Tent

• US 4,491,141 A
• Filed: 03/01/1983
• Issued: 01/01/1985
• Est. Priority Date: 03/01/1983
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: WPC Brands, Inc. (Spectrum Brands Holdings, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Lawrence C. Eppenbach
• Inventors: Eppenbach, Lawrence C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Apley, Richard J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Crow, S. R.
• Application Number:
  US06/470,965
• Time in Patent Office: 672 Days
• Field of Search: 135/104, 135/93, 135/115, 135/119, 135/21, 135/87, 135/90, 135/117, 135/109, 135/901, 5/414, D21/253
• US Class Current: 135/125
• CPC Class Codes: E04H 15/425 Flexible supporting means
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 135/913 Flaccid cover made of netting

Abstract

A tent comprising a flexible porous sheet having an inner face and an outer face and a resilient frame attached to the sheet. The resilient frame is stressed so that the frame can shape the sheet into an enclosure having a peripheral wall, a closed top, an opening at the front, and a shroud for closing the opening. The shroud is of substantially greater length than the height of the opening. A peripheral region of the sheet extends from the perimeter of the enclosure to form a seal with the surface which supports the tent.

Claims

1. A tent adapted to rest on a supporting surface comprising:

a flexible porous sheet having an inner face and an outer face;

a resilient frame;

means for attaching the frame to the sheet with the frame engaging the inner face of the sheet;

means for stressing the resilient frame so that the frame can shape the sheet into an enclosure having a peripheral wall, a closed top, a base, an opening at the front, and an openable shroud for closing the opening of said enclosure and being of substantially greater length than the height of said opening whereby the shroud can close the opening and extend outwardly from the base of the enclosure;

a peripheral region of the sheet extending from the base of the enclosure to impede insects from entering the enclosure at the base; and

said opening having lower corners, said flexible sheet being folded to form a floor for the enclosure, portions of said floor being coupled to portions of the sheet adjacent the corners to stress the resilient frame whereby the floor forms at least a portion of the stressing means.

2. A tent adapted to rest on a supporting surface comprising:

a flexible porous sheet having an inner face and an outer face;

a resilient frame;

means for attaching the frame to the sheet with the frame engaging the inner face of the sheet;

means for stressing the resilient frame so that the frame can shape the sheet into an enclosure having a peripheral wall, a closed top, a base, an opening at the front, and an openable shroud for closing the opening of said enclosure and being of substantially greater length than the height of said opening whereby the shroud can close the opening and extend outwardly from the base of the enclosure;

a peripheral region of the sheet extending from the base of the enclosure to impede insects from entering the enclosure at the base; and

said frame including first and second diagonally intersecting frame members acting against the inner surface of the sheet, each of said first and second frame members terminating in opposite end portions, said attaching means including at least four bearings on the sheet and engageable with the end portions, respectively, of the first and second frame members.

5. A tent as defined in claim 2 wherein said four bearings receive the associated end portions of the frame members, said stressing means includes releasable fastener means on first and second of said bearings and first and second regions of the sheet adjacent said first and second bearings, respectively, whereby said first and second bearings can be releasably coupled to the first and second regions, said attaching means includes means on the sheet for attaching the frame to a central region of the enclosure.

3. A tent adapted to rest on a supporting surface comprising:

a flexible porous sheet having an inner face and an outer face;

a resilient frame;

means for attaching the frame to the sheet with the frame engaging the inner face of the sheet;

means for stressing the resilient frame so that the frame can shape the sheet into an enclosure having a peripheral wall, a closed top, a base, an opening at the front, and an openable shroud for closing the opening of said enclosure and being of substantially greater length than the height of said opening whereby the shroud can close the opening and extend outwardly from the base of the enclosure;

a peripheral region of the sheet extending from the base of the enclosure to impede insects from entering the enclosure at the base;

said frame having at least first and second end portions and said attaching means including first and second bearings on said sheet for engaging the first and second end portions, respectively; and

said stressing means including releasable fastener means on at least one of said bearings and an adjacent region of the sheet whereby said one bearing can be releasably coupled to said adjacent region of the sheet to stress the frame and facilitate assembly and disassembly of the tent.

4. A tent as defined in claim 3 wherein said opening has lower corners and said frame has portions adjacent the lower corners of the opening and said stressing means includes an elongated flexible member coupled to the sheet adjacent the lower corners and extending along the bottom of the opening between said lower corners, the elongated flexible member being releasably coupled to the sheet adjacent at least one of the lower corners.

6. A flexible panel for use with a frame to form a tent comprising:

a flexible sheet having an inner face and an outer face;

at least four bearings mounted on said sheet and adapted to receive end portions of the frame, respectively, said bearings being arranged in a polygonal pattern;

first and second fastener elements mounted on said sheet closely adjacent first and second of said bearings, respectively, said first and second bearings being adjacent to each other in said polygonal pattern;

third and fourth fastener elements mounted on said sheet in spaced relationship, said third and fourth fastener elements being closer together than said first and second fastener elements and being adapted to releasably couple to the first and second fastener elements, respectively, so as to stress the frame; and

means for attaching regions of the sheet together adjacent third and fourth of said bearings to stress the frame whereby the frame can shape the flexible sheet to form an end wall generally between the first and second bearings, side walls generally between the first and third and second and fourth bearings, an open front generally between the third and fourth bearings, a closed top and a flap for closing the open front.

7. A flexible panel as defined in claim 6 wherein said third and fourth fastener elements are outside of said polygonal pattern.

8. A flexible panel as defined in claim 6 wherein said sheet has a rear edge and a forward edge, said polygonal pattern is closer to said rear edge than said forward edge, and said first and second bearings are generally intermediate the rear edge and the third and fourth bearings whereby said flap is substantially larger than the front opening.

9. A flexible panel as defined in claim 6 wherein said polygonal pattern is spaced inwardly from the periphery of the sheet whereby the polygonal pattern is circumscribed by a region of the sheet.

10. A flexible panel as defined in claim 9 wherein said third and fourth fastener elements are outside said polygonal pattern, said sheet has a rear edge and a forward edge, said polygonal pattern is closer to said rear edge than said forward edge, and said first and second bearings are generally intermediate the rear edge and the third and fourth bearings whereby said flap is substantially larger than the front opening and said fastener elements and bearings are on the inner face of the sheet.

11. A flexible panel as defined in claim 6 including means on the sheet for attaching the frame to a central region of the polygon.

12. A flexible panel as defined in claim 6 wherein said sheet is of one-piece construction and at least a portion of the sheet is porous.

13. A flexible panel as defined in claim 6 wherein said first bearing includes a pocket for receiving the associated end portion of the frame.

14. A tent comprising:

a flexible sheet having an inner face and an outer face;

a resilient frame having a plurality of end portions;

a plurality of bearings mounted on said sheet and adapted to coact with portions of the frame, respectively, said bearings being arranged in a polygonal pattern;

a first fastener element mounted on said sheet closely adjacent a first of the bearings;

a second fastener element adapted to be releasably coupled to the first fastener element and mounted on said sheet in a position such that when it is coupled to said first fastener element the frame is stressed; and

means for attaching regions of the sheet together adjacent two adjacent bearings so as to stress the frame whereby the frame can shape the flexible sheet to form a peripheral wall, a base, an open front generally between said two bearings, a closed top and a flap for closing the open front.

15. A tent as defined in claim 14 wherein said sheet has a rear edge and a forward edge, said polygonal pattern is closer to said rear edge than said forward edge whereby the flap forms a shroud of substantially greater length than the height of said opening and the shroud can close the opening and extend outwardly from the base.