IMPROVEMENTS IN TENTS
Year: 1868

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Paul Emil Louis Wilhelm Stockmann, of Keppel
Street, Russel Square, in the County of Middlesex, for the Inven-
tion of "IMPROVEMENTS IN TENTS."
Sealed the 5th February 1869, and dated the 21st September 1808.
"
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Paul Emil Louis
Wilhelm Stockmann at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents,
with his Petition, on the 21st September 1868.
I, PAUL EMIL LOUIS WILHELM STOCKMANN, of Keppel Street, Russel
Square, in the County of Middlesex, do hereby declare the nature of the
said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN TENTS," to be as follows:-
The Invention has for its object improvements in tents; for this purpose
instead of employing the ordinary wood pole or poles to support.the
central portion of the tent I employ in lieu thercof hollow rods or tubes
of metal. Upon the lower ends of these rods or tubes I form screws,
which I screw into suitable sockets. These sockets are formed on or
connected to plates or flattened surfaces having three or more arms or

page_text: branches. These. plates, arms, or branches are suitably cut and bent
downwards at their outward edges as to cause them to enter the ground
to a slight extent, by means of which they are prevented turning
thereon. At or near the upper parts of the central tubular supports,
already described, arms or stretchers are pin jointed or otherwise con-
nected. These arms or stretchers are by preference hollow, and they
serve to connect the central tubular supports with other tubular
supports arranged on either side thereof, and when several of such side
tubular supports are arranged side by side they are connected to each
other by connecting pieces which extend from the one to the other, and
these connecting pieces I also form tubular. By these means the central
tubular supports and the side tubular supports are held firmly together;
the side supports are at their lower ends furnished with screws to-screw
into sockets. In like manner to those described in respect to the
central tubular supports suitable means are employed for ventilating the
tent. The canvas or other covering employed is passed over and made
fast to the upper parts of the central supports, thence it passes down-
wards over the connecting pieces of the outer or side tubular supports,
thus forming the sloping sides, and the canvas or other covering then
passes downwards vertically to the ground; suitable guy ropes and
cleats are employed as usual, they are attached to the tubular supports
and to stakes driven into the ground to prevent the tent being injured
by stormy weather.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Paul Emil Louis Wilhelm Stockmann in the 2
Great Scal Patent Office on the 20th March 1869.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, PAUL
EMIL LOUIS WILHELM STOCKMANN, of Koppel Street, Russell Square, in
the County of Middlesex, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her 30
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-first day of September, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-eight, in the
thirty-second year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said Paul Emil Louis Wilhelm Stockmann,
Her special licence that I, the said Paul Emil Louis Wilhelm Stock- 3
mann, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I,

page_text: '
the said Paul Emil Louis Wilhelm Stockmann, my executors, adminis-
trators, 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 Ircland, the Channel
Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN TENTS,"
upon, the condition, (amongst others) that I, the said Paul Emil Louis
Wilhelm Stockmann, my executors or administrators, by an instrument
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 immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Paul Emil Louis Wilhelm Stock-
mann, 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 thereof, that is to
say:-
The Invention has for its object improvements in tents; for this purpose
instead of employing the ordinary wood pole or poles to support the
central portion of the tent I employ in licu thereof by preference hollow
rods or tubes of metal. Upon the lower ends of these rods or tubes I
form screws which I screw into suitable sockets. These sockets are
formed on or connected to plates or flattened surfaces having three or
more arms or branches. These arms or branches are suitably bent
downwards at their outward edges to cause them to enter the ground to
a slight extent, by means of which they are prevented turning thereon.
At or near the upper parts of the central tubular supports, already
described, arms or stretchers are pin jointed or otherwise connected;
these arms or stretchers are by preference hollow, and they sorve
to connect the central tubular supports with other tubular supports
arranged on either side thereof, and when several of such side tubular
supports are arranged side by side they are connceted to each other by
connecting picces which extend from the one to the other, and these
connecting pieces I also by preference form tubular. By these means
the central tubular supports are held firmly together; the side supports
are at their lower ends furnished with screws to screw into sockets, in
like manner to those described in respect to the central tubular supports.

