GB2363619A

GB2363619A - Dome tent construction

Info

Publication number: GB2363619A
Application number: GB0014772A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Aarn Tate
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2000-06-17
Filing date: 2000-06-17
Publication date: 2002-01-02
Also published as: DE10128825A1; GB0114472D0; GB2365458A; US20020020439A1; GB0014772D0

Abstract

A dome tent has poles 9 that are interlinked via connectors 13 located on each pole where it intersects with another pole, and a pole locator, comprising a framework 1 defining the tent boundary, wherein the framework has pole end locators 2 thereon.

Description

2363619 TITLE: Improvements in and relating to dome tents.

DESCRI PTION This invention concerns improvements in and relating to dome tents.

Dome tents have become very popular in recent decades By varying the number and configuration of the poles, the dome tent can be made suitable for a wide range of conditions Generally, the more poles that are used and the greater the number of pole crossing points, the higher the wind loadings that the tent can withstand However, more poles increase weight and more crossing points increase construction complexity, which results in a more expensive product.

In addition, the more complex the dome tent, the more difficult it is to erect Two forms of construction are known Firstly, the poles are inserted into sleeves, or clips, attached to the inner tent This means that the inner tent is pitched first (before the tent fly) so that it gets wet if erected in rainy conditions.

Alternately, the poles are inserted into sleeves or clips in the tent fly If sleeves are used, construction is complex and therefore expensive If clips are used, stress is concentrated at the clip attachment points in the fly, offsetting some of the stability advantages of the dome configuration.

Insertion of poles into sleeves is difficult and tedious, particularly if many separate pole sleeve segments are used for each pole To overcome this, continuous pole sleeves have been developed, but this construction is 2 expensive Erection of dome tents with pole sleeves is difficult in windy conditions because the partially erected tent catches the wind easily In addition, because the poles can move relative to each other at the pole crossing points, this results in some reduction of rigidity.

A first object of this invention is to reduce construction costs of dome tents by eliminating the need for pole sleeves in the inner tent or fly.

A second object of this invention is to allow tents to be pitched fly first, fly only or inner only in order to increase versatility.

A third object of the invention is to increase ease of erection of a dome tent, particularly in strong winds.

A fourth object of the invention is to increase rigidity of any pole configuration for dome tents.

A dome tent is defined herein as a tent with two or more curved poles which cross at one or more points Poles may be precurved or straight and flexible, allowing bending into arched configurations.

According to a first aspect of this invention there is provided a dome tent having poles that are interlinked via connectors located on each pole where it intersects with another pole.

According to a second aspect of this invention there is provided a dome tent, having a pole locator comprising a framework defining the tent boundary, the framework having pole end locators thereon.

The pole locator is preferably in the form of a net comprising a series of tapes or other flexible connectors between the pole end locators.

3 Preferably pole ends are inserted into sockets, eyelets or the like located at corners of the framework The use of such a framework can create a stable self-supporting pole structure independently of inner or fly Fly and inner are attached later.

According to a preferred embodiment of the invention a dome tent has four elements The first element preferably comprises base tapes which create a location net for the pole ends, attachment points for the fly and tent floor, and pegging loops for tent pegs The second element preferably comprises poles made up of segments linked together, such as by shockcord and which have brackets located on the joining sleeves of the pole segments at the position where poles cross The brackets from each crossing pole are preferably joined together by either a permanent connection, such as a rivet, or by a disconnectable connection, such as a press stud, such connections allowing rotation of the brackets and therefore the poles relative to each other.

Preferably the number of permanent connections is maximised, while still allowing the poles to lie in line adjacent to each other in the unflexed position.

This allows compact packing, when the poles are separated into segments and the segments folded together The third preferable element is a tent fly which clips via buckles to the corners of the pole location framework adjacent to the pole ends The fourth preferable element is an inner tent which clips to the pole structure at the pole crossing points, and any other points along the poles between the crossing points deemed desirable, via hooks or Velcro for example.

4 The inner tent preferably has floor corners that clip to attachment points on the location framework.

Advantages of the present invention include the following:

Firstly, there is no need for pole sleeves in the inner or outer tent allowing for simplicity and economy of construction The fly seams may be easily taped, and the inner tent may have web loops with hooks which are easily sewn into seams.

