Aircraft tent apparatus

Abstract

A tent enclosure includes an airplane-wing-attachment member affixed to a top portion of the tent structure for support by a section of a wing on a parked or grounded aircraft. The attachment member is temporarily fastened in place on the wing section by confronting layers of complementary hook or loop fastener material located on the wing attachment member and the top portion of the tent enclosure, respectively. The tent enclosure then is staked to the ground underneath the supporting wing section thereby providing temporary shelter for emergency or recreational use.

Description

FIELD OF INVENTION, BACKGROUND AND BRIEF SUMMARY

The present invention relates generally to tent constructions, and more particularly, to a portable tent for emergency or recreational use on or with small aircraft.

More specifically, the present invention has for its primary object, the provision of a portable tent apparatus adapted to be stored on a small airplane as part of its emergency equipment, and which includes means for supporting the tent in an erect condition by attachment thereof to the wing of the aircraft when the plane is parked on the ground in a stationery condition.

To carry out this object, the tent apparatus of the present invention preferably includes as the wing-attachment means a panel affixed to the top of the tent adapted to be placed over a section of a wing on the parked aircraft and then temporarily fastened in place by suitable reclosure means. Preferably, the reclosure means consists of confronting strips of hook-or-loop fastening fabric (e.g., Velcro®) on the panel and the top of the tent apparatus, respectively.

When not in use, the tent apparatus can be removed from its wing-supporting erect condition, folded into a compact and relatively light-weight package or kit, and suitably stored as emergency equipment on or in the aircraft.

Briefly summarized, the invention thus provides an improved tent enclosure including an airplane-wing-attachment member affixed to a top portion thereof allowing the tent to be supported by a section of a wing on a parked or grounded aircraft or plane. The attachment member is temporarily fastened in place on the wing section by confronting layers of complementary hook or loop fastener material on the wing attachment member and the top portion of the tent enclosure, respectively. The tent enclosure then is staked to the ground underneath the supporting wing section thereby providing temporary shelter for emergency or recreational use.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention will be better understood, and the above object as well as objects other than that set forth above, will become more apparent after a study of the following detailed description thereof. Such description makes reference to the annexed drawing wherein:

FIG. 1 is a front elevational view showing the aircraft tent apparatus of the invention being supported on the ground by the wing of a small aircraft.

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of FIG. 1 taken along line 2-2.

FIG. 3 is top plan view of FIG. 1 taken along line 3-3.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged plan view of the tent-to-ground corner tab designated by circle 4 in FIG. 3.

FIG. 4A is a plan view of an alternatively preferred embodiment of the corner tab shown in FIG. 4.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the tent-height-adjustment portion of the tent taken along line 5-5 in FIG. 2.

FIG. 6 is an elevational view of the tent-height-adjustment portion of the tent portion of FIG. 5 taken along line 6-6 of FIG. 5 showing the juxtaposed folds fastened in place.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

With reference to the drawings, at least one preferred embodiment of a new and improved AIRCRAFT TENT APPARTUS embodying the principles and concepts of the present invention now will be described in sufficient detail to provide a complete “written description” of the invention.

Turning initially to FIGS. 1-3, there is shown the aircraft tent apparatus according to my invention comprising a tent enclosure generally represented by reference sign 10 supported in an erect condition by the wing 12 of an airplane 14, which latter is parked and in a stationary position on the ground 16, substantially as schematically depicted. Plane 14 preferably is a small plane, such as a Cessna 182, for example, or the like.

Preferably, the tent enclosure 10, in turn, is generally quadrilateral in overall shape with a top panel covering conjoined wall panels. More specifically, tent enclosure 10 comprises a front wall 18, a first side wall 20, a rear wall 22, a second side wall 24 and a top or roof panel 26 so arranged and configured to form a temporary shelter disposed underneath wing 12 of substantially square or rectangular horizontal cross-section. Tent enclosure 10 preferably also has a floor panel 27 (see FIG. 5).

It is desired that the tent top panel, side walls, roof panel and floor panel all will be fabricated suitably of a durable, lightweight, water impervious fabric material such as vinyl-coated nylon or polyester, for example. Such materials are well known in the tent art (e.g., see U.S. Pat. No. 4,305,414—Bareis, incorporated herein by this reference). The resulting tent enclosure should be weather-proof (i.e., waterproof and wind-resistant) sufficient to provide protection to human occupants under emergency conditions and varying climate during extended period.

Affixed to the top or roof panel 26 is a tent-to-wing attachment preferably in the form of a flap member 28 extending substantially coextensively with respect to top panel 26 and extending from front wall 18 toward rear wall 22, as best viewed in FIGS. 2 and 3.

The tent-to-wing-attachment or flap member 28 has a front-end portion or seam 30 permanently attached to the top panel 26, as by sewing these parts together, for example, whereas the opposed rear end portion 32 of the tent-to-wing attachment member 28 comprises reclosable fastening means preferably in the form of a first strip or band 34 of hook or loop fastening material (Velcro®) suitably adhered to the underside thereof, and a second strip or band 36 of complimentary hook or loop fastening material (Velcro®) suitably adhered to the top panel 26 proximal to rear wall 22 in confronting disposition to the first strip or band 34 of hook or loop fastening material (Velcro®), as best depicted in FIG. 3.

