GB1603210A

GB1603210A - Ridge tents

Info

Publication number: GB1603210A
Application number: GB3683177A
Authority: GB
Original assignee: VANGO SCOTLAND Ltd
Current assignee: VANGO SCOTLAND Ltd
Priority date: 1978-05-24
Filing date: 1978-05-24
Publication date: 1981-11-18

Description

(54) AN IMPROVEMENT IN OR RELATING TO RIDGE TENTS (71) We, HAMISH ALEXANDER HAMILTON, a British Subject, of 132 Springfield Road, Sheffield 7, and VANGO (SCOTLAND) LIMITED, a British Com- pany, of 47 Colvend Street, Glasgow, do hereby declare the invention, for which we pray that a patent may be granted to us, and the method by which it is to be performed, to be particularly described in and by the following statement: The invention relates to ridge tents and has for its object to provide an improvement therein. In particular, it is the object of the invention to provide a ridge tent which will remain stable in high winds.

According to the invention, a ridge tent is provided with a frame including at least two pairs of upstanding converging flexible struts spaced apart longitudinally of the tent, the cover being so shaped that when it is pegged down around its edges there is produced a tension in the cover sufficient to deform the frame to such an extent that the upstanding struts are caused to bow outwards whereby the longitudinal side walls are no longer flat but are similarly bowed outwards as the apex of the tent is simultaneously reduced, the two pairs of upstanding and converging flexible struts being set in position, or adapted to be set in position, in such a way that their upper ends are splayed apart longitudinally of the tent, and the tent being devoid of a ridge pole, a longitudinal tension in the cover sufficient to produce and maintain the ridge shape being brought about by the deformation of the frame as the cover is pegged down. The cover will preferably be suspended beneath the frame so that the material of which the cover is made is not contacted by the frame. If the tent is short in relation to its width, the two pairs of upstanding and converging flexible struts may be mounted on a pair of upstanding flexible struts disposed midway between the ends of the tent. Guy ropes may be provided to assist in pulling down the apex of the tent, and guy ropes will preferably be fixed to points intermediate the ends of the struts to guard against the possibility of inversion in strong winds or in gusty condition.

In order that the invention may be fully understood and readily carried into effect, the same will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, of which: Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic perspective view of a ridge tent embodying the invention, Figs. 2 and 3 are respective side and end views thereof, Figs. 4 and 5 are detail views which will be referred to, Fig. 6 is a view which will be referred to in connection with a possible modification, and Figs. 7 and 8 are views similar to Figs. 2 and 3 which will presently be referred to in connection with a further possible modification.

Referring now to Figs. 1 to 3, the ridge tent there illustrated is provided with a frame and a cover, the frame including two pairs of upstanding converging flexible struts 10, 10 and 12, 12 spaced apart longitudinally of the tent It can be seen in Fig. 2 that the pairs of struts are set in position on the ground in such a way that their upper ends are splayed apart longitudinally of the tent.As shown in Fig. 4, the upper ends of the pairs of struts, which are made principally of relatively slender glass fibre rods 14, are received in socket portions 16 of respective hinge members 18 which are of a kind which facilitate each pair of struts being initially adjusted in position at a required angle (that is to say to make an included angle of approximately 1300). Each strut is made in three connected sections and, as shown in Fig. 5, the connected ends of said struts are received in respective socket members 20. Adjacent swaged end portions of the socket members are connected by flexible wires 22 bulbous ends of which are captive within said swaged end portions.

Sleeve elements 24 surround the socket members to hold the adjacent sections together when the struts are in use. Said sleeve elements can be slid axially to release each section from its neighbour when the struts are to be folded for transport. The lower end of each strut is provided with a spiked foot 26 which can be set in the ground as shown.

The cover 28 is pegged down around its lower edges by means of tent pegs in known manner. However, the cover has been so shaped that when endmost pegs indicated 30 have been placed in position there is produced a tension in the cover suffcient to deform the frame to such an extent that the upstanding struts are caused to bow outwards as shown in full lines in Fig. 1 and in Fig. 3. The initial condition of the frame and cover is shown diagrammatically in chain-dotted lines in Figs.

1 and 2 in which guy-ropes 31 are shown assisting in pulling down the apex of the tent and causing the pairs of struts to bow outwards. It will be seen that the effect is to cause the longitudinal side walls, which were initially flat, to similarly bow outwards as the, apex of the tent is simultaneously reduced in height. This is a very desirable thing for a person using the tent because it gives him more usable space. However, the tent still has a ridge and there is not produced a flat surface at the apex. Consequently, rain can still run off quite easily.

A further advantage of a tent embodying the invention is that because the cover is un- der constant tension it is exceptionally stable in high winds and gusty conditions.

