SLIDE-TOP TENT RETROFIT SYSTEM
A slide-top tent retrofit system for converting a frame tent to a slide-top tent is described. In some embodiments, the system comprises a retrofit end crown fitting that can attach to an original crown fitting using an original attachment means. In some embodiments this retrofit end crown fitting comprises a sliding channel and attaches to retrofit rafter beams, also comprising a sliding channel, which replace original rafter beams. The retrofit rafter beams can also attach to retrofit side eave fittings, which replace original side eave fittings. In larger tents comprising one or more original mid crown fittings, retrofit mid crown fittings can replace the original fittings and attach to retrofit rafter beams. In one embodiment, the retrofit end crown fitting attaches to the original end crown fitting using a pin and hole attachment system.
This application claims priority to U.S. provisional patent application Ser. No. 61/598,785, filed Feb. 14, 2012.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates generally to fabric slide-top tents and, more particularly, to a retrofit package to convert a conventional frame tent to a fabric slide-top tent.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventional frame tents comprise a tent frame that supports a tent cover. The tent frame comprises a top assembly supported by legs. Different segments of the frame are supported by different types of connections. A cover is generally connected to the top assembly using mechanisms such as buckles or latches.
Some embodiments of conventional frame tents have pyramid-shaped top assemblies.
Other embodiments of conventional frame tent top assemblies comprise mid-sections which connect two hip sections.
Larger tents may require additional beams and fittings, and may also require beams to be split into two or more parts.
Frame tent fitting or joint systems (used interchangeably herein) are used to connect the beams of a tent. Some embodiments of frame tent fitting systems comprise one or more attachment systems. Crown fittings are often the most difficult fittings to design, as they often must include more points than other fittings, such as side eave fittings and hip cave fittings. One embodiment of an attachment system capable of use with a crown fitting is a pin and hole attachment system that includes pins that are used in conjunction with pin holes in the fittings and/or frame beams. Another embodiment comprises a nut and bolt connection. Attachment systems can also comprise swivel pieces so as to enable connection to slanted or horizontal beams. Several other attachment systems are also possible.
In
One frame tent fitting system that utilizes both a pin and hole system similar to that described above as well as nuts and bolts is that of the Fiesta® Frame Tent series from Anchor® Industries. “Assembly Instructions: Fiesta® Frame Tent 18′ through 22′ Wide Systems With Expandable Kits” and “Assembly Instructions: Fiesta® Frame Tent 24′ through 30′ Wide Systems With Expandable Kits,” published by Anchor® Industries, are incorporated by reference herein in their entirety.
Similar to conventional frame tents, slide-top frame tents can include a tent frame that supports a cover or roof (used interchangeably herein). In conventional frame tents, pieces of a cover are placed on top of the tent and lashed to each other and to the tent frame. Tent covers can be made from a variety of materials, including but not limited to canvas, cloth, polyethylene, nylon, polyester, vinyl, vinyl-coated polyester, acrylic materials, or any number or combination of other materials. Slide-top tents are designed such that a tent roof or cover (used interchangeably herein) can be installed by sliding it over the top assembly of the tent, often through a channel included in certain rafter beams. This installation method allows for easier installation and significant reduction in wear to the roof fabric due to repetitive installations. Further, slide-top tents do not require different sections of the cover to be lashed together, and therefore form a more watertight seal between sections since the cover pieces can be locked into frame beams. Slide-top tents can have the same frame layout as frame tents, including comprising hip ends, but with altered frame beam and fitting designs or additional components that interact with these beams and fittings to enable slide installation of the cover.
With respect to
With respect to
Because of the many advantages, many users wish to convert frame tents to slide-top tents. Several retrofit systems have previously been designed to accomplish this purpose, including the 20′ and 30′ Jumbotrac® Conversion Systems from Aztec Tents and the 40′ Fiesta® Plus II Retrofit system from Anchor Industries (measurements refer to tent width). However, retrofit systems must commonly be designed to work with a specific frame tent, and thus some retrofit systems are not compatible with some frame tents.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONBriefly, and in general terms, the invention is directed to a retrofit system to convert a regular frame tent to a slide-top tent. In some embodiments, the converted regular frame tent utilizes pin-and-hole connections.
One embodiment of a frame tent according to the present invention comprises an original end crown fitting and a retrofit end crown fitting. The retrofit end crown fitting is attached to the original end crown fitting and enables slide installation of at least part of a tent cover.
