U.S. patent application number 14/251729 was filed with the patent office on 2015-05-14 for tent hub assembly.
The applicant listed for this patent is Ki Ho Jin. Invention is credited to Wen Xiang Li.
Application Number | 20150129008 14/251729 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 50812875 |
Filed Date | 2015-05-14 |
United States Patent
Application |
20150129008 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Li; Wen Xiang |
May 14, 2015 |
Tent Hub Assembly
Abstract
A tent hub assembly has a hub, a base, and a biasing member. The
hub has a central member in a central aperture and a plurality of
arms pivotally connected to tent poles. The base has a shaft and a
plurality of walls, with the central member slidably disposed in
the shaft. Each wall has an elongated guide slot for receiving a
pin which passes through a second hole of a respective pole in the
pole slot. The biasing member is disposed in the shaft to bias the
central member upward to bias the hub upward from the base. With
the poles in an open configuration, the pins are in a locking
position in the elongated slot; and, when the poles are moved to a
closed configuration, the pins are moved from the locking position
to an unlocked position in the elongated slot.
Inventors: |
Li; Wen Xiang; (Xiamen,
CN) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Jin; Ki Ho |
Xiamen |
|
CN |
|
|
Family ID: |
50812875 |
Appl. No.: |
14/251729 |
Filed: |
April 14, 2014 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
135/147 ;
135/120.3 |
Current CPC
Class: |
E04H 15/44 20130101;
E04H 15/42 20130101; E04H 15/32 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
135/147 ;
135/120.3 |
International
Class: |
E04H 15/32 20060101
E04H015/32 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Nov 11, 2013 |
CN |
2013207091816 |
Claims
1. A hub assembly for a tent having a plurality of poles, the hub
assembly comprising: a hub having a central member in a central
aperture and a plurality of arms, each arm having a fastener
aperture for receiving a fastener which pivotably connects a first
hole of a respective pole to the arm; a base having a shaft and a
plurality of walls, with the central member slidably disposed in
the shaft, with pairs of the walls forming pole slots each for
receiving a respective pole, each wall having an elongated guide
slot for receiving a pin which passes through a second hole of a
respective pole in the pole slot; a biasing member disposed in the
shaft to bias the central member upward to bias the hub upward from
the base; wherein, with the poles in an open configuration, the
pins are in a locking position in the elongated slot; and wherein,
when the poles are moved to a closed configuration, the pins are
moved from the locking position to an unlocked position in the
elongated slot.
2. The hub assembly of claim 1, wherein with the poles in the open
configuration, the hub abuts the base.
3. The hub assembly of claim 1, wherein when the poles are moved to
the closed configuration, the hub is moved upward from the
base.
4. The hub assembly of claim 1, wherein the central member is
slidable between an open position where the biasing member is
compressed and a closed position where the biasing member is more
compressed.
5. The hub assembly of claim 4, wherein a force from the biasing
member in its more compressed state pushes the central member
upward relative to the shaft, thereby driving the hub arms and the
poles to the closed position.
6. The hub assembly of claim 1, wherein the biasing member is a
spring.
7. The hub assembly of claim 1, wherein the elongated guide slot
has a non-linear shape.
8. A hub assembly for a tent having a plurality of poles, the hub
assembly comprising: a hub having a central member in a central
aperture and a plurality of arms, each arm having a pivotal
connection with a first portion of a respective pole; a base having
a shaft and a plurality of walls, with the central member slidably
disposed in the shaft, with the walls including a guide slot having
a pivotal connection with a second portion of a respective pole;
and a biasing member disposed in the shaft to bias the central
member upward to bias the hub upward from the base.
9. The hub assembly of claim 8, wherein the guide slot has a
non-linear shape.
10. The hub assembly of claim 9, wherein, with the poles in an open
configuration, the pivotal connection of the second portion of the
pole is in a locking position in a curved portion in the non-linear
guide slot; and wherein, when the poles are moved to a closed
configuration, the pivotal connection of the second portion moves
from the locking position to an unlocked position in an elongated
portion in the non-linear guide slot.
