IMPROVEMENTS IN TENTS
Year: 1862

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Jean Baptiste Cristofini, Officer in the French Army,
of Paris, France, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN TENTS."
Scaled the 4th November 1862, and dated the 10th May 1862.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Jean Baptiste Cristofini
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
10th May 1862.
I, JEAN BAPTISTE CRISTOFINI, Officer in the French Army, of Paris, France,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
TENTS," to be as follows:-
These improvements in tents relate to a novel shape or cut given to the
clements or pieces of canvass or other fabric, from which the tents are to be
formed, and which shape or cut is such that any even numbers of such
elements being connected together by tape, buttons, straps, or other suitable
means, and kept erected by suitable pitching rods or poles, will form a regular
tent, each element or separate piece of canvass, being easily carried on the
knapsack of a soldier, and may be made serviceable, as a cloak or momentary
shelter. For this purpose, a rectangular, nearly square shape is given to each
element or piece of canvass, whilst a triangular piece of canvass is left pro-
jecting at each of the two opposite longitudinal sides of the rectangle, so as to
give each element a 10-sided polygonal form, which admits of two or any other
even number of such elements, being connected together and stretched out over
the pitching poles, a tent closed on every side is formed.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Jean Baptiste Cristofini, in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 10th November 1862.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JEAN BAITISTE
CRISTOFINI, Officer in the French Army, of Paris, France, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Tenth day of May, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-two, in the twenty-fifth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
my, the said Jean Baptiste Cristofini, Her special licence that I, the said
Jean Baptiste Cristofini, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such
others as I, the said Jean Baptiste Cristofini, my executors, administrators,
and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time
and at all times thereafter during the term therein expressed, should and
lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of
Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Inven-
tion for "IMPROVEMENTS IN TENTS," upon the condition (amongst others) that I,
the said Jean Baptiste Cristofini, my executors or administrators, by an instru-
ment in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should
particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in
what manner the same was to be performed, and cause the same to be filed
in the Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next and imme-
diately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Jean Baptiste Cristofini, do hereby
declare the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to
be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement :-
The Invention relates to an improved cut or shape to be given to tho
*canvass or other fabric of which the tents are to be formed, so as to allow of
obtaining tents, the elements or constituting parts of which may easily be
carried by soldiers or other persons on military or other expeditions.
Fig. 1 of the annexed Drawings shows the shape or cut of the canvass or
"other fabric, of which each of the elements of which the tents are to be formed
is made, the size of the principal parts being also indicated in French
measure (metres) in this Figure, although it will be understood that those sizes
may vary more or less according as thought fit, whilst, if wished, one of the
triangular parts marked X and X may be dispensed with.
The piece of canvass represented in Fig. 1 shows one of the elements of

page_text: which a tent is to be formed, a tent formed of two of the said elements, being
intended to serve for two men, each of whom carries one of these elements
on his knapsack, which clement may, if required, serve as a cloak or
momentary covering for the soldier, whilst any even number of the said
elements may be connected together lengthwise, according to the size
intended to be given to the tent.
In Fig. 3, the tent for two men is shown pitched up, for which purpose
each of the men carries with him a pole P, by preference of the shape shown
in Fig. 2, consisting of two halves band, held together by means of a
sliding socket, or suitable joint. Fig. 4, shows in plan view the manner in
which the two elements A and B, of the canvass of a tent for two men are
connected together. In the various Figures of the Drawings corresponding
parts are indicated by the same letters of reference. c and d are respectively
holes and buttons for connecting together the seams D of the elements A and
B; E are the holes in which are inserted the pitching poles P' (Fig. 2), the
upper end of each of which is connected by a string J, to a picket F; F
are the loops for fixing the canvass in the ordinary manner to the pickets F'.
For pitching a tent for two men, the seams D of the elements A and B are
fixed together by means of the buttons d, or by means of string, straps, tape
or any other suitable manner; the parts of the canvass marked in red ink in
Fig. 1, are folded inside along the line y, and the small triangular parts w,
along the lines Z, in this manner the parts marked in red ink in Fig. 1, will
form the front and back of the tent, whilst the remainder of the canvass forms
the roof; strings G serve for connecting together the triangular X and X', of the
front and of the back of the tent. As has been mentioned above, any even
number of elements may be connected together lengthwise, so as to form
one complete tent. Thus, for instance, Fig. 5 shows in plan view the mode
in which six elements are united together, with part of the canvass over-
lapping, for forming a tent for six men; Fig. 6, shows another mode of
connecting together the same number of elements, by having a larger part of the
canvass overlapping as in Fig. 5, and thus afford a warmner shelter for the men.
It will be understood that in a similar manner, any even number of elements
may be connected together lengthwise so as to form one tent, whilst the fixing
together of the various parts may take place by means of strings, straps, tape,
buttons, buckles, or other suitable means.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of my said
Invention, and the manner in which the same is or may be used, I would
observe, in conclusion, that I do not confine or restrict myself to the exact
sizes and form of the canvass above described and shown in the Drawing, as

page_text: such sizes and form may vary more or less without deviating from the main
feature of the Invention, but what I consider to be novel and original, and
therefore claim as the Invention secured to mo by the herein-before in part
recited Letters Patent is, the general form, cut, or shape of the canvass or other
fabric of which the constituting elements of my improved tents are formed,
allowing each man to carry one of the said elements along with him, whilst
any even number of the said elements may be connected together in the
manner as above described, and thereby form a tent provided with a front and
back part, so as to allow of being shut on all sides.
In witness whereof, I, the said Jean Baptiste Cristofini, have hereunto
set my band and seal, this Twenty-ninth of October, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-two.
Witness,
BOVIN.
J. B. CRISTOFINI. (L.S.)