Secondly, this configuration allows for ease of erection even in high winds The tent may be erected in the following sequence: the pole location net or framework is pegged out, the poles are opened and pole ends are inserted into the location net to create a free-standing rigid structure which has very little wind resistance The fly is spread over the poles and clipped in place and the inner is lastly clipped in place.

Thirdly, because the fly can be clipped in place before the inner tent, the inner remains dry when pitching in wet conditions The construction allows exceptional versatility; the tent can be used with fly and no inner reducing weight Alternatively, the tent can be used with inner and no fly for insect protection in dry conditions.

Fourthly, because the pole crossing points may be fixed, movement of the poles is prevented at the intersection points This increases tent rigidity, reducing pole distortion and consequent pole breakage in strong winds.

Lastly, because the poles may be interlinked, storage and assembly are facilitated This can prevent loss of separate poles.

The invention will be further described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 shows a pole location net for a 2-pole dome tent; Figure 2 shows a pole location net for a 3-pole dome tent; Figure 3 shows detail of a pole location net corner; Figure 4 shows an arrangement of dome tent poles; Figure 5 shows a bracket for connecting poles; Figure 6 shows a pole structure for a 2-pole dome tent with one crossover point; Figure 7 shows a pole structure for a 2-pole dome tent with two crossover points; Figure 8 shows a pole structure for a 3-pole dome tent with four crossover points.

Referring to Figure 1 of the accompanying drawings, a pole location net comprises a series of tapes 1 which define the perimeter corners of a tent At each corner is located a socket for the pole end which may be in the form of an eyelet 2 Also at the corners are web loops 3 into which tent pegs can be located Preferably the net is triangulated via medial tapes 4, allowing the net to locate the eyelets 2 precisely Figure 1 shows the pole location net for the simplest dome tent structure, namely a 2-pole tent with one crossover point.

Figure 2 shows a pole location net for a 3-pole dome tent.

Figure 3 shows detail of the corner of the pole location net In add ition to tapes, 1 and 4, pegging loop 3 and eyelet 2, two buckles 7,8 are attached to the 6 corner assembly via webs 5 and 6 Buckle 7 is one part of a two-piece buckle which attaches to a matching portion on the corners of the inner tent and buckle 8 is one part of a two piece buckle which attaches to the matching portion on the corners of the tent fly.

Figure 4 a shows the pole components Poles comprise a series of segments 9, with internal sleeves 10 At the end of each pole a peg 11 is provided which fits into the eyelets 2 on the pole location net The pole segments are connected together by an elasticated shockcord 12 The shockcord allows separation of the pole segments and folding into a compact package Where one pole crosses another pole, a "d" shaped bracket 13 is positioned, which mates with the corresponding "d" bracket on the crossing pole.

Figure 4 b shows the appearance of bracket 13 when pole segments 9 are assembled.

Figure 5 a shows the shape of the "d" bracket 13 in three-quarter view; 5 b shows the shape of the "d" bracket 13 in end view; and, 5 c shows the shape of the "d" bracket 13 in top view The connection to the adjoining "d" bracket is via a permanent connection such as a rivet 15 through hole 14 in "d" bracket 13 or a disconnectable connection such as a press stud 16 These are shown respectively in Figures 5 d and 5 e The connections 15 and 16 allow free rotation of mating "d" brackets between each other Thus, the connection is designed so that the top edge of the lower "d" bracket is aligned with the bottom edge of the top "d" bracket as shown in Figures 5 d and 5 e.

7 Figure 6 shows the pole configuration for a 2-pole dome tent with one crossover point Figure 6 a shows poles with segments 9 assembled into complete units Figure 6 b shows the poles opened out Figure 6 c shows the erected poles When pole end pegs 11 are inserted into corner eyelets 2 on the pole location net 1 and 4, the poles arch and create a self-supporting, free standing structure.

Figure 7 shows the pole configuration for a 2-pole dome tent with two crossover points Figure 7 a shows poles with the segments 9 assembled into complete units Figure 7 b shows the poles opened out prior to flexing the poles and inserting the end pegs 11 into corner eyelets 2 in pole location net 1 and 4 to create a self-supporting, free standing structure shown in Figure 7 c.

