EP1445400A1

EP1445400A1 - Portable structure

Info

Publication number: EP1445400A1
Application number: EP03250810A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Christopher David Manifold
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2003-02-08
Filing date: 2003-02-08
Publication date: 2004-08-11
Anticipated expiration: 2023-02-08
Also published as: ATE299218T1; DE60300978D1; DE60300978T2; EP1445400B1

Abstract

A portable structure (102, 1102) for providing temporary protection for at least one person from environmental conditions, comprising: a sheet (105); a mounting block (103); a plurality of support arms (104, 1104) secured to the mounting block and arranged to extend outwards from the mounting block to support the sheet when in an erected condition. A plurality of the support arms are arranged to fold away from the erect condition into a storage condition.

The mounting block comprises: a first part (301, 1201) to which a number of the support arms are connected; a second part (302, 1202) to which a number of the support arms are connected; and hinging means (303, 1221 and 1222) connecting the first part to the second part, such that the structure is erected by a relative movement of the first and second parts about the hinging means.

Description

Background of the Invention

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a portable structure for providing temporary protection for at least one person from environmental conditions. A typical example of such an application would be for anglers in situations where they are required to maintain a position at a river bank or similar for a considerable period of time.

2. Description of the Related Art

Portable structures for anglers are known and in many situations conflicting constraints exists in terms of portability, easy erection, strength and affordability. Many structures of this type have disadvantages in that a degree of assembly is required in order to place the structure in its fully erect condition.

Brief Summary of the Invention

According to an aspect of the present invention there is provided a portable structure for providing temporary protection for at least one person from environmental conditions, comprising: a sheet; a mounting block; a plurality of support arms secured to said mounting block and arranged to extend outwards from said mounting block to support said sheet when in an erected condition, a plurality of said support arms being arranged to fold away from said erect condition into a storage condition, characterised in that said mounting block comprises: a first part to which a number of said support arms are connected; a second part to which a number of said support arms are connected; and hinging means connecting said first part to said second part, such that said structure is erected by a relative movement of said first and second parts about said hinging means.
Preferably said first and second parts of said mounting block are each configured to receive a lever, which assist said relative movement about said hinging means.

Brief Description of the Several Views of the Drawings

Figure 1 shows a portable structure 102 being used by an angler;
Figure 2 shows the portable structure 102 after support arms 104 have been spread out;
Figure 3 shows a side view of the partly opened structure 102;
Figure 4 shows the portable structure 102 identified in Figure 3 in its fully erect condition;
Figure 5 shows the user enjoying the shelter of the structure 102;
Figure 6 shows the end of support arm 104a attached to sheet 105;
Figure 7 shows an enhanced embodiment in which a second fabric sheet 701 is also secured to the ends of the support arms 104, such that it lies to the outside of said support arms;
Figure 8 shows a detailed isometric view of the mounting block 103 of Figure 1;
Figure 9 shows the mounting block 103 with its two halves 301 and 302 latched together;
Figure 10 shows a cross-sectional view of the mounting block 103, indicated by line X-X in Figure 9, Figure 11 shows an alternative embodiment in which the support arms 1104 comprise of two pieces of tubing which are connectable at a joint 1120;
Figure 12A and 12B show two halves of an alternative mounting block of a portable structure, which may be separated when the structure is in its storage condition;
Figure 13 shows a cross-section of the mounting block of Figures 12A and 12B before its two parts 1201 and 1202 are hooked together;
Figure 14 shows the mounting block of Figure 13, after the tongues 1222 have been inserted into slots 1221; and
Figure 15 shows the mounting block of Figure 14, after rotation of the two part 1201 and 1202 about the end portion 1301 of plate 1203.

Written Description of the Best Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

Figure 1

A portable structure 102, being used by an angler, is illustrated in Figure 1. The structure has been carried to a position on a river bank in a suitably designed bag 101. The portable structure, in the preferred embodiment, provides a robust shelter under extreme environmental conditions. Furthermore, it may be necessary to assemble the structure in less than ideal conditions therefore the assembly procedure is relatively straightforward while at the same time, when in its erect condition, the structure is robust and resilient to extreme weather.
The structure comprises of a mounting block 103, to which are attached a number of support arms 104, and a waterproof fabric sheet 105 attached to said support arms. In the storage condition shown in Figure 1, the support arms are folded away such that they are substantially parallel to each other.
The angler is not required to perform any detailed assembly of the structure and the assembly procedure is initiated by simply removing the structure 102 from bag 101.
Having removed the structure 102 from the bag 101 the structure is laid out such that said support arms are moved circumferentially so as to spread them out.

