Abstract:
An elevated floor camper tent for SUV (Sport Utility Vehicle) type vehicles having electric, hybrid or other energy-saving, lower horsepower engines and top hinged rear doors. The entire tent assembly fits inside the vehicle for aerodynamic maximization and the state-of-the-art materials minimize the total weight. A set of continuous slides provides support and, with integrated footpads, facilitates setup on hard or soft surfaces. The campers sleep within the relative safety of the vehicle and utilize the main part of the tent as a living area. The standard features, under actual test conditions, suggest the design as safe, effective and user-friendly plus the stable, framed living area having built in rail-type support braces and kick panels help prevent the users from accidents.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCING TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     A review of prior art disclosed a number of patents with a collapsible camper-tent apparatus&#39; although they were primarily designed for vans, pick-ups and hatchback-type vehicles without addressing the needs of lower-power, higher-mileage SUV type vehicles of the present and the future. The higher-mileage, hybrid and electric vehicles could be utilized for camping thus enhancing their versatility and general usage in the camping community. Our camper-tent invention is designed from the ground up to be specifically used by the vehicles of now and in the future. The prior art teaches aspects of tent-campers with dated features common to the genre but without the totality needed for modern lower-powered, hybrid, electric and other mileage enhanced vehicles like our invention. U.S. Pat. No. 5,921,614 Biedermann Jul. 13, 1999 is cumbersome and on two levels rather than a continuous flat plane, thus limiting each area for usage. The apparatus slides on a single-stage slide without regard to the necessary overlapping to give strength so the proportion is misleading. The diminished square footage of each level reduces versatility and it would not be long enough for an average person&#39;s height if shown in true relative proportion. The “platform panel” “having a plurality of horizontal guide tubes, intersecting in a perpendicular manner through a plurality of vertical support members” is in reality not suitable for sleeping on either level and said platform panel appears heavy in design. Our design utilizing a continuous flat plane slide affords planar space for extra-long sleeping mats of standard width plus a separate tented area or relaxing free from bugs in elevated floor panel with room for the cargo. Our design allows for complete setup before moving the cargo whereas the Biedermann apparatus&#39; storage space is under their platform panel, either limiting the space between the platform and the ceiling of the vehicle and/or limiting the “large, organized way to store belongings out of sight with easy access.” Our design maximizes the space between the floor panel and the ceiling of the vehicle, creating not just more square footage but considerably more cubic footage of elevated area on one geometric plane. The Bidermann design depends on the rear-hinged door to support the extended tent area whereas our design has an integrated framework for support as said door does not usually lock in the open position and additionally limits the space below it to the length of said door. The Biedermann design shows three support legs terminating at ground level with only the area of the end supporting the extended apparatus rather than the flat side of the channel foot-pads supporting our design. U.S. Pat. No. 4,504,049 Straub Mar. 12, 1985 features a hinged-system instead of a continuous flat plane slide, thus limiting the length of the extension to the swing space between the apparatus and the top of the rear door opening. The minute detail of the methods for securing the “membrane” to the vehicle is similar to our invention although the overall concept is very different. Those are mostly standard methods employed by any marriage of dissimilar materials in attaching a tent to a vehicle. U.S. Pat. No. 4,729,594 Hoff Mar. 8, 1988 is for a van-type vehicle with side opening doors and more inherent space than afforded by a modern SUV, particularly the smaller vehicles of today and in the future. It does feature a slide arrangement but on two levels rather than one continuous flat plane making each level less versatile although fairly integrated for ease of setup. Our invention is completely integrated with the different components designed for space-restricted vehicles and is completely off the ground. The Hoff design would not work in the same restrictive environments as our invention and weight might be inherently prohibited. U.S. Pat. No. 4,109,954 Wall Aug. 29, 1978 is “for use with a pick-up truck” rather than a modern SUV and “the floor member is essentially removed from the pick-up bed” rather than mounted on continuous flat plane slides like our invention. The support legs and tent are not integrated into the floor member for ease of setup and is inherently inconsistent on the placement location of the support members unlike our invention wherein the entire superstructure, except the peak, is pre-connected and inherently more consistent in setup. The other references cited include designs that pivot or are hinged rather than our continuous flat plane slide including Davis, Baughman, Roe, Bossett or are for vans or pickup trucks. Also, our invention is not a ground tent like Thomas teaches so, overall our invention is unique in design and in what it teaches compared to the teaching of the aforementioned patents. 
