Patent Application
20200352312
The present invention relates to a hammock, and more particularly to a transverse hammock. Thus the hammock is of the type having two suspension points where a user of the hammock is supported on a mid-section that extends transversely to a line between the suspension points.
In a traditional hammock, the body of the hammock extends longitudinally between two suspension points, with the user lying generally in-line with the suspension points (referred to below as a longitudinal hammock).
One of the problems with a longitudinal hammock is that the hammock will sag between the suspension points, especially when under load, creating a curved bed that the user has to sleep in. This can result in a sleeping position that some will find uncomfortable.
With the recent popularity in hammocks for recreational use and in particular for camping, there have been a number of developments in an alternative type of hammock design where the user lies in a transverse direction (a transverse hammock). Such transverse hammocks can achieve a flatter, more comfortable, sleeping position for the user.
An example of such a hammock is the Ergo Hammock manufactured by Exped AG., a company based in Switzerland, and an illustration of the hammock can be seen in
In these known examples, an array of ropes is provided on both sides of the hammock to support the mid-section suspended between. The ropes radiate out from a suspension point to a respective lateral edge of the mid-section, with the ropes attached to the edge at reinforced points spaced out along the length of the hammock. One criticism of the ropes is that, particularly in a camping hammock where the ropes are of a thin gauge to be as lightweight as possible, they can be prone to becoming tangled with each other as well as with any anchoring straps when the hammock is packed away in a sack. This can be frustrating for the user when he/she comes to erect their hammock at a new site.
In use, despite offering a flatter profile for the user than a longitudinal hammock, the weight of the person still tends to develop a curved profile in the mid-section due to the way the load is transferred to each of the ropes that radiate out from the suspension points. The points where the ropes connect to the lateral edges also represent points of high stress concentration and this can result in discomfort from the feeling of bands of tension under the user's body.
Another concern with hammocks is how to keep the user insulated from the cold when they are being used for camping. Where a side of the hammock is drawn up against the user, this tends to compress the material of the user's sleeping bag and this can significantly reduce the effectiveness of the sleeping bag's insulation to keep the user warm. Camping pads and other lightweight mattresses are often used to provide a layer of thermal insulation between the user and the external environment, but these are often unrestrained within a hammock and can move around during use. Where they are retained in pockets, care has to be taken, because the pad can then transfer loads in a way that creates points of high seam tension and possibly result in the hammock ripping.
In the transverse hammock manufactured by Exped AG, the mid-section is provided as a wide continuous sheet of fabric which extends a distance up on either side beyond the normal footprint of the sleeping area to the lateral edges of the mid-section where the ropes are then attached. A pocket is provided in the underside of the mid-section to accommodate a sleeping pad. As the pocket needs to be sufficiently large to be able to accept a range of commercially available sizes of sleeping pad, one which is thinner than the pocket will tend to rest on the lower surface of the pocket, hanging away from the under-surface of the mid-section that the user sleeps on. This can result in less warmth being retained by the user.
It would be desirable to improve on these arrangements and provide a hammock that can achieve a flatter position for the user to lie in.
It would also be desirable to provide a hammock that can offer more functionality for the user.
Viewed from a first aspect there is provided a transverse hammock comprising: a pair of suspension points provided on opposed sides of the hammock that the hammock is arranged to suspend from in use; a mid-section for supporting a user's body in a direction which is transverse to a line between the suspension points; and a pair of wings extending outwardly from opposing lateral edges of the mid-section to the suspension points.
The wings offer many advantages over the known hammock arrangements. The most noticeable for the user is the simplicity of the structure and the ease of erection and use. The wings also allow a more even distribution of the tension that is experienced in the mid-section during use and the ability to provide a flatter sleeping position. They also offer a greater degree of protection from cold breezes. These will de described in more detail below.
The “line” between the suspension points may be an imaginary straight line or more preferably it is represented by a real line provided by a strap or rope which forms a ridge line extending between the suspension points. A ridge line provides the benefit that the cut of the hammock can be based on a known separation distance of the suspension points and so the hammock's properties can be more carefully preset. Additional anchoring lines (e.g., straps or ropes) can then extend out from each suspension point to an anchoring part. These might be an adjustable strap for looping around a tree or some other immovable object, that the hammock can then be suspended from.
