Low Cost Bracketless Foldable High Tension Hammock Stand with Interlocking Members

Abstract

A high tension low profile foldable hammock assembly which provides a high tension hammock where very low profile support arms require only an elevation of around 25 degrees. In the present use the unfolding of the legs and upward arms is inherently locking the legs in position. A new design of tensioning lever is being described as being easily manufactured, installed and operated. A new concept of hammock stand with arched or straight center section and straight arm permits a new single bolt attachment for the legs. An innovative tension stabilizing means is demonstrated as preferred way to allow using the high tension Comfort X Hammock in a single operation.

Description

This invention is the continuation of the provisional application filed on Jun. 29, 2016 with Confirmation No. 4317. This invention is also related to the hammock stand specifically intended for the high tension hammock named Comfort X Hammock of U.S. Pat. No. 8,869,326 B2.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

It is also a new design following the Patent Application US 2013/0117931 A1 which was abandoned in 2015 for monetary reasons.

Prior art of hammock stand are mostly arch laminated wood standing around 5 feet tall by 10-15 feet long, where hook or eye bolts at each end creates an angle of 30 to 35 degrees for the ropes supporting the hammock with spreader bars. This angle gives the user a loose fabric support and a stable platform for a relaxing, sitting or lying down in a curved position. Therefore the previous art is totally different from this new hammock stand.

The new hammock stand is only 2½ to 3 feet tall with support arms creating an angle of only 20 to 25 degrees and the spreader bar ropes are standing at 10 to 15 degrees under a normal load. It is to be noted that without occupant the ropes of the hammock are near horizontal at 1 degree.

Because of its low profile of 13-15 feet long for 2 1.2-3 feet of height, the aesthetic of the stand is beautiful even with straight or slightly curved piece of lumber. This can minimize or avoid the use of costly laminated wooden arches which are more fragile and susceptible to deterioration from exterior weather conditions such rain and sun.

Other drawbacks of current wooden hammock stands are their heavy weight of 60 to 90 lbs, they are difficult and time consuming to assemble, and require a large amount of storage space when not in use.

The background of the high tension hammocks has been shown in JOSEPH RENE LEMMENS Application # US 2013/0117931 A1 where an overcenter lever 52 allows the desired tensioning 56.

Previous background from U.S. Pat. No. 5,003,652 has an adjustment pin 40 that allows for shortening or lengthening of the hammock stand used by that collapsible hammock which is related to a regular hammock with ropes at 30 degrees. Therefore no tension is involved during the process. If the Comfort X Hammock was used on that collapsible hammock stand the process of bending under the hammock to insert the locking pin 40 would be difficult and would not develop any tension in the hammock and the hammock would stand at 4 feet plus of height.

Another feature of that of U.S. Pat. No. 5,003,652 is double chain (C) and double hook like extension 42 with what seems to be around 2 to 3 inches of lateral distance; the inventor does not claim any value of stability nor does it provide any stability from this feature. Since that patent was taken in 1991; this was over 20 years before the invention of the high tension Comfort X Hammock.

Another feature of the present invention is a simple increase force lever to provide high tensioning of the hammock in a more effective manner than the previous Lemmens application tension lever which was too complex for production because it required the bolts 54 to be welded inside the lever 52 in order to allow the chain 48 to be in overcenter position when the lever is closed as shown in FIG. 1. Secondly it required the upward arm to be a 2-part member parts 23 and 24 fastened together by part 27.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

This low cost, bracketless, foldable, high tension hammock stand with interlocking members uses various wood lumber or laminated wood members or even aluminum tubing bolted together as interlocking members; the hammock tensioning is applied by a power lever that permits one or more lockable safe position and give a tension of around 50-100 lbs which is higher than what most users could do by hand.

This means that the user can:

1. Rotate the hammock arms upward, to allow the leg to fit into the proper location, then to bring the upward arm into the final position, which will lock the legs into their useful position.

2. In some cases the 2 locking pins will be inserted into the horizontal members and upward arm to prevent them from falling down when the hammock is not in use.

3. Install the hammock and operate the increase force lever in order to obtain the preferred tensioning.

The complete assembly of this low profile foldable hammock could include some spacing washers and controlled compression members at the outer members and upward arms which allows for easy folding and unfolding without damage to the horizontal members and upward arms.

The present invention also demonstrates a simple novel way to create the tensioning and have more than one adjustment.

Another embodiment of the invention is the combination of a double arched center member with linear upward arms which provide a better aesthetic of the stand without any negative impact.

The present invention also shows a novel way to fasten the legs to the upward arms instead of the horizontal members with a single fastener, therefore saving costs and also providing a longer distance between the feet of the stand.

