GB2405161A - Tent - Google Patents

Abstract

A tent has a supporting framework 10 which comprises side support members and roof support members, hingeably connected together about a horizontally-disposed axis for movement between a splayed apart ground-supported condition and an erected condition wherein the roof members are supported by the side members and are locked in position by cooperable lock means on the members. The members may comprises prefabricated triangular shaped frames 11, 12. The hinged connection preferably comprises a pivot bar 14 which passes through apertures formed in plates. The lock means may comprise formations on the members which define apertures adapted to be in paired aligmnent when the tent is erected and a through bar 15 which can be clamped to the pivot bar 14. The formations preferably comprise extensions of the members. An outer fabric membrane may have channels to receive the locking bars 15 and the pivot bar 14 may suspend an inner fabric membrane.

Description

This invention relates to tents. Particularly, but not exclusively, the

invention provides a tent which can support inner as well as outer fabric membranes and is sufficiently robust to withstand extremes of climate including heavy snow loads, while being capable of erection by only one person. The invention also provides a tent which can be erected with the frame members locked together without loose small parts or parts which require to be tethered by lanyards such as fasteners.

According to one aspect of the invention, a tent comprises a supporting framework structure and a fabric outer membrane, the structure comprising side support members and roof support members, the upper ends of the side members and the outer ends of the roof members being hingeably connected together about a horizontally-disposed axis for movement between a splayed-apart ground-supported condition and an erected condition with the roof members supported above the ground by the side members, the members including cooperable lock means to maintain them in use in the erected condition.

The supporting framework may also include end support members.

The side support and roof support members may be constituted by prefabricated frames, preferably of triangular shape, to create, in use, a tent with roof parts or panels which slope downwardly, at a shallow angle to the horizontal, from a centrally-disposed ridge or apex, and side walls which slope downwardly, at a shallow angle to the vertical, preferably the same angle as for the roof panels, from the eaves or outer edge of the roof to the ground.

The roof support frame is preferably formed by two triangular part-frames hingeably connected together along their short sides, the hinge axis in use being vertical and below the apex of the roof. The two part-frames are provided with retaining means such as over-centre latches or toggles to hold them in a co-planar disposition when the tent is erected. The frames are preferably dimensioned such that the roof part-frames are smaller than the wall frames, whereby the frames can be stacked for transportation and storage with the roof part-frames folded together resting just within the wall frames, preferably to form an interlocking or nested stack.

The side and roof members are connected together with hingeable connection means which may comprise a pivot bar, preferably in the form of a tube, which passes through apertures formed respectively at the upper ends of the side members and the outer ends of the roof members, whereby the pivot bar additionally serves to maintain the two or more frames along each side with at least their apertures in alignment or registration with each other.

Preferably, the apertures are formed in brackets or plates attached to for example the inner-facing edges of the respective side and roof members. The brackets or plates may carry bosses in which the pivot bar is journalled. The bosses on respective brackets or plates of each pair preferably have abutting distal end surfaces and may be formed with interlocks which cooperatively engage to assist in maintaining the side and roof members at the correct angular orientation on erection of the tent, before the lock means are applied.

The cooperable lock means of the side and roof support members may comprise formations at the respective outer and upper ends of the roof and side members and which are in alignment or registration in respective pairs when the roof and side members are correctly oriented for the erected condition of the tent, whereby they can then be clamped or otherwise held together to maintain the members in that orientation. In one embodiment, the formations define apertures which, on alignment or registration, can be locked by a bar, preferably in the form of a tube, which passes through the apertures and can be clamped to the pivot bar, for example by a clamp means which cooperates with the locking and pivot bars to resist bending.

