U.S. patent application number 12/635718 was filed with the patent office on 2010-10-21 for car-top tent.
Invention is credited to CHAO HSIUNG CHIU.
Application Number | 20100263698 12/635718 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 42980062 |
Filed Date | 2010-10-21 |
United States Patent
Application |
20100263698 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
CHIU; CHAO HSIUNG |
October 21, 2010 |
CAR-TOP TENT
Abstract
A car-top tent includes a top cover and a bottom base and is
mounted to the top of a car. The tent can be folded on a rear
portion of the car roof. The top cover forms an opening, which,
when the tent is opened, is put in alignment with a sunroof of the
car. When the top cover is opened, the tent is driven to expand so
that when the top cover is moved to an angular position to be
substantially flush with the bottom base, the tent is completely
expanded on the car top. A sleep mat composed of multiple pieces is
received in recesses defined in the top cover and the bottom base
and is adjustable in angular position thereof. The tent can be
accessed directly from inside the car through the sunroof so as to
offer enhanced safety and be suitable for entertainment, vocation,
and exercise.
Inventors: |
CHIU; CHAO HSIUNG; (Gang
Shan Zhen, TW) |
Correspondence
Address: |
LEONG C LEI
PMB # 1008, 1867 YGNACIO VALLEY ROAD
WALNUT CREEK
CA
94598
US
|
Family ID: |
42980062 |
Appl. No.: |
12/635718 |
Filed: |
December 11, 2009 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
135/88.17 |
Current CPC
Class: |
E04H 15/06 20130101;
A61P 35/00 20180101 |
Class at
Publication: |
135/88.17 |
International
Class: |
E04H 15/06 20060101
E04H015/06 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Apr 17, 2009 |
TW |
098206463 |
Claims
1. A car-top tent comprising a bottom base and a top cover, to
which a sleep canopy is attached, characterized in that the bottom
base is adapted to mount to a rear portion of a roof of a car and
the top cover forms an opening that is selectively positioned to
align with a sunroof the car, whereby when the top cover is opened,
the sleep canopy is expanded and a user is allowed to get into and
out of the tent through the sunroof.
2. The car-top tent according to claim 1, wherein the top cover
forms raised ribs each of which is provided with a centrally set
resilient strip.
3. The car-top tent according to claim 1, wherein the top cover and
the bottom base are provided with a pivot device to which the sleep
canopy is coupled and supported by a plurality of support frames
that is movable for collapsing and expanding.
4. The car-top tent according to claim 3, wherein the support
frames are coupled to the pivot device.
5. The car-top tent according to claim 1, wherein the top cover and
the bottom base are provided with a sleep mat, which is angle
adjustable.
6. The car-top tent according to claim 1, wherein the bottom base
is provided with mounting seats for supporting the bottom base on
the car roof and forming a space for stowage of a ladder.
7. The car-top tent according to claim 1, wherein the ladder is
provided with a stepping board at a top end thereof.
Description
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present invention generally relates to a structure of
car-top tent, and more particularly to a car-top tent comprising a
top cover that forms an opening, which when the top cover is
opened, is put in alignment with a sunroof of the car to allow
access to the tent through the sunroof, so as to realize folding of
the tent on the car roof.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART
[0002] A car-top tent is a common and popular recreational product.
As shown in FIG. 1 of the attached drawings, a foldable tent 2 is
mounted to the roof 11 of a car 1 with bottom of the tent fixed to
the car roof 11. The use of the tent is shown in FIG. 2, where a
ladder 21 that is provided on a side of the tent 2 is pulled off to
expand the tent 2 and the ladder 21 is then positioned on ground to
allow a user to enter and leave the tent through the ladder 21.
Although it works, it still shows drawbacks:
[0003] (1) When the tent is put on the car top and not in use, the
tent does not match the appearance of the car, making the car look
ugly and further, when the car is traveling, the tent causes a
great wind resistance and is susceptible to vibration, so that it
increases the consumption of fuel.
[0004] (2) Using the ladder 21 to move in and out of the tent 2 may
cause undesired safety problems for a user may get fallen off the
ladder.
