Patent Abstract:
A Camper Truck Tent for detachably mounting on a pickup truck, consisting of front and rear mounting supports attached to the truck cargo box sidewalls, various tent poles attaching the folded out tent to the mounting supports, erecting means for folding out the tent and two beds placed inside the erected tent. When dismantled, all these components occupy minimum space. The tent itself is stored in a self-contained pouch on the cargo box floor, the mounting supports in an envelope integral with one bed and the tent poles in an envelope integral with the second bed. The stored components are close to the cargo box floor and out of sight of the truck driver. Several tent pole configurations are available: two main configurations and three alternative configurations. Front and aft erecting means keep the tent folded out. The front means is a front strap secured to the front of the truck or a cramping tent pole. The aft means are aft straps secured to the downed tailgate.

Full Description:
RELATED DOCUMENTS 
   Disclosure Documents deposited with USPTO as follows: 
   No. 604278 on 2 Aug. 2006 
   No. 604409 on 7 Aug. 2006 
   No. 605820 on 6 Sep. 2006 
   CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
   This application claims the benefit of Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/854,926 filed 27 Oct. 2006. 

   FIELD OF INVENTION 
   This invention relates to structures which can be mounted on highway vehicles. In particular it relates to tent-type structures which can be detachably mounted on open trucks. 
   BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   A number of designs exist for tent structures which can be mounted on pickup trucks and related vehicles. A search was conducted in the U.S. patent literature which resulted in the following patents and patent publications: 
   U.S. Pat. No. 3,773,379 (Nov. 1973) to Loiseau 
   U.S. Pat. No. 4,310,194 (Jan. 1982) to Biller 
   U.S. Pat. No. 4,332,265 (Jun. 1982) to Baker 
   U.S. Pat. No. 5,238,288 (Aug. 1993) to Chandler 
   U.S. Pat. No. 6,000,745 (Dec. 1999) to Alexa 
   U.S. Pat. No. 6,481,784 (Nov. 2002) to Cargill 
   2003/0146646 (Aug. 2003) to Cervenka 
   D484,942 (Jan. 2004) to Rapaport et al 
   U.S. Pat. No. 6,799,787 (Oct. 2004) to Angelos 
   U.S. Pat. No. 6,932,418 (Aug. 2005) to Connell 
   U.S. Pat. No. 7,021,694 (Apr. 2006) to Roberts et al. 
   None of these patents provide the configurations, convenience and facility of erection and removal of the present invention as described in the Summary of the Invention and Detailed Description which follow. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   The Camper. Truck Tent of this invention comprises two horizontal mounting support assemblies, a tent assembly, tent poles, and two beds. The mounting support assemblies are mounted in parallel across the tops of the left and right walls of the truck cargo box, near the front and near the rear, and fastened securely to the truck hooks. The mounting support assemblies contain studs to fasten the beds, and loops to hold the tent poles. 
   The tent assembly is initially in the collapsed state and placed over the mounting support assemblies such that holes in the tent floor are penetrated by the studs of the mounting support assemblies. 
   Three top poles are inserted into the sleeves located on the top front, center, and aft portions of the tent. The angled ends of the six side poles are fitted to the top poles in the left and right sleeves, while their other ends are attached to the loops at the tip of the mounting support assemblies, which form three rectangles (forward, center and aft) placed flat on top of the truck cargo box. 
   To fold out the tent, its front and aft straps are pulled. The front strap is hooked to the front of the truck, lifting the forward top pole and erecting the forward side poles in a pivoting motion around their loop attachment. The aft straps are pulled by tilting down the tailgate, causing the aft wall to lift the center and aft top poles. The length of the front strap is adjusted to maintain the top and aft tent walls properly stretched. Lastly, the two beds are brought in through the aft door and mounted on the studs of the mounting support assemblies. 
   Various user-friendly features are provided, such as: adjustable lateral position of mounting supports to fit variable width cargo boxes; permanent attachment of properly oriented tent pouch to tent floor for convenient correct tent storage and deployment; concave beds for greater stability; laterally extended attachment points in the mounting support assemblies for more tent space and volume; a tent collapsing system allowing a free rear view for the driver; and storing all the poles in one bed envelope, while the two mounting support assemblies are stored in the other bed envelope, which avoids additional storage bags. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES 
