초록 ▼

A collapsible shelter of the umbrella-tent type including a foldable frame and a cover of sheet material affixed to the frame. The frame comprises a plurality of support members having mutually respective ends pivotally connected to a central hub. The central hub is mounted on elongate erecting guid

A collapsible shelter of the umbrella-tent type including a foldable frame and a cover of sheet material affixed to the frame. The frame comprises a plurality of support members having mutually respective ends pivotally connected to a central hub. The central hub is mounted on elongate erecting guide means located at the apex of the frame. A second hub is mounted on the guide means below the central hub, and a plurality of rib members are pivotally connected at mutually respective ends to the second hub, with the other ends of the rib members being pivotally connected to corresponding, respective support members, so that when the shelter is in its erected form, the support members extend outwardly and downwardly from the central hub, the second hub is positioned adjacent or proximate to the central hub, the rib members extend substantially radially outwardly from the erecting guide, and the cover is held tautly affixed to the frame. Means are provided for releasably connecting and holding the second hub and the central hub together as a rigid unit to avoid untimely collapse of the shelter by inadvertent, undesired, downward movement of the second hub away from the central hub. The shelter can be collapsed, when desired, by disengaging the second hub from the central hub and moving the second hub downwardly away from the first hub. When the shelter is collapsed, the support members extend downwardly as a bundle from the central hub, the ribs are folded to positions substantially within the bundle of collapsed support members, and the cover is loosely affixed to the frame. In a preferred embodiment, the support members are segmented and can be folded upon themselves to greatly shorten the length of the collapsed bundle thereof.

대표청구항 ▼

In a collapsible shelter of the umbrella-tent type wherein the shelter includes a foldable frame and a cover of sheet material affixed to the frame, with said frame comprising an elongate erecting guide; a plurality of support members for supporting said cover when said frame is erected; a first hub

In a collapsible shelter of the umbrella-tent type wherein the shelter includes a foldable frame and a cover of sheet material affixed to the frame, with said frame comprising an elongate erecting guide; a plurality of support members for supporting said cover when said frame is erected; a first hub mounted on said erecting guide; first pivotal connecting means for pivotally connecting mutually respective ends of said support members to said first hub, so that when the shelter is erected, the support members extend outwardly and downwardly from said first hub, and when the shelter is collapsed, the support members extend downardly as a bundle, with the support members being in proximate side-by-side relationship; a second hub mounted on said erecting guide below said first hub, said first and second hubs being adjustable between a collapsed position in which said first and second hubs are located remote from each other, and an erected position, in which the first and second hubs are proximate each other; a plurality of rib members, equal in number to the number of support members; second pivotal connecting means for pivotally connecting mutually respective ends of said rib members to the second hub; means for pivotally connecting the other mutually respective ends of said rib members to corresponding support members, such that when the shelter is erected, said rib members extend substantially radially outwardly from said erecting guide and when the shelter is collapsed, said rib members extend downwardly, substantially within said bundle of collapsed, support members, the improvement comprising: providing a cylindrical bore through said first hub from the upper end to the lower end thereof, with said erecting guide passing longitudinally through said bore in said first hub; at least one of said first and second pivotal connecting means is adapted to allow rotational movement of the respective hub associated therewith about the longitudinal axis of said guide member; and means are provided for releasably connecting and holding said first and second hubs together as a rigid unit when said first and second hubs are located proximate each other in the erected position, thereby avoiding untimely collapse of said shelter by inadvertent, undesired movement of said first and second hubs to a position separate and apart from each other, said means for releasably connecting said first and second hubs together as a rigid unit comprising: one of said first and second hubs having a counterbore in the end thereof facing the other hub, said counterbore being eccentric with the bore which extends through said first hub, and, therefore, eccentric with respect to the erecting member positioned within said bore; and the other hub having an upstanding cylindrical portion forming its end which faces the hub having the counterbore, said upstanding cylindrical portion being adapted for sliding engagement within said counterbore, said upstanding-cylindrical portion also being eccentric with respect to the erecting guide which, in turn, extends from the free end of said upstanding cylindrical portion and through the bore in the mutually opposite hub, whereby, when said upstanding cylindrical portion is engaged in said counterbore and one of the hubs is rotated by about one-quarter to three eighths of a turn about the longitudinal axis of said erecting guide, said first and second hubs are bound together with said erecting guide as a rigid unit.