The disclosed technology relates generally to water craft and tents and, more specifically, to a combination water craft, ground tent, and suspended in air tent.
Tree tents, trees which remain suspended in the air, are known in the art. For example, U.S. Design Patent D721,153 to the same inventor is such a tent designed to be suspended from poles or trees at each corner. Such tends are typically designed with tension from each corner in mind. Compared to a traditional ground tent where forces are distributed downwards over the entirety of the walls of the tent, a tree tent is often supported by its corners alone. In this manner, one can, for example, attach the tent to three trees by rope and enjoy.
Such tents, however, tend to be specifically for being above ground. There exists a desire and largely unsolved need to provide a tent that can be used above ground, but can equally well be used on the ground itself. Tends such as those disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,251,959 to Hsu and U.S. Pat. No. 4,295,302 to Liu are designed for the water or land, but cannot be said to be suspended from trees without first building an entire platform or ground for the tent to reside there-on. This is far from ideal.
What is needed is a way to build a tent which is strong enough for use in a tree, on the ground, and perhaps even in water so that a single tent can be used for all occurrences during both recreational camping and emergencies including floods, wild animals, and zombie attacks.
These and other limitations of the prior art are solved by embodiments described in the present disclosure.
A tent of the disclosed technology is actually a water vehicle (raft) which can float, a land tent (a shelter whose base rests on the ground), and an above-ground dwelling (held to trees, poles, or other vertically extending items capable of supporting the dwelling by its sides or corners). In order to accomplish this, the tent, in some embodiments, is triangular. There is a triangular flotation device which can have a portal formed therethrough. The portal in one embodiment is triangular, and in this or another embodiment, is centrally located within the flotation device. The portal extends through from the top side to the bottom side of the flotation device and the interior space of the portal, or at least the edges thereof might be filled in with a solid object (a rigid triangular-shaped insert, for example) and/or re-enforced with a solid object. This portal allows a strap to extend around, for example, each vertex of the triangular flotation device and around each vertex of the triangular portal (the remaining space or edges of the portal then filled in, in some embodiments). In other embodiments, however, the straps may extend in a different configuration, for instance passing around the mid-point of each edge of the flotation device. There is thus in a triangular flotation device three re-enforcing straps, one extending around each vertex of the portal and larger flotation device. The flotation device can be made of plastic, inflated with air, and/or if solid and/or hollow construction. This device is then capable of a) floating, b) resting on the ground, and c) being supported at each exterior corner while holding weight there-above.
There-above the flotation device and re-enforcing straps can be one or more rigid poles (“rigid” being defined as adapted to retain or return to their original shape without breaking). Such poles extend, in embodiments of the disclosed technology, from a connector mounted to the flotation device such as mounted to the straps which are sewn to a cover of, and/or the flotation device itself. The connector can be a triple connector (having portals for three poles), the portals being female portals. A rigid skeletal frame is then formed, in embodiments of the disclosed technology, by poles extending between each triple female connector and at least one additional connector spaced apart from the triangular flotation device.
The re-enforcing straps which extend around each vertex of the triangular portal and triangular flotation device can be sewn along an entirety (defined as “at least 90% or at least 98%) of its length to a cover adapted to fit over and touch all or the entirety of the exterior sides of the flotation device and/or the flotation device itself. Each strap can also double back on itself near a vertex (defined as “closer to a vertex than a center point of the device”) of each vertex of the triangular flotation device forming a loop. The loop can be positioned exterior to the flotation device, such as extending from a vertex of the flotation device.
A portion of each strap, in embodiments of the disclosed technology, is a triple layer meaning that the strap, which is continuous from end to end, folds over and is sewn to itself in two places such that three layers of the strap are one over another. An innermost layer of the triple layer is sewn to the flexible triangular-shaped cover, a middle layer of the triple layer is an end of the respective strap, and the outer layer is continuous and adjacent to a portion of the strap which is also sewn (where the strap is no longer triple layer) to the flotation device or a cover of the flotation device.
The triple female connector blocks an inner tent cover from moving toward a nearest vertex of each vertex of the triangular flotation device. The nearest vertex is the vertex closest to a respective triple female connector and edge of the inner tent cover being blocked. The inner tent cover is a cover which, in embodiments of the disclosed technology, is directly over and/or under the skeletal frame and the inner most layer of a shelter formed. A shelter is defined as layer between and/or defining an inner space adapted to hold a human being and the outside world.