     A better understanding of the Camper Truck Tent of the present invention may be gained by reference to the following Detailed Description of the Invention, in conjunction with Figures showing the details of the invention. 
     In the Figures, 
       FIG. 1  is a pictorial view of front and rear mounting support assemblies mounted on a truck; 
       FIG. 2  is a pictorial view showing details of the mounting attachment of  FIG. 1 ; 
       FIG. 3  is a pictorial view of mounting attachment details, alternative to  FIG. 2 ; 
       FIG. 4  is a pictorial view of a tent pouch assembly; 
       FIG. 5  is a pictorial view of a folded tent; 
       FIG. 6  is a pictorial view of a tent assembly mounted on a truck; 
       FIG. 7  is a pictorial view showing details of a front pole attachment to a front support; 
       FIG. 8  is a pictorial view of a rear pole attachment to a rear support; 
       FIG. 9  is a pictorial view of a tent assembly mounted on a truck, with cramping side pole replacing front hook strap; 
       FIG. 10  is a pictorial view of connection details of cramping side pole, forward side pole and front support; 
       FIG. 11  is a pictorial view of connection details of cramping side pole, aft side pole assembly and rear support; 
       FIG. 12  is a pictorial view showing the interior of a tent; 
       FIG. 13  is a pictorial view of a right side bed assembly, tent floor and side walls; 
       FIG. 14  is a side view of a tent assembly installed in a truck; 
       FIG. 15  is a top view of a tent assembly installed in a truck; 
       FIG. 16  is a cross-sectional rear view of a tent assembly installed in a truck; 
       FIG. 17  is a cross-sectional side view of a tent assembly installed in a truck; 
       FIG. 18  is a pictorial view of a collapsed tent assembly installed in a truck; 
       FIG. 19  is a pictorial view of Alternative No.  1  tent assembly mounted on a truck, (compare with  FIG. 6 ); 
       FIG. 20  is a pictorial view of Alternative No.  2  tent assembly mounted on a truck (compare with  FIG. 6 ); 
       FIG. 21  is a side view of Alternative No.  2  tent assembly mounted on a truck (as in  FIG. 20 ); 
       FIG. 22  is a top view of Alternative No.  2  tent assembly mounted on a truck (as in  FIG. 20 ); 
       FIG. 23  is a pictorial view of Alternative No.  3  tent assembly mounted on a truck (compare with  FIG. 6 ); 
       FIG. 24  is a pictorial view of Alternative No.  3  tent assembly, showing details of detachable attachment of rear pole to center pole. 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
   The Camper Truck Tent of this invention is shown in several configurations, apparent from the pictorial assembly drawings with the tent assembly fully folded out on a truck, as follows: 
   Main Configuration in two versions,  FIG. 6  and  FIG. 9 ; 
   Alternative No.  1 ,  FIG. 19 ; 
   Alternative No.  2 ,  FIG. 20 , and 
   Alternative No.  3 ,  FIG. 23 . 
   Referring now to  FIG. 1 , there is shown the lateral attachment of mounting support assemblies ( 50 , 52 ) to side walls ( 28 , 30 ) of truck cargo box  24  of pickup truck  20 . Frontassembly  50  is located close to cargo box forward wall  32  just below rear window  44  of truck cab  22 . Rear assembly  52  is located just forward of tailgate  34 . Cargo hooks  36  and  40  are attached to the interior of left sidewall  28 , while cargo hooks  38  and  42  are attached to the interior of right sidewall  30 . Cargo box floor  26  supports tent pouch assembly  380 , with details shown in  FIG. 4  and  FIG. 5 . Mounting attachment subassembly  11  details are shown in two versions, in  FIG. 2  and  FIG. 3 . 
   Referring now to  FIG. 2 , subassembly  11  shows the attachment of the left side rear mounting support assembly  52  with studs  54  and  56 , and holes  68 , to cargo box left sidewall  28 . Rear support  58  is secured to brackets  60  which are integral with flanged base  62 , via bolt  64 , where brackets  60  rest on rubber sheet  66  placed on flange  29  of sidewall  28 . Stud  56  and hole  71  anchor flexible loop  70 , used for pole support. The attachment of rear support  58  is via buckle cord  72  to hook  36  in sidewall  28 . 
   Referring now to  FIG. 3 , an alternate subassembly  11  is shown. All components are the same, except that the attachment of rear support  58  is via wing bolt  372  through base  362  and hole  363  to nut plate  365  secured to flange  29  (rather than via buckle cord  72 ). 
   Referring now to  FIG. 4 , details of closed tent pouch assembly  380  are shown. Orientation markings “Front” ( 386 ) and “Rear” ( 384 ) are placed on pouch  382  which houses folded tent  390  and is closed by zipper  388 . 