In another embodiment, the formations comprise extensions from the ends of the roof and side members, for example in the form of tongues, which are juxtaposed when in alignment or registration and can be locked together by means of a suitable clamp which can engage the tongues and hold them together. For example, the tongues may be held together by a locking bar comprising a tube the wall of which is formed with co-linear slots for engaging over the pairs of aligned tongues, the longitudinal spacing of the slots in the tube wall determining the spacing between the two or more frames along each side of the tent, the frames being fully in registration with each other by virtue of the co-linearity of the slots.

Preferably, the inner-facing edges of the roof and side members subtend an angle of 90 .

The upper ends of the extensions may have tabs extending laterally thereof in alignment with the locking tube, whereby the locking tube can be moved longitudinally, after having been placed over the aligned pairs of locking formations, to locate one of the tabs of each pair over an end of the respective slot within the tube, thereby to prevent removal or withdrawal of the formations from the slots. Longitudinal movement may be effected by a grub screw threadedly engaged in one end of the locking tube and which bears against the end-most locking formation whereby, on turning the grub screw so that it moves further into and along the tube, the tube is drawn in the other direction until the locking formations are held fast with the tube and with the tabs on the distal formations of each pair located over the tube wall at the remote end of each slot.

It will be appreciated that, the lock means extending outwardly and upwardly from the respective roof and side frame members, the lock means will define the eaves of the tent.

The lock means, or at least the locking bars, may thus serve also to support the outer fabric membrane of the tent, which may have pockets or channels formed at the appropriate places to receive the locking bars before they are applied to the pairs of locking formations.

The pivot bar will be spaced apart from and disposed internally of the locking bar and may conveniently be used to suspend an inner fabric membrane to provide insulation to the tent.

A ridge bar may be provided at the apex of the roof support members to support the outer membrane and a further bar may be provided below the roof support members to act as a support for the inner membrane. End support members, preferably prefabricated triangular frames similar to the side support members, may be attached below the centre of the end roof support members.

For erection of the tent, the support members are placed with their innerfacing edges in contact with the ground; the two part-frames of each roof support member may initially be partly opened about their connecting hinge axis so that each the member will stand upright on the ground even in rough terrain, while the members are assembled together. The outer ends of the roof members at one side are aligned with side support members by juxtaposing their respective locking formations, whereby the apertures for hingeable connection are in registration. Respective pairs of roof and side members are then connected together with bracing members, conveniently fitted at their ends with snap-action claw connectors for engaging over elements of the frames. The outer ends of the roof members at the other side are then similarly aligned and interconnected. Pivot bars are then inserted through the aligned apertures in the respective roof and side members, and the outer fabric membrane is loosely placed in position, eaves locking bars having been located in suitable pockets or channels sewn into the underside of the fabric. The eaves are then raised one side at a time and the side support members swung down about the pivot bar to assume a generally upright position with the locking formations in alignment. The locking bar can be engaged with the aligned locking formations of each pair of support members and locked in position by tightening the grub screw.

Optionally, lower inner corners of the side support member frames can be anchored to the ground with a pivot connection, whereby the partiallyerected tent cannot be blown away in windy conditions.

Where the tent has three or more assemblies of side and roof support members, facing or abutting ends of the pivot and locking bars are preferably joined co-axially by means of screw-threaded inserts or sleeves.

In another aspect, the invention includes a framework structure for a tent as hereinbefore described.

Embodiments of the invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, of which: Figure 1 is a general perspective view of an erected frame structure of a tent according to the invention; Figure 2 is a fragmentary view on an enlarged scale showing a detail of the frame of Figure 1; Figure 3 is a fragmentary perspective view from one side showing a detail of the joint between the side and roof support members; Figure 4 is a perspective view from below showing the pivot bar and locking bar in position; and Figure 5 is a fragmentary perspective view from below of another embodiment of the pivot bar and locking bar.

Referring firstly to Figure 1, the frame structure, shown generally at 10, consists essentially of triangular prefabricated side frames 11 and roof frames 12 bridging between opposed pairs of side frames, each respective assembly of side frames and roof frame being longitudinally spaced apart and interconnected by bracing elements 13. Pivot tubes 14 and locking tubes 15 define the eaves of the structure, as described in more detail below. The completed frame structure also includes end frames 16, a ridge tube 17 and an internal tubular bracing bar 18 below the apex to act as a support for an inner fabric lining.

