AU2021258041B2

AU2021258041B2 - A sliding and folding hard roofed tent, with integrated walls and floor, which mounts onto a vehicle and opens onto the ground.

Info

Publication number: AU2021258041B2
Application number: AU2021258041A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Matthew Rouland
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2021-10-28
Filing date: 2021-10-28
Publication date: 2024-05-02
Anticipated expiration: 2041-10-28
Also published as: AU2021258041A1

Abstract

: The 'TorFlyTent' is a tent within a pod which can be mounted on the roof racks of a vehicle, trailer or other suitable structure. The pod is comprised of an upper and lower section which is hinged on one side. Each section is shaped like a box without its lid, howeverwhen the sections are joined, they forma closed box like shape. Slides are attached to the left and right side of the upper section which are in turn attached to an external frame. The external frame can be mounted to roof racks or some other suitable structure and it has the provision for roof racks or a platform to be attached to it. When the pod is suspended'within'the external frame it is in its stored or travel condition and cannot be used as a tent. To erect the tent, the pod is extended from the externalframe and the lowersection of the pod opens in a downward arc to reveal the tent which consists of integrated walls and floor. The lower section is moved to roughly the same plane as the upper section, where it is supported by the use of integrated telescopicpoles. Both the upper and lower sections now form the hard roof of the tent structure. The upper ends of the tent walls are attached to the inside of the upper and lowe rsections of the pod. No additional poles, pegs or ropes are required to maintain the shape of the tent. Roof racks or a platform can be mounted above the external frame and do not have any impact upon the operation of the tent. FIGURE4: This image depicts the leadingedge (front) of the 'To rFlyTent' pod as it sits mounted on the roof racks of a vehicle. Visible at the leading edge is the hinge and the slide locking mechanism. The pod is suspended within the external frame by the two slides on the left and right sides of the upper section. Also visible are two mounting points for roof packs or a platform. FIGURE: This image depictsthe leftside of the 'TorFlyTent'pod as it sits mounted onthe roof racks of a vehicle.The pod isextended from the external skeletontothe side of the vehi cle andthe pod is in the closed position with the tent housed within. FIGURE: This image depicts the left side of the 'TorFlyTent'pod as it is extended from the external skeleton. The over centre fasteners on the back of the pod have been released and the ratchet strap is used to control the opening of the lowersection from the upper section. The tent can be seen within the pod.

Description

FIGURE4:

This image depicts the leadingedge (front) of the 'To rFlyTent' pod as it sits mounted on the roof racks of a vehicle. Visible at the leading edge is the hinge and the slide locking mechanism. The pod is suspended within the external frame by the two slides on the left and right sides of the upper section. Also visible are two mounting points for roof packs or a platform.

FIGURE:

This image depictsthe leftside of the 'TorFlyTent'pod as it sits mounted onthe roof racks of a vehicle.The pod isextended from the external skeletontothe side of the vehi cle andthe pod is in the closed position with the tent housed within.

FIGURE:

This image depicts the left side of the 'TorFlyTent'pod as it is extended from the external skeleton. The over centre fasteners on the back of the pod have been released and the ratchet strap is used to control the opening of the lowersection from the upper section. The tent can be seen within the pod.

A sliding and folding tent with integrated walls and floor which mounts onto a vehicle and opensonto the ground.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION:

Recent years have seen an increase in the popularity and variety of tents which can be mounted to the roof racks of a vehicle or trailer. Some are made entirely of canvas, while others utilise a hard roof with canvas sides. The hard roof is often constructed of aluminium, fibreglass or moulded plastic. Hard roof structures provide a superior alternative to canvas roofing because of the ability to deflect rain, hail, snow, and debris from trees. Further, they can be insulated and fixtures such as solar panels and lighting can be permanently attached. A common feature of roof top tents is that they open upwards from the roof of the vehicle. This method of opening the tent precludes heavy and bulky items such as kayaks or storage pods from being carried above the tent. This invention overcomes this issue as the hard roofed tent can be deployed from the vehicle whilst heavy and bulky items remain secured to roof racks or a platform above the external frame. This provides the userwith a quicker set up time and provides crucial carriage space which is uninhibited by the use of the tent.