By this arrangement, during use of the apparatus, the tent-to-wing attachment or flap member 28 can be extended or placed over a corresponding confronting portion of wing 12 of airplane 10 and the first strip or band 34 of hook or loop fastening material on the underside of flap member 28 can be attached or fastened to the second strip or band 34 of hook or loop fastening material on tent top panel 26 thereby temporarily securely fastening the top panel 26 of the tent 10 to the wing of the airplane.

Because the flap member 28 is permanently affixed to tent top panel 26 only along seam 30, the tent top panel flap member 28 always remains open on its opposed sides permitting the tent enclosure and the tent top panel to selectively be placed or located in a suitable desired position relative to the wing of the plane between the plane's wing tip and fuselage, i.e. inboard with respect to the plane's distal wing tip substantially as depicted in FIGS. 1-3.

In this respect, and in accordance with the invention, tent-to-wing attachment or flap member 28 in combination with tent top panel 26 serves as a recloseable support sleeve for tent enclosure 10 sized and configured to extend somewhat beyond the trailing edge of wing 12 of the airplane 10 and having a vertical cross-sectional shape mimicking the airfoil shape of wing 12 (see FIG. 2).

The advantage of such sleeve construction is that the tent enclosure 10 can be located or situated inwardly along the longitudinal or long wing axis of the plane intermedially between a wing tip and the fuselage of the plane 14 substantially as depicted in FIG. 1. Such an arrangement according to the present invention, allows the tent enclosure 10, when in the desired supportive erect condition shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, and as described above, to be located inboard with respect to the plane's wing tip and proximal to the plane's fuselage affording maximum protection for the pilot or other occupants when the tent enclosure is in use.

It will be appreciated that when it is desired to remove the tent from its erected condition supported intermedially on wing 12 of airplane 14, all that is necessary is to reverse the foregoing process by pulling the attached Velcro® fastening strips 34, 36 apart, collapsing tent enclosure 10, then finally stowing the collapsed, folded tent aboard the airplane 14. as part of its emergency equipment,

In this respect, it further will be appreciated that the folded compact tent-enclosure-bundle can be placed in a suitable storage container, such as, for example, a duffle bag or the like, along with say emergency flares and a first-aid kit, for extra convenience in stowing the emergency equipment on board the plane.

FIG. 4 shows a ground tab 38 preferably suitably attached to the corners of tent 10 having an opening 40 for receiving there-through a conventional tent peg or stake 42 for facilitating anchoring or staking of the erected tent on ground 16.

FIG. 4A shows an alternatively preferred embodiment of a ground tab 44 preferably suitably attached to the corners of tent enclosure 10 having a pocket 46 for receiving therein a weighted article such as a metal disk 48 for facilitating anchoring of the erected tent on ground 16.

Turning now to FIGS. 5 and 6, as mentioned above, it is contemplated that the tent enclosure apparatus 10 of the present invention will be used in conjunction with a class of small planes exemplified by a Cessna 182. Accordingly, it is preferred that the tent enclosure 10 purposely be made to have the conjoined wall panels extending downwardly from the top panel somewhat oversized to produce a version that has a “one-size-fits-all” characteristic with respect to wing-to-ground clearance heights among planes in the same class as a Cessna 182.

This being so, when tent enclosure 10 is supported from the wing of the plane as described above, the front panel, sidewalls and rear panel may exhibit a degree of slack. To remove such slack, or compensate for variations in wing-to-ground heights, suitable height-adjustment or slack-mitigating means optionally can be provided substantially as depicted in FIGS. 5 and 6.

More specifically, the preferred height-adjustment means shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 comprises a multiplicity of horizontally-spaced retainer assemblies each of which functions to retain a pair of juxtaposed pleats or folds in the tent material thereby removing slack in the tent material and effectively adjusting the height or vertical extent of the tent walls with respect to the tent's floor panel.

Each such retainer assembly comprises a top elongated rectangular-shaped retainer patch 50 suitably adhered to the interior surface of a tent wall (e.g. sidewall 24, FIG. 5) as by sewing or gluing, and a bottom retainer member or patch 52, which though smaller-in-size than patch 50 also is in the form of a rectangular-shaped patch similarly adhered to the interior surface of sidewall 20. Patches 50, 52 each have hook or loop fastening material (Velcro®) covering substantially their entire outwardly facing extent, respectively. It will be observed that smaller patch member 52 is vertically aligned with patch member 50 (FIG. 6), but is spaced below patch member 50 by a predetermined extent.

The retainer assembly further includes a removable height-adjustment fastener strap or band 54 which is fabricated of suitable flexible material and which has a layer of hook or loop fastening material (Velcro®) substantially covering at least one opposed face of band 54, which hook or loop fastening material on band 54 is complementary to the hook or loop fastening material on outwardly facing patches 50 and 52. It will be observed that top patch 50 is substantially longer in length than bottom patch 52, and that fastener strap 54 has a length approximately similar to the length of top patch 50. Also, to be noted again is that patches 50, 52 normally prior to any slack-mitigation adjustment are vertically spaced from each other a predetermined distance (i.e. when in a non-adjustment condition).