[0005] (3) Using the ladder 21 to move in and out of the tent 2
allows any unauthorized person to access the tent and this is
extremely dangerous in a wild area.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0006] The present invention aims to provide a car-top tent that
comprises a top cover and a bottom base. The bottom base is mounted
to a rear portion of the roof of a car. The top cover forms an
opening, which, when the tent is opened, is put in alignment with a
sunroof of the car. An expandable canopy is arranged between the
top cover and the bottom base. When the top cover is opened, the
canopy is pulled and expanded. With the alignment of the opening of
the top cover with the sunroof, the tent can be accessed through
the sunroof. This enhances the safety and eliminates the potential
risk of undesired accident. The top cover and the bottom base, when
opened, form an accommodation space therebetween in which a sleep
mat composed of multiple pieces is received. The sleep mat is
formed so as to be adjustable in the angular position thereof,
which besides serving as a bed for a user to lie down thereon can
function as a deck chair allowing a user to sit or lie thereon for
watching sunrise and sunset or enjoy sight seeing of the
surrounding landscape to realize the purposes of vocation,
entertainment, or exercise.
[0007] The foregoing objectives and summary provide only a brief
introduction to the present invention. To fully appreciate these
and other objects of the present invention as well as the invention
itself, all of which will become apparent to those skilled in the
art, the following detailed description of the invention and the
claims should be read in conjunction with the accompanying
drawings. Throughout the specification and drawings identical
reference numerals refer to identical or similar parts.
[0008] Many other advantages and features of the present invention
will become manifest to those versed in the art upon making
reference to the detailed description and the accompanying sheets
of drawings in which a preferred structural embodiment
incorporating the principles of the present invention is shown by
way of illustrative example.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0009] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a conventional car-top
tent in an un-expanded condition.
[0010] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the conventional
car-top tent in an expanded condition.
[0011] FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a car-top tent
according to the present invention mounted to a roof of a car.
[0012] FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the car-top tent of the
present invention in an expanded condition on the car roof.
[0013] FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the car-top tent according
to the present invention.
[0014] FIG. 6 is a schematic view showing the car-top tent of the
present invention in a fully expanded condition.
[0015] FIG. 7 is a top plan view of the car-top tent of the present
invention.
[0016] FIG. 8 is an exploded view of the car-top tent of the
present invention.
[0017] FIG. 9 is a schematic view illustrating inclination of a
sleep mat of the car-top tent of the present invention.
[0018] FIG. 10 is a side elevational view showing the car-top tent
of the present invention mounted to the car roof.
[0019] FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing a ladder of the
car-top tent of the present invention in an extended condition.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0020] The following descriptions are exemplary embodiments only,
and are not intended to limit the scope, applicability or
configuration of the invention in any way. Rather, the following
description provides a convenient illustration for implementing
exemplary embodiments of the invention. Various changes to the
described embodiments may be made in the function and arrangement
of the elements described without departing from the scope of the
invention as set forth in the appended claims.
[0021] Referring to FIG. 3, which is a perspective view showing a
car-top tent according to the present invention mounted to the top
of a car, the car, which is generally designate at 1, comprises a
roof 11 in which a sunroof 10 is mounted. The car-top tent of the
present invention, generally designated at 3, comprises a bottom
base 32 that is mounted and fixed to the car roof 11 and a top
cover 31 that, when not in use, is folded to overlap atop the
bottom base 32. When the tent is put into use, a user may climb
through the opening of the sunroof 10 to the car roof 11 and lift
and turn the top cover 31 over to be substantially flush with the
bottom base 32 and expand a sleep canopy 30 (as shown in FIG.
4).
[0022] Referring to FIG. 5, which shows a perspective view of the
car-top tent 3 according to the present invention, the tent 3 is
composed of a top cover 31 and a bottom base 32. The bottom base 32
is fixed to a roof of a car and is rotatably jointed to the top
cover 31 by a pivot device 33 to allow the top cover 31 to be
foldable with respect to the bottom base 32. The top cover 31 forms
an opening 310, which, when the top cover 31 is opened to an
operation position, corresponds in position to the sunroof of the
car, and which is normally closed by a lid 312. The top of the top
cover 31 also forms raised ribs 311, whereby when the top cover is
opened, the ribs 311 are positioned against the car roof 11. The
ribs 311 are respectively provided with centrally located resilient
strips 3110, which realize tight engagement with the car roof 11
and ensure the top cover 31 be positioned substantially flush with
the bottom base 32.
