US20060143773A1

US20060143773A1 - Personal changing tent

Info

Publication number: US20060143773A1
Application number: US11/007,788
Authority: US
Inventors: Natalya Danilova
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2004-12-08
Filing date: 2004-12-08
Publication date: 2006-07-06

Abstract

A collapsible personal changing tent for privacy when changing clothes, adapted to be collapsed in to form that is convenient for travel so that a party going to the beach or inland watering place, or to any place where it is desirable to change clothing in open. Embodiment is of flexible material of textile and collapsible cubicle, cylindrical in shape, with an open bottom and partial enclosure at the top. The top section has opening for the neck with elastic and is opened/closed by means of a zipper secured by Velcro. Horizontal spring loops hold the cylinder open, one is located near the top and one near the bottom. The enclosure rests upon the shoulders of user when the neck section is fastened and easily collapsed to the small size when not in use.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention related in general to collapsible cubicle device provided complete privacy for changing clothes that may expand and collapse. This invention lies in the field of portable enclosures for changing clothes and directed to such device witch may be open and closed in seconds for storage and transportation. It is more particularly directed to portable changing tent which may be open/closed very quickly with no need for special skills or manual dexterity and witch is sufficiently rigid for general use at the beaches, swimming pools, small watercrafts, water parks; by fishermen; by models on outdoors photographic sessions; at campsites, recreational sport events and other public places where it is desirable to change the clothes in open.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Finding a place for privacy in order for one to change clothes, especially for one participating in outdoor sports, swimming areas or water parks, is common for the people. In the past, people have had to find hiding places behind open car doors, bushes or even have had others hold the towels to hide them. Swimmers and surfers have had to wrap towels around they waists, over wet suits, pull down the wet suit, and than change in to dry clothing, and some time exposing themselves in public. Open car doors only provide cover to one side of the body; towels often fall off bodies trying to change.

DESCRIPTION OF PRIOR ART

Many types of portable enclosures are presently invented ranging from conventional tents boxlike or cylindrical structures made up of a plurality of rigid plate members witch must be secured together with many fastening devices which require much skills, time and dexterity in assembly, they are impractical due to they large size, weight, hardware components necessary to assemble into self supporting enclosure as a cylindrical dressing room, supported by three vertical stakes U.S. Pat. No. 1,803,626 “Collapsible portable dressing room” by Lasley; or cylindrical tent supported from a round frame hoisted upon an overhanging member U.S. Pat. No. 3,498,305 “Tent” by Hulin; or an enclosure supported by telescopically extendible post U.S. Pat. No. 5,430,980 “Collapsible cubicle” by Walter Ferrier; or dressing room supported by angular stakes U.S. Pat. No. 1,925,467 by Sinning, making them inconvenient, unsuitable and impractical in use. Even a simple tent structure calls for the securing of many loose parts and some is very difficult to set up without the serviced of two or more persons. In addition, when these various structures are dismantled, they are heavy and cumbersome to carry or to store.
Some types of portable enclosures for a changing clothes are presently invented, make impossible to take of clothes over the head within change, if needed, as enclosure supported by a rectangular neck piece held in place by a head strap U.S. Pat. No. 1,466,166 “Portable dressing tent” by Hodgson; or dressing chamber, of hexagonal cross section, which is of fabric supported from a hexagonal frame suspended from a cap worn by the user U.S. Pat. No. 1,804,190 “Portable dressing shield” by Wendel.
However is no known any other cubicle self-opening a portable/expendable device can provide complete privacy for changing clothes not attached to any supporting structure, lightweight, folds to very small size for transportation, open/closed in seconds, inexpensive to manufacture, simple in use.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides a portable, suspension type tent which can be very easily collapsed to the very small size for transportation. Broadly described, the tent of the invention comprises a generally cylindrical side wall panel of flexible material of textile, with an open bottom and a partial enclosure at the top. The top section has an opening for the neck, and is opened/closed by means of a zipper, affording admission of a person. Horizontal spring loops hold the cylinder open; one located near the top and one near the bottom.
The enclosure rests upon the shoulders of the user when neck section is closed. The changing tent comprises a steel hoops adapter to be supported upon the person, and a depending enclosure, which is sufficiently roomy to permit the user to dress and undress within it.
The enclosure shield effectively secluding the figure of the person from view. The ready portability ease of erection, and privacy afforded by devices of the present invention render them particularly useful at the beaches, athletic fields, and wherever other facilities are not readily available to hide one from public view during a change of clothing.
Another object of the present invention is the provision of a device of the character described with is simple in construction and inexpensive to manufacture, but which is also durable, sturdy and well adapted for withstanding the rough usage to which device of this type are subjected.

