Patent Application
20080029143
The structure, operation, and advantages of the presently disclosed embodiment of the invention will become apparent when consideration of the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein:
Corresponding reference characters indicate corresponding parts throughout the views of the drawings.
The invention will now be described in the following detailed description with reference to the drawings, wherein preferred embodiments are described in detail to enable practice of the invention. Although the invention is described with reference to these specific preferred embodiments, it will be understood that the invention is not limited to these preferred embodiments. But to the contrary, the invention includes numerous alternatives, modifications and equivalents as will become apparent from consideration of the following detailed description.
Referring now to the drawings,
The frame 12 has a number of ribs 16 spaced along the length of the erect shelter 10. As best seen in
In the illustrated embodiment, the roof portion 20 of each rib 16 comprises two outer roof members 20A that are of a length substantially equal to the length of the first leg portions 22 and a third shorter middle roof member 20B positioned in-between the two outer roof members 20A. An apex of the canopy 14 is connected, such as with a strap or loop 26 (seen in
In the illustrated embodiment, each rib 16 has four joints 30 where folding is desired at the junctures of the support legs 18 and roof members 20A, 20B. There are two joints 30 where the respective outer roof members 20A meet the inner roof member 20B along the top of the rib 16. These two joints 30 and the length of the inner roof member 20B are designed to allow each rib 16 to be folded such that the support legs 18 are folded inward to be adjacent the outer roof members 20A as shown by the arrow B in
Referring now to
One skeleton 32A has a male hook part 36 with a hook point 38. The male hook part 36 is desirably attached to the skeleton with screws 39 or other suitable fastener or glue. The other skeleton 32B has a female hook body 40 attached thereto with screws 39 or other suitable fasteners or glue. The female hook body 40 receives a slide 42 having an inclined front face 43 and a spring 44 that pushes against the slide 42 such that the front face 43 protrudes past the front of the female hook body 40. An unlocking member 50 that is used to unlock the joint 30 is received through openings 51, 52 in the sides of the female hook body 40 and the slide 42 respectively. The unlocking member 50 has a substantially flat push button 53 with an actuation arm 54 extending from the rear surface thereof. As best seen in
When the unlocking member 50 is in a first or locked position, the narrower distal end 60 of the actuation arm is adjacent the slide 42 and the rear face 58 contacts a rear portion 63 of the slide. The biasing force of the spring 44 presses the slide 42 up against the rear face 58 such that the inclined front face 43 of the slide 42 extends past the front of the female hook body 40. Because the actuation arm 54 is narrower at the distal end 60, the slide 42 is able to travel forward a distance sufficient to permit the front face 43 to extend out of the female hook body 40. In this position, the inclined face 43 of the slide 42 mates with the hook point 38 of the male hook part 36 in a locked condition as shown in
When moving the joint 30 to the locked position while setting up the shelter 10, the components of the rib 16 are positioned to the erect position. As the joint 30 is moved to this position, the male hook part 36 on skeleton frame 32A moves toward the female hook body 40 such that the hook point 38 contacts and presses against the inclined face 43 of the slide 42. As the male hook part 36 moves downward over the inclined face 43 of the slide 42, the slide 42 is pushed rearward against the biasing force of the spring 44 with respect to the female hook body 40 until the hook point 38 clears the inclined face 43. When this happens, the spring 44 forces the slide 42 back against the inner face of the male hook part 36 such that the hook point 38 catches the slide 42 in the locked condition such that the skeleton frames 32A, 32B are prevented from pivoting about the hinge 34. As can be seen, the joint 30 automatically locks itself when it is moved into the locked condition simply by moving the skeleton frames 32A, 32B into position.
When the shelter 10 needs to be folded, the joint 30 is released and opened by pressing on the push button 53 to reposition the actuating arm 54. As the actuation arm 54 is repositioned, the intermediate sloped portion 57 of the actuation arm 54 begins to press on the rear portion 63 of the slide 42 and forces the slide rearward against the biasing force of the spring 44. When the push button 53 is pressed fully, the wider proximal end 62 of the actuation arm 54 forces the slide 42 back against the spring 44 a sufficient distance so that the inclined face 43 moves clear of the hook point 38, allowing the male hook part 36 to disengage from the slide 42. The skeleton frames 32A, 32B can then be freely rotated about the hinge 34 to fold the rib 16.
