U.S. patent application number 10/194732 was filed with the patent office on 2004-01-15 for unfolding portable hanging cot.
Invention is credited to Saiki, Neal Tate.
Application Number | 20040006820 10/194732 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 30114817 |
Filed Date | 2004-01-15 |
United States Patent
Application |
20040006820 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Saiki, Neal Tate |
January 15, 2004 |
UNFOLDING PORTABLE HANGING COT
Abstract
A portable cot that consists of a tubular framework that
supports a cloth bed. The framework and bed are suspended from
above by hanging webbing that allows suspension from a single
point. The tubular members of the framework are connected together
by hinges that allow the framework to folded into a small bundle of
tubes.
Inventors: |
Saiki, Neal Tate; (Scotts
Valley, CA) |
Correspondence
Address: |
Neal Saiki
Unit 42
111 Bean Creek Road
Scotts Valley
CA
95066-4137
US
|
Family ID: |
30114817 |
Appl. No.: |
10/194732 |
Filed: |
July 15, 2002 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
5/111 ; 5/114;
5/120 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A47C 17/84 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
5/111 ; 5/114;
5/120 |
International
Class: |
A47C 017/64; A45F
003/22 |
Claims
I claim:
20 In a hanging cot comprising: a) a rectangular bed of flat
material, b) a suspension means which provides support from above,
said suspension means comprises of a plurality of thin highly
flexible members that come together at the top, c) a pair of side
members, said side members are each attached along an opposite edge
of said rectangular bed, d) a plurality of transverse member
assemblies in which each said transverse member assembly comprises
a pair of elongated transverse members, said pair of elongated
transverse members are connected end to end by a hinging means,
each of the free ends of said transverse member assemblies are
pivotably attached to said side member assemblies. f) the
improvement wherein the transverse member assemblies will open up
and tension said bed when said transverse member assemblies are
rotated so that said elongated transverse members are roughly in
line with each other.
21 The hanging cot of claim 20 wherein there are two, three, or
four of said transverse member assemblies.
22 The hanging cot of claim 21 wherein each side member is
comprised of a pair of elongated side members that are connected
end by a connecting means.
23 The hanging cot of claim 22 wherein said connecting means is a
hinge.
24 The hanging cot of claim 23 wherein said hinging means is
aligned to allow said elongated side members to rotate when the bed
is open and bend said bed into an angle
25 The hanging cot of claim 24 wherein some or all of said thin
highly flexible members have a means for adjusting their
length.
26 The hanging cot of claim 21 wherein some or all of said thin
highly flexible members have a means for adjusting their
length.
27. In a hanging cot comprising: a) a rectangular bed of flat
material, b) a suspension means which provides support from above,
said suspension means comprises of a plurality of thin highly
flexible members that come together at the top, some or all of said
thin highly flexible members have a means for adjusting their
length, c) a pair of side members, said side members are each
attached along an opposite edge of said rectangular bed and each
said side member is comprised of a pair of elongated side members
that are connected end to end by a hinging means, d) a plurality of
transverse member assemblies in which each said transverse member
assembly comprises a pair of elongated transverse members, said
pair of elongated transverse members are connected end to end by a
hinging means, each of the free ends of said transverse member
assemblies are pivotably attached to said side member assemblies.
f) the improvement wherein the transverse member assemblies will
open up and tension said bed when said transverse member assemblies
are rotated so that said elongated transverse members are roughly
in line with each other.
28 The hanging cot of claim 27 wherein said hinging means is
aligned to allow said elongated side members to rotate when the bed
is open and bend said bed into an angle.
29 The hanging cot of claim 27 wherein there are two, three, or
four of said transverse member assemblies.
30 In a hanging cot comprising: e) a rectangular bed of flat
material, f) a pair of side members, said side members are each
attached along an opposite edge of said rectangular bed and each
said side member is comprised of a pair of elongated side members
that are connected end to end by a hinging means, g) a plurality of
transverse member assemblies in which each said transverse member
assembly comprises a pair of elongated transverse members, said
pair of elongated transverse members are connected end to end by a
hinging means, each of the free ends of said transverse member
assemblies are pivotably attached to said side member assemblies,
said transverse member assemblies will open up and tension said bed
when said transverse member assemblies are rotated so that said
elongated transverse members are roughly in line with each other.
e) a suspension means which provides support from above, said
suspension means comprises of a plurality of thin highly flexible
members that come together at the top.
31 The hanging cot of claim 30 wherein said hinging means is
aligned to allow said elongated side members to rotate when the bed
is open and bend said bed into an angle.
32 The hanging cot of claim 31 wherein said thin highly flexible
members have a means for adjusting their length.
33 The hanging cot of claim 30 wherein some or all of said thin
highly flexible members have a means for adjusting their
length.
