Note : Les descriptions sont présentées dans la langue officielle dans laquelle elles ont été soumises.
CA 02870864 2014-11-04
TENT HUB ASSEMBLY
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application claims foreign priority to China Application No.
2013207091816 (filed
on November 11, 2013) and U.S. Application No. 14/251,729 (filed on April 14,
2014) which
are incorporated by reference in their entireties.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
[0002] The present invention relates to a tent hub assembly, and in particular
to a hub assembly
which facilitates folding and unfolding of a tent.
2. Description of Prior Art
[0003] Foldable tents are well known in the art and have become very popular
in recent years.
In fact, every major retail outlet in the U.S. sells a foldable tent in one
form or another. Foldable
tents come in different configurations with a variety of features and
manufacturers continue to
improve those features. However, in general, a foldable tent comprises a tent
fabric coupled to a
frame assembly at a radially inner space of the frame assembly.
[0004] One of the most important parts of the foldable tent is the hub
assembly. The hub
assembly serves as the backbone of the tent and facilitates the opening and
folding of the tent
while also maintaining the tent in those positions. In the earlier developed
foldable tents the hub
assembly included an external locking mechanism to ensure that the tent is
maintained in the
open state. However, external locking mechanisms are problematic for a number
of reasons such
as added bulk and weight, the tendency to malfunction due to the number of
interacting
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components, and the extra time it takes to open and fold the tent. Therefore,
more recently a hub
assembly that does not require an external locking mechanism was developed.
[0005] In a more recently developed hub assembly the tent poles are pivotally
coupled to the hub
assembly and supported by an engaging surface when the tent is in the open
configuration, as
shown and described, for example, in U.S. Patent No. 8,448,656. When folded,
the poles are
pivoted upward relative to the hub assembly and the hub assembly is placed on
top of the tent
fabric and folded into a compact bundle, and stored within a carry bag. Even
though the more
recently developed hub assembly is more advantageous than the previous hub
assembly having
an external locking mechanism, there are several problems associated with such
a configuration.
[00061 In the open state, in the foldable tent of the prior art described in
the previous paragraph
the radially inward tension from the tent fabric prevents the tent from
collapsing. The upper
poles of the tent are secured only by way of contact with the engaging
surface. Therefore, when
the inward tension from the tent fabric is weakened or when the upper tent
poles do not fully
engage the engaging surface, for example by strong wind exerted on the tent or
by human
contact, the tent is susceptible to collapsing because an additional safeguard
for maintaining the
tent in the open state is not present.
[0007] Another disadvantage of the foldable tent of the prior art described
above is that the tent
fabric is susceptible to damage when folded. This is because the poles are
folded upward
relative to the hub assembly and thus the hub assembly rests directly on top
of the tent fabric
when the tent it folded. The friction caused between the hub assembly and the
tent fabric could
damage the tent fabric. The damage could be as severe as the tent fabric being
torn, punctured or
ripped especially when the folded tent is dropped on the end where the hub
assembly is located.
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[0008] Another disadvantage in the foldable tent of the prior art is that the
tent fabric could be
damaged during the set up process. For the tent of the prior art, the tent
must first be unfolded
such that the floor of the tent is completely expanded with the poles resting
on top. The user is
then required to reach within the boundaries of the floor to further unfold
and extend the poles.
It is difficult to engage the poles without stepping on the tent fabric
especially in larger instant
tents of the prior art. Therefore, the tent fabric is further susceptible to
damage.
[0009] Other hub assemblies have been developed to overcome the disadvantages
of the hub
assembly of U.S. Patent No. 8,448,656. For example, the hub assemblies of U.S.
Patent Nos.
7,861,736; 8,047,218; and 7,607,447 disclose hub assemblies where the poles
fold downward
and that do not have external locking mechanisms. However, those hub
assemblies are quite
bulky due to the requirement of a lengthy biasing mechanism and are costly to
manufacture
because they require much more material ¨ both plastic and metal.
OBJECTS AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0010] The following presents a simplified summary of some embodiments of the
invention in
order to provide a basic understanding of the invention. This summary is not
an extensive
overview of the invention. It is not intended to identify key/critical
elements of the invention or
to delineate the scope of the invention. Its sole purpose is to present some
embodiments of the
invention in a simplified form as a prelude to the more detailed description
that is presented later.
[0011] The present invention is intended to overcome at least the above-
described disadvantages.
More specifically, the objects and advantages of the present invention are to
provide a foldable
instant tent that: includes a safeguard, in addition to tension forces from
the tent fabric, against
unwanted collapse of the tent while in an open state; has the capability of
the upper tent poles to
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fold downward to minimize contact between the hub assembly and tent fabric
when in the folded
state, and provides the user with easy set up while eliminating the need for
the user to make
contact with the tent fabric with his feet during set up; and is more cost
effective to manufacture.
