AUTOMATIC FOLDING TENT

Technical Field

[1] The present invention relates to an automatic folding tent, and more particularly, to an automatic folding tent in which a structure for folding the tent using the elasticity of a torsion spring is installed above a support pole for supporting the tent in order to facilitate the installation and dismantling of the tent. Background Art

[2] In general, as economy is flourishing, more people are enjoying their spare time.

Outdoor activities, such as camping and fishing, are one of the most popular things that people do in their free time. Also, a tent within which a user has a sleep or avoids the sunlight may be taken as a universal example of an instrument used for the outdoor activities.

[3] Most of conventional tents have hand-operated structures. That is, a tent-cloth is hanged on a support pole and spread in a certain shape. However, this manual tent, which is unfolded in a certain shape by hanging the tent-cloth on the support pole, is too structurally difficult for beginners or skilled hands to install and dismantle. Thus, an automatic folding tent is developed to overcome the difficulties of installation and dismantling of the manual tent. An example of a conventional automatic folding tent will now be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2.

[4] FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of an automatic-umbrella-type frame structure of a conventional automatic folding tent, and FIG. 2 is a cross sectional view showing an unfolded state of the conventional automatic folding tent shown in FlG. 1.

[5] Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, the automatic-umbrella-type frame structure of the conventional automatic folding tent 10 includes a coupling member 20, a stopper 30, an elevation member 40, a compression spring 50, and a tent support pole 60. The coupling member 20 includes an upper hinge coupler 22 to which a plurality of upper support poles 12 are radially hinge-jointed, a lower coupling hole 24 through which a coupling string 14a disposed on an upper end of a tent-cloth 14 is suspended, and a cylindrical elevation guide member 26 interposed between the hinge coupler 22 and the coupling hole 24, which integrally combine with one another. The stopper 30 is spirally combined with a lower part of the coupling member 20. The elevation member 40 includes a radial hinge-jointer 42 and is combined with an outer circumferential surface of the elevation guide member 26 of the coupling member 20 and slides up and down. The compression spring 50 combines with the elevation guide member 26 between the elevation member 40 and the hinge-jointer 22 and keeps the elevation

member 40 moving downward. The tent support pole 60 has one end, which is hinge- jointed to a fixing member 12a that is fixedly combined with a portion of each of the upper support poles 12, and the other end, which is hinge-jointed to the hinge-jointer 42 of the elevation member 40. Thus, when the tent 10 is unfolded, the tent support pole 60 is supported by the elevation member 40 and applies power to the upper support pole 12 so that it can keep the tent 10 unfolded.

[6] Hereinafter, the installation and dismantling of the conventional automatic folding tent 10 having the above-described structure will be described.

[7] At the outset, when trying to unfold the completely folded tent 10, a user will carry out the following operations. While a lower coupling pole is being rotated around the upper support pole 12 and unfolded, the user grasps an upper part of the coupling member 20 and pushes the elevation member 40 slightly downward, thus the elevation member 40 is completely pushed out downward at a certain point due to the restitutive force of the compression spring 50. In this case, while being pushed downward due to the restitutive force of the compression spring 50, the elevation member 40 pushes the tent support pole 60 such that the plurality of upper support poles 12 spread out. Also, when the tent 10 remains unfolded, once the user pushes the elevation member 40 downward with artificial force, the elevation member 40 slides more downward than a predetermined level due to the artificial force and the restitutive force of the compression spring 50. In this case, as an outer lateral end of the tent support pole 60 is inclined in a higher position than an inner lateral end thereof, the frame structure is locked so that the tent 10 can remain unfolded regardless of external shock.

[8] Next, during the dismantling of the unfolded tent 10, the user moves the elevation member 40 upward such that the inner lateral end of the elevation member 40 is in a higher position than the outer lateral end thereof. In this state, the user grasps a lower part of the upper support pole 12 disposed in a diagonal direction and folds the upper support pole 12 downward. As a result, all the upper support poles 12 are folded. In this case, the elevation member 40 overcomes the elasticity of the compression spring 50 because of the folding force of the user and slides upward, thus the compression spring 50 is compressed. In this state, the lower coupling pole is rotated upward so that the dismantling of the tent 10 is finished.

