US3865123A

US3865123A - Portable tent

Info

Publication number: US3865123A
Application number: US421277A
Authority: US
Inventors: Lee H Bracken
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1973-12-03
Filing date: 1973-12-03
Publication date: 1975-02-11
Anticipated expiration: 1992-02-11

Abstract

A portable tent having a rectangular base frame consisting of six members of approximately equal length hingedly attached and a plurality of U-shaped struts rotatably attached at the center points of the two longest legs of the base rectangle, each of the U-shaped members consisting of three structural members of substantially equal length with the rectangular structural members and being hingedly coupled at their corners. A doorway structure consists of a U-shaped member being hingedly attached to one of the rectangle members and rising vertically therefrom and having the other end hingedly attached with the other Ushaped members together with an outside J-shaped member comprising a structural member hingedly attached to said vertical structural member and being erected at right angles thereto and hingedly attached to at least two other members forming a ''''J.'''' The entire structure is covered with a canvass covering forming a canvass floor, a canvass top and canvass sides, together with door and window cutouts.

Description

baited States Patent 1191 Bracken 1 1 Feb. 11, 1975 1 1 PORTABLE TENT [22] Filed: Dec. 3, 1973 [21] App]. No.: 421,277

[52] 11.8. C1 135/4 R [51] lint. C1. A451 1/16 [58] Field of Search 135/1 R, 3 R, 4 R, 14 D, l35/7.l R

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 609,553 8/1898 Lloyd 135/4 R 1,819,490 8/1931 Weiss l 1 135/4 R 2,415,343 2/1947 Dunn l 135/4 R 2,555,220 5/1951 Brown 1 t t l 135/4 R 3,513,861 5/1970 Johnson 135/1 R FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATlONS 1,337,193 7/1963 France 135/4 R 862,011 3/1961 Great Britain Primary E.\'uniinw'Paul R. Gilliam Assistant Examiner-David H. Corbin [57] ABSTRACT A portable tent having a rectangular base frame con sisting of six members of approximately equal length hingedly attached and a plurality of U-shaped struts rotatably attached at the center points of the two l0ngest legs of the base rectangle, each of the U-shaped members consisting of three structural members of substantially equal length with the rectangular structural members and being hingedly coupled at their corners. A doorway structure consists of a U-shaped member being hingedly attached to one of the rectangle members and rising vertically therefrom and having the other end hingedly attached with the other U- shaped members together with an outside .l-shaped member comprising a structural member hingedly attached to said vertical structural member and being erected at right angles thereto and hingedly attached to at least two other members forming a J. The entire structure is covered with a canvass covering forming a canvass floor, a canvass top and canvass sides, together with door and window cutouts.

5 Claims, 11 Drawing; Figures PORTABLETENT BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a portable tent and more particularly to a portable tent which can be folded into a compact package without dismantling any structure.

According to the invention, a structural tent is provided in which a base rectangle consists ofsix structural members of approximately the same length hingedly attached to each other, together with a plurality of U- shaped members rotatably attached to the base rectangle at the center points of the two longest legs, so that the entire structure can be folded into a package the length of one of the structural members. A door is provided by discontinuing two of the U-shaped members, one of which provides one side of the door and is continued in a vertical direction to hingedly attach to one of the structural members of the base rectangle. This vertical section is adjustable in length to effect an overall symmetry after erection. The second U-shaped member is discontinued and brought in at right angles to the vertical section of the first discontinued U- shaped member as will be appreciated by reference to the detailed description below. The entire structure is covered with a pliable covering such as canvass with a zippered door cutout and preferably a screened window cutout.

An object of the present invention is the provision of an improved portable tent.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a portable tent which can be set up and taken down with out disturbing any structural coupling.

Yet another object of the invention is the provision of a portable tent which is inexpensive to manufacture and extremely convenient in use.

Other objects and many of the attendant advantages of the present invention will be readily appreciated as the same becomes better understood by reference to the following detailed description when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings in which like reference numerals designate like parts throughout the Figures thereof and wherein:

FIG. I is a perspective view of the preferred embodiment of the present invention in a folded condition;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the embodiment of FIG. 1 partially unfolded;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the embodiment of FIG. 1 in a more unfolded condition;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the embodiment of FIG. 1 in a fully erected condition;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the structural framework of the embodiment in a fully erected position;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of part of the doorway mechanism of FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a side elevational view of the structural framework of FIG. 5 as it is being folded;

FIG. 8 is a side elevational view of the folded framework of FIG. 7 in a further folded condition;

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of further doorway framework components;

FIG. 10 is a bottom view of the fully erected tent; and

FIG. 11 is a perspective view of the embodiment of FIG. 1 in an almost completely folded condition.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING Referring to FIG. 1, the portable tent of the present invention is shown in a completely folded condition at 11. Referring to FIG. 2, tent I1 is shown in a partially unfolded condition. Referring to FIG. 3, tent 11 is shown in a further unfolded position having a canvass covering 12 with a zipper 13 in its bottom section and a door zipper 14 in a front section.