Figure 2

The portable structure 102 is shown in Figure 2 after the support arms 104 have been spread out. The structure has a total of nine support arms of which five support arms 104A, 104B, 104C, 104H and 104l are shown in Figure 2, with the remaining four being hidden behind the sheet 105. The sheet 105 has nine elongated open-ended pockets, such as pocket 201, in which a respective support arm resides, so that the support arms support the fabric sheet when the structure is erect.
The mounting block 103 comprises of two halves each having a hole 202 which allow a pair of levers to be connected to the mounting block to facilitate the erection of the structure 102.

Figure 3

A side view of the partly opened structure 102 is shown in Figure 3. As previously mentioned, the mounting block 103 comprises of two halves 301 and 302, and these are connected to each other by a hinge 303. Five of the support arms 104A, 104B, 104C, 104H and 104l are attached to the first part 301 of the mounting block 103, while the other four support arms 104D, 104E, 104F (shown in Figure 4), and 104G (shown in Figure 4) are attached to the second part 302.
The levers 304 and 305 each comprise of a rigid rod, or alternatively a tube, shaped to be a good fit within the holes 202. The levers provide the user with sufficient leverage to rotate the two parts 301 and 302 with respect to each other so as to erect the structure 102.
As the two levers are brought together, the relative movement of the two parts of the block 103 and the consequent movement of the support arms causes the sheet 105 to become tensioned and the support arms to extend radially from said support block.
When the structure 102 has been fully opened in this manner, the relative positions of the two parts 301 and 302 of the support block 103 is fixed by a latch (shown in Figures 8 and 9).

Figure 4

The portable structure 102 identified in Figure 3 is shown in its fully erect condition in Figure 4. Some of the support arms 104D to 104G are pegged to ground by means of loops 401, 402, 403 and 404 attached to the ends of said support arms. Furthermore, support rods 405 are secured to support arms 104H and 104C so as to orientate the portable structure in a desired operating configuration. Additional support rods may similarly be secured to front support arms 104l and 104B as required by the environmental conditions.
When the structure is in the erect condition, shown in Figure 4, support arm 104A is arranged to be higher than any of the remaining support arms. Consequently, sections 406 of the sheet 105, at the top of the structure are provided with a slope to assist run-off of water in wet weather.
As shown in Figure 4, the support arms 104A to 104l define a dome shape and the fabric sheet 105 is suspended inside said arms. In an alternative embodiment, the sheet 105 is attached such that it lies outside of the support arms 104. A flap is provided within the sheet to allow access to the mounting block 103 for the purposes of erecting and collapsing the structure. The flap may be of a similar construction to that described below with reference to Figure 7.

Figure 5

The user is shown enjoying the shelter of the structure 102 in Figure 5, in a seated position. However, it should also be noted that the structure provides sufficient space for a bed for the user when required.
A portion of sheet 105 extends away from the support arms 104 and downwards to provide a front wall 501 for the structure 102. An opening in the wall 501 provides an entrance to the structure.
Further securing of the structure is provided by pegging down rings 503 attached to the fabric sheet 105.

Figure 6

The fabric sheet 105 is secured to the underside of the radially extending support arms 104 by means of the pockets 201. Furthermore, the sheet 105 is permanently attached to the end of each of the support arms 104. Thus, when the structure is in its stored condition, when it is in its erect condition, and during its erection, one end of each support arm 104 is attached to the mounting block 103 while the opposite ends are attached to the sheet 105.
By way of example, the end of support arm 104A is shown in Figure 6 attached to sheet 105. The sheet 105 has an upturned edge portion 601 secured to the end 602 of support arm 104A by means of a screw 603 and a washer 604. However, it should be appreciated that alternative securing mechanisms may be deployed in order to permanently attach one or more fabric sheets to the support mechanism. Thus, these attachments may remain permanently in position for many operations of the device. However, the screw fastenings etc. do allow the sheet to be removed for repair or replacement as and when this becomes necessary.
The upturned edge 601 is attached to the adjacent support arms 104B and 104l in a similar manner, so that rain water running off the sheet 102 is directed away from the entrance in wall 501.