[9] However, during the installation of the forgoing conventional automatic folding tent

10, the user must artificially push the elevation member 40 downward to keep the frame unfolded. In this case, it is very hard to install a tall tent.

[10] Also, during the dismantling of the tent 10, the user must fold the tent 10 while moving the elevation member 40 upward until the inner lateral end of the elevation member 40 is located higher than the outer lateral end thereof. Therefore, it is also troublesome for the user to apply artificial force.

[11] Furthermore, in the foregoing conventional automatic folding tent 10, since the automatic-umbrella-type frame is constructed under the upper support pole 12, the tent-cloth 14 becomes as low as the coupling member 20 with the result that an inner space of the tent 10 becomes narrow as much as that. Disclosure of Invention Technical Solution

[12] The present invention provides an automatic folding tent in which a frame for automatically folding the tent is installed in the top center of the tent so that an upper support pole of the tent can be unfolded only with the elasticity of a torsion spring. Therefore, a user can easily fold and unfold the tent without any additional operations during the installation and dismantling of the tent.

[13] According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided an automatic folding tent including an automatic folding member disposed in the top center of the tent and for fixing the tent; a plurality of upper support poles hinge-jointed to a lower end of the automatic folding member and radially unfolded; a plurality of lower support poles hinge-jointed to the upper support poles, respectively, and having a variable length; and a tent member fixedly coupled to the upper and lower support poles and forming an outward appearance. Herein, the automatic folding member includes an upper coupling member disposed at the top of the tent and having a plurality of upper hinge grooves that are concavely made in a radial outer circumferential surface thereof; a hinge bracket fixedly attached to each of the upper support poles a predetermined distance apart from the tip of each of the upper support poles and having a pole hinge groove that is concavely made at an upper part thereof; a plurality of torsion members, each having an upper end pivotably hinge-jointed to the upper hinge groove and a lower end pivotably hinge-jointed to the pole hinge groove, the torsion members having elasticity to rotate the upper support poles; an elevation guide member extending from a bottom center of the upper coupling member in a vertical direction and providing an elevation surface; an elevation member combined with the elevation guide member along an outer circumferential surface of the elevation guide member and capable of moving up and down, the elevation member having a plurality of lower hinge grooves that are concavely made in an outer circumferential surface thereof to hinge-joint upper ends of the upper support poles to the lower hinge grooves, respectively; and a stopper fixedly combined with a lower end of the elevation guide member and allowing the descent of the elevation member within a limited range.

[14] In one embodiment, each of the torsion members may include a torsion bar having an upper end hinge-jointed to the upper hinge groove and formed of a metal with

elasticity; and a torsion spring pivotably hinge-jointed to the pole hinge groove and having an upper end integrally coupled to the torsion bar and a lower end fixedly inserted in a fixing groove made on the upper support pole.

[15] In another embodiment, each of the torsion members may include a support bar having an upper end hinge-jointed to the upper hinge groove and a lower end pivotably hinge-jointed to the pole hinge groove, the support bar having a U shape and a concave inner lateral surface; and a torsion spring hinge-jointed to the pole hinge groove along with the support bar, the torsion spring having one end fixedly inserted in a fixing groove made on the upper support pole and the other end fixed to an inner lateral surface of the support bar.

[16] Each of the lower support poles may include a large-diameter pole pivotably hinge- jointed to a lower end of the upper support pole; a small-diameter pole drawn out as an antenna type from the large-diameter pole; and a pole coupling member attached to a lower end of the large-diameter pole and for guiding the small-diameter pole into the large-diameter pole.

