FIELD OF THE INVENTION AND PRIOR ART

The present invention relates to a tent frame for carrying a tent cloth and in particular a tent frame designed for facilitating raising of the tent frame and thus facilitating the raising of a tent provided with the tent frame.

Tent frames and tents have been developed that in shape resemble a cone having a tapered body. This type of tents can be used for different occasions, such as parties, weddings, trade fairs, concerts, just to mention a few. They often comprise a number of main rods that are positioned so as to converge towards the top of the tent and are provided with cloth on the outside. Depending on the intended use, these tents come in many sizes with diameters from about 5 meters up to over 10 meters and with heights from about 3.5 meters up to over 7 meters. Due to the relatively large sizes of these tents, the main rods have to be very sturdy in order to withstand hard weather conditions and could therefore be rather thick and long, and thus rather heavy. Some of these tents have a tent cloth that when tensioned form a hatshape. In order to tension the tent cloth so as to obtain the intended hat-shape, additional rods have to be provided, which usually are attached or connected to the main tent frame formed by the main rods.

Even though the raising of these types of tents is fairly quick, 1-2 hours depending on size, there is a demand for quick raising of the tents, and also raising of a tent that can be done by a single person. This is especially, but not only, a desire for the smaller tents, to thereby enable such a tent to be raised quickly by a single person at temporary locations such as summer parties, sales tours, markets and trade fairs as well as at sporting events. Even though the known tents of the above-mentioned type may work well in most aspects and provide a unique and unforgettable experience due to their shapes and versatility, there is still room for improvements in this field.

OBJECT OF THE INVENTION

The object of the present invention is to provide improvements regarding tent frames of the above-mentioned type.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to the invention, said object is achieved by means of a tent frame having the features defined in claim 1.

The tent frame according to the present invention comprises:

- at least three main rods configured to jointly carry a tent cloth, each main rod having a lower first end and an upper second end, wherein the main rods are configured to be positioned with their first ends resting on a ground and to extend convergently from the ground towards a top of the tent frame; and

- an attachment arrangement configured to interconnect said main rods at their second ends.

The attachment arrangement comprises:

- a centre shaft, which is configured to be positioned with a longitudinal centre axis of the centre shaft extending in an essentially vertical direction;

- a support member provided on the centre shaft at a distance from an upper end thereof and projecting laterally beyond the outer periphery of the centre shaft;

- attachment members associated with a respective one of said main rods, each attachment member comprising a base part through which the attachment member is configured to be fixed to the associated main rod at the second end thereof, a pivot joint configured to form an essentially horizontal pivot axis for the associated main rod and an attachment element configured to be pivotally connected to the base part through the pivot joint, wherein the attachment element is provided with a through hole configured to receive the centre shaft to thereby allow the attachment elements of the different attachment members to be mounted to the centre shaft on top of each other in a stack with the centre shaft received in the through hole of each attachment element, the support member being configured to form an axial support on the centre shaft for said stack of attachment elements, wherein each attachment element, when mounted to the centre shaft, extends essentially perpendicularly to the centre axis of the centre shaft and is rotatable in relation to the centre shaft about the centre axis thereof to thereby allow an individual adjustment of the position of the associated main rod in circumferential direction about the centre axis of the centre shaft, and wherein each main rod, when attached to the centre shaft through the associated attachment member, is pivotable in relation to the centre shaft by pivoting about the pivot axis formed by the pivot joint of the associated attachment member to thereby allow an individual adjustment of the radial distance between the first end of the main rod and the centre axis of the centre shaft; and

- a locking member, which is configured to be fixed to the centre shaft above said stack of attachment elements in order to secure the attachment elements to the centre shaft.

With this solution, the main rods may be connected to each other at their second ends in a quick a simple manner and they may also be individually adjusted in many directions after having been connected to each other, which facilitates the raising of the tent frame. The rotatable connection between the attachment elements and the centre shaft, with the centre shaft received in the through holes of the attachment elements, enables an individual rotation of each attachment element about the centre shaft, which in its turn makes it possible to turn each main rod horizontally in relation to the centre shaft and the other main rods when the main rods have been connected to each other at their second ends. Furthermore, the pivot joint provided between the attachment element and the base part of each attachment member makes it possible to pivot each main rod vertically in relation to the centre shaft and the other main rods when the main rods have been connected to each other at their second ends.

According to a first alternative, each main rod is provided with the base part of an attachment member fixed to the main rod at the second end thereof and with the attachment element of the attachment member connected to the base part through the pivot joint of the attachment member. In this case, each attachment member is pre-assembled and is in its entirety mounted to the associated main rod in advance. When the tent frame is to be raised, the main rods are mounted to the centre shaft by releasably mounting the attachment elements to the centre shaft on top of each other in a stack with the centre shaft received in the trough hole of each attachment element.

