US20080006318A1

US20080006318A1 - Foldable frame

Info

Publication number: US20080006318A1
Application number: US11/483,160
Authority: US
Inventors: Chuen-Jong Tseng
Original assignee: Taiwan Shin Yeh Enterprise Co Ltd
Current assignee: Taiwan Shin Yeh Enterprise Co Ltd
Priority date: 2006-07-07
Filing date: 2006-07-07
Publication date: 2008-01-10

Abstract

A foldable frame includes: inverted U-shaped rods aligned in a folding direction, each inverted U-shaped rod having opposite first and second upright portions; and first and second connecting units. Each of the first connecting units interconnects the first upright portions of two adjacent ones of the inverted U-shaped rods. Each of the second connecting units interconnects the second upright portions of two adjacent ones of the inverted U-shaped rods. Each of the first and second connecting units includes two connecting rods that intersect and that are pivoted to each other, and that are respectively pivotable with respect to the respective ones of the first and second upright portions of two adjacent ones of the inverted U-shaped rods, and two sleeves respectively and slidably sleeved on the respective ones of the first and second upright portions of the two adjacent ones of the inverted U-shaped rods, and respectively pivoted to the connecting rods.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a foldable frame for a tent, more particularly to a foldable frame including inverted U-shaped rods and sleeves sleeved respectively on the U-shaped rods.
2. Description of the Related Art
Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, a conventional foldable frame 1 is shown to include: a plurality of rod units 11 spaced apart in a first direction, each rod unit 11 including a pair of upright rods 111 (only one upright rod 111 of each rod unit 11 is shown in FIG. 1) spaced apart in a second direction transverse the first direction; a plurality of connecting units 12, each of which is disposed between and connected to the upright rods 111 of two adjacent ones of the rod units 11; a plurality of stretch rod units 13, each of which is disposed between and connected to the upright rods 111 of two adjacent ones of the rod units 11; and a plurality of rollers 15, each of which is mounted on a bottom end of a respective upright rod 111.
Each upright rod 111 is formed with a guiding groove 112. Each connecting unit 12 includes a pair of pivot rods 121 crisscrossing and pivoted to each other through a pivot axle 125, a pair of upper pivot pins 122, studs 123 protruding respectively from the pivot rods 121 and disposed slidably in the guiding groves 112, and a pair of lower pivot pins 124. Each pivot rod 121 is pivoted to a respective one of the upright rods 111 of the rod units 11 through a respective one of the upper pivot pins 122, and to a respective one of the pivot rods 121 of an adjacent one of the connecting units 12 through one of the lower pivot pins 124.
Each stretch rod unit 13 includes a pair of stretching rods 131 that are pivoted to each other through a pivot pin 132 and that are respectively pivoted to adjacent ones of the upright rods 111.
When the pair of the stretching rods 131 of each stretch rod unit 13 are unfolded, the foldable frame 1 is disposed at an extended state. When the pivot pins 132 are moved upward, the stretching rods 131 of the stretch rod units 13 are moved toward a folded state. As such, the connecting units 12 are also folded at the same time, and the studs 123 of the connecting units 12 slide downward along the guiding grooves 112.
However, during folding operation, the pivot pins 132 are required to be moved upward one by one so as to permit folding of the connecting rods 121, which is relatively inconvenient.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Therefore, the object of the present invention is to provide a foldable frame capable of overcoming the aforesaid drawback associated with the prior art.
Accordingly, a foldable frame of the present invention for a tent comprises: a plurality of inverted U-shaped rods aligned in a folding direction, each of the inverted U-shaped rods having opposite first and second upright portions; and a plurality of first and second connecting units. Each of the first connecting units interconnects the first upright portions of two adjacent ones of the inverted U-shaped rods. Each of the second connecting units interconnects the second upright portions of two adjacent ones of the inverted U-shaped rods. Each of the first and second connecting units includes a pair of connecting rods that intersect and that are pivoted to each other at an intersection therebetween and that are respectively pivotable with respect to the respective ones of the first and second upright portions of the two adjacent ones of the inverted U-shaped rods, and a pair of sleeves that are respectively and slidably sleeved on the respective ones of the first and second upright portions of the two adjacent ones of the inverted U-shaped rods, and that are respectively pivoted to the connecting rods.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent in the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment with reference to the accompanying drawings, of which:

FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a conventional foldable frame disposed at an expanded state;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary exploded perspective view to illustrate how two pivoted connecting rods of the conventional foldable frame are connected to an upright rod through extension of a stud into a guiding groove in the upright rod;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the preferred embodiment of a foldable frame for a tent according to the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a schematic view of the preferred embodiment disposed at an expanded state;

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary partly exploded perspective view to illustrate how a connecting rod is pivoted to a sleeve on an upright rod portion of the preferred embodiment;

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary exploded perspective view to illustrate how a connecting rod is pivoted to an upright rod portion of the preferred embodiment; and