As the skeleton frames 32A, 32B are rotated, a tip 62 of the actuation arm 54 contacts a curved return pad 64 on the skeleton frame 32A. The return pad 64 is configured to force the actuation arm 54 to move back to the position where the narrower distal end 60 of the arm is adjacent the slide 42 so that it is in position to automatically lock the next time the joint 30 is operated. Desirably, the return pad 64 causes the actuation arm 54 to move such that the slide 42 contacts the actuation arm 54 in the sloped contact zone 57 at which time force from the spring 44 takes over and causes the actuation arm 54 to continue moving.
As mentioned above, this joint 30 helps the lock of frame 12 of shelter 10 in the erect condition and prevents inadvertent unlocking. Desirably, when the frame 12 of shelter 10 is spread, the joints 30 automatically lock. When the frame 12 of shelter 10 is folded, the joints 30 are unlocked by pressing the push button 50 thereby allowing the ribs 16 of the frame 12 to be folded. It can be seen that the frame 12 of the shelter 10 may therefore be erected and taken down without the use of any additional tools. One skilled in the art will recognize however that other locking joints may be used in the frame 12 using sound engineering judgment.
Turning now to
When the space between adjacent ribs 16 needs to be reduced, such as when collapsing the shelter 10, the slide block 66 moves upward through the guide 64 and then, connection members 62 come close to a vertical angle (90 degrees). When the distance between adjacent ribs 16 needs to be widened, such as when erecting the shelter 10, the slide block 66 moves downward through the guide 64 so that the connection members 62 come close to a horizontal angle (180 degree). Therefore, moving adjacent ribs 16 closer together causes the slide block 66 to move in the guide 64 in one direction causing the connection members 62 of the X-connection system 60 to be positioned in a substantially vertical condition and moving adjacent ribs further apart causes the slide block 66 to move in the guide 64 in an opposite direction causing the connection members 62 of the X-connection system 60 to be positioned in a more horizontal condition.
Referring now to
After understanding these components, it becomes apparent how to erect and to fold and pack the shelter 10. In order to fold the shelter, the height of shelter 10 is reduced by positioning the lower portion 24 of each leg 18 inside the upper portion 22. The shelter 10 is collapsed in the length or longitudinal direction or the shelter 10 by collapsing the X-connection system 60 to bring adjacent ribs 16 into close proximity. Then, the individual ribs 16 are collapsed in the width or transverse direction of the shelter 10 by unlocking the joints 30 and moving the legs 18 and roof members 20A to the collapsed position illustrated in phantom in
To set up the shelter 10, the individual ribs 16 are expanded in the width or transverse direction by moving the legs 18 and roof members 20A to the erected position illustrated in
With the explanation above, it is evident that this system is not complicated, but provides a much more durable and stable shelter 10, based on the following:
1. The shelter 10 is pre-assembled and all parts are connected in the frame 12. This one piece frame 12 can then be folded.
2. There is a reinforced dual X-connection system 60 which gives extra strength lengthwise where the most pressure is directed. It provides strength and durability against lateral forces such as high winds or rain.
Therefore, this shelter 10 can be used anywhere rescue operations are required, such as irregular surfaces or terrain. It can be used during inclement weather conditions for outdoor shelter, rescue shelter, and event shelter. With minimal personnel, training and in a short time period, this shelter 10 can be deployed and/or taken down.
While this invention has been described in conjunction with the specific embodiments described above, it is evident that many alternatives, combinations, modifications and variations are apparent to those skilled in the art. Accordingly, the preferred embodiments of this invention, as set forth above are intended to be illustrative only, and not in a limiting sense. Various changes can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of this invention.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10-2006-0074004 | Aug 2006 | KR | national |
