Arched support structure with cover

Claim 1

A portable shelter including a plurality of laterally spaced apart and downwardly opening arched plastic pipe members of generally 180° in angular extent, a flexible covering disposed over and supported from said pipe members in arched configuration, the concave inner side of said cover including means defining flexible sleeve portions carried thereby and through which said pipe members extend, the upper portions of said pipe members having longitudinally extending stiffening rods disposed therein to prevent flattening or peaking of the upper portions of said pipe members, means carried by said pipe members preventing longitudinal displacement of said rods in said pipe members, a pair of elongated tubular bars extending between corresponding ends of said pipe members and having upwardly opening apertures formed therein downwardly into which the ends of said pipe members extend with the terminal ends thereof abutted against the inner surface portions of said tubular bars opposite said apertures, ground anchor means supported from said tubular bars for anchoring the latter to the ground, elongated horizontal anchor means carried by said cover, extending transversely of said sleeve portions and spaced above each of said tubular bars, and elongated elastic tension members anchored at one set of corresponding ends to said anchor means adjacent a corresponding sleeve portion and anchored at their other set of corresponding ends to the corresponding tubular bar adjacent the corresponding sleeve portion.