WO1997023365A1

WO1997023365A1 - Tent structure for motor vehicles

Info

Publication number: WO1997023365A1
Application number: PCT/IT1996/000260
Authority: WO
Inventors: Paolo Sbuelz
Original assignee: M.E.Rin S.R.L
Priority date: 1995-12-22
Filing date: 1996-12-20
Publication date: 1997-07-03
Also published as: IT1277960B1; ITRM950845A0; ITRM950845A1; AU1207797A

Abstract

A tent structure pivotally connected to the rear loading compartment of a vehicle and apted to open outwardly, comprising a base frame (3) pivotally connected along one side thereof by means of hinge means (4) to the floor (21) of the loading compartment (22) of the vehicle, a roof frame (4, 5) pivotally connected to said base frame (3) by separate joint means (40); a pair of flexible tie wires (6), one end thereof being removably connected to the top part inside the loading compartment (22) by means of a fixing means (7) and at the opposide end thereof being fixed to respective corner ends (10, 11) of the base frame (3); and covering means (30, 31) for said both base frame (3), and the roof frame (4, 5).

Description

TENT STRUCTURE FOR MOTORVEHICLES

DESCRIPTION

1. Field of the invention The present invention relates to a tent structure applied at the rear loading compartment of a vehicle and hinged to open outwardly. In particular, the tent structure of the present invention can be applied to motorvehicles with a rear door which opens upwardly, such as station-wagons, vans, etc. automobiles.

2. Related art

Various forms of tents for camping are known from the state of the art, and they are substantially constituted of structures that once folded have to be transported in the vehicle, assembled outside the vehicle and subsequently dismantled and folded ready for transport. In another embodiment of known tents provides that such tents have to be carried in a trailer, requiring a hook on the vehicle pulling. Furthermore, are also known tents fitted to a luggage rack structure applied to the roof of a vehicle, said structure being expandable when in use, but requiring a small ladder to reach it.

In all the abovementioned embodiments of known tents, its clear that they are not very practical, either to assemble or to disassemble, and a number of persons are necessary for both of these operations. Furthermore, the structure of the tent, which is often in a number of bags, normally takes up a lot of space in the luggage compartment of the vehicle.

Trailer tents are extremely easy and quick to open and assemble, but they involve problems related to towing the trailer and parking it when not in use.

Tents fitted to luggage racks applied to the roof of vehicles are in practice small in size, extremely difficult to access and only have the stability allowed by the rigidity of the parked vehicle. Recently, there has been a notable spread of van- type and single-volume vehicles such station-wagons, which have an ample baggage compartment and a large rear door allowing free access to said compartment. These vehicles allow a number of people and a notable amount of luggage to be transported with comfort, but the baggage compartment, although of fair size in commercial vehicles, is not usually apted to be used as a "sleeping compartment" . SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Object of the present invention is therefore to eliminate the abovementioned problems found in known types of tent, and to provide a tent structure that is hinged to open outwardly from the rear luggage compartment of a car or van and that can be used for the purposes of an ordinary tent.

Another object is to provide a tent having a simple structure and being easy to install and use and taking up a minimum amount of space inside the vehicle. A further object of the present invention is to provide a tent structure that can be permanently fixed to the vehicle and can be folded away tightly and transported in that condition, thereby giving a saving in space for luggages. The invention, as characterised by the claims, solves the abovementioned problems providing a tent structure housed in the rear loading compartment of a vehicle and connected therein to open outwardly in the longitudinal direction of said vehicle, characterised in that it comprises:

- a base frame having a quadrangular shape and pivotally connected at the rear end of the vehicle along one side thereof;

- hinge means for pivotally connecting said base frame to the floor of the loading compartment of the vehicle; - at least one roof frame pivotally connected at two ends thereof to said base frame by separate joint means;

- at least a pair of flexible tie wires having one end thereof removably fixed inside and above the loading compartment through fixing means, said one end thereof holding respective corner ends of said at least one roof frame at an intermediate portion, and the other end thereof being fixed to the respective corner ends of the base frame; - covering means for said base frame and roof frame; said base frame and said roof frame being movable from a closed position, wherein they are folded in an abutted condition inside the loading compartment, to an open position wherein said base frame is positioned outside the vehicle and substantially on the same plane with the floor of the loading compartment, said roof frame being inclined with respect to the base frame and forming an angle determined by said at least a pair of tie wires.

One of the advantages obtained by the present invention basically consists in that the compartment formed by the tent is suspended above ground level, thereby avoiding problems related to dampness of the ground and other problems typical of camp sites, i.e. the entry of insects or small animals into the tent. The invention will be now described in greater detail and with reference to the enclosed drawings, which illustrate two preferred embodiments of the invention, given as a non-limiting example.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Figure 1 illustrates a perspective view of a first embodiment of the object of the invention in an open condition; figure 2 illustrates a perspective view of the object of the invention in a partially closed condition; figure 3 illustrates a perspective view of the object of the invention in a completely closed condition; figure 4 illustrates a partial perspective view of the hinge and joint means of the object of the invention; figure 5 illustrates a perspective view of the fixing means of the object of the invention; figure 6 illustrates a partial perspective view of the object of the invention partially covered by a canvas awning; figure 7 shows a second embodiment of the tent structure according to the present invention; figure 8 shows a partial perspective view of a second embodiment of the tent covering awning according to the present invention; and figure 9 shows a partial perspective view of the second embodiment of the tent structure according to the present invention, in an operational condition.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

According to the present invention, figure 1 illustrates a tent structure 1 which is housed at the rear loading compartment 22 of a vehicle 2, and is hinged to open outwardly.

