 1 is a general view of the constituent parts of the headgear according to the invention according to a preferred embodiment. Figure 2 shows the headgear of the invention in the folded position.

Figures 3, 4 and 5 show successive phases of deployment or folding of the proposed headgear.

FIG. 6 illustrates an example of configuration of the unfolded head covering according to the invention.

A preferred embodiment of the invention is described below in the form of headgear.

The device according to the invention is however not limited thereto.

It is immediately specified that the visor 3 shown in the various figures constitutes a possible accessory of the headgear described here without, however, being a systematic element thereof.

According to the invention, the head covering comprises, to cover the upper part of the head, different elements articulated together.

These elements are sections marked 1 in the various figures and in particular FIG. 1.

In the context of the invention, the panels 1 are connected by means of a pivot joint 4, by only one of their ends.

The articulation 4 visible, for example in FIG. 2, can be produced by forming holes 5 at one of the ends 6 of each of the sections 1 and by a rivet placed through the holes 5.

This produces a set of panels 1 capable of being deployed by a circular movement.

In the folded position, the panels 1 are all superimposed and stacked over their entire surface. On the contrary, in the deployed position, only their first ends 6 are superimposed and stacked.

To allow the headgear to be shaped from substantially flat flaps 1 allowing deployment flat, flaps 1 made of flexible material and advantageously from sheets of thin plastic material will advantageously be used.

You can also use preformed panels according to the curvature to be given to the headgear.

In addition to these panels 1 articulated by a single pivot 4, the head covering according to the invention comprises means for holding the panels 1 in the deployed position. These means ensure the configuration of the headgear configuration for its use and, in the context of shaping by bending of the flaps 1 of flexible material, allow the maintenance in a curved position of each of the flaps 1.

According to a preferred embodiment as illustrated in the various figures, the holding means consist of slides 8 visible in FIG. 5.

A slide 8 is formed between the successive sections 1.

Furthermore, the holding means comprise means for assembling the end panels 2a, 2b also appearing in FIG. 5. The slides 8 ensure the positioning of the panels 1 while preserving a partial overlap of the panels 1.

Furthermore, the assembly means definitively fix the panels 1 in position.

Preferably, the means for assembling the end panels 2a, 2b consist on the one hand of a tongue 20 formed on one of the end panels 2a and of one or more slots 21 formed on the other end panel 2b.

The use of several slots 21 will adjust the diameter of the headgear.

As regards the slides 8 formed between two successive sides 1, they can be constituted as shown in the preferred embodiment of FIGS. 1 to 6.

In this context, each slide 8 comprises an oblong hole 9 formed substantially near the second end 7 of the pan 1.

Furthermore, to conform to the circular movement of deployment of the panels 1 imposed by the central pivot 4, the oblong holes 9 are curved according to an arc of a circle centered on the pivot 4.

To cooperate with the oblong hole 9, a rivet 10 marked in particular in FIG. 5 and displaceable in the oblong hole 9 is formed on the other pan 1 supporting the slide 8. In this way, the rivet 10 allows the pan 1 to slide. which carries it through the oblong hole 9 between two extreme positions, one corresponding to the folded position, the other corresponding to the deployed position.

Preferably, and as indicated above, the headgear according to the invention comprises a visor marked 3 in the figures. This is advantageously assembled with the rest of the headgear by two of its corners 13 and 14.

These are visible in Figure 1.

By the corners 13, 14, the visor 3 can be mounted on two sides 1 spaced apart substantially by a width corresponding to that of the visor 3.

Still preferably, the visor 3 is pivotally mounted by one of the corners 13 on one of the sides 1.

As shown in particular in FIG. 5, this pivot mounting is produced by means of a rivet assembling the wedge 13 and a pivot projection 11 formed at the end 7 of the pan 1.

Furthermore, according to this configuration, the other corner 14 is assembled with the other panel 1 which supports the visor by means of a hook 23 capable of cooperating in a removable manner with a fastening rivet 24.

This fastening rivet 24 can be formed on a fastening projection 12 formed at the end 7 of the pan 1 considered.

As also shown in FIG. 5, fold lines 25 are advantageously formed on the visor 3 in order to allow their shape adaptation following the passage from a folded position to a deployed position.

Furthermore, to consolidate the shaping of the visor 3 and its retention, a tab 15 formed at the end 7 of the middle panel (the one located at equal distance between the two sides 1 carrying the corners 13, 14 of the slide 3 ) is present to cooperate with a slot 18 correspondingly formed on the visor 3.