34 The hanging cot of claim 30 wherein there are two, three, or
four of said transverse member assemblies.
Description
BACKGROUND
[0001] 1. Field of Invention
[0002] This invention relates to hanging portable cots that are
used mainly, but not exclusively, for rock climbing.
[0003] 2. Discussion of Prior Art
[0004] Over the last 30 years, the level of rock climbing has
advanced to the point where multi-day ascents of shear rock faces
are possible. Very often on these climbs, the rock face is so steep
and relentless that there is no place to rest or sleep. At first
climbers used hammocks to sleep in, but these are very constrictive
around the body and require two points of attachment. Not to
mention the rude awakening you could receive if you were to roll
out of the hammock in the middle of the night. In order to overcome
the shortcomings of hammocks, climbers developed ridged hanging
cots, which are commonly referred to as porta-ledges (short for
portable ledge). These homemade porta-ledges were usually made from
metal tubing and plumbing fittings. Today, one can choose between
several commercially available porta-ledges.
[0005] Most existing porta-ledges are constructed basically the
same. There are metal tubes that form the perimeter of a
rectangular frame. Nylon cloth is then stretched in the frame to
produce a flat bed. This bed is then suspended by four or six
pieces of webbing which come together to a single point above the
cot. The single anchor point makes it easy to hang.
[0006] The problem in designing porta-ledges is in how to make the
frame ridged and yet easy to assemble and disassemble. Most current
porta-ledges use straight metal frame tubes that plug into each
other with sleeve joints. The tubes are joined at the corners by
corner pieces that have two holes at a right angle. The frame tubes
are plugged into the corner pieces. In total there are six or eight
separate pieces of tubing that must be plugged together in order to
be assembled. There are several disadvantages to this design:
[0007] a) With up to eight separate frame tubes to plug together,
it is difficult to assemble. You can imagine how difficult this can
be when you are hanging in midair from the end of a rope. Also it
is inevitable that the tube ends are going to get banged around and
distorted. When this happens it makes it almost impossible to
assemble.
[0008] b) The frame tubes are not fixed from rotating. At the
corners, the tubes are free to rotate in the holes. This allows the
ledge to twist along its length forming the shape of a potato chip.
More than one climber has cursed when they were flipped out of
their porta-ledge when it "potato-chipped".
[0009] c) The only way to make satisfactory corner pieces is to
machine them from solid blocks of aluminum. This makes for an
expensive and heavy solution to the problem.
[0010] d) There is no good way to fold up the cloth bed and keep
the tubes around the perimeter of the bed. Current designs require
you to loosen the bed enough so that it can be fold it into several
triangles. This is difficult to do while hanging in mid-air and
makes for a large bulky package. It's bulky because the cloth is
not neatly rolled, but rather folded several times.
[0011] e) The plug in tube design requires that the bed be
tensioned after the frame is assembled. This is because it is
impossible to slide the tubes in and out of their sleeves when the
bed is tight and pulling the tubes together. Not only is this an
inconvenient extra step, but it is also an added expense since
there has to be a tensioning mechanism on the cloth bed.
[0012] A more advanced porta-ledge design that unfolds practically
all by itself is shown in FIG. 2. This advanced design was patented
by myself, Neal Saiki in U.S. Pat. No. 5,60,175. The advantage of
this porta-ledge is that it unfolds from tubes that are all
pivotably connected. Although, this is a very good design, the
design still has several disadvantages.
[0013] a) The long side tubes are pivotably supported at their
ends. With a person on the bed, there is tremendous bending force
placed on the side tubes. The tubes tend to bend inward in an
hourglass shape.
[0014] b) Weight is an important consideration and this design is
on the heavy side. The end tubes form an "X" shape and are
structurally redundant. Also, the side tubes need to be heavy
tubing in order to resist the hourglass bending.
[0015] c) The amount of tubing required is greater than the designs
with a perimeter frame. Typically, the aluminum tubing used on
these porta-ledges is the largest portion of the material
costs.
OBJECTS AND ADVANTAGES
[0016] Accordingly, several objects and advantages of my invention
are:
[0017] a) to provide a portable hanging cot whose assembly is
greatly facilitated by the elimination of close tolerance joints
which must be plugged together;
[0018] b) to provide a portable hanging cot whose assembly is very
easy to assemble with no loose pieces;
[0019] c) to provide a portable hanging cot which is ridged and
that will resist being twisted into a "potato chip";
[0020] d) to provide a portable hanging cot that is less expensive
by keeping the tubing required to a minimum;
[0021] e) to provide a portable hanging cot that can be efficiently
folded into a small package.
[0022] f) By reducing the cost, other markets would be opened. An
inexpensive portable hanging cot could be used for camping,
backpacking, or even for lounging in the back yard.