[0023] In use, as shown in FIG. 6, after the top cover 31 is
opened, the sleep canopy 30 are connected to and supported by a
plurality of support frames 34. Each support frame 34 is coupled to
the pivot device 33, whereby when the top cover 31 is being opened,
the support frames 34 are consecutively pulled open to eventually
fully expand the sleep canopy 30. At this time, the sunroof 10 of
the car is in alignment with the opening 310 of the top cover 31
(as shown in FIG. 7) to allow a user to move between the car and
the tent by way through the sunroof 10 without getting off the car,
which enhances personal safety of the user.
[0024] Further, a sleep mat 35 is arranged between the top cover 31
and the bottom base 32, as shown in FIG. 8. The bottom base 32
forms a recess 320 delimited by opposite side walls that form the
pivot device 33. The sleep mat 35 is composed of a plurality of
blocks that is separable from each other. One block 351 of the
sleep mat 35 is received and retained in the recess 320 and another
block 352 of the sleep mat 35 that is adjacent to the mat block 351
is angle adjustable by being selectively supported at a desired
angle by a stop mechanism 350, whereby the mat block 352 can be set
at any one of a plurality of different inclination angles. To set
the mat block 352 horizontal, the mat block 352 is angularly moved
forward to exceed a predetermined limit position, where the stop
mechanism 350 is released to allow the mat block 352 to angularly
move backward to the horizontal position.
[0025] To mount the car-top tent 3 to the car roof, with reference
to FIGS. 8 and 10, the bottom base 32 is provided with mounting
seats 36 on opposite side portions thereof and the bottom base 32
is further provided with position-adjusting members (not shown)
that can hook the bottom base to the car respectively at front and
rear ends and opposite sides for selective adjustment of the
position of the bottom base 32 with respect to the car. In this
way, the car-top tent 3 can be securely fixed on the car roof. If
desired, the mounting seats 36 are provided with a slide chute 360
on the top thereof for receiving a ladder 37 therein in a
collapsible/extendible form. This is provided for cars without
sunroof, wherein a user may use the ladder 37 to get into and out
of the car-top tent 3. When the ladder 37 is not in use, the ladder
37 can be stowed inside the mounting seats 36 so as to occupy no
extra space. Besides being collapsible for stowage, the ladder 37
also comprises a stepping board 370 that is pivotally connected to
a top end of the ladder 37. The stepping board 370 provides an
extra space to help the user to enter and exit the tent without
accidentally falling down. In the instant embodiment, the ladder
370 is of the form of extension ladder and is further provided with
extendible legs 371 (as shown in FIG. 11) to suit the needs for
different heights of various models of car.
[0026] As compared to the conventional designs, the present
invention offers several advantages as follows:
[0027] (1) When mounted to the top of a car, the present invention
shows a beautiful streamlined configuration and exhibits an effect
of inducing turbulent flow and reducing wind resistance, so that no
vibration and wind shear sound will be caused during the travel of
the car.
[0028] (2) The present invention allows a user to get in and out of
the tent through the car sunroof without exiting the car through
the car doors so that personal safety of the user is enhanced.
[0029] (3) The present invention enhances the user's safety by
allowing entrance and exit through the car sunroof for damage
occurring to a user due to fall in climbing up and down a ladder is
avoided and unauthorized access of the tent through the ladder that
is often arranged outside the car can be prevented.
[0030] (4) For car models having no sunroof, the present invention
allows for addition of an extension ladder 37 that can be stowed
under the mounting seats 36 of the tent 3 and provides a stepping
board 370 to prevent accidental fall of the user.
[0031] (5) The present invention provides a multi-piece sleep mat
35, which allows for adjustment of angular position, whereby
besides for being used in sleep, it can also serve as a deck
chair.
[0032] To summarize, the present invention allows for access to the
tent through a car sunroof so that a user does not need to leave
off the car, which may cause certain potential risk of damage and
accidents and the sleep mat is made in a form of multiple pieces to
allow for adjustment of angular position.
[0033] While certain novel features of this invention have been
shown and described and are pointed out in the annexed claim, it is
not intended to be limited to the details above, since it will be
understood that various omissions, modifications, substitutions and
changes in the forms and details of the device illustrated and in
its operation can be made by those skilled in the art without
departing in any way from the spirit of the present invention.
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