N/A
The invention relates generally to recreational equipment but more particularly to a rectangular portable tent.
Equipment aiding outdoor enthusiasts in recreational and emergency situations such as tents, sleeping bags, tarps, and pads have been used for years. Size, weight, durability, and many other factors can make a large difference on behalf of the user, as usually this equipment is portable and transported or carried by the user over a long distance. Traditionally, current tents are one of the heaviest items carried by outdoor enthusiasts. Additionally, current tents are usually cumbersome and complicated to assemble. The complexity of many tents may deter the user from setting up the tent correctly, due to the number of connected parts and their differing orientations. This can be detrimental to the safety and comfort of the user as tents provide a variety of safety barriers for the user including a physical barrier from insects or animals, insulation, and dry storage. Furthermore, many tents are shaped and designed for cosmetic appeal or to shed environment elements contacting the tent. Current tents typically embody a concave roof or slanted roof to shed these environmental elements. Environmental elements undesired to enter the sleeping area in some situations may be rain, snow, wind, insects, animals, organic matter, plants, soil, and much more.
The design factors listed above in current tent designs cause the user to spend an unnecessary amount of time assembling tents, as current common tent designs are oriented towards the cosmetic and marketable consumer aspects of the product and not towards the necessities of the user. Furthermore, many tents or portable sleeping structures lack compartmentalized sections within the tent or structure, allowing for more than the body of the user to fit inside. For example, most backpacking or lightweight tents are one large compartment, not multiple compartments for the user and the remainder of their portable gear such as backpacks, clothes, cooking equipment, lights, shoes and much more. The downside to this is while the user has a comfortable place to sleep, separated from the environmental elements, the remainder of their portable gear is subject to the elements due to a lack of storage space. Secondly, if the user decides to bring the remainder of their portable gear into the sleeping portion of the tent or portable sleeping structures the user then has to sleep with their gear on top or below their body due to the confined space. Thirdly, many current tents require extra securing means such as rope, bungees or straps to secure the tent inside a storage bag or onto another article of portable gear such as a backpack or raft. The process of securing the tent inside a storage bag or onto another article of portable gear needs to be secured tightly during transportation by the user. Often this securing process takes the user additional unnecessary time before being to travel to their next destination.
Regarding these shortcomings, the rectangular portable tent of the present invention sets out to provide the user the simplest and most reliable assembly process, saving the user time and providing a comfortable shelter shielding them from environmental elements. Furthermore, in some embodiments, the rectangular portable tent of the present invention provides the user compartmentalized storage of other portable gear within the same tent structure, giving the user dry storage for everything, not just their body. Finally, the user is not confined to the fixed volume of traditional tent structure, as multiple rectangular portable tents of the present invention may be easily joined to expand or reduce the internal volume of the tent as needed.
The rectangular portable tent of the present invention includes multiple components including: a main shell, an opening on the main shell, an accessory component, a divider component within the main shell, a support assembly, and a structural tie. In one embodiment, he rectangular portable tent is normally sealed forming a contained internal volume and the user can open various accessory components or access openings to allow airflow in or out of the internal volume of the tent. In one embodiment, the main shell is the foremost layer of protection for the user and the internal volume of the tent from environment elements. In one embodiment, the main shell may encompass multiple shells or layered material. In one embodiment, the opening allows for access of the user into and out of the tent when desired by the user or placement of other portable gear into or out of the tent when desired. In another embodiment, the opening in some embodiments may comprise a plurality of opening positioned on any side or face of the rectangular portable tent. In one embodiment, the opening may be positioned on the seams of the rectangular tent. In one embodiment, the accessory component can be mounted on any external or internal side of the main shell or shells of the rectangular portable tent. In some embodiments, the rectangular portable tent can comprise of multiple accessory components. In one embodiment, the divider component is configured to divide the internal volume of the rectangular portable tent into multiple internal storage volumes. In one embodiment, the divider component is affixed to the main shell or shells of the rectangular portable tent. In alternative embodiments, the divider component can be adjustable or removable by the user. In some embodiments, the rectangular portable tent can comprise of a plurality of divider components. In one embodiment, a support assembly gives support to the main shell forming the internal volume. Advantageously, the support structure is optimally placed throughout the rectangular portable tent to minimize weight and assembly time. In one embodiment, the structural tie secures the external side of the rectangular portable tent to a rigid structure in close proximity to the main shell. These rigid structures can be, but are not limited to, the ground, trees, vehicles, rocks, or a building.
