Lightweight shelters have been constructed in the past using sets of hoops radiating from a central position on each side of the shelter to support a canopy. The hoops may be mounted on hinges at the centre so that the shelter may be opened by lifting one end. One difficulty with a shelter of this sort is the base on which the hoops are mounted. While it has been proposed to use base hinges so that the hoops can pivot for opening and closing the shelter, the prior art hinges provide only limited movement because of interference of the hoops with one another. In some cases, this can be dealt with by making the hoops of different sizes to nest together, but this requires several different sizes of hoops. Manufacturing costs and complexity of assembly are consequently inceased.
The present invention proposes a hinge construction and a shelter that mitigate these problems.
USPTO Backgrounds
USPTO Backgrounds