Patent Application
20180106068
The present application claims priority to Chinese Utility Model Application CN 201621118074.6 filed Oct. 13, 2016. The disclosure of the application is incorporated herein for all purposes by reference in its entirety.
The present invention generally relates to tent frames. More particularly, the present invention relates to eave structures and foldable tent frames having such eave structures.
There are a variety of tents. Usually, small-to-medium-sized tents are used for camping and large pavilion-type foldable tents are used for outdoor sunshades.
An existing pavilion-type tent includes supporting poles, an upper frame supported by the supporting poles and a tent cloth coving the upper frame. The shading area a tent can provide is directly proportional to the area formed by the tent cloth. One way to increase the shading area is to enlarge the upper frame, for instance, by increasing the lengths of the poles constituting the upper frame. A drawback of having longer poles is that the folded tent may not be compact. In addition, to support a larger upper frame, additional supporting poles and/or other auxiliary elements are needed to ensure the stability of the tent. As a result, the weight of the tent is increased.
Another way to provide a larger shading area is to design a tent or tent frame with eave supporting frames. For instance,
However, to realize the synchronous folding of the eave supporting frame and the upper frame, the upper frame 2′ is pivotally connected with sliding seats 12′ of the supporting poles 1′. Sliding seat 12′ is usually made of a plastic. \To enable the pivotal connection of the upper frame, sliding seat 12′ needs to have a U-shaped mouth to accommodate the upper frame (e.g., a pole of the upper frame), and additional processing is generally required to make such a U-shaped mouth. As a result, manufacturing cost is increased. In addition, the configuration of sliding seat 12′ is too specific, and thus it is difficult to adapt sliding seat 12′ for use in other tents.
Moreover, the configuration of eave supporting frame 4′ with two poles (main and auxiliary poles) and additional sliding block increases the total number of poles and other elements needed for making a tent frame. It also makes the structure of the tent frame relatively complex. It further increases the size of the tent frame when folded.
Given the current state of the art, there remains a need for tent frames and eave structures that address the abovementioned issues.
The information disclosed in this Background section is provided for an understanding of the general background of the invention and is not an acknowledgement or suggestion that this information forms part of the prior art already known to a person skilled in the art.
Various exemplary embodiments of the present invention provide eave structures and tent frames that are convenient to use, can help to provide larger shading areas when unfolded, and are compact when folded.
In many embodiments, the present invention provides an eave structure of a tent frame. The tent frame comprises a supporting pole, a first upper pole, a first side pole and an oblique pole. A first connector is fixedly coupled with an upper end portion of the supporting pole. A second connector of the tent frame is slidably coupled with the supporting pole and movable along the supporting pole below the first connector. A first end portion of the first upper pole is pivotally connected with the first connector. A first end portion of the first side pole is pivotally connected with the second connector. A first end portion of the oblique pole is pivotally connected with the first upper pole. A second end portion of the oblique pole is pivotally connected with the first side pole. The eave structure includes a sleeve member and an eave pole. The sleeve member is configured to be disposed at the first connector of the tent frame. The eave pole has a first end portion configured to be pivotally connected with the oblique pole, and a second end portion configured to be slidably coupled with the sleeve member. When the tent frame is unfolded, the second end portion of the eave pole passes the sleeve member and extends outwardly beyond the first upper pole.
In an embodiment, the sleeve member is integrally formed with the first connector.
In some embodiments, the second end portion of the oblique pole is pivotally connected with a connection member disposed at the first side pole adjacent the first end portion of the first side pole. In an embodiment, the connection member is fixedly coupled or integrally formed with the first side pole.
In some embodiments, the eave pole comprises a first segment and a second segment oblique with respect to the first segment. The first segment of the eave pole is pivotally connected with the oblique pole and the second segment of the eave pole is slidably coupled with the sleeve member. In an embodiment, the first and second segments of the eave pole are made by bending a pole or coupling two poles at an angle. In some embodiments, the second segment is longer than the first segment of the eave pole.
In some embodiments, the eave structure further includes a link member. The link member has a first end portion to pivotally connect with the first end portion of the eave pole and a second end portion to pivotally connect with the oblique pole at a position between the first and second end portions of the oblique pole. In an embodiment, the link member is of a “Z” or “S” shape. In some embodiments, the eave pole is substantially straight.
In many embodiments, the present invention provides a tent frame including one or more of the eave structures disclosed herein.
