Improvements in and relating to Combined Tent Frame and Cots
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 20th June, 1899-Accepted, 22nd July, 1899
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION,
Improvements in and relating to Combined Tent Frame and Cots,
I, LEWIS CONN, a Citizen of the United States of America, residing at Number
1529, North Bond Street, in the City of Baltimore and State of Maryland, United
States of America, Jeweller, 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:-
The object of this invention is to provide a folding frame for tents, with which
two or more cots are combined in such a way as to be foldable with the frame
and capable of adjustment for use, and also capable of being folded within the
frame when the latter is set up.
The invention comprises a tent frame, having jointed and folding uprights, a
rigid connecting ridge or ridge-pole, and folding cots applied to the uprights
adjustably and also capable of being extended for use within the tent and of being
folded up within and with the frame, all as I will proceed now particularly to
set forth and finally claim.
a
In the accompanying drawings illustrating my invention, in the several figures
of which like parts are similarly designated, Figure 1 is a perspective view, partly
broken out, of a wall tent supplied with my improvements. Fig. 2 is side
elevation of the frame of the tent of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a bottom plan view show-
ing the folding cots extended. Fig. 4 is a side elevation of the folding frame
with cots in the folded position, and Fig. 5 is a bottom plan view of one of the
folding cots in folded position.
I have shown my invention as applied to a United States army regulation wall
tent with flies, but wish not to be understood as limiting my invention to any
particular kind of tent.
→ 1
may represent the flies and the tent proper. The uprights are divided and
each provided with a metallic joint d, which may be in the form of an umbrella
joint. e is the ridge or ridge pole, and f the corner or angle piece to join the
uprights and the ridge. These corner or angle pieces may be castings, and may
be provided with the spindles g; or the uprights and the ridge may be joined by
other means or in any other way, but I prefer to permanently unite the uprights
and the ridge for purposes of folding.
The uprights are provided with the joints at different altitudes so as to enable
the lower portion of one upright to be folded over upon the other upright and
parallel therewith, as shown in Fig. 4.
h is a bar or rail, having metallic loops i, at its ends, shaped to correspond with
the shape of the uprights, and in such way that the said bar or rail may be
slid up or down upon the said uprights. j, j are side bars or rails which are
connected with the central bar or rail by means of the toggles k, 7, which are
pivoted respectively to the said rails. One member of the toggles k is extended
at to receive one end of operating cords m, and one end of the toggles is
extended to receive pulleys over which the said cords are passed and then

page_text: returned toward the other end of the rail h. Pull upon these cords will serve to
extend the toggles and project the rails from the rail h; and when the rails j, j
are supplied with cot-bottoms h¹, of canvas or duck or other flexible material,
the said bottoms will be stretched out taut by the continued pull upon the said
cords m, and then the ends of the cords may be made fast by tying them about
the uprights, as indicated in Fig. 1. I prefer to employ two such cot-frames in
each tent, one being arranged above the other, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. And
in order to support the said cots, the uprights may be provided with bushed
holes to receive cross-pins o, which for safety may be secured to the rails h by
chains or other fastenings o
The lower cot-frame is provided with pivoted legs p'which are connected with
longitudinally slotted braces p¹, both the legs and the braces being pivoted to
the sides of the rails j, and capable of being extended as in Figs. 1 and 2, and
also of being folded up parallel with the sides of the said rails, as shown in
Figs. 4 and 5. The upper cot has its legs q preferably of greater length than
the legs of the lower cot, and these legs are also pivoted to the side rails j of
said upper cot and are provided with longitudinally slotted braces q', likewise
pivoted to the side rails of said upper cot. Thus the legs and their braces of
the upper cot may also be folded within the width or height of the rails ; and
parallel therewith, as shown in Fig. 4. The side rails of the lower cot are
provided with sockets to receive the feet of the legs 7, of the upper cot.
Of course, the legs of the two cots, when two are employed, will be made of
such height as to give the lower cot the proper elevation from the ground and
the upper cot the proper elevation above the lower cot.