The tent structure 1 comprises a base frame 3, having substantially a quadrangular shape and pivotally connected along one of its sides and perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the vehicle 2, by means of hinge means 41. Said hinge means 41 are fixed to the floor 21 of the loading compartment 22 of the vehicle 2.

The reference numeral 4 indicates a roof frame pivotally connected at its two ends by means of separate joint means 40. This structure 1 also comprises a pair of flexible tie wires 6 having one end removably connected inside and on the top of the loading compartment 22 by means of fixing means 7. The tie wires 6 hold at respective intermediate portions the angular ends 8 and 9 of said roof frame 4 and at the opposite end hold the respective corner ends 10 and 11 of the base frame 3.

Advantageously and as shown in figure 1, if is required a larger structure, the base frame 3 may comprise a first frame 13 and a second frame 14 each pivotally connected to the other along respective sides 15 and 16 and perpendicularly to the longitudinal direction of the vehicle. The structure 1 further comprises a first roof frame 4 which is pivotally connected at its two ends by means of joint means 40 and a second roof frame 5 of smaller size than the first frame 4.

Said second roof frame 5 is jointed at an intermediate portion on the shorter sides 17 and 18 of the second roof frame 5. Furthermore, the pairs of tie wires 6 hold the angular ends 8 and 9 of both the roof frames 4 and 5.

As shown in figure 1 and in figure 2, the structure l further comprises an additional pair of vertical tie wires 19 and 20, which are connected on the angular ends 3 and 9 of both the roof frames 4 and 5 and on the angular ends 10 and 11 of the base frame 3.

As shown in figures 5 and 6, 12 indicates cover means for said base frame 3 and roof frame 4, and in particular these means comprise a first cover 30 for the base frame, on which it is possible to rest a mattress, and a bag cover 31 to cover the outside of both the base frame 3 and the roof frame 4. In particular between the opening 32 of the loading compartment of the vehicle 2 and the edge of the bag cover 31 connection means 34 is provided, which can be constituted of e.g. a zip fastener 34 or a Velcro type fastener.

Using these kind of fasteners it is possible to form a single compartment uniting the structure 1 and the loading compartment of the vehicle 2.

As shown in figure 3, the hinge means 4 comprise two brackets 41 fixed to the floor 21, wherein on both cylindrical ends thereof respective ends of the base frame 3 are pivotally connected. The joint means 40 comprises a pair of cylindrical sleeves integral with the free end of the roof frame 4. Figure 5 illustrates the fixing means 7, which comprise a pair of L-shaped brackets 71 which are fixed in a spaced manner inside and on the top of the loading compartment 22 at the opening 32 thereof, and each having a slot 33 for holding said tie wires 6.

Furthermore, said tie wires 6 can advantageously be provided at one end thereof with hooks (not shown in the figure) apted to engage in the respective slots 33.

Referring now to figures 2 and 3, they show how the base frame 3 and the roof frames 4 and 5 can be moved from a closed condition, wherein they are folded abutted inside the loading compartment 22 to an open condition, wherein the tent structure is apted to be used, in which said base frame 3 is positioned outside the vehicle 2 at an approximately same level as the floor 21 of the loading compartment 22.

In this condition the roof frame 4 is inclined with respect to the base frame 3 forming an angle determined by said pair of tie wires 6. With reference now to figure 7, a second embodiment of the tent structure according to the present invention is shown.

In this second embodiment the structural members of the base frame 13 and 14 and the members 4 and 5 are constituted substantially of telescopic members, thereby being possible to adjust the total length and width of said structure and said base frame 3.

Furthermore, it is provided that the telescopic members 4a, 5a, 13a, 13b, 14a and 14b slide integrally with the respective structural members and engage the latter by means of positional locking members, e.g. snap- on members as pawl members and similar (not shown in the figure) in a per se known manner.

As is may be understood from the figure, the abovementioned second embodiment allows the tent structure to fit any type of vehicle apted to the purpose, simply by adjusting the width and length of said base frame 3 and the members 4 and 5, respectively.

Furthermore, the whole base frame 3 has four support members 51 (illustrated folded and better shown in the following) pivotally connected to the respective corners lCr and 11 of said frame 3.

With reference now to figure 8, a partial view of a second embodiment of the tent covering awning according to the invention is shown. In this embodiment, at the bottom part of the tent covering awning 31 and on the lower edge of the rear opening 2 of the vehicle (not shown) , an area 31a is provided for the folding of the tent fabric and by means of a fastener 34a. The fastener 34a is apted to decrease or increase the extension in length of the peripheral edge of the tent at said connection means 34, thus rendering said covering awning perfectly adaptable to the type of vehicle on which it has to be installed.