According to a second alternative, each main rod is provided with the base part of an attachment member fixed to the main rod at the second end thereof, and the centre shaft is provided with the attachment elements of all attachment members mounted on top of each other in a stack on the centre shaft and with the locking member fixed to the centre shaft above the stack of attachment elements. In this case, the base parts of the attachment members are in advance mounted to a respective main rod and the attachment elements of the attachment members are in advance rotatably arranged on the centre shaft between the support member and the locking member with the centre shaft received in the trough hole of each attachment element. When the tent frame is to be raised, the main rods are mounted to the centre shaft by releasably connecting the base parts to a respective attachment element through an intermediate pivot joint. Thus, in this case, each base part is releasably connectable to an attachment element through the intermediate pivot joint in connection with the raising of the tent frame in order to form a complete attachment member. Thus, the attachment members are in this case assembled in connection with the raising of the tent frame. According to a third alternative, the centre shaft is provided with the attachment elements of all attachment members mounted on top of each other in a stack on the centre shaft and with the locking member fixed to the centre shaft above the stack of attachment elements, wherein the attachment element of each attachment member is connected to the base part of the associated attachment member through the pivot joint of the attachment member. In this case, each attachment member is pre-assembled and is in its entirety mounted to the centre shaft in advance, wherein the attachment elements are rotatably arranged on the centre shaft between the support member and the locking member in advance with the centre shaft received in the trough hole of each attachment element. When the tent frame is to be raised, the main rods are mounted to the centre shaft by releasably fixing the second ends of the main rods to a respective base part of the attachment members.

According to an embodiment of the invention, the locking member comprises a tubular part with an internal diameter that is somewhat larger than an external diameter of the centre shaft to thereby allow the locking member to be slidably mounted to the centre shaft with the centre shaft received in the tubular part of the locking member. Hereby, the locking member may be mounted to the centre shaft above the stack of attachment elements in a quick and simple manner. The locking member may also comprise a collar that is fixed to the tubular part at a lower end thereof and projects radially from the tubular part, wherein this collar is configured to abut against an uppermost attachment element in said stack of attachment elements when the locking member is fixed to the centre shaft above said stack of attachment elements.

According to another embodiment of the invention, the attachment arrangement comprises a locking element that is insertable into transverse through holes in the centre shaft and the tubular part of the locking member in order to lock the locking member to the centre shaft in a position above said stack of attachment elements. Hereby, the locking member may be locked to the centre shaft in a quick and simple manner in an intended position above said stack of attachment elements.

According to another embodiment of the invention, the upper end of the centre shaft is a free end to thereby allow the attachment elements of the different attachment members to be mounted to the centre shaft on top of each other in a stack by slipping the attachment elements one after the other on to the centre shaft via the upper end thereof and moving each attachment element along the centre shaft in the axial direction thereof towards the support member with the centre shaft received in the through hole of the attachment element.

Further advantageous features of the tent frame according to the present invention will appear from the description following below and the dependent claims.

The invention also relates to a tent comprising a tent frame of the above-mentioned type and a tent cloth carried by the tent frame and a method of raising such a tent.

According to a first alternative, said method comprises the steps of:

- arranging at least three main rods on the ground with the second ends of the main rods adjacent to each other, with two of the main rods arranged as a pointed triangle and with a third main rod extending from the tip of the triangle;

- mounting the main rods to the centre shaft through the attachment members with the centre shaft in an upright position;

- fixing the first ends of the main rods of said triangle to the ground;

- placing the tent cloth onto the main rods; and

- moving the third main rod towards the fixed main rods, and thereby raising the centre shaft in vertical direction, until a desired position of the third main rod is reached.

According to a second alternative, said method comprises the steps of: - arranging at least four main rods on the ground in the shape of a narrow X and with the second ends of the main rods positioned in the vicinity of a centre of the X;

- mounting the main rods to the centre shaft through the attachment members with the centre shaft in an upright position;

- fixing the first ends of two adjacent main rods of the X to the ground;

- placing the tent cloth onto the main rods; and

- moving the two other main rods of the X towards the fixed main rods, and thereby raising the centre shaft in vertical direction, until a desired position of these two other main rods is reached.

In both alternatives, the raising of the tent is facilitated by the above-mentioned ability of individual turning and pivoting of the main rods.

If the tent is to be raised by a single person, the method may comprise the additional steps of:

- interconnecting said two other main rods of the X to each other with a generally transverse connecting member; and

- moving said connecting member towards the fixed main rods to thereby move the two interconnected main rods of the X towards the fixed main rods, thereby enabling raising of the tent frame by a single person.

The method may further comprise the step of adjusting the positions of the first ends of the main rods in relation to the ground in circumferential and radial directions of the raised tent frame.

Further advantageous features of the tent or the method according to the present invention will appear from the description following below.