Referring to FIG. 4, tent 11 is shown in its fully erected condition with door zipper cutout 14 and floor section V-shaped zipper 13 in canvass covering 12. Floor frame member 16, together with structural members l7 and 18 are pivotally connected to pivot section 19.

Referring to FIG. 5, the entire framework is shown having a rectangular floor section consisting of

structural elements

16, 21, 22, 23, 24 and 26.

Elements

24 and 26 are hingedly attached at 27 and have a limit line 28 coupled around hinge 27.

Members

26 and 16 are likewise hinged at 29, having a limit cord section 31 coupled between them and a round hinge 29. Floor

structural members

16 and 21 are hingedly coupled to hinge section 19. Floor structural members 21 and 22 are hingedly attached at 32 and are coupled together with limit cord 33. Floor structural members 22 and 23 are hingedly attached at hinge 34 and are coupled together via limit line 36. Floor

structural members

23 and 24 are hingedly attached to hinge member 37.

Structural member 38 is hingedly coupled to hinge member 37 and to structural member 39 via hinge 40.

Structural members

38 and 39 are also coupled via limit line 41.

Structural members

39 and 17 are hingedly attached at 43 and are coupled together via limit line 44. Structural member 46 is hingedly coupled to hinge member 37 and to structural member 47 at hinge 48. Structural members 46 and 47 are also coupled via limit line 49.

Structural members

47 and 18 are hingedly attached at 51 and are coupled together via limit line 52. Structural member 53 is hingedly attached to hinge member 37 and hingedly coupled to structural member 54 at 56. Structural members 53 and 54 are also coupled via limit line 57. Structural members 54 and 58 are hingedly attached at 59 and are coupled together via limit line 61.. Structural member 58 also is hingedly attached to hinge member 19. Structural member 62 is hingedly attached to structural member 63 at 64 and coupled to structural member 63 via limit line 66. Structural member 63 is hingedly attached to structural section 67 at 68. Structural member 67 is hingedly attached to structural section 69 at 71. Structural section 69 is coupled to structural section 72 via

strap guides

73 and 74 and pin lock 76. Structural section 69 is also hingedly attached to structural section 77 at 78. Structural section 77 is hingedly attached to structural section 80 at 79. Structural section 78 is hingedly attached to structural section 81 at 82. Structural section 81 is also hingedly attached to structural section 83 at 84 and is coupled to structural section 83 via limit line 86. Structural section 72 is pivotally attached at to structural section 23.

All of the adjacent hinged sections are coupled with limit lines as follows: limit line 91 between

hinge

27 and 40; limit line 92 between hinges 51 and 59; lmit line 93 between

hinges

48 and 56; limit line 94 between hinges 29 and 44; limit line 96 between hinges 59 and 64; limit line 97 between

hinges

64 and 84; limit line 98 between

hinges

84 and 32; limit line 99 between

hinges

34 and 82; limit line 101 between

hinges

82 and 68; and, limit line 102 between

hinges

68 and 56. Some of these limit lines are hidden behind structural members but it is to be understood that they are present between adjacent hinges.

OPERATION Referring back to all of the drawings, it can be seen that the structural members of the frame are all of substantially equal length to facilitate a folding in three parts as shown more clearly in FIG. 2, with

sections

11A, 11B and 11C. One part would be all of the structural members at the top of the tent and those parallel to it and the other section would comprise all of the structural members on the other side of the tent. Hence, when it is desired to erect the tent, the

sections

11A, 11B and 11C, are merely unfolded, and the structural members pivotally attached at 19 and 37 are then rotated into the position shown in FIG. 5. The limit lines 91 through 102 keep the vertically disposed structural members at a desired separation and the limit lines such as 28, 31, 33 and 36, limit the angular separation of adjacent structural members.