[17] In order to prevent the rotation of the small-diameter pole during the withdrawal of the small-diameter pole from the large-diameter pole, each of the lower support poles may further include a fixing protrusion piece convexly formed on both sides of the large-diameter pole in a lengthwise direction; a guide rail concavely formed on both sides of the small-diameter pole in a lengthwise direction; a pair of mounting grooves in which the fixing protrusion piece is inserted, the mounting grooves concavely formed on both sides on the upper inner lateral surface of the pole coupling member; and a pair of guide projections convexly formed on both sides on the lower inner lateral surface of the pole coupling member and inserted in the guide rail of the small- diameter pole.

[ 18] Each of the lower support poles may further include an upper knob groove formed through one side of an outer circumferential surface of the large-diameter pole; a lower knob groove formed through one side of the outer circumferential surface of the small- diameter pole and corresponding to the upper knob groove; a knob elastically protruding outward through the upper and lower knob grooves; and a knob spring installed inside the small-diameter pole and elastically supporting the knob.

[19] Each of the lower support poles may further include a pole cap having a lower part inserted into the upper end of the small-diameter pole and an upper part made to a larger diameter than an outside diameter of the small-diameter pole. The pole cap may have a cap groove, which is concavely formed on both sides of an outer circumferential surface thereof and corresponds to an inner protrusion piece of the small- diameter pole. Also, the pole cap may be formed of a synthetic resin to prevent noise caused by friction between the small-diameter pole and the large-diameter pole. Here,

each of the lower support poles may further include a knob fixing groove vertically formed through the pole cap such that a bent tip of a lower end of the knob spring is fixedly inserted into the knob fixing groove; and a knob guide groove concavely formed in a bottom surface of the pole cap to guide the lower end of the knob spring to the knob fixing groove. Brief Description of the Drawings

[20] FlG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a frame structure of a conventional automatic folding tent;

[21] FlG. 2 is a cross sectional view of a conventional automatic folding tent;

[22] FIGS. 3 through 5 are perspective views of an automatic folding member according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

[23] FIGS. 6 and 7 are perspective views of an automatic folding member according to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

[24] FlG. 8 is an exploded view illustrating the dismantling of an automatic folding tent according to the present invention;

[25] FlG. 9 is a combined perspective view of a lower support pole of the automatic folding tent according to the present invention;

[26] FlG. 10 is an exploded perspective view of the lower support pole shown in FlG. 9;

[27] FlG. 11 is a lateral cross sectional view of the lower support pole shown in FlG. 9; and

[28] FlG. 12 is a cross sectional view taken along a line A-A of FlG. 9.

Best Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[29] An automatic folding tent according to the present invention will now be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which exemplary embodiments of the invention are shown.

[30] FIGS. 3 through 5 are perspective views of an automatic folding member according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. Specifically, FlG. 3 is a perspective view showing an unfolded state of the automatic folding member, FlG. 4 is a perspective view showing a folded state of the automatic folding member, and FlG. 5 is an exploded perspective view of the automatic folding member.

[31] Meanwhile, an automatic folding tent according to the present invention includes an automatic member 100, a plurality of upper support poles 300, a plurality of lower support poles 400, and a tent member 500. The automatic folding member 100 is disposed in the top center of the tent and fixes the tent with the elasticity of a torsion spring. The upper support poles 300 are hinge-jointed to a lower end of the automatic folding member 100 and radially unfolded. The lower support poles 400 are hinge- jointed to the upper support poles 300, respectively, and have a variable length. The

tent member 500 is fixedly coupled to the upper and lower support poles 300 and 400 and forms an outward appearance.

