RETRACTABLE TIRE AWNINGS AND RELATED METHODS

Abstract

Tire awning or tire shade assemblies, components thereof, and methods for making and using the tire awning assemblies are disclosed. Exemplary awning assemblies include a cassette having a plurality of panels, a tube received in the cassette, a shade wound around the tube having a free end extending out a bottom panel of the cassette in a deployed position to provide shades from UV rays, and optional weight coupled to the free end of the shade to assist with retracting the shade.

Claims

1. A tire shade assembly for a tire on a vehicle, comprising: a cassette having a mounting panel, a bottom panel connected to the mounting panel, and a cover panel connected to the mounting panel and the bottom panel; a tube received in the cassette; a shade wound around the tube having a free end extending out the bottom panel of the cassette in a deployed position to provide shade from UV rays; and a weight coupled to the free end of the shade and abutting against the bottom panel in a retracted position.

2. The tire shade assembly of claim 1, wherein the free end has a shade rod receptacle, and a shade rod is received in the free end.

3. The tire shade assembly of claim 1, further comprising a swivel cover coupling the shade to the weight.

4. The tire shade assembly of claim 1, further comprising a pair of brushes received in the cassette, each pair of brushes comprising bristles pressing against the shade to shield inside the cassette from debris.

5. The tire shade assembly of claim 1, further comprising a motor and a motor adaptor received in a bore of the tube and a battery electrically connected to the motor.

6. The tire shade assembly of claim 5, wherein the motor comprises a motor head fixed relative to the cassette and the motor adapter is rotatable relative to the motor head.

7. The tire shade assembly of claim 6, wherein the motor head is fixed to an interior surface of one of the end plates, and the interior surface of the one of the end plates has a recess that is sized and shaped to receive the motor head and the motor head being received in the recess.

8. The tire shade assembly of any of claim 5, wherein a power source from the vehicle charges the battery and powers the motor.

9. The tire shade assembly of claim 5, wherein the shade is extended out from the cassette by gravity acting on the weight, the tube rotating in an unwinding direction as the shade is withdrawn from the cassette, the motor rotates the tube in a winding direction, the winding direction being opposite the unwinding direction.

10. The tire shade assembly of any of claim 5, further comprising a spring roller received in the bore of the tube, the spring roller comprising a housing fixed to the bore and a pin rotatably coupled to the housing and fixed to the cassette.

11. The tire shade assembly of claim 10, wherein the pin is fixed to one of the end plates, the one of the end plates has a spring adjustment plate and a protrusion extending from a center of the spring adjustment plate engaging the pin to fix the pin to the spring adjustment plate.

12. The tire shade assembly of claim 10, wherein elastic energy is stored in the spring roller as the shade is pulled out from the cassette, the elastic energy being stored energy to retract the shade into the cassette.

13. The tire shade assembly of claim 10, wherein the spring roller comprises a catch that holds the shade in an extended position.

14. A method of covering one or more tires of a vehicle, the method comprising: providing a cassette having opposite open ends, the cassette comprising a mounting panel, a bottom panel connected to the mounting panel, a cover panel connected between the bottom panel and the mounting panel, a shade wound around a tube received in a shade chamber of the cassette for covering a tire, a brush assembly received in a brush chamber of the cassette, a bottom plate coupled to a free end of the shade, and end plates attached to the open ends of the cassette; and extending the shade out of the cassette through a cassette opening of the bottom panel by rotating the tube in an unwinding direction.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising retracting the shade into the cassette by rotating the tube in a winding direction using a motor coupled between the cassette and the tube, the winding direction being opposite the unwinding direction.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0121] These and other features and advantages of the present devices, systems, and methods will become appreciated as the same becomes better understood with reference to the specification, claims and appended drawings wherein:

[0122] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a tire awning assembly or tire shade assembly provided in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure shown without an end cap for clarity;

[0123] FIG. 1A is a cross-sectional view of a mounting protrusion in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

[0124] FIG. 1B is a cross-sectional view of a mounting protrusion in accordance with further aspects of the present disclosure.