     The “SUV Tent Traveler” (name used for identification purposes only) is a concept of a tent, tent frame, elevated camper floor contained entirely within the vehicles&#39; storage area and mounted on continuous slides. The vehicles&#39; original aerodynamic design is not disturbed and the total weight of the unit is well under 150 lbs. The footprint is small and the unit can be setup on most surfaces, whether soft like sand or hard like concrete. The campers sleep in the extended storage area with hard sides all around them during inclement weather and the rest of the unit is high enough to stand up in or sit with table and chairs in an insect-free environment. Security is another factor as the compacted unit is inside the vehicle and, when setup, cannot be wheeled off if the camper chooses to use the vehicle separately, leaving the set up camper/tent on site. 
     Earth-friendly vehicles are limited for camping although we purchased a Ford Escape Hybrid knowing the towing capacity was only 1,000 lbs. (passengers and cargo included). What we didn&#39;t know was that already optimistic rating was based on a flat surface at lower altitudes and campers under 1,000 lbs. were barely available, those being very expensive. Alternatives involved roof top units with a MPG robbing aerodynamic drag; mini trailers with the inherent problems of pulling another object; and tents, set directly on the ground with a boot to connect to a vehicle. We found the vehicle rear area too short to comfortably sleep in so, in effect, that alternative (attached ground tent) was really just camping out. Earth-friendly vehicles include hybrid, electric, enhanced, dual or multiple mode-powered vehicles, or generally any vehicle with lower rated horsepower for higher MPG, designed by the manufacture to save energy through aerodynamic design with top hinged rear doors. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     We designed and built different prototypes to minimize the compacted apparatus dimensional size and weight until we refined the resultant invention as depicted herein. The compacted unit in the rear cargo area of a modern Sports Utility Vehicle, or SUV, although the design could work on any top hinged rear door vehicle with sufficient cargo space when the rear passenger seats are folded down, presenting a flat surface. When said apparatus is fully extended, there is room for two standard sleeping mats&#39; widths and long enough for the extra-long length sleeping mats. The key to its uniqueness is a continuous flat plane slide system comprised of a plurality of sections adjacent to each other to extend the main floor panel longitudinally out from under the cargo floor panel. Adjustable legs are deployed via hinged extension panel, if utilized, to support the apparatus to its full-extended position before installing the transition floor panel, between the cargo floor panel and adjacent to the main floor panel, resting on the continuous flat plane slides. The cargo floor panel is then lowered to the top of the said slides by folding two or four legs, thus providing a completely single surface planar height throughout the entire setup apparatus. Another key to the invention&#39;s uniqueness is the use of integrated component design wherein most are pre-attached or by various means pre-connected to facilitate setup ease and component integrity. The integrated adjustable legs&#39; features a larger surface area in contact with the ground by implementing flat channel foot-pads. 
     In the near future, more hybrid vehicles on the roads and more miles per gallon have been requested by the Federal Government, earlier projections suggesting potentially one million plug-in hybrid and electric cars by 2015 and mileage standards of 54.5 mpg by 2025. This concept/invention could help facilitate that goal by making the present and future vehicles more versatile and camping-friendly like it did for us. greed, and our particular invention could enhance hybrid usage, which was under, until now, inadequate performance capabilities for most camper/trailer utilization. We built and tested a prototype under actual inclement camping conditions with favorable results in heavy rain and windy conditions so if this patent is accepted, production for other hybrid owners could very well enhance popularity of hybrids for more potential users. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The drawings are each fairly proportionate although the different scales as depicted are accurate to the particular scale on each of the other drawings: 
         FIG. 1  is a rear view of the apparatus fully deployed on the continuous flat plane slides showing the channel foot-pads, tent and mesh material, the leg support braces, the safety railing brace with the tent supports on the outside of the tent material. 
         FIG. 2  is a side view of the apparatus fully extended and the continuous flat plane slides or coplanar. 
         FIG. 3  is a top view of the adapting pad with the pair of continuous flat plane slides attached to the leading edge. 
         FIG. 4  is a bottom view of the cargo floor panel, the transition floor panel, if utilized, and the main floor panel and extending floor panels, if utilized, the continuous flat plane slides attached to the rear of the main floor panel. The adapting pad view has been reversed from the bottom of the slides to the top for this drawing only to avoid hidden lines. 
         FIG. 5  is a view of an erected tent support and channel foot-pad, the safety railing brace and the leg support braces attached to the adjustable leg. 
         FIG. 6  is a side and top view of the cargo floor panel with foldable legs. 
