Foldable tent

• US 5,499,646 A
• Filed: 06/14/1994
• Issued: 03/19/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 06/14/1993
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Bikel Company, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Woon Lee
• Inventors: Lee, Woon
• Primary Examiner(s): COGGINS, WYNN WOOD
• Application Number:
  US08/261,114
• Time in Patent Office: 644 Days
• Field of Search: 135/15.1, 135/16, 135/96, 135/99, 135/121, 135/123, 135/124, 135/126, 135/133, 135/135, 135/140, 135/142, 135/114, 135/28, 135/29, 135/39
• US Class Current: 135/121
• CPC Class Codes: E04H 15/28 Umbrella type tents

Abstract

A foldable tent is provided which achieves the desired stretch of a cloth tent body when fully pitched. The foldable tent includes a cylindrical center member comprising a top cylinder and a bottom cylinder detachably coupled to each other. A cylindrical slider having a notch on its inner surface is movably fitted over the center member. An elastic locking member is mounted in the to cylinder of the center member for locking the slider. The locking member has a locking projection snapping into the notch of the slider. A release mechanism for releasing the locking projection from the notch of the slider is received in the bottom cylinder. The tent framework further includes a plurality of ribs. Each the rib is hinged to a corresponding pipe frame and the slider at its opposed ends such that an angle formed between it and the top cylinder when pitching the tent is less than 90°. This foldable tent is easily pitched and struck regardless of tent size. The pipe frames can be easily repaired when they are damaged as a result of long time use.

Claims

1. A foldable tent comprising:

a cloth tent body;

a plurality of foldable pipe frames having inside end portions, said pipe frames being coupled to each other at said inside end portions and extended to pitch state of the tent, each of said pipe frame comprising a plurality of pipes jointed to each other by a plurality of joints;

a cylindrical center member having a top and a bottom end, said cylindrical center member being coupled to all of said inside end portions of said pipe frame at said top end, said center member including a top cylinder and a bottom cylinder, said top cylinder being coupled to said pipe frames and having a through hole and said bottom cylinder being detachably coupled to said bottom end of said top cylinder;

a cylindrical slider, slidably fitted over said center member, said slider having an inner surface provided with a notch;

an elastic locking member mounted in said top cylinder of the center member for locking said slider, said locking member having a locking projection elastically penetrating said through hole of the top cylinder so as to snap into said notch of the slider and to retain said pitched state of the tent;

means for releasing said locking projection of the locking member from said notch of the slider for folding said pipe frames, said releasing means being received in said bottom cylinder; and

a plurality of ribs having opposite end portions, each of said ribs being hinged to a corresponding pipe frame and said slider at said opposite end portions, respectively, such that an angle formed between said ribs and said top cylinder when the tent is in a pitched state is less than 90°

.

2. The foldable tent according to claim 1, wherein said releasing means comprises:

a cylindrical piston movably received in said center member for releasing said locking projection of the locking member from said notch of the slider, said cylindrical piston having a bottom end portion;

a spring stop plate fixedly mounted in said bottom cylinder under said piston;

a connection rod coupled to said bottom end portion of said piston and vertically extending in said bottom cylinder so as to project out of said bottom cylinder;

a spring compression plate mounted on said connection rod under said spring stop plate;

a compression coil spring fitted over said connection rod between said spring stop plate and said spring compression plate for biasing said connection rod downward;

a release button mounted on an end of said connection rod projecting out of said bottom cylinder; and

a stopper mounted or a lower section of said connection rod for limiting a descending distance of said connection rod.

3. A foldable tend according to claim 1, wherein said releasing means comprises:

a cylindrical piston movably received in said center member for releasing said locking projection of the locking member from said notch of the slider;

a connection rod hinged to the bottom end portion of said piston by a pin and vertically extending in said bottom cylinder;

a release lever hinged to an outer side surface of said bottom cylinder at one end thereof and received in said bottom cylinder at an other end thereof;

a spring placed between said outer side surface of the bottom cylinder and said release lever for biasing the release lever;

a link hinged to bottom end of said connection rod and to an other end of said release lever at opposed ends thereof, said link having a guide slot; and

a guide pin mounted in said bottom cylinder and received in said slot of the link so as to guide the link motion of said link.

4. The foldable tent according to claim 1, wherein the detachable coupling of said top cylinder to the bottom cylinder is achieved by screw type coupling.

5. A foldable tent comprising:

a hollow cylindrical center member having a top cylindrical section which is detachably attached to a bottom cylindrical section;

a slider member slidably mounted to the cylindrical center member;

a plurality of pipe frames, each containing a plurality of pipes jointed together;

a plurality of rib members hinged at one end to a corresponding pipe frame and at another end to said slider member, said ribs, when extended, forming an angle of less than 90 degrees with the top cylindrical section;

a locking projection disposed in the top cylindrical section for locking the slider member relative to said cylindrical center member, and

means for releasing the locking projection, said releasing means received in the bottom cylindrical section.

6. The foldable tent of claim 5, wherein the top cylindrical section of the center member is provided with an aperture and the slider member is provided with a notch, whereby when the tent is in a pitched position, the locking projection is adapted to extend through said aperture in the center member into engagement with the notch provided in the slider member.

7. The foldable tent of claim 6, wherein the locking projection is biased in slidable engagement with the inside of the center member.

8. The foldable tent of claim 7, wherein the means for releasing the locking projection extends from the bottom cylindrical section into selective engagement with said locking projection, said releasing means being operative to compress the locking projection against its bias thereby enabling the slider means to slide relative to the center member.

9. The foldable tent of claim 8, wherein the means for releasing the locking projection is a piston-connecting rod coaxially disposed in said bottom cylindrical section, said connecting rod extending from the locking member to a position outside the bottom cylindrical section and being biased from active engagement with said locking member, said engagement becoming active by compressing said piston-connecting rod against said bias.

10. The foldable tent of claim 8, wherein the means for releasing the locking projection is a piston-connecting rod coaxially disposed in said bottom cylindrical section, said connecting rod being hinged to said piston and extending to the bottom of said bottom cylindrical section, and a release lever disposed at an outside portion of said bottom cylindrical section, said release lever being linked to a lower end portion of said connecting rod.