[32] As shown in FIGS. 3 through 5, the automatic folding member 100 of the present embodiment is installed on the radial central axis of the upper support pole 300 to control the installation and dismantling of the tent. The automatic folding member 100 includes an upper coupling member 130, a plurality of torsion members 120, a hinge bracket 110, an elevation guide member 140, an elevation member 150, and a stopper 160. The upper coupling member 130 is disposed at the top of the tent. The torsion members 120 are radially hinge-jointed to the upper coupling member 130. The hinge bracket 110 is fixedly attached to each of the upper support poles 300 a predetermined distance apart from the tip of each of the upper support poles 300 and hinge-jointed to a lower end of each of the torsion members 120. The elevation guide member 140 extends from a bottom center of the upper coupling member 130 in a vertical direction and provides an elevation surface. The elevation member 150 is combined with the elevation guide member 140 along an outer circumferential surface of the elevation guide member 140 such that it can move up and down. The stopper 160 is fixedly combined with a lower end of the elevation guide member 140 and allows the descent of the elevation member 150 within a limited range.

[33] Meanwhile, a plurality of upper hinge grooves 132 are concavely made in a radial outer circumferential surface of the upper coupling member 130 disposed at the top of the tent. Thus, upper ends of the torsion members 120 are pivotably hinge-jointed to the upper hinge grooves 132, respectively.

[34] In addition, each of the torsion members 120 includes a torsion spring 122, which generates tension to support the upper and lower support poles 300 and 400 of the tent. An upper end of the torsion spring 122 is pivotably hinge-jointed to the upper hinge groove 132, and a lower end thereof is pivotably hinge-jointed to a pole hinge groove 112 of the hinge bracket 110 that will be described later. That is, in the automatic folding member 100 according to the present invention, the torsion member 120 including the torsion spring 122 that has both ends hinge-jointed to the upper coupling member 130 and the hinge bracket 110 and has a restitutive force that varies with length or angle is included in the scope of the present invention irrespective of the shape or additional components of the torsion spring 122.

[35] Meanwhile, as shown in FlG. 5, each of the torsion members 120 of the present embodiment includes the torsion spring 122 and a torsion bar 125. The torsion spring 122 is hinge-jointed to the pole hinge groove 112 and generates elasticity. A lower end of the torsion bar 125 integrally extends from the torsion spring 122 and an upper end thereof is hinge-jointed to the upper hinge groove 132. Here, an additional torsion spring 122 may be hinge-jointed to the upper hinge groove 132. In this case, the

torsion springs 122 are hinge-jointed to the upper hinge groove 132 and the pole hinge groove 112, respectively, at both ends of the torsion bar 125. Also, the torsion bar 122 may be formed of a metal with elasticity.

[36] The torsion spring 122, which is combined with the pole hinge groove 112, has one end 123, which is vertically bent downward such that it is inserted in a fixing groove 310 made at an upper part of the upper support pole 300, and the other end, which forms the torsion bar 125. Thus, an upper end of the upper support pole 300 is rotated downward around the hinge bracket 110 due to the elasticity of the torsion spring 122 so that the tent can be unfolded.

[37] A rotation coupling member 128 having a central hinge hole is fixedly inserted into the torsion spring 122 that is pivotably hinge-jointed to the pole hinge groove 112 of the hinge bracket 110, and a hinge pin 129 is disposed through the hinge hole. This construction facilitates the rotation of the torsion spring 122 and prevents the mobility of the torsion bar 125. Here, the rotation coupling member 128 and the hinge pin 129 may be installed also at an upper end of the torsion bar 125 (i.e., in the upper hinge groove 132 of the upper coupling member 130).

[38] The pole hinge groove 112 is concavely formed at an upper part of the hinge bracket 110 that is fixedly attached to the upper support pole 300 the predetermined distance apart from the end of the supper support pole 300, and a lower end of the torsion member 120 is pivotably hinge-jointed to the pole hinge groove 112. In the present embodiment, the torsion spring 122 is hinge-jointed to the pole hinge groove 112.

[39] The elevation guide member 140 guides the elevation member 150 up and down so that the elevation member 150 can ascend and descend. The elevation guide member 140 has a cylindrical shape with a predetermined length and is fixedly combined with a bottom center of the upper coupling member 130 in a vertical direction. However, the elevation guide member 140 is not limited to the cylindrical shape but may have any shape that can be combined with an inner lateral surface of the elevation member 150.

