Universal inflatable stabilized enclosure
OwnerJ. Parr Wiegelinventor
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An inflatable tent assembly cooperatively engages a bed of a pickup truck and includes a plurality of pneumatically separate zones that are sequentially inflated by a pump. The inflatable tent assembly includes a main cabin having inflatable side walls. The side walls are inflatable to transition from a collapsed configuration to a rigid and self-supporting inflated configuration. The inflatable tent assembly is constructed of a drop stitch material and is free standing independent of external structural support.
Claims20
A road-worthy inflatable tent assembly movable between a collapsed configuration and an inflated configuration and configured to be mounted to a vehicle, the road-worthy inflatable tent assembly comprising:
- (a) an inflatable mattress;
- (b) an inflatable first side wall connected to the mattress;
- (c) an inflatable second side wall connected to the mattress;
- (d) an inflatable first end wall connected to the inflatable first side wall;
- and
- (e) an inflatable roof connected to at least one of the inflatable first side wall and the inflatable second side wall,
- (f) at least one aperture defined within one of more of the inflatable first side wall, the inflatable second side wall, and the inflatable first end wall;
- and
- (g) a corresponding fitting secured in the at least one aperture.
The road-worthy inflatable tent assembly of claim 8, wherein the other of the first side wall and the second side wall, in the inflated configuration, defines a second eave portion projecting outwardly from an adjacent lower side wall portion of the other respective side wall.
The road-worthy inflatable tent assembly of claim 9, wherein a first step portion extends between the adjacent lower side wall portion of the at least one of the first side wall and the second side wall and the first eave portion, and wherein a second step portion extends between the adjacent lower side wall portion of the other of the at least one of the first side wall and the second side wall and the second eave portion, wherein the first step portion and the second step portion lie on a horizontal plane parallel to the floor.
A method for inflating a road-worthy inflatable tent assembly from a collapsed configuration and an inflated configuration wherein the road-worthy inflatable tent assembly is configured to be mounted on a truck having a passenger cab and a bed defined by a bed wall, the method comprising:
- a) providing the road-worthy inflatable tent assembly wherein the road-worthy inflatable tent assembly comprises:
- (i) an inflatable mattress configured to sit upon the bed when the road-worthy inflatable tent assembly is in the inflated configuration;
- (ii) an inflatable first side wall connected to the mattress;
- (iii) an inflatable second side wall connected to the mattress;
- (iv) an inflatable first end wall connected to the inflatable first side wall;
- and
- (v) an inflatable roof connected to at least one of the inflatable first side wall and the inflatable second side wall,
- wherein each of the first side wall, the second side wall, the end wall, and the roof are formed as load bearing isolated pneumatic zones configured to maintain inflated structural rigidity while the vehicle is being driven;
- b) inflating each of the first side wall, the second side wall, the end wall, the mattress, and the roof;
- c) loading the road-worthy inflatable tent assembly on the bed of the truck;
- d) positioning the first end wall against the bed wall adjacent to the passenger cab;
- e) securing the road-worthy inflatable tent assembly to the truck.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.