[0125] FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the tire awning assembly of FIG. 1;

[0126] FIGS. 3A-3C illustrate progressive stages in assembly of a motorized tire awning assembly provided in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure;

[0127] FIGS. 4A-4C illustrate progressive stages in assembly of a manually operated tire awning assembly provided in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure;

[0128] FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the tire awning assembly at a deployed state; and

[0129] FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the tire awning assembly mounted on a vehicle.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0130] The detailed description set forth below in connection with the appended drawings is intended as a description of the presently preferred embodiments of tire awning assemblies provided in accordance with aspects of the present assemblies, systems, and methods and is not intended to represent the only forms in which the present devices, systems, and methods may be constructed or utilized. The description sets forth the features and the steps for constructing and using embodiments of the present assemblies, systems, and methods in connection with the illustrated embodiments. It is to be understood, however, that the same or equivalent functions and structures may be accomplished by different embodiments that are also intended to be encompassed within the scope of the present disclosure. As denoted elsewhere herein, like element numbers are intended to indicate like or similar elements or features.

[0131] In the following description, numerous specific details are set forth to provide a more thorough description of the invention. It will be apparent, however, to one skilled in the pertinent art, that the invention may be practiced without all of these specific details. In other instances, well known features have not been described in detail so as not to obscure the invention. The claims following this description are what define the metes and bounds of the invention.

[0132] With reference now to FIG. 1, a tire awning assembly or tire shade assembly 10 provided in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure is shown in a retracted position. The tire awning assembly 10 includes a housing or cassette 100 with opposite open ends 107. One or more brushes 140, a tube 120, and a shade 130 wound around the tube 120 are slidably inserted into the cassette 100 from one of the open ends 107. The brushes 140 are configured to brush dust or debris from the shade 130 as the shade expands and rolls around the tube 120. A pair of end plates or caps 110 (FIG. 2) attached to the open ends 107 completes closure of the cassette 100 and secures the shade 130, the tube 120, and the pair of brushes 140 inside the cassette 100.

[0133] Attached to a free end of the shade 130 is a shade rod 136, which is coupled to a weight or bottom plate 150 by a swivel cover 160, which is attachable to an end of the bottom plate 150, as shown in their separated positions in FIG. 2. There can be two swivel covers 160 on each end of the bottom plate 150. The bottom plate 150 is pressed against or adjacent to a bottom panel 103 of the cassette 100 in the retracted position with the swivel cover 160 partially extended into the debris brush chamber 104. Components of the tire awning assembly 100 will be discussed in further detail below.

[0134] Turning now to FIG. 2, the cassette 100 has a mounting panel 101 adjacent to and connected to the bottom panel 103, and a cover panel 105 connected between the mounting panel 101 and the bottom panel 103. As shown, the cassette 100 has a long and slender hollow shape, but other shapes are contemplated to accommodate various mounting surfaces of the vehicle 200. The cassette 100 may be made of a durable lightweight material such as a hard plastic or a metal such as aluminum. In an example, the cassette 100 is made from extruded aluminum. The cassette 100 is structured to withstand moisture and debris striking the cassette 100 when the vehicle is moving or parked. Thus, the tire awning assembly 10 may operate in all weather conditions. Three separate chambers may be formed inside the cassette 100 including a shade chamber 106, a brush chamber 104 between the shade chamber 106 and the bottom panel 103, and a mounting chamber 108 between the shade chamber 106 and the mounting panel 101. The shade 130 and the tube 120 are received in the shade chamber 106, and the brushes 140 are received in the brush chamber 104. The open ends 107 of the cassette 100 may have a plurality of attachment holes 112 to receive fasteners passing through holes 111 of the end plates 100 to fasten the end plates 110 to the cassette 100. In one example, the attachment holes 112 at each open end 107 may be tapped holes or fitted with inserts to receive the fasteners. In another example, the holes 112 may be female detents to receive male detents extending from the end plates 110.