Figure 7

In an enhanced embodiment, as illustrated in Figure 7, a second fabric sheet 701 is also secured to the ends of the support arms 104 but in a manner such that it lies to the outside of said support arms. Therefore, the second sheet 701 lies substantially in parallel with the first fabric sheet 104 which lies under the support arms. In this way, the portable structure is provided with a double skin which, when required for relatively long durations, such as for overnight use, significantly reduces problems associated with condensation.
The mounting block 103 is protected in the embodiment shown in Figure 7 by means of an secured flap 702, preferably attached to the sheet 701 by stitching 703 along one edge and a hook and loop mechanism such as Velcro (registered trademark) along the remaining edges. When the structure of Figure 7 is to be placed back into its storage condition, the flap 702 is lifted, thereby giving access to the mounting block 103. Thus, the latch of the mounting block may be undone to allow the two halves of said block to fold-up about the hinge 303, effectively performing the reverse process to that shown in Figure 3.
Similarly, when the structure of Figure 7 is being erected, access is provided to the mounting block 103 via the flap 702, and the erection process is substantially the same as shown in Figures 2 and 3.
Thus, in this way, it is possible to erect a double skinned portable structure with relatively minimal effort, given that the underskin 105 and the outer skin 701 remain permanently secured to the plurality of support arms 104. Furthermore, these arms are rapidly positioned into their erected condition by merely hinging the two parts of the mounting block as described with reference to Figure 3.

Figure 8

A detailed isometric view of the mounting block 103 of Figure 1 is shown in Figure 9. Each of the two halves 301 and 302 of the mounting block 103, comprises of a pair of metal plates 801A and 801B, and 802A and 802B respectively. The hinge 303 connects the lower plates 801A and 802A of the two parts 301 and 302 respectively.
An end of each support arm 104B to 104I is sandwiched between the plates 801A and 801B, or 802A and 802B and held in place by a pivot mechanism 803.
If all of the support arms were allowed to pivot, inward forces from said arms would tend to rotate the mounting block such that they are no longer arranged in a truly radial manner. For this reason, the remaining support arm, 104A, is rigidly attached to part 301, so that it cannot pivot. Consequently, when the structure is erected, the pivotable support arms 104B to 104l are oriented with respect to support arm 104A to ensure that they extend radially from the mounting block.
Tubes 805 and 804 are each rigidly attached, for example by a suitable adhesive (or alternatively) press-fitting), to a respective pair of plates 801A and 801B, or 802A and 802B, such that a flanged end of each of said tubes protrudes from the upper outer surface of the mounting block 103. The tubes 805 and 804 define the holes 202 in the mounting block and, therefore, during erection of the structure, the tubes 805 and 804 receive the ends of levers 304 and 305.
A latching member 806 has a first end permanently attached to the flanged end of tube 804 such that it may swivel about it; the flange preventing the latching member from sliding off said tube. The other end of the latching member is hook shaped, such that when the structure is being erected, the latching member 806 is hooked around the tube 805, to lock the two parts 301 and 302 of the mounting block 103 in position.

Figure 9

The mounting block 103 with its two halves 301 and 302 latched together is shown in Figure 9. As described above, the hooked end of the latching member 806 is hooked around the tube 805 to hold the part 301 in a fixed position relative to part 302.
As illustrated by Figure 9, the axis of the hinge 303 is perpendicular to the direction of the fixed support arm 104A, and consequently it is horizontal when the structure is erect. This configuration has been found preferable to facilitate the erection of the structure, because it allows the support arms 104 to be spread out in a substantially horizontal plane, as shown in Figure 2, with the rear arms 104E and 104F lowermost.
Alternative types of latching mechanisms may be used to that illustrated in Figure 8 and 9, which allow the two halves of the mounting block to be releasably held together when the structure is erect.