Pull out awnings which can be attached to vehicles, trailers or caravans are also popular. These awnings come in a variety of shapes and sizes. Whether they are square, rectangular or the larger 270 degree variety, they are generally constructed of canvas or a similar light weight material. Some offer walls and/or floors which can be attached to provide enclosed spaces which are generally attached using hook and loop 'velcro' and/or zips. Considering the Australian environment and the presence of snakes and spiders, the benefit of being able to quickly and efficiently erect an enclosed living area which provides a sealed hard roof, walls and floor is preferable. A problem with pull out awnings is that they do not provide the benefits of a hard roof and they do not have walls and floors in built. My invention overcomes these issues as the upper and lower sections of the pod structure hinge open in an arc to double the surface area of the hard roof of the tent and once done, allow for the integrated walls and floor of the tent to be easily and quickly deployed into position. It is the function of the upper and lower sections of the pod opening via a hinged side and providing a waterproof housing for the tent which differentiates it from earlier devices in a substantial way.

The benefits of this invention over roof mounted tents or vehicle mounted annexe tents:

1. When it is extended from the external frame, the lower section of the pod is hinged open from the upper extended section to create a hard waterproof roof structure which is now double the size of the surface area of the upper pod. 2. The 'TorFlyTent' is accessible at ground level and it provides a much larger useable floor area than roof top tents. 3. The drop of the tent can be adjusted through a series of adjustable hanging straps which are attached to the roof sections and the tent itself. This is incorporated into the design as there is no set height at which the tent will be mounted on all vehicles or trailers. The tent may remain housed within the upper and lower sections of the pod when the two sections are fully extended, as in figure 8, to provide an awning instead of an enclosed tent.

Page 1 of 6

4. The entire roof of the 'TorFlyTent' can be insulated and can have internal lighting and/or USB charging options permanently installed to it. It can also have attachment points for the hanging of storage. These can remain within the pod until it is deployed as a tent. 5. The footprint of the tent which is unfolded from within the opened pod can be much larger than the size of the hard roof. It is possible for the pod to have portions of the tent with a canvas roof as well as the hard roof. For example, when the invention is deployed, the hard roof may be 2 square metres in size with an additional canvas roof unfolding from within the open pod. It is not necessary that the entire tent roof, or any of the roof, be of solid construction. 6. The upper and/or lower section(s) of the pod may have solar panels permanently attached. 7. A storage platform or roof racks can be attached to the upper side of the external frame. It is not essential that this storage platform or roof racks are attached, however it does provide an external useable storage space which does not impede the use of the 'TorFlyTent'. This storage platform or roof racks can be used to store items, even whilst the tent is deployed. Roof top tents on the marked currently open upwards and although some do have roof racks, theygenerally require equipment which is attached to those roof racks to be removed prior to the tent being opened. 8. The upper and lower sections of the pod have rope tracks attached to them. This enables the easy and quick attachment of readily available annexe/tent walls which can be extended out from the sides of the 'TorFlyTent' to greatly increase undercover space.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION:

The 'TorFlyTent' is a pod like structure that attaches to the roof of a vehicle, trailer or other suitable structure. The pod comprises of an upper and lower section which can be made from aluminium, plastic, fibreglass or some other suitable material. Each section has deep sides which are joined by a 'sheet' of the chosen material. The Front Side (please refer to Figure 1) of the upper and lower section is joined by a series of hinges or a single piano hinge. The opposite end of the upper and lower section isjoined using at leasttwo overcentre adjustable fasteners or other suitable mechanism(s). These fasteners ensure that the pod does not open unintentionally. When the two sections are joined together, they form an outer waterproof shell and provide an internal space for the tent to be housed. The upper section of the pod has heavy duty slides attached to the left and right sides (See Figure 1 and the 'Key'). The slides are also attached to an external frame which is in turn mounted to the vehicle, trailer or other structure. The external frame can either surround the pod or it can simply provide a means of fixing the heavy duty slides to the chosen location. To erect the tent structure, the pod slides out from its retracted and suspended position within the external frame (Figure 5). Once the pod slides out entirely along the slides, the adjustable fasteners can be released. This causes the lower section of the pod to open downwards in an arc, hinged at the front marked 'F' on the Figures (Figure 6). Attached to the upper and lower sections of the pod on the 'B Face' is at least one ratchet strap, or similar mechanism, which enables for a controlled opening and closing of the two sections. As the lower section is opened downwards, the tent,

