1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to collapsible shade structures and specifically to collapsible or folding tents. The shade structure of the present invention provides an integral structure capable of supporting itself to act as a shelter.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Prior art collapsible shade structures have suffered from several drawbacks. One drawback with such collapsible shade structures is the difficulty associated with erecting and stably supporting such structures. Another drawback associated with these prior art collapsible shade structures is that the construction of such structures tends to be complicated and bulky. As a result, such structures are expensive to manufacture and are troublesome to fold away and to store.
A further drawback of such prior art collapsible shade structures is that the frame structure itself tends to be weak even after it has been erected, and often requires other means to provide the required structural integrity. Examples of such structures are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,990,463 and 3,960,161, both of which disclose collapsible shelters each having a flexible and coilable frame member secured to the fabric of the structure and held in a “figure-eight” configuration. Tie members secured to portions of the fabric are required to stabilize the frame and to hold the frame and the remainder of the structure upright because the frame member alone cannot accomplish this.
Another example is U.S. Pat. No. 5,038,812, which discloses a collapsible shelter in which the frame members as configured cannot hold the side panels together because the side panels tend to stretch outwardly. Hence, a floor member or straps are required to hold the side panels together.
The various existing collapsible shade structures have not been successful in providing a simple structure which is inexpensive to manufacture, is easy to erect, and may be easily folded to a compact size, in which the structure when erected is capable of stably supporting itself. The present invention, therefore, provides for an improvement over the prior art collapsible shade structures and provides a collapsible shade structure with a novel frame structure in which the structure when erected is capable of stably supporting itself, and which also allows the collapsible shade structure to be of simple construction, to be easily erected and to be easily folded to a compact size. The present invention further includes improvements to the retention of the frame members which make the structure easier and less expensive to manufacture, and easier to operate.
In order to accomplish the objects of the present invention, the collapsible shade structure is made of a plurality of foldable frame members each having a folded and an unfolded orientation. Three or more of such frame members are configured to form an interior space. A fabric material is provided which substantially covers the frame members to form a side panel for each frame member, each side panel assuming the unfolded orientation of its associated frame member. Interconnecting portions of the fabric material form a hinge portion between each frame member. A roof formed from the fabric material interconnects the upper portions of the side panels.
In one embodiment of the present invention, a separate retaining sleeve is provided for each frame member. In another embodiment, a retaining sleeve may be used to hold two or more frame members, so that interconnecting portions of the fabric are not needed to act as hinge portions. This retaining sleeve thereby acts as a hinge portion interconnecting adjacent side panels, which makes the structure easier to manufacture, and easier to fold and collapse.
When the structure is to be folded and stored, the side panels and their corresponding frame members may be folded on top of each other about the hinge portions to have the side panels and frame members overlaying each other. The overlying side panels and frame members are then collapsed by twisting and folding to form a plurality of concentric frame members and side panels to substantially reduce the size of the shade structure in the folded orientation.
The collapsible shade structure may be used as a shelter affording a camper, for example, the convenience of a tent which may be easily erected and easily collapsed and folded to a compact arrangement that is a fraction of its unfolded size for easy storage. The materials used are lightweight, and together with its compact size, the tent is very convenient to transport.
Further objects, advantages and features of the invention will become apparent from the detailed description of the preferred embodiments when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:
The preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in terms of tents with reference to
As shown in
The frame members 34, 38, 42, and 46 are preferably formed of flexible coilable steel, although other materials such as plastics may also be used. The frame members should be made of a material which is relatively strong and yet is flexible to a sufficient degree to allow it to be coiled. The term fabric is to be given its broadest meaning and should be made from strong, lightweight materials and may include woven fabrics, sheet fabrics or even films. The fabric should be waterproof and capable of withstanding the harsh outdoor environment to be suitable for use as an outdoor tent during camping. The fabric and frame members are preferably made of lightweight material to facilitate ease of transportation of the tent.
The tent 30 is further provided with a roof 86 which is preferably made of the same material as fabric 50. The roof 86 is located between the upper curved portions of the side panels 70, 74, 78 and 82 and takes the form of an interconnecting fabric.
A floor portion 84 which may be made from the same material as the fabric 50 is provided to interconnect the lower edges of the side panels 70, 74, 78 and 82. Ties 88 are provided at the corners of the side panels 70, 74, 78 and 82 for additionally securing the tent 30 to the ground, although it will be appreciated that such ties 88 are not necessary for holding the tent 30 upright. The area of the floor 84 is larger than the area of the roof 86 due to the vertically inclined side panels forming the domed structure.
The tent 30 is also provided with a door 90, preferably located in a side panel, for example, side panel 70, for ingress and egress. The door 90 is essentially a triangular-shaped cut-out in the side panel 70 having a portion which is made of a fly-screen 94. The door 90 has two zipper edges 98 and 102 and a hinged edge 106. Mating zipper halves are provided along each side of the edges 98 and 102 of the door 90 and the corresponding edges of the side panel 70 to releasably hold the door 90 in a sealed position when the tent 30 is being occupied and the zippers pulled up.
Ventilation of the tent 30 is achieved through the fly-screen 94 and through vents 110 and 114 disposed at the upper curved portion of side panels 74 and 82, respectively. Vents 110 and 114 have the same construction. For example, referring to
The vent 110 may be held in the open position shown in
It can be seen, therefore, that the tent of the present invention may take a variety of external shapes. These external shapes are facilitated by the provision of additional frame members configured to form the desired shape. Each side of the tent, regardless of the shape, is supported by at least one frame member. The tent may be of any size but is commonly of such a size as to accommodate one or more persons.
Referring to
Embodiment 480 of
As illustrated in
The use of one retaining sleeve portion to retain adjacent frame members and to act as an interconnecting hinge portion for two adjacent side panels is especially beneficial when used to combine a plurality of collapsible structures to form a large structure having a plurality of separate compartments or “rooms”. Referring to
While the description above refers to particular embodiments of the present invention, it will be understood that many modifications may be made without departing from the spirit thereof. The accompanying claims are intended to cover such modifications as would fall within the true scope and spirit of the present invention.
This is a division of Ser. No. 08/639,530, filed May 1, 1996, which is a division of Ser. No. 08/529,552, filed Sep. 18, 1995, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,579,799, which is a continuation of Ser. No. 08/024,690, filed Mar. 1, 1993, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,467,794, which is a continuation-in-part of Ser. No. 07/764,784, entitled “Collapsible Shade Structure”, filed Sep. 24, 1991, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,301,705, which is incorporated by this reference as though set forth fully herein.
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Number | Date | Country | |
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20050279395 A1 | Dec 2005 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
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Parent | 08639530 | May 1996 | US |
Child | 11210210 | US | |
Parent | 08529552 | Sep 1995 | US |
Child | 08639530 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
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Parent | 08024690 | Mar 1993 | US |
Child | 08529552 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
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Parent | 07764784 | Sep 1991 | US |
Child | 08024690 | US |