In this description and the subsequent claims, the terms upper, lower, upward, downward, above, below, horizontal, vertical and the similar are related to the position of the different components of the tent frame or the tent when the tent frame is properly raised to an upright position.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

With reference to the appended drawings, a specific description of embodiments of the invention cited as examples follows below. In the drawings:

Fig 1 is a perspective view of a tent with a tent frame according to an embodiment of the present invention,

Fig 2 is a perspective view corresponding to Fig 1 , with the parts of the tent hidden by the tent cloth shown in broken lines,

Figs 3a and 3b are perspective views from different directions of an attachment member included in the tent frame shown in Figs 1 and 2,

Fig 4 is a perspective view of a centre shaft included in the tent frame shown in Figs 1 and 2,

Fig 5 is a perspective view of the centre shaft of Fig 4, with one main rod attached to the centre shaft,

Fig 6 is a perspective view of the centre shaft of Fig 4, with four main rods attached to the centre shaft,

Fig 7 is a perspective view corresponding to Fig 6, with a locking member mounted to the centre shaft,

Fig 8 is a perspective view corresponding to Fig 7, with the locking member locked to the centre shaft by means of a locking element, Fig 9 is a lateral view of a holding member and an end part of a radial rod included in the tent shown in Figs 1 and 2, as seen with the holding member in an upper first position on a slide part of an elongated central rod,

Fig 10 is a view corresponding to Fig 9, as seen with the radial rod attached to the holding member,

Fig 1 1 is a view corresponding to Fig 10, as seen with the holding member in a lower second position on said slide part,

Fig 12 is a schematic cut across a part of the holding member in the second position shown in Fig 11 ,

Fig 13 is a perspective view of a lower end of said slide part,

Fig 14 is a perspective view of the holding member shown in

Fig 9, as seen with the holding member in the upper first position on said slide part and with eight radial rods attached to the holding member,

Fig 15 is a perspective view corresponding to Fig 14, as seen with the holding member in the lower second position on said slide part, and

Figs 16a-16d are schematic illustrations of different steps in the raising of the tent shown in Figs 1 and 2.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

A tent 1 with a tent frame 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention is illustrated in Figs 1 and 2. The tent frame 10 is configured to carry a tent cloth 2 on its outside and comprises several main rods 11. The main rods 11 are at least three in number and are preferably made of wood. In the illustrated embodiment, the tent frame 10 comprises four main rods 11 . Each main rod 11 has a lower first end 11 a configured to rest on a ground and an upper second end 11 b. The main rods 11 are configured to be positioned with their first ends 11 a resting on a ground and to extend convergently from the ground towards a top of the tent frame 10 to an attachment point where the second ends 11 b of the main rods 11 are interconnected. Thus, when the tent frame 10 is in a raised position, the main rods 11 converge in a direction from the ground towards the top of the tent frame 10, i.e. from the first ends 11 a of the main rods 11 to the second ends 11 b thereof.

The tent frame 10 further comprises an attachment arrangement 20 for attaching the second ends 11 b of the main rods 11 to each other at the top of the tent frame 10. Thus, the main rods 11 are connected to each other at their second ends 11 b by means of the attachment arrangement 20. The attachment arrangement 20 comprises a centre shaft 21 , which is configured to be positioned with a longitudinal centre axis 22 of the centre shaft 21 extending in an essentially vertical direction. Thus, when the tent frame 10 is in a raised position, the centre shaft 21 is configured to extend vertically or at least essentially vertically. The centre shaft 21 is configured to function as an attachment point for the main rods 11 and as a part of a turning joint for the main rods 11. In the illustrated embodiment, the centre shaft 21 is tubular. The centre shaft 21 is preferably made of metal, such as aluminium or stainless steel. A support member 23 (see Fig 4) is provided on the centre shaft 21 at a distance from an upper end 21 a thereof and projects laterally beyond the outer periphery of the centre shaft 21 to thereby form a shoulder on the centre shaft 21. In the illustrated embodiment, the centre shaft 21 is formed by an upper end part of an elongated central rod 15 and partitioned off from the remaining part of the central rod 15 by the support member 23. In the illustrated embodiment, the support member 23 consists of an annular disc, which is fixed to the central rod 15 by welding. The centre shaft 21 and the support member 23 may as an alternative be formed in one piece, and the support member 23 may for instance constitute a flange on the centre shaft 21. As a further alternative, the support member 23 may consist of a pin or the similar that is releasably fixed to the centre shaft 21 by being inserted into transverse through holes in the centre shaft 21.

The attachment arrangement 20 further comprises attachment members 24 associated with a respective one of the main rods 11 . Thus, the number of attachment members 24 corresponds to the number of main rods 11 . Each attachment member 24 comprises:

- a base part 25, through which the attachment member 24 is configured to be fixed to the associated main rod 11 at the second end 11 b thereof;

- a pivot joint 26 configured to form an essentially horizontal pivot axis 27 (see Fig 5) for the associated main rod 11 ; and

- an attachment element 28, which is configured to be pivotally connected to the base part 25 through the pivot joint 26.