[40] The elevation member 150 includes a central elevation combination hole 154 through which the elevation guide member 140 is disposed. Thus, the elevation member 140 slides up and down along the elevation guide member 140 through the elevation combination member 154. Meanwhile, a plurality of concave lower hinge grooves 152 are radially formed in an outer circumferential surface of the elevation member 150, and upper ends of the upper support poles 300 are pivotably hinge- jointed to the lower hinge grooves 152, respectively. Here, because the upper support poles 300 are equal in number to the torsion members 120, the lower hinge grooves 152 of the elevation member 150 are provided in a number equal to the number of the upper hinge grooves 132 of the upper coupling member 130 and in the same direction

as the upper hinge grooves 132.

[41] In order to prevent the elevation member 150 from deviating from the elevation guide member 140, the stopper 160 is installed at a lower end of the elevation guide member 140. The stopper 160 is fixed combined with the lower end of the elevation guide member 140 allows the descent of the elevation member 150 only within a limited range. In this case, a loop 162 for fixing the top of the tent member 500 may be formed a bottom surface of the stopper 160.

[42] FIGS. 6 and 7 are perspective views of an automatic folding member according to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention. Specifically, FlG. 6 is a perspective view showing an unfolded state of the automatic folding member, and FIG. 7 is an exploded perspective view of the automatic folding member.

[43] Meanwhile, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, like the automatic folding member 100 of the previous embodiment, an automatic folding member 200 of the present embodiment is also installed on the radial central axis of an upper support pole 300 to control the installation and dismantling of the tent. The automatic folding member 200 includes an upper coupling member 230, a plurality of torsion members 220, a hinge bracket 210, an elevation guide member 240, an elevation member 250, and a stopper 260. The upper coupling member 230 is disposed at the top of the tent. The torsion members 220 are radially hinge-jointed to the upper coupling member 230. The hinge bracket 210 is fixedly attached to each of the upper support poles 300 a predetermined distance apart from the tip of each of the upper support poles 300 and hinge-jointed to a lower end of each of the torsion members 220. The elevation guide member 240 extends from a bottom center of the upper coupling member 230 in a vertical direction and provides an elevation surface. The elevation member 250 is combined with the elevation guide member 240 along an outer circumferential surface of the elevation guide member 240 such that it can move up and down. The stopper 260 is fixedly combined with a lower end of the elevation guide member 240 and allows the descent of the elevation member 250 within a limited range.

[44] The automatic folding member 200 of the present embodiment is structurally the same as the automatic folding member 100 of the previous embodiment except for the construction of the torsion member 220.

[45] Referring to FTG. 7, the torsion member 220 of the present embodiment includes a torsion spring 222 and a U-shaped support bar 225. The torsion spring 222 is hinge- jointed to a pole hinge groove 212 and generates elasticity. The U-shaped support bar 225 has a concave inner lateral surface such that the torsion spring 222 is embedded therein. Here, a lower end of the support bar 225 is pivotably hinge-jointed to the pole hinge groove 212 along with the torsion spring 222, and an upper end thereof is hinge- jointed to an upper hinge groove 232 of the upper coupling member 230.

[46] Also, the torsion spring 222, which is combined with the pole hinge groove 212, has one end 223, which is fixedly inserted in a fixing groove 310 made at an upper part of the upper support pole 300, and the other end 224, which is fixed into the support bar 225. In this case, the other end 224 of the torsion spring 222 may be hinge-jointed to the upper hinge groove 232 along with the upper end of the support bar 225. In other words, as the torsion spring 224 is structured such that one end 223 is supported by the upper support pole 300 and the other end 224 is supported by the support bar 225, the tent remains unfolded due to the restitutive force of the torsion spring 222.

[47] A rotation coupling member 228 having a central hinge hole is fixedly inserted into the torsion spring 222 that is pivotably hinge-jointed to the pole hinge groove 212 of the hinge bracket 210, and a hinge pin 229 is disposed through the hinge hole. This construction facilitates the rotation of the torsion spring 222.