FIG. 7 is a schematic view to illustrate a state where the preferred embodiment is disposed at a folded state.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring to FIGS. 3 to 6, the preferred embodiment of a foldable frame 2 according to the present invention is adapted for supporting a canopy 20 of a tent, and includes: a plurality of inverted U-shaped rods 4 aligned in a folding direction, each of the inverted U-shaped rods 4 being provided with rollers 32 and having opposite first and second upright portions 31 that are opposite to each other in a transverse direction relative to the folding direction; and a plurality of first and second connecting units 6, 6′, each of the first connecting units 6 interconnecting the first upright portions 31 of two adjacent ones of the inverted U-shaped rods 4, each of the second connecting units 6′ interconnecting the second upright portions 31 of two adjacent ones of the inverted U-shaped rods 4, each of the first and second connecting units 6, 6′ including a pair of connecting rods 61 that intersect and that are pivoted to each other at an intersection therebetween through a pivot pin 62 and that are respectively pivotable with respect to the respective ones of the first and second upright portions 31 of the two adjacent ones of the inverted U-shaped rods 4, and a pair of sleeves 5 that are respectively and slidably sleeved on the respective ones of the first and second upright portions 31 of the two adjacent ones of the inverted U-shaped rods 4, and that are respectively pivoted to the connecting rods 61. In this embodiment, each connecting rod 61 has an upper end 611 (see FIG. 6) pivoted to the respective one of the first and second upright portions 31 through a pivot pin 71, and a lower end 612 (see FIG. 5) pivoted to a pivot shaft 511 on the respective sleeve 5 through a screw 72.
At least one of the first and second upright portions 31 of each of the inverted U-shaped rods 4 is formed with a retaining hole 312 (see FIG. 5). In this embodiment, each of the first and second upright portions 31 of a frontmost one of the inverted U-shaped rods 4 is formed with the retaining hole 312. The foldable frame 2 further includes a positioning unit that includes two positioning pins 8, each of which is insertable into the retaining hole 312 in a respective one of the first and second upright portions 31 of the frontmost one of the inverted U-shaped rods 4 so as to be disposed underneath and to abut against a respective one of the sleeves 5 (see FIG. 4) of a respective one of the first and second connecting units 6, 6′ when the foldable frame 2 is positioned at an extended state, thereby preventing downward sliding movement of the sleeves 5 on the respective ones of the first and second upright portions 31 of the respective one of the inverted U-shaped rods 4.
Referring to FIGS. 3 and 6, in this embodiment, each of the inverted U-shaped rods 4 further includes an upper portion 41 connected detachably to the first and second upright portions 31 through fasteners 43.
Referring to FIGS. 4 and 7, when the foldable frame 2 is desired to be folded from an extended state (see FIG. 4) to a folded state (see FIG. 7), the two positioning pins 8 are removed from the retaining holes 312, and the frontmost one of the inverted U-shaped rods 4 is subsequently pushed in the folding direction to thereby result in downward sliding movement of the sleeves 5 together with the lower ends 612 of the connecting rods 61 along the first and second upright portions 31 of the inverted U-shaped rod 4, and in simultaneous movement of the inverted U-shaped rods 4 toward each other.
With the inclusion of the sleeves 5 in the foldable frame 2 of this invention, folding of the foldable frame 2 is easier and more convenient as compared to the aforesaid conventional foldable frame.
While the present invention has been described in connection with what is considered the most practical and preferred embodiment, it is understood that this invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiment but is intended to cover various arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and equivalent arrangements.

Claims

1. A foldable frame for a tent comprising:

a plurality of inverted U-shaped rods aligned in a folding direction, each of said inverted U-shaped rods having opposite first and second upright portions; and

a plurality of first and second connecting units, each of said first connecting units interconnecting said first upright portions of two adjacent ones of said inverted U-shaped rods, each of said second connecting units interconnecting said second upright portions of two adjacent ones of said inverted U-shaped rods, each of said first and second connecting units including a pair of connecting rods that intersect and that are pivoted to each other at an intersection therebetween and that are respectively pivotable with respect to the respective ones of said first and second upright portions of said two adjacent ones of said inverted U- shaped rods, and a pair of sleeves that are respectively and slidably sleeved on the respective ones of said first and second upright portions of said two adjacent ones of said inverted U-shaped rods, and that are respectively pivoted to said connecting rods.

2. The foldable frame as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least one of said first and second upright portions of each of said inverted U-shaped rods is formed with a retaining hole, said foldable frame further comprising a positioning unit that includes at least one positioning pin that is insertable into said retaining hole so as to be disposed underneath and to abut against a respective one of said sleeves of a respective one of said first and second connecting units when said foldable frame is positioned at an extended state, thereby preventing downward sliding movement of the respective one of said sleeves on the respective one of said first and second upright portions of the respective one of said inverted U-shaped rods.