         FIG. 7  is an end view of the erected tent support and shows the peak support folded for storage under the cargo floor panel. 
         FIG. 8  is a stratum view of the compacted components at left, front corner, from the bottom strata or the adapting pad floor panel, resting on the vehicle floor, to the top strata or cargo floor panel. 
         FIG. 9  is a simplified conceptual erection sequence from compacted to fully erected. 
         FIG. 10  is a version of  FIG. 1  with numbering added for clarification. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     The “SUV Tent Traveler” is a concept of the tent, camper floor and frame contained entirely within the vehicles&#39; (an energy-effective SUV-type vehicle) storage area. The vehicles&#39; original aerodynamics, designed to reduce air resistance, are not negatively impacted by the addition of a towed or rooftop contrivance. Additionally, the minimized weight of the unit assures adaptability to any hatchback or top-hinged rear access door. The weight displacement provides a lower center of gravity while stored and driving. The inspiration for the concept was the inability of hybrid vehicles to tow conventional campers and the low cargo weight capacity. The concept may prove to fill a niche of non-hybrid vehicles with similar design, particularly for those users not needing the usual rear passenger seats for traveling. Besides saving energy, the footprint is small and can be setup on softer or harder surfaces then a conventional ground type tent as stakes are not needed. Safety features include sleeping in the original storage area with four hard sides surrounding the camper (floor, sides and ceiling) and the rest of the area being elevated well above the ground. Other designed safety features include an enhanced-width base for stability, locking legs in vertical position, an interior kick-panel on deck floor and a bar/railing in the tent area where the camper persons can stand. 
     The fully setup apparatus, or camper-tent, is shown in  FIG. 1 , with the vehicle in the background. The ends of the continuous flat plane slides are visible as attached to the bottom of the main floor panel, with the extending floor panels deployed. The tent material pre-attached to the peak of the tent material to the peak support. The superstructure as shown in  FIG. 1  and  FIG. 2 , or everything above the floor level of the vehicle&#39;s cargo floor area, is connected to other floor panels through various bolts and locking nuts. An inside the tent safety kick-edging, or aluminum angle, prevents chairs from sliding off the floor panels plus attaches the tent material to said floor panels. Another safety feature is a safety railing brace to prevent people from falling out of the superstructure area. The substructure includes anything below the vehicle&#39;s floor level, is similarly connected for safety and ease of setup. 
     In  FIG. 2 , The continuous flat plane slide  1  is shown joining the apparatus to the vehicle, the tent support  7  and peak support  5  support the tent material  3 ,  4  connecting the camper-tent apparatus to the front upper part of the vehicle is via either suction cups and/or magnetic strips, both commercial and used extensively on similar applications. The rear door canopy  6  is also commonplace although in the spirit of minimizing loose components and parts on our invention, the canopy support  30  compacts alongside the tent support  7  and is attached to the same bolt for connection to the tent support  7 . The safety railing  9  and the leg support brace  8  are folded as apparatus is compacted. The channel foot-pads  2  and step-ladder  10  come in contact with the ground. 
     The step-ladder  10  folds down from its stored position when compacted and locks in place as to assist supporting the main floor panel in the partially extended position before the substructure is pulled out to its full extension. This includes the adjustable legs attached to the underside of the extending floor panels, which adjust via inserted tubing snap buttons in the smaller inside telescoping tubing and protrude from said tubing to fit in spaced holes in the larger outside telescoping tubing as in  FIG. 5 . The front and rear legs of the main and extended floor panel(s) area are connected by leg support brace  8 , all collapsible into the other integral components to maintain the integrated concept to facilitate setup ease and component integrity.  FIG. 3  shows the continuous flat plane slides  1  attached to the adapting floor panel  11  bolts  18  and a projected view of how the each slide section pulls out to a fifty percent midway point on each section for overlap strength. The leading rearward slide section fixed bolt/hole  32  connects the furthest rearward point of the continuous flat plane below the main floor panel. All four sections pull out to an accumulated length for the entire erected apparatus. All of the connections and attached components, comprising the superstructure and the substructure as aforementioned, are designed to be inherently easy to erect by fixed location of components bolted, sliding, pivoting, hinged or snap button connections. 