In the illustrated embodiment, the attachment members 24 are adapted in accordance with the previously mentioned first alternative and with the pivot joint 26 of each attachment member 24 designed as a conventional hinge with knuckles 26a, 26b pivotally interconnected by a pin 26c. This type of pivot joint 26 may also be used in attachment members 24 adapted in accordance with the previously mentioned third alternative. However, the pivot joint 26 may also be designed in any other suitable manner, as long as it provides the desired pivot axis 27 between the base part 25 and the attachment element 28. If the attachment members 24 are adapted in accordance with the previously mentioned second alternative, the pivot joint 26 of each attachment member 24 may for instance be provided with knuckles that are releasably interconnectable by a releasable pin.

The base part 25 of each attachment member 24 is attached to or releasably attachable to the associated main rod 11 at the second end 11 b thereof, for instance by means of screws, and is preferably configured to extend a short distance beyond the second end 11 b of the main rod 11 to thereby position the pivot joint 26 of the attachment member 24 a short distance above the second end 11 b of the main rod 11. The base part 25 of each attachment member 24 may for instance be plate-shaped, as illustrated in the drawings, but may as an alternative have any other suitable shape.

The attachment element 28 of each attachment member 24 is provided with a through hole 29 with a diameter that is somewhat larger than an external diameter of the centre shaft 21 to thereby allow the attachment elements 28 of the different attachment members 24 to be mounted to the centre shaft 21 on top of each other in a stack with the centre shaft 21 received in the through hole 29 of each attachment element 28, as illustrated in Figs 6-8. The support member 23 is configured to form an axial support on the centre shaft 21 for said stack of attachment elements 28. Thus, the lowermost attachment element 28 in said stack is configured to rest against the support member 23. When mounted to the centre shaft 21 , each attachment element 28 extends essentially perpendicularly to the centre axis 22 of the centre shaft 21 and is rotatable in relation to the centre shaft 21 about the centre axis 22 thereof to thereby allow an individual adjustment of the position of the associated main rod 11 in circumferential direction about the centre axis 22 of the centre shaft 21 . Furthermore, when attached to the centre shaft 21 through the associated attachment member 24, each main rod 11 is pivotable in relation to the centre shaft 21 by pivoting about the pivot axis 27 formed by the pivot joint 26 of the associated attachment member 24 to thereby allow an individual adjustment of the radial distance between the first end 11 a of the main rod 11 and the centre axis 22 of the centre shaft 21.

In the illustrated embodiment, each attachment element 28 is plate-shaped. In this case, each attachment element 28 has a flat upper face 28a and a flat lower face 28b arranged opposite to each other, wherein the lower face 28b is parallel with the upper face 28a. The through hole 29 of each attachment element 28 extends between the upper face 28a and the lower face 28b. When the attachment elements 28 are mounted to the centre shaft 21 , the upper and lower faces 28a, 28b of each attachment element extend essentially perpendicularly to the centre axis 22 of the centre shaft 21. However, the attachment elements 28 may as an alternative have any other suitable shape, as long as they can be mounted to the centre shaft 21 on top of each other in a stack and can be individually rotated in relation to each other and in relation to the centre shaft 21 after having been mounted to the centre shaft 21 on top of each other in a stack. Each attachment element 28 may for instance be formed by a bar of iron or steel that is bent to form a through hole for receiving the centre shaft 21.

The attachment members 24 are preferably made of metal, such as aluminium or stainless steel.

A part 28c of the outer edge of each attachment element 28 that faces away from the associated pivot joint 26 preferably has a convexly curved shape with a centre of curvature coinciding with the centre axis of the through hole 29 in the attachment element 28. As seen in Fig 5, there is a distance d between the centre of the through hole 29 and the pivot axis 27 formed by the pivot joint 26, and consequently a similar distance d between the centre axis 22 of the centre shaft 21 and the pivot joint 26 when the attachment element 28 is mounted to the centre shaft 21. This distance d is larger than the radius of said convexly curved part 28c of the outer edge of each attachment element 28.

