US547119A - Of birmingham - Google Patents

Description

(No Model.)

H HEATGN, Jr. 82; H. D HOPE. TENT.

No. 247,119. Patented 001;; 1,1895.

2 Shee'tS -Sheet 1.

there n TATES UAR-RY 'llFJATON, JR-faOF KINGS NORTON, AND HENRY DONALD HOPE;

- OF BIRMINGHAM, ENGLAND.

TENT.

SPIECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 547, 119, dated October 1, 1895.

Application filed December 20, 1894- Serial No. 532,464. (No model.)

To 0558 whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, HARRY HEATON, J12, residing at Lifford Mills, Kiugs Norton, in the county of Worcester, and HENRY DONALD HOPE, residing at Lionel StreeuBirmingham, England, citizens of Great Britain, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Tents, of which the following is a specification.

Our invention relates to tents, and is especially applicable to military tents.

Our object is to dispense with the tentpoles at present in use and to provide a pneumatic or a hydraulic system of support by which it is only required to pump up the tent with an inflator or a pump for liquids to produce the necessary rigidity of form.

P- rt of our invention also consists in a method of inflating tents supported by pneumatic tubes or cells or chambers.

Referring to the two accompanying sheets of drawings, Figure 1 shows, in elevation, a system of flexible tubes arranged as infiatedby air or disteuded by water to act as tent-poles.

Fig; .3 is an external elevation of a tent so supported. Fig. 3 isa plan showing one arrangement of tubes for supporting the upper part of the tent. "Fig. 4 is a plan showing another arrangement for the same purpose. Fig. 5 shows one mode ot'connecting the tubes to a tent peg or spike. Fig. 6 shows a plate-fastening to form the attachment to the ground.-

" shows a tent framework with crossidirr tubes as Well as upright tubes. Fig. 8 shows,

I in section, a tent with'bands or cells attached to the canvas. Fig. 9 shows a single tube tent, and Fig.10 shows a gas-bottle as applie to charging a tent.

In one method of carrying our invention into effect we construct a tubular ring A, Fig. 3, of any suitable metal, rubber, or other-"material to, support the crown or upper part of the tent, and we provide this tubular ring with projecting tube pi'eces B B B 13 and an ordinary pneumatic-tire valve B with a convenient nozzle attachment for inflating or charging. l To the projecting timepieces ii 1; l3 1;, Fig. 3, we attach suitable canvascovercd india-- rubber tubes and these tubes We construct of such length as to take the place ot tent-poles.

and spike F isshown at Fig, 6.

The tubes are looped or attached to the interior of the tentin any convenient manner and attached to the tent-pegs driven in the ground just as poles are attached. Instead of adopting the ring-tube A with the attached tubes B, the cross-tubes B may be connected together at the center, as shown in Figs. 1 or 4.

The rubber or other flexible air-tight tubes E may be connected to the tubes B by screwcouplings O, and similar couplings D may be used for connecting to the spikes F. The spike F and its connection D areshown more clearly at Fig. 5. A plate G with coupling D The tubes E are suitably stopped up at their lower ends by plugs or other devices.

On inflating the system by pumping into the tubular ring or other portion of the sys-' tem the pneumatic tubes become rigid and supply an efiicient support for the tent-cloth. The tubes maybe so formed and so looped or tied to the canvas of the tent as to give any desired outline of tent. Preferably we attach these tubes to the tent in an easily-detachable manner, so that upon deflation the tubes'may be removed and packed up in small bulk for ready transit.

At Fig. 7 we show the pneumatic tubes E connected by cross-tubes I, which, may be coupled togetherbycouplingsl Thesecrosstubes are inflated, together with the other parts of the system, and so provide lateral support and rigidity. An entire framework of pneumatic tubes may be so arranged, and in some cases spikes or pegs may be dispensed with.

In the arrangement of tent hereinbefore' described we use four pneumatic tubes and one metal tubular ring or corresponding crosstubes, but we may adopt av greater or less number of tubes, as we desire.

Our invention may be carried into effect according to several modifications. For ex: ample, the canvas of the tent may be made with cellular straps ,or bands J, Fig. 8, passing vertically to form vertical ribs and horizontally to form horizontal ribs. On inflating .thcso ribs or the system of ribs or cells the tent at once assumes its required position and.

firmly maintains its dimensions as if supported by the ordinarytent-poles. More than one tubular ring may be used, or metal tubes may be adopted in other forms than rings, depending on the particular shape of the tent to be produced.

The tubes may be distended by hydraulic pressure instead of air-pressure, the same arrangements as hereinbefore described being adopted. Where hydraulic pressure is adopted we add to the systen an air-vessel, as K, Fig. 8, and supply the vessel with compressed air to keep up the liquid pressure in the event of slight leakage.

Instead of constructinga tent with multiple tubes, as E, Figs. et and 7, or with cellular strips or bands, as J, Fig. 8, we sometimes provide a single centrai-pole tent, as shown at Fig. 9. The central pole L is a pneumatic tube of considerable diameter, provided with a spike F at the lower end and having ropes M attached at the top and carried to pegs N, as shown. The central pneumatic or bydraulic tube L, with its ropes, is shown at Fig. 9 without the canvas.

Another part of our invention relates to tents, as hereinbefore described, and consists in a method of charging such tubes or cells without an inflator or pump. For this purpose we use a metal bottle of the kind c0inmonly used to hold compressed gas, andwe charge such bottle with air or eveirliquid carbonic acid at high pressure. To inflate the tent we apply the bottle to the nozzle of the system and charge it to any desired pressure. Safety or reducing valves may be used to prevent bursting. Such a bottle is shown at Fig. 10 connected up to a nozzle and pneumatic tube in the act of inflating the central tube of the single-tube tent of Fig. 9.

Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of oursaid invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we claim is In combination in a tent frame, the pneumatic tubes formed in sections, the spikes or fasteniugs and the couplings between the sections of the tubes and between the tubes and the fasteuings, substantially as described.

In witness whereof we have hereunto set our hands in presence of two witnesses.

HARRY IIEATON, JR. HENRY DONALD HOPE. Witnesses:

ALBERT E. PARKER, II. SmuERINc: Woon.

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