   Referring now to  FIG. 5 , opened tent pouch assembly  380  with thread  392  is shown, with folded tent  390  removed from pouch  382 . The other callouts are the same as in  FIG. 4 . The center portion of the tent floor is sewn to the pouch bottom as shown in  FIG. 16  and  FIG. 17 . 
   Referring now to  FIG. 6 , a pictorial view of the Main Configuration tent assembly  74  mounted on a truck is shown. 
   First, the six faces of the tent: 
   Forward wall  96  with screen  98  and cab access panel  100 ; 
   Top face  76  of inverse U-shape (shown in  FIG. 16 ); 
   Left wall  78  with screen  80 , vent panel  82  and two holes  84 ; 
   Right wall  86   
   Aft wall  88  with screen door  90 , door panel  92  and envelope  94 , shaped to cover the tail gate of the truck; and 
   U-shaped floor  102  (details in  FIG. 13 ). 
   The tent is kept erect by means of hooking straps and a pole structure. A front strap  110  is secured to the front of the truck, while aft straps ( 112  left and  114  right) are secured to the tailgate. 
   The pole structure contains lateral poles and side poles. Three lateral poles engage corresponding sleeves in the tent fabric: 
   Forward top pole  122  in forward sleeve  104   
   Center top pole  132  in center sleeve  106 , and 
   Aft top pole  134  in aft sleeve  108 . 
   The side poles are as follows 
   Two forward side poles  116  (left and right) connected at the top to forward top pole  122  and at the bottom to front support  59 , indicated by numeral  12  (details in  FIG. 7 ); 
   Two center side poles  126  (left and right) connected at the top to center top pole  132  and at the bottom to rear support  58 , indicated by numeral  13  (details in  FIG. 8 ); 
   Two aft side poles  128  (left and right) connected at the top to aft top pole  134  and at the bottom to rear support  58  (details in  FIG. 8 ). 
   Referring now to  FIG. 7 , details are shown of the bottom connection of a forward left side pole  116  to front support  59  by means of loop  70  (see  FIG. 2 ) together with ring  118  and screw  120  through holes  84 . 
   Referring now to  FIG. 8 , details are shown of the bottom connection of center left side pole  126  to left rear support  58 , which is identical to the bottom connection of forward left side pole  116  to left front support  59 , with identical callouts  70 ,  84 ,  118  and  120 . In addition, left aft side pole  128  is secured to center left side pole  126  by means of pivotal rivet pin  130 . 
   Referring now to  FIG. 9 , a pictorial view of an alternate version of the Main Configuration is shown in which cramping side pole  416 , acting as a compressive member, replaces front hook strap  110  ( FIG. 6 ) to perform the function of folding out the front of the tent structure. 
   The front and upper end of cramping side pole  416  is connected to the upper end of forward side pole  412  which at its lower end is connected to front support  59 . These connections are denoted by numeral  15 . 
   The rear and lower end of cramping side pole  416  is connected to rear mounting support  430 , as shown in  FIG. 11 . 
   Tent structure and pole structure are otherwise identical to those in  FIG. 6  and are not reproduced in  FIG. 9  for the sake of clarity. 
   Referring now to  FIG. 10 , details of connections  15  are shown. The upper end of cramping pole  416  is attached by pivotal pin  414  to forward side pole  412  through suitable holes in both poles. The lower end of forward side pole  412  is attached to front support  59  by means of flexible cord loop  70  in combination with ring  118 , screw  120  and holes  84 . 
   Referring now to  FIG. 11 , details of connections  16  are shown. The compressed rear end flat  418  of cramping pole  416  holds pin  420  which is inserted into upward facing hole  432  in rear mounting support  430 . Also, string  422 , secured to cramping pole  416  by wide flat  418 , ties cramping pole  416  to rear mounting support  430 . Aft side pole  128  is attached to center side pole  126  by pivotal pin  130  through suitable holes in both poles. Center side pole  126  is attached to rear mounting support  430  by means of flexible cord loop  70  in combination with ring  118 , screw  120  and holes  84 . 
   Referring now to  FIG. 12 , a pictorial view of the interior of a tent is shown, as a breakaway of the exterior view of  FIG. 6 . Left bed  140  and right bed  142  abut forward wall  96  and are supported on front mounting support assembly  50  and rear mounting support assembly  52 . Also shown is U-shaped floor  102 . 
   Referring now to  FIG. 13 , details of a bed  144  are shown. Two rigid longitudinal frames ( 146 , 148 ) are clad top and bottom, using threads  150  and  152 , with flexible envelope  145  to accommodate the body shape of the sleeper. Each frame and each bed accommodate two holes  154  (4 holes total each per bed) which engage studs  54 ,  56  etc. anchored in front and rear mounting assemblies ( 50 ,  52 ) to firmly secure bed  144  to the truck. Being on the right side, bed  144  abuts forward wall  96  with flanged portion  96   a  and right tent sidewall  86  with inboard portion  86   a . Also shown are components of floor  102 , such as stud holes  87  and  101 , and zipper  103 . 