BRIEF SUMMERY OF THE DISLOSED EMBODIMENT

Summary, a collapsible cylindrical in shape enclosure including:
plurality of adjacent collapsible flexible loop members , each having an expanded position and collapsed position;
fabric covering material for substantially covering the flexible loop members in an extended state to have the adjacent loop members and fabric covering forming the cylindrical enclosure;
the loop members substantially supporting the fabric in particular areas to provide for loops portions of the fabric maintained to assume a particular configuration in accordance with the loop members, and the portion of the fabric being foldable on top of each other about the hinge portion to have the top members collapse to the collapsible position by twisting and folding to form a plurality of concentric loop rings and layers of fabric to substantially reduce the size of the enclosure in the collapsed state.
From foregoing general description of the invention achieves, as a major and important objective, the provision of portable quickly collapsed, highly useful tent can be compactly stored when not in use.
An additional objective of the invention is to provide a “wearable” tent which can be manufactured very inexpensively, and which can be transported easily, and used in any location without attaching to any supporting structures except a body of the user.
In the accompanying drawing a preferred form of the invention has been shown in said drawing:

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows exploded, perspective view of collapsible cubicle, cylindrical in shape, being in its functional condition;
FIG. 2 shows exploded, perspective view of collapsible cubicle, cylindrical in shape, being in its functional condition with person inside indicated in broken outline;
FIG. 3 shows a perspective view of the top of collapsible cubicle;
FIG. 4 shows a perspective view of flexible enclosure of the cubicle in its collapsed condition;
FIG. 5 shows a perspective view of the cubicle in a twisted collapsible figure-of-eight condition;
FIG. 6 shows a perspective view of the cubicle in a twisted collapsible condition;
FIG. 7 shows a perspective view a carry bag for transporting the cubicle in twisted collapsed condition;
FIG. 8 shows a perspective view a carry bag with its contents slung over a user shoulder;
FIG. 9 shows a perspective view a hood being in its functional condition;
FIG. 10 shows exploded, perspective of interior upper section of enclosure with an unfastened Velcro strap;
FIG. 11 shows exploded, perspective of interior upper section of enclosure with a fastened Velcro strap;
FIG. 12 shows a perspective view of portion of the cubicle on an enlarged scale, viewed along section 11-11 in FIG. 2;
FIG. 13 shows a perspective view of portion out the cubicle on enlarged scale, that illustrated a specific design for the retaining clip to the ends of the straight spring pieces hold together;

