Tent – canopy – umbrella – or cane – Portable shelter – Framework
Reexamination Certificate
1999-09-01
2001-08-14
Cuomo, Peter M. (Department: 3636)
Tent, canopy, umbrella, or cane
Portable shelter
Framework
C135S087000, C135S097000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06273114
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to tents and, in particular, to a wall tent assembly having one or more self-supporting, weatherproof, personal living quarters or storage pods that attach to the walls of a primary tent.
Numerous varieties of tent constructions have been developed to appeal to particular concerns of targeted groups of users. Many designs provide lightweight constructions that accommodate temporary (i.e. overnight) bivouacs for backpackers. Other designs accommodate the intermittent, short-term recreational excursions with multiple persons sharing the same tent, for example, a single family or a group of friends (e.g. fishermen or hunters).
Some of the latter tents provide multiple rooms. The additional rooms frequently are defined by interior fabric or screen panels that are sewn into the surrounding tent walls, roof and/or floor to accommodate use by multiple occupants. The integral walls can define separate sleeping or living quarters or possibly a screen porch. Awnings or fly's are also frequently fitted to the doors or windows to provide shade or rain and/or wind protection.
Some tents accommodate detachable vestibules. The vestibules are constructed with open ends that contain fasteners that attach to the tent door. The vestibules typically do not include a floor. A separately fastened slit in the wall of the vestibule serves as a door to the space covered by the vestibule. Vestibules are principally constructed to provide a sheltered entry, storage or working space, prior to stepping onto the tent floor. Vestibules thus limit the tracking of dirt into the primary tent and/or provide a cooking or relaxation space sheltered from the elements yet which is attached and opens to the primary tent.
Modular tent systems have also been constructed. An example of one modular system is shown at U.S. Pat. No. 5,222,513. The awning of the tent is constructed such that a number of awnings can be connected to shelter a central common space. Filler panels mount between the sides of the ringed, individual tent units.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,063,566 discloses another tent that is constructed by securing the open sides of a number of identical open-sided, door-less sections together at fasteners mounted along the peripheral edges of each section. Once attached to each other, an open living space is defined by the attached sections. A door or access opening is defined by detaching one set of fasteners between two sections.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,965,915 discloses another modular tent system that can be constructed from a pair of identical, fully enclosed tent units. The separate units fasten to each other at fasteners positioned along the edges of the door sections. An access to the interior of the combined assembly is created upon detaching the fasteners along one edge of the mating door panels. An intermediate accessory unit can be mounted between the separate units. The accessory unit is open-sided and floor-less and essentially provides a panel that has fasteners along four edge sections that fasten to the doors of the facing units. The accessory unit is thus not capable of independent usage or use without a pair of mating tents, except as an awning.
The present tent system was constructed to be compatible with a primary wall tent having at least one door panel. One or more walls of the primary tent separately include flaps that can be opened to expose individual access ports into the primary tent. Fasteners displaced around each flap on the exterior side of the wall interconnect with fasteners secured around the periphery of a door of an independently supported pod that can be used as a personal living quarters storage space. The manner of attachment is such that the flap of the tent and door of the pod are separately operable. Each pod can thus be detached at any time and be erected as a standalone tent shelter at a remote site, such as a temporary, spike camp.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is accordingly a primary object of the invention to provide a modular tent system that is capable of accepting a number of detachable, self-supported pods that open to the living space of a primary tent.
It is a further object of the invention to construct each pod to be weatherproof and self-supporting, when erected independent of or in combination with the primary tent.
It is a further object of the invention to support the corners of each pod with a number of support poles.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a self-supported primary tent having a number of access ports defined by flaps that are outlined with fasteners that separately interconnect to a detachable pod.
Various of the foregoing objects, advantages and distinctions of the invention are obtained in one presently preferred wall tent that accepts one or more pods. In a preferred construction, the wall tent is constructed from canvas and sewn panels define side and end walls and a roof. The tent is supported over a tubular framework and multiple guy ropes and stakes stabilize the tent. Doorways constructed of overlapping, flaps and interconnecting fasteners are formed at the end walls. A floor panel is not typically included due to the relatively large square footage encompassed beneath the tent (e.g. 80 to 415 square feet).
At least one of the walls includes one or more access ports. Each access port is bordered with peripheral fasteners at the external surface of the wall. The peripheral fasteners interconnect to fasteners that border the door of a detachable pod. The pod includes a floor, side walls, door and roof. A separate framework (e.g. a number of poles and staked guy ropes) supports the pod at the side of the primary tent. The attachment of the pod to the tent permits the pod door and the primary tent access port to be independently sealed or opened.
Still other objects, advantages, distinctions and constructions of the invention will become more apparent from the following description with respect to the appended drawings. Similar components and assemblies are referred to in the various drawings with similar alphanumeric reference characters. The description should not be literally construed in limitation of the invention. Rather, the invention should be interpreted within the broad scope of the further appended claims.
REFERENCES:
patent: 1820412 (1931-08-01), Warren
patent: 2880741 (1959-04-01), McGrand
patent: 2932304 (1960-04-01), Voege et al.
patent: 3943952 (1976-03-01), Marquart et al.
patent: 4036244 (1977-07-01), Huddle
patent: 4078572 (1978-03-01), Moss
patent: 4979532 (1990-12-01), Johansson et al.
patent: 5394897 (1995-03-01), Ritchey et al.
Cuomo Peter M.
DL Tschida
Vu Stephen
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