   Referring now to  FIG. 14 , this is an external side view of a tent installed in a truck (Main Configuration as in  FIG. 6 ). Shown are front hook strap  110  and aft (left) strap  112  secured over tailgate covered with envelope shaped, portion  94  of tent aft wall  88 . Section  16 - 16  is shown in  FIG. 16 . 
   Referring now to  FIG. 15 , this is a top view corresponding to views in  FIG. 6  and  FIG. 14 . Shown are forward sleeve  104 , forward side pole  116 , center sleeve  106 , aft sleeve  108 , aft side pole  128  and tent top face  76 . Section  17 - 17  is shown in  FIG. 17 . 
   Referring now to  FIG. 16 , this is a cross-sectional rear view along Section  16 - 16  in  FIG. 14 . The tent surfaces are shown: top face  76 , left wall  78 , right wall  86 , screen  80 , vent panel  82 . Then the left bed assembly  140  and right bed assembly  142 . The tent is completed with tent floor  102  and anchored to left sidewall  28  and right sidewall  30 . Cargo box floor  26  supports tent pouch  382  with tent and pouch sewn threads  392  and zippers  388 . 
   Referring now to  FIG. 17 , this is a cross-sectional side view along Section  17 - 17  in  FIG. 15 . Shown are the tent components: top face  76 , center sleeve  106 , forward sleeve  104 , aft sleeve,  108 , front hook strap  110 , aft wall  88 , forward wall  96 , tent floor  102  and floor zipper  103  which allows temporary access to support  58 . Other components are cab access panel  100 , aft screen door  90 , door panel  92 , screen  98 , front mounting support assembly  50  and rear mounting support assembly  52 . Truck components are cab rear window  44 , cargo box forward wall  32 , cargo box tailgate  34 , and cargo box floor  26  on which rest tent pouch  382  with tent and pouch sewn threads  392  and zippers  388 . Also shown is the aft wall envelope shaped portion  94  covering tailgate  34 . 
   Referring now to  FIG. 18 , this is a pictorial view of a collapsed tent assembly installed in a truck. It is seen that the driver has a free view through rear window  44  of cab  22 , with all tent components collapsed below window  44 . In the collapsed state, the topmost tent layer is tent forward wall  96  with forward sleeve  104 , rearward rotated forward pole  116  and exposed loose front strap  110 . Immediately adjacent and also laid flat is aft tent wall  88  with rearward facing aft side pole  128 , with aft straps  112  and  114  in place attached to tail gate  34 . 
   Referring now to  FIG. 19  this is a pictorial view of Alternative No.  1  tent assembly mounted on a truck. Compared to the Main Configuration in similar view of  FIG. 6 , the number of poles has been reduced. Tent assembly  160  now has these six surfaces: 
   Top face  162  of inverse U-shape; 
   Forward wall  157 ; 
   Left wall  164  with screen  165  and vent panel  161 ; 
   Right wall  166 ; 
   Aft wall  167  with aft screen door  159 , door panel  163  and (as before) envelope shaped aft wall portion  94  to cover the tailgate; and 
   Tent floor  102 . 
   As before, front strap  110  and rear straps  112  and  114  fulfil the same functions of erecting the tent. Side poles are now: Forward side poles  171 , left and right, at their top attached via forward sleeve  169  to forward top pole  172 , and 
   Aft side poles  168 , left and right, at their top attached via aft sleeve  170  to aft top pole  173 . 
   Both the forward and aft side poles are attached at their lower ends to, respectively, front and rear supports by the structure shown in  FIG. 7  and indicated on  FIG. 19  by numeral  12  in both places. 
   Referring now to  FIG. 20 , this is a pictorial view of Alternative No.  2  tent assembly mounted on a truck. Compared to the Main Configuration of  FIG. 6 , additional roof poles are used. Tent assembly  174  now has these six surfaces: 
   Top face  176  of inverse U-shape; 
   Forward wall  196  (see  FIG. 22 ) 
   Left wall  178  with screen  180 , vent panel  182  and holes  184 ; 
   Right wall  186 ; 
   Aft wall  188  with aft screen  190 , door panel  192  and (as before) envelope-shaped aft wall portion  94  to cover the tailgate; and 
   Tent floor  202 . 
   Aft straps  112  (left) and  114  (right) are in place. The side poles are now: 
   1. Forward side poles (left and right)  216 , at their top ends connected via forward sleeves  204  to short forward top poles  222  which terminate in X-shaped central joint  218 . At their bottom ends poles  216  are connected to front support  59  by the structure shown in  FIG. 7  and indicated by the numeral  12  on  FIG. 20 .
 