Another embodiment of a frame tent according to the present invention comprises an original end crown fitting and an original end crown fitting attachment system. A retrofit end crown fitting is configured to enable slide installation of at least part of a tent cover and attaches to the original end crown fitting using the original attachment system. A retrofit rafter beam attaches to the retrofit end crown fitting on one end, and attaches to a retrofit side eave fitting on the other end.
One embodiment of an end crown fitting system for use in a sliding-top tent according to the present invention comprises a retrofit end crown fitting. The retrofit end crown fitting comprises a cap with two sliding channels and at least two legs configured to attach to rafter beams.
These and other embodiments and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description and the accompanying drawings which illustrate by way of example the features of the invention.
The present invention provides embodiments of a retrofit system designed to convert a regular frame tent to a slide-top tent. Various parts including beams and fittings are designed to either replace or be used in coordination with the original frame tent components. Once assembled, a cover can be attached to the retrofitted tent frame by sliding the cover through channels or other similar structures in the beams and/or fittings. Embodiments of the present invention can have many advantages over prior art retrofit systems; for example, embodiments of the present invention can enable easier retrofit installation since many original parts can be reused. Some embodiments of the present invention use all original attachment parts, so that retrofit fittings are attached to original fittings and/or beams using attachment systems that were already part of the original frame tent components. Other embodiments can use a combination of original attachment systems and retrofit attachment systems, or only retrofit attachment systems. Further, embodiments of the present invention enable the retrofitting of types of fittings that are particularly difficult to adapt for use in a slide-top tent.
It is understood that when an element is referred to as being “on” another element, it can be directly on the other element or intervening elements may also be present. Furthermore, relative terms such as “inner”, “outer”, “upper”, “above”, “lower”, “beneath”, “below”, and similar terms, may be used herein to describe a relationship of one element to another. Terms such as “higher”, “lower”, “wider”, “narrower”, and similar terms, may be used herein to describe angular relationships. It is understood that these terms are intended to encompass different orientations of the elements or system in addition to the orientation depicted in the figures.
Although the terms first, second, etc., may be used herein to describe various elements, components, regions and/or sections, these elements, components, regions, and/or sections should not be limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one element, component, region, or section from another. Thus, unless expressly stated otherwise, a first element, component, region, or section discussed below could be termed a second element, component, region, or section without departing from the teachings of the present invention. Further, the term “original” is often used to describe devices that were part of a frame tent system before the tent is retrofitted to operate as a slide-top tent, although this should not be interpreted as the only meaning of the term.
Embodiments of the invention are described herein with reference to view illustrations that are schematic illustrations. As such, the actual thickness of elements can be different, and variations from the shapes of the illustrations as a result, for example, of manufacturing techniques and/or tolerances are expected. Thus, the elements illustrated in the figures are schematic in nature and their shapes are not intended to illustrate the precise shape of a region and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention.
Embodiments of the present invention can comprise four main types of retrofit pieces, including one or more rafter beams, side eave fittings, mid crown fittings, and/or end crown fittings. In a preferred embodiment, retrofit rafter beams, side eave fittings, and mid crown fittings replace their counterpart original pieces, whereas retrofit end crown fittings attach to and work in conjunction with the original end crown fittings. In this preferred embodiment, retrofit rafter beams connect at one end to a retrofit side eave fitting and at the other end to either a mid or end crown fitting. All or some of the attachment systems used to connect the retrofit parts can be original attachment systems, meaning they can also be used to connect corresponding parts in an original frame tent.
The embodiment of
Fittings can have two or more connection points; some common embodiments of side eave fittings are 4-way fittings, while end crown fittings can be 8-way fittings or have even more than eight connection points. Connection points can include any type of connection system, such as pins and pin holes. While the embodiment shown in
The retrofit mid crown fitting 228 can also comprise a cap 240, which can itself include a curved channel 234. The curvature of the cap 240 enables fabric to transition over the ridge of the tent. Although in this embodiment the retrofit mid crown fitting 228 is intended to replace an original mid crown fitting, a retrofit mid crown fitting can also be used in conjunction with the original fitting.
In this embodiment, the retrofit end crown fitting 244 is designed to be used in conjunction with an original crown fitting, such as the 8-way crown fitting 50 shown in
Although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to certain preferred configurations thereof, other versions are possible. Therefore, the spirit and scope of the invention should not be limited to the versions described above.
