Awning

Claim 1

IN A AWNING, SUPPORTING MEANS INCLUDING A PAIR OF PARALLEL SPACED RAILS DOWNWARDLY SLOPED IN REGISTRY ALIGNMENT FROM A POSITION OF ATTACHMENT AT ONE END TO A WALL, EACH RAIL IN SECTION DEFINING A C-SHAPED CHANNEL HAVING ITS RESPECTIVE OPEN PORTIONS OF FACING RELATIONSHIP, EACH RAIL INCLUDING A PAIR OF SLOTS ON ITS RESPECTIVE UPPER PORTION ADJACENT SAID RAIL END ATTACHED TO THE WALL, TRACK MEANS INSIDE EACH PARALLEL RAIL, SAID TRACK MEANS DEFINING A VERTICAL FLANGE EXTENDING LENGTHWISE OF THE BOTTOM PORTION THEREOF AND INCLUDING A NUMBER OF CONCAVE RECESSES ADJACENT SAID RAIL END ATTACHED TO A WALL, A PAIR OF INCLINED MEANS ON EACH SAID RAIL LATERALLY SPACED OUTWARDLY FROM SAID TRACK MEANS AND SUBSTANTIALLY PROXIMATE SAID WALL END, EACH SAID INCLINED MEANS DEFINING WITHIN EACH RAIL A PAIR OF LONGITUDINALLY SPACED OBLIQUE RAMPS EACH HAVING A RESPECTIVE UPPER END ENGAGING ONE OF SAID PAIR OF SLOTS AND THEIR LOWER ENDS ADJACENT SAID VERTICAL FLANGE IN ANGULAR PROXIMITY THERETO, A PLURALITY OF ELONGATED PANELS ARRANGED SIDE BY SIDE IN A ROW, AN ELONGATED SIDE PORTION OF A FIRST PANEL OF THE ROW ADJACENT THE SECOND PANEL OF THE ROW OVERLAPPING AN ELONGATED SIDE PORTION OF A SECOND PANEL, SAID SECOND PANEL, AND EACH OF THE REMAINING PANELS OVERLAPPING THE NEXT SUCCEEDING PANEL ON THE PROXIMATE ELONGATED SIDE THEREOF, A FIRST GROUP OF HINGES BELOW EACH OPPOSITE TRANSVERSE PANEL EDGE, SAID HINGES PIVOTALLY CONNECTING THE JOINTS BETWEEN ALL ODD NUMBER PANELS OF THE ROW AND THE NEXT SUCCEEDING EVEN NUMBER PANELS OF THE ROW AT EACH END OF SAID JOINTS WITH THE PIVOT AXIS FOR EACH JOINT BEING SUBSTANTIALLY AT THE EDGE OF THE OVERLAPPED PANEL OF THE JOINT, A SECOND GROUP OF HINGES ABOVE EACH OPPOSITE TRANSVERSE PANEL EDGE AND PIVOTALLY CONNECTING THE JOINTS BETWEEN ALL EVEN NUMBER PANELS OF THE ROW AND THE NEXT SUCCEEDING ODD NUMBER PANELS OF THE ROW AT EACH END OF SAID JOINTS WITH THE PIVOT AXIS OF EACH JOINT BEING SUBSTANTIALLY AT THE EDGE OF THE OVERLAPPING PANEL OF THE JOINT, FIRST GUIDE MEANS MOUNTED EACH ON THE PIVOT AXIS OF EACH HINGE OF THE SECOND GROUP, EACH OF SAID GUIDE MEANS BEING POSITIONED ADJACENT OPPOSITE TRANSVERSE PANEL EDGES, SAID GUIDE MEANS INCLUDING A GROOVED WHEEL OPERABLY INSERTED INTO THE CONCAVE PORTION OF EACH ONE OF SAID PAIR OF PARALLEL RAILS AND MOVABLY DISPLACEABLE OVER SAID VERTICAL FLANGE INSIDE EACH RAIL, SECOND GUIDE MEANS EACH MOUNTED ON THE PIVOT AXIS OF EACH HINGE OF THE FIRST GROUP, EACH GUIDE MEANS POSITIONED ADJACENT OPPOSITE TRANSVERSE PANEL EDGES, SAID SECOND GUIDE MEANS INCLUDING AN ELONGATED ROLLER OPERABLY INSERTED INTO HE CONCAVE PORTION OF EACH ONE OF SAID PAIR OF PARALLEL RAILS AND MOVABLY DISPLACEABLE OVER SAID VERTICAL FLANGE INSIDE EACH RAIL, SAID SECOND GUIDE MEANS PROJECTING LATERALLY BEYOND SAID FIRST GUIDE MEANS AND TERMINATING IN THE PLANE OF SAID INCLINED RAMP, AND MEANS TO APPLY A FORCE TO THE FIRST PANEL OF THE ROW.