GB2503002A

GB2503002A - Wearable pack comprising a shelter such as a tent

Info

Publication number: GB2503002A
Application number: GB1210475.8A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Michael David Hartley
Original assignee: SOUTHAMPTON SOLENT UNIVERSITY
Current assignee: SOUTHAMPTON SOLENT UNIVERSITY
Priority date: 2012-06-13
Filing date: 2012-06-13
Publication date: 2013-12-18
Anticipated expiration: 2032-06-13
Also published as: GB2503002B; GB201210475D0

Abstract

The pack 10, or backpack, comprises: a shelter storage compartment 30 comprising an access aperture 40; a shelter 50 comprising first and second ends and an anchor 61, 62 at each end, the second end being secured to the pack. At least the first anchor is accessible through the aperture. In use one anchor is attached to the ground and the shelter is deployed by pulling the other anchor away. There may also be a payload compartment 20. The shelter may include a support structure 54 which is also a support structure of the pack. There may be a second support structure 56 which is inflatable using either a pump or a pressurized gas canister and may be partially inflated to support the users back when located within the pack. The anchors may comprise a body portion and a transparent dome shaped head, removable from the body, and include an illuminating LED light which flashes or blinks in a predetermined pattern.

Description

PORTABLE SHELTER

The present invention relates to a portable shelter.

Conventional shelters fbr hikers, campers and the like are typically tents or bivouacs designed !br ease of construction, space, portability or a combination of these features. In addition emergency shelters -which may be single-usc -have bccn proposed either to be carried or worn, such as a so-called bothy, being a bag with minimal support structure designed to shelter a user from the weather; and able to be stuffed into a small storage area, or similarly a hiking jacket incoiporating a tubular sleeve in the hem such that the sleeve and jacket combined shelter the wearer's whole body.

However, it will be appreciated that in order to be of use in an emergency then specific equipment must be remembered and carried, or modified clothing must worn. Therefore it is beneficial to encourage the user to keep the emergency shelter on their person, or conversely for casual shelters that the shelter is easily portable.

The present invention aims to mitigate or alleviate the above problem.

In a first aspect, a wearable pack is provided in accordance with claim 1.

Further respective aspects and features of the invention are defined in the appended claims.

Embodiments of the prcscnt invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: -Figures IA and I B are schematic diagrams of a wearable pack in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

-Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of a storage compartment and shelter in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

-Figure 3A is a schematic diagram of a shelter in mid-deployment from the wearable pack, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

-Figure SB is a schematic diagram of a shelter in filly deployed from the wearable pack, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. *1

-Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of an anchor, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

A wearable pack comprising a portable shelter is disclosed. In the following description, a number of specific details are presented in order to provide a thorough understanding of the embodiments of the present invention, it will be apparent, however, to a person skilled in the art that these specific details need not be employed to practice the present invention. Conversely, specific details known to the person skilled in the art are omitted for the purposes of clarity where appropriate.

Referring to Figures 1A and 1B, these show a rear view and an underside view of a wearable pack 10 according to an cmbodiment of thc present invention. In this embodiment, the wearable pack is a rucksack or day pack wearable on a user's back, and has a payload compartment 20 with a capacity of (as a non-limiting example) typically 10 to 25 litres, in which the user can place their own possessions.

However, the pack also comprises a shelter storage compartment 30, preferably incorporated within the back-panel 35 of the wearable pack (i.e. the portion of the pack that in use rests against the user's back). The shelter storage compartment stores a shelter (not shown in Figure 1A or 1B), suitably folded, stuffed or otherwise compressed into the compartment as detailed later herein. The shelter may therefore occupy some or all of the space normally used by the padding commonly found in the back panel of such packs, and may serve a similar padding function whilst in storage, as further detailed herein. Hence it will also be appreciated that the payload compartment will be larger than then shelter storage compartment in the pack.