11. The hub assembly of claim 8, wherein the central member is
slidable between an open position where the biasing member is
compressed and a closed position where the biasing member is more
compressed.
12. The hub assembly of claim 11, wherein a force from the biasing
member in its more compressed state pushes the central member
upward relative to the shaft, thereby driving the hub arms and the
poles to the closed position.
13. The hub assembly of claim 8, wherein the biasing member is a
spring.
14. A tent comprising: a plurality of poles; a hub having a central
member in a central aperture and a plurality of arms, each arm
having a fastener aperture for receiving a fastener which pivotably
connects a first hole of a respective pole to the arm; a base
having a shaft and a plurality of walls, with the central member
slidably disposed in the shaft, with pairs of the walls forming
pole slots each for receiving a respective pole, each wall having
an elongated guide slot for receiving a pin which passes through a
second hole of a respective pole in the pole slot; a biasing member
disposed in the shaft to bias the central member upward to bias the
hub upward from the base; wherein, with the poles in an open
configuration, the pins are in a locking position in the elongated
guide slot; and wherein, when the poles are moved to a closed
configuration, the pins are moved from the locking position to an
unlocked position in the elongated guide slot.
15. The tent of claim 14, wherein with the poles in the open
configuration, the hub abuts the base.
16. The tent of claim 14, wherein when the poles are moved to the
closed configuration, the hub is moved upward from the base.
17. The tent of claim 14, wherein the central member is slidable
between an open position where the biasing member is compressed and
a closed position where the biasing member is more compressed.
18. The tent of claim 17, wherein a force from the biasing member
in its more compressed state pushes the central member upward
relative to the shaft, thereby driving the hub arms and the poles
to the closed position.
19. The tent of claim 14, wherein the biasing member is a
spring.
20. The tent of claim 14, wherein the elongated guide slot has a
non-linear shape.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application claims foreign priority to China
Application No. 2013207091816, filed on Nov. 11, 2013, which is
incorporated by reference in its entirety.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] 1. Field of the Invention
[0003] The present invention relates to a tent hub assembly, and in
particular to a hub assembly which facilitates folding and
unfolding of a tent.
[0004] 2. Description of Prior Art
[0005] Foldable tents are well known in the art and have become
very popular in recent years. In fact, every major retail outlet in
the U.S. sells a foldable tent in one form or another. Foldable
tents come in different configurations with a variety of features
and manufacturers continue to improve those features. However, in
general, a foldable tent comprises a tent fabric coupled to a frame
assembly at a radially inner space of the frame assembly.
[0006] One of the most important parts of the foldable tent is the
hub assembly. The hub assembly serves as the backbone of the tent
and facilitates the opening and folding of the tent while also
maintaining the tent in those positions. In the earlier developed
foldable tents the hub assembly included an external locking
mechanism to ensure that the tent is maintained in the open state.
However, external locking mechanisms are problematic for a number
of reasons such as added bulk and weight, the tendency to
malfunction due to the number of interacting components, and the
extra time it takes to open and fold the tent. Therefore, more
recently a hub assembly that does not require an external locking
mechanism was developed.
[0007] In a more recently developed hub assembly the tent poles are
pivotally coupled to the hub assembly and supported by an engaging
surface when the tent is in the open configuration, as shown and
described, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 8,448,656. When folded,
the poles are pivoted upward relative to the hub assembly and the
hub assembly is placed on top of the tent fabric and folded into a
compact bundle, and stored within a carry bag. Even though the more
recently developed hub assembly is more advantageous than the
previous hub assembly having an external locking mechanism, there
are several problems associated with such a configuration.
[0008] In the open state, in the foldable tent of the prior art
described in the previous paragraph the radially inward tension
from the tent fabric prevents the tent from collapsing. The upper
poles of the tent are secured only by way of contact with the
engaging surface. Therefore, when the inward tension from the tent
fabric is weakened or when the upper tent poles do not fully engage
the engaging surface, for example by strong wind exerted on the
tent or by human contact, the tent is susceptible to collapsing
because an additional safeguard for maintaining the tent in the
open state is not present.