[48] The automatic folding member 200 of the present embodiment is structurally the same as the automatic folding member 100 of the previous embodiment except for the construction of the torsion member 220, thus a detailed description thereof will be omitted here.

[49] Hereinafter, the installation and dismantling of the above-described automatic folding member 100 or 200 will be described.

[50] FlG. 8 is an exploded view illustrating the installation of an automatic folding tent according to the present invention.

[51] Referring to FIG. 8, when the ten is folded, each of the upper support poles 300 rotates inward, thus each of the torsion members 120 or 220, which is hinge-jointed to the upper support pole 300, also rotates inward and the elevation member 150 or 250 ascends along the elevation guide member 140 or 240. Also, the lower support pole 400 rotates around the upper support pole 300, which is hinge-jointed to the lower support pole 400, and is folded. Therefore, when the tent is folded, the upper end of the upper support pole 300 is brought into contact with the torsion member 120 or 220, so that the torsion spring 122 or 222, which is hinge-jointed to the upper end of the upper support pole 300, can be compressed due to its elasticity.

[52] In installing the folded tent, initially, the lower support pole 400 is rotated downward from the upper support pole 300 and unfolded, and then the upper support pole 300 is rotated upward and unfolded. Thus, elasticity caused by the restitutive force of the compressed torsion spring 122 or 222 acts on the elevation member 150 or 250 at a certain point in time, so that the elevation member 150 or 250 descends along the elevation guide member 140 or 240. Once the elevation member 150 or 250 descends due to the restitutive force of the torsion spring 122 or 222, the upper end (i.e., a radial center) of the upper support pole 300 is rotated downward, whereas the lower end thereof is rotated upward, thus the upper support pole 300 is unfolded. In

other words, since the action of levers occurs around the hinge bracket 110 or 210 to which the lower end of the torsion member 120 or 220 is hinge-jointed, one side of the upper support pole 300 descends and the other side thereof ascends, so that the upper support pole 300 can automatically spread.

[53] Once the elevation member 150 or 250 slides down to a certain extent owing to the restitutive force of the torsion spring 122 or 222, the descent of the elevation member 150 or 250 is restricted by the stopper 160 or 260 such that the automatic folding member 100 or 200 remains unfolded. The unfolded automatic folding member 100 or 200 remains unfolded regardless of external force as long as the torsion spring 122 or 222 is not compressed.

[54] When a user tries to fold and dismantle the unfolded tent, he or she grasps two upper support poles 300 disposed in a diagonal direction and folds them using force enough to overcome the restitutive force of the torsion spring 122 or 222. Then, the elevation member 150 or 250 moves upward and the upper support poles 300 are folded. In this case, as the action of levers occurs around the hinge bracket 110 or 210 to which the lower end of the torsion bracket 120 or 220 is hinge-jointed, the outer lateral end of upper support pole 300 is rotated downward. As a result, the upper end of the upper support pole 300 is rotated upward, thus making the elevation member 150 or 250 move upward. After that, the lower support pole 400 is rotated with respect to the upper support pole 300 and folded, so that the tent remains folded even if the restitutive force of the torsion spring 122 or 222 acts on the tent.

[55] Hereinafter, the lower support pole 400 of the automatic folding tent according to the present invention will be described in detail.

[56] FlG. 9 is a combined perspective view of the lower support pole of the automatic folding tent according to the present invention, FlG. 10 is an exploded perspective view of the lower support pole shown in FIG. 9, FlG. 11 is a lateral cross sectional view of the lower support pole shown in FIG. 9, and FlG. 12 is a cross sectional view taken along a line A-A of FlG. 9.

