GB2474031A

GB2474031A - Portable structure for providing temporary protection from environmental conditions

Info

Publication number: GB2474031A
Application number: GB0917184A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Christopher David Manifold
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2009-10-01
Filing date: 2009-10-01
Publication date: 2011-04-06
Anticipated expiration: 2029-10-01
Also published as: GB0917184D0; GB2474031B

Abstract

The portable structure, for particular use when angling, comprises a sheet supported by a number of support arms 104A-I, each of which is secured to a mounting block 103 that comprises first 203 and second 303 parts connected by a hinge 301. A lever 302 is attached to the mounting block and is movable between a stored and an operable position. The lever is used to erect the structure by moving the first part and second part of the mounting block relative to one another about the hinge. The lever may be pivotally attached to notched sockets 309 on the mounting or attached by a tether and be retained on a support arm when the structure is erect. The sheet may be waterproof. A method of erecting the structure is also included.

Description

Portable Structure

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application represents the first application for a patent directed towards the invention and the subject matter.

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

A portable structure is described in European Patent No 1 445 400 in which support arms of a sheet are pivotally attached to a mounting block. The mounting block is formed of two parts connected by a hinge mechanism, such that the two parts are moved relative to each other to erect the portable structure. A pair of detachable levers are used to assist this relative movement when erecting the portable structure. A problem with this arrangement is that the detached levers may become misplaced or lost.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to a first 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, each support arm having a first end 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 pivotally attached to said mounting block, and 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; a hinging means connecting said first part to said second part, such that said structure is erectable by a relative movement of said first and second parts about said hinging means; and a lever pivotally attached to said mounting block and configured to facilitate the erection of the portable structure.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided method of erecting a tent, in which said tent comprises a mounting block formed of a first part and a second part connected by a hinging mechanism, and a plurality of support arms attached to a sheet and pivotally attached to said mounting block, said method comprising: rotating a lever, that is pivotally attached to one of said first and second parts, from a storage position and thereby locate said lever in an operable position; spreading out said support arms; and operating said lever to move said first part of said mounting block with respect to said second part to bring said tent into an erect configuration.

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 the support arms 104 have been spread out; Figure 3 shows a detailed perspective view of the mounting block 103; Figure 4A shows a partial cross-sectional view of lever 302 and the second part 303 of mounting block 103, with the lever 302 in its storage position; Figure 4B shows the partial cross-sectional view of Figure 4A, but with the lever rotated through 90° about the pivot pin 308; Figure 4C shows the partial cross-sectional view of Figure 4B, but with the lever 302 slid further into the cup of the socket 309; Figure 5 shows the process of manually manipulating the handles 202 and 302 to erect the structure 102; Figure 6 shows a rear view of the erect portable structure 102; Figure 7 shows a front view of the erect portable structure 102; Figure 8 shows a second support structure 802 embodying the present invention; Figure 9 shows a detailed view of the portable structure 802 surrounding the mounting block 803; Figure IOA shows a partial cross-sectional view of lever 806 and the first part 801 of mounting block 803 with the lever 806 in its storage position; Figure 1 OB shows the partial cross-sectional view of Figure 1 OA after rotation of the lever 806 through ninety degrees; Figure IOC shows the partial cross-sectional view of Figure 1OA after rotation of the lever 806 through one hundred and eighty degrees to its operational position; Figure 11 shows a detailed view of the portable structure 802 surrounding the mounting block 803 with the lever 806 in its operational position; Figure 12 shows the portion of the portable structure 802 previously shown in Figure 11 after erection of the portable structure has been completed; and Figure 13 shows a rear view of the erect portable structure 802.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

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 straighiforward 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. Most of the support arms 104 are pivotally attached to the mounting block 103, and consequently they may be spread out to provide an erected structure. However, 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 1041 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 parts one of which (part 203) may be seen in Figure 2. The two parts of the mounting block are connected to one another by a hinging mechanism as will further be described with respect to Figure 3.

Each of the two parts of the mounting block 103 comprises a lever that facilitates the erection of the structure 102. One of the two levers 202 is shown in Figure 2. As will be described further below, the levers are pivotally mounted to a respective one of the two parts of the mounting block 103 so that they may be pivoted into an operational position. However, the levers are shown in Figure 2 in a storage position in which they extend substantially parallel to the planes in which the support arms reside.

Figure 3 A detailed perspective view of the mounting block 103 is shown in Figure 3. The two parts 203 and 303 of the mounting block have been rotated with respect to each other about a hinge mechanism 301, which connects the two parts together.

