WO2004072414A1

WO2004072414A1 - Canopy tent

Info

Publication number: WO2004072414A1
Application number: PCT/KR2004/000323
Authority: WO
Inventors: Jung-Gi An; Sung-Hyun Kim
Original assignee: Buffalo Company Co. Ltd.
Priority date: 2003-02-17
Filing date: 2004-02-17
Publication date: 2004-08-26
Also published as: KR200314952Y1

Abstract

Disclosed is a canopy tent that has a structure of setting up and pulling down it in an easier manner. The canopy tent includes a relatively short spring that is adapted to be moved in upward and downward directions along a sliding shaft and upper and lower compressing means that are disposed above and beneath the spring to form the whole ling structure with a plurality of main poles such that when the tent is folded and unfolded, they serve to compress the spring or unfold the main poles by the elasticity of the spring. With the application of a relatively small force, thus, the tent can be folded and unfolded in one-touch way.

Description

CANOPY TENT

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a canopy tent that has a structure of setting up and pulling down it in an easier manner.

Background Art

With the spread of leisure culture, a variety of tents are widely used as a handy house, and among them, a canopy tent has a similar operation to a general umbrella such that it can be easily set up and pulled down.

FIG. 1 shows a frame structure of a conventional canopy tent. As shown in FIG. 1, the conventional canopy tent includes: a main shaft 10 that is adapted to be coupled to a bolt formed at the bottom portion of an upper connecting member 20 through a nut formed in the interior thereof and serves to guide a lower connecting member 30 such that the lower connecting member 30 is slidably moved in upward and downward directions when the tent is set up and pulled down; the upper connecting member 20 that is adapted to be coupled to the upper portion of the main shaft 10 and has a fixing protrusion 22 for fixing the lower connecting member 30, a plurality of upper concave grooves 23 radically formed on the outer peripheral surface thereof, each of the plurality of upper concave grooves 23 having an upper protrusion 24 to which a first pole 40 is coupled, and a fixing plate 25 on which a tent cloth is fixedly formed by means of bolts on the uppermost portion thereof; and the lower connecting member 30 that is adapted to be moved upwardly and downwardly along the main shaft 10 and has the same number of lower concave grooves 32 as the plurality of upper concave grooves 23 formed on the outer peripheral surface thereof, each of the plurality of lower concave grooves 32 having a lower protrusion 33 to which a support rod 50 for supporting the first pole 40 is coupled, and a switch 31 adapted to push the fixing protrusion 22 to the inside of the upper connecting member 20 such that the lower connecting member 30 can be deviated from the fixing protrusion 22 of the upper connecting member 20.

Under the above construction, however, the conventional canopy tent has some problems when in real use due to its structural defects.

First, in case of setting up or pulling down the tent, the main shaft 10 should be coupled by the bolt to the lower portion of the upper connecting member 20 for the purpose of making the lower connecting member 30 slidably moved, and after setting up the tent, the main shaft 10 should be separated from the bolt of the upper connecting member 20. And, it is difficult to set up and pull down the canopy tent in rapid and easy manners and also, it is inconvenient to keep it in an appropriate manner. Second, the tent after set-up should be supported only by means of the fixing protrusion 22 and the switch 31, and however, they are often damaged during the use, thereby making it impossible to set up and pull down the tent again.

Third, the lower connecting member 30 should be moved slidably in the upward and downward directions for the purpose of setting up and pulling down the tent, and unlike umbrellas, however, the tent has a substantially large size of structure, thereby making it uneasy to spread and shut the tent .

To solve these problems, on the other hand, there is proposed Korean Utility Model Registration No. 2944997 wherein a pole motion preventing device for a canopy tent includes an upper connecting member 60 to which a plurality of upper poles 69 are connected, a lower connecting member 90 to which a plurality of lower poles 99 are connected, a main shaft 70 having the upper connecting member 60 and the lower connecting member 90 mounted just above and beneath, and a spring 80 adapted to be interposed between the upper connecting member 60 and the lower connecting member 90, as shown in FIG. 2.

In the afore-mentioned structure of the prior art canopy tent, however, the spring 80 that is disposed between the upper connecting member 60 and the lower connecting member 90 should have a length corresponding to the main shaft 70 for the purpose of applying a predetermined force of elasticity while the tent is spread.

Also, when the tent is shut, a substantially strong force should be applied to the spring 80 such that the spring 80 can be compressed, thereby making it difficult to spread and shut the tent .