[0012] Facilitating the above-mentioned objectives, in a first embodiment, the
hub assembly for
a tent having a plurality of poles includes a hub having a central member in a
central aperture
and a plurality of arms, each arm having a fastener aperture for receiving a
fastener which
pivotably connects a first hole of a respective pole to the arm; a base having
a shaft and a
plurality of walls, with the central member slidably disposed in the shaft,
with pairs of the walls
forming pole slots each for receiving a respective pole, each wall having an
elongated guide slot
for receiving a pin which passes through a second hole of a respective pole in
the pole slot; and a
biasing member disposed in the shaft to bias the central member upward to bias
the hub upward
from the base.
[0013] With the poles in an open configuration, the pins are in a locking
position in the
elongated slot; and when the poles are moved to a closed configuration, the
pins are moved from
the locking position to an unlocked position in the elongated slot. With the
poles in the open
configuration, the hub abuts the base. When the poles are moved to the closed
configuration, the
hub is moved upward from the base.
[0014] The central member is slidable between an open position where the
biasing member is
compressed and a closed position where the biasing member is more compressed.
A force from
the biasing member in its more compressed state pushes the central member
upward relative to
the shaft, thereby driving the hub arms and the poles to the closed position.
The biasing member
is a spring, and the elongated guide slot has a non-linear shape.
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[0015] In a second embodiment, the hub assembly includes a hub having a
central member in a
central aperture and a plurality of arms, each arm having a pivotal connection
with a first portion
of a respective pole; a base having a shaft and a plurality of walls, with the
central member
slidably disposed in the shaft, with the walls including a guide slot having a
pivotal connection
with a second portion of a respective pole; and a biasing member disposed in
the shaft to bias the
central member upward to bias the hub upward from the base.
[0016] The guide slot has a non-linear shape. With the poles in an open
configuration, the
pivotal connection of the second portion of the pole is in a locking position
in a curved portion in
the non-linear guide slot; and when the poles are moved to a closed
configuration, the pivotal
connection of the second portion moves from the locking position to an
unlocked position in an
elongated portion in the non-linear guide slot.
[0017] The present invention also includes a tent having such poles connected
to the hub
assembly.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0018] The foregoing summary, as well as the following detailed description of
presently
preferred embodiments of the invention, will be better understood when read in
conjunction with
the appended drawings. For the purpose of illustrating the invention, there
are shown in the
drawings embodiments which are presently preferred. It should be understood,
however, that the
invention is not limited to the precise arrangements and instrumentalities
shown.
[0019] In the drawings:
[0020] Fig. 1 is a top side perspective view of the hub assembly in the open
configuration;
[0021] Fig. 2 is the top side perspective view of Fig. 1 with parts separated;
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[0022] Fig. 3 is a front cross-sectional view of the hub assembly of Fig. 1;
[0023] Fig. 4 is a top side perspective view of the hub assembly in a
partially closed
configuration;
[0024] Fig. 5 is a side cross-sectional view of the hub assembly of Fig. 4;
[0025] Fig. 6 is a top side perspective view of the hub assembly in the closed
configuration;
[0026] Fig. 7 is a front cross-sectional view of the hub assembly of Fig. 6;
and
[0027] Fig. 8 is a top side perspective view of a tent with poles connected to
the hub assembly of
Fig. 1.
[0028] To facilitate an understanding of the invention, identical reference
numerals have been
used, when appropriate, to designate the same or similar elements that are
common to the
figures. Further, unless stated otherwise, the features shown in the figures
are not drawn to scale,
but are shown for illustrative purposes only.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0029] Certain terminology is used in the following description for
convenience only and is not
limiting. The article "a" is intended to include one or more items, and where
only one item is
intended the term "one" or similar language is used. Additionally, to assist
in the description of
the present invention, words such as top, bottom, upper, lower, front, rear,
inner, outer, right and
left are used to describe the accompanying figures. The terminology includes
the words above
specifically mentioned, derivatives thereof, and words of similar import.
[0030] Referring to Fig. 1 to Fig. 8, the hub assembly 1 is connected to the
ends of a plurality of
poles 40 of a tent, as shown in Fig. 8, which have the tent fabric attached to
the poles 40. As
shown in Figs. 1-2, the hub assembly 1 has a body or hub 10 with a plurality
of hub arms 12
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radially extending from a central portion having a central aperture 11. Each
hub arm 12 has a
fastener aperture 15 which receives a fastener 16 that passes through a first
hole 41 in the end of
each pole 40 at a first portion. The fastener 16 pivotally connects the first
hole 41 to a pair of
hub arms 12 of the hub 10, such that the pole 40 pivots in a respective pair
of hub arms 12. In
this embodiment, the hub assembly 1 includes four poles 40 but more poles
could be included
with additional hub arms 12 as well.