No means of entry are illustrated in the drawings but it will be understood that an entry flap or "zipped" opening can be formed in one end of the tent in such a way that ten sion in the cover is only partly released when the entry flap or opening is unfastened.

Various other modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the in vention. For example, in a larger size of tent it may be found that at least one pair of intermediate upstanding converging flexible struts are required. It will also be understood that although in the tent described above the struts have been said to be made of slender glass fibre rod, they could quite well be made of cane or be of other light weight flexible construction. However, whatever their form of construction, the required flexibility of the struts results in the danger that in strong winds or in very gusty conditions the side wall on the windward side of the tent might invert, that is to say so that the struts on that side are caused to bow inwards instead of out wards.For this reason it may be necessary to fix guy ropes 38 to points intermediate the ends of the struts, as shown in chain dotted lines in Fig. 3, to guard against the possibility of inversion.

The struts need not necessarily be made in two or more separate sections and the pairs of struts need not be connected at their upper ends by hinge members; they could be con nected by fixed angle pieces with socket ends.

If the struts are each made in two or more separate sections they need not necessarily be connected together by the kind of con nection illustrated in Fig. 5. For example, in Fig. 6 there is illustrated a different kind of connection which could be employed and in which adjacent rod ends are connected to respective socket parts 32 of a hinge assembly 34, a slotted sleeve member 36 being pro- vided to slide over the socket parts, as shown in chain-dotted lines, when the strut is in use. The cover may be made of any suitable fabric or synthetic plastics material and may be a single sheet or two or more connected panels. The tent may be of single skin construction as illustrated or of double skin construction.

Referring now to Figs. 7 and 8, in a modification of the tent just described, which is somewhat shorter than the latter in relation to its width, the two pairs of upstanding and converging flexible struts 10, 10 and 12, 12 are mounted, by means of a pair of Y-shaped connectors, on a pair of upstanding flexible struts 40. The struts 40, which are each provided with a spiked foot 26, are set in position on the ground at points along the side walls of the tent which are approximately midway between the ends of the tent.

As in the case of the previously described tent, the cover has been so shaped that when the endmost pegs 30 have been placed in position there is produced a tension in the cover sufficient to deform the frame to such an extent that the struts 10, 10 and 12, 12, and with them the struts 40 to a similar degree, are caused to bow outwards as shown in full lines in Fig. 8. Also as in the previously described tent, guy ropes will preferably be used to assist in pulling down the apex of the tent and causing the struts to bow outwards, and further guy ropes may be used to guard against the possibility of inversion of the struts, but the guy ropes are not shown in the drawings.

Preferably, but not necessarily, the cover in each of the embodiments described will be suspended beneath the frame so that the material of which the cover is made is not contacted by the frame (but of course in this case the cover can still be quite properly so-called because of the fact that it covers the enclosed space).

WHAT WE CLAIM IS: 1. A ridge tent provided with a frame and a cover, the frame including at least two pairs of upstanding converging flexible struts spaced apart longitudinally of the tent the cover being so shaped that when it is pegged down around its edges there is produced a tension in the cover sufficient to deform the frame to such an extent that the upstanding struts are caused to bow outwards whereby the longitudinal side walls are no longer flat but are similarly bowed outwards as the apex of the tent is simultaneously reduced, the two pairs of upstanding and converging flexible struts being set in position, or adapted to be set in position, in such a way that their upper

**WARNING** end of DESC field may overlap start of CLMS **.

Claims

**WARNING** start of CLMS field may overlap end of DESC **. The cover 28 is pegged down around its lower edges by means of tent pegs in known manner. However, the cover has been so shaped that when endmost pegs indicated 30 have been placed in position there is produced a tension in the cover suffcient to deform the frame to such an extent that the upstanding struts are caused to bow outwards as shown in full lines in Fig. 1 and in Fig. 3. The initial condition of the frame and cover is shown diagrammatically in chain-dotted lines in Figs.

ends are splayed apart longitudinally of the tent, and the tent being devoid of a ridge pole, a longitudinal tension in the cover sufficient to produce and maintain the ridge shape being brought about by the deformation of the frame as the cover is pegged down.

2. A ridge tent according to claim 1, in which the cover is suspended beneath the frame so that the material of which the cover is made is not contacted by the frame.

3. A ridge tent according to either one of the preceding claims, in which the two pairs of upstanding and converging flexible struts are mounted on a pair of upstanding flexible struts disposed midway between the ends of the tent.

4. A ridge tent according to any one of the preceding claims, in which guy ropes are provided to assist in pulling down the apex of the tent.

5. A ridge tent according to any one of the preceding claims, in which guy ropes are fixed to points intermediate the ends of the struts to guard against the possibility of inversion in strong winds or in gusty conditions.

6. A ridge tent constructed and arranged substantially as hereinbefore described, with reference to and as illustrated by the accompanying drawings.