It will be observed that by this construction, berths are provided for four
persons and it will also be observed that if only the lower cot is to be used, the
upper may be folded and hang up in the top of the tent under the ridge, as
indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 2; and the thus suspended cot may be held
in place by passing its pins o through suitable holes s provided therefor in the
upper portions of the uprights.
When the cots are not to be used, both may be folded and stowed under the
ridge-pole; and when the tent is taken down, the cots are folded as in Fig. 4,
and the tent frame folded about the said cots, and the cords of the cots may be
used to wrap the parts together and prevent them from coming apart.
While I have shown and described the toggles and cords as the medium for
expanding and extending the cots, I wish to be understood as not limiting the
invention to those particular means, as other devices may be used for accomplish-
ing the same purpose; the gist of the invention in this respect being the provision
of foldable cots which are in the nature of an attachment to the tent frame and
preferably form a part thereof.
As is obvious, when so desired, the cots may be entirely separated from the
uprights.
The cot-bottoms may be applied to the rails in any suitable manner, either
permanently or detachably.
It will be observed, that inasmuch as the inner ends of the central rails abut
against the inner edges of the uprights, it follows that when the cots are in
position of use, the central rails serve. as braces for the uprights and thereby
prevent said uprights from sagging, bending or displacement under the weight
of the occupants of the cots.
Any number of holes may be placed in the uprights in order to provide for a
considerable range of adjustment of the cots. These holes may be placed as
close as three or four inches apart. The cots may have knobs apllied to their
rails to receive the cot bottoms, and such bottoms may have eyelets to engage
such knobs, thus to provide for the ready placing and removal of such bottoms.
The legs and braces may be differently arranged, and to fold in any desirable
manner. These and other variations I esteem as within the scope of my
invention.
3.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is: -
1. A tent frame and cots, comprising uprights and a ridge, a central rail
adjustable upon said uprights, side rails connected with the central rail and
adapted to be extended for use and folded about the said central rail when not
in use, substantially as described.
2. A combined folding tent frame and cots comprising jointed uprights and a
ridge, central rails adjustable upon said uprights, side rails foldably connected
with said central rails, and folding legs applied to said side rails, substantially_as
described.
3. A combined tent frame and cots, comprising foldable uprights and a ridge,
central rails adjustably applied to said uprights, side rails movably connected to
the said central rails, cot-bottoms applied to the said central rails and side rails,
and means to support sets of rails one above the other, substantially as described.
4. A folding cot, adapted for use in connection with the frame of a tent,
comprising a central rail and two parallel side rails, means to connect the said
side rails with the central rail and capable of supporting the side rails extended
from the said. central rail and also when folded against it, and foldable legs
applied to the side rails, substantially as described.
5. A combined tent frame and cots, comprising jointed uprights, the joint of
one upright being arranged a greater distance from the end of the upright than
the other joint by the diameter or thickness of the upright, a ridge, and folding
cots applied to said uprights and adapted to be folded and moved up under the
ridge and permit the folding of the uprights one upon the other on the outside or
underside of the folded cots, substantially as described.
6. A combined foldable tent frame and cots, comprising jointed uprights, a
ridge, central cot rails applied to the said uprights, side rails, toggles connecting
the side rails and central rails, and operating cords engaging the said toggles and
adapted to extend the side rails and cots and to hold them in such extended
position by engagement with the uprights, and also adapted to bind the frame
and cots when they are folded, substantially as described.
7. A combined tent frame and cots, comprising jointed uprights, a ridge con-
nected therewith, folding cots applied to the uprights, and means to support the
said cots in position for use and also to support them in folded condition under
the ridge when not in use, substantially as described.
8. A combined tent frame and cots, comprising uprights and a ridge, a central
rail adjustable upon said uprights, side rails connected with the central rail
and adapted to be extended for use and folded about the said central rail when
not in use, the said central rail having its ends in contact with the uprights and
thereby staying said uprights against the weight of the occupants of the cots,
substantially as described.
Dated th 50+1 law of Tune 1800
JENSEN & SON,
77, Chancery Lane, London, W.C.,
Patent Agents.