US2879780A - Tepee tent - Google Patents

Description

March 3l, 1959 J. W. ARBORE TEPEE TENT Filed July 10, 1958 `INVENTOR c//Wf' IM ei ATTORNEY United States Patent C) TEPEE TENT .lames W. Arbore, Latrobe, Pa. Application July 10, 1958, Serial No. 747,639

Claims. (Cl. 13S-4) This invention relates to a tepee tent and has for an object to provide an improved tepee tent, particularly intended for use by children, but of course, likewise capable of being made in a size suitable for adults. A further object of this invention is to provide a tepee tent which is devoid of any center pole and thus has a maximum amount of space within it, and which is readily assembled and disassembled, and when disassembled, may be stored in a suitable container convenient for storage and for transportation.

A further object of this invention is to provide a tepee tent kthat may be marketed in package form, that is, with the parts all unassernbled but capable of being easily assembled into the completed form for use when desired and which may thereafter be easily disassembled, all without the use or need for any particular tools.

Still another object of this invention is to provide a tepee tent which may be assembled to -a form somewhat resembling that of an Indian tepee tent, and wherein a tent cover is provided having cover mounting means cooperating with cover mounting means on a primary set of supporting poles, and also provided with a secondary set of supporting poles to maintain the tent cover so as to provide a maximum area therewithin.

In brief, this invention is a tepee tent consisting principally ofvtent cover, a primary set of poles pivoted together adjacent one end thereof, a flexible cord or chain secured to each of the primary poles at a slight distance below the pole pivoting means and of a size to limit the spreading of the other ends of the poles to a desired triangular or polygonal formation, these primary tent poles having hooks near their top and bottom ends so as to cooperate with cooperatively located eyelets on the tent cover, the tent cover having an entrance opening preferably provided with lace means for closing it when desired, a secondary set of poles equal in number to the primary set of poles but preferably of lesser diameter and lighter weight although of the same length as the primary poles, and each secondary pole has its top end inserted between the pivoted top ends of two adjacent primary poles and having its bottom end inserted in the ground between the same two adjacent primary pole ends to thus maintain the bottom of the tent in a formation having -an outline with twice as many sides as the outline that would be provided by the primary poles alone. Each of the poles of both sets are made preferably in two pieces with a sleeve joint for securing the two pieces together. The tent cover also acts as a kit cover, the tent cover being rolled about the collapsed poles assembled together, with the apex closure also wrapped therea-bout, and is vthen tied up in a readily stored or carried kit or package. Obviously, the tent cover may be decorated also with suitable pictures or Indian emblems to please a child or other owner.

With the above and related objects in view, this in-r vention consists in the details of construction and the combination of parts as hereinafter disclosed, claimed, and illustrated in the accompanying drawing in which:

Fig. 1 is an elevational view of the tepee tent of this invention, set up in assembled form.

Fig. 2 is a sectional view on line 2 2 of Fig. l, somewhat in phantom.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary top plan view of the top ends of the supporting pole in set up position.

Fig. 4 is a sectional view on line 4 4 of Fig. 5, showing the pole pivoting means.

Fig. 5 is a partly fragmentary view of the primary set of poles, showing the pole sections assembled, ready to be spread apart to tent supporting position.

Fig. 6 is a sectional view on line 6--6 of Fig. 7

showing the tent poles with their sections separated and assembled within the tent cover providing a tent kit.

Fig. 7 s an elevational view of the assembled tent kit for easy storage or transportation. f`

Fig. 8 is an elevation of the tent apex and apex cover. There is shown at 10 the tepee tent of this invention in assembled form, consisting of a tent cover 12, a primary set of poles 14 and a secondary set of poles 48. Each primary pole 14 is made up of two pole sections 16 and 18, the lower pole section 18 being provided with a ground penetrating means such as a spike 20 at its lower end and adjacent this lower end there is provided a hook 22 for cooperating with a cooperatively located eyelet 54 on the tent cover 12 for securing the tent cover.

thereto. At the joining end of the lower pole 18 there is provided a sleeve 24 fastened thereto by a pin 26 and extending beyond the end thereof for receiving the lower end of the upper pole section 16. In order to maint-ain a uniform diameter of the assembled pole 14, the'joining ends of the pole sections 16 and 18 are slightly reduced, as illustrated in Fig. 5 at 28 and 30, so that the o uter diameter of the sleeve 24 is the same as the diameter of the pole sections 16 and 18.

A second hook 22 is provided adjacent the top end of each upper pole section 16 for likewise cooperating with cooperatively located eyelets 54 at the upper end of the cover 12 adjacent its apex 32.

