Abstract:
A hammock assembly which provides a lightweight and low cost support for a hammock which requires a medium or a higher tension than currently used. This allows the stand to carry a very low profile with upward arm elevation of only around 30 degrees. In a preferred use the support is easily folded and installed without tools, tensioning of the hammock can be provided by a single action overcenter device; also some pre-tensioning anti-flip ropes can provide extra safety.
       A hammock bed provides increased lifting at its mid length through a combination of X-shaped fabric formations with transverse strengthening band including dismantling of the straight and curved spreader bars.   A second hammock support stand assembly which provides a hammock seat combination that allows indoor use, including a very strong asymmetric support formed as a horizontal X shape.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    This application claims priority from provisional U.S. patent application Ser. No. 61/455,203 filed Oct. 16, 2010. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    This invention relates to hammock stand, hammock reinforced structure and compact hammock stand of a new type where the initial hammock tension of 20 to 100 lbs. eliminated the sagging of current hammock which requires up to 36 inches and more free space at the middle of the hammock in relation to the straight line made by the hammock anchors; this 36 inches is made of 12 to 18 inches of natural sagging by the loose tension and weight of the hammock fabric or ropes, the other 18 to 24 inches of height is lost by the weight of the hammock user. 
         [0003]    Hammocks and hammock stand assemblies have been used mostly during the last 200 years with most improvements into the foldable and collapsible stands during the last 50 years; because the current hammock requires attachment points at between four and five feet from the ground for a span of 13 to 15 feet between anchors, the elevation angle of straight upward support arms has been kept at around 130 to 140 degrees in relation to the horizontal support which also means an under arm angle of 50 to 40 degrees. Any lower angle would not give enough anchor height to prevent the user&#39;s back from touching the middle hammock stand bottom structure when lying down in it. 
         [0004]    Prior art is showing several patents of structure which is foldable or collapsible, made of wood, steel or aluminum; a variety of systems of opening and closing is included in the following U.S. Patents: from A. B. Richardson U.S. Pat. No. 180,729, of F. W. Hibbs U.S. Pat. No. 1,032,211, of W. W. Cushman U.S. Pat. No. 1,032,211, of Lee Bayless U.S. Pat. No. 5,003,652, of George C. Turner U.S. Pat. No. 5,097,546, of Richard L. Williams U.S. Pat. No. 5392,476, of Lee Bayless U.S. Pat. No. 5,983,422, of Chuen-Jong Tseng U.S. Pat. No. 6,360,383 B1, and U.S. Pat. No. 6,973,687 B1, of Edward Zheng Pub. No. US2006/0150325 A1, of Adam Lam Pub. No. US2007/0017026 A1, of Hubert Perry Weir Pub. No. US2008/0078024 A1 each show various improvements to hammock stands, supports or assemblies. Joseph Rene Lemmens US Pub. No. US2008/0010849 A1 is showing prior art as hammock bedding structures related to this application. 
         [0005]    Most hammock stands today, for mere aesthetics, are built of wood, but are quite heavy, up to 90+ lbs., not readily foldable into a compact design and surely not easy to carry for most users; metal ones are lighter, but not as sturdy and they lack the beautiful aspect of wood structures which enhance the beauty of a natural environment. 
         [0006]    The cost of fabrication of curved wood structures with around five layers of glued boards of good quality or exotic wood is quite costly and therefore not “amenable” to low cost mass marketing production. 
         [0007]    Many other drawbacks of current supports is their excessive height of climbing which causes the hammock to be unstable; most metal stands lack the strength to resist the pull of a higher tension single or double hammock when up to 1,000 lbs. of pull which is carried by each anchor attachment. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0008]    The present invention is a hammock stand made from beam material which includes a double horizontal support member operatively fastened to a support leg at each end and a pair of upward arms that can be made of a single or double beam. Specific fastening location and quick motion operation permit easy folding and unfolding. Also, a single wheel support accessory allowed to move the hammock stand by lifting the other end and carrying less than 40 percent of the total weight. 
         [0009]    The complete assembly is a low profile system since the X hammock holding tension is strong enough to prevent extreme sagging of the hammock fabrics; for that reason a quick action tensioning overcenter device is included in this invention; since the upward arms need only to be around 36 inches off the ground which allows a beautiful look of the entire assembly since the upward arms elevation in relation of the ground is only around 30 degrees. An extra feature can include pre-tensioned stability ropes which prevent flipping over, which is valuable for persons who need to be more safe but enjoy the relaxation of lying down on a hammock. 