Turning now to Figure 2, in which the end frames, ridge tube and internal bracing tube have been omitted for the sake of clarity, it can be seen that the side and roof frames are formed from box section tubing, typically aluminium tubing having dimensions of 63 mm x 38 mm. The bracing members 13 and the internal braces 19 to the triangular frames are formed from circular-section metal tubing, the bracing members 13 being formed at their ends with snap-action claws 20 to engage the braces 19 by a simple pushing action. Each roof frame 12 is formed from a pair of half-frames 21, 22 jointed together by hinges 23.

The sides of the frame members remote from the hinges 23 are equipped with over-centre toggle latches to retain the half-frames in the open, coplanar form as shown in the drawings although, for transportation and storage, the half-frames can be folded together about the hinge axis and stacked within the side frames 11.

The side and roof frames are pivoted about a horizontal pivot axis for erection purposes by virtue of flanged bracket members 24, 25 bolted to the inner-facing sides of the roof and side frames, as shown more clearly in Figure 3. The brackets 24, 25 are formed with apertures 26 which, when aligned, accommodate the pivot tube 14. The bolts 27 (see in particular Figure 4, where the frame members have been omitted for the sake of clarity) which secure the flanges of the bracket members to the frames also secure, on the distal face of the frame wall, respective outwardlyextending fingers 28, 29. The fingers are offset with their mutually facing edges at the centre line of the frames so that, with the frames on the ground prior to erection, they each extend beside the other within the box-section tubing whereas, in the erected position as shown in Figure 3, their end regions, which are bent away from the bracket members, lie in alignment. The outer edges of each extending finger are formed with notches 30, 31. With the fingers in alignment, as shown in Figure 3, they can be accommodated in slots 32 formed in the locking tube, as shown in Figure 4. A grub screw 33 is threadedly engaged in the end of locking tube 15 and, on being turned by a square-section key engaged in recess 34 or on a projection drive stub, the grub screw 33 tightens against the outer edge of finger 29, continued turning of the grub screw thereby drawing the locking tube 15 to the right as shown (out of the plane of the paper), so that the far wall of the slot 32 becomes engaged in notch 30 formed in finger 28 with the upper tab or tongue defined by notch 30 extending within the tube over the wall thereof adjacent the end of the slot, thereby locking the entire assembly with the respective side and roof frames subtending a right angle.

With reference to Figure 5, the side frames 11 and roof frames 12 have respective plates 36, 37 bolted thereto. The plates are formed with outer jaws defining U- shaped throats 38 and with inner circular apertures 39 and carry tubular bosses 40, 41 on their respective mutually-facing sides, the bosses being in axial alignment with the apertures 39. Each boss carries a formation 42, 43 which, in the particular embodiment illustrated, constitutes a tang having sloping surfaces defining a V, of which adjacent respective surfaces interengage as shown when the frames are correctly oriented with respect to each other in the erected condition. The pivot tube 14 is passed through the bosses 40, 41 and has end bolts 44 which are threadedly engaged in the ends of the pivot tube 14 to prevent its becoming slidingly disengaged from the plates. With the frames in the erected angular orientation, the throats 38 of each plate are in alignment and a locking tube 45 can be inserted in the throats. A bolt 46, threadedly engaged in the end of the tube, prevents sliding disengagement from the throats. A "D" or "B" shaped clamp 47, formed from an upper profiled part and a lower flat baseplate, locks the pivot and locking tubes together and resists bending forces about the pivot tube, especially if positioned midway between respective pairs of support members. A wing-nut 48 secures together the profiled upper part and the baseplate.

