GB2040834A

GB2040834A - An auxiliary tent that can be fitted to the roof of vehicles

Info

Publication number: GB2040834A
Application number: GB8002368A
Authority: GB
Original assignee: ZUCCHINI S
Current assignee: ZUCCHINI S
Priority date: 1979-01-31
Filing date: 1980-01-24
Publication date: 1980-09-03
Also published as: FR2447832A1; BE881148A; IT7904732V0; DE3001950A1; GR69734B

Abstract

The invention relates to a tent, reducible like bellows, which can be fitted to the roof of any vehicle A and comprises a floor 1 provided with one or more apertures E placed in communication with corresponding apertures D provided in the roof of the vehicle on which the said tent is mounted, in such a way, therefore, that it be possible to gain access to the area created by the said tent directly from the inside of the vehicle; alternatively, the said tent is provided laterally with an aperture 6 in the region of the lateral aperture 7 in the motor vehicle A, from which is evolved a reducible volume compartment, closed on at least three sides, that extends vertically and is anchored at the bottom to the motor vehicle, this allowing one to pass into the tent area from the outside of the vehicle without being seen. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION An auxiliary tent that can be fitted to the roof of vehicles The invention relates to an auxiliary tent, reducible like bellows, which can be fitted in a removable fashion to the roof of any self propelled or towed vehicle, for the purpose of creating a supplementary sleeping area that can be reached from the inside of the vehicle itself or, at any rate, without being seen from the outside.

The characteristics of the tent in question and the advantages derived therefrom will become apparent from the following description made with reference to the accompanying figures, in which: Figure 1 shows the tent forming the subject of the invention in a perspective view, partly in sectional form, in its open for use condition, mounted on a van; Figure 2 shows the tent in a head-on view, in its reduced volume or transportation condition; Figure 3 shows the tent in a head-on view, partly in sectional form, in its open for use condition, mounted on a motor van provided with a side door.

With reference, first of all, to Figure 1, it can be seen that the tent in question comprises a rigid floor 1 so dimensioned as to be able to be placed on the top of the roof of the motor vehicle A and to be secured thereto either directly or through the medium of conventional luggage rack type clips, the said floor having, circumferentially the lateral walls 1' that join, without any break in continuity, the corresponding profile of the roof of the said motor vehicle A.

Placed above the floor 1 there is a roof, made of sufficiently rigid material, that is connected laterally to the floor 1 through the levers 3 of pantograph or some other suitable type, by means of which the said roof 2 can be kept raised a suitable distance away from the said floor 1.

The space in between the roof 2 and the floor 1 is closed circumferentially by a side wall 4, made of flexible material and provided with the windows 5, and it can be reached directly from the inside of the motor vehicle A, through the ladder S, via an aperture E made in the floor 1 and corresponding to a trap door D underneath, normally present in the roof of the van for the purpose of airing the inside thereof, in such a way that access to the tent can be gained without leaving the van.

Obviously, in the case of motor camper vans which are generally provided with an aperture in the region of the living quarters, the aforementioned aperture E in the floor 1 will be so made and dimensioned as to correspond to the dimensions of the previously mentioned aperture in the camper.

As can be seen in Figure 2, when the tent in question is closed and in its reduced volume condition, the roof 2 is superposed over the floor 1 below thereby raising the normal front section of the motor vehicle, though not excessively, in a way that contributes towards the streamlining and is pleasant to look at.

With reference, instead, to Figure 3, the tent in question is provided with a lateral opening 6 having a door function, this being made in the region of the lateral aperture 7 in the van A and comprising, furthermore, the bellows 8 which are sustained by arcuate centering ribs 9, in turn, articulated at 10 to the floor 1.

The lower extremity of the said bellows 8 is connected, in a removable fashion, for example by means of a zip fastener 11, to a sheet 12 which is also connected, in a removable fashion, at its lower extremity, for example by means of the press studs 13, to a floor board 14 cantilevered in the region of the threshold of the said aperture 7. The said floor board 14 is mounted on guides underneath the chassis of the van and thus it remains completely hidden when it is not wanted and, when required, can be brought into the condition depicted in Figure 3 very rapidly and with the utmost simplicity.