2. Two center side poles  226  and two aft side poles  228 . Center side poles  226  at their top ends connect via center sleeves  206  to short forward top poles  222  which terminate in X-shaped central joint  218 .
 
   Aft side poles  228  at their top end connect via aft sleeves  208  to aft top pole  234 . At their bottoms aft side poles  228  attach to the bottom of center side poles  226  which connect to rear support  58  by the structure shown in  FIG. 8  which is indicated by numeral  13  on  FIG. 20 . Unlike the Main Configuration ( FIG. 6 ) and Alternative No.  1  ( FIG. 19 ) both of which are collapsible, Alternative No.  2  ( FIG. 20 ) is not collapsible. 
   Referring now to  FIG. 21 , this is an external left side view of Alternative No.  2  Tent Assembly mounted on a truck as in pictorial view of  FIG. 20 . All side poles are visible, forward  216 , center  226  and aft  228 , as well as left wall  178  and aft left strap  112 . 
   Referring now to  FIG. 22 , this is a top view of Alternative No.  2  Tent Assembly mounted on a truck as in pictorial view of  FIG. 20 . Visible is the X-shaped configuration on the roof of the tent, formed by forward sleeves  204  and center sleeves  206 , all of them attached to short forward top poles  222  leading to central X-shaped joint  218 . Also shown are the tent top face  176 , right wall  186 , left wall  178 , and forward wall  196 . 
   Referring now to  FIG. 23 , this is a pictorial view of Alternative No.  3  tent assembly  274  mounted on a truck. Compared to Alternative No.  2  as shown in  FIG. 20 , straight rigid forward, center and aft poles have been replaced by one-piece flexible poles  316 ,  326  and  328 , all formed into curved parabolic shapes. Due to the crossing of poles  316  and  326  at top center, pole  316  is forward on the right but center on the left, and pole  326  is center on the right, but forward on the left. Like Alternative No.  2 , Alternative No.  3  is not collapsible. 
   Pole  316  over its curved portion engages forward sleeves  304 ; pole  326  over its curved portion engages center sleeves  306 ; and aft pole  328  over its curved portion engages one-piece aft sleeve  308 . 
   The four tent faces are: 
   forward wall  296 ; 
   aft wall  288  with aft screen  290 , door panel  292  and envelope shaped portion  94 ; 
   U-shaped floor  302  and 
   inverse U-shape top surface  276  with screens  280 , vent panels  282 , and four holes  284  which engage front and rear supports  59  and  58  at their connection with the bottom extremities of poles  316  and  326 . The details of connection of pole  316  with front support  59  are shown in  FIG. 7  and indicated by numeral  12  on  FIG. 23 . 
   When left and right hook straps  112  and  114  are secured to the truck tailgate, the tent structure is erected by stretching the contiguous top surface  276  and aft wall  288  over parabolic aft pole  328 . 
   Referring now to  FIG. 24 , details are shown of the connection of aft pole  328  to pole  326  by means of snap pin  330  which links suitable holes in poles  326  and  328 . A mechanism of rings  70  and  118  and screw  120  attaches the bottoms of pole  326  to extremities of rear support  58 , as detailed in  FIG. 8  and indicated by numeral  14  on  FIG. 23 . 
   Advantages 
   The Camper Truck Tent of this invention offers many advantages for use in the outdoors where ease, efficiency and speed of tent deployment and removal are important. Advantages include: 
   No tools required for tent installation in and removal from a truck; 
   Ease of attaching and detaching all tent components from a truck; 
   Tent storage, availability and deployment is foolproof, with tent sewn to storage pouch, and folded and protected in storage pouch in proper orientation for installation in truck; 
   Mounting support assemblies utilize existing truck cargo hooks or flanges, avoiding need for external equipment; 
   Tent side poles are attached and detached by a loop-and-ring system which is easily manipulated by unskilled labor without tools; 
   Tent floor contains a zipper for temporary access to mounting support assemblies; 
   Tent collapses easily though the pole attachment is outside the truck cargo box; 
   Mounting support assemblies are located on top of cargo box sidewalls and so make the entire cargo box volume available for camping items and personal belongings; 
   Mounting support assemblies accommodate different cargo box dimensions and can extend laterally beyond cargo box sidewalls for increased tent volume and tent user comfort; 
   Raised flexible canvas beds attached to mounting support assemblies provide increased sleeping comfort compared to sleeping on hard cargo box floor; and 
   Beds are provided with fabric envelopes which serve to store poles and mounting support assemblies when placed in storage. 
   Comparison of Camper Truck Tent Configurations 
   This invention provides the Advantages listed above in the configurations which have been described in the Detailed Description. A short comparison of configurations follows: 
   Main Configuration Collapsible
         a. with front hook strap ( FIG. 6 )   b. with cramping side pole instead of front hook strap ( FIG. 9 )       