[0023] g) to provide a portable hanging cot with the capability of
folding in the middle in order to allow a person to sit up and have
a backrest.
[0024] h) To provide a lighter and more efficient frame structure
to reduce weight.
[0025] Further objects and advantages are to provide a portable
hanging cot which is simple, inexpensive to manufacture, and easy
to learn to use. Still further objects and advantages of my
invention will become apparent from a consideration of the drawings
and ensuing description.
DRAWING FIGURES
[0026] FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of my invention from a
bottom angle.
[0027] FIG. 2 shows a perspective of a prior art porta-ledge.
[0028] FIG. 3 shows a bottom view of my invention.
[0029] FIG. 4 shows an end view of my invention with more detail of
the spreader tubes
[0030] FIG. 5 shows a close up of the side tubes
[0031] FIGS. 6A and 6B shows the steps to fold the portable hanging
cot into a compact package.
[0032] FIG. 7 shows my invention in the chair mode.
[0033] FIG. 8 shows a version where the suspension locks out the
spreader bars.
[0034] FIG. 9 shows a version where there are three spreader bar
assemblies.
LIST OF REFERENCE NUMERALS IN DRAWINGS
[0035]
1 10 anchor loop 11 suspension assembly 11a middle upper suspension
11b middle lower suspension line line 12 side tube assembly 12a
side tube 12b side hinge axle 12c side hinge 13 spreader tube
assembly 13a spreader tube axle 13b spreader tube 13c spreader
hinge 13d spreader hinge axle 14 bed
[0036] Description--FIGS. 1, 3, 4, 5, and 7, 8, 9
[0037] A typical embodiment of the unfolding portable hanging cot
is illustrated in FIG. 1. The cot can be segregated into three
general assemblies: a metal tube frame assembly, a bed 14 and
lastly a suspension assembly 11.
[0038] In this embodiment, the frame assembly is made up of eight
sections of metal tubing. Aluminum tubing being the preferable
material due to its high strength to weight ratio and corrosion
resistance.
[0039] The side tube assemblies 12 of the frame consist of two
frame side tubes 12a running lengthwise in the longitudinal
direction. The side tubes are made from two sections of tubing of
approximately equal length and are connected end to end by a side
hinge 12c and two side hinge axles 12b. The side hinges allow the
side tubes to rotate up to 180 degrees from each other. The hinges
are aligned to allow the side tube outside ends to rotate
upward.
[0040] The spreader tube assemblies 13 are oriented perpendicular
to the side tubes in the transverse direction. The spreader tube
assemblies are connected to the side tube at the approximate
midpoint of each side tube. Their function is to spread the side
tubes apart and tension the cloth bed. FIG. 4 shows the spreader
tube assembly in detail. The spreader tube assemblies consist of:
spreader tube axles 13a, spreader tubes 13b, a spreader hinge 13c
and spreader hinge axles 13d. A spreader hinge connects two
spreader tubes end to end. The hinge is aligned to rotate in the
horizontal plane. The outside ends of the spreader tube assembly
are pivotably connected to the side tubes. The spreader hinge
allows slightly more than 180 degrees of movement in order to cause
the spreader tube assembly to lock when the hinge swings past
straight and keep the bed under tension. The edge view in FIG. 4
shows that the spreader tubes are aligned to form a slight "V"
shape in the vertical plane. This is done so that when the bed
deflects, the bed will not rest on the spreader tubes and be
uncomfortable.
[0041] The hinges shown on the most preferred embodiments are made
with double axles and approximately 180 degrees of movement.
However, numerous hinging arrangements could be employed. Single
axle hinges with an offset axle could be used instead of the double
axles. Flexible hinges could be used. Hinges with locking
mechanisms could be used for greater security. The hinging motion
of the side hinges does not have to be limited to 180 degrees. The
rotation of the spreader tubes could be limited by straps attached
to the spreader tubes or a stop on the spreader tube outside
pivots.
[0042] A cloth bed 14 is sewn from nylon canvas or a similar
material. The long sides are sewn into a tube and are slipped over
the side tubes. There is a hole in the sleeves for the side tube
hinges. The width and length of the bed can be varied to provide
room for more than one person.
[0043] The suspension system has six lines. They are made from six
pieces of flat nylon webbing. They support the frame at the four
corners and at the side hinges. It is preferable to use webbing
since it is easy to sew and can also incorporate adjustable buckles
that allow the length of the webbing to be adjusted. The six
suspension lines are gathered together at an anchor loop 10 where
the ledge can hang from.
