Improvements in and connected with Tents.
Year: 1895

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and connected with Tents.
1. ROBERT IRVINE Junior, of Harbour Dock Yard, West Hartlepool, in the
County of Durham, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows
--
My invention relates to tents of the kind in which an umbrella is employed
supported in a holder of the class described in the Specification of former Letters
Patent granted to mo No. 8312 of 1895.
According to my present invention I provide for holding down the lower edge
of the tent sides, without the use of tent pegs, by employing a ring of metal
hereinafter referred to as the "weight ring" designed to lie upon the ground and
made in sections (which sections are advantageously hinged together) and having
the sides hooked to it.
As it is frequently desired to provide for ventilation by providing openings
between the upper edge of the tent sides and the umbrella, or by lifting the lower
edge of the tent sides from the ground, or both, I advantageously provide along
the upper edge of the tent sides a cord running through eyes, the said cord being
adapted to be connected to hooks or the like on the various ribs of the umbrella
and made of such length as to permit of the sides being suspended by means of
loops at a greater or less distance from the umbrella or drawn up close to it. Or
I attach tapes provided with eyelet holes to the top edge of the tent sides, the
said tapes being adapted to be connected to the hooks or the like on the various
ribs by means of the eyelet holes. Ordinary hooks are provided for supporting
the sides when top ventilation is not desired.
To provide spaces between the ground and the lower edge of the tent sides, I
advantageously arrange in conjunction with the weight ring a cord to which the
hooks at the lower edge of the sides are hooked, which cord may be drawn tight
to bring the said edge down close to the weight ring, or slackened so as to form
a series of loops of greater or less length according to the space required. As
with this arrangement of spaces between the ground and the lower edge of the
sides and the umbrella and the upper edge of the sides it is necessary to lift the
umbrella to retain the sides in a proper stretched position, I provide the tube or
socket in which the umbrella stick is carried with an adjusting pin adapted to
pass through one or other of a series of holes formed in the said socket as required,
the said stick resting upon the said pin.
1 find it advantageous to provide the holder for the umbrella stick with a table
for people using the tent, the said table being advantageously carried upon the
legs or framing of the said holder and fixed by means of a bayonet or other joint
so that it may be readily removed.
In order to provide for readily locking the socket carrying the umbrella in an
inclined position when the latter is used without the sides, I arrange a set-screw
which presses against a movable pressure piece or pad in contact with the ball and
socket joint of the holder. To ensure that after the umbrella has been used in an
inclined position it can be again fixed vertically, 1 form at the centre of the
base-plate of the holder a socket having an opening in one side and designed to

page_text: receive the lower end of the tube or socket hereinbefore describe 1, which is locked
therein by means of a pin.
Dated this 14th day of October 1895.
G. F. REDFERN & Co.,
4, South Street, Finsbury, London, Agents for the Applicant.
Improvements in and connected with Tents.
1, ROBERT IRVINE, Junior, of Harbour Duck Yard, West Hartlepool, in the
County of Durham, Engineer, 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:-
My invention relates to tents of the kind in which an umbrella is employed
supported in a holder of the class described in the Specification of former Letters
Patent granted to me No. 8312 of 1895.
According to my present invention I provide for holding down the lower elgo
of the tent sides, without the uso of tent pegs. by employing a ring of metal
hereinafter referred to as the "weight ring" designed to lie upon the ground and
made in sections (which sections are advantageously jointe together) and having
the sides hooked to it.
As it is frequently desired to provide for ventilation by providing openings
between the upper edge of the tent sides and the umbrella or by lifting the lower
edge of the tent siles from the ground, or both, I advantageously provide along
the upper edge of the tent sides a cord running through eyes, the said cord being
adapted to be connected to hooks or the like on the various ribs of the umbrella
and made of such length as to permit of the sides being suspended by means of
loops at a greater or less distance from the umbrella or drawn up elosu to it. Or
I attach tapes provided with eyelet holes to the top edge of the tent sides, the
said tapes being adapted to be connected to the hooks or the like on the various
ribs by means of the eyelet holes.
Ordinary hooks are provided for supporting the sides when top ventilation is not
desired.
As
To provide spaces between the ground and the lower edge of the tent sides, I
advantageously arrange in conjunction with the weight ring a cord to which the
hooks at the lower edge of the sides are hooked, which cord may be drawn tight
to bring the said edge down close to the weight ring, or slackened so as to form
a series of loops of greater or less length according to the space required.
with this arrangement of spaces between the ground and the lower edge of the
sides and the umbrella and the upper edge of the sides it is necessary to lift the
umbrella to retain the sides in a proper stretched position, I provide the tube or
socket in which the umbrella stick is carried with an adjusting pin adapted to
pass through one or other of a series of holes formed in the said socket as required,
tho said stick resting upon the said pin.
I find it advantageous to provide the holder for the umbrella stick with a table
for people using the tent, the said table being advantageously carried upon the
legs or framing of the said holder and fixed by means of a bayonet or other joint
50 that it may be readily removed.
In order to provide for readily locking the socket carrying the umbrella in an
inclined position when the latter is used without the sides, I arrange a set-screw
which presses against a movable pressure piece or pad in contact with the ball
and socket joint of the holder. To ensure that after the umbrella has been used
in an inclined position it can be again fixed vertically, I form at the centre of
the base-plate of the holder a socket having an opening in one side and designed