[0135] A mounting slot 102 extends longitudinally across the mounting panel 101 into the mounting chamber 108 from one open end 107 towards the other open end 107 providing access to the mounting chamber 108. The mounting chamber 108 may be isolated from the shade chamber 106 and the brush chamber 104 to prevent or limit debris and moisture that may enter through the mounting slot 102 into the mounting chamber 108 from entering the other chambers. With reference to FIGS. 1A and 1B, a mounting protrusion 250 extending from a vehicle 200 may slide inside the mounting chamber 108 along the mounting slot 102 from one open end 107 to support and fix the tire awning assembly 10 to the vehicle. In one example, the mounting protrusion 250 can be an L-shaped (FIG. 1A) or a T-shaped (FIG. 1B) protrusion extending from a bracket 252 mounted on the side of the vehicle 200. The T-shaped or L-shaped protrusion has a center portion 254 extending from the bracket 252 through the mounting slot 102 and a cross member 256 extending transversely from the center portion 254. In other examples, a coupling clip or channel may join the cassette to the vehicle without or in addition to a male projection and slot type attachment.

[0136] The tire awning assembly 10 may be assembled to the vehicle 200 by sliding the mounting protrusion 250 through one open end 107. The center portion 254 can slide along in the mounting slot 102 and the cross member 256 can slide inside the mounting chamber 108 and engage with one or more interior surfaces of the mounting panel 101. Any gaps between the center portion 254 and the mounting slot 102 and/or between the cross member 256 and the interior surface of the mounting panel 101 can be minimized to prevent the tire awning assembly 10 from rattling and shifting when mounted to the vehicle 200. Springs, Belleville washers, or spring washers may be used throughout the assembly to ensure adequate biasing and loading to minimize or prevent rattling and loosening. In one example, the mounting protrusion 250 may form a seal with the mounting slot 102. With the mounting protrusion 250 fully engaged with the mounting panel 101, the end plates 110 are attached to the open ends 107 to capture the mounting protrusion 250 inside the mounting chamber 108 and the mounting slot 102. The length of the mounting protrusion 250 may also be as long as the mounting slot 102 to prevent side by side movement between the tire awning assembly 10 and the mounting protrusion 250. The tire awning assembly 10 may also be attached to the vehicle 200 by other attachment means. In one such example, the tire awning assembly 10 may be attached to the surface of a vehicle 200 using magnets positioned in the mounting chamber 108 to magnetically attach to the sheet metal of the vehicle 200. In other examples, the magnets can be located on the vehicle 200, or both the mounting chamber and vehicle and can be assisted with fasteners.

[0137] Referring again to the cassette 100, the bottom panel 103 is adjacent to and substantially perpendicular to the mounting panel 101. A longitudinal slit 112 extends between the shade chamber 106 and the brush chamber 104 from one open end 107 to the other open end 107. A cassette opening 113 extends longitudinally across the bottom panel 103 from one open end 107 towards the other open end 107 below the longitudinal slit 112. The shade 130 extends from the shade chamber 106 through the slit 112 into the debris brush chamber 104 and through the cassette opening 113 to exit the cassette 100. The cassette opening 113 and the slit 112 each have a width at least greater than a thickness of the shade 130 and a length at least greater than the width of the shade 130 so that the shade 130 may slide through the cassette opening 113 and the slit 112 without or with only minimal restrictions.

[0138] The brush chamber 104 houses and supports the pair of brushes 140, which can slide into the brush chamber 104 from one of the exposed ends 107 of the cassette 100. Each brush 140 comprises a base 142 and a plurality of bristles 144 extending from the base 142. The brush chamber 104 may be sized and shaped to retain and prevent the brushes 140 from jostling or moving around inside the debris brush chamber 104. A width of the brush 140 may be larger than the width of the cassette opening 113 to prevent the brush 140 from slipping out the cassette opening 113. In other words, a slight interference may be provided to ensure adequate retention of the brushes 140 within the chamber 104. Inside the brush chamber 104, the pair of brushes 140 are aligned between the cassette opening 113 and the slit 112 with the bristles 144 extending towards each other from the bases 142. The pair of brushes may also be integrally formed or attached together to form a single unit. The bristles 144 press against the shade 130 to remove debris, such as dirt and dust from, the shade 130 as the shade 130 is drawn up into the shade chamber 106 through the cassette opening 113 and the slit 112.