In the illustrated embodiment, the centre shaft 21 is circular cylindrical. Thus, in this case, the centre shaft 21 has a circular cross-sectional shape. However, the centre shaft 21 may as an alternative have any other suitable cross-sectional shape, such as for instance a polygonal cross-sectional shape inscribed in a circle, as long as it allows the attachment elements 28 to rotate about the centre shaft 21 when the centre shaft is received in the through holes 29 of the attachment elements. The attachment arrangement 20 further comprises a locking member 30 (see Figs 7 and 8), which is configured to be fixed to the centre shaft 21 above said stack of attachment elements 28 in order to secure the attachment elements 28 to the centre shaft 21 while still allowing the attachment elements 28 to be individually turned in relation to the centre shaft 21 about the centre axis 22 thereof. Thus, the locking member 30 is configured to keep the stack of attachment elements 28 axially fixed to the centre shaft 21 and prevent the attachment elements 28 from sliding off from the centre shaft 21. In the illustrated embodiment, the locking member 30 comprises a tubular part 31 with an internal diameter that is somewhat larger than the external diameter of the centre shaft 21 to thereby allow the locking member 30 to be slidably mounted to the centre shaft 21 with the centre shaft received in the tubular part 31 of the locking member 30. The illustrated locking member 30 also comprises a collar 32 that is fixed to the tubular part 30 at a lower end thereof and projects radially from the tubular part 31 . The collar 32 is configured to abut against the uppermost attachment element 28 in said stack of attachment elements when the locking member 30 is fixed to the centre shaft 21 above the stack of attachment elements 28. The tubular part 31 and the collar 32 may be formed in one piece. As an alternative, the collar 32 may be fixed to the tubular part 31 by welding.

In the illustrated embodiment, the attachment arrangement 20 is adapted in accordance with the previously mentioned first alternative and the locking member 30 is in this case configured to be releasably fixed to the centre shaft 21 , wherein a locking element 33 in the form of a pin or the similar is insertable into transverse through holes 34 in the centre shaft 21 and corresponding through holes 35 in the tubular part 31 of the locking member 30 in order to lock the locking member 30 to the centre shaft 21 in a position above said stack of attachment elements 28. The locking member 30 may as an alternative be locked to the centre shaft 21 in any other suitable manner. The upper end 21 a of the centre shaft 21 is preferably a free end to thereby allow the attachment elements 28 of the different attachment members 24 to be mounted to the centre shaft 21 on top of each other in a stack by slipping the attachment elements

28 one after the other on to the centre shaft 21 via the upper end 21 a thereof and moving each attachment element 28 along the centre shaft 21 in the axial direction thereof towards the support member 23 with the centre shaft 21 received in the through hole

29 of the attachment element. In this case, the locking member 30 may be mounted to the centre shaft 21 on top of the stack of attachment elements 28 by slipping the locking member 30 on to the centre shaft 21 via the upper end 21 a thereof and moving the locking member along the centre shaft 21 in the axial direction thereof towards the stack of attachment elements 28 with the centre shaft 21 received in the tubular part 31 of the locking member 30.

If the support member 23 consist of a pin or the similar that is releasably fixed to the centre shaft 21 , the attachment elements 28 may be mounted to the centre shaft 21 by first arranging the attachment element 28 on top of each other in a stack, with the through holes 29 of the attachment elements aligned with each other, and thereafter inserting the centre shaft 21 into the through holes 29 from above, whereupon the support member is mounted to the centre shaft 21 below the lowermost attachment element 28 in said stack of attachment elements. In this case, the locking member 30 may be permanently fixed to the centre shaft 21.

The tent 1 is further provided with several rods 3, hereinafter referred to as radial rods, that extend generally radially when the tent with its cloth 2 is in a raised position. In the illustrated embodiment, the tent 1 is provided with eight such radial rods 3. However, the radial rods 3 may as an alternative be fewer or more than eight in number. The tent 1 preferably comprises at least six such radial rods 3. Each radial rod 3 has a first end 3a, which is configured to constitute an inner end of the radial rod 3 in a raised position of the tent 1 , and an opposite second end 3b, which is configured to constitute an outer end of the radial rod 3 in the raised position of the tent 1 and which is releasably attachable to an edge area 2a of the tent cloth 2, as illustrated in Fig 2.

In the illustrated embodiment, attachment elements 40 are fixed to a respective one of the radial rods 3 at the first end 3a thereof, wherein each attachment element 40 is releasably and pivotally attachable to a holding member 42 to allow the associated radial rod 3 to be releasably attached to the holding member 42 and pivoted in relation to the holding member 42 about an essentially horizontal pivot axis 43 (see Fig 12). Thus, in this case, the radial rods 3 are releasably and pivotally attachable to the holding member 42 at different positions distributed in a circumferential direction of the holding member 42 via the attachment elements 40. However, the radial rods 3 may as an alternative be releasably attachable to the holding member at their first ends 3a in any other suitable manner, as long as each radial rod 3 is pivotable in relation to the holding member 42 about an essentially horizontal pivot axis 43 when attached to the holding member 42. One alternative solution for the attachment of the radial rods 3 to the holding member is to provide the first ends 3a of the radial rods with pointed ends and to provide the holding member with a number of recesses with complementary shapes into which the pointed ends can be inserted. Other alternative solutions are of course also possible.