The term “transverse” used herein to describe the orientation of the mid-section to the line between the suspension points also includes “substantially transverse”, i.e., it includes arrangements where the mid-section is within ±30 degrees of perpendicular, more preferably within ±20 degrees of perpendicular and most preferably within ±15 degrees of perpendicular. In one preferred example the mid-section is orientated at right angles to the line between the suspension points; namely the mid-section may be orientated to support the user's body perpendicularly to the line between the suspension points.
The wings may comprise fabric material, for example, a panel made from one or more pieces of woven fabric. These fabric wings are in place of the ropes radiating from the suspension points as used in the prior art of
It has also been found that by using a fabric, with its pattern of threads (the warp and the weft), the distribution of the user's weight can be taken account of more precisely in the construction of the hammock, for example, in order to achieve a flatter, more comfortable sleeping position. The nature of the fibres within the fabric also tends to distribute the forces within the wings, resulting in a more even distribution of stresses at the seams/joins and a more comfortable sleeping experience for the user.
The fabric material may extend to the suspension point or may finish short thereof, for example, to leave a small gap or provide room for netting or other material at the top of each wing. Preferably the fabric extends at least 80% of the way up each wing, more preferably at least 90%, i.e., that woven fabric is at least present in the region between one third and two thirds up each wing, preferably the full height of the wing, in order to help distribute loads within a central region of the wing (e.g., in the x and y directions of the warp and weft), in contrast to the ropes of the prior art hammocks (which carry the loads solely in radial directions).
The fabric may be orientated so that the warp/weft are substantially aligned, i.e., parallel or perpendicular, with the line extending between the suspension points when viewed from above (unless stated otherwise, all references herein to this line between the suspension points are intended to be when the hammock is viewed from above, e.g., when laid out flat on a floor). With this alignment of the warp/weft, the weight is generally carried along the length of the fibres which extend down through the central portions of the wings, with load also being transmitted along the bias of the fabric, i.e., diagonally across the fabric, to the side edges of the fabric.
The fabric of the wings could also be cut on the bias, such that the warp and weft are inclined to this line extending between the suspension points, for example, the threads may extend in a direction that is inclined at between about 30 to 60 degrees to the line extending between the suspension points, and more preferably at about 45 degrees to this line (“about” implying, for example, ±10°, more preferably ±5°, when the hammock is viewed from above and laid out flat). In this way, as the fabric is caused to stretch under the load of the user, tension is transmitted out to the side edges of the wings via the fibres, and in this way it distributes the tension more evenly within the fabric of wings.
The use of a fabric for the wings helps to spread the tension, reducing the tendency for the hammock to tear, e.g., at the seams, and improving the comfort for the user (the hammock feels more supple and the tension feels less localised as a band passing under the user). By appropriate cutting of the base edge of the wing, and in some embodiments orientating the fabric on the bias, it also helps to keep the wings looking taut regardless of the resting position of the user.
The wings are preferably cut with a curved base edge which has a profile configured (having taken account of the orientation of the fabric) to provide a substantially flat mid-section for the user when the hammock is under load from a user resting in it.
Preferably the profile of the base edge of each wing includes at least one convex section. Thus in arrangements where the mid-section has been cut with a rectangular or approximately rectangular outline shape each wing may be roughly triangular in shape with a generally convex base edge (as opposed to a strictly triangular profile with straight edges) arranged to produce a substantially flat mid-section for the user to lie on when the fabric is under load.
More preferably, where the fabric is orientated on the bias, i.e, the fibres will be at roughly 45° to the line between the two suspension points when viewed from above, the profile of the base edge may include two, spaced, convex sections and a centrally positioned concave section between. Thus the base edge will have an undulating profile.