Using a ladder 15 situated in a lateral area of the floor board 14, it is possible to reach the aforementioned opening 6 and to thus gain access to the inside of the auxiliary tent in question without any contact with the outside and, therefore, with all the advantages this fact involves.

When it is necessary to augment the illumination and the air both in the interior space of the motor vehicle and in the auxiliary tent, the sheet 12 is removed and the bellows 8 are semi closed upwards.

The compartment created by the sheet 12 and the floor board 14 is the height of a man and it serves as a passage from the inside of the van to the inside of the auxiliary tent and vice versa, as an alternative to the method depicted in Figure 1; it can be utilized as a dressing room and/or to create a small compartment, again the height of a man, provided with a door 16 and able to house toilet facilities, as shown diagrammatically at 17. The compartment formed by the sheet 12 and the floor board 14 can, for the latter purposes, also be provided in cases when, as previously stated, apertures exist in the roof of the van which allow a direct connection between the space inside the said van and that in the upper auxiliary tent.

To alter the thus conceived tent into the reduced volumre or transportation condition, all that has to be done is to remove from the floor 1 the additional items which could be an obstruction, to place these in the van together with the ladder 15 and then to fold between 2 and 1 both the sheet 12 and the bellows 8. The roof 2 is then made to sink and is anchored firmly to the floor 1 using non-illustrated perimetrical padlocks.

It is implicit that the auxiliary tent described herein can be made in various sizes and be provided with means whereby it be possible to fit it not only on vans but also on the roof of caravans and other self-propelled or towed vehicles, even when they are not normally equipped for camping.

1. An auxiliary tent that can be fitted to the roof of vehicles, essential features of which are that it comprises a floor whose dimensions correspond to