         [0010]    The present invention also shows a novel way to fabricate the hammock itself where two bands of fabric are included diagonally into the rectangular bed sheets; these bands of fabric form a longitudinal X shape but only on the upper body, two thirds the length of the hammock bed, by then a transversal wide band of fabric is supporting the upper weight of the user&#39;s legs. All three of these bands of fabric are fastened following current methods of being sewn together including going around edge ropes or spreader bars attachments. 
         [0011]    A second embodiment of the medium to high tension hammock stand is providing compactness and sturdiness to allow users year-round sleep bed support or nap enjoyment. A series of three boards are fastened together with a larger one in the center and two narrow ones on the outsides; this hammock stand has only around 50 percent of the clearance of the full size stand, but enough to permit the X hammock to carry an average person&#39;s weight with the same comfort as the full size version. This compact stand transforms itself into a multi-person bench when a subassembly is added and fastened to the stand. 
       OBJECTS AND ADVANTAGES 
       [0012]    It is a foremost object of this invention to provide a hammock stand, assembly and a compact support where the new structure geometry and designs take full advantage of the characteristics describe in the U.S. Patent Application No. 2011/0010849 A1 by Joseph Rene Lemmens where the hammock bed is loaded with a pre-tension of around 20 to 100 lbs. for a single hammock. 
         [0013]    A second object of this invention is to provide an ingress height of only 30 inches or less which provides easy seating before lying down with great stability and ease, the diagonal stability of the X comfort hammock is such that in a seating position with legs outside the hammock a person can swing himself as if being suspended in a swing. 
         [0014]    A third object of this invention is to provide a hammock stand of low cost, easily foldable and easy to carry since its total weight is less than 50% of a current curved, wooden stand. 
         [0015]    A fourth object of this invention us to provide a hammock assembly which includes an easy tensioning system and an improved bedding as an alternative to the X comfort hammock. 
         [0016]    A fifth object of this invention is to provide a compact hammock stand with possible dual purpose: hammock to lie down or multi-person seating bench for use in a close quarter situation. 
         [0017]    Several other objects and advantages of the present invention are the low angle elevation of the upward arms which is only around 30 degrees since this medium-to-high tension with the X combination prevents the user from sagging down into the horizontal structure; the low upward elevation of the support arms gives a great aesthetic look to the stand alone, and even more beautiful with a hammock of good matching colors. More impacts of the hammock assembly could be seen for people who sleep without a bed. Another advantage is to be able to disassemble the fabrics of the spreader bars to be able to wash it conveniently and many other advantages shown by the drawings and descriptions. 
       High Tension Hammock Assembly 
       [0000]      
     
    
     
       RIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0018]    This invention&#39;s objects, features and advantages will be better understood in consideration of the detailed description of several embodiments illustrated in the drawings, in which: 
           [0019]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a high tension hammock assembly under tension. 
           [0020]      FIG. 2  is a side view of  FIG. 1  including a mobility wheel. 
           [0021]      FIG. 3  is a left end view of  FIG. 2 . 
           [0022]      FIG. 4  is a right end view of  FIG. 2   
           [0023]      FIG. 5  is a bottom view of the hammock stand of  FIG. 1  being folded. 
           [0024]      FIG. 6  is aside view of  FIG. 5  after the support legs have been aligned. 
           [0025]      FIG. 7  is a side view of the stand completely folded. 
           [0026]      FIG. 8  is a perspective view of a second embodiment of the invention. 
           [0027]      FIG. 9  is a side view of  FIG. 8  locking system. 
           [0028]      FIG. 10  is a side view of the invention overcenter clamp in a released position. 
           [0029]      FIG. 11  is a side view of the overcenter clamp in a closed position. 
           [0030]      FIG. 12  is a top view of  FIG. 8.9   
           [0031]      FIG. 13A  is a top view of an alternative embodiment before assembly. 
           [0032]      FIG. 13B  is a side view of  FIG. 13A  shown in an assembled condition. 
           [0033]      FIG. 14  is a top view of a second alternative hammock. 
           [0034]      FIG. 15  is a perspective view of a compact high tension hammock stand. 
           [0035]      FIG. 16  is a perspective view of a compact hammock stand. 
           [0036]      FIG. 17  is a bottom view of a fifth embodiment of the compact hammock stand. 
           [0037]      FIG. 18  is a side view of a seating accessory system. 