Figure 10

A cross-sectional view of the mounting block 103, indicated by line X-X in Figure 9, is shown in Figure 10. The fixed support arm 104A is held between the plates 801A and 801B by bolts 1001 and 1002. Bolt 1001 passes through the upper plate 801B, a washer 1003, a metal sleeve 1004, a second washer 1005, the lower plate 801A, and is fixed in place by a hexagonal nut 1006. The sleeve 1004 is located within a hole which extends through the tubular wall of support arm 104A and a solid metal cylinder 1007 which is fixed within said arm adjacent to its end. The cylinder 1007 provides the arm with additional strength at its connection to the mounting block 103.
In the present example, the cylinder 1007 is made from aluminium and it is crimped in place within an aluminium tube support arm, but alternatively it may be bonded in place by a suitable adhesive. In alternative embodiments, the support arms are manufactured from a man-made material such as fibre glass, and the cylinder is bonded in place.
The sleeve 1004 is slightly longer than the outside diameter of the support arm 104A, and consequently without the second bolt 1002 the support arm 104A would be free to pivot about bolt 1001. In fact, the pivot mechanisms 803 of the pivotable support arms 104B to 104l comprise of a single such bolt assembly. However, support arm 104A does have the second bolt 1002 to prevent pivoting. Thus, the bolt 1002 passes through the upper plate 801A, a washer 1008, a sleeve 1009 located within a second hole in said support arm, a second washer 1010, and is held in place by a nut 1011.
To assist construction of the structure, the lower plates 801A and 801B may be fabricated with hexagonal recesses, about the bolt holes, to receive nuts, such as nuts 1006 and 1011.

Figure 11

In the main embodiment, as shown in Figure 4, each of the support arms 104 consists of a single length of aluminium tubing which extends from the mounting block 103 to a fabric sheet attachment device, such as that shown in Figure 6. The support arms are pre-formed to provide the required dome-shape of the structure.
Alternatively, the support arms are single straight lengths of carbon fibre, or glass fibre, reinforced rod, or flexible aluminium alloy tubes which flex to the required shape of the structure during the erection process.
A further alternative embodiment is shown in Figure 11. The structure 1102 is substantially the same as structure 102 except that support arms 1104 comprise of two pieces of tubing which are connectable at a joint 1120. To form the joints 1120, one of the two pieces of tubing has an end portion with a reduced diameter which is a good fit within the other piece. Each support arm is located in a pair of fabric pockets 1101A and 1101B spaced apart to allow the user access to the joint 1120. Thus, when the structure 1102 is to be erected, the user firstly connects the two pieces of each support arm before spreading them out in the manner of Figure 2, and then completing the erection as illustrated by Figure 3. When the structure 1102 is to be stored, it is collapsed by unhooking the latching member on the mounting block and folding the support arms together. The two pieces of the support arms 1104 are then separated at joints 1102. This allows the outer piece of each support arm to be folded back alongside the respective inner piece. Consequently, the length of the structure 1104 when folded is approximately half of the length of the structure 104 when it is folded.
In an alternative embodiment, the joint 1120 between the two pieces of tubing may be hinged.

Figures 12A and 12B

In a further alternative embodiment, a portable structure is substantially the same as the structure 102 except that the two halves of the mounting block may be separated when the structure is in the storage condition. The two halves 1201 and 1202 of the alternative mounting block are illustrated in Figures 12A and 12B respectively. The mounting block of Figures 12A and 12B is substantially the same as mounting block 103, except that instead of a hinge, mounting block part 1201 has three linear slots 1221 arranged parallel to a straight edge 1223 of its lower plate 1224, and mounting block part 1202 has three curved tongues 1222 extending from an edge of its lower plate. Three narrow portions of the lower plate 1224 between the three slots 1221 and the edge 1223 provide three spindles 1225.
The three slots 1221 are dimensioned to receive the three tongues 1222, and the spindles 1225 are configured to be located within a curved part of said tongues. During erection of the structure, when the tongues 1222 are inserted into the slots 1221, the spindles 1225 and the tongues co-operate to provide a hinging means.
A latching member 1206 is rotatably attached to the mounting block part 1202, in substantially the same manner as latching member 806 on mounting block 103.
In alternative embodiments other numbers of slots are used, with a corresponding number of tongues.

