Retractible canopy shelter

Claim 1

A retractible panel construction comprising a pair of laterally spaced generally parallel side rails, a storage roller positioned transversely of said side rails at one end thereof, a panel consisting of a length of material rolled on said roller and selectively extensible therefrom along and between said rails, said material being of a width sufficient so as to completely span the distance between the rails, control means for selectively extending and retracting said panel, guide means engaged between said panel and said rails for a guiding of the panel therealong during the selective extension and retraction thereof, said guide means comprising an elongated upwardly facing groove along each side rail and a depending flange along each side of said panel slidably received within the rail grooves, the lateral spacing between the side rail grooves being less than the width of the panel material between the depending flanges as rolled on the storage roller with the material being sufficiently flexible to enable an arcuate upward flexing of the panel upon a movement of the material from the storage roller to the side rails where the panel flanges engage within the rail grooves, a protective housing enclosing said storage roller, said housing having a transversely arcuate panel forming mouth through which the panel is extending, the mouth being orientated between the storage roller and the adjacent ends of said rails and causing an initial upward flexing of the panel, and a support beam extending between the remote ends of the side rails, the support beam having an upwardly convex upper edge receiving and supporting the arcuately flexed leading end of the panel upon a complete extension thereof, said construction, between the panel forming mouth and the support beam being free of panel supporting structure.