[0139] The shade 130 is wound around the tube 120 in a stowaway position. The shade 130 may be made of a flexible material to provide cover or shade for the tire. In one example, the shade 130 is made from acrylic or canvas. The material or construction of the shade 130 can block UV rays from penetrating through the shade 130 and onto the tire. In one example, the shade can block at least 50% of the UV rays from penetrating through the shade 130. A coating may also be applied to the shade 130 to increase the blocking effectiveness of the shade in blocking the sunlight and UV rays. The shade 130 has an attached end along a width of the shade 130 which is attached to an outer circumference 121 of the tube 120 by adhesive, tape, or other attachment means, such as threads. With the attached end attached to the outer circumference 121, the shade 130 is wrapped around the tube 120. The number of wraps around the tube 120 depends on a length of the shade 130 and the circumference of the tube 120. As shown, the tube 120 is cylindrical having a hollow bore 123. At a free or loose end 133 of the shade 130, a shade rod receptacle 135 accommodates the shade rod 136. The shade rod receptacle 135 can be formed by forming a small U-shaped bend and fastening or sewing the loose end 133 of the shade 130 back to another section of the shade 130 to create a loop sized for the shade rod 136 to slide and remain in place.

[0140] The tube 120 resides in the shade chamber 106 with the shade 130 extending through the slit 112 and between the bristles 144 of the pair of brushes 140. The shade rod 136 is received in the shade rod receptacle 135. As shown, the shade rod 136 is smaller than the width of the cassette opening 113 to allow the shade rod 136 to enter the brush chamber 104 through the cassette opening 113, but larger than the width of the slit 112 to prevent the shade rod 136 from entering the shade chamber 106 from the brush chamber 104. In another embodiment, the slit 112 is larger than the shade rod 136 so that the shade rod 136 can enter into the shade chamber 106. The shade rod 136 is coupled to the bottom plate 150 by the swivel cover 160. The swivel cover 160 has a first hole 161 to receive and secure the shade rod 136 to the swivel cover 160 and one or more second holes 163 that may be used to fix the swivel cover 160 to the bottom plate 150. For example, fasteners can extend through the second holes and engage the engagement holes 155 in the bottom plate 150 to attach the swivel cover to the bottom plate 150. The swivel cover 160 allows the bottom plate 150 to rotate with respect to the shade rod 126 for easy closure in the retracted position. With the bottom plate 150 coupled to the shade 130 through the swivel cover 160 and the shade rod 136, the bottom plate 150 provides the necessary weight heavy enough to pull or assist the shade 130 to unwind from the tube 120, thereby rotating the tube 120 in an unwinding direction, under the force of gravity to a deployed position (FIG. 5) or to an extended position between the retracted and deployed position.

[0141] The shade 130 can cover or provide shade for one or more tires 210 of the vehicle 200 when in the extended position or deployed position. In some examples, the shade 130 is larger than a tire for a particular wheel well. In other examples, the shade is larger than the wheel well, at least along the width of the wheel well. The extension of the shade 130 outside the cassette 100 is controlled by rotation of the tube 120 of which the shade 130 is attached. For example, the shade 130 may be drawn up or retracted into the cassette 100 by rotation of the tube 120 inside the shade chamber 106 in a winding direction. The shade 130 may be drawn out of the cassette 100 by rotation of the tube 120 in an unwinding direction opposite the winding direction by the weight of the bottom plate 150 under gravity. The bottom plate 150 can also act as a handle to manually pull the shade 130 to unwind the shade 130 from the tube 120 to the extended or deployed position. A motor 115 may also be used to deploy the shade 130, as will be discussed further below with respect to FIGS. 3A-3C. To return the tire awning assembly 100 to the retracted or stowaway position, the shade 130 is rolled back up into the cassette 100 by rotating the tube 120 in the winding direction until the bottom plate 150 is pressed against the bottom panel 103 thereby covering the cassette opening 113. This can be accomplished by the motor 115 or a spring roller 170, which will be discussed below with respect to FIGS. 4A-4C.