The wings are configured so that the weight of the user, which will be distributed all along the mid-section of the hammock between the head and foot ends (often not in a particularly even manner), is balanced with the centre of mass located below the line between the suspension points. As a person's mass tends to be located more in their shoulders and upper sections of their body than their legs, preferably this centre of mass position or ‘mid-point’ of the hammock (i.e., the region directly beneath the line between the suspension points) is not a true halfway point of the mid-section, but instead a point positioned further up the mid-section towards the head end. In other words, the suspension points are positioned slightly closer to the head end than the foot end, and the hammock is asymmetric about this ‘mid-point’ where the centre of the user's mass is intended to be carried.
The wings are preferably configured so that the side edges of the wings converge towards a given suspension point at an angle α that is less than an angle β subtended by two imaginary lines radiating from the suspension point to the head end and to the foot end of the mid-section respectively. Described in another way, the wings are narrower at the suspension points than they would be if the wings had been cut from a triangular piece of fabric that extends to the head and foot ends of the mid-section. This is preferably through providing wings that are substantially bell-shaped in profile, with side edges that curve inwardly.
Bell-shaped wings have scooped side edges and this arrangement has been found to carry the forces better within the wings. For example, a main force component may extend diagonally up the fabric of the wing from the ‘mid-point’ of the mid-section, and this together with force components from other loaded regions of the mid-section may blend with one another roughly around the middle of the scooped side edge to then be directed up to the suspension point in a balanced manner along a reinforced seam that runs up the side edge.
The angle α may be centred about a principal line of tension extending between a suspension point and a centre of mass position, i.e., α/2 corresponds essentially with the ‘mid-point’ of the hammock where the centre of mass is carried. In this way, the majority of the weight on the hammock is transmitted centrally up the wings from the centre of mass point, within a central portion of the fabric lying generally along the α/2 line and within the angle α defined by the side edges of the wing.
Thus the angle β may correspond to around 90° as the angle subtended by the imaginary lines extending from the foot and head ends to the suspension point, and by contrast the angle α may be less than 60°, for example less than 45° and more preferably around 30° or less. The angle α may satisfy the condition β/4≤α≤β/2, and preferably is a value corresponding to about β/3.
The side edges of the wings may have a concave or cut-away profile, so that in the lower regions of the wings and in particular along the base edge of the wings, the wings are configured to reach out towards the head and foot ends of the hammock. For example, at the base edge the wings may reach out to points that subtend the suspension points with imaginary lines at an angle β or close thereto.
Thus viewed from another aspect, there can be seen to be provided a transverse hammock, the hammock comprising a pair of suspension points provided on opposed sides of a transversely orientated mid-section, the mid-section providing a surface with a head end and a foot end for a user to lie on, wherein the hammock comprises a pair of wings that support the mid-section, each wing being defined by a base edge attached to the mid-section and by a pair of side edges that converge towards a given suspension point at an angle α, wherein the angle α is less than an angle β subtended by two imaginary lines radiating from the given suspension point to the head end and to the foot end of the mid-section respectively.
The mid-section may be approximately rectangular in profile, having straight or generally straight lateral edges extending from the head end to the foot end. The mid-section could also comprise other profiles such as a truncated wedge shape with a wider head end than the foot end, and/or have curved lateral edges to create an elliptical or egg-shaped profile.
The mid-section may include a pocket for a sleeping pad. Preferably the mid-section is formed as a sleeve to house the sleeping pad, most preferably as a rectangular pocket, the long edges of the pocket providing the lateral edges that the wings extend from.
The pocket may be of a size to accommodate a range of commercial sleeping pads. The pocket may incorporate an internal pouch at the head end and/or foot end(s) in order to be able to hold a range of different lengths of mat more tightly. The sleeping pad may be a foam pad, an air mattress, a down or fibre-filled air mattress or any other form of mattress that might be suitable. The hammock may be supplied with a removable sleeping pad, or it could be integrally formed with the hammock, for example as an integral inflatable mattress portion.
The hammock may also include inflatable elements, for example, tubes extending along each of the lateral edges, as well as possibly across the head or foot ends, to provide beams that impart rigidity to the mid-section and further help to distribute the forces in the wings of the hammock.
Preferably the hammock is configured so that a significant portion of the load from the user, i.e., more than 50% of the load, is carried by a central portion of the wings (i.e., the portion within the angle α described above), the tension from the load extending down to the ‘mid-point’ or centre of mass positioned directly below the line between the suspension points when the hammock is in use.
