GB2413340A

GB2413340A - Canopy, e.g. for car port

Info

Publication number: GB2413340A
Application number: GB0506572A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Richard Molesworth
Original assignee: Glazing System Profiles Ltd
Current assignee: Glazing System Profiles Ltd
Priority date: 2004-04-24
Filing date: 2005-03-31
Publication date: 2005-10-26
Anticipated expiration: 2025-03-31
Also published as: GB0409172D0; GB2413340B; GB0506572D0

Abstract

A canopy comprises a pitched roof and has first and second cross-members for supporting the roof adjacent, respectively, its upper and lower edges: the first cross-member (14) is a one-piece, channel-section member which provides a drainage channel for collecting water draining from the lower edge of the roof, and the canopy further comprises a number of hollow, tubular, upright support members (13) connected to the underside of the first cross-member (14).

Description

24 1 3340 Canopy This invention relates to a canopy and more particularly

to a so-called car port.

Canopies such as car ports, porches and porticos etc. are known which can be connected to the side of a house or other building to provide shelter and/or shade. Such canopies have hitherto either been complicated and expensive in construction or have been of such simple construction that they are prone to leakage and require regular maintenance and repair.

10Accordingly, there is a need for an inexpensive and uncomplicated canopy which can reliably provide shelter and shade.

In accordance with this invention there is provided a canopy comprising a pitched roof and having first and second elongate cross-members for supporting the pitched roof adjacent, respectively, upper and lower edges thereof, the first cross-member being a one-piece, channel-section member which provides a main drainage channel for collecting water leaving the lower edge of the pitched roof, and the canopy further comprising a plurality of hollow, tubular, upright support members connected at their upper ends to the underside of said first cross-member.

The canopy is simple in construction since the first cross-member acts as a support for the pitched roof and also serves as a gutter to collect water leaving the lower edge of the pitched roof.

Preferably, one or more apertures are formed in the drainage channel to allow water collected therein to drain into at least one of the hollow tubular upright support members.

Preferably the pitched roof comprises one or more substantially flat panels each a having lower edge disposed over said drainage channel.

Preferably, a plurality of elongate roof panel support members extend between said cross-members for supporting the or each flat roof panel.

Preferably the one-piece lower cross-member comprises inner and outer upstanding walls defining said main drainage channel, the outer wall preferably extending further upwardly than said inner wall to catch water leaving the roof.

Preferably a flange extends outwardly from the inner wall of the onepiece lower cross-member is attached to first cross-member, the lower ends of said elongate roof panel support members being supported by said flange.

Preferably a secondary drainage channel is disposed between the flange and the inner upstanding wall of the one piece lower cross-member for collecting any water from the lower ends of said elongate roof panel support members.

Preferably, said elongate roof panel support members are formed with longitudinally-extending drainage channels for collecting water entering the canopy from the side edges of the or each roof panel.

Preferably, said the upper surface of the flange of the first crossmember comprises a plurality of flat, longitudinally-extending regions lying at different angles of inclination, such that the lower ends of said elongate roof panel support members lie flat on one or other of said surface regions, when the panel support members are set at one of a number of pitch angles, preferably in the range of 5 to 15 degrees to the horizontal.

Preferably, the second or upper cross-member also comprises a flange which supports the upper ends of said elongate roof panel support members.

Preferably, said the upper surface of the flange on the upper crossmember comprises a plurality of flat, longitudinally-extending regions lying at different angles of inclination, such that the upper ends of said elongate roof panel support members lie flat on one or other of these surface regions, when the panel support members are set at one of a corresponding number of pitch angles, preferably in the range of 5 to 15 degrees to the horizontal.

Preferably the underside of the flange of the or each cross-member comprises a plurality of flat longitudinally- extending regions which present a flat surface through which fixings can be passed into the elongate roof panel support members.

Preferably, the upper cross-member further comprises a longitudinallyextending portion which substantial seals against the upper surface of the pitched roof.

Preferably, the upper cross-member comprises a drainage channel for draining any water collected therein.