       
    
    
     LIST OF REFERENCE NUMERALS 
       [0000]    
       
         
           
               10  horizontal member 
               12  horizontal member 
               14  support leg 
               16  support leg 
               18  single bolt 
               19  single bolt 
               20  left upward arm 
               21  tangent surface 
               22  single bolt, washers and nut 
               23  right upward arm 
               24  right upward arm 
               26  single bolt, washers and nut 
               27  tangent surface 
               28  chain and ring 
               29  hook 
               30  rectangular fabric 
               32  straight spreader arm 
               34  right eye hook 
               35  clip 
               36  series of ropes 
               38  stability ropes 
               40  eye bolt 
               42  a curved or straight bar 
               44  left and right eye bolt 
               46  series of ropes 
               47  ring 
               48  hook and chain assembly 
               50  bolt 
               52  overcenter member 
               54  series of bolts 
               56  aperture 
               58  mobility wheel 
               60  double eye plates 
               62  lever 
               64  lever 
               66  metal plate 
               68  spacer block 
               70  wood screw 
               72  serrated head bolt 
               74  eye bolt and nut 
               76  closing motion 
               102  spreader bar 
               104  spreader bar 
               106  wide band of material 
               108  wide band of material 
               110  ring 
               112  series of ropes 
               114  series of ropes 
               116  series of ropes 
               118  ring 
               120  rectangular fabric 
               122  fabric opening 
               124  fabric opening 
               126  wide hem end 
               128  sew line 
               128  sew line 
               132  spreader bar 
               140  top rectangular fabric 
               142  diagonal band of fabric 
               143  side hem line 
               144  diagonal band of fabric 
               145  rope 
               146  fabric band 
               147  rope 
               148  hem line 
               151  sew line 
               164  eye bolt 
               174  vertical eye bolt 
               200  wide board 
               201  series of screws 
               202 - 204  small board 
               206  reaction member 
               08  fastening plates 
               210  support member 
               212  support leg 
               13  group of screws 
               214  support member 
               216  support leg 
               218 - 222  floor supports 
               224  nut tube 
               225  straps or ropes 
               226  double threaded rods 
               227  straps or ropes 
               228  double threaded rods 
               230  nut tube 
               250  seat support 
               252  hinge board 
               256  hinge 
               258 - 260 - 262  transverse beams 
               264  short hinge beam 
               266  hinge 
               268  hook-down system 
               270  circular hole 
           
         
       
     
       DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0131]    The description of the hammock assembly is related to the need of high tension pull for certain fabrics or rope hammocks in order to provide a stable, nearly horizontal support for the occupant.  FIG. 1 through 7  illustrate the first embodiment of the present invention with the exception of  FIG. 2  which illustrates a support wheel not shown on the other drawings. Therefore any component # for  FIG. 1 through 7  included are identical. 
         [0132]      FIG. 1  perspective view illustrates the combination of both the hammock and the stand together; the hammock is represented by a rectangular piece of fabric  30  which is fastened by a straight spreader bar  32  which is linked to the stand by a hook  29  via a chain and ring  28 , a series of ropes  36  which are tied to a left and a right eye hook  34 ; at the other end the fabric is fastened to a curved spreader bar  42  that includes a left and right eye bolt  44  which carry the load to a series of ropes  46  and a ring  47  which receives its pull by a hook and chain assembly  48  tied to a bolt  50  part of an overcenter member  52  which is fastened to the hammock stand by a series of bolts  54 , the overcenter member  52  is located in an aperture  56 . 
         [0133]    The stand itself is illustrated by a front and a rear horizontal member  10  and  12  which constitutes the linking to both a right and a left support leg  14  and  16  and a left upward arm  20  and right upward arm  23 ,  24  which is fastened to itself with a bolt or a screw  27 . These components are all made of readily available construction wood, are low cost and very strong. The horizontal members are fastened to the support legs by a single bolt at each end for each member  18 ,  19  on the right side and the same  18 ,  19 , on the left. The upward arms are fastened by a single bolt, washers and nut  22  for the left and  26  for the right arm; the tightening of these bolts is sufficient to hold up the arms even when no hammock is suspended, these upward arms are prevented from moving under the pull of the hammock because the bottom hidden end of these arms are pressing against the support leg at a tangent surface  21  on the left and  27  on the right as seen on  FIG. 2 . A final component of this first embodiment is the anti-flip stability system where an eye bolt  40  permits a stability rope for each side  38  to be anchored to the eye bolts  32  and  34  via a sturdy clip  35  at the upper end of each stability rope. 
         [0134]      FIGS. 2 ,  3  and  4  are side and end views of the first embodiment shown in  FIG. 1 ;  FIG. 2  illustrates where the bottom of the upward arms are prevented from going down because they are held by the support legs. This side view,  FIG. 3 , shows how the stability ropes  38  are bringing down the straight spreader bar  32  by around 20% of its height to the ground when the hammock is under tension without occupant. 