   Alternative No.  1  ( FIG. 19 ): Collapsible
         With front hook strap—fewer components—no center side and top poles.       

   Alternative No.  2  ( FIG. 20 ): Not collapsible
         No front hook strap, but more poles.       

   Alternative No.  3  ( FIG. 23 ): Not collapsible
         No front hook strap—decreased tent volume.       

   Operation 
   As shown in the preceding Comparison, the Main Configuration and Alternative No.  1  are of the collapsible type, whereas Alternative No.  2  and Alternative No.  3  are of the non-collapsible type. However, certain operational procedures are common to both types. 
   Both types are stored identically, in three items:
         a. the tent in a tent pouch ( FIG. 4 ,  FIG. 5 )   b. all poles in one bed envelope, and   c. the front and rear mounting support assemblies ( FIG. 1 ) in the other bed envelope.       

   The installation in the truck may be divided into an initial and a final installation. The initial installation is the same for both types: 
   The front and rear mounting support assemblies are removed from their envelope and securely mounted on the truck cargo box side walls ( FIG. 2 ,  FIG. 3 ). The tent pouch, marked “Front” and “Rear” is properly placed on the truck cargo box floor, the pouch zipper ( FIG. 4 ,  FIG. 5 ) is opened and the tent is spread out in proper orientation, after which the ten hales in the tent are fitted to the ten studs in the front and rear mounting support assemblies and support ends. 
   The subsequent final installation is different for all configurations and described in the following four listings: 
   Final Installation for Main Configuration: 
   1. Insert three top poles into the sleeves of the tent; 
   2. Attach the angled ends of four side poles, two left and two right, to the center and aft top poles. Then attach the other ends of the two center side poles to the loops of the rear mounting support assembly ( FIG. 8 ). The left and right side poles, center top and aft top poles and rear mounting support assembly form two horizontal rectangles on the truck cargo box
 
3. Attach the angled ends of the left and right forward side poles to the forward top pole. Then attach the other ends of the forward side poles to the front mounting support assembly to form a horizontal rectangle placed over the two rectangles formed with the rear mounting support assembly.
 