The holding member 42 is slidably mounted to the above- mentioned central rod 15 and axially slidable along a slide part 16 provided on the central rod 15 at a lower end part thereof. The central rod 15 is configured to be carried by the tent frame 10 formed by the main rods 11 while being suspended at the top of the tent frame and hanging vertically downwards from the top of the tent frame when the tent frame is in a raised position. The lower end 15a of the central rod 15 is configured to be located at a distance from the ground when the tent frame 10 formed by the main rods 11 is in the raised position. A shoulder 17 (see Figs 11 - 13) is provided on the central rod 15 at the lower end 15a thereof and projects laterally beyond the outer periphery of the slide part

16. This shoulder 17 constitutes a lower end stop for the holding member 42 on the slide part 16 and prevents the holding member 42 from sliding off from the slide part 16 in vertical direction downwards. In the illustrated embodiment, the shoulder 17 forms part of an end piece 18 (see Fig 12), which is fixed to the central rod 15 at the lower end 15a thereof, for instance by welding. However, the rod 15 and the shoulder 17 may as an alternative be formed in one piece.

The holding member 42 is axially slidable along the slide part 16 on the central rod 15 between an upper first position, in which the holding member 42 is located at a distance from the shoulder 17, and a lower second position, in which the holding member 42 rests against the shoulder 17 or is located closely above the shoulder

17. Thus, the holding member 42 is moved downwards along the slide part 16 in a direction towards the shoulder 17 when it is moved from the upper first position to the lower second position. When attached to the holding member 42 at their first ends 3a and to said edge area 2a of the tent cloth 2 at their second ends 3b, the radial rods 3 are configured to tension the tent cloth 2 while being subjected to a pivotal movement in relation to the holding member 42 when the holding member 42 is moved axially downwards along the slide part 16 on the central rod 15 from said first position to said second position. When attached to the holding member 42 at their first ends 3a and to said edge area 2a of the tent cloth 2 at their second ends 3b, the radial rods 3 are preferably configured to extend essentially horizontally when the holding member 42 is in said second position.

The tent 1 may comprise a locking member (not shown) for locking the holding member 42 to the central rod 15 in said second position to thereby prevent a movement of the holding member 42 upwards along the slide part 16 from the lower second position towards the upper first position. When attached to the holding member 42 at their first ends 3a and to said edge area 2a of the tent cloth 2 at their second ends 3b, the radial rods 3 are preferably configured to be positioned with their first ends 3a at a higher height than their second ends 3b when the holding member 42 is in said first position and with their first ends 3a at a slightly lower height than their second ends 3b when the holding member 42 is in said second position. With this inclination of the radial rods 3 in the second position of the holding member 42, the radial rods 3 will be subjected to a force from the tensioned tent cloth 2 that strives to keep the holding member 42 pressed against the shoulder 17. Thus, in this case the holding member 42 may remain in the second position without requiring any locking member for locking the holding member 42 to the central rod 15 in the second position.

In the illustrated embodiment, a retaining mechanism 60 is provided on the central rod 15 in order to retain the holding member 42 in the first position on the slide part 16 during the attachment of the radial rods 3 to the holding member 42, as illustrated in Figs 9, 10 and 14. The illustrated retaining mechanism 60 comprises a tubular part 61 , which is fixed to the central rod 15 above the slide part 16, and two resilient retaining arms 62, which are fixed to the tubular part 61 and configured to project downwards from the tubular part 61 . The retaining arms 62 are configured for releasable engagement with a respective recess 44 provided in the holding member 42 when the holding member is in the upper first position on the slide part 16 to thereby retain the holding member 42 in this position until a sufficient axial and downwardly directed force is exerted on the holding member 42. In the illustrated embodiment, the tubular part 61 constitutes an upper end stop for the holding member 42 on the slide part 16.

In the illustrated embodiment, the holding member 42 comprises a tubular body 45 with an internal diameter that is somewhat larger than an external diameter of said slide part 16 on the central rod 15, wherein the holding member 42 is slidably mounted to the central rod 15 with the slide part 16 on the central rod received in the tubular body 45 of the holding member 42. In this case, the above-mentioned recesses 44 are provided on the tubular body 45.

The holding member 42 may comprise several pairs of partition walls 46 distributed about the centre axis of the holding member 42, wherein the partition walls 46 of each pair are spaced apart in a circumferential direction of the holding member 42 in order to form a slot 47 for receiving the attachment element 40 of one of the radial rods 3. The movement of the attachment element 40, and thereby of the first end 3a of the associated radial rod 3, in the circumferential direction of the holding member 42 is limited by the partition walls 46 on either side of the slot 47 when the attachment element 40 is received in the slot 47. In the illustrated embodiment, the partition walls 46 are fixed to the above- mentioned tubular body 45 of the holding member 42 with each partition wall 46 extending in an essential radial direction from the tubular body 45.