[57] Meanwhile, as shown in FIGS. 9 through 12, the lower support pole 400 of the automatic folding tent according to the present invention includes a large-diameter pole 420, a small-diameter pole 440, and a pole coupling member 460 such that the length of the lower support pole 400 is variable during the installation and dismantling of the automatic folding tent. The large-diameter pole 420 is pivotably hinge-jointed to the lower end of the upper support pole 300, and the small-diameter pole 440 is drawn out as an antenna type from the large-diameter pole 420. The pole coupling member 460, which has a predetermined length, connects the large-diameter pole 420 and the small-diameter pole 440. Here, a fixing protrusion piece 422 is convexly formed on both sides of the large-diameter pole 420 in a lengthwise direction, and a guide rail 442

is concavely formed on both sides of the small-diameter pole 440 in a lengthwise direction.

[58] Also, a lower end of the large-diameter pole 420 is in contact with an upper inner lateral surface of the pole coupling member 460, and an upper end of the small- diameter pole 440 is in contact with a lower inner lateral surface of the pole coupling member 460. In this case, a pair of mounting grooves 462 in which the fixing protrusion piece 422 of the large-diameter pole 420 is inserted are concavely formed on both sides on the upper inner lateral surface of the pole coupling member 460. Also, a pair of guide projections 464 are convexly formed on both sides on the lower inner lateral surface of the pole coupling member 460 and inserted in the guide rail 442 of the small-diameter pole 440. Here, the mounting grooves 462 and the guide projections 464, which are formed on the inner lateral surface of the pole coupling member 460, are formed in a line. Thus, the rotation of the withdrawn small-diameter pole 440 is prevented so that the small-diameter pole 440 is withdrawn only in a straight line.

[59] Meanwhile, since the upper inner lateral surface of the pole coupling member 460 is larger in inside diameter than the lower inner lateral surface thereof, the large-diameter pole 420 does not pass through the pole coupling member 460 but is inserted only in the middle of the pole coupling member 460. However, the small-diameter pole 440 needs to pass through the pole coupling member 460 and be inserted in the large- diameter pole 420. Accordingly, the fixing protrusion piece 422 may be formed at the lower end of the large-diameter pole 420 to a length corresponding to the mounting grooves 462 of the pole coupling member 460. However, the guide rail 442 may be formed to such a sufficient length that the small-diameter pole 440 is completely inserted into the large-diameter pole 420.

[60] In this pole coupling member 460, when the pole coupling member 460 is combined with the lower end of the large-diameter pole 420, the fixing protrusion piece 422 of the large-diameter pole 420 is mounted on the mounting grooves 462 so that the rotation of the pole coupling member 460 is prevented. In addition, the guide projections 464 formed on both sides on the lower inner lateral surface of the pole coupling member 460 are slidably combined with the guide rail 442 formed on both sides of an outer circumferential surface of the small-diameter pole 440, thus the rotation of the small-diameter pole 440 is prevented. Accordingly, the small-diameter pole 440 is not rotated but drawn out only in the straight line.

[61] Meanwhile, the lower support pole 440 of the automatic folding tent according to the present invention further includes an upper knob groove 424, a lower knob groove 444, a knob 490, and a knob spring 480 in order to keep the small-diameter pole 440 withdrawn from the large-diameter pole 420. The upper knob groove 424 is formed through one side of an outer circumferential surface of the large-diameter pole 420,

and the lower knob groove 444 is formed through one side of the outer circumferential surface of the small-diameter pole 440 such that it corresponds to the upper knob groove 424 of the large-diameter pole 420. Also, the knob 490 and the knob spring 480 are installed inside the small-diameter pole 440. The knob 490 elastically protrudes outward from the small-diameter pole 440 and the large-diameter pole 420 through the upper and lower knob grooves 424 and 444, and the knob spring 480 elastically supports the knob 490.

[62] For the lower support pole 400 with the above-described construction, a process of keeping the small-diameter pole 440 withdrawn and a process of canceling the withdrawal of the small-diameter pole 440 will now be described.