Figure 13

The mounting block of Figure 12A and 12B is shown in cross-section in Figure 13, before its two parts 1201 and 1202 are hooked together. The fabric sheet of the structure has not been shown in Figure 13, in order to simplify the illustration.
The three slots 1221 are formed along an edge portion 1301, of lower plate 1203, which extends substantially perpendicularly from the main part of said plate. The three tongues 1222 have a hooked shape with an end portion 1302 which extends backwards parallel to the main part of lower plate 1303 of mounting block part 1202.
During erection of the structure, the end portions 1302 are slotted into slots 1221 until the spindles 1225 of plate 1203 are positioned within a curved portion 1304 of the tongues 1222.

Figure 14

The mounting block of Figure 13 is shown in Figure 14, after the tongues 1222 have been inserted into slots 1221. Thus the spindles 1225 of plate 1203 are positioned within the curved portion 1304 of tongues 1222.
Having slotted the two parts of the mounting block together, the structure may then be erected in the same manner as structure 102 and described with reference to Figures 2 and 3. Thus, levers 304 and 305 are located within tubes 1405 and 1406, and the two parts 1201 and 1202 of the mounting block are rotated about the spindles 1225 of plate 1203 to erect the structure.

Figure 15

The mounting block of Figure 14 is shown in Figure 15 after rotation of the two part 1201 and 1202 about the spindles 1225 of plate 1203. When the structure is fully erect, the latching member 1206 is hooked around the top of tube 1405 to fix the position of part 1201 relative to part 1202.
Thus, the mounting block of Figure 15 comprises of two separate parts 1201 and 1202 which are not connected by a hinge as such. Instead, the slot and tongue arrangement provides a hinging means which allows a portable structure to be erected by a relative movement of two parts of a mounting block about a hinging means.

Claims

A portable structure (102, 1102) for providing temporary protection for at least one person from environmental conditions, comprising:

a sheet (105);

a mounting block (103);

a plurality of support arms (104, 1104) secured to said mounting block and arranged to extend outwards from said mounting block to support said sheet when in an erected condition, a plurality of said support arms being arranged to fold away from said erect condition into a storage condition, characterised in that said mounting block comprises:

a first part (301, 1201) to which a number of said support arms are connected;

a second part (302, 1202) to which a number of said support arms are connected; and

hinging means (303, 1221 and 1222) connecting said first part to said second part, such that said structure is erected by a relative movement of said first and second parts about said hinging means.
A portable structure according to claim 1, wherein a number of said plurality of support arms which fold away are attached to said first part, and a number of said support arms which fold away are attached to said second part.
A portable structure according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein said structure includes a fabric sheet (105) attached to said support arms when in said storage condition, and when in said erect condition.
A portable structure according to claim 3, wherein said portable structure includes a second fabric sheet (701) attached to said support arms when in said storage condition, and when in said erect condition, such that one of said fabric sheets is located inside the support arms and the other fabric sheet is located outside of the support arms.
A portable structure according to any of claims 1 to 4, wherein said hinging means is a hinge (303) and said first part (301) of said mounting block (103) is attached to said second part (302) when said structure is in said storage condition, and when in said erect condition.
A portable structure according to any of claims 1 to 5, wherein all of said support arms are attached to said mounting block both when said structure is in said storage condition, and when in said erect condition.
A portable structure according to any of claims 1 to 6, wherein a plurality of said support arms are pivotally attached to said mounting block.
A portable structure according to claim 7, wherein said structure has a fixed support arm (104A) which is rigidly attached to said mounting block to provide a reference from which the pivotally attached support arms are positioned when the structure is erected.
A portable structure according to any of claims 1 to 8, wherein one of said support arms (104A) extends higher than the remaining support arms in said erect condition, whereby a portion of fabric sheet (105) attached to said highest support arm (104A) is sloped to prevent water resting on top of said structure.
A portable structure according to any of claims 1 to 9, wherein said relative movement about said hinging means takes place about a substantially horizontal axis.
A method of erecting a tent (102, 1102) by spreading out a plurality of support arms (104, 1104) pivotally attached to a mounting block (103), characterised in that:

said mounting block comprises of two parts (301, 302, and 1201, 1202) connected by a hinging mechanism (303, 1221 and 1222) such that each of said two parts supports a plurality of said support arms; and

said tent is erected by a relative movement of said two parts about said hinging mechanism.