As illustrated in FIG. 2, moreover, in the case where the length of the spring 80 is relatively shorter than that of the main shaft 70, the spring 80 fails to fully exert its elasticity, which makes it impossible to set up and pull down the tent in one-touch way. As described in the prior art, the conventional canopy tent should be set up and pulled down in a two-stage way.

Disclosure of Invention Accordingly, the present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a canopy tent that has a structure where a spring provides a sufficient force of elasticity when the tent is set up and pulled down such that the tent can be easily unfolded and folded in one-touch way.

To achieve the above object, according to the present invention, there is provided a canopy tent that includes: a frame having a central pole formed at a middle portion thereof, the central pole serving as a sliding shaft, a central connecting member adapted to be fixed on the top end of the central pole, three or more main poles each adapted to be connected by a hinge to the central connecting member for forming an outer frame, a fixing member adapted to be fixedly disposed on the bottom end of the central pole, a spring adapted to be placed between the central connecting member and the fixing member in such a manner as to be moved in upward and downward directions along the central pole as the sliding shaft, the spring having a relatively shorter length than the central pole, a first auxiliary connecting member adapted to be placed beneath the spring in such a manner as to be moved in upward and downward directions along the central pole as the sliding shaft, a plurality of first auxiliary poles having the same number as the main poles, each of the first auxiliary poles connected by a hinge to the first auxiliary connecting member at one end thereof and connected to a predetermined position of the main pole corresponding thereto at the other end thereof for applying a supporting force to the main pole when the tent is spread, a second auxiliary connecting member adapted to be placed above the spring in such a manner as to be moved in upward and downward directions along the central pole as the sliding shaft, and two or more second auxiliary poles having the same number as the main poles or the less number than the main poles, each of the second auxiliary poles connected by a hinge to the second auxiliary connecting member at one end thereof and connected to a predetermined position of the first auxiliary pole corresponding thereto at the other end thereof; and a flexible outer wall member adapted to be coupled to the main poles of the frame for forming an outer wall when the frame is spread.

According to the preferred embodiment of the present invention, also, each of the main poles is structured in such a manner that two or more poles are connected to each other by means of a folding hinge, and therefore, the tent of the present invention can be reduced in volume when it is folded, thereby making it easy to carry it .

According to the present invention, moreover, each of the main poles is provided with a foldable bracket that is formed at a downward angle, at the end thereof, the foldable bracket having a variable pole disposed thereon such that the tent can be adjusted in height, thereby making it possible to vary the internal space thereof .

The variable pole is desirably a telescope where outer and inner tubes are inserted into each other in a sliding structure. The variable pole has a through hole formed on the outer and inner tubes, respectively in such a manner as to correspond with each other, the through hole having a fixing member with an elastic member inserted therein such that the height of the variable pole is fixed.

According to the present invention, when the canopy tent is set up, the frame can be unfolded at a relatively rapider speed by using the spring that is inserted between the first auxiliary connecting member and the second auxiliary connecting member, and when the canopy tent is pulled down, the spring is restored with a slight force of elasticity such that the frame can be folded easily.

Brief Description of the Drawings Further objects and advantages of the invention can be more fully understood from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a frame structure of a conventional canopy tent;

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of a frame structure of another type of the conventional canopy tent;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the whole structure of a canopy tent according to the present invention;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of the portion "A" of FIG. 3 ; FIGS. 5A and 5B show the operation states of the frame when the tent of the present invention is set up and pulled down; and

FIGS. 6 and 7 are enlarged views of the portions "B" and "C" of FIG. 3.

Best Mode for Carrying Out the Invention Now, an explanation of the preferred embodiment of the present invention will be in detail given with reference to attached drawings .

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the whole structure of a canopy tent according to the present invention. As shown in FIG. 3, a canopy tent 100 of the present invention includes a frame 110 forming a structural body and a tent cloth member 101 as a flexible outer wall member adapted to be coupled to the frame 110 for forming an outer wall when the frame 110 is spread. In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the tent cloth member 101 is a piece of cloth that is adopted in general tents, but it is not necessarily limited thereto. For example, the tent cloth member 101 may be a resin film that is reinforced with reinforcing yarns.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of the portion "A" of FIG. 3, and FIGS. 5A and 5B show the operation states of the frame when the tent of the present invention is set up and pulled down. Now, an explanation of the structure of the frame 110 of the canopy tent according to the present invention will be given in detail. The frame 110 that is adopted in the canopy tent of the present invention has one-touch link structure of being foldable in engagement relation with each part therein.