In some embodiments, a tent frame includes a plurality of supporting poles, a plurality of side pole units, an upper frame, and two or more eave structures. Each supporting pole is provided with a first connector and a second connector. The first connector is fixedly coupled with an upper end portion of the supporting pole, and the second connector is slidably coupled with the supporting pole and movable along the supporting pole below the first connector. Each side pole unit is coupled with two adjacent supporting poles through one or more of the first and second connectors at the two adjacent supporting poles, and disposed at a side of the tent frame between the two corresponding adjacent supporting poles when the tent frame is in an unfolded state. The upper frame is coupled with the plurality of supporting poles, the plurality of side pole units or both, and including a hub, a plurality of upper pole units and a plurality of oblique poles. Each eave structure corresponds to a supporting pole in a subset of the plurality of supporting poles and includes a sleeve member and an eave pole.
Corresponding to each respective supporting pole in the plurality of supporting poles, an upper pole unit in the plurality of upper pole units has a first end portion pivotally connected with the hub and a second end portion pivotally connected with the first connector. A side pole unit in the plurality of side pole units includes first and second side poles crossly and pivotally connected with each other. A first end portion of the first side pole is pivotally connected with the second connector, and a first end portion of the second side pole is pivotally connected with the first connector. An oblique pole in the plurality of oblique poles has a first end portion pivotally connected with the upper pole unit, and a second end portion pivotally connected with the first side pole.
Corresponding to each respective supporting pole in the subset of the plurality of supporting poles, the sleeve member is coupled or integrally formed with the first connector. The eave pole has a first end portion pivotally connected with the oblique pole at a position between the first and second end portions of the oblique pole, and a second end portion slidably coupled with the sleeve member. When the tent frame is unfolded, the second end portion of the eave pole passes the sleeve member and extends outwardly beyond the upper frame.
In some embodiments, the number of supporting poles and the number of eave structures are the same. Each respective supporting pole in the plurality of supporting poles has a corresponding eave structure. In an embodiment, the number of the supporting poles is five, and the supporting poles collectively form a substantially pentagon shape when the tent frame is unfolded.
In some embodiments, the upper pole unit includes a first upper pole and a second upper pole, each having first and second end portions. The first end portion of the first upper pole is pivotally connected with the hub. The second end portion of the first pole is pivotally connected with the first end portion of the second upper pole. The second end portion of the second upper pole is pivotally connected with the first connector. The first end portion of the oblique pole is pivotally connected with the second upper pole between the first and second end portions thereof.
In some embodiments, the first side pole has a second end portion pivotally connected with the first connector disposed at a supporting pole adjacent the respective supporting pole. The second side pole has a second end portion pivotally connected with the second connector disposed at the supporting pole adjacent the respective supporting pole.
In some embodiments, the second end portion of the oblique pole is pivotally connected with a connection member disposed at the first side pole adjacent the first end portion of the first side pole.
In some embodiments, an eave pole in the two or more eave poles includes a first segment and a second segment oblique with respect to the first segment. The first segment of the eave pole is pivotally connected with the oblique pole and the second segment of the eave pole is slidably coupled with the sleeve member. In an embodiment, the second segment is longer than the first segment of the eave pole.
In some embodiments, the eave structure further includes a link member. The link member has a first end portion to pivotally connect with the first end portion of the eave pole and a second end portion to pivotally connect with the oblique pole at a position between the first and second end portions of the oblique pole. In an embodiment, the link member is of a “Z” or “S” shape. In some embodiments, the eave pole is substantially straight.
The eave structures and the tent frames of the present invention have other features and advantages that will be apparent from, or are set forth in more detail in, the accompanying drawings, which are incorporated herein, and the following Detailed Description, which together serve to explain certain principles of exemplary embodiments of the present invention.
The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated into and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate one or more exemplary embodiments of the present invention and, together with the Detailed Description, serve to explain the principles and implementations of exemplary embodiments of the invention.
In the figures, reference numbers refer to the same or equivalent parts of the present invention throughout the several figures of the drawing.
Reference will now be made in detail to various embodiments of the present invention(s), examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings and described below. While the invention(s) will be described in conjunction with exemplary embodiments, it will be understood that the present description is not intended to limit the invention(s) to those exemplary embodiments. On the contrary, the invention(s) is/are intended to cover not only the exemplary embodiments, but also various alternatives, modifications, equivalents and other embodiments, which may be included within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.