         [0135]      FIGS. 2 and 3  both illustrate how a mobility wheel  58  is fastened to the horizontal members  10  and  12  by a double eye plates  60 ; the side view is also showing a cut-off line  57  of the aperture  56 , also visible is the inside location of the chain  48  inside the overcenter member  52 . 
         [0136]      FIG. 5  illustrates a bottom view of the first embodiment without the hammock as when ready to fold down the assembly. With both bolts  18  out the support legs are ready to be rotated as shown by the arrow  11 .  FIG. 6  illustrates a side view of the first embodiment where the arms  20  and  24  are free from their abutments on the support legs and can be rotated as shown by the arrows  25 .  FIG. 7  illustrates the stand assembly completely folded. 
         [0137]      FIGS. 8 and 9  illustrate a second embodiment of the invention similar to the first embodiment with the exception of: a lever  64  replaces the right bolt  18  of  FIG. 1  in order to clamp and unclamp the support legs  14  without need for any tool. A carriage bolt  72  goes through a metal plate  66  first, then through a spacer block  68  and the horizontal member  10  with its end thread going through the lever  64  which is threaded through its center as seen on  FIG. 9 . A wood screw  70  also goes through the plate  66 , the spacer  68  and partially into member  10 ; this screw prevents the plate  66  from swinging away from its alignment with member  10 . Similarly a lever  62  is performing the same function at the other end of the horizontal member  10 , therefore both support legs  14  and  16  can be rotated in a similar manner as  FIG. 6  for the first embodiment. Head bolt  72  should be serrated to prevent its rotation. A hammock  31  illustrates a curved or straight spreader bar  43  which includes a couple of eye bolts  45  holding a series of ropes  46  independently fastened to the ring  47  and to the hook and chain  48  and the overcenter tension member  52 . 
         [0138]    The spreader bar  32  has an extra eye bolt  31  near each end where the stability ropes  38  are now clipped on: this is lowering the spreader bar  32  by an extra few inches down and is taking away the free swing action that was previously available in  FIG. 7  embodiment is allowing a no swing setup on demand, it should be noted that the first embodiment is able to fine tune the swing action with the control of the chain  28 . This second embodiment dies control the tension via a ring hock  49  into a chain  51 . A series of sling members  72  are fastened to a eye bolt and nut  74  onto the arm  25  and at their upper end with clips to the eye bolts  45 . Holding the hammock at the other end is a single ring  27  anchored onto the hook  28  and carrying the tension of series of rope  37 . 
         [0139]      FIGS. 10 and 11  illustrate how the overcenter clamp goes from release position in  FIG. 10A  with the lever  52  extending outside the upward arm  24 ; it shows the chain  48  ties to the bolt  50 ; the opening  56  is represented by an inside cut-off line  74 , an arc  76  represents the motion for closing the clamp. 
         [0140]      FIG. 11  illustrates the lever  52  in a closed overcenter position with an arc  78  representing the motion of the pin  50 . 
         [0141]      FIG. 12  illustrates a third embodiment of the hammock  30  shown in  FIG. 1 . This embodiment has a rectangular top material reinforced with a diagonally located pair of wide bands of materials  106  and  108 ; both materials and fabric are fastened to a spreader bar  102  at one end, the tensioning is provided by a eye bolt  116  and  118  and a series of ropes  112  and  114  tie to a ring  110 . At the other end both layers of materials are fastened to a spreader bar  104  which includes a pair of eye bolts  114 , a series of ropes  116  are linked to the eye bolts at one end and to a ring  118  at the other end. 
         [0142]    It should be noted that the diagonal bands of fabrics are around 2 percent shorter than the top fabric for the reason that it acts as a flexible lifting at the center of the hammock because of the curve spreader as shown in  FIG. 1 . 
         [0143]      FIGS. 13A and 13B  illustrate how the fabrics of the diagonal bands and top rectangular fabric have a wide hem  175  going around a spreader bar  132 . The hammock shows a rectangular fabric  120 ; hidden are the diagonal bands of  FIGS. 12 ,  106  and  108  with a wide hem that ends at line  126 , but provides a certain looseness in the center at line  127  on each end; the fabrics are fastened at a sew line  130  and another sew line  128 . The fabric ends provide an opening at each side and each end  122  and  124 . The spreader bar  132  is anchored horizontally with an eye bolt  164 , or can be tensioned through a vertical eye bolt such as  174 . 