As may be seen in Figure 3, the support arms 104A, 104B, 104C, 104H and 1041 have one end connected to the first part 203 of the mounting block 103. The supporting arms 104B, 104C, 104H and 1041 are pivotally mounted to part 203 by a respective pivot pin 304 which passes through the mounting block 103 and the support arm. However, the support arm 104A is rigidly attached to the part 203 by a pair of screws 305 which pass through the mounting block and the support arm 104A.

Four other support arms 1 04D, I 04E, 1 04F and 1 04G are each pivotally mounted to part 303 of mounting block 103.

As mentioned previously, a lever 202 is pivotally attached to part 203 of mounting block 103. Similarly, a second lever 302 is pivotally attached to the second part 303 of mounting block 103. The means by which the levers are attached to the parts of the block are similar in each case and therefore the following description relating to lever 302 also applies to lever 202.

An elongated slot 306 extends along the lever 302 adjacent to its end 307. A pivot pin 308 extends through the slot 306, and the pivot pin itself is mounted across the end of a socket 309, which forms part of the second part 303. The socket 309 is in the form of a cup, and the pin 308 extends across the cup near to its upper open end. A notch is formed in the upper edge of the socket 309 and the notch is shaped to receive the end of the lever 302 when the lever 302 is in its storage position as shown in Figure 3.

The two sockets, such as socket 309, are each provided with an enlarged head to provide a recess 311 beneath the head. An S-shaped latching member 312 has a first loop extending around recess 311 of socket 309, such that the latching member 312 is free to rotate around the socket 309. The latching member is formed such that its second loop may be latched around the recess 311 of the other socket 309B when the portable structure has been placed in its erect configuration.

Figures 4A, 4B and 4C A partial cross-sectional view of lever 302 and the second part 303 of mounting block 103 is shown in Figures 4A, 4B and 4C. Lever 302 is shown in Figure 4A in its storage position, as shown in Figure 3. The lever 302 comprises a substantially solid end section 401 permanently fixed within a tubular handle 402. The end section 401 is provided the elongated slot 306 that, in the present embodiment, extends completely through the end section 401. The pivot pin 308 extends through the slot 306 across the open end of the cup-shaped socket 309.

In order to make use of the lever 302 to assist with the erection of the portable structure 102, the lever must first be placed in its operational position.

To achieve this, the lever 302 is firstly rotated through 90° about the pivot pin 308. The lever 302 and second part 303 are shown again in Figure 4B after the lever has been rotated in this way. Thus, the end of the lever 302 has been removed from the notch 310.

It may be noted that the end section 401 of the lever 302 has a cylindrical outer surface of slightly smaller diameter than the internal cylindrical walls of the socket 309. In addition, the slot 306 extends along the lever 302 from the pivot pin 308, away from the socket 309. Consequently, the lever 302 may be slid further into the cup of the socket 309, to a position shown in Figure 4C. In this position the outer surface of the end section 401 snugly fits within the cup of the socket 309. Consequently further rotational movement of the lever 302 results in corresponding rotation of the second part 303. Thus, the lever 302 is now usable as a handle in order to manipulate the second part 303.

As mentioned previously, the end section 401 in the present embodiment has a slot 306 that extends completely through the end section 401. In an alternative embodiment the end section has a pair of slots diametrically opposed on an end section, and each of the slots has a finite depth. In this embodiment the pivot pin 308 is replaced by a pair of pivot pins extending inwards from either side of the socket into a respective one of the two slots. This embodiment has the advantage of providing greater mechanical strength to the end section 401 when compared to that of the presently described main embodiment.

In an alternative embodiment, the levers 202, 203 are provided with round holes instead of the slots 306. The manufacture of the levers is therefore simplified when compared to the above-described embodiment.

However, the levers do not benefit from being locatable so deeply into the sockets, and consequently stronger materials for the ends of the levers and for the sockets must be considered.

Figure 5 After positioning the levers 202 and 302 into their operational position, as described with respect to Figures 4A to 4C, the erection of the portable structure may be completed by manually manipulating the handles. The process of manually manipulating the handle 202 and 302 to erect the structure 102 is shown in Figure 5. A respective one of the two levers 202 and 302 are held in the hands of the person erecting the portable structure. The two levers 202 and 302 are then pulled towards each other thereby rotating the first part 203 with respect to the second part 303 about the hinging mechanism 301. The two parts are rotated about the hinging means until opposing faces of the first and second parts of the mounting block abut together. The levers 202 and 302 are then held together in one hand allowing the person to rotate the latching member 312 such that it latches around the socket 309B on part 203.

