GB2148967A

GB2148967A - Improved tent

Info

Publication number: GB2148967A
Application number: GB08329478A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Henry Robert Saunders; Joan Patricia Saunders
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1983-11-04
Filing date: 1983-11-04
Publication date: 1985-06-05
Also published as: GB2148967B; GB8329478D0

Abstract

A tent has a single pole (17, Fig. 4) which is bent into a curved shape and retained in that shape by a strap (24, Fig. 4) which joins its ends. An outer tent 10 fits over the pole and an inner tent 44 is suspended from the pole. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Improved tent Field of the invention This invention concerns tents, particularly lightweight tents adapted to be erected by one person without difficulty and which in clude an outer covering separated from an inner tent.

Background to the invention Typically a tent comprises a sheet of weath erproof material supported by a number of poles or stretched over a framework of poles with anchoring points around the sheet being pegged or otherwise secured to the ground.

Where weight is an important consideration the number of poles is preferably kept to an absolute minimum and this generally prevents a self supporting frame-like structure from being used. Lightweight tents are therefore notoriously difficult to pitch, particularly in exposed positions, except when two people are available.

Additionally the suspension of an inner tent within an outer covering presents loading problems on the ridge where a maximum of two poles is all that can be allowed due to weight consideration.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a tent which possesses the advantage of erection by one person, the support for an inner tent of a multiple pole frame tent and lightweight construction for ease of carrying.

Summary of the invention According to one aspect of the present invention a portable shelter comprises (1) a resiliently deformable elongate strut which can be bent into a generally semicircular shape to form a so-called hoop, (2) an elongate tape securable at its opposite ends to the opposite ends of the bent strut, (3) a sheet forming an outer tent cover having at least one generally central pocket through which the strut can be threaded, (4) a plurality of anchoring points around the periphery of the outer tent cover for securing the latter to the ground by means of pegs or the like, (5) at least one and preferably two supports within the outer tent cover secured to or near the said pocket, and (6) an inner tent having attachment means along a ridge thereof for securing to the said support or supports within the outer tent cover and around its periphery a plurality of anchoring points for pegging to the ground or attachment to the outer cover.

Preferably the outer cover is generally symmetrically shaped about the line of the pocket or pockets which contains the strut.

Preferably additional anchoring means is provided generally in the middle of each of the two symmetrical halves of the outer cover for securing by means of guy ropes or the like to further pegging means preferably spaced from the lower edge of the side of the tent to which the guy rope leading thereto is attached.

Preferably the inner tent includes an integral ground sheet and end flaps which can be detachably secured to the sides of the inner tent and to the ground sheet to form a protective enclosure within the outer cover.

Preferably the outer cover includes panels defined by folds and zip fastenings or the like, by which access can be gained to the overall enclosure.

Conveniently the panels are located in the regions of the outer cover which extend at each end region thereof between the pocketed hoop and the region of the outer cover adjacent a corner of the inner tent.

Erection of the tent is achieved by laying out the elongate tape along the line which corresponds to the desired ridge line of the inner tent, threading the elongate strut through the outer cover pocket, and pegging the outer cover out on one side of the stretched tape, anchoring one end of the elongate strut into the ground through one end of the tape, flexing the strut into a curve and anchoring the other end thereof into the ground through the other end of the tape, the latter serving to both correctly space apart the two ends of the flexed strut and to keep the strut in the curved shape even when the ground would not of itself be strong enough to hold the ends of the flexed strut, pegging out the remainder of the outer cover on the outer side of the stretched tape and lastly securing to the curved ridge of the outer cover the ridge of the inner tent, and pegging out or otherwise securing the lower periphery of the sides of the latter to or within the outer cover.

Conveniently each end of the tape includes a pegging ring at the extreme end thereof and one or more reinforced holes through which an end of the strut can be pushed. Preferably the reinforcing is by way of grommets.

Conveniently the ends of the strut are formed with a reduced diameter peg adapted to fit through the reinforced holes and to define a shoulder.

Conventiently the strut is in the form of a plurality of individual elongate sections joined by elasticated material to permit the strut to be folded into a small unit.

The invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings in which Figure 1 is a perspective view of an erected tent embodying the invention, Figure 2 is a plan view of the tent in Fig. 1.

Figure 3 is an opened-up perspective view, Figure 4 is a view of the tape and one end of the flexible hoop strut, and Figure 5 is a nerspective view of one end of the tape to an enlarged scale.

In the drawings a tent is shown formed from an outer cover 10 held by two opposed guy ropes 12 and 14 and by pegs as at 16.

The outer cover is stretched over a curved semicircular hoop 1 7 one end of which is shown in Fig. 4. The hoop is of resiliently deformable material and is typically formed from a number of small lengths of tubing joined by elasticated material with interfitting ends. The tubing is typically of high tensile alloy material.

Each extreme end includes a reduced diameter peg 1 8 which can fit into a grommet reinforced hole 20 or 22, in a tape 24 which is stretched out on the ground between the two ends of the curved hoop 1 7 to hold the latter at their correct spacing. The two holes 20, 22 at each end allow for adjusting the tension in the hoop.

The outer cover includes four operable panels at 26, 28, 30 and 32 as shown in Fig.

2 and zips at 34, 36, 38 and 40 allow the panels to be opened and folded back as at 42 in Fig. 1.

The inner tent 44 is a conventional ridge tent construction and the upper ridge of this inner tent is secured at two suspension points 45, 47 below the curved ridge of the outer.

The strut 1 7 is contained in a pocket (not shown) on the inside of the outer cover 10 and the suspension points are conveniently in the form of eyelets or tags or hooks in or hanging from the said pocket.

The inner tent includes an integral ground sheet 1 6 and opposite ends are made of flaps which can be secured by zips or the like as at 48, 50 and 52.

Claims

1. A portable shelter comprising (1) a resiliently deformable elongate strut which can be bent into a generally semicircular shape to form a so-called hoop, (2) an elongate tape securable at its opposite ends to the opposite ends of the bent strut, (3) a sheet forming an outer tent cover having at least one generally central pocket through which the strut can be threaded, (4) a plurality of anchoring points around the periphery of the outer tent cover for securing the latter to the ground by means of pegs or the like, (5) support means within the outer tent cover secured to or near the said pocket, and (6) an inner tent having attachment means along a ridge thereof for securing to the said support means within the outer tent cover and a plurality of anchoring points around its periphery for anchoring the lower edges of the inner tent.

2. A shelter as claimed in Claim 1, wherein the outer cover is generally symmetrically shaped about the line of the pocket which contains the strut.

3. A shelter as claimed in Claim 2, wherein additional anchoring means are provided generally in the middle of each of the two symmetrical halves of the outer cover and guy ropes are attached to these anchoring means.

4. A shelter as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the inner tent includes an integral ground sheet and end flaps.

5. A shelter as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the outer cover includes panels defined by folds and zip fastening or the like, by which access can be gained to the interior of the shelter.

6. A shelter as claimed in Claim 5, wherein the panels are located in the regions of the outer cover which extend at each end region thereof between the pocketed strut and the region of the outer cover adjacent a corner of the inner tent.

7. A shelter as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein each end of the tape includes a pegging ring at the extreme end thereof and one or more reinforced holes through which an end of the strut can be pushed.

8. A shelter as claimed in Claim 8, wherein the reinforcing is by way of grommets.

9. A shelter as claimed in Claim 7 or Claim 8, wherein the ends of the strut are formed with a reduced diameter peg adapted to fit through the reinforced holes and to define a shoulder.

1 0. A shelter as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the strut is in the form of a plurality of individual elongate sections joined by elasticated material to permit the strut to be folded into a small unit.

11. A portable shelter substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

1 2. A tent having a single tent pole which can be bent into an arcuate shape, a tension strap for connecting the two ends of the pole when this has been bent into an arcuate shape, an outer tent with a pocket for receiving the pole and means for anchoring the edges of the outer tent to the ground, and an inner tent with a ridge, the ridge being adapted to be suspended from the pole within the outer tent.