This has been found to assist other functionality. Thus viewed from a further aspect, there can be seen to be provided a hammock comprising: a pair of suspension points provided on opposed sides of the hammock that the hammock is arranged to suspend from in use; a mid-section for supporting a user's body in a direction transverse to a line between the suspension points; and on each side, a line of adjustable length for reducing, whilst in use, at a first location along each opposing lateral edge of the mid-section, a distance between that location and the respective suspension point, so as to raise a first portion of the mid-section corresponding to the first location and thereby change the shape of the mid-section from a first configuration to a second configuration.
In this way, the hammock can be made adjustable. The first configuration may be a reclined configuration, for example, where the user is lying substantially flat. The second configuration may be a raised configuration, for example, where a shoulder region of the user is raised with respect to the legs.
Where a significant portion of the load from the user is being carried by the central portion of the wings as described above, this allows the line of adjustable length, which might be a strap or a cord passing through an adjustment device, to be shortened easily by the user while they are still in place, resting in the hammock. This line of adjustable length may pull up a portion of the mid-section that supports an upper region of the user's back, in order to raise the user's shoulders from a reclined position to a seated position. The line of adjustable length may comprise a handle for the user to pull on.
The hammock may further comprise, on each side, a line of adjustable length for reducing, whilst in use, at a second location along each of the opposing lateral edges of the mid-section, a distance between that location and the respective suspension point, so as to raise a second portion of the mid-section corresponding to the second location and thereby change the shape of the mid-section to a third configuration. Preferably the second location on each of the opposing lateral edges is arranged so that, when in use, reducing the distance between the second location and the respective suspension point elevates a knee region of a user supported by the mid-section. Thus, when the shoulders of the user have been raised, the user may shorten the second set of lines of adjustable length in order to raise his/her knees into a full-seated position. Pulling the knees of the user up also helps to compensate for the slight shift in movement of the centre of gravity associated with raising the shoulders.
By raising a location corresponding to the knees of the user, the hammock can be made to ‘buckle’ at this position to allow the user's knees to bend.
Preferably the lines of adjustable length are connected to the mid-section by hoisting webs. These may comprise roughly triangular pieces of fabric that help to distribute the forces along the region of lateral edge (and helps to accommodate different heights of user too). The hoisting webs may be cut with the same orientation as the wings, and in one example are cut on the bias. In a similar way to the wings, the one or more hoisting webs may be substantially bell-shaped with scooped side edges. They may also include rounded bottom edges (either of a generally convex or an undulated profile according to the orientation of the fabric). In a further arrangement, two or more lines of adjustable length may be attached to a common hoisting web that is arranged to raise more than one location along the mid-section, each independently of the next.
The line(s) of adjustable length may comprise an arrangement which provides at least a two to one purchase on the load. In an example, the line of adjustable length descends from a suspension point through a buckle to a ring provided on a hoisting web, which preferably comprises a substantially triangular panel that is joined to a lateral edge of the mid-section, and back from the ring to the buckle, to allow it to be tightened or released by the user.
The hammock may be provided at the foot end with a footbox. This is a pocket arrangement that provides room for the feet of the user without the fabric being under tension where it surrounds the feet. In this way the insulating material of the sleeping bag can remain in a reasonably uncompressed form and thereby maintain its insulating properties. The footbox may be cut with extra fabric provided in a roof portion of the footbox to allow room for the user's toes to extend up into during use.
The hammock may be made of any suitable material. Preferably it is made of a lightweight fabric such as nylon or polyester, more preferably a ripstop nylon material. However, it could equally be made from other fabrics such as cotton or any mixture of fibres as desired.
The hammock may be provided with a bug net, which attaches to the hammock, for example, by using a long zip or hook and eye fabric connection (e.g., Velcro®) provided around an upper part of the hammock. If a footbox is present then running the zip (or other connector) along an upper edge of the footbox facilitates an easier opening and closing of the zip while the user is seated in the hammock. The fabric of the wings also helps to avoid points where the stresses are concentrated such that it can make it difficult to connect and disconnect the bug net. A carabiner may be provided to hook the top of the bug net to a ridge line.