An embodiment of this invention assembly will now be described by way of an example only and with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is an isometric view of a car port in accordance with this invention) Figure 2 is a sectional view along the line II-II of Figure It Figure 3 is a sectional view along the line III-III of Figure It Figure 4 is a sectional view along the line IV-IV of Figure 1; and Figure 5 is a sectional view along the line V-V of Figure 1.

Referring to Figure 1 of the drawings, there is shown a car port canopy 10 secured to the side wall of a house 11 or other structure. As will be described hereinafter, the car port comprises a frame formed of extruded aluminium sections supporting roofing panels 12 formed of plastics or other

suitable material.

The frame comprises two or more hollow tubular upright support members 13 connected at their upper ends to an outer cross-member 14. Preferably, an upright support member 13 is positioned adjacent opposite ends of the outer cross-member 14 as shown in Figure 1. The upright support members 13 are connected at their lower ends to respective feet 15 anchored to the ground.

Referring to Figure 2 of the drawings, the outer cross- member 14 of the frame comprises a channel-section extrusion having inner and outer parallel upstanding walls 16,17 interconnected by a bottom wall 18 to define a main longitudinal drainage channel 20. The bottom wall 18 extends outwardly of the inner wall 16 along the inner side of the outer cross-member 14. A flange 19 extends upwardly and then outwardly from the outer edge of the bottom wall 18 on the inner side of the outer crossmember 14. A second and smaller longitudinal channel 21 is defined between the upright portion of the flange 19 and the outer surface of the inner wall 16 of the outer cross-member 14. The outer wall 17 extends above the level of the inner wall 16.

Outer and inner depending flanges 22,23 extend longitudinally of the bottom wall 18 of the outer cross-member 14. The outer depending flange 22 is disposed inwardly of the outer edge of the bottom wall 18 on the outer side of the outer cross-member 14, whilst the inner depending flange 23 is disposed at the outer edge of the bottom wall 18 on the inner side of the outer cross-member 14. A secondary drainage channel 24 is defined between the flanges 22,23 in which the upper ends of the upright support members 13 are received.

Referring to Figure 3 of the drawings, an inner cross member 25 of the frame is secured to the side wall of a house 11 or other structure at a level which is between 5 and 15 degrees from the horizontal above the outer cross-member 14.

The inner cross-member 25 comprises a C-section extrusion having upper and lower walls 26,27 interconnected by a side wall 28 which is secured in face-to face registration with the side wall of the house 11 or other structure. The upper and lower walls 26,27 are downwardly inclined at an angle of approximately 10 degrees from the horizontal.

The frame further comprises a plurality of parallel, elongate, extruded glazing bar members 29 extending between the inner and outer crossmembers 14,25. Referring to Figure 4 of the drawings, the glazing bar members 29a at opposite ends of the roof 30 of the car port each comprise an upright planar portion 31 having an outwardly extending flange 32 adjacent its lower end. A clip portion 33 extends outwardly from the upright planar portion 31 intermediate the upper and lower edges thereof. The clip portion 33 extends outwardly and then generally upwardly to define a channel 34 into which a depending flange 35 on the side edge of the glazing panel 12 is received. The clip portion 33 comprises a formation which engages a complementary formation on the flange 35 of the glazing panel 12.

Referring to Figure 5 of the drawings, the glazing bar members 29b intermediate opposite ends of the roof 30 of the car port are similar to the aforementioned glazing bar members 29a and like parts are given like reference numerals. Unlike the glazing bar members 29a, the glazing bar members 29b comprise a flange 32 and a clip portions 33 on each side, with the clip portions defining respective channels 34 into which a depending flange 35 on the respective side edges of adjacent glazing panels 12 are received.

The flanges 32 of the glazing bar members 29 rest at their lower and outer ends on the upwardly inclined flange 19 of the outer cross-member 14 of the frame, whilst their upper and inner ends rest on the downwardly inclined lower wall 27 of the inner cross-member 25 of the frame. The flange 19 and the lower wall 27 of the inner cross-member 25 are each formed in multi-faceted sections, with each section residing at respective different angles of say 5, 10 and 15 degrees to the horizontal. This enables the pitched roof 30 to be orientated at various angles to the ground, whilst maintaining a flat surface on the flange 19 and the lower wall 27 of the inner cross-member 25, through which screws can be passed into the flanges 32.