The triple female connector has three poles extending out therefrom in embodiments of the disclosed technology, such as a curvilinear center pole which curves at an acute angle until reaching exactly above a center of the inner triangular portal and meeting with other center poles. Outer or side poles can further extend from the triple female connector and attach to each other at vertices above a plane defined by the flotation device. The “bottom” side of the tent is defined as one in which is designed to be adjacent to the gravitational bottom of the device and the “top” side of the tent is one which is generally designed to point away from a direction of gravity. For example, the top side is a side with the skeletal structure and shelter.
Out of each of the triple female connector outer portals are two angled poles which extend at equal and opposite angles on either side of the center pole and join with a corresponding angled pole extending from a different of triple female connectors, in embodiments of the disclosed technology. A six port female connector holds each center pole together directly above the triangular portal in some embodiments.
A top of the triangular flotation device is a side adjacent to the triple female connector and a bottom of the triangular flotation device is a side opposite the top side in embodiments of the disclosed technology. The inner tent cover wraps around a bottom side of the triangular flotation device and is connected to the skeletal frame forming an enclosed space (shelter) between the triangular flotation device and the inner tent cover with at least one opening there-in in embodiments of the disclosed technology. A rain canopy (a canopy which keeps the rain from directly entering into the shelter) exterior to the inner tent cover and the skeletal frame is attached to a strap extending outward from a loop formed at a vertex of the triangular flotation device in some embodiments of the disclosed technology.
This tent is thus adapted to be held above ground (by attaching each of the loops to a pole/tree which extends upward from the ground), to float on water (by way of placing the triangular floating device in water), and to rest on the ground. The skeletal frame is free-standing on the triangular flotation device irrespective of the tent being held about the ground, placed on the ground, or floating in water.
Described another way, a land, water, and air tent of the disclosed technology has a flotation device surrounded by a cover, re-enforcing straps extending around each vertex of the flotation device and the cover, and an inner tent extending around a bottom of the flotation device and upwards from the flotation device supported by rigid poles. A connector in this embodiment is attached to the re-enforcing straps out of which the rigid poles emanate and extend away from said flotation device. Further connectors hold the inner tent to the rigid poles. A rain cover can be frictionally held against the rigid poles and held taut at each end of the rain cover. The re-enforcing straps, in some embodiments, double back on themselves at their respective ends forming a triple layer of material and a loop, the loop of each re-enforcing strap being at a corner of the flotation device.
A portal, in embodiments of the disclosed technology, extends through a center of the flotation device (creating a space from top to bottom through which liquid and solid items can pass) through which each re-enforcing strap of the re-enforcing straps extend there-through. The portal and the flotation device have a geometrically identical shape in embodiments of the disclosed technology, such as a triangle shape (meaning that there are two two-dimensional triangular planes defined by the exterior sides of each of the portal and flotation device, the two-dimensional triangular planes connected in the third dimension). The rigid poles are held in place with respect to the flotation device by a triple female connector associated with (nearest to one of) each vertex of the triangle. The triple female connector is between the inner tent and a vertex of the flotation device in embodiments of the disclosed technology.
Three poles of the rigid poles extend from each of the triple female connectors with two poles of the three poles joining corresponding poles extending from a different one of the triple female connectors and one pole of the three poles extending directly above the portal of the flotation device in embodiments of the disclosed technology.
Any device or step to a method described in this disclosure can comprise, or consist of, that which it is a part of, or the parts which make up the device or step. The term “and/or” is inclusive of the items which it joins linguistically, and each item by itself.
A tent is designed for use in the air, connected at its vertices to trees or the like. The tent is further designed with enough support from an independent support structure to create a shelter there-in while in the air or on the ground. Further, the tent is built atop a floating mat or base. In order to provide enough strength to the base that it can be used to float the entire tent or hold the tent airborne, straps extend from each vertex of the mat through a central portal and connect back to themselves. From these straps, loops are further created to attach the tent, by way of the loops, to trees while the entirety of the mat is buoyant enough to hold the tent and people there-in afloat.
Embodiments of the disclosed technology will become more clear in view of the following description of the drawings.