With the two parts of the mounting block latched together, and the portable structure now erect, the levers 202 and 302 may be moved back into their storage position. Thus, each lever is pulled out from its socket 309, 309B, before rotating the lever 202, 302 back to its storage configuration.

In the above described embodiments, the pivot pins 308 provide a means of attachment for attaching the levers to the mounting block such that the levers are movable between a storage position and an operable position while remaining attached to the mounting block. In an alternative embodiment, two alternative levers are each attached to the sockets of the mounting block by a respective tether. Thus, the tethers provide the attachment means.

In this alternative embodiment, a respective tether is attached to the end of each of the levers, and the other end of each tether is attached to the bottom of the respective socket. In a preferred example, the tether is formed of an elastic or spring material, so that the tether is stretched to remove the end of the lever from the socket. Thus, the stretched tether provides a force guiding the end of the lever back into the socket when required.

When the portable structure is in the folded configuration, the levers are removed from the sockets and arranged substantially parallel with the support arms, but they remain attached by the tethers. To erect the portable structure, the ends of the levers are located in the sockets, so that they may be manipulated to erect the portable structure as described with respect to the first embodiment and Figure 5. When the portable structure is erect, the levers may be removed from the sockets and laid along the sheet of the portable structure but remain attached to the mounting block by the tethers. Thus, It should be noted that, the levers remain attached to the mounting block when the portable structure is folded, when being erected and when erect. Thus, like the first embodiment, the possibility of the levers becoming lost is avoided.

Figure 6 The portable structure 102 is shown after erection in the rear view of Figure 6. As illustrated in Figure 6 the support arms 104 extend outwards from said mounting block 103 to support the sheet 105. Support arms 104D, 104E, 104F and 104G each have a first end attached to the mounting block 103 and a second end that rests upon the ground 601. Support arms 104A, 104B, 104C, 104H and 1041 each have a first end attached to the mounting block 103 and extend to an edge of the sheet 105 that is held above the ground 601.

It may be noted that sheet remains attached to the support arms when in the storage condition, when in the erect condition, and during erection.

As shown in Figure 6, the levers 202 and 203 are arranged in their storage position when the portable structure is erect. Consequently, the levers lay substantially parallel to the neighbouring support arms 104A and 104E and I 04F. This is advantageous, particularly if the user of the portable structure wishes to fix a second sheet over the structure shown in Figure 6, in order to provide the structure with a double skin. Because the levers 202 and 203 are folded neatly down, the levers do not unduly interfere with the positioning of the outer skin.

Figure 7 A front view of the erect portable structure 102 is shown in Figure 7.

The portable structure encloses a space providing a shelter for its occupant.

Figure 8 An second support structure 802 embodying the present invention is shown partially unfolded in Figure 8. Like portable structure 102, portable structure 802 may be folded away into a configuration similar to that shown in Figure 1. Also like portable structure 102, the portable structure 802 has a mounting block 803 comprising of two parts connected together by a hinge mechanism. Each of the two parts has a number of support arms connected to it. Thus a first part 801 has support arms 804A, 804B, 804C and 804D connected to it. The support arms are attached to a sheet 805 in a similar manner to that previously described for sheet 105.

Portable structure 802 differs from portable structure 102 in that only one part 801 of the two parts of the mounting block 803 is provided with a lever 806.

Figure 9 A detailed view of the portable structure 802 surrounding the mounting block 803 is shown in Figure 9. The support arms 804 have been further spread out in Figure 9 and the first part 801 of the mounting block 803 partially rotated with respect to the second part 901 of the mounting block 803 about a hinge mechanism 902 connecting the two parts 801 and 901.

A U-shaped bracket 903 is rigidly fixed to an upper surface of the first part 801 and the lever 806 is pivotally attached to the bracket 903 by a pivot pin 904, which extends between the two sides of the U-shaped bracket. The lever 806 is shown in its storage position in Figure 9, such that it extends away from the second part 901 substantially parallel to the sheet 805. In order to complete the erection of the tent, the lever 806 is firstly moved from its storage position to an operational position as will be described below with respect to Figures IOA, lOB and 1OC.

It may be noted that, like the portable structure 102, portable structure 802 has a plurality of support arms, such as support arms 804A, 804B, 804C, 804D, 804E and 804G pivotally attached to one of the two parts of the mounting block 803. Also one of the supporting arms 804F is rigidly attached to the second part 901 of the mounting block 801 by a pair of screws 807.

