Tent chair

• US 7,527,331 B2
• Filed: 05/29/2008
• Issued: 05/05/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fargason Outdoor Technologies Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Fargason Outdoor Technologies Incorporated
• Inventors: Fargason, William H. III
• Primary Examiner(s): Cranmer; Laurie K
• Application Number:
  US12/128,611
• Publication Number:
  US 20080224504A1
• Time in Patent Office: 341 Days
• Field of Search: 297/184.1, 297/184.11, 297/184.12, 297/184.14, 297/184.15, 297/184.17, 297/45, 297/42, D64/91, 135/96, 135/128, 135/132, 135/133, 135/143, 135/125, 135/126, 135/137
• US Class Current: 297/184.15
• CPC Class Codes: A01K 97/01 for ice-fishing ; Ice drilling, hook-setting or signalling devices
• CPC Class Codes: A47C 4/286 foldable side to side and front to back, e.g. umbrella type
• CPC Class Codes: A47C 7/66 Means to protect against weather
• CPC Class Codes: A47C 7/666 of enclosure type with side panels

Abstract

The tent chair includes a folding frame supporting a folding cover, with the frame attached to a folding or portable chair. The chair has a single rearward frame bow which is radially flexible but rigid orthogonal to the lateral bow pivot axis of the chair. A series of similar bows is pivotally attached at or toward the front of the chair. The axially orthogonal rigid rearward bow supports the cover and prevents the forward bows from collapsing the cover forwardly as it is pulled taut. One use of the device is as a hunting blind, with a quick release optionally allowing the cover to be rapidly opened. Other configurations provide for use as a photography blind, a privacy shelter for camping or beach use, ice fishing, as a wheelchair or beach lounge chair cover, etc., and may have sufficient room for more than one person.

Claims

1. A collapsible tent seat, being a seat with a cover wherein both the seat and its cover can be collapsed for compact storage;

the seat having sides comprising laterally opposed left and right sides, and longitudinally opposed front and back sides, plus a seating surface between the sides;

the collapsible tent seat comprising;

construction such that the tent seat is deployed for use by uncollapsing the seat to form a seating surface between spaced apart left and right sides and spaced apart front and back sides, at least the laterally opposed seat sides being “

drawn-together seat sides”

, and the tent seat is collapsed by drawing at least the left and right drawn-together seat sides closer together;

a flexible elongated cover support bow comprising a first bow end that is attached to the left seat side, a second bow end that is attached to the right seat side, and an elongated portion flexed as an arch from the first bow end to the second bow end, wherein the bow ends are attached to the seat such that both the seat and its cover are collapsed for compact storage while attached together; and

a covering comprising a flexible sheet supported by the cover support bow.

2. The collapsible tent seat of claim 1, further comprising:

a laterally collapsing seat wherein the left seat side and the right seat side comprise the only pair of drawn-together seat sides.

3. The collapsible tent seat of claim 1, further comprising:

a radially collapsing seat wherein, as the seat is collapsed, the left and right seat sides and the front and back seat sides are drawn closer together, and the first and second bow ends with them, thereby resulting in a relatively narrow cylindrically compacted elongate bundle with a correspondingly narrowed cover support bow arch.

4. The collapsible tent seat of claim 1, wherein:

the seat is a wheelchair.

5. The collapsible tent seat of claim 1, further comprising:

one or more secondary cover support bows pivotally attached to the cover support bow.

6. The collapsible tent seat of claim 1, wherein:

the cover support bow comprises a thin, flat length of unidirectionally flexible material oriented to flex in a plane described by the cover support bow while remaining rigid orthogonal to the plane of the cover support bow.

7. The collapsible tent seat of claim 1, wherein:

the covering has a lower periphery lying closely adjacent an underlying surface of the seat when the cover is deployed.

8. The collapsible tent seat of claim 1, further comprising:

a first pivot at the first bow end attachment point, the first pivot defining a first pivot axis in a plane described by the cover support bow, and a second pivot at the second bow end attachment point, the second pivot defining a second pivot axis in the plane of the cover support bow;

thereby enabling the cover support bow to be pivoted around the seat.

9. The collapsible tent seat of claim 8, further comprising:

a mechanism at a pivot that stops pivoting of the cover support bow at a predetermined orientation.

10. The collapsible tent seat of claim 9, wherein:

the mechanism comprises a sleeve, movable along the cover support bow and slidingly movable to lock the cover support bow at a predetermined orientation.

11. The collapsible tent seat of claim 8, further comprising:

attachment of the covering to the cover support bow such that the covering moves with the cover support bow as it is pivoted.

12. The collapsible tent seat of claim 1, wherein a seat side comprises:

a bow support strut extending upward to a support bow end attachment point.

13. The collapsible tent seat of claim 12, wherein:

a back seat side comprises a backrest and the bow support strut is an extension of, or is attached to, the backrest.