[0031] The hub assembly 1 also has a base 20 with pairs of walls 25 radially
extending from a
central portion with a shaft 24. Each pair of walls 25 forms a pole slot for
receiving an
intermediate or second portion of each pole 40. The intermediate portions have
a second hole 42
through each pole 40, as shown in Fig. 2. In this embodiment, the shaft 24 is
cylindrical but one
of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that the hub assembly 1 could be
configured such that
the shaft 24 has other shapes and sizes such as, for example, having a square
cross-section.
[0032] Each wall 25 of the base 20 has an elongated guide slot 21 which
receive pins 50 that
pass through the second holes 42, such that the elongated guide slot 21 of
each pair of walls 25 is
pivotally connected to the second holes 42. Accordingly, the intermediate
portions of the poles
40 at the second holes 42 are slidably and pivotally connected to the
elongated guide slot 21 of
each pair of walls 25.
[0033] As shown in Figs. 1-2 and 7, the elongated guide slot 21 is non-linear,
having a linear
portion 22 and a curved portion 23 which provides a non-linear path of
slidable movement of the
pins 50 in the elongated guide slot 21.
[0034] Referring to Figs. 2-3, the central aperture 11 and the shaft 24
receive a central member
such as a bolt 13 which extends through a biasing member such as a spring 30,
which is disposed
in an interior 26 of the shaft 24. The biasing member could also take on other
forms such as a
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double spring or a pneumatic actuator. A top portion of the shaft 24 is
substantially enclosed
other than an aperture for which the bolt 13 extends. The lower end of the
bolt 13 engages a
washer 14 and a nut 17. The diameter of the washer 14 is substantially equal
to the inner
diameter of the shaft 24. In the open configuration, the hub body may abut the
base 20, while the
spring 30 biases the hub body of the hub assembly 10 upward and away from the
base 20. The
shaft 24 may also have an opening 27 for attaching a top portion of the tent
fabric or to attach
other accessories.
[0035] As shown in Fig. 1 and 3, the poles 40 are in an open configuration,
with the pins 50 in
the curved portion 23 of the elongated guide slot 21. When the pins 50 are in
the curved portion
23, the pins 40 are in a locked position at the upper end of the elongated
guide slot 21, such that
the poles 40 are maintained in the open configuration without the need for
additional fasteners.
In addition, the spring 30 in the interior 26 of the shaft 24 is partially
compressed.
[0036] When a user desires to fold the tent, the user moves the poles 40 from
the open
configuration in Fig. 1 and 3 to an intermediate configuration shown in Figs.
4-5 and then to a
closed configuration shown in Figs. 6-7.
[0037] Referring to Figs. 4-5, to fold the tent, the user moves the poles 40
to the intermediate
configuration by moving the poles 40 downward, and therefore providing a
downward moment
about the pivot of each fastener 16 which is fixed to the hub arms 12. The
downward moment
removes the slidable pivoting pins 50 out of the curved portion 23 of the
elongated guide slot 21,
as shown in Fig. 4, allowing the pins 50 to enter the linear portion 22 of the
elongated guide slot
21. In addition, as shown in Fig. 5, the downward moment applies a force which
moves the hub
upward from the base 20 and further compresses the spring 30 in the shaft 24.
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[0038] The user then moves the poles 40 to the closed configuration, shown in
Figs. 6-7, by
further moving the poles 40 toward the base 20 which provides a downward
moment or torque
about the pivot of each fastener 16, allowing the pins 50 to slide downward
along the linear
portion 22 of the elongated guide slot 21. Such a downward moment further
applies a force
which moves the hub 10 further upward from the base 20 and further compresses
the spring 30 in
the shaft 24, as shown in Fig. 7. The compression of the spring 30 provides a
force which
maintains the poles 40 in the closed configuration without the need for
additional fasteners.
[0039] To open the tent, the user moves the poles 40 upward from the closed
configuration in
Figs. 6-7 through the intermediate configuration in Figs. 4-5 and then to the
open configuration
in Figs. 1 and 3. By moving the poles 40 accordingly, the user provides an
upward moment or
torque on the poles 40 about the fastener 16 to overcome the force of the
compressed spring 30,
and then to move the pins 50 into the curved portion 23 of the elongated guide
slot 21. Thus, the
upward moment provided by the opening movement of the poles 40 slides the pins
50 upward
along the linear portion of the elongated guide slot 22 to the locking
position in the curved
portion 23.
[0040] Therefore, in the open configuration in Figs. 1 and 3, the spring 30 is
extended and the
pins 50 are locked in the curved portion 23 so that the pins 50 cannot release
from the curved
portion 23 unless the user provides sufficient downward force to move the
poles 40.
[0041] The present invention may be embodied in other specific forms without
departing from
its spirit or essential characteristics. The described embodiments are to be
considered in all
respects only as illustrative and not restrictive. The scope of the invention
is, therefore, indicated
by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description. All changes
which come within
the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are to be embraced within
their scope.
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