Figure bA, lOB and IOC A partial cross-sectional view of lever 806 and the first part 801 of mounting block 803 is shown in Figures 1OA, lOB and IOC. The lever 806 is shown in its storage position in Figure 1OA and must be rotated through approximately one hundred and eighty degrees about pivot pin 904 in order to place the lever 806 in its operational position. Thus, lever 806 is rotated around through the position shown in Figure lOB down to the operational position shown in Figure 1 OC in which the side 1001 of the lever 806 presses against an upper surface of the part 801. Thus, further rotation of the lever 806 causes rotation of part 801 with respect to the second part 901 of the mounting block 803. The lever 806 is shown being used in this manner in Figure 11 as will be described below.

Figure 11 A detailed view of the portable structure 802 surrounding the mounting block 803 is shown in Figure 11 after the lever 806 has been rotated around to its operational position as described for Figure 1 OC.

As illustrated in Figure 11, the lever 806 and the rigidly attached support arm 804F are grasped by a hand 1101 of a user and squeezed together in order to bring the lever 806 towards the support arm 804F. Thus the first part 801 of mounting block 803 is rotated with respect to the second part 901 about the hinging mechanism 902, and thereby the structure is erected.

A retaining device 1102 is slidably mounted on support arm 804F, such that it may be slid along support arm 804F over and around the lever 806 when the portable structure 802 is in its erect configuration. The retaining device comprises a continuous loop of material, and it may be in the form of a metal hoop.

Figure 12 The portion of the portable structure 802 previously shown in Figure 11 is shown in Figure 12 after erection of the portable structure has been completed and after the retaining device 1102 has been slid along support arm s 804F and over and around lever 806. Thus, the retaining device 1102 retains the lever 806 alongside support arm 804F and thereby maintains the two parts 801 and 901 of the mounting block 803 in their erect configuration. In order to collapse the portable structure the retaining device is simply slid back along the support arm 804F away from the lever 806, thereby allowing the two parts 801 and 901 to rotate away from their erect configuration.

Figure 13 A rear view of the erect portable structure 802 is shown in Figure 13. As illustrated in Figure 13, the support arm 804F, alongside which the lever 806 is retained, is the uppermost support arm and forms a ridge at the top of the portable structure 802.

Unlike the levers of the portable structure 102, the lever 806 of portable structure 802 is used as part of a latching mechanism for maintaining the structure in its erect condition.

The lever 806 lays closely alongside the support arm 804F.

Consequently, the lever does not cause a hindrance, if the user wishes to apply an outer sheet over the portable structure 802 to produce a double skinned structure.