     In  FIG. 2  the channel foot-pads are designed to conform to various pitches of rough terrain as also shown in  FIG. 5  and are adjustable in height via the legs  23 ,  24  by inserting a pin in the spaced holes in the larger outside dimensioned leg  23  through the best suited height adjustment hole in the smaller component of the leg  24  thus enabling a solid contact with the ground on which the erected unit rests. Legs  23 ,  24  are connected to the main floor panel  14  via a hinge  25  and the channel foot-pads  2 , which also acts as a hinge enabling the legs and channel foot pads to fold laterally for a single perpendicular leg that is folded on hinges  25  to be parallel with the cargo floor. The safety railing braces  9 , and the leg support braces  8  are secured in their horizontal positions by the connecting sleeve  26 , wherein a pin is inserted through the respective braces on both sides of the apparatus and through the sleeve  26 . 
       FIG. 4  shows all of the continuous flat plane slide  1  sections fully extended and their relationship with the adapting floor panel  11 , connection  18 , shown in a reverse position above the slides rather than below to avoid hidden lines. The transition floor panel  12  width is shaped to configure to the width of the vehicle&#39;s door opening and the length is the length of the compacted length of the apparatus. The short lengths of aluminum angle are clips  17  to keep the transition floor panel  12  in place. The extending floor panels  15  are hinged  16  to the main floor panel  14  using a double-wrap-around hinge style for strength. The extended ends of the continuous flat plane slides  1  are attached to the main floor panel  14  with bolts  30 ,  FIG. 3 , and the step-ladder  10  nests between the pair of slide assemblies when compacted. The four each channel foot pads  2  are on either end of the two extending floor panels. The leg support braces  8 , and the safety railing brace  9  are in line from this perspective. 
     In  FIG. 10 , the legs nearest the vehicle and the legs nearest the rear, or where the step-ladder  10  is all the legs fold into themselves laterally before compacting horizontally with the main floor panel  14 . All of the legs ultimately fold towards the middle of the main floor panel  14  as does the components as shown in  FIG. 7 , folding parallel to the continuous flat plane slides. The telescoping legs  27 ,  28  closest to the center of the apparatus and the telescoping legs  23 ,  24  located on the outside of the apparatus are sized to fit together for compactness. The outside legs  23  are channel, deep enough to contain telescoping tubing legs  27 ,  28  when folded into the channel foot-pads  2  which are folded laterally as to be perpendicular to the main floor panel  14 . The legs are nested adjacent to each other are then folded via hinges  25  to be horizontal with the main floor panel. The channel foot-pads  2  material made of wider channel than the outside leg  23  accommodate the folded legs. The inside leg  28  is attached to the main floor panel  14  via a removable pin while the outside leg  23  is on a fixed hinge to move it parallel and adjacent to the continuous flat plane slides as shown in  FIG. 8 .  FIG. 8  is representative of the different layers or a stratum view of the various components stacked during compacting and in-vehicle stored. Multiple components are compacted adjacent to each other with a variable gap between the cargo floor panel  31  and the transition floor is laid loose upon the other components as shown. In  FIG. 10  the folding sequence for the legs below the main floor panel  14  is a. where the inside leg  28  is disconnected via pin at the top nearest the main floor panel  14  and the lower section of the leg  27  telescopes into  28 ; then, b. where the two fold laterally into the channel foot-pad  2 ; which are e. folded laterally over the leg sections  23 ,  24  then the lower section  24  is telescoped into  23  before d. folding parallel with the main floor panel  14 ; then e. wherein the process is repeated to the legs assembly nearest the vehicle. This process, facilitated by all the legs having been pointed up as the hinged  16  extending floor panels  15 , already been folded towards the center top of the main floor panel. The step-ladder  10  helps to support the weight of the apparatus until part of the compacted apparatus is pushed back into the vehicle via the continuous flat plane slides  1 . It should be noted that the superstructure, or everything above the main cargo panel was folded-in earlier per  FIG. 10  with the end nearest the vehicle g. first, then f after their respective peak supports  5  were removed from the tops of the tent supports  7 . 
     The cargo floor panel  31  as depicted in  FIG. 6  shows the four legs, one in each corner of the assembly, their relationship with said panel plus a projection of how they fold to the center of the said panel. This is effected by pulling a spring loaded quick release pin  22  by its ring pull out far enough so the pin clears the pin stop hole in an extruded aluminum “F” shape  21  that the top of the “F” fits over said panel and secured with two screws through the extrusion and the panel. This is less stressful for the edge of said panel and a stronger connection than wood screws. Rather than lowering the entire subassembly to rest on the continuous flat plane slides, the rear legs can be folded and the front legs left in the locked perpendicular position if the sleepers preferred a raised head for comfort or to counter an affliction of acid reflux. In that scenario, the rear end of the cargo floor panel  31  rests on top of said slides, the “h” shaped aluminum extrusion  13  aiding in the smooth joint to the transition floor panel. 