Claims
1. A frame tent comprising:
- an original end crown fitting; and
- a retrofit end crown fitting for use with an original tent structure;
- wherein said retrofit end crown fitting is attached to said original end crown fitting and is configured to enable slide installation of at least one part of a tent cover.
2. The frame tent of claim 1, wherein said original end crown fitting is a central crown fitting.
3. The frame tent of claim 1, wherein said retrofit end crown fitting is attached to said original end crown fitting using an original end crown fitting attachment system.
4. The frame tent of claim 3, wherein said original end crown fitting attachment system is a pin and hole attachment system.
5. The frame tent of claim 3, wherein said retrofit end crown fitting is attached in two opposite connection slots of said original end crown fitting.
6. The frame tent of claim 5, wherein said retrofit end crown fitting comprises a means for connecting two rafter beams to said two opposite connection slots of said original end crown fitting.
7. The frame tent of claim 1, wherein said original end crown fitting is at least a 6-way fitting.
8. The frame tent of claim 1, wherein said retrofit end crown fitting comprises a first channel to enable slide installation of said at least one part of a tent cover.
9. The frame tent of claim 1, further comprising a first retrofit rafter beam;
- wherein said first retrofit rafter beam is attached to said retrofit end crown fitting.
10. The frame tent of claim 9, wherein said retrofit end crown fitting comprises a first channel to enable slide installation of said at least one part of a tent cover;
- wherein said first retrofit rafter beam comprises a second channel to enable slide installation of said at least one part of a tent cover; and
- wherein said first channel and said second channel are aligned.
11. The frame tent of claim 10, further comprising a retrofit side eave fitting;
- wherein said retrofit side eave fitting comprises a third channel to enable slide installation of said at least one part of a tent cover;
- wherein said third channel is aligned with said second channel.
12. The frame tent of claim 9, further comprising a retrofit side eave fitting;
- wherein said first retrofit rafter beam is attached to said retrofit side eave fitting.
13. The frame tent of claim 12, wherein said first retrofit rafter beam is attached to said retrofit end crown fitting and is attached to said retrofit side eave fitting using push-button attachment systems.
14. The frame tent of claim 12, further comprising:
- a retrofit mid crown fitting connected to a second retrofit rafter beam; and
- a second retrofit side eave fitting;
- wherein said second retrofit side eave fitting is attached to said second retrofit rafter beam.
15. The frame tent of claim 9, wherein said first retrofit rafter beam is attached to said retrofit end crown fitting using a push-button attachment system.
16. The frame tent of claim 9, further comprising a retrofit mid crown fitting and a second retrofit rafter beam;
- wherein said retrofit mid crown fitting is connected to said second retrofit rafter beam.
17. A frame tent, comprising:
- an original end crown fitting for use with an original tent structure; and
- an original end crown fitting attachment system for use with an original tent structure;
- a retrofit end crown fitting configured to enable slide installation of at least one part of a tent cover;
- said retrofit end crown fitting attached to said original end crown fitting by said original end crown fitting attachment system;
- a first retrofit rafter beam attached to said retrofit end crown fitting; and
- a first retrofit side eave fitting attached to said first retrofit rafter beam.
18. The frame tent of claim 17, further comprising:
- a retrofit mid crown fitting configured to enable slide installation of at least one part of a tent cover, wherein said retrofit mid crown fitting is attached to a second retrofit rafter beam; and
- a second retrofit side eave fitting attached to said second retrofit rafter beam.
19. An end crown fitting system for use in a sliding-top frame tent comprising a retrofit end crown fitting, said retrofit end crown fitting comprising:
- a cap comprising two sliding channels; and
- at least two legs;
- wherein each of said at least two legs is configured to attach to a rafter beam.
20. The end crown fitting system of claim 19, wherein said retrofit end crown fitting is attached to an original end crown fitting by an attachment system.
21. The end crown fitting system of claim 20, wherein said original end crown fitting comprises said attachment system.
22. The retrofit end crown fitting system of claim 20, wherein attachment system is a pin and hole attachment system.
Type: Application
Filed: Nov 2, 2012
Publication Date: Aug 15, 2013
Applicant: Aztec Tents, Inc. (Torrance, CA)
Inventor: Aztec Tents, Inc.
Application Number: 13/667,783