[0044] Additional embodiments can be made by changing the
suspension system. The nylon webbing can be replaced with round
cord. The six suspension lines could be replaced with four
suspension lines that attach to the side tubes by a triangular
cloth gusset for stability. For a cot that can support two people,
additional suspension lines would have to be added to support the
middle of the bed.
[0045] The suspension lines could also be routed in such manner to
pull on the spreader tubes and cause them to lock out straight as
shown in FIG. 8. A middle upper suspension line 11a would split and
connect to the middle lower suspension lines 11b. Each middle lower
suspension line would be attached to a spreader tube. When the
porta-ledge is weighted, the tension on the suspension lines would
pull the spreader tube open and tension the bed. Such an
arrangement would make opening the porta-ledge even more
convenient.
[0046] There are other possibilities with regard to the frame and
hinging mechanisms. The frame tubes could easily be made from
steel, carbon-fiber, or other high strength materials and may be of
various cross sectional shapes. The hinges that join the side tubes
could be of any number of configurations. Almost any hinge type
could be utilized.
[0047] Still more variations could be made from varying the number
and location of the spreader tube assemblies. The two spreader tube
assemblies could be attached nearer to the outside end or even at
the outside end of the side tubes. By attaching the spreader tube
assemblies at the outside end of the side tubes, a more
conventional rectangular perimeter frame would be formed. Such an
arrangement would provide more clearance for the bed sag. The
tradeoff being that the bending stress on the side tube would be
greater. The use of a third spreader tube assembly as shown in FIG.
9 could also be used. The frame would be even stronger, but
unfortunately heavier.
[0048] From the description above, a number of advantages of my
unfolding portable hanging cot become evident.
[0049] a) All of the frame tubes are hinged together so that there
are no separate pieces. Thus unfolding of the cot very easy and
there are no loose pieces.
[0050] b) The tubing required for the frame is minimized.
[0051] c) The design is very light weight.
[0052] Operational-FIGS. 6a6b
[0053] The uniqueness of this invention is in how the frame folds
up into a very small package with simple hinging mechanisms. I have
broken down the folding of the cot into two steps that are
described in FIGS. 6a and 6b.
[0054] FIG. 1 shows the frame in the flat position. The bed is
tensioned between the two side tubes by the spreader tubes. The
spreader tubes stay in the open because the spreader hinge rotates
past 180 degrees and then stops. The bed tension keeps the hinge
locked open.
[0055] Before any folding of the porta-ledge can begin, the bed
must be unweighted. To start the first fold, the spreader hinges
must be pulled outward and over center. The bed tension will then
be relieved and the spreader tubes can be folded parallel with the
side tubes as shown in FIG. 6a.
[0056] The second fold shown in FIG. 6b is made by lifting the end
of the side tubes upward. The folded porta-ledge can then be put
into a cylindrical cloth bag for protection.
[0057] From the operational description above, several advantages
become obvious.
[0058] a) Folding the frame is a very easy two step process. All on
the frame tubes are hinged and easy to fold and unfold.
[0059] b) The arrangement of the hinges causes the frame to be
locked into a flat position when weighted. The more weight placed
on the bed, the more the side tubes are pulled taught against the
suspension lines. Since the side tubes cannot rotate, the frame
resists the tendency of existing ledges to "potato chip".
[0060] Summary, Ramifications and Scope
[0061] Accordingly, the reader will see that the unfolding hanging
cot of this invention is a great advancement over traditional
designs. The cot can be easily folded into a small circular bundle
of tubes. The single hanging point makes it easy and convenient to
suspend from almost anywhere. Furthermore, the unfolding hanging
cot has the additional advantages that:
[0062] The frame is simple and inexpensive to manufacture.
[0063] The frame is lighter than other designs. By better
supporting the side tubes, a more efficient structure is
formed.
[0064] Assembling the frame is a quick and easy process since all
of the joints are hinged. No trying to align tubes in small
holes.
[0065] The frame has the ability to fold in the middle when open
and provide a backrest for the user to sit up.
[0066] By making a collapsible cot that is easy to unfold, other
markets would be opened. An inexpensive portable hanging cot could
be used for camping, backpacking, or even for lounging in the back
yard. A great application would be for rescue work where
portability and easy of use is of prime concern. The unfolding
hanging cot could be easily stored inside a helicopter and lowered
on a rope for transporting someone who needs to be transported in a
prone position.
[0067] Although the description above contains many specifications,
these should not be construed as limiting the scope of the
invention but as merely providing illustrations of some of the
presently preferred embodiments of this invention. For example, the
tubes could be of any cross sectional shape, such as square or
rectangular. The suspension system could also take on many forms.
The frame could also have additional spreader tube assemblies and
the location of the spreader tube assemblies could be varied.
[0068] Thus the scope of the invention should be determined by the
appended claims and their legal equivalents, rather than by the
examples given.
* * * * *