Sun shelter

Abstract

An adjustable personal sun shelter to overlie a free-standing or integrated sun lounge or deck chair of the kind commonly occupied by a user while sunbathing beside a swimming pool. The adjustable personal sun shelter includes a base and a support structure that suspends a shade canopy in a cantilevered state above an underlying sun lounge at an optimal height to project shade over the sun lounge. The shade canopy is adjustable by a user to vary the amount of sunlight or shade received when occupying the underlying sun lounge. The shade canopy is adjustable by an extendable central member or by two or more parallel extendable side members, to which shade material is fastened. The shade canopy has a moveable leading end and a fixed trailing end. In the operational condition of the sun shelter, the length of the shade canopy can be increased by extending the leading end of the shade canopy relative to the trailing end, or the length can be decreased by retracted the leading end.

1 . An adjustable sun shelter for use with a deck chair or sun lounge, comprising:
 a. a base,   b. a shade canopy, and   c. a support structure,   the support structure extending upwardly from the base and supporting the shade canopy in an operational condition spaced above the base at a height at which in use, the shade canopy overlies a deck chair or sun lounge,   in the operational condition, the shade canopy having a leading end and a fixed trailing end and having an extended state and a retracted state, the leading and trailing ends being spaced apart a greater distance in the extended state than in the retracted state, and the shade canopy being adjustable between the respective extended and retracted states to adjust the extent to which shade cast by the shade canopy falls on a deck chair or sun lounge by adjusting the spacing between the leading and trailing ends by movement of the leading end relative to the fixed trailing end.   
     
     
         2 .- 3 . (canceled) 
     
     
         4 . A sun shelter according to  claim 1 , the shade canopy including a shade material which is supported about its edges within a frame. 
     
     
         5 .- 7 . (canceled) 
     
     
         8 . A sun shelter according to  claim 1 , retraction of the canopy from the extended state to the retracted state being by sliding or telescoping movement. 
     
     
         9 . A sun shelter according to  claim 8 , the shade canopy comprising two shade screens, a first of the screens being fixed and a trailing end of the fixed screen forming the fixed trailing end of the shade canopy, and a second of the screens being movable so that movement of the second screen relative to the first screen retracts or extends the shade canopy. 
     
     
         10 . A sun shelter according to  claim 9 , each of two shade screens including shade material and the shade material of the screens being offset so that retraction of the shade canopy from the extended state to the retracted state involves the shade material of one screen overlying the shade material of the other screen. 
     
     
         11 .- 16 . (canceled) 
     
     
         17 . A sun shelter according to  claim 1 , retraction of the canopy from the extended state to the retracted state being by folding movement of a leading section of the shade canopy relative to a trailing section. 
     
     
         18 . A sun shelter according to  claim 1 , retraction of the canopy from the extended state to the retracted state being by roller retraction and the shade canopy including a section of shade material in the shade canopy that is configured to be rolled about the roller, the section of shade material being free of structural support. 
     
     
         19 . A sun shelter according to  claim 18 , the shade material of the shade canopy being supported within a frame except towards the fixed trailing end of the shade canopy, the frame having two or more sliding sections, so that the shade canopy is configured to be retracted and extended by relative movement of the sliding sections and by the shade material rolling onto or off the retraction roller. 
     
     
         20 . A sun shelter according to  claim 18 , the retraction roller forming the fixed trailing end of the shade canopy. 
     
     
         21 . A sun shelter according to  claim 1 , the shade canopy being generally flat or planar, or curved. 
     
     
         22 .- 25 . (canceled) 
     
     
         26 . A sun shelter according to  claim 1 , the support structure supporting the shade canopy in a cantilevered manner. 
     
     
         27 . (canceled) 
     
     
         28 . A sun shelter according to  claim 1 , the support structure comprising a pair of arms that extend from the base into connection with the shade canopy and the respective arms of the pair of arms being provided on opposite sides of the sun shelter. 
     
     
         29 . A sun shelter according to  claim 1 , the base having a length that is greater than its width and the base being arranged to cooperate with a weight to support the sun shelter in a stable. 
     
     
         30 .- 34 . (canceled) 
     
     
         35 . A combination sun lounge and adjustable sun shelter, comprising:
 a. a sun lounge,   b. a shade canopy, and   c. a support structure,   the support structure extending upwardly from the sun lounge and supporting the shade canopy in an operational condition spaced above the sun lounge at a height at which in use, the shade canopy at least partly overlies a reclining surface of the sun lounge,   in the operational condition, the shade canopy having a leading end and a fixed trailing end and having an extended state and a retracted state, the leading and trailing ends being spaced apart a greater distance in the extended state than in the retracted state, and the shade canopy being adjustable between the respective extended and retracted states to adjust the extent to which shade cast by the shade canopy falls on the sun lounge by adjusting the spacing between the leading and trailing ends by movement of the leading end relative to the fixed trailing end.   
     
     
         36 . (canceled) 
     
     
         37 . A combination according to  claim 35 , the sun lounge having a pair of spaced apart side frame members and the reclining surface being between the frame members, and the shade canopy having a pair of spaced apart side frame members and a shade material bridging between the frame members, the support structure comprising a pair of support posts one each of which is connected to a respective side frame member of the sun lounge and each of which extends to a respective side frame member of the shade canopy to space the shade canopy above the sun lounge. 
     
     
         38 . A combination according to  claim 37 , the support posts being pivotably connected to the side frame members of the sun lounge and the shade canopy, so that rotation of the support posts about the pivot connection with the side frame members of the sun lounge shifts the shade canopy relative to the sun lounge. 
     
     
         39 .- 42 . (canceled) 
     
     
         43 . A combination according to  claim 37 , the support structure further including a pair of rear support posts extending from opposite sides of the shade canopy at or adjacent the trailing end of the shade canopy and extending into engagement with the sun lounge, the rear support posts being adjustably connectable to the sun lounge. 
     
     
         44 . A combination according to  claim 43 , the rear support posts being telescopically received in guide sleeves and the position of the rear support posts within the sleeves being adjustable. 
     
     
         45 . A combination according to  claim 37 , the shade canopy being formed with removable shade material and the support posts and the side frame members being collapsible into storage areas formed adjacent to or in the side frame members of the sun lounge. 
     
     
         46 . A combination according to  claim 45 , the storage areas being open channels into which the support posts and side frame members of the shade canopy are configured to be rotated. 
     
     
         47 .- 59 . (canceled)