At a distance slightly below the top end of eachof two upper pole sections 16 there is provided diametrically extending openings for receiving a pivoting bolt 34 having a wing nut 36 for pivotally securing two of the 'poles 14 together. A similar pivot bolt 38 extends through a diametrical opening in one of the rst pivoted ypoles slightly below the first mentioned diametrical pivot holes therein and through the third pole at the same distance from the top end as the second pivot opening. Thus, one of the poles 14 has two slightly spaced apart pivot holes ex, tending therethrough, as illustrated in Fig. 4, at an angle:

to each other and each of the other two of the primary poles have a single pivot hole extending therethrough. A

Located somewhat below the two pivots 34 and 38 on the primary set of poles 14 is a iexible member or chain 40 secured to each of these poles as at 42.

As a result of the primary poles 14 being pivoted to each other as above described, the poles 14 may be pivoted thereabout to the limit permitted by the flexible` chain or cord 40 so that the bottom ends of the poles 14 will extend in triangular formation similar to the triangular formation of the limiting chain 40.

The tent cover 12 is made of suitable canvas or duck material and may be made of several panels sewed or otherwise secured together at seams 44, one of the seams as 46 being left open to provide an entrance opening 47 extending from the bottom to near the top where the seam is sewed up to the apex 34, the apex 34 being left open so 'that the top of the pole ends may extend therethrough as shown in Fig. 1.

A secondary set of poles 48 is provided, the poles 48- being preferably lighter in weight and smaller in diameter' than the poles 14 of the primary set. Each pole of the Patented Mar. 31, g.

primary set is similarly divided into two sections and is provided with a similar joint for securing the two sections together and is provided with a similar ground penetrating spike as the primary poles, but the tent cover eyelet cooperating hooks 22 of the primary poles and the pivoting means of the primary poles are entirely absent on the secondary poles 48.

The tepee tent will preferably be marketed in the form of a kit as illustrated in Figs. 6 and 7 at 50 with a pair of tie cords 52 for tying it into a roll for storage or transportation. As shown in Fig. 6, in this form, each section of each pole is separated and assembled about the upper primary pole sections 16, collapsed together to parallel position as shown in Fig. 6 with the remaining pole sections grouped thereabout and the secondary pole sections grouped thereabout and wrapped within the tent cover 12 to provide the kit 50.

In operation to assemble the tent into assembled form, the tent 50 is first opened by unrolling the tent cover 12 after untying the cords 52, the lower sectionsv 18 of the primary poles 14 are joined to their upper sections 16, then the primary poles-14 are pivoted about their pivots 34 and 38 to the limit provided by the chain 40 to a triangular formation and then the spikes 20 are inserted into the ground in a triangular outline. The cover 12 is provided with cooperatively located eyelets S4 for each of the eyelet receiving hooks 22 of the primary poles 14. Obviously, the cover 12 may have its eyelets secured on their hooks 22 either before or after the poles 14 are spread apart and inserted in the ground.

Then, with the primary poles 14 inserted in the ground and the cover 12 mounted thereon, as above, the entrance opening 14 may be opened by untying the closure laces S6 permitting a person to enter within the tent, now having its bottom in triangular formation. The secondary poles are each joined together, and then each of the secondary poles 48 are located between a diierent pair of adjoining primary poles 14 having their upper ends at 58 supported between two adjacent upper ends of the poles 14 and extending through the apex opening 34 of the tent cover 12, as illustrated in Fig. 1. Then, each secondary pole 48 has its bottom ground penetrating end inserted into the ground between the ground penetrating ends of the two adjacent primary poles, after lirst pushing out the tent cover as much as possible, the tent cover 12 being so dimensioned that when thus pushed out by all the secondary poles inserted in the ground the bottom of the tent cover will be in hexagonal outline, that is, have twice as many sides with all poles in place as provided. when only the primary poles are in place, thus providing the maximum area within the tepee tent 10.

The opening at the apex 34 through which the pole tops extend will assisty in providing ventilation, but in casev of rain, a iiexible closure may be provided as illustrated in dotted outline at 60 consisting of a piece of similar canvas or duck placed over the top extending ends of the poles and the apex 34 and secured thereabout by a resilient cord or tie cord 62 to hold` it in position.

To disassemble and store the tent in the kit 50, the reverse procedure is followed, the secondary poles 4S are first removed whereupon the primary set of poles may be lifted. from the ground, the cover removed, the poles as sembled in a group after first being separated and the cover 12 wrapped therearound and tied to form the kit 50, thus providing a readily portable tepee tent.