         [0144]      FIG. 14  illustrates a fourth embodiment of the hammock  30  shown in  FIG. 1 ; this embodiment includes a top rectangular fabric  140 ; at the left end of the hammock a first diagonal band of fabric  142  reaches the other end at the side hem line  143  before folding around rope  145  and reaching the hammock right end. Similarly a second diagonal band of fabric  144  reaches the other end at the other hem line  148  before folding around rope  147  and folded back on itself before reaching the other end. A second wide band of fabric  146  is spread across the hammock at around ⅔ of the length of the hammock, this fabric goes around the rope  147  and is sewn with the edge hem  148  on one side, same thing on the other side where the fabric band  146  goes around rope  145  and is sewn with the hem  143  at sew line  151 . 
         [0145]      FIG. 15  illustrates a fifth embodiment of the high tension hammock assembly. This compact hammock stand includes a wide board  200  and a small board  202  on one side and  204  on the other side; all three boards are fastened by a reaction member  206  and a fastening plate  208  in each small board and two fastening plates in the wide board. Fastened to the board  200  is a support member  210  in which a series of eye bolts  230  are fastened at one end where at the other end a similar support  214  is fastened to the two boards  202  and  204  for one part and is providing anchoring points, to a series of eye bolts  232  is a second part. The board  200  is fastened to a support leg  212  with a series of floor supports  222 ; similarly the boards  202  and  204  are fastened to a support leg  216  and a series of floor supports  218 . 
         [0146]    The hammock requires tension which is provided by a series of straps or ropes  225  and  227  which are fastened to the support member  214 , then goes around the support leg  212  before following the direction of board  200  to loop around reaction member  206 , then they follow the direction of boards  202  and  204  down to support leg  216 , loop around it nd goes to support member  210  where it is fastened. It should be noted that the straps or ropes are being tensioned at a ratchet or overcenter system  227  near reaching the support member  210 . 
         [0147]    At its upper end the upper board is fastened to a support beam  210  which is locked in place by a series of fasteners  236 ; at the upper end, the small boards are fastened to a support beam  214  with a series of fasteners  238 . Also shown in  FIG. 15 , the two support beams each hold a couple of eye bolts  232  and  234  into which the spreader bar is inserted during the hammock installation. When not in use, a sling  201  can hold the stand open when the hammock is not installed. 
         [0148]      FIG. 16  illustrates the sixth stand embodiment of the invention which is similar to the fifth with the exception of the flexible tensioning system being replaced by a threaded rod and a nut-tube tensioning  232  and  230  linking the support leg  216  and support beam  210  on one end of the stand; at the other end a double threaded rods  226  and  228  are fastened to a double nut-tube  224  linking the support beam  214  and the support leg  212 . All other members of this embodiment are similar to the fifth stand embodiment. It should be noted that the nut-tube bottom is a freely rotating concentric tube around the support leg and at the support beam the transfer of force is similar to an automotive scissor jack where the thread end carries a strong washer before going through a section of the support beam with a second strong washer on the other side by a locking nut and terminating with a square end or other similar shape in order to permit rotation force to be applied with a hand tool to apply tension to the hammock. 
         [0149]      FIG. 17  shows a bottom view of the fifth embodiment and shows the wide board that is fastened to the support legs  212  by a group of screws  213  while the small boards are fastened by a series of screws  201 . 
         [0150]    Both  FIG. 15  and  FIG. 17  embodiments are supported at each end of their support leg by a foot attachment  218  which prevents the support from touching the ground or floor, and gives better stability to the stand. 
         [0151]      FIG. 18  illustrates a seventh embodiment related to the high tension compact hammock assembly. The accessory shows a hammock seat support for when the hammock is used as a seating sofa; this is a front view of the seat support in which  250  is a large around one half the length of hammock embodiment five or six, fastened to the board is a triplet of transverse beams shown as  258 ,  260  and  262 ; a hinged board  252  is fastened to the beam  260  by a hinge  256 , at the bottom part of the hinged board is a circular hole  270  which provides support by its engagement into the reaction member  206 ; similarly, not seen at the back of beam  260  is a second hinged member which has a similar circular hole which is open toward its bottom in order to be able to engage it with a downward motion. Also supporting the seat support is a short hinged beam  264  that is fastened by a hinge  266 ; the other side could be fastened similarly or both ides could be anchored with any type of hook-down system such as  268  and  270  which then provides a pulling force instead of pressure as for a beam; it should be noted that the number of support beams could be two instead of three without any other change in the construction except that the center beam  260  would be located under the board  250  in order to provide obstruction free space for the person being seated in the center of the hammock compact stand.