The shelter storage compartment comprises an aperture 40 for access to the shelter. The aperture is typically at the bottom of the back panel and may be closed by any suitable fastener, such as a zip.

Referring now to Figure 2, the shelter 50 is folded within the shelter storage compartment 30 (shown in Figure 2 in outline). For clarity only, a first and second support for the shelter are not shown in Figure 2 but can be assumed to be present Similarly, the rest of the pack is not shown fur the purposes of clarity. It will be appreciated that the fbld shown in Figure 2 is illustrative only and is non-limiting regarding both the fold and any implicit dimensions of the shelter.

The shelter comprises a first anchor 61 at a first end and a second anchor 62 at a second end. The first end corresponds to the foot end of the shelter, whilst the second end corresponds to the head end of the shelter.

The first and second anchors operate as so-called tent pegs', and are described in more detail later herein.

The second end of the shelter is secured to the pack inside the storage compartment, for example at the far end from the aperture. The second end of the shelter may have a length of strap or a sacrificial extension allowing it to be secured to the pack in this manner whilst still allowing the erectable part of the shelter to be sufficiently removed from the compartment for use.

Alternatively the second end of the shelter may be secured at any suitable position within the storage compartment, including near the aperture. The second end may be secured for example by being stitched to the pack (52), or by any other suitable means of robustly securing two pieces of material, including but not limited to rivets, poppers or zips. Hence, depending on how it is secured, the shelter may be removably secured to the pack, but can only be readily separated in this manner once fully deployed.

In a first deployment embodiment, the shelter is secured at the foot-end first before being deployed. In a second deployment embodiment, the shelter is secured at the head-end first before being deployed.

Referring now also to Figures 3A and 3B, in the first deployment embodiment, to deploy the shelter then firstly the aperture 40 is opened. As illustrated in Figure 2, the shelter is arranged in the shelter storage compartment such that the first anchor is accessible through the aperture. That is to say, the first anchor is positioned adjacent the aperture and may be accessed from the storage compartment without further unpacking or deploying the shelter except for, in some variant embodiments of the invention, that part of the first end of the shelter to which the first anchor is attached.

The first anchor may thus be anchored to the ground (e.g. pushed or hammered into the ground) before a substantial portion of the shelter has been deployed. That is to say, all but some of the first end of the shelter may remain in the storage compartment of the wearable pack at this stage.

Referring to Figure 3A, upon anchoring the first anchor, the wearable pack is arranged in operation to deploy the shelter by being pulled away from the first anchor. Because the first end of the shelter is now anchored to the ground, pulling the pack away from it causes the shelter within the storage compartment to be pulled out. Preferably the shelter is folded, stuffed or otherwise compressed in the storage compartment so that it is pulled out sequentially along its main axis, resulting in the shelter deploying in an orderly fashion and in proportion with the distance of the bag from the first anchor point.

In this manner, advantageously the first part of the shelter is already secured to the ground by the first anchor before the shelter is disgorged from the pack. Meanwhile the second end of the shelter is secured to the pack that the user is holding. Consequently both ends of the shelter are always secure during the process of the deploying the shelter, making it easy for one person to deploy, for example in adverse weather.

Referring to Figure 3B, once the second anchor of the shelter has been pulled out of the storage compartment, it may also be anchored to the ground, thereby securing the shelter without further requirement of the user to hold the pack. It will be appreciated that the second anchor will be in close proximity to the pack at this stage, making the secure handling of the second end of the shelter and the pack simpler for one person. Once the second anchor is in place, advantageously the wearable pack itself is also effectively anchored to the ground, allowing the user to safely put it down and attend to other matters.

In the second deployment embodiment, both the first and second anchors are accessible through the aperture. That is to say, the shelter is folded, stuffed or otherwise compressed such that both the anchors are positioned adjacent the aperture and may each be accessed from the storage compartment without further unpacking or deploying the shelter except for, in some variant embodiments of the invention, that part of the respective end of the shelter to which the respective anchor is attached. In this embodiment, the first and second anchors may be clearly distinguished from each other for ease of selection, for example by colour coding (e.g. a green second anchor and a red first anchor, or by a label identi'ing at least one of the anchors as the head end or foot end anchor as appropriate, or by a label indicating that the second anchor should be used first).