[0009] Another disadvantage of the foldable tent of the prior art
described above is that the tent fabric is susceptible to damage
when folded. This is because the poles are folded upward relative
to the hub assembly and thus the hub assembly rests directly on top
of the tent fabric when the tent it folded. The friction caused
between the hub assembly and the tent fabric could damage the tent
fabric. The damage could be as severe as the tent fabric being
torn, punctured or ripped especially when the folded tent is
dropped on the end where the hub assembly is located.
[0010] Another disadvantage in the foldable tent of the prior art
is that the tent fabric could be damaged during the set up process.
For the tent of the prior art, the tent must first be unfolded such
that the floor of the tent is completely expanded with the poles
resting on top. The user is then required to reach within the
boundaries of the floor to further unfold and extend the poles. It
is difficult to engage the poles without stepping on the tent
fabric especially in larger instant tents of the prior art.
Therefore, the tent fabric is further susceptible to damage.
[0011] Other hub assemblies have been developed to overcome the
disadvantages of the hub assembly of U.S. Pat. No. 8,448,656. For
example, the hub assemblies of U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,861,736; 8,047,218;
and 7,607,447 disclose hub assemblies where the poles fold downward
and that do not have external locking mechanisms. However, those
hub assemblies are quite bulky due to the requirement of a lengthy
biasing mechanism and are costly to manufacture because they
require much more material--both plastic and metal.
OBJECTS AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0012] The following presents a simplified summary of some
embodiments of the invention in order to provide a basic
understanding of the invention. This summary is not an extensive
overview of the invention. It is not intended to identify
key/critical elements of the invention or to delineate the scope of
the invention. Its sole purpose is to present some embodiments of
the invention in a simplified form as a prelude to the more
detailed description that is presented later.
[0013] The present invention is intended to overcome at least the
above-described disadvantages. More specifically, the objects and
advantages of the present invention are to provide a foldable
instant tent that: includes a safeguard, in addition to tension
forces from the tent fabric, against unwanted collapse of the tent
while in an open state; has the capability of the upper tent poles
to fold downward to minimize contact between the hub assembly and
tent fabric when in the folded state, and provides the user with
easy set up while eliminating the need for the user to make contact
with the tent fabric with his feet during set up; and is more cost
effective to manufacture.
[0014] Facilitating the above-mentioned objectives, in a first
embodiment, the hub assembly for a tent having a plurality of poles
includes a hub having a central member in a central aperture and a
plurality of arms, each arm having a fastener aperture for
receiving a fastener which pivotably connects a first hole of a
respective pole to the arm; a base having a shaft and a plurality
of walls, with the central member slidably disposed in the shaft,
with pairs of the walls forming pole slots each for receiving a
respective pole, each wall having an elongated guide slot for
receiving a pin which passes through a second hole of a respective
pole in the pole slot; and a biasing member disposed in the shaft
to bias the central member upward to bias the hub upward from the
base.
[0015] With the poles in an open configuration, the pins are in a
locking position in the elongated slot; and when the poles are
moved to a closed configuration, the pins are moved from the
locking position to an unlocked position in the elongated slot.
With the poles in the open configuration, the hub abuts the base.
When the poles are moved to the closed configuration, the hub is
moved upward from the base.
[0016] The central member is slidable between an open position
where the biasing member is compressed and a closed position where
the biasing member is more compressed. A force from the biasing
member in its more compressed state pushes the central member
upward relative to the shaft, thereby driving the hub arms and the
poles to the closed position. The biasing member is a spring, and
the elongated guide slot has a non-linear shape.
[0017] In a second embodiment, the hub assembly includes a hub
having a central member in a central aperture and a plurality of
arms, each arm having a pivotal connection with a first portion of
a respective pole; a base having a shaft and a plurality of walls,
with the central member slidably disposed in the shaft, with the
walls including a guide slot having a pivotal connection with a
second portion of a respective pole; and a biasing member disposed
in the shaft to bias the central member upward to bias the hub
upward from the base.