       FIG. 7  presents an end view of the rear tent support  7  with the safety railing brace  9  in place, the aluminum kick-edging  29  which is inside the tent material  3  to attach the tent material to the extending floor panels and to the main floor panel  14 . Both sides of the peak are the rare components that have to be installed manually for erection and removed for compacting. The aluminum tubing of the tent supports  7  is square as is the peak support  5  although a short section of round tubing is inserted and fixed to the end of the tent support to guide and hold the two components together. The tent material has sleeves sewn in to the peak in which the peak supports are inserted to hold the tent material in place when erected. The tent peak assembly is folded as shown in the projection while the tent material remains in place via said sleeve. This facilitates ease of assembly and disassembly necessary to keep the compacted length slightly shorter than the compacted cargo floor panel.
         i.) With the pop up feature, directives e.), f.), g.), h.) are not necessary as the tent is suspended via loops to a hinged externally mounted frame and the peak assembly is also attached to the tent, requiring opening the peak assembly to its oblique configuration and connecting it to the vertical (at this point in its compacted horizontal attitude).       

     The stratum view of  FIG. 8  is a representation of all of the compacted components and subassemblies from the cargo area floor of the vehicle, the adapting floor panel  11  is the first strata; the second strata, or layer, is the continuous flat plane slide  1 ; adjacent are the adjustable legs  23   24 , the leg support brace  8  with the connecting sleeve  26 , the channel foot-pads  2 , and the step-ladder  10 ; the third layer is the main floor panel  14 ; the fourth layer up is tent support  7 , safety railing brace  9  with the connecting sleeve  26 , and part of the hinged extending floor panels  15 ; the fifth layer is the compacted tent material  3 , the canopy tent material and the boot tent material  4 , and the folded-in peak supports  5 ; the transition floor panel  12  fits on top of the and is the sixth layer up; the open space between the compacted components and the underside of the cargo floor panel  12  being supported by the cargo floor panel legs; and the top layer is the cargo floor panel  12  supporting the vehicle&#39;s rear cargo. 
       FIG. 9  is a simplified line drawing representation to teach the sequential erection of the apparatus: stage I is the compacted apparatus in its entirety inside the vehicle with the rear seat down, consisting of the cargo floor panel  31  and legs  19  perpendicular to said floor panel; stage II the main floor panel  14  with compacted components are extended via the continuous flat plane slides just far enough out from the vehicle to clear the vehicle&#39;s ceiling and rear door; stage III the legs  23 ,  24 ,  27 ,  28  are raised up and braced  8  on the hinged  16  extending floor panels  15  while folded; stage IV the hinged extending floor panels are opened to enable the channel foot pads  2  to rest on the ground; stage V the rearmost tent support  7  with peak support  5  raised upright with attached tent  3 ; stage VI the tent support  7  with peak support  5  are raised upright and the safety railing brace  9  is secured by pins; stage VII wherein the boot  4  is moved over the vehicle and attached, canopy  6  deployed on canopy supports  30 , step-ladder  10  pulled out and the legs  19  are folded allowing the cargo floor panel  31  to rest on the continuous flat plane slides, thus allowing all the floor panels to be on the same plane. 
     The overall concept of the apparatus is one of compactness to take up as little space as possible in the vehicle&#39;s cargo area and ease of set up as most of the components are already connected through pins, bolts and hinges. The components above the main floor panel  14 , including  3 ,  4 ,  5 ,  6 ,  7 ,  9 ,  12 ,  13 ,  25 ,  26  and  30 , fold to the center and middle of the main floor panel. In  FIG. 7 , the components as shown fold down towards the middle of the main floor panel  14  so the frame, or tent support  7 , closest to the vehicle folds in when compacting as does the identical frame closest to the rear of the apparatus or where the step-ladder is. The result is the rear-most frame lies on top of the frame, or tent support  7  closest to the vehicle when compacted or in-vehicle stored. The components below the main floor panel  14 , including  1 ,  10  and  11 , compact on a horizontal plane. The components stored on the upper side of the main floor panel  14  but swing up and down on hinged  16  extending floor panels  15  when erected so are then below the main floor panel  14  includes  2 ,  8 ,  18 ,  23 ,  24 ,  27  and  28  after erection.