In the second deployment embodiment, the second anchor is then accessed and anchored to the ground, thereby securing the second end (the head end) of the shelter and hence also the pack itself to the ground, preferably before any further deployment of the shelter occurs.

The user then takes the first anchor and pulls the shelter out of the pack, and anchors the first anchor once the tent is deployed from the pack to its full extent.

Hence in a similar manner to the first embodiment, one end of the shelter is secured to the ground before the rest of the shelter is deployed from the pack, and the other end is held by the user until it is also secured to the ground. Consequently again both ends of the shelter are always secure during the process of the deploying the shelter, making it easy for one person to deploy, for example in adverse weather.

In summary therefore, in one embodiment the free end of the tent is secured to the ground first, and the end secured to the pack is pulled away from it. Meanwhile in another embodiment the end secured to the pack is secured to the ground first, and the free end of the tent is pulled away from it.

Hence more generally the shelter is deployed by anchoring one anchor, and then pulling the other anchor away from it, either by pulling it indirectly as part of the pack (as in the first embodiment) or by pulling an anchor directly (in the second embodiment).

As illustrated in Figure 3A and 3B, in an embodiment of the present invention the shelter comprises a first support (54) that provides shape to the shelter near its foot end. This support may be made from one or more metal or carbon fibre rods, or fashioned from any suitable material.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the first support is stored within the shelter storage compartment such that it forms a frame for the wearable pack. Hence for example where the first support forms a U' or inverted U' within the pack, the legs of the support may form vertical supports at either side of the pack, whilst optionally the curve of the support provides some resilient force to hold the back of the pack taut.

As illustrated in Figure 3B, in an embodiment of the present invention the shelter comprises a second support (56) that provides shape to the shelter near its head end (e.g. approximately at the user's widest point, e.g. where the user's chest or shoulders may be positioned when the user is lying in the tent).

Because this second support is larger than the first support and also larger than the dimensions of the wearable pack, in an embodiment of the present invention it may be assembled from multiple rods each having a length equal to or smaller than a dimension of the shelter storage compartment, and for example pre-threaded with robust elastic material to allow easy assembly.

Alternatively or in addition however, in an embodiment of the present invention the second support may be at least partially inflatable by either a prcssuriscd gas canister stored with the shelter and/or a manual pump, which may optionally also be stored with the shelter in the pack.

Where the second support may be inflated by a manual pump, it will be appreciated that in principle it may also be inflated by the user's breath.

The pressurised gas canister may be of a similar type to that found in emergency life jackets, such as for example a C02 canister with around a 15-20 cubic centimetre capacity.

In an embodiment of the present invention, where the second support is at least partially inflatable using a manual pump or a user's breath, then the inflation valve and/or the pump (as applicable) may also be accessed from the apetture of the shelter storage compartment in order to partially inflate the second support whilst it is still stored within the compartment, in order to provide an additional padding effect fbrthc back of the pack. For examplc if the shcltcr is thldcd such that the inflatable second support is near the bottom of the pack, then the second support can be inflated as appropriate to provide adjustable lumbar padding for the pack.

In embodiments of the present invention the shelter itself may be made, as a non-limiting example, from polyester with a polyurethane coating to provide a lightweight waterproof material. The shelter may also comprise a foil inner lining for additional warmth. It will also be appreciated that the shelter may be of a fluorescent colour in order to improve visibility.

Finally, in an embodiment of the present invention, the shelter comprises an aperture near the second end through which the pack can pass, such that the pack can be placed inside the shelter whilst still secured to the second end. This enables the user to access the contents of the pack whilst inside the shelter, and of course also protects the pack and its contents from any adverse weather conditions. Advantageously, by having the second end as the head end, and locating both the pack and the aperture at the head end, this enables the pack to bc used as a head rest.