[0018] The guide slot has a non-linear shape. With the poles in an
open configuration, the pivotal connection of the second portion of
the pole is in a locking position in a curved portion in the
non-linear guide slot; and when the poles are moved to a closed
configuration, the pivotal connection of the second portion moves
from the locking position to an unlocked position in an elongated
portion in the non-linear guide slot.
[0019] The present invention also includes a tent having such poles
connected to the hub assembly.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0020] The foregoing summary, as well as the following detailed
description of presently preferred embodiments of the invention,
will be better understood when read in conjunction with the
appended drawings. For the purpose of illustrating the invention,
there are shown in the drawings embodiments which are presently
preferred. It should be understood, however, that the invention is
not limited to the precise arrangements and instrumentalities
shown.
[0021] In the drawings:
[0022] FIG. 1 is a top side perspective view of the hub assembly in
the open configuration;
[0023] FIG. 2 is the top side perspective view of FIG. 1 with parts
separated;
[0024] FIG. 3 is a front cross-sectional view of the hub assembly
of FIG. 1;
[0025] FIG. 4 is a top side perspective view of the hub assembly in
a partially closed configuration;
[0026] FIG. 5 is a side cross-sectional view of the hub assembly of
FIG. 4;
[0027] FIG. 6 is a top side perspective view of the hub assembly in
the closed configuration;
[0028] FIG. 7 is a front cross-sectional view of the hub assembly
of FIG. 6; and
[0029] FIG. 8 is a top side perspective view of a tent with poles
connected to the hub assembly of FIG. 1.
[0030] To facilitate an understanding of the invention, identical
reference numerals have been used, when appropriate, to designate
the same or similar elements that are common to the figures.
Further, unless stated otherwise, the features shown in the figures
are not drawn to scale, but are shown for illustrative purposes
only.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0031] Certain terminology is used in the following description for
convenience only and is not limiting. The article "a" is intended
to include one or more items, and where only one item is intended
the term "one" or similar language is used. Additionally, to assist
in the description of the present invention, words such as top,
bottom, upper, lower, front, rear, inner, outer, right and left are
used to describe the accompanying figures. The terminology includes
the words above specifically mentioned, derivatives thereof, and
words of similar import.
[0032] Referring to FIG. 1 to FIG. 8, the hub assembly 1 is
connected to the ends of a plurality of poles 40 of a tent, as
shown in FIG. 8, which have the tent fabric attached to the poles
40. As shown in FIGS. 1-2, the hub assembly 1 has a body or hub 10
with a plurality of hub arms 12 radially extending from a central
portion having a central aperture 11. Each hub arm 12 has a
fastener aperture 15 which receives a fastener 16 that passes
through a first hole 41 in the end of each pole 40 at a first
portion. The fastener 16 pivotally connects the first hole 41 to a
pair of hub arms 12 of the hub 10, such that the pole 40 pivots in
a respective pair of hub arms 12. In this embodiment, the hub
assembly 1 includes four poles 40 but more poles could be included
with additional hub arms 12 as well.
[0033] The hub assembly 1 also has a base 20 with pairs of walls 25
radially extending from a central portion with a shaft 24. Each
pair of walls 25 forms a pole slot for receiving an intermediate or
second portion of each pole 40. The intermediate portions have a
second hole 42 through each pole 40, as shown in FIG. 2. In this
embodiment, the shaft 24 is cylindrical but one of ordinary skill
in the art will recognize that the hub assembly 1 could be
configured such that the shaft 24 has other shapes and sizes such
as, for example, having a square cross-section.
[0034] Each wall 25 of the base 20 has an elongated guide slot 21
which receive pins 50 that pass through the second holes 42, such
that the elongated guide slot 21 of each pair of walls 25 is
pivotally connected to the second holes 42. Accordingly, the
intermediate portions of the poles 40 at the second holes 42 are
slidably and pivotally connected to the elongated guide slot 21 of
each pair of walls 25.