Page 2 of 6 which is attached to the inside of the upper and lower sections of the pod, will begin to emerge from within the waterproof housing of the pod (Figure 6, 7, 8). The lower section of the pod will hang downwards at approximately 90 degrees to the upper section (Figure 7). It is at this time that the ratchet strap(s) can be removed. The lower section can now be moved so it is at, or close to, 180 degrees in alignment with the upper section of the pod (Figure 8). The lower section of the pod is held into the open position as a roof by using telescopic poles which are attached to the internal cavity of the lower section (Figure 8). The upper and lower sections of the pod now form a roof for the tent which hangs below and to the ground beside the vehicle or trailer. The drop of the tent can be adjusted by the use of several adjustable straps which are attached to the walls of the tent and the upper and lower sections of the pod. The tent comprises of integrated walls and waterproof floor and does not require any additional guy ropes, pegs or poles to maintain its structure. From within the tent, access is possible directly to the vehicle, trailer or other structure as well as having other doors and windows. The roof sections may be used without lowering the tent from within the upper and lower sections.

DESCRIPTION OF FIGURES 1 to 8:

KEY:

This represents the direction in which the invention is to be moved from within the external frame and along the heavy duty slides so as the upper and lower sections can be extended and tent deployed.

This is the representation for the vehicle upon which the invention is attached. The pointed - side of the image depicts the front of the vehicle to which the invention is attached.

DThis represents the two sections of roof which also act as the upper and lower sections of the pod like structure. This represents the bracket supports which can extend above the pod like structure to support additional storage above the invention.

This represents the location of the hinge or hinges used.

This represents a heavy duty slide which is attached to the 'Left face' and 'Right face' of the upper section of the pod.

This represents the support structure to which the two heavy duty slides are attached.

This represents the tent.

I This represents the extended support used to assist in keeping the two sections of roofing in position when extended from the vehicle or other suitable structure.

'R' is used to indicate the 'Right side' of the invention.

'F' is used to indicate the 'Front side' of the invention.

'' is used to indicate the 'Left side' of the invention.

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'B' is used to indicate the 'Back side' of the invention.

Figure 1 of 8:

The pointed section at the top of the diagram represents the front of the vehicle upon which the invention is attached.

Immediately to the right of the roof of the pod like structure is the yellow line depicting the location along which a hinge or hinges run. This hinge or hinges are attached to both the upper and lower portions of the pod like structure. The red lines running parallel to one another at the top and bottom represent the heavy duty hinges to which the upper section of the pod like structure is attached.

The green section represents the external support structure which is attached to the heavy duty slides and is attached to roof racks or some other suitable structure. The dotted green line represents the external support structure which is obscured from view by the two upper and lower closed sections of roof.

The arrow represents the direction in which the invention is to be moved so as to be used as a tent.

Figure 2 of 8:

Depicts the invention as viewed from the 'L' Face. The figure depicts the upper and lower portions of the pod structure in the closed position so as the tent is housed within. The upper and lower sections are suspended above the vehicle by the extended supports and the heavy duty slides. The arrow indicates the direction in which the closed pod is to be moved in order to be used as a shelter or tent.

Figure 3 of 8:

Figure 3 depicts the invention as viewed from the 'B' Face. This figure depicts the upper and lower portions of the pod suspended above the vehicle by the extended supports and the heavy duty slides.

Figure 4 of 8:

Figure 4 depicts the invention as viewed from the 'F' Face. The figure depicts the upper and lower portions of the pod structure in the closed position so as the tent is housed within. The upper and lower sections are suspended above the vehicle by the extended supports and the heavy duty slides. The yellow portions indicate the approximate position of a hinge or hinges.