[0142] The bottom plate 150 can form a seal against the cassette opening 113 to prevent dust, debris, or moisture from entering the brush chamber 104 in the retracted position. The bottom plate may be a flat plate 150 with enough mass to pull the shade 130 and unwind the tube 120 under the force of gravity. However, the weight can be less than that and additional pulling or tugging by a user can further unwind the shade 130. The shade rod 136 can seat against the slit 112 and form a seal between the slit 112 in the retracted position. With the tube 120, the shade 130, and the brushes 140 in the cassette 100, the end plates 110 may now be attached to the open ends 107 of the cassette 100 to secure the components in the cassette 100. Additional components may be added or substituted in the tire awning assembly 10 such as components for a motorized tire awning assembly shown in FIGS. 3A-3C and a non-motorized tire awning assembly as illustrated in FIGS. 4A-4C.

[0143] FIGS. 3A-3C illustrate various stages of assembling one embodiment of a motorized tire awning assembly 10. With reference now to FIGS. 3A and 3B, the tire awning assembly 10 comprises a cassette 100, a tube 120, shade 130 wound around the tube 120, a motor 115 coupled to the tube 120, a battery 119 electrically connected to the motor, a shade rod 136 attached to a free end of the shade 130, a bottom plate 150 coupled to the shade rod 136 by a swivel cover 160, a pair of brushes received in a brush chamber of the cassette 100, and a pair of end caps 110.

[0144] The motor 115 comprises a motor head 117 anchored to the cassette 100, at or near one of the ends that can be designated as a motor bracket. The motor 115 has a rotatable shaft and a motor adapter 118 connected to the shaft to be rotatable thereby and relative to the motor head 117. The motor can be a conventional AC or DC powered motor with sufficient horse power and torque to rotate the tube 120 to rotate the shade 130. The battery 119 may be received inside the bore 123 or disposed in the mounting chamber 108. The motor adapter 118 is fitted inside the bore 123 of the tube 120 to rotate the tube 120 when the motor 115 is activated. The motor 115 can be operated remotely or the cassette can be equipped with a controller and switch locally to activate the motor. The motor adapter 118 may be press fitted inside the bore 123 and/or aligned with a key (not shown) such as protrusions or grooves of the bore 123 engaging with complementing grooves and protrusions of the motor adapter 118 to control rotation of the tube 120 in the winding direction and/or the unwinding direction opposite the winding direction. The motor adapter 118 and the bore 123 may also incorporate gears so that the motor adaptor can rotate the tube 120 through gearing. A roller or guide may be fitted onto the opposite side of the tube 120 to align the tube 120 in the shade chamber 106 and allow the tube 120 to rotate freely in either direction.

[0145] The motor 115 can draw power from the vehicle battery, such as 12 VDC, or an external or separate battery 119 housed within the cassette 100 and electrically connected to the motor 115. The battery 119 may also be a rechargeable battery electrically connected to both the vehicle battery to recharge the battery 119 while supplying power to the motor 115. The battery may also optionally be charged by photocells, which can be mounted somewhere external of the vehicle, such as on the roof thereof. In one example, the power requirement of the motor 115 is about 6.7 Watts which would draw of about 0.6 Amps with a retraction speed of about 34 rpm. Before the motor 115 can be activated to rotate the tube 120, the motor head 117 should be anchored to the cassette 100 so that the motor adapter 118 can rotate relative to the motor head 117. The motor head 117 may have a non-circular shape matching a similar shaped cutout (not shown) in an internal surface of the end cap 110 to receive the motor head 117, thereby anchoring the motor head 117 to the end cap 110. The non-circular shapes of the motor head and cutout in the cap provide interference from rotation. Because the end cap 100 is fixed to the open end 107 of the cassette 100, the motor head 117 is also deemed fixed to the cassette 100. The motor head 117 can be securely fastened to the end cap 110 by securing fasteners extending through the end cap 110 and engaging with tapped holes or inserts 116 in the motor head 117. The end cap or end plate 110 may further include a pocket 114 at an external surface of the end cap 110 so that screw heads or nuts for threading to the securing fasteners, such as to threaded float rods or threaded rods, to secure the motor head 117 of the motor to the end cap 110 can reside inside the pocket 114. A hiding cover or finishing cover 114A can then be attached to the external of the end cap 110 over the pocket 114 to hide the heads or nuts and present a smooth and/or aesthetic appearance, as shown in FIG. 3C.