As shown in Figure 5, the tab 15 may include a base 16 of substantially triangular shape and provided at its free end with a tip 17 for example substantially circular adapted to be inserted in a slot 18 present on the visor 3 and comprising , at its bottom, a bottom 19 of flared shape capable of receiving the end piece 17.

As indicated above, one of the advantages of the invention is that it can be deployed in a plane and then capable of being shaped to constitute the head covering in three dimensions.

For this purpose, a plastic material will be used, the flexibility of which is suitable for manufacturing the panels 1 and, where appropriate, the visor 3. Furthermore, to increase flexibility or adjust it, it is possible to form cutouts 22 in the direction of the length preferentially the panels 1.

An example of a cutout 22 is shown in the figures and identified in Figure 5. Furthermore, the cutouts provide additional ventilation to the headgear.

Figure 6 shows the final result of unfolding the headgear according to the invention.

To achieve this result, the visor 3 in the configuration illustrated in FIG. 2, is released at the level of the attachment corner 14 which cooperates with the attachment slot 12.

We then reach the position shown in Figure 3.

At this moment, a pivot of the visor around the pivoting corner 13, as shown in FIG. 4, makes it possible to release the stacked faces 1. Next, a circular deployment movement is shown, represented by an arrow in FIG. 5, making it possible to form a surface which will cover the head of the user.

It should be noted that at this level, it is possible to use the head covering according to the invention in the form of a fan since it is substantially planar. Furthermore, the hook 23 carried by the visor 3 can constitute an element for securing and holding in position in the form of a fan, for example by hooking the hook 23 at the pivot 4.

To obtain the headgear, it is a question of assembling the end panels 2a, 2b by means of assembly means, for example constituted by a tongue 20 and a slot 21.

At this instant, the headgear is constituted and the assembly can be finalized by the final fixing of the visor 3 in the position of use.

This is done by inserting the hook 23 into the fastening rivet 24 carried by one of the flaps 1. Furthermore, the tab 15 can be put in place as shown in FIG. 6 at the bottom 19 of the slot 18 .

The folding of the headgear according to the invention takes place in reverse order to the steps previously described. We then return to the position illustrated in FIG. 2 and in which the visor 3 is folded around the stack of panels in order to maintain them.

It is possible to use the hook 23 to hold the assembly in the folded position.

In this context, the hook 23 is hung in one of the rivets 10 constituting the slides 8.

In addition to a head covering, the sun protection device of the invention may be in the form of a parasol or an umbrella, a handle extended by a rod being brought together at pivot 4.

REFERENCES

I. Pans

2a, 2b. Extreme panels 3. Visor

4. Pivot

5. Hole

6. First end

7. Second end 8. Slide

9. Oblong hole

10. Rivet

I I. Pivot projection

12. Hanging projection 13. Swivel corner

14. Hanging corner

15. Paw

16. Base

17. Mouthpiece 18. Visor slot

19. Background

20. Tab

21. Slots

22. Cut-outs 23. Hook

24. Snap rivet

25. Folding lines

Claims

1. Foldable sun protection device comprising several articulated elements, characterized in that the articulated elements are panels (1) stacked connected by a single pivot (4) near one (6) of their ends for deployment by a circular movement and by the fact that it has means for holding the panels (1) in the deployed position.

2. Collapsible sun protection device according to claim 1, characterized in that the holding means consist of slides (8) formed between the successive faces (1) and of means for assembling the end faces (2a, 2b) .

3. Foldable sun protection device according to claim 2, characterized in that each slide (8) formed between two successive sides (1) consists of:

- an oblong hole (9) formed on one of the sides (1) curved in an arc centered on the pivot (4),

- a rivet (10) disposed on the second panel (1) and movable in the oblong hole (9) between two stop positions corresponding one to the folded position of the sides (1), the other to the position deployed.

4. Foldable sun protection device according to any one of claims 1 to 3 characterized in that it comprises a visor (3) assembled by two corners (13, 14) with two sides (1) to form a cap.

5. Foldable sun protection device according to claim 4 characterized in that the visor (3) is pivotally mounted by a corner (13) on a flap (1), towards its second end (7) and that it has, at the second corner (14), a hook (23) able to cooperate with a fastening rivet (24) located on a second panel (1), towards its second end (7).

6. Foldable sun protection device according to claims 4 or 5, characterized in that that the middle panel, located equidistant from the two assembly faces of the visor (3), comprises a tab (15) whose end piece (17) is capable of being inserted at the bottom (19) of a slot (18) formed on the visor (3), to strengthen its retention.

7. Foldable sun protection device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the flaps (1) are made of flexible material and include one or more longitudinal cutouts capable of increasing their flexibility and ventilation.