In the illustrated embodiment, each attachment element 40 comprises a hook 41 configured for releasable engagement with a holding element 48 on the holding member 42. In the illustrated example, said holding element 48 consists of a horizontally oriented ring that extends around a centre axis of the holding member 42 and across the above-mentioned slots 47 formed between the partition walls 46. Thus, in this case, all attachment elements 40 are configured to be attached to different parts of the same holding element 48. However, the holding member 42 may as an alternative be provided with a separate holding element 48 for each individual attachment element 40. The hook 41 of each attachment element 40 is dimensioned to be insertable into the slot 47 between two adjacent partition walls 46 in order to come into engagement with the part of the holding element 48 that extends across this slot. When hooked on to the holding element 48, as clearly illustrated in Fig 12, the hook 41 is free to rotate in relation to the holding element 48 about a pivot axis 43 formed by the centre axis of the holding element 48 to thereby allow the associated radial rod 3 to pivot about this pivot axis 43.

A blocking element 49 is located above said holding element 48 and configured to prevent a movement of the hook 41 of each attachment element 40 in vertical direction upwards away from the holding element 48 when being in engagement with the holding element 48, wherein each hook 41 has a free end 41 a that is insertable into a gap 50 between the holding element 48 and the blocking element 49. The blocking element 49 may consist of a horizontally oriented ring or disc that extends around the centre axis of the holding member 42. However, the blocking element 49 may also be designed in any other suitable manner. When a radial rod 3 is in a suitable inclination in relation to the holding member 42 with its first end 3a located at a higher height than its second end 3b, the free end 41 a of the hook 41 at the first end 3a of the radial rod may be moved into the gap 50 between the holding element 48 and the blocking element 49 by movement of the radial rod 3 towards the holding member 42 from the position illustrated in Fig 9 to the position illustrated in Fig 10 in order to bring the hook 41 into engagement with the holding element 48 and thereby pivotally attach the radial rod 3 to the holding member 42. When the holding member 42 is moved along the slide part 16 on the central rod 15 from the first position to the second position, the radial rod 3 will, as described above, be pivoted in relation to the holding member 42 about the pivot axis 43 into an essentially horizontal position. When the radial rod 3 is in such an essentially horizontal position, the blocking element 49 prevents the hook 41 from being released from the holding element 48 and thereby prevents the radial rod 3 from being released from the holding member 42. To enable a release of the radial rod 3 from the holding member 42, the radial rod 3 has to be pivoted about the pivot axis 43 back to an inclined position in which the hook 41 can be moved out through the gap 50 between the holding element 48 and the blocking element 49 by movement of the radial rod 3 away from the holding member 42. The pivotal connection between the attachment elements 40 and the holding member 42 may as an alternative be designed in any other suitable manner, as long as each attachment element 40 is releasably attachable to the holding member 42 and allowed to pivot in relation to the holding member 42 about an essentially horizontal pivot axis after having been attached to the holding member 42.

The illustrated tent 1 is intended to be raised as follows. When four main rods are used, the main rods 11 are laid out on the ground in the shape of a narrow X or two opposite pointed triangles (see Fig 16a), where the second ends 11 b of the main rods with the attachment members 24 are at, or in the vicinity of, the centre of the X. Pointed triangle means that the angle a between two adjacent main rods 11 preferably is less than 60 degrees.

The central rod 15 is placed at the centre of the X and held vertically by appropriate means, by hand or by a support, to thereby position the centre shaft 21 in an upright position above the ground. A first main rod 11 is then attached to the central rod 15 by slipping the attachment element 28 associated with this main rod on to the centre shaft 21 at the upper part of the central rod 15 and moving the attachment element 28 along the centre shaft 21 in the axial direction thereof into contact with the support member 23. The other main rods 11 are then attached to the central rod 15 one by one in the same manner to thereby form a stack of attachment elements 28 on the centre shaft 21 , as illustrated in Fig 6. The locking member 30 is thereafter mounted to the centre shaft 21 on top of the stack of attachment elements 28, as illustrated in Fig 7, and locked to the centre shaft 21 by means of the locking element 33, as illustrated in Fig 8. The distance d between the centre axis 22 of the centre shaft 21 and the pivot joint 26, enables turning of individual main rods 11 around the centre axis 22 of the centre shaft 21 within a rather large angle range before coming into contact with adjacent main rods, which enables two adjacent main rods to form a pointed triangle when connected to each other by the attachment arrangement 20. When the tent frame 10 formed by the main rods 11 is to be raised, it is favourable that the first ends 11 a of two main rods 11 located adjacent to each other in one pointed triangle are fixed to the ground. This may be done in several ways, for instance by means of bolts or nails that are driven into the ground or by means of larger stones or other heavy objects 5 that are positioned on the ground directly behind the first ends 11 a of the two main rods 11 in question as illustrated in Fig 16b. Furthermore, if the tent frame

