U.S. patent number 3,865,123 [Application Number 05/421,277] was granted by the patent office on 1975-02-11 for portable tent.
Invention is credited to Lee H. Bracken.
United States Patent |
3,865,123 |
Bracken |
February 11, 1975 |
PORTABLE TENT
Abstract
A portable tent having a rectangular base frame consisting of
six members of approximately equal length hingedly attached and a
plurality of U-shaped struts rotatably attached at the center
points of the two longest legs of the base rectangle, each of the
U-shaped members consisting of three structural members of
substantially equal length with the rectangular structural members
and being hingedly coupled at their corners. A doorway structure
consists of a U-shaped member being hingedly attached to one of the
rectangle members and rising vertically therefrom and having the
other end hingedly attached with the other U-shaped members
together with an outside J-shaped member comprising a structural
member hingedly attached to said vertical structural member and
being erected at right angles thereto and hingedly attached to at
least two other members forming a "J." The entire structure is
covered with a canvass covering forming a canvass floor, a canvass
top and canvass sides, together with door and window cutouts.
Inventors: |
Bracken; Lee H. (San Diego,
CA) |
Family
ID: |
23669900 |
Appl.
No.: |
05/421,277 |
Filed: |
December 3, 1973 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
135/132;
135/906 |
Current CPC
Class: |
E04H
15/38 (20130101); E04H 15/46 (20130101); Y10S
135/906 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
E04H
15/46 (20060101); E04H 15/34 (20060101); E04H
15/38 (20060101); A45f 001/16 () |
Field of
Search: |
;135/1R,3R,4R,14D,7.1R |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Foreign Patent Documents
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
1,337,193 |
|
Jul 1963 |
|
FR |
|
862,011 |
|
Mar 1961 |
|
GB |
|
Primary Examiner: Gilliam; Paul R.
Assistant Examiner: Corbin; David H.
Claims
The invention claimed is:
1. A portable tent comprising:
a frame having a plurality of structural units substantially equal
in length;
a rectangular base consisting of six of said structural units
having first and second short sides of one structural unit each and
first and second long sides of two structural units each;
first, second, third and fourth hinge means coupling said long
sides to said short sides;
fifth and sixth hinge means coupling the first and second
structural units on said first and second long sides together,
respectively;
a plurality of U-shaped structural units, each of said U-shaped
structural units consisting of first, second and third structural
units, all of said first, second and third structural units in said
U-shaped structural units being hingedly attached to each other,
the ends of said U-shaped structural units being hingedly coupled
to said fifth and sixth hinge means, a central one of said
plurality of U-shaped units being in perpendicular relationship
with said rectangular base; and
another U-shaped unit having a structural unit with one end
hingedly coupled to one of said first and second long side
structural units in a central portion thereof, said structural unit
being in parallel relationship with said central one of said
plurality of U-shaped units for forming an entrance space.
2. The portable tent of claim 1 wherein:
said structural unit hingedly coupled to said structural unit of
one of said first and second long sides comprises first and second
sections slidably coupled to each other for varying its overall
length.
3. The portable tent of claim 2 and further including:
a J-shaped section having first and second legs of substantially
equal length hingedly coupled together, one end of said first and
second legs being hingedly coupled to one of said fifth and sixth
hinge means; and
a short leg hingedly coupled to the other end of said first and
second structural legs of equal length and to one of said first and
second sections slidably coupled to each other.
4. The portable tent of claim 3 and further including:
a first short section hingedly coupled between said short leg.
5. The portable tent of claim 2 and further including:
a short section hingedly coupled between the top end of said first
and second sections and one of said structural units.
Description
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a portable tent and more
particularly to a portable tent which can be folded into a compact
package without dismantling any structure.
According to the invention, a structural tent is provided in which
a base rectangle consists of six structural members of
approximately the same length hingedly attached to each other,
together with a plurality of U-shaped members rotatably attached to
the base rectangle at the center points of the two longest legs, so
that the entire structure can be folded into a package the length
of one of the structural members. A door is provided by
discontinuing two of the U-shaped members, one of which provides
one side of the door and is continued in a vertical direction to
hingedly attach to one of the structural members of the base
rectangle. This vertical section is adjustable in length to effect
an overall symmetry after erection. The second U-shaped member is
discontinued and brought in at right angles to the vertical section
of the first discontinued U-shaped member as will be appreciated by
reference to the detailed description below. The entire structure
is covered with a pliable covering such as canvass with a zippered
door cutout and preferably a screened window cutout.
An object of the present invention is the provision of an improved
portable tent.
Another object of the invention is the provision of a portable tent
which can be set up and taken down without disturbing any
structural coupling.
Yet another object of the invention is the provision of a portable
tent which is inexpensive to manufacture and extremely convenient
in use.
Other objects and many of the attendant advantages of the present
invention will be readily appreciated as the same becomes better
understood by reference to the following detailed description when
considered in connection with the accompanying drawings in which
like reference numerals designate like parts throughout the Figures
thereof and wherein:
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the preferred embodiment of the
present invention in a folded condition;
FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the embodiment of FIG. 1 partially
unfolded;
FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the embodiment of FIG. 1 in a more
unfolded condition;
FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the embodiment of FIG. 1 in a fully
erected condition;
FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the structural framework of the
embodiment in a fully erected position;
FIG. 6 is a perspective view of part of the doorway mechanism of
FIG. 5;
FIG. 7 is a side elevational view of the structural framework of
FIG. 5 as it is being folded;
FIG. 8 is a side elevational view of the folded framework of FIG. 7
in a further folded condition;
FIG. 9 is a perspective view of further doorway framework
components;
FIG. 10 is a bottom view of the fully erected tent; and
FIG. 11 is a perspective view of the embodiment of FIG. 1 in an
almost completely folded condition.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING
Referring to FIG. 1, the portable tent of the present invention is
shown in a completely folded condition at 11. Referring to FIG. 2,
tent 11 is shown in a partially unfolded condition. Referring to
FIG. 3, tent 11 is shown in a further unfolded position having a
canvass covering 12 with a zipper 13 in its bottom section and a
door zipper 14 in a front section.