Certain preferred embodiments of the hammock will now be described in greater detail, by way of example only, and with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
The hammock is a transverse hammock, i.e., the user is intended to lie on a mid-section 5 that is orientated substantially at right angles to the ridge line 4. Thus the head end 6 and the foot end 7 of the mid-section 5 are positioned either side of the ridge line 4 when viewed from above rather than in line with it.
The opposed lateral edges 8 of the mid-section 5 are suspended from an array of ropes 9 that extend from each suspension point 2, the ropes 9 being spread out along the lateral edge 8 at intervals. The length of the ropes 9 is fixed to provide a suitable sleeping position for the user. In order to make the hammock 1 as lightweight as possible, these ropes 9 can be of a narrow gauge which makes them prone to tangling.
As can be seen in the figure, a pocket 10 is provided on the under-surface of the hammock 1 to accommodate a sleeping pad (not shown) for the user. A seam where the pocket 10 is sewn to the mid-section 5 marks out a ‘base’ of the hammock 1 corresponding to the sleeping area for the user. The width of the mid-section 5, however, is much wider than this base, such that the fabric continues up to a lateral edge 8 to provide a shallow ‘side’ for the user. Where the ropes 9 attach to the mid-section 5, significant stress concentrations can develop when the hammock 1 is under load from a user. Over the top of the user, a bug net 11 may be provided, suspended from the ridge line 4 and connected to upper parts of the hammock 1 by a zip.
The mid-section 25 may be substantially rectangular in outline as shown, defined by opposed (left and right) lateral edges 28 extending between edges at the head end 26 and foot end 27. A rectangular outline is useful because it corresponds to that of most commercially available sleeping mats. The mid-section could, of course, be a different shape, for example, a tapered or wedge shape, or provided with curved lateral edges to give a substantially oval or egg-shaped outline. The mid-section 25 may also include rounded corners to impart some tension into the wings 29 at that point.
The mid-section 25 of the hammock 20 is preferably arranged to provide an essentially flat surface for the user to lie on. The flatness can be assisted through the incorporation of a sleeping pad within a pocket of the mid-section 25. The pocket may include one or more internal pouch(es) for the head end and/or foot end of the sleeping pad to be tucked into (these will be discussed in more detail later with respect to
The hammock 20 is shown in perspective in
The wings 29 in any of the embodiments may be made of any suitable woven material, for example, a lightweight man-made fabric suitable for camping situations, such as a polyester or nylon material, preferably including a rip-stop fibre within the weave. An example would be a rip-stop nylon. The fabric could also be made from fibres like cotton or silk, or indeed any mixture of natural fibres with man-made fibres so long as the fabric is sufficiently strong for its purpose.
A woven fabric material, which will have a warp and a weft arranged at 90° to each other, has been found to distribute forces from the user's weight in a more advantageous way than was previously achievable with an array of ropes 9. This is because the fabric will stretch under load, particularly along the bias of the fabric (45° to the warp and weft), as the warp and weft are caused to pull apart slightly. This in turn helps to spread the load diagonally within the panel as well as along the fibre direction, and in this way it can avoid stress concentrations which might cause a seam to pull apart. The seams might be formed by stitching, gluing, welding, or any combination of these, and may comprise a locked or double locked arrangement.
Some possible outline shapes of the wings 29 are shown in more detail in
Preferably the wings 29 are provided with a curved bottom edge 33. Where the fabric is substantially aligned with the principal direction of tension T, this may be provided as a smooth, rounded convex section 33′, and where the fabric is inclined to the principal direction of tension T, e.g., at 45°, then the curved bottom edge 33 may define rounded convex sections 33′ at the ends towards the side edges 32, and a concave section 33″ towards the middle of the bottom edge 33, giving it an undulating or wavy profile as shown. When the wing 29 is under load from the weight of a user, the wing 29 stretches causing this bottom edge 33 to straighten and thereby match the straight or generally straight lateral edge 28 of the mid-section 25.