It is an object of the present invention, to provide a rectangular portable tent enabling the user easy, assisted, and custom storage as well as shelter from unwanted environmental elements. Advantageously, the rectangular portable tent is easily folded, packed, or rolled for storage during transportation by the user. In one embodiment, the rectangular portable tent may be adjoined to or a member of another piece of portable gear, such as a backpack. Additionally, the internal volume size of the rectangular portable tent is expandable or reducible by the connection of multiple rectangular portable tents to each other. Adjustment, removal, or the addition of multiple divider components, openings, accessory components give the user the tent they desire for their specific needs.
Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent when the following detailed description is read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:
The following description is provided to enable any person skilled in the art to make and use the invention and sets forth the best modes contemplated by the inventor of carrying out their invention. Various modifications, however, will remain readily apparent to those skilled in the art, since the general principles of the present invention have been defined herein to specifically provide a rectangular portable tent.
Unless otherwise defined, all technical terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure belongs. As used herein, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and,” and “the” include plural references unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Any reference to “or” herein is intended to encompass “and/or” unless otherwise stated. As used herein, the term “about” refers to an amount that is near the stated amount by about 0%, 5%, or 10%, including increments therein. Unless otherwise defined, all technical terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure belongs.
Still referring to
An opening 105 in the top face of the main shell allows the user to go inside the rectangular portable tent. In some embodiments, an accessory component 110 may be attached to the main shell 115 by at least one member of an attachment set consisting of: a zipper, a Velcro® strip (hook-and loop fasteners), a strap, a clip, a button, a rope, a magnet, a hook, a bungee, a welded seam, a sewn seam, a staple, and an adhesive. Likewise, the opening may be accessed via an attachment set selected from any attached method previously mentioned. Although, the opening is pictured on the front face adjacent to the top face of the main shell, it is understood that the opening may be positioned at any location. In some embodiments, an accessory component may be on the external side or internal side of any of the six faces of the main shell, including but not limited to the top face, the rear face, the right face, the bottom face, the left face, and the front face. In one embodiment, the opening is positioned on the seams and is accessed by another attachment set as previously described. In one embodiment, the seams are waterproof or water resistant. In other embodiments, the seams and the openings may be accessed by quick release methods. In yet other embodiments, the opening may be positioned in a central location away from the seams of the rectangular tent, best seen in
Referring to
Similarly,
Although the invention has been described in considerable detail in language specific to structural features and or method acts, it is to be understood that the invention defined in the appended claims is not necessarily limited to the specific features or acts described. Rather, the specific features and acts are disclosed as exemplary preferred forms of implementing the claimed invention. Stated otherwise, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein, as well as the abstract, are for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting. Therefore, while exemplary illustrative embodiments of the invention have been described, numerous variations and alternative embodiments will occur to those skilled in the art. Such variations and alternate embodiments are contemplated, and can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. For instance, various colors may be used for the rectangular tent based on the intended use of the rectangular tent.
It should further be noted that throughout the entire disclosure, the labels such as left, right, front, back, top, bottom, forward, reverse, clockwise, counter clockwise, up, down, or other similar terms such as upper, lower, aft, fore, vertical, horizontal, oblique, proximal, distal, parallel, perpendicular, transverse, longitudinal, etc. have been used for convenience purposes only and are not intended to imply any particular fixed direction or orientation. Instead, they are used to reflect relative locations and/or directions/orientations between various portions of an object.
In addition, reference to “first,” “second,” “third,” and etc. members throughout the disclosure (and in particular, claims) are not used to show a serial or numerical limitation but instead are used to distinguish or identify the various members of the group.
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