[0146] When the motor 115 is activated, the motor adapter 118 is configured to rotate the tube 120 in the winding direction to wrap the shade 130 around the tube 120, thereby drawing the shade 130 into the cassette from an extended or fully deployed position. The motor 115 can be controlled remotely or directly on the tire awning assembly 10 by a switch, such as a remote wall switch or key, or a switch or key directly on the tire awning assembly 10. Once a desired position is reached, such as in the retracted position, power to the motor 115 can be cut. After power to the motor 115 is cut, brakes on the motor 115 may hold the tube 120 in any position thereby preventing the tube 120 from rotating in the unwinding direction from the weight of the bottom plate 150 under gravity. Thus, the length of shade 130 exposed from the cassette 100 can be controlled by operation of the motor 115.

[0147] To extend the shade 130, the motor brakes can be released to allow the tube 120 to rotate in the unwinding direction and the shade 130 to deploy from the cassette 100 to the desired position by the weight of the bottom plate 150. The motor 115 may also rotate the tube 120 in the unwinding direction to unroll the shade 130 from the tube 120 in addition to the weight of the bottom plate 150. Thus, the length of shade 130 deployed from the cassette 100 may be adjusted by operation of the motor 115 in both the winding and unwinding directions until the desired length is obtained.

[0148] FIGS. 4A-4C illustrate various stages of assembling one embodiment of a non-motorized tire awning assembly 10. With reference initially to FIGS. 4A and 4B, the tire awning assembly 10 as shown comprises a cassette 100, a tube 120, a shade 130 wound around the tube 120, a spring roller 170 fitted inside a bore 123 of the tube 120, a spring adjustment plate 175, a bushing 178, a shade rod 136 attached to a free end of the shade 130, a bottom plate 150 coupled to the shade rod 136 by a swivel cover 160, a pair of brushes 140 comprising bristles received in a brush chamber of the cassette 100, and a pair of end caps 110 attached to the cassette 100.

[0149] The spring roller 170 comprises a housing 171 and a pin 173 is rotatably coupled to the housing 171. The housing 171 is fixed in the bore 123 of the tube 120 by interference fit and/or aligned with a key (not shown), such as protrusions or grooves of the bore 123 engaging complementing grooves and protrusions of the housing 171. The spring roller 170 mechanism operates by rotation of the housing 171 with respect to the pin 173. When either the pin 173 or the housing 171 rotates with respect to the other, a spring inside the spring roller 170 is also rotated and becomes continuously tighter as the rotation continues. Said differently, as the housing 171 rotates relative to the pin 173, elastic energy is stored within the spring to rotate the housing back from where it was rotated. Also located within the spring roller 170 is a catch mechanism that can hold the spring during the rotation.

[0150] Before the spring roller 170 can rotate the tube 120, the pin 173 must be anchored to the cassette 100. In the example shown, the spring adjustment plate 175 has a ridged circumference 176 and a protrusion 177 extending from a center of the adjustment plate 175. The pin 173 has a noncircular shape engaging a similarly shaped receptacle 178 in the protrusion 177 to prevent the pin 173 from rotating with respect to the spring adjustment plate 175. As shown, the pin 173 is flat or rectangular and engages a rectangular receptacle 178 in the protrusion 177. The ridged circumference 176 engages a complementing circular ridge 110A formed in the end plate 110. The ridged circumference 176 allows the spring adjustment plate 175 to be rotated at various angles to accommodate the angle of the pin 173, which is to engage in the receptacle 178. For example, if the rectangular pin 173 is at a 45 degree angle with respect to the bottom panel 103, then the adjustment plate 175 may be rotated along the ridged circumference 176 until the angle of the receptacle 178 is also at a 45 degree angle with respect to the bottom panel 103. A greater number of ridges of the ridged circumference 176 allows for a finer adjustment. In some examples, the spring adjustment plate 175 may not have a ridged circumference 176 but is directly fixed to the end plate 110 to anchor the pin 173 to the end plate 110. The protrusion 177 may also be noncircular and engage the bushing 178 having a matching noncircular bore to receive the protrusion 177. This allows the busing 178 to rotate with the protrusion 177 and stay attached to the protrusion 177. The protrusion 177 extends through a through hole in the end plate 100 and the bushing 178 until the pin 173 engages the receptacle 178, thereby anchoring the pin 173 to the end plate 110 which is fixed to the cassette 100.