The aperture can also provide ventilation within the shelter, and/or separate ventilation can be provided.

It will be appreciated that the aperture may be positioned differently for different deployment embodiments. In particular for the second deployment embodiment described previously herein, if the user is intended to pull the shelter out and over the pack (rather than out and away from the pack) then the aperture may be positioned differently.

The aperture may be closable by any suitable means, including zip, Velcro ®, poppers and the like, or may have an elasticated rim. For the second deployment embodiment, an aperture with an elasticated rim may be positioned on the shelter so that the deployment of the shelter can pull the aperture over some or all of the pack, thereby at least partially placing it inside the shelter as part of the deployment action.

Whilst the shelter as described above is envisaged for emergency use, the ease of deployment may also make the shelter desirable for casual leisure use; for example a festival-goer may wear the pack on their back during the day, and only deploy the shelter at night, thereby avoiding the security risk of leaving the shelter unattended during the day.

Conscqucntly in an cmbodimcnt of the prcsent invention thc shelter may comprise additional features to improve comfort for the causal user, such as an inflatable base. It will be appreciated that an inflatable base may also be provided for an emergency version of the shelter, but carries a weight penalty. If regular use of the shelter is intended for leisure purposes, then preferably the base is inflatable using a manual pump or the user's breath, rather than by a gas canister.

However if a gas canister is used, it will be appreciated that a larger capacity canister may be required to fill the larger volume of an inflatable mattress. It will also be appreciated that in any eventthegasinthecanistermaybeairoratleastabreathablegasmixratherthanCO2, sothat any leakage into the shelter is safe.

Turning now to Figure 4, in an embodiment of the present invention at least one of the first and second anchors comprises a body portion (63) for insertion into the ground, and a transparent dome-shaped head portion (64) comprising a light source.

The body portion may be a spike (for example a spike with a T' shaped cross section as illustrated in Figure 4, providing good strength as a function of weight), or may be of a corkscrew style.

Meanwhile the head portion comprises a dome typically between 2 and 5 cm in diameter. The dome may be hemispherical, or may form less than haifa sphere or be mushroom shaped. The diameter of the dome advantageously enables it to fIt in the palm of a cupped hand, or in the heel of a hand, so distributing force over a wide area of the user's hand as compared to conventional tent pegs. This allows the pegs to be more easily pushed into the ground by hand, mitigating the need to carry a mallet for the purpose of hammering the pegs in. This is particularly advantageous for an emergency shelter, which may be carried unused for years.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the head portion is removable from the body portion, for example by use of a screw thread as illustrated in Figure 4 or similarly by use of a lip on the body portion enabling the head portion to clip on and off in a conventional manner similar to a press-stud or popper. Other means by which to secure the two portions will be apparent to the skilled person.

Upon removing the head portion, the body portion may terminate in a flat surface (65) suitable for hammering with a mallet or rock.

in an embodiment of the present invention, the transparent dome is made from acrylic, but may be made from any suitable material. It will be appreciated that transparent' in the present application also encompasses translucent'. Hence for example a dome with a translucent diffuser is also envisaged within the scope of the present invention, and hence in either case the light is able to exit the dome either directly or after diffusion.

The head houses one or more lithium power cells (not shown), such as the well-known coin-shaped CR2032 cell. The head also houses a high brightness light source such as one or more LEDs (not shown). It will be appreciated that LEDs with different levels of brightness are available, and consequently different ratings of light and power duration for different anchors is possible depending upon the combination of LED and power source selected.

In addition to the power source and light, a microprocessor (not shown) may control the lighting operation. In a first instance, it may provide a duty cycle (e.g. a 100Hz equal duty on-off cycle) to extend battery life. Independent of whether such a duty cycle is used, the microprocessor may also be able to cause the light to flash on and off according to a slower predetermined sequence.