The angle α may be centred about a principal line of tension T as shown. The principal line of tension T follows the surface of the wings from a suspension point 22, down the wing 29 to a centre of mass position C, indicated by the dashed line which passes across the mid-section 25. Through this, a majority of the weight on the hammock 20 is transmitted centrally up the wings 29 from the centre of mass point C within a relatively narrow band of fabric lying generally along the principal line of tension T (α/2) and within the sector of angle α as defined by the imaginary lines α1 and α2 projecting the convergence of the side edges 32 of the wing 29. As indicated in the figure, this central portion of the fabric within the lines α1 and α2 may be only around a third of the angular width of the area between the lines β1 and β2 extending to the head end 26 and foot end 27 of the mid-section 25.
By carrying the weight of the user in this way, it assists with providing further functionality to the hammock 20. For example, as shown in
Preferably, each of the lines of adjustable length 34 extend from a suspension point 22 to a hoisting web 35 as illustrated, which spreads the forces over a section of the lateral edge 28. In the same way as the wings 29, these hoisting webs 35 are preferably bell-shaped with curved side edges 36, and preferably a rounded bottom edge (of either a generally convex profile if the fibres of the fabric are aligned with the lateral edge 28 or an undulating profile with a concave section centred between two convex sections if the hoisting webs 35 are aligned on their bias). The base edges of the hoisting webs, as well as assisting to distribute load, also help to make the lines of adjustable length 34 more suitable for a range of different height users, particularly the lines for raising the knees.
The line of adjustable length 34 can of course take other forms, for example, arrangements using ropes, pulleys, cleats and/or ratchets, etc. The arrangement may provide a simple 1 to 1 relationship, i.e., the amount of line 34 pulled is equal to the amount the region is raised, or it may provide a greater degree of purchase, e.g., as a 1 to 2 (as shown in
In the embodiments of
If desired an additional pouch may be provided in the head end 26 of the mid-section 25 either as an alternative to the extra pouch 50c in the tail end 27 or in addition to it, for example at half the spacing, in order to provide a further range of possible sizes. Further, a strap or other tightening mechanism could be provided on one or more of the pouches 50a, 50b, 50c, 50d to provide further adjustment and holding of the sleeping pad 49 in an appropriate position under the user.
As the weight of the user can be mostly carried by the bottom layer of fabric of the mid-section 25, the sleeping pad 49 within the pocket 48 is kept close to the body of the user, increasing the warmth and comfort of the user.
The fitting of the sleeping pad 49 within the pocket 48 of the mid-section 25 is shown in more detail in the perspective view of
The arrangements with one or more inflatable tubes 51 are also less reliant on the sleeping pad 49 for stretching out the mid-section 25. In these embodiments the sleeping pad 49, if fitted, can be mounted further down in the structure of the mid-section 25, allowing for additional comfort layers to be incorporated between the sleeping pad 49 and the user. In one example, in place of a sleeping pad, an under-quilt may be suspended or attached underneath the mid-section 25, for example, using releasable fasteners or hook and eye material to hold it in place under the inflatable tube(s) 51. This might offer a more comfortable or breathable solution for some climates.
While the foregoing has described a hammock intended for one user, it would also be possible for the hammock to be arranged to accommodate two people, for example, lying in a side by side arrangement. To prevent the two occupants rolling together, the centre of the mid-section may be supported by a connection to a ridge line. Thus there can be seen to be disclosed a hammock comprising: a pair of suspension points provided on opposed sides of the hammock that the hammock is arranged to suspend from in use; a mid-section for supporting one or more users' bodies in a direction substantially transverse to a line between the suspension points; and a pair of wings extending outwardly from opposing lateral edges of the mid-section substantially to the suspension points.
Preferably such a hammock includes a ridge line extending between the suspension points. Preferably the mid-section includes a leash or supporting web of fabric connected to a central part of the mid-section to suspend this part of the hammock from the ridge line. Any or all of the previously described preferred features may also be read in conjunction with such a two-person transverse hammock without restriction.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1401978.0 | Feb 2014 | GB | national |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | 15114541 | Jul 2016 | US |
| Child | 16936649 | US |