In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, four main poles 112 to which the tent cloth member 101 is coupled are connected to the four ends of a cross-shaped central connecting member 111 at the ends thereof by a hinge means, such that when the tent is unfolded, they are in radical position at a predetermined downward angle, and when it is folded, they are folded in parallel relation with a central pole 113. In this case, the central connecting member 111 may take round, triangular, rectangular, hexagonal or the like, which is properly selected in accordance with the number of the main poles 112 to be used in a canopy tent product. And, the main poles 112 should be spaced equally apart for forming a stable structural body.

The central connecting member 111 is fixedly disposed on the top end of a predetermined length of central pole 113. The central pole 113 forms a support shaft, while serving as a sliding shaft for auxiliary connecting members 121 and 131 and a spring as will be described below. Thus, the central pole 113 is desirably in a generally cylindrical shape, exhibiting a sufficient strength, and it has an appropriate length in accordance with the whole tent shape such as the angle formed by the main poles 112. However, if the central pole 113 is too long, it is difficult not only to enlarge the internal space but also to set up and pull down the tent. On the other hand, the central pole 113 has a second auxiliary connecting member 131, a spring 140, and a first auxiliary connecting member 121 that are sequentially inserted thereinto, all of them being moved freely in upward and downward directions along the central pole 113 as the sliding shaft.

The central pole 113 is provided with a fixing member 114 that is formed on the bottom end thereof, for preventing the first connecting member 131 from being deviated outwardly from the central pole 113 by the restoring force of the spring 140 and the load of the main poles 112.

The spring 140 is a component that serves to set up and pull down the tent in one-touch way with the help of elasticity generated therefrom. In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the spring 140 is operated in the one-touch way together with the auxiliary action of the second auxiliary connecting member 131 and a plurality of second auxiliary poles 132 such that since there is no need for preparation of the spring having the length corresponding to the sliding shaft in the prior art canopy tent, the length of the spring 140 is relatively short as shown in FIG. 4, for convenience of a user. The same number of first auxiliary poles 122 as the main poles 112 are formed between the first auxiliary connecting member 121 and the main poles 122 in such a manner as to be connected by a hinge 102 on both ends thereof to the first auxiliary connecting member 121 and the main poles 112. Angles of the main poles 112 and the first auxiliary poles 122 with respect to the central pole 113 are adjusted in accordance with the lengths of the first auxiliary poles 122 and the positions of the first auxiliary poles 122 connected to the main poles 112, which is appropriately determined by those skilled in the art under the condition that the frame can be supported stably when it is spread and also fully folded when it is shut, as shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B . Desirably, the first auxiliary poles 122 are placed in vertical relation with the central pole 113 and in horizontal relation with the ground when the frame is spread, as shown in FIGS. 4 to 5B.

On the other hand, the four second auxiliary poles 132 are formed between the second auxiliary connecting member 131 and the first auxiliary poles 122, and in this case, each of the second auxiliary poles 132 is connected by a hinge to the second auxiliary connecting member 131 at one end thereof and is connected by the hinge 102 to a predetermined position of the corresponding first auxiliary pole 112 at the other end thereof. Preferably, the same number of second auxiliary poles 132 as the main poles 112 and the first auxiliary poles 122 are formed, as shown, but two or more second auxiliary poles 132 are enough to accomplish the objects of the present invention. The lengths of the second auxiliary poles 132 and the positions of the second auxiliary poles 132 connected to the first auxiliary poles 122 are determined in accordance with the difference between the compressed length of the spring 140 and the restored length thereof and the length of the central pole 113, and when the frame is spread, as shown in FIG. 5A, the second auxiliary poles 132 are preferably in parallel relation with the main poles 112 or are at a relatively downward angle as compared with the main poles 112.

Under the above construction, the first auxiliary poles 122 connected to the main poles 112 and the second auxiliary poles 132 connected to the first auxiliary poles 122 have a single link structure with respect to the central pole 113. If one or more components, that is, the main poles 112, the first auxiliary poles 122 or the second auxiliary poles 132 are folded or unfolded or if the central connecting member 111, the first auxiliary connecting member 121 or the second auxiliary connecting member 131 are moved in upward and downward directions, other components are in engagement relation with one another since they have the single link structure, such that the frame 110 can be folded or unfolded. Especially, if the second auxiliary connecting member 131 and the second auxiliary poles 132 connected thereto are provided above the spring 140, the distance between the first auxiliary connecting member 121 and the second auxiliary connecting member 131 is varied when the frame 110 is folded and unfolded. In more detail, when the frame 110 is folded, the distance becomes short such that the spring 140 becomes in a compressed state, and when the tent is set up, the frame 110 is unfolded at substantially rapid speed by the elasticity of the compressed spring 140. In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the spring 140 is disposed only between the first auxiliary connecting member 121 and the second auxiliary connecting member 131 in such a manner as to be compressed by the difference of the distances when the frame 110 is unfolded and folded. Therefore, the length of the spring 140 can be substantially shorter than that of the sliding shaft in the prior art canopy tent . In the case where the tent is folded in the shape as mentioned above, the elasticity size of spring 140 is relatively small as compared with that corresponding to the whole length of the sliding shaft in the prior art canopy tent such that the frame 110 can be folded easily by a user.