**WARNING** end of DESC field may overlap start of CLMS **.

Claims

**WARNING** start of CLMS field may overlap end of DESC **. SPECIFICATION An auxiliary tent that can be fitted to the roof of vehicles The invention relates to an auxiliary tent, reducible like bellows, which can be fitted in a removable fashion to the roof of any self propelled or towed vehicle, for the purpose of creating a supplementary sleeping area that can be reached from the inside of the vehicle itself or, at any rate, without being seen from the outside. The characteristics of the tent in question and the advantages derived therefrom will become apparent from the following description made with reference to the accompanying figures, in which: Figure 1 shows the tent forming the subject of the invention in a perspective view, partly in sectional form, in its open for use condition, mounted on a van; Figure 2 shows the tent in a head-on view, in its reduced volume or transportation condition; Figure 3 shows the tent in a head-on view, partly in sectional form, in its open for use condition, mounted on a motor van provided with a side door. With reference, first of all, to Figure 1, it can be seen that the tent in question comprises a rigid floor 1 so dimensioned as to be able to be placed on the top of the roof of the motor vehicle A and to be secured thereto either directly or through the medium of conventional luggage rack type clips, the said floor having, circumferentially the lateral walls 1' that join, without any break in continuity, the corresponding profile of the roof of the said motor vehicle A. Placed above the floor 1 there is a roof, made of sufficiently rigid material, that is connected laterally to the floor 1 through the levers 3 of pantograph or some other suitable type, by means of which the said roof 2 can be kept raised a suitable distance away from the said floor 1. The space in between the roof 2 and the floor 1 is closed circumferentially by a side wall 4, made of flexible material and provided with the windows 5, and it can be reached directly from the inside of the motor vehicle A, through the ladder S, via an aperture E made in the floor 1 and corresponding to a trap door D underneath, normally present in the roof of the van for the purpose of airing the inside thereof, in such a way that access to the tent can be gained without leaving the van. Obviously, in the case of motor camper vans which are generally provided with an aperture in the region of the living quarters, the aforementioned aperture E in the floor 1 will be so made and dimensioned as to correspond to the dimensions of the previously mentioned aperture in the camper. As can be seen in Figure 2, when the tent in question is closed and in its reduced volume condition, the roof 2 is superposed over the floor 1 below thereby raising the normal front section of the motor vehicle, though not excessively, in a way that contributes towards the streamlining and is pleasant to look at. With reference, instead, to Figure 3, the tent in question is provided with a lateral opening 6 having a door function, this being made in the region of the lateral aperture 7 in the van A and comprising, furthermore, the bellows 8 which are sustained by arcuate centering ribs 9, in turn, articulated at 10 to the floor 1. The lower extremity of the said bellows 8 is connected, in a removable fashion, for example by means of a zip fastener 11, to a sheet 12 which is also connected, in a removable fashion, at its lower extremity, for example by means of the press studs 13, to a floor board 14 cantilevered in the region of the threshold of the said aperture 7. The said floor board 14 is mounted on guides underneath the chassis of the van and thus it remains completely hidden when it is not wanted and, when required, can be brought into the condition depicted in Figure 3 very rapidly and with the utmost simplicity. Using a ladder 15 situated in a lateral area of the floor board 14, it is possible to reach the aforementioned opening 6 and to thus gain access to the inside of the auxiliary tent in question without any contact with the outside and, therefore, with all the advantages this fact involves. When it is necessary to augment the illumination and the air both in the interior space of the motor vehicle and in the auxiliary tent, the sheet 12 is removed and the bellows 8 are semi closed upwards. The compartment created by the sheet 12 and the floor board 14 is the height of a man and it serves as a passage from the inside of the van to the inside of the auxiliary tent and vice versa, as an alternative to the method depicted in Figure 1; it can be utilized as a dressing room and/or to create a small compartment, again the height of a man, provided with a door 16 and able to house toilet facilities, as shown diagrammatically at 17. The compartment formed by the sheet 12 and the floor board 14 can, for the latter purposes, also be provided in cases when, as previously stated, apertures exist in the roof of the van which allow a direct connection between the space inside the said van and that in the upper auxiliary tent. To alter the thus conceived tent into the reduced volumre or transportation condition, all that has to be done is to remove from the floor 1 the additional items which could be an obstruction, to place these in the van together with the ladder 15 and then to fold between 2 and 1 both the sheet 12 and the bellows 8. The roof 2 is then made to sink and is anchored firmly to the floor 1 using non-illustrated perimetrical padlocks. It is implicit that the auxiliary tent described herein can be made in various sizes and be provided with means whereby it be possible to fit it not only on vans but also on the roof of caravans and other self-propelled or towed vehicles, even when they are not normally equipped for camping. CLAIMS

1. An auxiliary tent that can be fitted to the roof of vehicles, essential features of which are that it comprises a floor whose dimensions correspond to those of the said roof, provided with means for anchoring it thereto and with at least one aperture made to communicate with one or more apertures below in the said roof; a covering member placed above the said floor and connected thereto, movable vertically with respect to the said floor between two extreme positions, that is to say, between the closed position, resting on the said floor, and the open position, spaced away therefrom; and a side wall provided to circumferentially connect the said floor and the said covering member.

2. A tent according to the preceding claim, which can be fitted to vehicles provided with at least one lateral aperture, essential features of which are that it is provided laterally with a side wall and, in the region of the said aperture, with a lateral opening from which is evolved a reducible volume compartment, closed on at least three sides, that extends vertically and is anchored at the bottom to a floor board cantilevered in the region of the threshold of the said aperture.

3. Atent according to the preceding claim, wherein the said compartment comprises at the top arcuate bellows, supported by the centering ribs that are articulated at to the floor and are connected to the said side wall, in the region of the said opening.

4. Atent according to claim 1, wherein the lower part of the said floor is provided with lateral walls that join with the profile of the roof of the motor vehicle.