When disassembled, the canvass covering 12 folds in an accordion manner between adjacent structural members. It has been found that a V-shaped zippered section 13 facilitates the final folding of

sections

11A, 11B and 11C, into a compact position shown in FIG. 1. This final folding is shown in FIG. 11. Referring to FIG. 5, a door section indicated at 14 in FIG. 4 is formed between structural members 53 and

structural sections

72, 69 and 67. The reason for the added hinge section 67 and the slidable relationship between

sections

69 and 72 can be seen with reference to FIGS. 7 and 8. In order for the tent to fold in the fashion shown in FIG. 8,

sections

77 and 69 must be pushed up via guiding

straps

73 and 74 to where their ends are even with the ends of the rest of the structural members. In order to effect a symmetrical disposition of the horizontal structural member 63, section 67 is necessary to bring it into alignment. The same is true with section 80 and section 81. These make possible an unobstructed rectangular opening via zipper 14 to form an entrance space to the structure.

FIG. 6 illustrates locking pin 76 which locks

sections

69 and 72 together in the erect position so that portions of the tent will not collapse. When it is desired to collapse the tent, locking pin 76 is removed and

sections

69 and 72 can be moved relative to each other as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8.

It should be understood, of course, that the foregoing disclosures relates to only a preferred embodiment of the invention and that it is intended to cover all changes and modifications ofthe example of the invention herein chosen, for the purposes of the disclosure, which do not constitute departures from the spirit and scope of the invention.

The invention claimed is:

l. A portable tent comprising:

a frame having a plurality of structural units substantially equal in length;

a rectangular base consisting of six of said structural units having first and second short sides of one structural unit each and first and second long sides of two structural units each;

first, second, third and fourth hinge means coupling said long sides to said short sides;

fifth and sixth hinge means coupling the first and second structural units on said first and second long sides together, respectively;

a plurality of U-shaped structural units, each of said U-shaped structural units consisting of first, second and third structural units, all of said first, second and third structural units in said U-shaped structural units being hingedly attached to each other, the ends of said U-shaped structural units being hingedly coupled to said fifth and sixth hinge means, a central one of said plurality of U-shaped units being in perpendicular relationship with said rectangular base; and

another U-shaped unit having a structural unit with one end hingedly coupled to one of said first and second long side structural units in a central portion thereof, said structural unit being in parallel relationship with said central one of said plurality of U-shaped units for forming an entrance space.

2. The portable tent of claim 1 wherein:

said structural unit hingedly coupled to said structural unit of one of said first and second long sides comprises first and second sections slidably coupled to each other for varying its overall length.

3. The portable tent of claim 2 and further including:

a J-shaped section having first and second legs of substantially equal length hingedly coupled together, one end of said first and second legs being hingedly coupled to one of said fifth and sixth hinge means; and

a short leg hingedly coupled to the other end of said first and second structural legs of equal length and to one of said first and second sections slidably coupled to each other.

4. The portable tent of claim 3 and further including:

a first short section hingedly coupled between said short leg.

5. The portable tent of claim 2 and further including:

a short section hingedly coupled between the top end of said first and second sections and one of said structural units.

Claims

1. A portable tent comprising: a frame having a plurality of structural units substantially equal in length; a rectangular base consisting of six of said structural units having first and second short sides of one structural unit each and first and second long sides of two structural units each; first, second, third and fourth hinge means coupling said long sides to said short sides; fifth and sixth hinge means coupling the first and second structural units on said first and second long sides together, respectively; a plurality of U-shaped structural units, each of said U-shaped structural units consisting of first, second and third structural units, all of said first, second and third structural units in said U-shaped structural units being hingedly attached to each other, the ends of said U-shaped structural units being hingedly coupled to said fifth and sixth hinge means, a Central one of said plurality of U-shaped units being in perpendicular relationship with said rectangular base; and another U-shaped unit having a structural unit with one end hingedly coupled to one of said first and second long side structural units in a central portion thereof, said structural unit being in parallel relationship with said central one of said plurality of U-shaped units for forming an entrance space.

2. The portable tent of claim 1 wherein: said structural unit hingedly coupled to said structural unit of one of said first and second long sides comprises first and second sections slidably coupled to each other for varying its overall length.

3. The portable tent of claim 2 and further including: a J-shaped section having first and second legs of substantially equal length hingedly coupled together, one end of said first and second legs being hingedly coupled to one of said fifth and sixth hinge means; and a short leg hingedly coupled to the other end of said first and second structural legs of equal length and to one of said first and second sections slidably coupled to each other.

4. The portable tent of claim 3 and further including: a first short section hingedly coupled between said short leg.

5. The portable tent of claim 2 and further including: a short section hingedly coupled between the top end of said first and second sections and one of said structural units.