page_text: to receive the lower end of the tube or socket hereinbefore described, which is
locked therein by means of a pin.
To enable my invention to be fully understood I will describe the same by
reference to the accompanying drawings in which :-
Figure 1 is a perspective view of the tent having my improvements applied thereto :
Figure 2 is a plan of the holder with the umbrella removed; and,
Figure 3 is an elevation of the said holder :
Figure 4 is a sectional view of the universal joint of the holder shewing a
clamp for fixing the same; and,
Figure 5 is a plan view of the nipple arranged upon the base plate and serving
to receive the lower end of the holder or socket when in a vertical position:
Figure 6 is a sectional view showing the means I employ for adjusting the height
of the umbrella in the holder:
Figure 7 is a sectional view showing a table applied to the holder; and,
Figure 8 is an underside view of the said table:
Figure 9 is a.sectional view showing the arrangement for suspending the sides
when the umbrella is lifted for forming a space between the umbrella and the top
edge of the said sides:
Figure 10 is a view showing an arrangement for jointing together the sections of
the weight ring:
Figure 11 is a view of a portion of the lower edge of the curtain showing one of
the hooks for attachment to the weight ring:
Figure 12 is a view similar to Figure illustrating a modification of the arrange-
ment for carrying the tent sides at a greater or less distance from the umbrella.
Figures 13 and 14 are two views illustrating another modification:
Figure 15 is a sectional view of part of the weight ring shewn in Figure 1:
Figure 16 is a view similar to Figure 15 of a modified arrangement of weight
ring; and,
Figure 17 is a section of the said ring on the line 17-17, Figure 16:
Figures 18 and 19 are an elevation and sectional plan of a holder suitable
for boats.
Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several figures.
a is the base plate of the holder, bare arms or brackets projecting upwards from
the said plate, and, is the holder proper or socket in which the stick or shaft d of the
umbrella is placed. This holder c is carried in the framing by means of a ball and
socket joint, the socket being formed or fixed at the upper ends of the arms b, band
the ball fixed upon the tubular holder c as clearly shown in Figure 4.
In order to lock the holder in any position in which it may be placed, when the
umbrella is used without the sides, I provide a set-screw e adapted to act upon a
movable pressure piece or pad e' and to press the same against the ball, as shewn
clearly in Figure 4.
To ensure that the holder may be fixed in a vertical position when carrying the
tent, 1 form at the centre of the base plate a, a nipple or collar shewn most clearly in
Figure 5, the said nipple having an opening in one side to allow the end of the holder
to pass into it, as shewn in Figure 3, a pin being then inserted to lock the holder
in the vertical position.
1
9, are holes formed through the holder c, and his a pin designed to be inserted
through one or the other of the said holes, as shewn in Figure 6, in order to regulate
the height of the umbrella in the holder.
is a table which I advantageously employ in connection with my holder, the
said table being provided with a central opening to allow the free movement of the
holder e within it and being carried on the casing of the universal joint. In
the drawing, the said table is represented as provided with two claws,, at its
underside, the said claws being adapted to pass through notches, Figure 2,
formed in the edges of the said casing and when the table is slightly turned to
engage beneath the flanges of the said casing, as shewn in Figure 7.
is the umbrella having the ribs k, k and is the piece of fabric forming the tent