The sequence may simply be an alternating on-off sequence, changing for example every half-second, orit may be a more meaningful pattern, such as Morse code for SOS,.

The light may be activated using a weather-resistant switch or button (not shown), and this may also bc used to select thc lighting modc (c.g. steady light, blinking light or mcssagelpattcrn light, according to switch position or number of button presses). Optionally, alternatively or in addition a button (not shown) may be incorporated into the base of the head 66, so that it automatically lights up in a default mode when attached to the body portion of the anchor. This may be of use in conditions where for example it would be dangerous to remove a glove to interact with a small switch or button.

Optionally, the anchors may be stored with a rounded protective cover over the tip (67), i.e. the part intended to penetrate the ground, in order to reduce the risk of puncturing either the shelter, the inflatable second support, or (where provided) the inflatable mattress, and to reduce the risk of injury to the user in the event of a fall.

Optionally, in an embodiment of the present invention the shelter itself may comprise at least a first receptacle (not shown) structurally similar to the top of the body portion of the anchor, so that one or more head portions can be mounted on the shelter itself: This may provide more visibility for the lights, depending on the conditions on the ground near the anchors.

Finally, it will be appreciated that whilst stored in the wearable pack, the or each anchor may be secured to its respective end of the shelter, for example by gluing the body portion to a corresponding hole in the shelter, or by suitable assembly of the body portion such as screwing two halves together through a corresponding hole in the shelter. Alternatively, the or each anchor may simply be pre-positioned in a corresponding hole within the shelter.

It will be appreciated that; in particular for larger diameter head portions, optionally these may be stored separately to the body portion of the anchor in the storage compartment, so that they can be stored substantially parallel to the plane of the back panel for comlbrt. Optionally, they may be secured to the respective endpoints of the shelter so as to be accessible at the same time as the respective body portion.

However, it will also be appreciated that the anchors may be used independently of the shelter, !br example with a different tent entirely, and thus more generally may be manuflictured and sold separately and independently of the shelter and/or the wearable pack described herein. l0