Referring to FIG. 4, tent 11 is shown in its fully erected
condition with door zipper cutout 14 and floor section V-shaped
zipper 13 in canvass covering 12. Floor frame member 16, together
with structural members 17 and 18 are pivotally connected to pivot
section 19.
Referring to FIG. 5, the entire framework is shown having a
rectangular floor section consisting of structural elements 16, 21,
22, 23, 24 and 26. Elements 24 and 26 are hingedly attached at 27
and have a limit line 28 coupled around hinge 27. Members 26 and 16
are likewise hinged at 29, having a limit cord section 31 coupled
between them and a round hinge 29. Floor structural members 16 and
21 are hingedly coupled to hinge section 19. Floor structural
members 21 and 22 are hingedly attached at 32 and are coupled
together with limit cord 33. Floor structural members 22 and 23 are
hingedly attached at hinge 34 and are coupled together via limit
line 36. Floor structural members 23 and 24 are hingedly attached
to hinge member 37.
Structural member 38 is hingedly coupled to hinge member 37 and to
structural member 39 via hinge 40. Structural members 38 and 39 are
also coupled via limit line 41. Structural members 39 and 17 are
hingedly attached at 43 and are coupled together via limit line 44.
Structural member 46 is hingedly coupled to hinge member 37 and to
structural member 47 at hinge 48. Structural members 46 and 47 are
also coupled via limit line 49. Structural members 47 and 18 are
hingedly attached at 51 and are coupled together via limit line 52.
Structural member 53 is hingedly attached to hinge member 37 and
hingedly coupled to structural member 54 at 56. Structural members
53 and 54 are also coupled via limit line 57. Structural members 54
and 58 are hingedly attached at 59 and are coupled together via
limit line 61. Structural member 58 also is hingedly attached to
hinge member 19. Structural member 62 is hingedly attached to
structural member 63 at 64 and coupled to structural member 63 via
limit line 66. Structural member 63 is hingedly attached to
structural section 67 at 68. Structural member 67 is hingedly
attached to structural section 69 at 71. Structural section 69 is
coupled to structural section 72 via strap guides 73 and 74 and pin
lock 76. Structural section 69 is also hingedly attached to
structural section 77 at 78. Structural section 77 is hingedly
attached to structural section 80 at 79. Structural section 78 is
hingedly attached to structural section 81 at 82. Structural
section 81 is also hingedly attached to structural section 83 at 84
and is coupled to structural section 83 via limit line 86.
Structural section 72 is pivotally attached at 75 to structural
section 23.
All of the adjacent hinged sections are coupled with limit lines as
follows: limit line 91 between hinge 27 and 40; limit line 92
between hinges 51 and 59; lmit line 93 between hinges 48 and 56;
limit line 94 between hinges 29 and 44; limit line 96 between
hinges 59 and 64; limit line 97 between hinges 64 and 84; limit
line 98 between hinges 84 and 32; limit line 99 between hinges 34
and 82; limit line 101 between hinges 82 and 68; and, limit line
102 between hinges 68 and 56. Some of these limit lines are hidden
behind structural members but it is to be understood that they are
present between adjacent hinges.
OPERATION
Referring back to all of the drawings, it can be seen that the
structural members of the frame are all of substantially equal
length to facilitate a folding in three parts as shown more clearly
in FIG. 2, with sections 11A, 11B and 11C. One part would be all of
the structural members at the top of the tent and those parallel to
it and the other section would comprise all of the structural
members on the other side of the tent. Hence, when it is desired to
erect the tent, the sections 11A, 11B and 11C, are merely unfolded,
and the structural members pivotally attached at 19 and 37 are then
rotated into the position shown in FIG. 5. The limit lines 91
through 102 keep the vertically disposed structural members at a
desired separation and the limit lines such as 28, 31, 33 and 36,
limit the angular separation of adjacent structural members.
When disassembled, the canvass covering 12 folds in an accordion
manner between adjacent structural members. It has been found that
a V-shaped zippered section 13 facilitates the final folding of
sections 11A, 11B and 11C, into a compact position shown in FIG. 1.
This final folding is shown in FIG. 11. Referring to FIG. 5, a door
section indicated at 14 in FIG. 4 is formed between structural
members 53 and structural sections 72, 69 and 67. The reason for
the added hinge section 67 and the slidable relationship between
sections 69 and 72 can be seen with reference to FIGS. 7 and 8. In
order for the tent to fold in the fashion shown in FIG. 8, sections
77 and 69 must be pushed up via guiding straps 73 and 74 to where
their ends are even with the ends of the rest of the structural
members. In order to effect a symmetrical disposition of the
horizontal structural member 63, section 67 is necessary to bring
it into alignment. The same is true with section 80 and section 81.
These make possible an unobstructed rectangular opening via zipper
14 to form an entrance space to the structure.
FIG. 6 illustrates locking pin 76 which locks sections 69 and 72
together in the erect position so that portions of the tent will
not collapse. When it is desired to collapse the tent, locking pin
76 is removed and sections 69 and 72 can be moved relative to each
other as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8.
It should be understood, of course, that the foregoing disclosures
relates to only a preferred embodiment of the invention and that it
is intended to cover all changes and modifications of the example
of the invention herein chosen, for the purposes of the disclosure,
which do not constitute departures from the spirit and scope of the
invention.
* * * * *