FIGS. 6 and 7 are enlarged views of the portions "B" and "C" of FIG. 3. An explanation of the structure of setting up and pulling down the canopy tent according to the present invention will be given with reference to FIGS. 6 and 7. In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, as shown in FIG. 6, each of the main poles 112 is formed of two or more poles connected to each other by means of a foldable bracket 115.

As the main poles 112 are folded, the volume of frame is reduced thereby giving easiness when it is carried. In another preferred embodiment of the present invention, the foldable bracket 115 being at a downward angle is disposed at an end of each main pole 112, and a variable pole 116 is placed at the foldable bracket 115 such that the internal space can be varied in accordance with the height adjustment of the tent.

As shown in FIG. 7, at that time, the variable pole 116 is in a shape of a telescope where outer and inner tubes 116a and 116b are inserted into each other in a sliding structure, the variable pole 116 having a through hole 116c formed on the outer and inner tubes 116a and 116b, respectively in such a manner as to correspond with each other, the through hole 116c having a fixing member 116e with an elastic member 116d inserted therein such that the height of the variable pole 116 is fixed.

On the other hand, in the case where the canopy tent of^" the present invention is installed on the floor, it provides another simple housing space.

Industrial applicability

As set forth in the foregoing, the canopy tent of the present invention has a structure where the spring provides a sufficient force of elasticity when the tent is set up and pulled down such that the tent can be easily spread and shut in one-touch manner.

While the present invention has been described with reference to a few specific embodiments, the description is illustrative of the invention and is not to be construed as limiting the invention. Various modifications may occur to those skilled in the art without departing from the true spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

Claims

What Is Claimed Is:

1. A canopy tent comprising: a frame having a central pole formed at a middle portion thereof, the central pole serving as a sliding shaft, a central connecting member adapted to be fixed on the top end of the central pole, three or more main poles each adapted to be connected by a hinge to the central connecting member for forming an outer frame, a fixing member adapted to be fixedly disposed on the bottom end of the central pole, a spring adapted to be placed between the central connecting member and the fixing member in such a manner as to be moved in upward and downward directions along the central pole as the sliding shaft, the spring having a relatively shorter length than the central pole, a first auxiliary connecting member adapted to be placed beneath the spring in such a manner as to be moved in upward and downward directions along the central pole as the sliding shaft, a plurality of first auxiliary poles having the same number as the main poles, each of the first auxiliary poles connected by a hinge to the first auxiliary connecting member at one end thereof and connected to a predetermined position of the main pole corresponding thereto at the other end thereof for applying a supporting force to the main pole when the tent is spread, a second auxiliary connecting member adapted to be placed above the spring in such a manner as to be moved in upward and downward directions along the central pole as the sliding shaft, and two or more second auxiliary poles having the same number as the main poles or the less number than the main poles, each of the second auxiliary poles connected by a hinge to the second auxiliary connecting member at one end thereof and connected to a predetermined position of the first auxiliary pole corresponding thereto at the other end thereof; and a flexible outer wall member adapted to be coupled to the main poles of the frame for forming an outer wall when the frame is spread.

2. A canopy tent according to claim 1, wherein each of the main poles is structured in such a manner that two or more poles are connected to each other by means of a folding hinge .

3. A canopy tent according to claim 1 or 2 , wherein each of the main poles is provided with a foldable bracket that is formed at a downward angle, at the end thereof, the foldable bracket having a variable pole disposed thereon.

4. A canopy tent according to claim 3, wherein the variable pole is in a shape of a telescope where outer and inner tubes are inserted into each other in a sliding structure, the variable pole having a through hole formed on the outer and inner tubes, respectively in such a manner as to correspond with each other, the through hole having a fixing member with an elastic member inserted therein such that the height of the variable pole is fixed.