Although this invention has been described in considerable detail, the details are intended as being illustrative of the invention and the .details may be varied as desired withinthe scope of what is hereinafter claimed. Having thus set forth and disclosed the nature of this invention,` what4 is claimed is:

I.4 A tepee tent comprising a primary set 'and a secondary set of at least three tent poles. each, and a `tent cover-mounted thereon, each tent pole consisting of two separable pole sections, one section of each pole hav? ing a sleeve secured at a joining end and extending a distance therefrom to receive a joining end of the other pole section of that pole, aground penetrating spike on the bottom end of each pole, means pivotally securing two of said primary set poles together at a point spaced from the top end thereof, similar means pivotally securing the third pole of said primary set to one of said iirst two primary poles at a slightly greater distance from the top ends thereof, thereby permitting said poles to pivot to a polygonal formation, exible restraining means secured to said primary set poles somewhat below their pivotal connections limiting the pivotal movement of said poles to each other, tent cover mounting means secured on each primary set pole, the secondary set poles being of substantially the same length as the primary set poles, said tent cover having cooperatively located primary tent pole mounting means for mounting said tent cover thereon, said tent cover having an entrance opening therein, and a tent pole receiving opening at the tepee apex, the tops of the poles of said secondary set being each supported by the pivotal joint of two adjacent primary poles at the tent apex and extending therethrough, the ground penetrating bottom ends of each of said secondary poles being located between the bottoms of two adjacent primary poles to maintain the bottom of the tent cover in a polygonal outline having twice the number of sides as that provided by the primary pole set alone.

2. A tepee tent comprising a primary set and a secondary set of at least three tent poles each, and a tent cover mounted thereon, each tent pole consisting of two sep-I able joinable pole sections, one section of each pole having joint means at a joining end for cooperating with joining end of the other pole section of that pole, a ground penetrating means on the bottom end of each pole, means pivotally securing two of said primary set poles together at a point spaced from the top end thereof, similar means pivotally securing the third pole of said primary set to one of said tirst two primary poles at a slightly greater distance from the top ends thereof, thereby permitting said poles to pivot to a polygonal formation flexible restraining means secured to said primary set poles somewhat below their pivotal connections limiting pivotal movement of said poles to each other, the secondary set poles being of substantially the same length as the primary set poles, said tent cover and said primary set poles having cooperatively located tent cover mounting means for securing the said tent cover to said primary set poles, said tent cover having an entrance opening therein, and a tent pole receiving opening at the tepee apex, the tops of the poles of said secondary set being each supported by the pivotal joint of two adjacent primary poles at the tent apex and extending therethrough, the ground penetrating bottom ends of each of said secondary poles being located between the bottoms of two adjacent primary poles to maintain the bottom of the tent cover in a polygonal outline having twice the number of sides of that provided by the primary pole set alone.

3. A tepee tent and tent kit comprising a primary set and a secondary set of three tent poles each, and a tent cover mounted thereon, each tent pole consisting of two separable pole sections, one section of each pole having a sleeve secured at a joining end and extending a distance therefrom to receive a joining end of the other pole section of that pole, a ground penetrating spike on the bottom en-d ofeach pole, the poles of said primary `set being substantially heavier than the poles of said sec* ondary set, means pivotally securing two of said primary setv poles together at a point spaced from the top end thereof,- similar means pivotally securing the third pole of said primary set to one of said first two primary'po'les at a slightly greater distance from the top ends thereof, thereby permitting said'p'oles vto pivot to a triangular fors mation, flexible restraining means secured to said primary set poles somewhat below their pivotal connections limiting pivotal movement of said poles to cach other, tent cover eyelet receiving hooks secured to each primary set pole adjacent their top and bottom ends, the secondary set poles being of substantially the same length as the primary set poles, but of lesser diameter, said tent cover having cooperatively located primary tent pole hook receiving eyelets for mounting said tent cover thereon, said tent cover having an entrance opening and a tent pole receiving opening at the tepee apex, the tops of the poles of said secondary set being cach supported by the pivotal joint of two adjacent primary poles at the tent apex and extending therethrough, the ground penetrating bottom ends of each of said secondary poles being located between the bottoms of two adjacent primary poles to maintain the bottom of the tent cover in a hexagonal outline.

4. The tepee tent of claim 3, and an apex opening closure having means for securing it on the pole top ends extending through the apex openings.

5. The tepee tent of claim 4, and said tent cover providing a kit cover for containing pole sections and apex opening closure.

No references cited.

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