The outer end faces of the glazing bar members 29 also abut the inner upstanding wall 16 of the outer cross-member 14 at their lower and outer ends. The glazing panels 12 extend outwardly beyond the outer end faces of the glazing bar members 29 and overhang the main drainage channel 20. The upper surface of the outer ends of the glazing panels 12 are disposed below the level of the outer upstanding wall 17 of the outer cross- member 14, such that water running off the roof 30 does not overshoot the main drainage channel 20 and is caught by the latter. The increased height of the outer upstanding wall 17 of the outer cross-member 14 also improves the aesthetic appearance of the car port by shielding the outer ends of the glazing bars 29, and the outer ends of the glazing panels 12 from view.

Any water running down the outer end faces of the glazing bar members 29 is collected in the secondary drainage channel 21. Any water entering the roof 30 between the side edges of the glazing panels 12 and the glazing bar members 29 is caught in the channels defined by the clips 33 on the glazing bar members 29 and carried downwardly to the secondary drainage channel 21.

Apertures 36,37 are formed in the bottom wall 18 of the outer crossmember 14 to allow water collected in the main and secondary drainage channels 36,37 respectively to drain into the hollow tubular upright support members 13, which serve as downpipes for the water. A cap 39 is fitted to opposite ends of the outer cross-member 14 to prevent water draining from the ends of the channels 20,21.

The upper surface of the glazing panels 12 lie in the same plane as the upper end faces of the glazing bar members 29 to provide a roof 30 having a flat upper surface. In this manner, a good seal can be provided between the upper surface of the roof 30 and the outer end of the upper wall 27 of the inner cross-member 25.

It will be appreciated that a car port in accordance with this invention is simple in construction, yet provides a sturdy canopy which protects the car from the rain and which incorporates improved drainage facilities.

Claims

Claims 1. A canopy comprising a pitched roof and having first and second

elongate cross-members for supporting the pitched roof adjacent, respectively, upper and lower edges thereof, the first cross-member being a one-piece, channel-section member which provides a main drainage channel for collecting water leaving the lower edge of the pitched roof, and the canopy further comprising a plurality of hollow, tubular, upright support members connected at their upper ends to the underside of said first cross-member.
2. A canopy as claimed in claim 1, in which one or more apertures are formed in said drainage channel to allow water collected therein to drain into at least one of said upright support members.
3. A canopy as claimed in claim 1 or 2, in which said pitched roof comprises one or more panels each having a lower edge disposed over said drainage channel.
4. A canopy as claimed in claim 3, in which said pitched roof comprises a plurality of panel support members extending between said cross-members, for supporting the or each said panel.
5. A canopy as claimed in claim 4, in which said first cross-member is provided with a flange extending from an inner wall thereof and serving to support the lower ends of said panel support members.
6. A canopy as claimed in claim 5, in which a secondary drainage channel is disposed between said flange and said inner wall of said first crossmember.
7. A canopy as claimed in any one of the claims 4 to 6, in which said panel support members are formed with longitudinally-extending drainage channels for water draining over the side edges of the or each roof panel.
8. A canopy as claimed in claim 5 or 6 or claim 7 appended to claim 5 or 6, in which the upper surface of said flange of said first cross-member is provided with a plurality of flat, longitudinally-extending regions lying at different angles of inclination, to enable the lower ends of said panel support members to lie flat on one or other of said surface regions, when said panel support members are set at one of a number of corresponding pitch angles.
9. A canopy as claimed in claim 8, in which said second cross-member is provided with a flange serving to support the upper ends of said panel support members.
10. A canopy as claimed in claim 9, in which the upper surface of said flange of said second cross-member is provided with a plurality of flat, longitudinally-extending regions lying at different angles of inclination, to enable the upper ends of said panel support members to lie flat on one or other of those surface regions, when said panel support members are set at one of a number of corresponding pitch angles.
11. A canopy as claimed in any preceding claim, in which said second cross-member is provided with a drainage channel for draining any water collected therein.
12. A canopy substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.