10 formed by the main rods 11 is to be raised by one single person, a rod or other type of elongated connecting member 6 (see Fig 16b) could be temporarily fixed, for instance by strapping, transversally between the two main rods 11 opposite to the main rods that have their first ends 11 a fixed to the ground. The connecting member 6 will form a temporary connection between the two main rods 11 in question and allow these two main rods to be jointly moved in relation to the other two main rods. If two persons are raising the tent frame, no connecting member 6 is necessary. The tent cloth 2 is now placed onto the main rods 11. For the sake of clarity, the tent cloth 2 is not shown in Figs 16a- 16d. The person raising the tent frame 10 then grabs the transverse connecting member 6 and moves it, together with the associated main rods 11 , towards the fixed main rods in the direction illustrated with the arrow 7a in Fig 16b, whereby the attachment arrangement 20 with the centre shaft 21 and the attachment members 24 is elevated in the direction illustrated with the arrow 7b in Fig 16b. The pivot joints 26 of the attachment members 24 facilitate the raising of the main rods 11. When the first ends 11 a of the main rods that are interconnected by the connecting member 6 have been moved to a satisfactory position in which the tent frame 10 is in an upright position, the connecting member 6 is released from the associated main rods and removed. The positions on the ground of the first ends 11 a of all main rods

11 may now be adjusted, by adjusting the position of one main rod 11 at the time, in radial direction R (see Fig 16c) towards or away from the centre of the tent frame 10 as well as sideways in circumferential direction C of the tent frame 10 in order to provide symmetry of the tent frame 10 formed by the main rods 11 . These movements of the main rods 11 are facilitated by the pivot joints 26 as well as by the rotatable connection between the attachment elements 28 and the centre shaft 21.

The raising procedure may also be carried out with a tent frame formed by three main rods 11. Two of the main rods 11 are then laid out on the ground in the shape of a pointed triangle as described above, while the third main rod is placed on the opposite side of the tip of the triangle in a direction generally coinciding with a centre line of the triangle. The main rods 11 are then attached to the centre shaft 21 in the manner described above, and the tent frame is raised by moving the third main rod towards the two main rods forming the pointed triangle.

Even though the raising of the tent frame 10 has been described as being done directly by persons, it is also to be understood that different types of equipment may be used in the raising of the tent frame, such as for instance lifting devices, rope and pu Uy systems, winches and the like.

When the tent frame 10 formed by the main rods 11 have been raised, the next step is to attach the radial rods 3 to the central rod 15. Each radial rod 3 is then attached to the holding member 42 on the slide part 16 of the central rod 15 with the holding member 42 located in its upper first position in engagement with the retaining arms 62 of the retaining mechanism 60. In the illustrated embodiment, the hooks 41 at the inner first ends 3a of the radial rods are placed in a respective slot 47 between two partition walls 46 on the holding member 42 and brought into engagement with the holding element 48, as illustrated in Fig 14. When attached to the holding member 42, each individual radial rod 3 is inclined as illustrated in Fig 16c, wherein the outer second end 3b of the radial rod may rest on the ground.

The second end 3b of each radial rod 3 is then lifted and attached to an edge area 2a of tent cloth 2 in an appropriate manner. The tent cloth 2 may be provided with pockets at the edge area 2a in which the second ends 3b of the radial rods fit, wherein the second ends 3b of the radial rods 3 are configured to be inserted into a respective one of these pockets. When all the radial rods 3 have been attached to the holding member 42 at their first ends 3a and to the tent cloth 2 at their second ends 3b, the holding member 42 is pushed or pulled downwards along the slide part 16 on the central rod 15 from the upper first position (see Fig 16d) to the lower second position (see Fig 2), wherein the radial rods 3 are pivoted into a generally horizontal position and the tent cloth 2 is stretched and tensioned as illustrated in Figs 1 and 2. If so desired, the holding member 42 may thereafter be locked to the central rod 15 in said lower second position by means of a locking member. The tent 1 is now ready to be used.

In the illustrated embodiment, a central part of the tent cloth 2 is configured to rest against a circular top plate 19 that is releasably mounted to the central rod 15 at the upper end thereof after the mounting of the attachment elements 28 and the locking member 30 the centre shaft 21 .

The invention is of course not in any way restricted to the embodiments described above. On the contrary, many possibilities to modifications thereof will be apparent to a person with ordinary skill in the art without departing from the scope of protection defined by the appended claims.

In the illustrated embodiment, the tent frame 10 formed by the main rods 11 is configured to carry a tenth cloth 2 that is stretched out by means of radial rods 3 to form a hat-shape. However, the tent frame 10 according to the invention may also be used in any other suitable type of tent, such as for instance a tipi tent or any other type of tent with an essentially cone-shaped tent cloth where the tent cloth is stretched directly on the tent frame 10 formed by the main rods 11 .