Claims

Claims 1. 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, each support arm having a first end secured to said mounting block and arranged to extend outwards from said mounting block to support said sheet, a plurality of said support arms being pivotally attached to said mounting block, and 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; a hinging means connecting said first part to said second part, such that said structure is erectable by a relative movement of said first and second parts about said hinging means; and a lever configured to facilitate the erection of the portable structure, and attachment means attaching said lever to said mounting block such that said lever is movable between a storage position and an operable position while remaining attached to said mounting block.
2. The portable structure of claim 1, wherein said lever is pivotally attached to one of said first or second parts of said mounting block.
3. The portable structure according to claim 1, wherein said attachment means comprises of a tether connecting said lever to said mounting block.
4. The portable structure of any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein one of said plurality of support arms further comprises a retaining device configured to releasably retain said lever when said portable structure is erect.
5. The portable structure according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein said lever is attached to the first part of said mounting block and said apparatus further comprises a second lever that is attached to the second part of said mounting block.
6. The portable structure of claim 5, wherein the portable structure comprises a latching mechanism that allows the first and second parts of said mounting block to be releasably held together when the structure is erect.
7. The portable structure of claim 5 or claim 6, wherein the first part and the second part of said mounting block each comprise a socket to which a respective one of said two levers are attached.
8. The portable structure of claim 5 or claim 6, wherein the first part and the second part of said mounting block each comprise a socket to which a respective one of said two levers are pivotally attached.
9. The portable structure according to claim 8, wherein each said socket defines a notch for receiving the respective lever when in a storage position.
10. The portable structure according to claim 8 or claim 9, wherein said levers are pivotally attached to said mounting block such that said levers are arranged to slide into said sockets.
11. A method of erecting a tent, in which said tent comprises a mounting block formed of a first part and a second part connected by a hinging mechanism, and a plurality of support arms attached to a sheet and pivotally attached to said mounting block, said method comprising: rotating a lever, that is attached to one of said first and second parts, from a storage position and thereby locate said lever in an operable position; spreading out said support arms; and operating said lever to move said first part of said mounting block with respect to said second part to bring said tent into an erect configuration.
12. The method of claim 11, further comprising releasably attaching said lever to one of said support arms to maintain the relative positions of said first and second parts of said mounting block and thereby maintain said tent in said erect configuration.
13. The method of claim 12, wherein said lever is attached to a first part of said mounting block and a second lever is attached to the second part of said mounting block, and said step of operating said lever comprises bringing said lever and said second lever together.
14. The method of claim 13, wherein the method comprises releasably latching said first part of said mounting block to said second part when the structure is erect.
15. The method of claim 11, wherein said step of rotating a lever moves said lever about a pivot into said operable position in which an end of said lever acts against a side wall of a socket.
16. The method of claim 11, wherein said lever is moved into said operable position by rotating said lever and then sliding an end portion of said lever into a respective socket.
17. A portable structure for providing temporary protection for at least one person from environmental conditions substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying Figures.
18. A method of erecting a tent substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying Figures.Amendments to the claims have been made as follows Claims 1. 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, each support arm having a first end secured to said mounting block and arranged to extend outwards from said mounting block to support said sheet, a plurality of said support arms being pivotally attached to said mounting block, and 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; a hinging means connecting said first part to said second part, such that said structure is erectable by a relative movement of said first and second parts about said hinging means; and a lever configured to facilitate the erection of the portable structure, and attachment means attaching said lever to said mounting block such that I...*. said lever is movable between a storage position and an operable position while remaining attached to said mounting block; wherein *:*::* one of said plurality of support arms further comprises a retaining device :. configured to releasably retain said lever when said portable structure is erect. * ** * * * ***** : 2. The portable structure of claim 1, wherein said lever is pivotally attached to one of said first or second parts of said mounting block.3. The portable structure according to claim 1, wherein said attachment means comprises of a tether connecting said lever to said mounting block.4. The portable structure according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein said lever is attached to the first part of said mounting block and said apparatus further comprises a second lever that is attached to the second part of said mounting block.5. The portable structure of claim 4, wherein the portable structure comprises a latching mechanism that allows the first and second parts of said mounting block to be releasably held together when the structure is erect.6. The portable structure of claim 4 or claim 5, wherein the first part and the second part of said mounting block each comprise a socket to which a respective one of said two levers are attached.7. The portable structure of claim 4 or claim 5, wherein the first part and the second part of said mounting block each comprise a socket to which a *::::* respective one of said two levers are pivotally attached.S* S. *SS * * *:::* 8. The portable structure according to claim 7, wherein each said :. socket defines a notch for receiving the respective lever when in a storage : .**. position. S... S. * * S* 25 9. The portable structure according to claim 7 or claim 8, wherein said levers are pivotally attached to said mounting block such that said levers are arranged to slide into said sockets.10. A method of erecting a tent, in which said tent comprises a mounting block formed of a first part and a second part connected by a hinging mechanism, and a plurality of support arms attached to a sheet and pivotally attached to said mounting block, wherein one of said plurality of support arms further comprises a retaining device, said method comprising: rotating a lever, that is attached to one of said first and second parts, from a storage position and thereby locate said lever in an operable position; spreading out said support arms; operating said lever to move said first part of said mounting block with respect to said second part to bring said tent into an erect configuration; and releasably retaining said lever by means of said retaining device when said portable structure is erect.11. The method of claim 10, further comprising releasably attaching said lever to one of said support arms to maintain the relative positions of said first and second parts of said mounting block and thereby maintain said tent in said erect configuration. S... * S S...:: 20 12. The method of claim 11, wherein said lever is attached to a first *:*::* part of said mounting block and a second lever is attached to the second part *:. of said mounting block, and said step of operating said lever comprises : * bringing said lever and said second lever together. *... *. * S * S* 25 13. The method of claim 12, wherein the method comprises releasably latching said first part of said mounting block to said second part when the structure is erect.14. The method of claim 10, wherein said step of rotating a lever moves said lever about a pivot into said operable position in which an end of said lever acts against a side wall of a socket.15. The method of claim 10, wherein said lever is moved into said operable position by rotating said lever and then sliding an end portion of said lever into a respective socket.16. A portable structure for providing temporary protection for at least one person from environmental conditions substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying Figures.17. A method of erecting a tent substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying Figures. S... * * **S* .*... * . * *S * . S * *.S * S. * S S **.S S* S.