page_text: sides, the said piece of fabric having attached to it. a series of hooks such as m,
Figure adapted to engage with rings such as n on the ribs of the umbrella to
support the sides in the usual manner.
o, Figure is the weight ring which is of the same diameter as the umbrella when
opon, the said ring being made in sections jointed together so that it may be packed
into a relatively small compass. In practice I find it convenient to make the weight
ring in, say, four sections, each having a socket o* at one end and a nipple at the
other end designed to enter the socket o* of an adjacent section as shown in Figure 10.
This ring is of such weight that when it lies upon the ground and hooks, (such as p)
on the lower edge of the sides are connected thereto, as shewn in Figure 11. the said
sides will be held in position in the same manner as if attached to tent pegs as
heretofore.
r
The arrangement for providing top ventilation is as follows:-Around the top of the
said sides a cord y passes through eyes y', ', a pair of such eyes being adjacent to
cach hook as in Figure 9 so that by slackening the cord sufficiently, loops mmy be
formed of sufficient length that when passed over hooks s, a on the ends of the
umbrella ribs, Figure 9, the desired space will be obtained between the top of the
sides and the umbrella. Figure 1 represents the umbrella raised above the sides to
provide a space for top ventilation.
Instead of using the cord I may attach to the sides a series of straps and
hooks y, the said straps being adapted to pass through the rings as shown in
Figure 12, and being provided with two or more eyelets q, either of which may be
engaged with the hooks y according to the space desired. Or these straps may be
provided with hooks q adapted to be attached to eyes at the ends of the umbrella
ribs, as shown in Figures 13 and 14 which indicate two positions of the sides relatively
with the umbrella.
To provide for bottom ventilation in case such is required, I sometimes make the
weight ringo tubular and pass a cord of through it, the said cord, at points corre-
sponding with the position of the various hooks on the bottom of the sides, being
carried through holes in the sides of the tube, as shewn in Figure 15, so as to permit.
of forming longer or shorter loops of according to the bottom space desired. It is to
be understood that the said hooks p, pare engaged with the several loops, o on the
weight ring, the said loops being long enough to permit of the ring always lying upon
the ground.
It will he obvious that when using either the top or bottom ventilation it will be
necessary to raise the umbrella stick d in the holder sufficiently far to tighten the
sides to the required extent.
Instead of making the weight ring tubular, it may be a plain bar provided with
eyes 1, 1, as shewn in Figures 16 and 17, through which the cord is passed.
My holder can be very advantageously employed for holding an umbrella upon a
fishing punt or other boat. For this purpose I construct the holder as shown in
Figures 18 and 19 with a flange slotted at ', ' and designed to engage with
lugs on a recessed plate e intended to be secured to the bottom of the boat or in
sume other suitable position.
To enable the holder to be used with ambrellas having sticks of different diameters
1 advantageously apply a set-screw to the socket of the holder which set-screw
serves also for fixing an umbrella in any desired position whether it fits the holler or
not. The inner end of the set screw is preferably provided with a leather pad to avoid
injury to the umbrella sticks.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, declare that what I
claim is :-
1. In an umbrella tent the umbrella of which is mounted in a holder retaining the
lower edge of the sides of the tent in position by means of a ring of metal or other
comparatively heavy material to which hooks or other fastening devices on the said
edge are connected substantially as described.

page_text: 2. In an umbrella tent having a central holder for the umbrella and a weight ring
for retaining the sides in position without the use of pegs, the arrangement upon the
upper edge of the said sides of a cord running through eyelets or of eyeletted tapes
serving to support the said sides at a greater or less distance from the umbrella,
substantially as described.
3. In an umbrella tent wherein the umbrella is supported in a central holder and
the sides are connected to a weight ring, providing the weight ring with a cord for
permitting the sides to be at a greater or less distance above the ring, substantially as,.
and for the purpose described.
4. In an umbrella tent having the umbrella supported in a central holder and the
sides connected at their lower edge to a weight ring and in which provision is made
for leaving ventilating spaces between the umbrella and the sides or between the sides
and the ground, or both, the arrangement, substantially as described, for adjusting the
height of the umbrella in the holder for the purpose specified.
5. The combination with an umbrella holder having a socket arranged in a
universal joint, of a central lower nipple or collar for retaining the said socket in a
vertical position, substantially as described.
6. The combination with an umbrella holder having a socket arranged in a
universal joint, of means for locking the said socket at any desired angle, substantially
as described.
7. The combination with an umbrella holder having a socket for the umbrella stick
arranged in a universal joint, of a table mounted upon the framing carrying the said
socket, substantially in the manner described.
8. The improvements in or connected with tents herein before described and
illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 14th day of July 1896.
G. F. REDFERN & Co.,
4 South Street, Finsbury, London, Agents for the Applicant.