Canopy support

Abstract

An expandable and collapsible canopy support having telescoping legs, a cantilevered roof truss, a plurality of scissored assemblies, and non-compressible pivoting mounting devices, operating to expand the canopy support for use, and operating to collapse the canopy support for storage. The canopy support comprises scissored assemblies, sliding and stationary pivotal mounts, a center dome assembly, and a cantilevered roof support assembly supporting the apex of a canopy. The preferred embodiment provides increased headroom beneath the canopy support, resistance to lateral deflections and torque on scissor elements during expansion and collapsing of the canopy structure, and resistance to vertical deflection of the canopy support and covering. The corner and center mounts have offset flanges which engage forked sockets on the end of each strut, and are secured by non-compressive bolts to form a freely pivoting support structure for strut assemblies during expanding and collapsing of the framework.

We claim:  
     
         1 . An expandable and collapsible canopy support comprising: 
 a plurality of upright support members;    a plurality of sides, each side comprising a pair of end to end interconnected scissors assemblies; each said scissors assembly comprising two tubular scissor bars connected together at a central pivot, each scissors assembly having a pair of inner and outer ends, said inner ends pivotally connecting said pair of scissor assemblies, said outer ends pivotally connecting to said upright supports;    a plurality of corner mounts disposed on said upright supports, said corner mounts each comprising an upper stationary mount and a lower slide mount, each of said corner mounts comprising a plurality of flanges extending therefrom, a pivoting support and a fastener, each of said flanges having an aperture extending therethrough, said pivoting support means comprising a forked socket engaging said flange, said socket having a pair of arms with an aperture extending through said arms;    said fastener retaining said flange within said socket, said socket disposed on each of said outer ends of said scissors assembly;    a roof support assembly comprising a center dome assembly, a central slide mount, a central stationary mount, and a plurality of roof truss members, said center dome assembly comprising an upper sleeve telescopically receiving an inner post, said upper sleeve slidably receiving said central slide mount and said inner post receiving said central stationary mount, a pair of said central stationary mount fixed on the lower end thereof; and    said roof truss members comprising hollow tubular struts of varying lengths, said roof truss members including a roof support strut, an extension strut, and a stabilizing strut, said roof support strut having a first, second, third, and fourth pivotal connections disposed at selective positions, along said roof support strut;    said first pivotal connection attached to said central slide mount;    said second pivotal connection disposed below the first pivotal connection and pivotally attaching said extension strut, the distal end of said extension strut pivotally connected to said central stationary mount;    said third pivotal connection disposed below said second pivotal connection, pivotally attaching the upper end of said stabilizing strut, the lower end of said stabilizing strut pivotally attached to the upper of said pair of floating brackets;    said fourth pivotal connection, connecting the lower end of said roof support strut to the lower of said pair of floating brackets.    
     
     
         2 . The canopy support according to  claim 1 , wherein said flanges on said upper stationary mount and said lower slide mount are horizontally offset from the center of their respective mounts such that the horizontal distance between the horizontal centers of same side-facing flanges on said upper stationary mount and said lower slide mount is generally equal to the width of said scissor bar.  
     
     
         3 . The canopy support according to  claim 1 , wherein said central slide mount and central stationary mount have a plurality of said flanges, each of said flanges extending outward to each side of said canopy support, and having said pivotal support means and said securing means thereupon.  
     
     
         4 . The canopy support according to  claim 1 , wherein said flanges on said central stationary mount and said central slide mount are horizontally offset from the center of their respective mount such that the horizontal distance between the horizontal centers of same side-facing flanges on said central stationary mount and said central slide mount is generally equal to the width of said roof truss members.  
     
     
         5 . A pivot mechanism for collapsible frames which comprises a scissors assembly, an upper mount, and a lower mount; said scissors assembly comprising: 
 two tubular scissors bars connected together by a central pivot, one end of each said bar forming a pair of scissors ends;    each of said mounts further comprising a plurality of flanges extending therefrom, a pivoting support, and a fastener;    said flanges having an aperture extending therethrough;    said pivoting support comprising a forked socket engaging said flange, said socket having a pair of arms with an aperture extending through said arms, said fastener retaining said flange within said socket; said socket disposed on each end of said pair of scissors ends.