One more embodiment shows how a novel attachment can be chosen to provide a combined tension stabilizing function. It also allows easier installation and dismantling of the hammock in a single action, instead of using 2 separate actions, tensioning and stabilizing.

OBJECTS AND ADVANTAGES

It is a main object of this invention to provide a strong bracketless low-profile stand, and lightweight foldable hammock stand which is easily unfolded or folded when wanted or needed, with minimal use of tools.

A second object of the invention is to be able to put up to around 100 lbs of tension on the hammock with the increased force lever with minimal force.

A third object of the invention is to provide an interlocking design between the hammock legs positioning and the upward arm in order to prevent rotation of the legs during use, plus the use of a simple locking pin to prevent the upward arm from going down when the stand is not in use with a hammock.

Another object of the invention is the inclusion of spacing washers between the foldable members permitting low friction motion, member protection and no tools required for use.

A fifth object of the invention is the new concept of a new attachment for the leg motion with a single fastener to the upward arm.

A last object is to allow a simple means to provide combined tension and stability for the hammock.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a high tension hammock assembly in a non-tension state.

FIG. 2 is a side view of FIG. 1 with the hammock under lock and level one of tensioning position.

FIG. 3 is a left view of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a right view of FIG. 2.

FIG. 5 is a partial bottom view of FIG. 1.

FIG. 6 is a side view of FIG. 5 after the support legs have been aligned.

FIG. 7 is a side view of the stand completely folded.

FIG. 8A is a partial top view of a second embodiment of the invention with stainless steel (SS) washers and Belleville washers or elastomeric spacers.

FIG. 8B is a top view of a second embodiment showing an increase force lever inserted into the upward arm including a double attachment.

FIG. 9A is a side view of a third embodiment of the interlocking right leg with the horizontal members and the upward right arm, and the leg bolted to the upward arm.

FIG. 9B is a top view of FIG. 9A.

FIG. 10 is a partial view of a fourth embodiment of the high tension hammock stand with the upward arms being curved.

FIG. 11A is a side view of a fifth embodiment showing the central members being curved.

FIG. 11B is a partial top view of FIG. 11A left side.

FIG. 11C is an alternative embodiment of FIG. 11A where the legs are bolted to the center member, therefore the stand requires installment or removal of the extra 2 bolts to be foldable.

FIG. 12 is a top view of a hammock stand 200 and hammock outline 202 that shows horizontal wide tension members 212 & 220.

FIG. 13A is a side view similar to FIG. 11A that illustrates the tension members shown in FIG. 12 with an increase force lever 244 surrounding the end of the upward arm 230; the lever 244 is shown in a relaxed position.

FIG. 13B illustrates a top view of the increase force lever 262 shown in FIG. 13A.

FIG. 14 illustrates a side view of FIG. 13A with the increase force lever 284 in closed position.

FIG. 15 is a picture of a prototype following the drawing FIG. 13A.

FIG. 16 is a picture of the prototype following the drawing FIG. 13A.

FIG. 17 is a picture of the prototype following the drawing FIG. 12.

FIG. 18 is a picture of the prototype following the drawing FIG. 14.

FIG. 19 is a picture of the prototype following the drawing FIG. 12 as a view of the right end.

FIG. 20 is a picture of the prototype following the drawing FIG. 12 as a view of the left end.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

FIG. 1 perspective view illustrates a foldable hammock stand 10 supporting a hammock 12 where a horizontal member 14 constitute the link to both a left leg 20 and a right leg 22; those same horizontal members also support a left and a right upward arm 16, 18. Support legs are fastened by a series of bolts and nuts 13, 15; the upward arms are fastened to the horizontal members by a series of bolts and nuts 17, 19. A set of ropes 28 is fastened to an eye bolt 21 of leg 20. A set of interlocking members 24 and 26 are fastened to the horizontal members 14 by a set of bolts and nuts 25 and 27 allowing the legs 20 and 22 to be folded for transport and storage; however when the stand is deployed the interlocking members 24 and 26 are preventing those legs to move in the vertical plane. A power lever 32 is fastened to the right arm 18 by a bolt and nut 34, it is also tensioning the hammock 12 via an eye bolt and nut 43; a two locking adjustments 36 engage with an arm locking adjustment 38; those adjustments will allow a chain 40 to be moved by two links at a time preventing current twisting of the hammock attachment.

FIGS. 2, 3 and 4 are side and end views of the first embodiment shown in FIG. 1; FIG. 2 illustrates where the bottom end of the arm 18 is prevented to move down by a locking pin 19 going through the members 14 and arm 18; it also illustrates how an interlocking end 42 of arm 18 is preventing the support leg 22 from rotating away from interlocking member 26 which is shown on FIG. 1; similarly an interlocking end 41 of arm 16 is preventing the leg 20 to move when the hammock stand is deployed.