4a. For Configuration (a)( FIG. 6 ): Attach the front strap to the front of the vehicle to lift the forward top pole;
 
4b. For Configuration (b)( FIG. 9 ,  10 ,  11 ): Rotate forward side pole counterclockwise and lift forward top pole. Insert pin  420  of cramping side pole  416  into hole  432  of rear mounting support  430 . Tie string  422  to rear mounting support  430  to prevent pin  420  from sliding out and to pole  416  until tailgate is tilted down to give compression to pole  416 .
 
5. Attach the aft straps to the tail gate, then tilt down the tailgate to lift the center top and aft top poles ( FIG. 6 );
 
6. Close the tent floor zipper;
 
7. Install left and right beds on the studs of the mounting support assemblies.
 
   Final Installation for Alternative No.  1  (FIG.  19 ) 
   1. Insert the two top poles into the sleeves of the tent; 
   2. Attach the angled ends of right and left aft side poles to the aft top pole. Then attach the other ends of the side poles to the loops of the rear support as shown in  FIG. 7 . The left and right side poles and rear mounting assembly form a horizontal rectangle on the truck cargo box.
 
3. 4a. 5. 6. 7. of the Main Configuration above.
 
   Final Installation for Alternative No.  2  (FIG.  20 ) 
   1. Insert four forward top poles into tent sleeves and attach to the bare X-shaped joint; 
   2. Insert aft top pole into aft sleeve; 
   3. Attach left and right forward side poles to two forward top poles. Attach left and right center side poles to the two top poles. Then attach left and right aft side poles to the aft top pole. 
   4. Lift the side poles and attach lower ends of side poles to loops of mounting support assemblies at four locations; 
   5. Attach aft straps to tailgate, then tilt down tailgate to stretch the top and aft tent walls; 
   6. Close the tent floor zipper; 
   7. Install left and right beds on studs of mounting support assemblies. 
   Final Installation of Alternative No.  3  (FIG.  23 ) 
   1. Insert the three poles into the tent sleeves; 
   2. Attach two forward poles to loops of front and rear mounting support assemblies at four locations; 
   3-Attach aft poles to forward poles with snap pins  330  at two locations; 
   4. Attach aft straps to tailgate; then tilt down tailgate to stretch top and aft tent walls; 
   5. Close the tent floor zipper; 
   6. Install left and right beds on studs of mounting support assemblies. 
   Collapsing Main and Alternative No.  1  Configurations 
   As shown in  FIG. 18 , the tent can assume a flat collapsed state in the truck cargo box, giving the driver rear window visibility to drive, if desired, to another camp site and speedily re-deploy the tent. 
   This is achieved with  FIG. 6  and  FIG. 19  by lifting the tailgate to vertical and unhooking the front strap from the truck: these actions cause the aft pole and tent aft portion to fall forward on the cargo box; and the forward top pole and tent forward portion to fall rearward on top of the collapsed aft poles and tent.
 
For  FIG. 9 , the pin securing the cramping side pole to the mounting support is removed, causing the forward top pole and tent forward portion to fall rearward.
 
With both the front strap and cramping pole arrangements, a reversal of the collapsing actions will easily set up the tent again.
 
   Removal of Tent Equipment—all Configurations 
   1. Dismantle all pole structures and collect poles; 
   2. Ready the two bed envelopes; 
   3. Fold up tent assembly and pack into pouch attached underneath tent floor, properly oriented along “Front” and “Rear” markings, and close pouch zipper. 
   4. Remove front and rear mounting support assemblies; 
   5. Store mounting support assemblies in one envelope, and all poles in the other bed envelope. 
   The Camper Truck Tent is now again stored in the three items described at the beginning of the Operation section. 
   It is to be understood that the invention may be realized with embodiments differing from the specific devices and procedures disclosed herein without departing from the scope of the present invention as delineated in the following claims.

Technology Classification (CPC): 1