14. The collapsible tent seat of claim 12, wherein:

a lateral seat side comprises an armrest and the bow support strut is an extension of, or is attached to, the armrest.

15. The collapsible tent seat of claim 1, comprising:

a rearward cover support bow and a longitudinally spaced apart forward cover support bow, each cover support bow being a flexible elongated bow comprising a first bow end that is attached to a first one of the seat sides, a second bow end that is attached to a second seat side opposed to the first seat side, and an elongated portion flexed as an arch from the first bow end to the second bow end;

wherein;

the rearward cover support bow is attached proximate the rear side of the seat and arches laterally between rearward left and right side attachment points; and

the forward cover support bow arches laterally between forward left and right side attachment points, each of which is longitudinally spaced forward from their respective rearward left and right side attachment points.

16. The collapsible tent seat of claim 15, wherein:

one or more of the cover support bows comprise a first pivot at the first support bow end attachment point, the first pivot defining a first pivot axis in a plane described by the cover support bow, and a second pivot at the second support bow end attachment point, the second pivot defining a second pivot axis in the plane of the cover support bow;

thereby enabling the cover support bow to be pivoted around the seat.

17. A collapsible tent seat including a seat having sides comprising laterally opposed left and right sides, longitudinally opposed front and back sides, and a flexible seating surface between the sides;

wherein the seat has a first position in which the seating surface is deployed for use between the sides; and

a second position in which the sides and the seating surface are radially collapsed, defining an axis of storage;

the collapsible tent seat comprising;

at least one flexible elongated cover support bow;

a first end of the cover support bow that is pivotally attached to the left seat side at a first pivot point, and a second end of the cover support bow that is pivotally attached to the right seat side at a second pivot point;

coaxial alignment of the first and second pivot points to define a common pivot axis, the pivot axis being substantially orthogonal to the axis of storage;

a flexible elongated portion of the cover support bow, extending between the first end and the second end, having a length greater than the distance between the left and right seat sides when the seat is uncollapsed in the first position; and

a covering comprising a flexible sheet supported by the at least one cover support bow;

thereby providing a collapsible tent seat wherein, when the seat is collapsed, the bow ends are drawn closer together along with the seat sides to which they are attached.

18. The collapsible tent seat of claim 17, further comprising:

attachment of the covering to the cover support bow such that the covering moves with the cover support bow.

19. The collapsible tent seat of claim 17, wherein:

a seat side comprises a bow support strut extending upward to a support bow end attachment point;

a back seat side comprises a backrest; and

the bow support strut is an extension of, or is attached to, the backrest.

20. The collapsible tent seat of claim 17, wherein:

a seat side comprises a bow support strut extending upward to a support bow end attachment point;

a lateral seat side comprises an armrest; and

the bow support strut is an extension of, or is attached to, the armrest.

21. The collapsible tent seat of claim 17, further comprising:

one or more secondary cover support bows pivotally attached to the cover support bow.

22. The collapsible tent seat of claim 17, wherein:

the cover support bow comprises a thin, flat length of unidirectionally flexible material oriented to flex in a plane described by the cover support bow while remaining rigid orthogonal to the plane of the cover support bow.

23. The collapsible tent seat of claim 17, wherein:

the covering has a lower periphery lying closely adjacent an underlying surface of the seat when the cover is deployed.

24. A method for providing a collapsible tent seat that collapses into a compact bundle, wherein the tent seat is a collapsible seat with a cover, the seat having sides comprising laterally opposed left and right sides, and longitudinally opposed front and back sides, plus a seating surface between the sides;

the method comprising the steps of;

constructing the tent seat such that;

the tent seat is deployed for use by uncollapsing the seat to form a seating surface between spaced apart left and right sides and spaced apart front and back sides; and

the tent seat is collapsed by drawing at least the left and right seat sides closer together while collapsing the seating surface therebetween;

providing the cover comprising a flexible sheet as a covering, and one or more flexible elongated cover support bows supporting the cover;

constructing the cover support bow with a first bow end, a second bow end, and an elongated portion therebetween; and

attaching the first bow end to the left seat side, and attaching the second bow end to the right seat side such that;

the elongated portion is flexed as an arch from the first bow end to the second bow end, and the first and second bow ends move with the seat sides to which they are attached;

thereby providing a collapsible tent seat wherein, when the seat is collapsed, the bow ends are drawn closer together along with the seat sides to which they are attached, thus causing the cover support bow to flex into a more narrow arch that is thus compacted in a side to side dimension along with the seat.

25. The method of claim 24, further comprising the step of:

for each of the one or more cover support bows, providing a pivot at the first support bow end attachment point and a pivot at the second support bow end attachment point, the first and second pivots being aligned with each other such that they define a common pivot axis in a plane described by the cover support bow;

thereby providing a collapsible tent seat wherein the one or more cover support bows can be pivoted around the seat to form a bundle that is compact in length.