Figure 8 shows the pole configuration for a 3-pole dome tent with four crossover points Figure 8 a shows poles with segments 9 assembled into complete units "d" brackets 13 with permanent connectors are shown Figure 8 b shows the poles erected after insertion of end pegs 11 in eyelets 2 on the pole location net Disconnectable connectors on brackets 13 a are provided at the fourth pole crossover point These are reconnected as the last, step in the pole set up sequence.

Once the pole structure has been erected, the fly is spread over the pole structure and the corners clipped to matching buckle pieces on the location net adjacent to the pole ends and peg loops Guy lines attached to the tent fly can be pegged out if necessary.

8 Finally, the inner tent is clipped to the pole structure, for example, via hooks which are connected to the inner tent seams via web tapes Preferably, the hooks on the inner tent match the crossover points of the poles, increasing the rigidity of the structure The hook passes over both poles at the point of crossing Additional hooks on the inner can also attach to the poles at any point between crossover points For easy erection of the inner tent, it is first clipped to the poles at the tent apex, working out and down, and finishing by clipping the floor corners to the location points on the pole location net.

The invention can be adapted to fit dome tents with any number of poles of any length with any number of pole crossover points Preferably a connection (either permanent or disconnectable) will be provided at each pole crossover point, to maximise stability in strong winds However, there are pole configurations where a connection is not necessary at all crossing points to create a free standing, self-supporting pole structure, after the pole ends are located in the location net This invention desirably specifies that there be sufficient connections to create a free standing, self-supporting pole structure, when the pole ends are inserted into the pole location net.

9

Claims

1 A dome tent having poles that are interlinked via connectors located on each pole where it intersects with another pole.

2 A dome tent as claimed in claim 1, having a pole locator, comprising a framework defining the tent boundary, wherein the framework has pole end locators thereon.

3 A dome tent as claimed in claim 2, wherein the pole locator is in the form of a net comprising a series of tapes or other flexible connectors between the pole end locators.

4 A dome tent as claimed in claim 2 or 3, wherein pole ends are inserted into sockets, eyelets or the like, located at corners of the framework.

A dome tent as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 4, having four elements, wherein the first element comprises base tapes, which create a location net for the pole ends, attachment points for a fly and tent floor, and pegging loops for tent pegs.

6 A dome tent as claimed in claim 5, wherein the second element comprises poles made up of segments linked together, and which have brackets located on the joining sleeves of the pole segments at the position where poles cross.

7 A dome tent as claimed in claim 6, wherein the segments are linked together by means of shock cord.

8 A dome tent as claimed in claim 6 or 7, wherein the brackets from each crossing pole are joined together by a permanent connection.

9 A dome tent as claimed in claim 8, wherein the permanent connection between the crossing poles is a rivet.

A dome tent as claimed in claim 6 or 7, wherein the brackets from each crossing pole are joined together by a disconnectable connection.

11 A dome tent as claimed in claim 10, wherein the disconnectable connection between the crossing poles is a press stud.

12 A dome tent as claimed in claim 8 or 9, wherein the number of permanent connections is maximised, while still allowing the poles to lie in line adjacent to eachother in the unflexed position.

1 l

13 A dome tent as claimed in any one of claims 5 to 12, wherein the third element is a tent fly, which clips via buckles to the corners of the pole location framework adjacent to the pole ends.

14 A dome tent as claimed in any one of claims 5 to 13, wherein the fourth element is an inner tent, which clips to the pole structure at the pole crossing points, and any other points along the poles between the crossing points, deemed desirable.

A dome tent as claimed in claim 14, wherein the inner tent is clipped to the pole structure by means of hooks.

16 A dome tent as claimed in claim 14, wherein the inner tent is clipped to the pole structure by means of Velcro (RTM).

17 A dome tent as claimed by any one of claims 14, 15 or 16, wherein the inner tent has floor corners that clip to attachment points on the location framework.

18 A dome tent as claimed in any one of claims 15, 16 or 17, wherein the hooks on the inner tent match the crossover points of the poles.

12 19 A dome tent having a pole locator, comprising a framework defining the tent boundary, the framework having pole end locators thereon.

A dome tent substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated in Figures 1, 3, 4, 5 and 6, figures 1, 3, 4 5 and 7, or figures 2, 3, 4, 5 and 8 of the accompanying drawings.