In the interest of clarity, not all of the routine features of the implementations described herein are shown and described. It will be appreciated that, in the development of any such actual implementation, numerous implementation-specific decisions are made in order to achieve the developer's specific goals, such as compliance with application- and business-related constraints, and that these specific goals will vary from one implementation to another and from one developer to another. Moreover, it will be appreciated that such a development effort might be complex and time-consuming, but would nevertheless be a routine undertaking of engineering for those of ordinary skill in the art having the benefit of this disclosure.
Many modifications and variations of the embodiments set forth in this disclosure can be made without departing from their spirit and scope, as will be apparent to those skilled in the art. The specific embodiments described herein are offered by way of example only, and the disclosure is to be limited only by the terms of the appended claims, along with the full scope of equivalents to which such claims are entitled.
Embodiments of the present invention are described in the context of eave structures and tent frames having such eave structures. Generally, a tent frame of the present invention includes a plurality of supporting poles, and a plurality of side pole units each disposed between and connected with adjacent supporting poles. A tent frame of the present invention also includes an upper frame connected with the plurality of supporting poles, the plurality of side pole units, or both. A tent frame of the present invention can be of various sizes and shapes, and can include various number of supporting poles such as three, four, five or more supporting poles.
A tent frame of the present invention further includes a plurality of eave structures, the number of which can be varied depending on applications, preferences or the like. For instance, it can include two eave structures, three eave structures, or as many as the number of the supporting poles.
An eave structure usually includes an eave pole, and a mechanism connecting the eave pole with the upper frame and one of the supporting poles (the supporting pole or an element disposed at the supporting pole). When the tent frame is unfolded, the eave pole extends beyond the upper frame and/or the supporting pole. Such an eave structure, along with other elements of the tent frame, can be used to support a tent cloth such as a canopy. As the eave pole extends beyond the upper frame and/or the supporting pole, it helps to increase the shading area, and/or shed rain or snow away from the sides of the tent.
Referring now to
The tent frame also includes a plurality of side pole units connected with the plurality of supporting poles. When the tent frame is unfolded, each side pole unit is disposed on a side of the tent frame between two adjacent supporting poles. A side pole unit can have any suitable configuration, including but not limited to a pivotally connected side pole pair. Also, among the plurality of side pole units, one side pole unit can have the same or different configuration as of another side pole unit. For instance, one side pole unit can have one pair of crossly and pivotally connected side poles and the other side pole unit can have two or more side pairs. By way of example,
The tent frame further includes an upper frame such as upper frame 3 coupled with the plurality of supporting poles and the plurality of side pole units. Upper frame 3 is disposed above and supported by the plurality of support poles when the tent frame is unfolded. In some embodiments, upper frame 3 includes hub 31, a plurality of upper pole units 32 and a plurality of oblique poles 33. Each upper pole unit has a first end portion pivotally connected the hub, and a second end portion pivotally connected with the first connector at a corresponding supporting pole. In some embodiments, each upper pole unit includes two or more upper poles pivotally connected with each other. Among the two or more upper poles, the upper pole adjacent the corresponding supporting pole (referred herein as the first upper pole) has an end portion pivotally connected with the first connector at a corresponding supporting pole, and the upper pole adjacent the hub (referred herein as the second upper pole) has an end portion pivotally connected with the hub. The first and second upper poles are pivotally connected, directly or indirectly, with each other. By way of example,
Each oblique pole 33 is connected with an upper pole unit and a side pole unit. For instance, each oblique pole has a first end portion pivotally connected with an upper pole unit and a second end portion pivotally connected with a side pole unit. In embodiments where the corresponding upper pole unit includes two or more upper poles, the first end portion of the oblique pole is pivotally connected with the first upper pole of the corresponding upper pole unit. In embodiments where the corresponding side pole unit includes one or more pairs of crossly and pivotally connected side poles, the second end portion of the oblique pole is pivotally connected with the side pole that has an end portion connected with second connector 12 at the corresponding supporting pole.
In some embodiments, a connection member such as connection member 22 is configured for pivotally connecting the second end portion of the oblique pole. Connection member 22 is disposed at the side pole adjacent the end portion that is pivotally connected with second connector 12. In an embodiment, connection member 22 is fixedly coupled or integrally formed with the side pole.
The tent frame further includes two or more eave poles 4, and mechanisms to couple the eave poles with the upper frame and the supporting poles (the supporting poles or elements disposed at the supporting poles). Collectively, an eave pole and a mechanism to couple the eave pole with the upper frame and a supporting pole are referred herein as an eave structure.