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE ILLUSTRATED EMBODIMENT

The cylindrical cubicle FIG. 1 included lightweight nontransparent fabric material may be with aluminum coating, suggested polyester or nylon. The length of the tubular portion 4 generally long as fully-grown person 7 from the shoulders down, as indicated in broken outline in FIG. 2. The enclosure also may be in sizes: small, medium or large.
A flexible twistable spring steel, or other material, loops 2 and 2 a are respectively secured towards tubular portion 4, as illustrated in FIG. 2, one loop located near the top of cubicle 2, one near the bottom 2 a.
The loops may be formed by bending a straight piece of spring heavy- duty material 2 and 2 a. The ends of spring flexible material 2 and 2 a hold together by the retaining clip 9 in FIG. 13.
A hoops 2 and 2 a are passed through the fabric strap 10, FIG. 12 and FIG. 13 sewn in to the interior of cubicle, one near the top and one near the bottom.
The cylindrical cubicle FIG. 1 may be formed from rectangular section or sections 4 and 4 a, as showed in FIG. 2 of flexible material sewn to its sides with opening for zipper on section 4 a. If it is desirable, the cubicle may be formed from rectangular of more then two sections sewn to its sides.
The top section enclosure witch is closable by means of a zip fastener 3 may be secured by Velcro fastener 8 and 8 a in FIG. 10 and FIG. 11 is located near the end of a zipper, to prevent unexpected opening of a zipper. The strap with Velcro 8 attached to the interior surface located at the one side of zipper, said strap fasten to the Velcro 8 a attached directly to the interior surface an opposite side of zipper FIG. 11, when said zipper is closed and enclosure rests upon the shoulders of the user.
A zip fastener 3 is sewn into the fabric on the space between the spring loop 2 on the section 4 a and upper edge of said section, with shirred elastic 1 in FIG. 10.
An elastic 1 insert in to a casing provided by turned over and sewn upper edge of the section 4 a, FIG. 10. The flexibility of elastic allows to the user stretch one while taking of clothes over the head, without opening a zipper and Velcro fasteners.
An interior pockets or one large pocket 5 with seam at the middle for separation of wet and dry clothes, in FIG. 2, attached to the front of enclosure between the hoops 2 and 2A, may provide within the enclosure to hold clothes within reach of person using the tent.
In order to fit the enclosure FIG. 1 into carrier bag FIG. 7, the hoops 2 and 2 a are stacked on top of each other as shown in FIG. 3. A user grasps the hoops 2 and 2 a with both hands at substantially diametrically opposed positions and twist the respective portion of the hoops in opposing directions, hoops 2 and 2 a are manipulated, first into a figure-of-eight configuration as show in FIG. 5. The enclosure is then twisted further until the hoops 2 and 2 a are deformed into a composite hoops having a lesser diameter that the under formed hoops FIG. 4. The deformed hoops 2 and 2 a are eventually stacked in a more compressed arrangement on top of each other FIG. 6 and tie for security by elastic loop 6 attached to the bottom of cubicle. Once the enclosure is in its compressed condition, it can be easy fitted into the carrier bag FIG. 7 which is closable by means of a zipper. The carrier bag FIG. 7 with its contents, can be clung over a user's shoulder FIG. 8 and conveniently transported to a new location . The hood FIG. 9, in case of rain, may be included and may be stored inside the interior pocket 11 of the carry bag FIG. 7.

Claims

1. A portable/expendable personal changing tent for privacy when changing clothes in public made of lightweight material suspended by at least two hoops, cubicle cylindrical in shape with an open bottom and partial enclosure on the top, rests upon the shoulders of the user when the neck section is closed, adapted to be collapsed in to form that is convenient for travel so that party going to the beach or inland watering place; at campsites, small watercrafts, athletic fields or any place where it is desirable to change clothing in open.

2. A portable/expandable personal changing tent comprising of an enclosure made of cubicle cylindrical in shape suspended by at least two flexible loop members, one located near the top of cubicle and the other near the bottom, each having expanded position and collapsed position.

3. A portable/expendable personal changing tent made of cubicle cylindrical in shape suspended by flexible loop members comprising of enclosure made of lightweight nontransparent fabric material preferable nylon or polyester, may be with aluminum coating, substantially covering the flexible loop members in an extended state to have the adjacent loop members covered by fabric, forming the cylindrical enclosure in cylindrical shape.

4. A portable/expendable personal changing tent made of cubicle cylindrical in shape suspended by flexible loop members comprising of enclosure in cylindrical shape include a pocket/pockets , used for temporary storage of clothes while change, said pocket/pockets attached to the interior surface of the front wall of cubicle. Refer back to claim 1.

5. A portable/expendable personal changing tent made of cubicle cylindrical in shape suspended by flexible loop members comprising of enclosure in cylindrical shape with top section open/closed by means of a zipper secured by Velcro strap attached to the interior surface located at the one side of zipper, said strap fasten to the Velcro attached directly to the interior surface an opposite side of zipper when said zipper is closed and enclosure rests upon the shoulders of the user without any additional structure support. Refer back to claim 2.

6. A portable/expendable personal changing tent made of cubicle cylindrical in shape suspended by flexible loop members comprising of enclosure in cylindrical in shape, quickly collapse and compactly store in carry bag when said enclosure not in use, hood for rain may be included. Refer back to claim 3.

It is to be understood that the present invention is not limited to the embodiment described above, but encompassed any and all embodiments within the scope of the following claims.