FIGS. 2-4 also illustrates the power lever 32 in a first position being locked with a hand locking rod 44 as can be seen in a position 44 it can be pushed further down and be locked in a position 46 when the locking hole from the lever matches the lower hole position of the upward arm 46.

FIG. 2 also shows how a safety eye rod 45 is preventing the arm 18 from falling down when no hammock is used or during installation process. Similarly, FIG.4 shows the eye rod going across the horizontal member 14.

FIGS. 5-7 is a follow-up from FIGS. 1-4 that illustrates in more detail the specific features of the invention. FIG. 5 is partial underneath view of FIG. 2 which shows more specifically the interlocking members 24 and 26; also shown are the lower end of arms 16 and 18 interlocking 41 and 42. FIG. 6 is illustrating how the hammock stand is folded for transport or storage. FIG. 7 illustrates the hammock completely folded and therefore easily moved since it weighs only 30 to 40 lbs.

FIG. 8 illustrates a second embodiment with the central portion of a hammock stand similar to FIG. 7 where the damage from wood finish rubbing is eliminated with the use of a set of large SS washers 62 and 64 located in between a set of horizontal members 50 and 52 and a left support arm 54 and a left support arm 54 and a right support arm 56; the second novel feature is the use of a set of elastomeric washers 66 and 68 (or belleville washers) which are compressed by a set of bolts and nuts 56 and 60 which prevent the arm from falling down due to daytime and nighttime temperature variation.

FIG. 8B illustrates the right under side of FIG. 8A, a second novel tensioning member 70 that complements the narrow section of arm member 56; member 70 is fastened by a bolt 72 at its pivot point, and locks ether at a position 76 or 78 by a locking pin 78.

FIG. 9A illustrates a partial side view of a third embodiment of the invention where the pivot pin and leg function are reversed; therefore now a hammock leg 84 is being pulled upward by a support arm 56 and a pivot bolt 60 is being pushed downward where on first embodiment FIG. 1 the legs are being pushed down and the pivot bolts resist the upward lift by the support arms. However an interlocking member 86 is similar to 41 and 42 of FIG. 2.

The hammock leg 84 is fastened to arm 56 by a bolt and nut 82, while arm 56 is fastened to the horizontal member 52 by a bolt and nut 60 at their pivot point. FIG. 9B shows an upper view of FIG. 9A with same components and description numbers.

FIG. 10 illustrates a partial side view of a fourth embodiment of the invention, it shows how a curved arm 86 member can be used (either laminated wood or bent tube) that pivots around a bolt 88 fixed to a double horizontal member 85; a leg 87 is fastened to the arm 86 by a bolt 89, an eye bolt 90 is fastened to the arm 86. Similarly to FIG. 9A an interlocking shape 101 prevents the leg 87 from rotating when the stand is installed; an arm locking pin 93 prevents the arm 56 from falling down.

FIG. 11A illustrates a fifth embodiment of the invention where the horizontal member are a double curved member 91, therefore the link to the arms and legs of the stand; an arm 92 is fastened to the members 91 by a bolt 98, similarly an arm 93 is also fastened to the members 91 by a bolt 99. A leg 94 is fastened to the arm 92 by a bolt 96; similarly, a leg 95 is fastened to the arm 93 by a bolt 97. Other components 100 to 106 are similar to FIG. 2 or FIG. 8B.

FIG. 11B is a partial upper view of FIG. 11A that shows the fastening of the leg 94 to the arm 92 by bolt 96; also the arm 92 is bolted to the curved members 91 by the bolt 98.

FIG. 11C is a partial top view of the right side of FIG. 11A that shows how the foldable stand can be made permanent by adding an extra two bolts 106 that fasten the leg 95 to the horizontal members 91.

FIG. 12 illustrates a top view as the sixth embodiment of this invention where a hammock stand 200 is supporting a hammock 202; the hammock stand includes the supporting legs 210, horizontal members 204, left upward arm 206, right upward arm 208; the invention illustrates a wide horizontal support 212 pulling on the ropes 226 and adjusting links 222 to the hammock 202; the other side of the hammock is tensioned by the ropes 224 linked to the second wide attachment 220 fastened to the increase force lever 214 which rotates at the fasteners 216; the lever 214 is held in closed position by a locking pin 218.