The flotation device 10 (referred to as device 10 for convenience as the cover 10 forms the same shape as the flotation device in embodiments of the disclosed technology) can be triangular/have a triangular cross-section especially on the top and bottom sides, which are then joined together by additional triangular cross-sections. In the center of each cross section can be a portal 34 which is of a similar geometric shape, e.g. a triangle or substantially a triangle. A re-enforcing strap or straps 20 then extends, in embodiments of the disclosed technology, around the exterior side of the flotation device 10 between each corner/vertex 15 and the portal 34, on both the top and bottom sides of the flotation device 10. Thus, each strap 20 extends through the portal 34 at one of the edges/vertexes 26 of the portal, over the top side and bottom side of the flotation device 10 and around a corner/vertex of the flotation device.
Still discussing
Now referring to the skeletal structure which supports the tent, e.g. the tent frame, the tent frame emanates from triple female connectors 50. Each of these is, in turn, connected to one of the straps 20. In embodiments of the disclosed technology, each triple female connector 50 has three female ports of equal size, each of which extend in straight paths. However, the center of the portals points towards an (imaginary) vertical center plane equidistant to each vertex 15 of the flotation device 10. The outer portals point outwards at an acute angle to the center portal. The center portal then has, in embodiments of the disclosed technology, a curvilinear pole 40 which extends outwards therefrom to directly above the center of the portal 34 of the flotation device 10. There are three such center curvilinear poles 40 which join at a top and center connector 45 situated in the (imaginary) vertical line directly above the center of the flotation device's portal 34. This connector 45 at the top of the center of the flotation device 10 has six ports in embodiments of the disclosed technology. Three of the ports are used by the curvilinear poles 40 which are at 120 degree angles to one another in embodiments of the disclosed technology.
The outer ports of the triple female connector 50 have there-within, in embodiments of the disclosed technology, rigid and straight (non-curved) poles 44 which join at upper connectors 48 which will form extreme corners of an inner tent (shelter area). From the extreme corners 48 (of which there are three when using a triangular flotation device), lateral and straight poles 46 connect same to the top and center connector 45 for added support. While the above describes one embodiment of the disclosed technology, for the skeleton of the tent, the skilled reader will appreciate that the skeleton may take any other suitable form, and make use of any suitable type and number of poles, and make use of any type and number of connectors, not limited to the kinds of connectors mentioned above.
Further, the tent can be further secured and strengthened through one or a series of re-enforcements, such as edge covers 97 which cover at least a majority of the edges between the top and bottom sides of the flotation device 10 and/or cover at least a portion of the top and bottom side thereof. These covers 97 can be pulled tightly against the flotation device 10 and towards each other by elastic cables 98 and 99 which pull the covers 97, and thus the flotation device 10, inwards towards itself adding further structural support.
This tent cover 70 is attached to trees or other vertical poles or objects 100 by connectors 79 extending from a same number of vertices as the flotation device 10 has (e.g. 3, as shown) in embodiments of the disclosed technology. The connectors 79 can be decreased in length after being attached between the pole 100 and tent cover 70 to increase tension on the line 79. Further, tie-downs 77 can be used to attach the tent cover 70 to the ground via stakes 78 or other fastening devices.
While the disclosed technology has been taught with specific reference to the above embodiments, a person having ordinary skill in the art will recognize that changes can be made in form and detail without departing from the spirit and the scope of the disclosed technology. The described embodiments are to be considered in all respects only as illustrative and not restrictive. All changes that come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are to be embraced within their scope. Combinations of any of the methods, systems, and devices described herein-above are also contemplated and within the scope of the disclosed technology.
Number | Name | Date | Kind |
---|---|---|---|
2816297 | Stanley | Dec 1957 | A |
3131406 | Cousteau | May 1964 | A |
4766918 | Odekirk | Aug 1988 | A |
4799910 | Kellough | Jan 1989 | A |
5718612 | Elsholz | Feb 1998 | A |
6925956 | Rocha | Aug 2005 | B2 |
D530772 | Peterson | Oct 2006 | S |
7314399 | Turner | Jan 2008 | B2 |
8375968 | Whybrew | Feb 2013 | B2 |
8393288 | Ramsey | Mar 2013 | B1 |
D755322 | Shirley-Smith | May 2016 | S |
D837326 | Chin | Jan 2019 | S |
20050188460 | O'Brien | Sep 2005 | A1 |
Number | Date | Country | |
---|---|---|---|
20190323257 A1 | Oct 2019 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
---|---|---|---|
Parent | 15790341 | Oct 2017 | US |
Child | 16454363 | US |