[0151] The shade 130 of the non-motorized tire awning assembly 10 may be deployed by a user grasping the bottom plate 150 and pulling the shade 130 out from the cassette 100, thereby rotating the tube 120 and the housing 171 in the unwinding direction. When the tube 120 is rotated, the housing 171 is rotated to generate elastic energy stored in the spring. The more the tube 120 rotates in the unwinding direction, the greater the elastic energy is stored to rotate the tube in the winding direction. The user may pull the shade 130 from a retracted position to a fully deployed position or a position between the retracted to the fully deployed position. When the desired position is obtained, the user can release the bottom plate 150 and a catch mechanism inside the spring roller 170 will maintain the shade at the desired position. If the user wants to retract the shade 130 slightly or back to the retracted position, the user can tug on the bottom plate 150, which will release the catch mechanism and the elastic energy stored in the spring causing the tube 120 to rotate in the winding direction and drawing the shade 130 into the cassette 100.

[0152] With reference to FIG. 5, the tire awning assembly 10 is shown in the deployed position. As previously described, the bottom plate 150 may act as a weight to maintain the shade 130 at an extended position and ensure the shade 130 is stretched to provide maximum shade.

[0153] With reference to FIG. 6, the tire awning assembly 10 is shown mounted on a recreational vehicle 200 above the tire wheel well 215. However, the awning assembly 10 may be mounted on any wheeled vehicle to provide shades to any wheel well. The tire awning assembly 10 may be permanently or detachably mounted to the vehicle 200 to provide cover for one or more tires 210 of the vehicle 200 from UV ray exposure when the vehicle 200 is parked.

[0154] The tire awning assembly 10 can be mounted anywhere above the tire 210 such as inside or above the wheel well 215 of the vehicle 200. In one embodiment, the tire awning assembly 10 is mounted above the wheel well 215 and the tire 210 on an outer surface of the vehicle 200. In another embodiment, the tire awning assembly 10 is mounted above the wheel well 215 and the tire 210 on an inside a surface of the vehicle 200 with only a portion of the tire awning assembly 10 exposed. The tire awning assembly 10 can be operated manually or motor operated, remotely, wirelessly, or directly. The size of the tire awning 10 can vary depending on how many tires 210 the tire awning assembly 10 is to shield and the width of the wheel well. In one example, the tire awning assembly 10 is about 48 inches long, about 3 inches wide, and about 2.5 inches tall in a closed state. In an extended state, the height of the tire awning assembly 10 including the height of the cassette 100 and the length of the drawn out shade 130 can be about 48 inches tall. However, the size of the tire awning assembly 10 is not limited and may change according to a size of the tire and the number of tires the tire awning assembly 10 will cover and the dimensions provided are exemplary only.

[0155] Methods of making and of using the tire awning assemblies and their components discussed elsewhere herein are understood to fall within the scope of the present disclosure.

[0156] Although limited embodiments of tire awnings and their components have been specifically described and illustrated herein, many modifications and variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art. For example, the various cassettes, end caps, motors, and shade materials may differ than as described while still serves the purpose of providing shade for a vehicle's tires. Furthermore, it is understood and contemplated that features specifically discussed for one awning assembly embodiment may be adopted for inclusion with another awning assembly embodiment, provided the functions are compatible. Accordingly, it is to be understood that the tire awning assemblies and their components constructed according to principles of the disclosed device, system, and method may be embodied other than as specifically described herein. The disclosure is also defined in the following claims.