Improvements in Tent-pole Adjusters.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 31st Jan., 1898-Accepted, 5th Mar., 1898
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Tent-pole Adjusters.
I, CHARLES SEPTIMUS BERTHON, of the Barracks, Sunderland, in the County of
Durham, Major and Instructor, Durham Artillery, Western Division, Royal Artil-
lery, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement:―
.
This invention relates to automatic tent-polė adjusters and is intended to over-
come the annoyance experienced by all occupying tents (bell tents especially)
from the contraction of the canvas due to moisture, it is a well known fact that
if the tent guys are moderately tight (that is just tight enough to prevent the tent
from flapping about in the wind when dry) should a heavy dew or rain, fall,
the tent and guys will contract to such an extent that either the tent-pole will break
or the tent pegs will be pulled out of the ground. The usual and only remedy at
present is to slack off the guys as the moisture comes on and tighten them up again
when the tent dries. My invention consists of means to keep the tent and guys
always at the same tension whether wet or dry and this I accomplish by placing
a shoe or cylinder under the tent pole. This shoe or cylinder may contain a spring
which will compress when the canvas contracts, and as the tent dries it will allow
the tent pole to rise. Or I may allow the bottom end of the tent pole to rest upon
one end of a rocking bar or lever at the other end of which there is either a spring
or a weight. Or I arrange that the tent pole may rest direct upon a suitable self
contained support of which the spring is an integral part.
In either of these arrangements no slacking or tightening of guys will be
necessary as the expansion and contraction of the tent will be automatically com-
pensated for, and no alteration of existing tent poles is necessary.
And in order that my invention may be better understood I now proceed to des-
cribe the same in reference to the drawings hereto annexed and to the letters and
figures marked thereon.
Fig. 1 shews a cylindrical adjuster in section. Fig. 2 is a plan of same. Fig. 3
is an elevation of same shewing its external appearance. Fig. 4 is a modified form
of same in section. Fig. 5 shews an adjuster without cylinder. Fig. 6 is an ele-
vation of an adjuster having suspended springs. In Fig. 1 the tent-pole A rests
upon the shoe or disc B which is supported by the spring C, the cylinder D acting
as a guide and the flange d preventing the adjuster from sinking into the ground,
in Figs. 1, 2 and 3 the supporting spring C is under the tent pole and is in com-
pression. Fig. 4 shews the tent-pole A resting upon the shoe B and is supported
on the bottom turn of the spiral spring C by means of the projections b, the spring C
is outside the cylinder D and attached to the top thereof, the projections 6 work in
slots d' cut in the cylinder D. Fig. 5 shews a tent pole A resting upon a shoe B
which shoe is made integral with the springs C which may be two or four in
number their lower ends attached to the botton disc or plate d to prevent sinking
into the ground. Fig. 6 shews a tent pole A resting in a shoe B which shoe is
carried by two or more suspended spiral springs C suspended from the supports D
and supported on the disc d, the shoe B may be provided with guides. In these

page_text: arrangements it is obvious that any extra weight on the tent pole will cause it to
fall and any diminution of weight will cause it to rise.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. An automatic tent-pole adjuster containing a spiral spring which allows the
tent pole to sink when weighted and to rise when weight is removed substantially
as described.
2. An automatic tent pole adjuster provided with an external spiral spring sub-
stantially as described.
3. An automatic tent-pole adjuster provided with two or four springs made
integral with the other parts substantially as described.
4. An automatic tent-pole adjuster provided with spiral springs suspended from
supports for the purposes substantially as described.
Dated this 31st day of January 1898.