The locking tube 15 can be accommodated in suitable pockets formed in the outer fabric covering of the tent, the pocket being longitudinally spaced apart or formed with apertures in the region of the slots 32 to accommodate the fingers 28, 29. The pivot tube 14 can conveniently support, together with tube 18, an inner lining to the tent, thereby providing insulation. Any heavy items of equipment can be attached to the side frames, either within the tent void or in the space between the inner and outer membranes.

The lower inner corner or "heel" 35 of the side frames 11 can be pivotably attached to a ground-engaging anchor to assist erection of the tent in windy conditions.

Tents according to the invention can have any number of side and roof support members with ridge, pivot and locking tubes connected together end to end. With the embodiment of Figure 3 and 4, the square-section key which locks the assembly together may additionally serve as a spigot or sleeve to locate the adjacent tube in coaxial alignment.

With the embodiment of Figure 5, screw-threaded mandrels may be engaged with the facing ends of the tubes in the intermediate positions, instead of the bolts 44, 46 at the ends, to maintain the tubes in coaxial alignment.

Claims (15)

1. Claims 1. A tent comprising a supporting framework structure and a fabric

   outer membrane, the structure comprising side support members and roof support members, the upper ends of the side members and the outer ends of the roof members being hingeably connected together about a horizontallydisposed axis for movement between a splayed-apart ground-supported condition and an erected condition with the roof members supported above the ground by the side members, the members including cooperable lock means to maintain them in use in the erected condition.
2. 2. A tent according to claim 1, in which the supporting framework also includes end support members.
3. 3. A tent according to claim 1 or claim 2, in which the side support and roof support members comprise prefabricated frames of triangular shape.
4. 4. A tent according to claim 3, in which the roof support frame is formed by two triangular part-frames hingeably connected together along their short sides, the hinge axis in use being vertical and below the apex of the roof.
5. 5. A tent according to claim 4, in which the frames are dimensioned such that the roof part-frames are smaller than the wall frames, whereby the frames can be stacked for transportation and storage with the roof partframes folded together resting within the wall frames.
6. 6. A tent according to any preceding claim, in which the side and roof members are hingeably connected together with a pivot bar which passes through apertures formed respectively at the upper ends of the side members and the outer ends of the roof members.
7. 7. A tent according to claim 6, in which the apertures are formed in brackets or plates attached to the respective side and roof members and which optionally carry bosses in which the pivot bar is journalled.
8. 8. A tent according to claim 6 or claim 7, in which the side and roof members include interlocks which cooperatively engage to assist in maintaining the side and roof members at the correct angular orientation on erection of the tent.
9. 9. A tent according to any preceding claim, in which the cooperable lock means comprise formations at the respective outer and upper ends of the roof and side members and which are adapted to be in alignment or registration in respective pairs when the roof and side members are correctly oriented for the erected condition of the tent, and means whereby they can be held together to maintain the members in such orientation.
10. 10. A tent according to claim 9, in which the formations define apertures and the holding means comprise a bar which passes through the apertures when they are in alignment or registration and can be clamped to the pivot bar.
11. 11. A tent according to claim 9, in which the formations comprise extensions from the ends of the roof and side members and which are juxtaposed when in alignment or registration and the holding means comprise a clamp which can engage the extensions and hold them together.
12. 12. A tent according to claim 11, in which the holding means comprise a locking bar comprising a tube the wall of which is formed with co-linear slots for engaging over the pairs of aligned extensions.
13. 13. A tent according to any preceding claim and including three or more side and roof support members with pivot and locking bars connected end to end, in which facing or abutting ends of the pivot and locking bars are joined by threaded inserts or sleeves to locate adjacent bars or tubes in coaxial alignment.
14. 14. A tent according to any preceding claim in which the outer fabric membrane has pockets or channels formed therein to receive the locking bars, the pivot bar being spaced apart from and disposed internally of the locking bar and suspending an inner fabric membrane.
15. 15. A framework structure for a tent as claimed in any of claims 1 to 14.