Retractable Canopy Apparatus for a Watercraft

Abstract

A retractable canopy apparatus for a watercraft. The apparatus has a housing that is supported by a pair of support arms. The housing further includes a retractable cover wound around an elongated rod that can be extended and retracted from a slot of the housing. The retractable canopy apparatus is attached to a watercraft and the extended cover provides a shaded area thereunder for a user to rest. The apparatus is configured to be secured to a side of a watercraft by a fastener, such as a plurality of suction cups, so that a shaded area may be provided to swimmers in an area surrounding the watercraft.

I claim: 
     
         1 ) A retractable canopy apparatus for a watercraft comprising:
 a housing defining a cavity therein;   a bracket attached to the housing wherein the bracket is configured to attach the housing to a watercraft;   a cover disposed in the cavity attached at a first end to an elongated rod disposed in the cavity and operably connected with a spring-biased roller assembly;   the housing having a slot configured to allow the cover to extend and retract therethrough;   a jointed support arm attached to the housing comprising a first member attached to a second member at a rotatable joint;   the rotatable joint configured to fasten a pair of opposing corners to a second end of the cover to hold the cover in an open position; and   a plurality of fasteners attached to a plurality of distal ends of the second members.   
     
     
         2 ) The retractable canopy apparatus of  claim 1 , further comprising one or more handles disposed on the second end of the cover. 
     
     
         3 ) The retractable canopy apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the bracket includes a fastener. 
     
     
         4 ) The retractable canopy apparatus of  claim 3 , wherein the fastener is a suction cup. 
     
     
         5 ) The retractable canopy apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the plurality of fasteners is comprised of a plurality of suction cups. 
     
     
         6 ) The retractable canopy apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the plurality of jointed support arm is attached to the housing by a pivotable magnetic fastener. 
     
     
         7 ) The retractable canopy apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the second member is configured to be slidably adjustable in length. 
     
     
         8 ) The retractable canopy apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the canopy apparatus is configured to be placed into a folded position wherein the cover is in a fully retracted position, the first member of the jointed support arm is inwardly folded towards a center point of the housing, the second member of the jointed support arm is outwardly folded to a position adjacent to and parallel to the first member.