Figure 5 of 8:

Figure 5 depicts the invention as viewed from the 'L' Face. The figure depicts the upper and lower portions of the pod structure in the closed position so as the tent is housed within. The heavy duty slide has been extended away from the vehicle so as the upper and lower sections of the closed pod are clear of the vehicle and provides sufficient room for the lower section to hinge downwards from the hinge or hinges. The tent remains contained within the pod.

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Figure 6 of 8:

Figure 6 depicts the invention as viewed from the 'L' Face. The figure depicts the upper and lower sections of the pod structure partially open from the 'B' Face and attached by the hinge or hinges on the 'F' Face. The figure depicts the tent being exposed from within the pod as the upper and lower sections are opened.

Figure 7 of 8:

Figure 7 depicts the invention as viewed from the 'L' Face. The figure depicts the upper and lower sections of the pod structure open at approximately 90 degrees to one another and attached by the hinge or hinges on the 'F' Face. The figure depicts the tent being exposed from within the pod as the upper and lower sections are opened.

Figure 8 of 8:

Figure 8 depicts the invention as viewed from the 'L' Face. The figure depicts the upper and lower sections of the pod structure open at approximately 180 degrees to one another and attached by the hinge or hinges. The figure depicts the tent suspended from the upper and lower sections of the pod which are opened to approximately 180 degrees and form the roof of the tent structure. The figure demonstrates the approximate positioning of a pole which is used to support the lower section at approximately the same plane at the upper section.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS:

The upper and lower sections are made from 1.6mm sheet aluminium cut to 1400mm x 1100mm. This is rivetted to four lengths of equal angle aluminium section of approximately x50x3mm and 70x50x3mm. These two sections are joined at one end by a 50mm piano hinge constructed of stainless steel and held in place by rivets. The opposite end has two over centre fasteners attached to the upper and lower sections. Along the left and right side of the upper section are two heavy duty locking slides. These are 1219mm in length, extend a further 1219mm and have a 175kg load capacity. The internal tent is made of rip-stop canvas with an integrated waterproof floor. It is attached to the upper and lower sections using adjustable straps and is secured in place using aluminium bar and rivets. The aluminium telescopic extension poles are attached to the lower section with an angle section and stainless steel bolts and are stored within the closed pod like structure using elastic cord.

The external frame is constructed of steel and is welded. The base of the frame is made of x2x2mm box section and is welded to heavy duty galvanised right angle sections of approximately 40x6x5mm. These sections are welded together and bolted to the heavy duty locking slide. The external frame is 235mm in height, 1150mm deep and 1500mm long. The top of the external frame may support a storage platform or roof top tent.

It is not necessary that every variation of this invention be constructed identical to the one described. For example, the pod may be constructed of plastic, aluminium, timber, fibreglass or some other material and it is not necessary that the external pod has the capacity to carry additional items on roof racks or a platform.

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It is not necessary that the invention has an entirely hard roof as the prototype does or a hard roof at all. A variation of this invention can have one or more section(s) of canvas roofed tent which can be unfolded from within the pod.

There exists a possibility that further improvements may be made to this invention without deviating from the scope.

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Claims

CLAIMS:

1. A tent comprising of integrated walls, floor and roof which is folded via a hinge or hinges, wherein the roof of the tent comprises of two sections, the upper and lower, which when folded upon each other via the hinge or hinges, forms a housing in which the tent, including the integrated walls and flooring, is contained, further comprising telescopic slides which are attached to the opposing sides of the upper section at or about 90 degrees to the side joined by a hinge or hinges.

2. The telescopic slides of Claim 1 are attached to a frame which may in turn be attached to a vehicle roof rack or similar structure.

3. The upper and lower sections of Claim 1 are folded upon each other via the hinge or hinges, and are jointed together at the opposite side to the hinges.

4. When the telescopic slides of Claim 1 are extended in a lateral movement from the frame, the upper and lower sections move with it to a point at which the lower section can be unattached form the upper section, clear of the roof racks or other structure, and hinged in a downward motion to a point at or about a horizontal plane, whereby the integrated walls and floor of the tent may open onto the ground.

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