page_text: The canvas or other covering employed for the roof of the tent may be
of any suitable description, but that which I prefer is made double,
both covers being passed over and made fast to the upper parts of the
central supports, thence they pass downwards over the connecting pieces
of the outer or side supports, the outer covering being stretched tight
by guy ropes connected thereto; whilst the under covering is allowed
to hang down away from the outer one so as to leave a space between
them, and is connected to the side covers by straps and buckles; such
side covers being supported by hooks on the side connecting pieces, and
being provided with a strip of waterproof material along its lower edge;
suitable holes are left in the covers for the roof to act as ventilators,
such holes being protected from the entrance of wet by suitable covers
carried by the central supports. The outer cover is provided with
buckles to permit of the under cover being connected thereto when
ventilation is desired through the sides of the tent.
And in order that my Invention may be more fully understood and
readily carried into effect I will proceed, aided by the accompanying
Drawings, more fully to describe the same.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 is a side view and Figure 2 is an end view of a tent 2
constructed according to my Invention; Figure 3 is a side view and
Figure 4 is an end view of the framing thereof separately, and Figures 5,
6, 7, 8, 9, and 10, views of some of the parts to a larger scale.
a, a, are hollow rods or tubes having pins a¹, a', at their upper ends to
pass through holes formed for them in the hollow rod or tube 6 forming 2
the ridge of the tent, whilst their lower ends are provided with screw
threads as to screw into suitable sockets c having arms or branches c¹
connected thereto, which at their outer edges are bent into somewhat
of a V-shape, or are otherwise suitably formed in order to enable them
slightly to enter the ground and get a firm grip thereof. d, d, are g
other hollow rods or tubes similar to the tubes a, a, having pins d', d³,
at their upper ends to enter holes formed in the hollow rods or
tubes e, e, and screws d' at their lower ends to screw into sockets
formed in feet d³, ds, in a similar manner to that described with respect
to the tubes a, a. The upright tubes a, a, have pin jointed or other- 3
wise connected thereto near their upper ends, arms, or stretchers f, f,
which at their outer ends have holes formed thercin to pass over the

page_text: pins d', d, and are bent so as to fit around the tubes c, c, upon which
they rest. Other arms, stays, or stretchers 9, 9, are pin jointed or
otherwise connected at one end to the end uprights a, a, and at their
other ends are pin jointed or otherwise connected to the horizontal
tube b. The intermediate uprights a, a, have screw threads formed on
their pins a¹, a', to receive discs h, h, and provide facility for raising and
lowering such discs as desired, there being suitable holes formed in
the tent cover immediately under such discs to act as ventilators. The
covering which I prefer to employ, and which may be of canvas or
any other suitable material, is made double, as shewn in the Drawings,
the outer covering i being stretched by guy ropes passing through
rings, whilst the lower or under covering ; is allowed to hang away
from the outer covering i, as shown more clearly at Figure 5, and has
connected along its lower edge a number of straps j', which may be
connected to buckles on the 'side covering k, or when it is desired to
obtain ventilation along the sides of the tent the straps are fastened
to the buckles on the outer cover i, and thereby hold the under
covering away from the side cover k, so as to leave a free passage for
air through the space left between the top of the side covering k and
the longitudinal rods or bearers e, e; the side covering k being for this
purpose suspended by hooks ² to the longitudinal tubes or rods e, e.
Such side covering k is provided with a strip of vulcanized india-rubber,
gutta percha, or other suitable waterproof material ³ along its lower
edge to prevent its becoming wet by moisture rising from the earth, and
such covering is secured along the bottom on its inner side by stakes
driven into the ground. The rods or tubes b, b, and e, e, when of con-
siderable length I by preference form in two or more parts according to
the size and description of tent desired, and connect them together in
any suitable manner. Suitable guy ropes, clcats, and stakes are
employed as in other descriptions of tents to hold the entire struc-
ture firm and secure against the action of the wind, as shewn in the
Drawings.
I would remark that although I have described and prefer the various
parts to be tubular, yet if desired any or all of the parts may be made
solid, and tents of any form and size may be constructed in a similar
manner to that before described, as will be well understood. By these
means a tent may be quickly put up and taken down, whilst it is perfectly
secure against the weather, and every facility is afforded for ventilation
when desired.

page_text: Having thus described the nature of my said Invention. and the
mode in which I prefer to carry the same into effect, I would have it
understood that I do not confine myself to the precise details herein
shewn and described; but what I do claim is, the peculiar combination
and arrangement of the parts of the framing of a tent, substantially as
herein shewn and described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Paul Emil Louis Wilhelm
mode in which I prefer to carry the same into effect, I would have it
understood that I do not confine myself to the precise details herein
shewn and described; but what I do claim is, the peculiar combination
and arrangement of the parts of the framing of a tent, substantially as
herein shewn and described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Paul Emil Louis Wilhelm
Stockmann, have hercunto set my hand and seal, this Nineteenth
day of March, One thousand eight hundred and sixty-nine.
PAUL STOCKMANN. (L.S.)
Witness,
FRED*. HARRIS,
Patent Agent,
35, Southampton Buildings.