In use, all that is necessary is to attach the bottom portion of the retainer member 54 to bottom patch 52, pull upwardly on the upper portion of the affixed fastener strap or band 54 sufficiently until a pleat or fold 56 is formed thereby eliminating slack in wall 24, and then attach the upper portion of band 54 to the top elongated rectangular-shaped retainer patch 50 (FIG. 5). Suitable desired precise adjustment of the positioning of fastener band 54 on top patch 50 is made feasible by the longer length of these complementary hook or loop fastener parts, as will obviously occur to the routineer in the Velcro® fastener art. Use of the retainer assemblies in the foregoing prescribed manner thus enables formation of two juxtaposed pleats or folds, an interior fold 56 and an exterior fold 58 (see FIGS. 1, 2 and 5).

It will be appreciated that multiple retainer assemblies preferably are provided in horizontally spaced apart relation with respect to each other on the interior surface of the tent enclosure in the lower portion thereof as schematically depicted in FIGS. 1 and 2. By this arrangement, a neat pair of slack-eliminating folds 56, 58 is facilitated extending horizontally along and around the periphery of the tent enclosure 10 in the lower portion thereof substantially as depicted in FIGS. 1 and 2 with the pleats being located proximal to ground 16, i.e. the location where the wing-supporting tent enclosure 10 is being erected or pitched.

Tent enclosure 10 also preferably can include openings for one or more window mesh or screens 60 to promote air circulation in the interior of the tent, and corresponding roll-up flaps 62 to protect the window screens against inclement weather. Similarly, an entrance/exit flap 64 can be provided in front panel 18 having suitable closure means (e.g., zipper, snap-fasteners, Velcro® patches or the like, not shown).

The foregoing detailed description is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art and therefore, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described. Accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents falling within the broad scope of the attached included claims may be resorted to in carrying out the present invention.

Claims

1. Tent apparatus capable of being supported below and by the wing of a grounded airplane, comprising: an enclosure of flexible material, said enclosure being characterized by conjoined wall panels terminating in a top panel at one extremity of said conjoined wall panels,an enclosure support member affixed to said top panel,said enclosure support member arranged to engage a top surface portion of said wing, andreclosure means on said support member for attaching said support member to said top panel when said top panel engages said top surface portion of said wing and such that said enclosure is situated under said wing between the wing tip of said wing and the fuselage of said airplane.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said support member is a flap of material secured to one end of said top panel and said reclosure means comprises a first layer of hook or loop fastener material secured to another end of said top panel opposed to said one end of said top panel, and wherein said reclosure means further includes a second layer of hook or loop fastener material secured to said flap of material proximal to said another end of said top panel and wherein said first layer of hook or loop fastener material is complementary to said second layer of hook or loop fastener material.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein said support member flap of material is permanently secured to said top panel along a seam proximal to said one end thereof.

4. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein said top panel and said flap of material forms a sleeve having a through-opening adapted to receive said plane wing when said first layer of hook or loop material on said support member is engaged with said complementary second layer of hook or loop material on said another end of said top panel.

5. The apparatus of claim 4 wherein the opening formed by said sleeve is sized and configured to mimic the shape of the wing airfoil of said plane.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 further including tent-wall-fold-retainer assemblies affixed to the interior surface of said conjoined wall panels for selectively adjustably emplacing and retaining a pair of juxtaposed folds in said conjoined wall panels, said juxtaposed pair of folds extending substantially horizontally with respect to said conjoined walls when said enclosure is situated under said wing between the wing tip of said wing and the fuselage of said airplane.

7. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein each of said tent-wall-fold retainer assemblies comprises a first patch of hook or loop fastener material secured to said interior wall surface of said conjoined wall panels, a second patch of hook or loop fastening material secured to said interior wall surface of said conjoined wall panels in spaced apart disposition relative to said first patch, anda third fold-fastener patch of hook or loop fastening material complementary to the hook or loop fastening material of said first and second patches,wherein said third fold-fastener patch is adapted to be removably fastened to both said first and second patches after emplacement of said pair of juxtaposed folds in said wall panels.

8. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein first patch is located above said second patch on the interior surface of said conjoined wall panels to create a predetermined vertical space therebetween such that said juxtaposed pair of folds is retained in substantially horizontal disposition in said predetermined vertical space upon said third patch being removably fastened to both said first and second patches after emplacement of said pair of juxtaposed folds in said wall panels.

9. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said enclosure further includes a floor panel and said enclosure including said floor panel is water impervious.

10. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein at least some of said conjoined wall panels has an opening for a mesh window screen, said at least opening further included a roll-up flap for protecting against inclement weather.

11. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein at least one of said conjoined walls includes a recloseable flap-covered opening for ingress and egress to the interior of said enclosure.

12. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said enclosure of flexible material is foldable in into a compact bundle suitable for storage in a container along with emergency flares and a first-aid kit, and said container is stowable on board said plane.