[0035] As shown in FIGS. 1-2 and 7, the elongated guide slot 21 is
non-linear, having a linear portion 22 and a curved portion 23
which provides a non-linear path of slidable movement of the pins
50 in the elongated guide slot 21.
[0036] Referring to FIGS. 2-3, the central aperture 11 and the
shaft 24 receive a central member such as a bolt 13 which extends
through a biasing member such as a spring 30, which is disposed in
an interior 26 of the shaft 24. The biasing member could also take
on other forms such as a double spring or a pneumatic actuator. A
top portion of the shaft 24 is substantially enclosed other than an
aperture for which the bolt 13 extends. The lower end of the bolt
13 engages a washer 14 and a nut 17. The diameter of the washer 14
is substantially equal to the inner diameter of the shaft 24. In
the open configuration, the hub body may abut the base 20, while
the spring 30 biases the hub body of the hub assembly 10 upward and
away from the base 20. The shaft 24 may also have an opening 27 for
attaching a top portion of the tent fabric or to attach other
accessories.
[0037] As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the poles 40 are in an open
configuration, with the pins 50 in the curved portion 23 of the
elongated guide slot 21. When the pins 50 are in the curved portion
23, the pins 40 are in a locked position at the upper end of the
elongated guide slot 21, such that the poles 40 are maintained in
the open configuration without the need for additional fasteners.
In addition, the spring 30 in the interior 26 of the shaft 24 is
partially compressed.
[0038] When a user desires to fold the tent, the user moves the
poles 40 from the open configuration in FIGS. 1 and 3 to an
intermediate configuration shown in FIGS. 4-5 and then to a closed
configuration shown in FIGS. 6-7.
[0039] Referring to FIGS. 4-5, to fold the tent, the user moves the
poles 40 to the intermediate configuration by moving the poles 40
downward, and therefore providing a downward moment about the pivot
of each fastener 16 which is fixed to the hub arms 12. The downward
moment removes the slidable pivoting pins 50 out of the curved
portion 23 of the elongated guide slot 21, as shown in FIG. 4,
allowing the pins 50 to enter the linear portion 22 of the
elongated guide slot 21. In addition, as shown in FIG. 5, the
downward moment applies a force which moves the hub 10 upward from
the base 20 and further compresses the spring 30 in the shaft
24.
[0040] The user then moves the poles 40 to the closed
configuration, shown in FIGS. 6-7, by further moving the poles 40
toward the base 20 which provides a downward moment or torque about
the pivot of each fastener 16, allowing the pins 50 to slide
downward along the linear portion 22 of the elongated guide slot
21. Such a downward moment further applies a force which moves the
hub 10 further upward from the base 20 and further compresses the
spring 30 in the shaft 24, as shown in FIG. 7. The compression of
the spring 30 provides a force which maintains the poles 40 in the
closed configuration without the need for additional fasteners.
[0041] To open the tent, the user moves the poles 40 upward from
the closed configuration in FIGS. 6-7 through the intermediate
configuration in FIGS. 4-5 and then to the open configuration in
FIGS. 1 and 3. By moving the poles 40 accordingly, the user
provides an upward moment or torque on the poles 40 about the
fastener 16 to overcome the force of the compressed spring 30, and
then to move the pins 50 into the curved portion 23 of the
elongated guide slot 21. Thus, the upward moment provided by the
opening movement of the poles 40 slides the pins 50 upward along
the linear portion of the elongated guide slot 22 to the locking
position in the curved portion 23.
[0042] Therefore, in the open configuration in FIGS. 1 and 3, the
spring 30 is extended and the pins 50 are locked in the curved
portion 23 so that the pins 50 cannot release from the curved
portion 23 unless the user provides sufficient downward force to
move the poles 40.
[0043] The present invention may be embodied in other specific
forms without departing from its spirit or essential
characteristics. The described embodiments are to be considered in
all respects only as illustrative and not restrictive. The scope of
the invention is, therefore, indicated by the appended claims
rather than by the foregoing description. All changes which come
within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are to be
embraced within their scope.
* * * * *