Claims

CLAIMS1. A wearable pack, comprising: a shelter storage compartment for storing a shelter, the compartment comprising an aperture; a shelter, comprising a first anchor at a first end and a second anchor at a second end, the second end being secured to thc wearable pack; and in which the shelter is arranged in the shelter storage compartment such that at least the first anchor is accessible through the aperture, and after anchoring one anchor to the ground the wearable pack is arranged in operation to deploy the shelter by pulling the other anchor away from the anchored anchor.
2. The wearable pack of claim 1, in which the shelter storage compartment is incorporated into a back-panel of the wearable pack.
3. The wearable pack of claim 1 or claim 2, comprising a payload compartment of larger volume than the sh&ter storage compartment.
4. A wearable pack according to any one of the preceding claims, in which the shelter comprises a first support that, in storage within the shelter storage compartment, is arranged as a support structure for the wearable pack.
5. A wcarablc pack according to any one of the prcccding claims, in which the shelter comprises a second support that is inflatable.
6. The wearable pack of claim 5, in which the second support is at least partially inflatable by a pressurised gas canister stored with the shelter.
7. A wcaraNc pack according to claim 5 or claim 6, in which the second support is at cast partially inflatable by a manual pump.
8. The wearable pack of claim 7, in which the second support can be partially inflated whilst stored in the shelter storage compartment to provide padding for a wearer's back.
9. A wearable pack according to any one of the preceding claims, in which the shelter comprises an inflatable base.
10. A wearable pack according to any one of the preceding claims, in which the shelter comprises an aperture through which the bag can pass, such that the bag can be placed inside the shcltcr whilst still sccured to thc sccond end.
11. A wearable pack according to any one of the preceding claims in which the shelter is arranged in the shelter storage compartment such that the first anchor is accessible through the aperture, and after anchoring the first anchor, the wearable pack is arranged in operation to deploy the shelter by being pulled away from the first anchor.
12. A wearable pack according to any one of claims I to lOin which the shelter is arranged in the shelter storage compartment such that the second anchor is accessible through the aperture, and after anchoring the second anchor, the wearable pack is arranged in operation to deploy the shelter by pulling the first anchor away from the second anchor.
13. A wearable pack according to any one of the preceding claims, in which at least one of the first and second anchors comprises: a body portion for insertion into the ground; and a transparent dome-shaped head portion comprising a light source.
14. The wearable pack of claim 13, in which the transparent dome-shaped head portion is between 2 and 5 cm in diameter.
15. The wearable pack of claim 13 or claim 14, in which the transparent dome-shaped head portion is removable from the body portion.
16. The wearable pack of daim 15, in which the shelter comprises at least a first receptacle for the transparent dome-shaped head portion to be affixed to.
17. A wearable pack according to any one of claim 13 to 16, in which the light source is operable to flash according to a predetermined sequence.
18. A wearable pack substantially as described herein with reference to the accompanying drawings.Amendments to the claims have been filed as followsCLAIMS1. A wearable pack, comprising: a shelter storage compartment for storing a shelter, the compartment comprising an aperture; a shelter, comprising a first anchor at a first end and a second anchor at a second end, the second end being secured to the wearable pack whilst allowing the erectable part of the shelter to be sufficiently removed from the compartment for use; and in which the shelter is arranged in the shelter storage compartment such that at least the first anchor is accessible through the aperture, and after anchoring one anchor to the ground the wearable pack is arranged in operation to deploy the shelter by pulling the other anchor away from the anchored anchor; and the shelter comprises an aperture through which the bag can pass, such that the bag can be placed inside the shelter whilst still secured to the second end.___ 2. The wearable pack of claim 1, in which the shelter storage compartment is incorporated into a back-panel of the wearable pack that in use rests against a user's back.3. The wearable pack of claim I or claim 2, comprising a payload compartment of larger 0') volume than the shelter storage compartment.4. A wearable pack according to any one of the preceding claims, in which the shelter comprises a first support that, in storage within the shelter storage compartment, is arranged as a support structure fbr the wearable pack.5. A wearable pack according to any one of the preceding claims, in which the shelter comprises a second support that is inflatable.6. The wearable pack of claim 5, in which the second support is at least partially inflatable by a pressurised gas canister stored with the shelter.7. A wearable pack according to claim 5 or cLaim 6, in which the second support is at least partially inflatable by a manual pump.8. The wearable pack of claim 7, in which the second support can be partially inflated whilst stored in the shelter storage compartment to provide padding for a wearer's back.9. A wearabLe pack according to any one of the preceding claims, in which the shelter comprises an inflatable base.10. A wearable pack according to any one of the preceding claims in which, after anchoring the first anchor, the wearable pack is arranged in operation to deploy the shelter by being pulled away from the first anchor.11. A wearable pack according to any one of claims 1 to 9 in which the shelter is arranged in the shelter storage compartment such that the second anchor is accessible through the aperture, and after anchoring the second anchor, the wearable pack is arranged in operation to deploy the shelter by pulling the first anchor away from the second anchor.o,15 12. A wearable pack according to any onc of the preccding claims, in which at least one of the first and second anchors comprises: a body portion fbr insertion into the gmund and 0) a transparent dome-shaped head portion comprising a light source.13. The wearable pack of claim 12, in which the transparent dome-shaped head portion is between 2 and 5 cm in diameter.14. The wearable pack of claim 12 or claim 13, in wtich the transparent dome-shaped head portion is removable from the body portion.15. The wearable pack of claim 14, in which the shelter comprises at least a first receptacle fix the transparent dome-shaped head portion to be affixed to.16. A wearable pack according to any one of claim 12 to 15, in which the light source is operable to flash according to a predetermined sequence.17. A wearable pack substantially as described herein with reference to the accompanying drawings.