Similarly to the first embodiment set forth, the fastener 34a can be constituted of e.g. either a zip fastener or a Velcro type fastening.

Furthermore, this embodiment is perfectly compatible with the second embodiment of the structure of the base frame 3 set forth. With reference now to figure 9, a partial view of the second embodiment of the tent structure according to the present invention in an operational condition is shown.

According to this embodiment, the whole base frame 3 rests on the ground on said four support members 51 which are pivotally connected to respective corners 10 and 11 of said frame 3. Said support members 51 are apted of being folded on the structure when the latter is folded inside the opening 22 of the vehicle. In an another embodiment, it is possible to provide that the mattresses to be arranged on top of the base covering 30 (shown with dotted lines in figures 6 and 9) could be constituted of panels of elastic or semi-rigid expanded material, so that said mattresses compensate the deformation of the base cover 30 when a person is lying on them and when the telescopic members of the frame are fully extended.

In a further embodiment, the tie wires 6 may comprise adjusting devices for the length adjustment thereof, such as buckles or the like, so as to allow a length adjustment of said tie wires 6, thus rendering the base frame 3 parallel to the floor 21 of the vehicle.

For those skilled in the art will be evident that the invention as set forth can be subject to numerous modifications and alterations, without departing from the scope of the appended claims, as all the functional members could be replaced by other members that are technically equivalent.

Claims

TAIMS

1. A tent structure housed in the rear loading compartment of a vehicle and connected therein to open outwardly in the longitudinal direction of said vehicle, characterised in that it comprises:

- a base frame (3) , having a quadrangular shape and pivotally connected at the rear end of the vehicle along one side thereof;

- hinge means (4) for pivotally connecting said base frame (3) to the floor (21) of the loading compartment

(2.2) of the vehicle (2) ; at least one roof frame (4, 5) , pivotally connected at two ends thereof to said base frame (3) by separate joint means (40) ; - at least a pair of flexible tie wires (6) having one end thereof removably fixed inside and above the loading compartment (22) through fixing means (7) , said one end thereof holding respective corner ends (8, 9) of said at least one roof frame (4, 5) at an intermediate portion, and the other end thereof being fixed to the respective corner ends (10, 11) of the base frame (3) ;

- covering means (12) for said base frame (3) and roof frame (4, 5) ; said base frame (3) and said roof frame (4„ 5) being movable from a closed position, wherein they are folded in an abutted condition inside the loading compartment

(22) , to an open position wherein said base frame (3) is positioned outside the vehicle (2) and substantially on the same plane with the floor (21) of the loading compartment (22), said roof frame (4, 5) being inclined with respect to the base frame (3) and forming an angle determined by said at least a pair of tie wires (6) .

2. A tent structure according to claim 1, characterised in that said base frame (3) comprises: - a first frame (13) and a second frame (14) pivotally connected along respective sides (15, 16) and perpendicularly to the longitudinal direction of the vehicle;

- a first roof frame (4) pivotally connected at two ends thereof to said first frame (13) and to said vehicle by means of separate joint means (40) ;

- a second roof frame (5) eventually smaller than the first frame (4) and jointed on the shorter sides (17, 18) of the second frame (14) at a substantially intermediate portion of each shorter side (17, 18) ; and - at least a pair of tie wires (6) for the holding of both the roof frames 4 and 5.

3. A tent structure according to claim 1 or 2, wherein it further comprises an additional pair of vertical tie wires (19, 20) connected on the angular ends (8, 9) of the roof frames (4, 5) and the angular ends (10, 11) of the base frame (3) .

4. A tent structure according to any of the preceding claims, wherein said covering means comprises a first base cover (30) for the base frame (3) and an bag cover (31) for external overall coverage of the base frame (3) and the roof frames (4, 5) .

5. A tent structure according to any of the preceding claims, wherein said hinge means (4) comprises at least two brackets (41) fixed to the floor (21) of the vehicle and at the cylindrical ends thereof respective ends of the base frame (3) are hinged.

6. A tent structure according to any of the preceding claims, wherein said joint means (40) comprises a pair of cylindrical sleeves integral with the free end of the roof frame (4, 5) .

7. A tent structure according to any of the preceding claims, wherein said fixing means (7) comprises at least a pair of L-shaped brackets (71) fixed in a spaced manner at the inside and on top of the loading compartment (22) at the rear opening (32) thereof, each one having a slot (33) apted to hold said tie wires (6) .

8. A tent structure according to any of the preceding claims, wherein between said bag cover (31) and the edge of the opening (32) of the loading compartment of the vehicle connection means (34) are provided in order to form a single environment in the area comprising said compartment and said structure.

9. A tent structure according to any of the preceding claims, wherein said base frame (3) and said roof frame (4, 5) comprise a plurality of telescopic structural members (4a, 5a, 13a, 13b, 14a and 14b) apted to render said base frame telescopic both in length and in width thereof.

10. A tent structure according to any of the preceding claims, further comprising a plurality of length regulating devices for the length adjustment of said flexible tie wires (6) .

11. A tent structure for a vehicle according to the preceding claims and as described and illustrated with reference to the enclosed figures.