Umbrella-type tent apparatus and method

• US 6,230,728 B1
• Filed: 01/26/2000
• Issued: 05/15/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 01/26/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Outdoor Sports Products
• Original Assignee: Frank P. Reese
• Inventors: Reese, Frank P.
• Primary Examiner(s): Stephan, Beth A.
• Application Number:
  US09/491,370
• Time in Patent Office: 475 Days
• Field of Search: 135/98, 135/20.3, 135/127
• US Class Current: 135/98
• CPC Class Codes: E04H 15/28 Umbrella type tents
• CPC Class Codes: E04H 2015/326 Frame members connected by elastic cord

Abstract

A support framework for an umbrella-type tent, the tent including a fabric tent shell suspended from the support framework. The top and center hubs for the support framework are fabricated from a suitable material so as to provide increased strength to the top hub and the center hub. The fabric tent shell is tethered to the support framework to limit slippage of the fabric tent shell down the tent poles. The tent poles are segmented so as to provide foldable tent poles. A bungee cord keeper system is incorporated into the upper coupling for the segmented tent pole.

Claims

1. A support framework for an umbrella-type tent comprising:

a top hub and a plurality of tent poles hingedly engaged to said top hub, said top hub being fabricated with a generally X-shaped profile, said X-shaped profile having a plurality of outwardly extending arms, each of said arms having a hinge slot and a transverse throughbore across said hinge slot, said hinge slot receiving an end of a socket for supporting said tent pole in hinged relationship to said top hub, said top hub including a screw in each of said transverse throughbores, said screw serving as a hinge pin for said hinged relationship between said top hub and said socket of said tent pole;

a center hub, said center hub being fabricated with said generally X-shaped profile of said top hub with said outwardly extending arms, each of said arms having an extending arm hinge slot and a transverse throughbore across said hinge slot, an extending arm hinge slot receiving an end of a rib in hinged relationship with a screw in said transverse throughbore, said screw serving as a hinge pin for said hinged relationship between said center hub and said rib;

a rib anchor on each tent pole, said rib anchor providing a hinged relationship between said rib and said tent pole;

a fabric tent shell; and

a plurality of fabric loops.

2. The support framework defined in claim 1 wherein said top hub and said center hub are fabricated from discrete lengths of extruded aluminum.

3. The support framework defined in claim 1 wherein said tent poles are fabricated from a plurality of tent pole segments releasably joined in an end-to-end relationship at couplings between said tent pole segments, an upper coupling comprising a hollow sleeve formed into an upper tent pole socket and a lower tent pole socket with a keeper housing between said upper tent pole socket and said lower said lower tent pole socket, said upper coupling including a keeper in said keeper housing, said keeper providing securement means for securing an end of a bungee cord passing through a lumen of said tent pole segments below said upper coupling.

4. The support framework defined in claim 3 wherein said tent poles are fabricated from fiberglass having a diametrally reduced lumen therethrough.

5. The support framework defined in claim 1 wherein said support framework includes a tether means which can be used to tether said fabric tent shell to said support framework.

6. The support framework defined in claim 5 wherein said tether means comprises a tether, said tether being fabricated from a strip of fabric.

7. The support framework defined in claim 6 wherein said tether is connected to said support framework at said rib anchor and to said fabric tent shell at said fabric loop.

8. The support framework defined in claim 7 wherein said tether has a predetermined length.

9. The support framework defined in claim 5 wherein said tether means comprises a tether fabricated from an elastic cord.

11. The support framework defined in claim 8 wherein said top hub and said center hub are each cut from a length of extruded aluminum substrate.

12. The support framework defined in claim 11 wherein said extruded aluminum substrate includes an X-shaped profile having a plurality of arms, an end of each of said arms including a hinge slot for receipt therein of an end of a socket for said tent pole in the case of said top hub and said second end of said rib in the case of said center hub, said arms having a transverse throughbore for receipt of a screw, said screw serving as a hinge pin in said hinge slot.

10. A support framework for an umbrella-type tent comprising:

a top hub;

a plurality of segmented tent poles secured to said top hub in a hinged relationship;

a rib anchor on each of said tent poles;

a center hub;

a plurality of ribs hingedly connected at a first end to said tent poles at said rib anchor, said ribs being hingedly connected at a second end to said center hub;

a fabric tent shell;

a plurality of fabric loops; and

tether means for limiting slippage of said fabric loops downwardly across said tent poles when said support framework is oriented to a folded position.

13. The support framework defined in claim 10 wherein said segmented tent poles are fabricated from fiberglass pole segments, a plurality of said fiberglass pole segments being joined in an end-to-end relationship at a coupling between each of said fiberglass pole segments to form said tent pole, an upper coupling on said tent pole including a bungee cord anchor means for anchoring an end of a bungee cord passing through a lumen of said fiberglass pole segments.

14. The support framework defined in claim 13 wherein said bungee cord anchor means comprises a keeper enclosed within said upper coupling.

15. The support framework defined in claim 14 wherein said upper coupling comprises an upper socket, a lower socket, and a keeper housing between said upper socket and said lower socket, said upper socket receiving a lower end of an upper fiberglass pole segment, said lower socket receiving an upper end of a lower fiberglass pole segment with said bungee cord passing from said keeper through said lower fiberglass pole segment.

16. A method for providing a support framework for a fabric tent shell of an umbrella-type tent structure, said support framework including a plurality of segmented tent poles and a fabric tent shell suspended from said segmented tent poles, comprising the steps of:

fabricating a top hub and a center hub;

hingedly joining an upper end of each of said segmented tent poles to said top hub;

hingedly mounting a first end of a rib to each of said segmented tent poles;

hingedly securing a second end of each of said ribs to said center hub;

mounting fabric loops to said fabric tent shell;

suspending said fabric tent shell from said segmented tent poles by passing said segmented tent poles through said fabric loops; and

limiting slippage of said fabric tent shell down said segmented tent poles by tethering said fabric tent shell to said support framework with a tether means.

17. The method defined in claim 16 wherein said fabricating step includes preparing said top hub and said center hub from an extruded aluminum and smoothing and anodizing said extruded aluminum of said top hub and said center hub.

18. The method defined in claim 16 wherein said hingedly joining step includes fabricating said segmented tent poles as fiberglass tent pole segments, said fiberglass tent pole segments having a diametrally reduced lumen.

19. The method defined in claim 18 wherein said fabricating step includes providing a bungee cord anchor means in an upper coupling of each of said segmented tent poles.

20. The method defined in claim 19 wherein said fabricating step includes forming said upper coupling with an upper socket, a keeper housing, a keeper inside said keeper housing, and a lower socket, said segmented tent pole having a bungee cord passing downwardly from said keeper through each of said fiberglass tent pole segments below said upper couplings, said bungee cord being secured by said keeper.