Tent Hub Assembly

Abstract

A hub assembly for a tent has open, intermediate, and closed configurations, with pairs of fasteners and pins having a first distance in a first direction substantially equal to a second distance between fasteners and the pins along a second direction different from the first direction. When the first and second distances are equal, a biasing member is in a first state in both the open and closed configurations. In the intermediate configuration between the open and closed configurations, the biasing member has a second state which is compressed, and a vertical distance between pairs of fasteners and pins is greater than the first distance. Moving the poles from the intermediate configuration to either the open or the closed configurations decreases the vertical distance between the fastener and the pin which transitions the biasing member from the second state to the less compressed first state.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS[0001]This application is a continuation-in-part application of U.S. application Ser. No. 14 / 251,729, filed on Apr. 14, 2014, which claims foreign priority to China Application No. 2013207091816, filed on Nov. 11, 2013, which are incorporated by reference in their entireties.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0002]1. Field of the Invention[0003]The present invention relates to a tent hub assembly, and in particular to a hub assembly which facilitates folding and unfolding of a tent.[0004]2. Description of Prior Art[0005]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 as...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

The present invention is a foldable instant tent that has several technical benefits. Firstly, it has a safety feature that prevents the tent from collapsing when it is open and from opening too much when it is folded. Secondly, the tent's upper poles can fold downward to minimize contact between the hub assembly and the tent fabric when it is folded, making it easier for users to set up without getting their feet wet. Lastly, the invention is also more cost-effective to manufacture.

Problems solved by technology

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 components, and the extra time it takes to open and fold the tent.

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.

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.

Another disadvantage of the foldable tent of the prior art described above is that the tent fabric is susceptible to damage when 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.

Another disadvantage in the foldable tent of the prior art is that the tent fabric could be damaged during the set up process.

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.

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.

Furthermore, prior art hub assemblies having biasing mechanisms are problematic because it is difficult for the tent to consistently remain in the open and folded configurations due to the constant spring force which tends to collapse the tent when an open configuration is desired and / or open the tent when a folded configuration is desired.

Images