In various embodiments, eave pole 4 has a first end portion pivotally coupled with the upper frame such as oblique pole 33 of the upper frame. In an embodiment, the first end portion of the eave pole is pivotally coupled with the oblique pole at a position between the first and second end portions of the oblique pole. The coupling of the eave pole with the oblique pole can be direct or indirect.
An eave structure also includes a sleeve member such as sleeve member 5 to couple eave pole 4 with a supporting pole. Sleeve member 5 is disposed at first connector 11, and in some cases, disposed at a top of the first connector and fixedly coupled/formed with the first connector. In some embodiments, sleeve member 5 is formed with a through hole into which eave pole 4 is inserted. When the tent frame is unfolded, sleeve member 5 allows the second end portion of eave pole 4 to extend outwardly beyond upper pole unit 32 and/or beyond supporting pole 1.
In many embodiments, eave pole 4 includes two or more poles or segments. For instance,
In some embodiments, the first and second segments of the eave pole are configured such that when the tent frame is unfolded, the second segment of the eave pole is sloped substantially the same as the upper pole unit or sloped substantially the same as the first upper pole of the upper pole unit. In such a case, the eave pole serves as an extension of the upper pole unit. This can be achieved, for instance, by selecting the position at which the first segment of the eave pole is connected with the oblique pole, the length of the first segment of the eave pole and the angle between the first and second segments of the eave pole.
Alternatively, in some embodiments such as those illustrated in
In some embodiments, sleeve member 4, link member 5 or both are configured such that when the tent frame is unfolded, the eave pole is sloped substantially the same as the upper pole unit or sloped substantially the same as the first upper pole of the upper pole unit. In such a case, the eave pole serves as an extension of the upper pole unit. This can be achieved, for instance, by selecting the position at which the link member is connected with the oblique pole and configuring the link member with a proper length.
In some embodiments, the first connector is a constituent of the eave structure. In an embodiment, the first connector and the pivoting member disclosed herein are constituents of the eave structure.
It should be noted that a tent frame of the present invention can include a various number of eave structures, depending on the application, preference, or the like. For instance, in an embodiment where only one side of the tent needs shades, the tent frame can include two eave structures, with each eave structure connected with one of two adjacent supporting poles. In an embodiment where two sides of the tent need shades, the tent frame can include three eave structures, with each eave structure connected with one of three adjacent supporting poles. In a further embodiment where all sides of the tent need shades, the tent frame can include the same number of eave structures as the supporting poles, with each eave structure connected with one of the supporting poles.
The eave structure of the present invention can be folded and unfolded along with the other elements of the tent frame. For instance, referring to
Referring to
As disclosed herein, when the tent frame is unfolded, the second end portion of eave pole 4 extends outwardly beyond the upper pole unit and the supporting pole. Thus, the eave structure of the present invention can be used to extend a tent cloth such as a canopy beyond the side(s) of the tent. As a result, it can help to provide a larger shading area in sunny days. It also helps to smooth the tent cloth/canopy, and thus helps to shed snow and rain away from the sides of the tent, reducing the risk of water (e.g., rain) and snow accumulation in snowy and raining days. Moreover, the tent frame of the present invention is convenient to use as the eave structure of the present invention can be folded and unfolded along with other elements of the tent frame. Further, the tent frame of the present invention when folded is compact as the eave poles are retracted and folded together with all of the other poles of the tent frame, making it easy to carry and store.
The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular implementations only and is not intended to be limiting of the claims. As used in the description of the implementations and the appended claims, the singular forms “a”, “an” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be understood that the terms “upper” or “lower”, “upwardly” or “downwardly”, and etc. are used to describe features of the exemplary embodiments with reference to the positions of such features as displayed in the figures. It will be understood that, although the terms “first,” “second,” etc. may be used herein to describe various elements, these elements should not be limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one element from another. For example, a first connector could be termed a second connector, and, similarly, a second connector could be termed a first connector, without changing the meaning of the description, so long as all occurrences of the “first connector” are renamed consistently and all occurrences of the “second connector” are renamed consistently.
The foregoing descriptions of specific exemplary embodiments of the present invention have been presented for purposes of illustration and description. They are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise forms disclosed, and obviously many modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teachings. The exemplary embodiments were chosen and described in order to explain certain principles of the invention and their practical application, to thereby enable others skilled in the art to make and utilize various alternatives and modifications thereof. It is intended that the scope of the invention be defined by the Claims appended hereto and their equivalents.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 201621118074.6 | Oct 2016 | CN | national |