FIG. 13A illustrates a similar embodiment as FIG. 12 as a lateral view which allows a better view of the operation of the increase force lever 214; FIG. 12A shows a hammock stand 230 supported by legs 240, a left upward arm 236, a right upward arm 238; supporting the hammock 234 on one side is the adjusting links 253, the ropes 252 secured to the wide support 242; on the other side the hammock ropes 254 are fastened to the movable wide support 250 which is part of lever 244 that rotates around fastener 246.

FIG. 13B is a top view of FIG. 13A with similar components where the section upward arm 260 is supporting the increase force lever 262 via fastener 264; here the high strength metallic rod or bolt and nut 266 is reinforced by 3 sections such as aluminum tubing 268.

FIG. 14 is the same embodiment as FIG. 13A with the increase force lever 284 closed and secured by locking pin 288; the hammock stand 270 is supporting the high tension hammock 272 via the wide support 282 and 290. As it can be seen in FIG. 13A where the hammock 234 is really loose when the lever 244 is open compared to the FIG. 14 where the hammock is being tensioned up to 100 lbs which would be virtually impossible to do by hand. It is to be noted that once a hammock has been adjusted via the adjusting links 253 and 273, then any repeat removal and replacement of the hammock into the hammock stand would not require any further adjustment.

It should be noted that the present invention is not intended to be restricted to any particular embodiment disclosed herein.

Many of the components in this invention can be altered while still performing the same function; for example, solid or laminated wood members could be replaced by metallic or composite tubing. Also the shapes of matching components could be inverted and still operate similarly, also the number of ropes holding the hammock could be more than 2, 3, 4, 6, etc.

This scope of the invention should be determined by the appended claims and their legal equivalents rather than by the examples given.

Claims

1. A high tension low profile foldable hammock stand with interlocking members comprising:

a pair of horizontal members having first and second ends;

a pair of foldable support legs operatively connected to the horizontal members;

a pair of foldable upward arms fastened to each end of the horizontal support members by some attachment means with interlocking means to the hammock stand;

a pair of attachments, one fixed and one being the increase force lever for tensioning the hammock from 20 to 100 lbs plus at the ends of each of the upward arms;

a design configuration between the horizontal member, the upward arm and the leg wherein the upward arm elevation is around 25 degrees, and between 20 to 30 degrees;

a pair of attachment means at the upper end of the support arm whereby a hammock can be hung.

2. The hammock stand of claim 1 wherein the tensioning lever has one or more than one locking position and each upward arm has a locking pin.

3. The hammock stand of claim 1 wherein fine tensioning is done via chain link numbers or rope adjustments.

4. The hammock stand of claim 3 wherein the interlocking section of the upward arm is an integral part of those members.

5. The hammock stand of claim 4 wherein the central members, the upward arms and the legs are made of wood.

6. The hammock stand of claim 1 wherein the hammock ropes are fastened to each end of the hammock stand with various fastening means.

7. The hammock stand of claim 1 wherein large spacing washers in between the central members and the upward arm permit folding and unfolding with compression members on those fasteners.

8. The hammock stand of claim 1 wherein the increase force lever is inserted into the end of the upward arm.

9. The hammock stand of claim 1 wherein the horizontal members are in the form of an arch.

10. The hammock stand of claim 1 wherein the supporting members are made of metallic or man-made material.

11. A high tension low profile foldable hammock stand comprising:

a pair of horizontal members having a first and second end;

a pair of foldable support legs operatively connected to the upward arms by a single fastener;

a pair of foldable upward arms are also fastened to the horizontal members by a single fastener with interlocking anti-rotation surfaces with the top part of the leg and the bottom end part of the horizontal members;

a pair of attachments, one fixed and one being an increase force lever for tensioning the hammock to 20 to 100 lbs;

a design configuration between the central member, the upward arms and the leg wherein the upward arm elevation is around 20 to 30 degrees;

a pair of attachment means at the upper end of the support arm whereby a hammock can be hung.

12. The hammock stand of claim 11 wherein the tensioning lever has various closing or locking positions and each upward arm has a locking pin.

13. The hammock stand of claim 11 wherein fine tensioning is done via link numbers or robe adjustments.

14. The hammock stand of claim 13 wherein the interlocking sections of the horizontal members are an integral part of those members.

15. The hammock stand of claim 14 wherein the central members, the upward arms and legs are made of wood.

16. The hammock stand of claim 11 wherein the hammock is supported at each end by 2 wide horizontal supports giving a strong combined tension-stabilizing strength.

17. The hammock stand of claim 11 wherein the supporting members are made of metallic or man-made material.

18. The hammock stand of claim 11 wherein large spacing washers and compression fasteners are located between central members and upward arms.

19. The hammock stand of claim 11 wherein the increase force lever surrounds the end of the upward arm.