[63] When the small-diameter pole 440 is inserted into the large-diameter pole 420, the knob 490 remains elastically compressed by the inner lateral surface of the large- diameter pole 420 in the lower knob groove 444 of the small-diameter pole 440. In this state, while the small-diameter pole 440 is being withdrawn from the large-diameter pole 420, once the knob 490 reaches the upper knob groove 424 of the large-diameter pole 420, the knob 490 compressed by the large-diameter pole 420 passes through the upper knob groove 424 of the large-diameter pole 420 and the lower knob groove 444 of the small-diameter pole 440 and protrudes outward from the lower support pole 400 owing to the elasticity of the knob spring 480, so that the small-diameter pole 440 can keep withdrawn. Meanwhile, to cancel the withdrawal of the small-diameter pole 440, a user can push the small-diameter pole 440 into the large-diameter pole 420 while artificially pushing the outwardly protruding knob 490 through the knob grooves 424 and 444. In this case, the user has only to push the small-diameter pole 440 to some extent to make the knob 490 elastically protrude through the upper knob groove 424 of the large-diameter pole 420. Thus, the rotation of the small-diameter pole 440 can be prevented by the help of the above-described construction.

[64] Furthermore, the lower support pole 400 of the automatic folding tent according to the present invention may further include a pole cap 470 in order to prevent noise during the withdrawal of the small-diameter pole 440 from the large-diameter pole 420. Specifically, when the outer surface of the small-diameter pole 440 is directly in contact with the inner surface of the large-diameter pole 420 and both the small- and large-diameter poles 440 and 420 are formed of metals, friction between the small- and large-diameter poles 440 and 420 makes a noise.

[65] Therefore, in order to prevent noise caused by friction between the small- and large- diameter poles 440 and 420, the lower support pole 400 of the present invention further includes the pole cap 470, which is inserted into the upper end of the small-diameter pole 440 and formed of a synthetic resin. Here, a lower part of the pole cap 470 is inserted into the upper end of the small-diameter pole 440, while an upper part thereof

is made to a larger diameter than an outside diameter of the small-diameter pole 440. Accordingly, when the pole cap 470 is inserted into the upper end of the small- diameter pole 440, the upper part of the synthetic-resin pole cap 470 with a relatively large diameter is in contact with the inner surface of the large-diameter pole 420, and the metal small-diameter pole 440 with a relatively small diameter is out of contact with the inner surface of the large-diameter pole 420. As a result, noise is prevented. Further, the pole coupling member 460 also may be formed of a synthetic resin in order to prevent noise caused by friction between the pole coupling member 460 and the small-diameter pole 440.

[66] In the meantime, since an inner protrusion piece corresponding to the guide rail 442 is convexly formed on an inner lateral surface of the small-diameter pole 440, a cap groove 472 may be concavely formed on both sides of an outer circumferential surface of the pole cap 470 such that it corresponds to the inner protrusion piece of the small- diameter pole 440. Accordingly, when the pole cap 470 is inserted into the upper end of the small-diameter pole 440, it is not rotated at random but precisely inserted into the small-diameter pole 440.

[67] Also, if the knob spring 480 rotates at random inside the small-diameter pole 440 and slightly deviates from the lower knob groove 444, when the small-diameter pole 440 is drawn out from the large-diameter pole 420, the knob 490 may not elastically protrude outward from the upper knob groove 424 of the large-diameter pole 420. Therefore, the lower support pole 400 of the present invention may further include a unit for fixing the knob 490 and the knob spring 480 into the small-diameter pole 440 to prevent the rotation of the knob 490 and the knob spring 480.

[68] In order to prevent the knob 490 and the knob spring 480 from rotating at random, a lower end of the knob spring 480 of the lower support pole 400 may extend to a predetermined length, and the tip of the lower end of the knob spring 480 is vertically bent upward. In this case, the knob 490 is fixedly attached to an upper end of the knob spring 480. Also, a knob fixing groove 474 is vertically formed through the pole cap 470, and the bent tip of the lower end of the knob spring 480 is fixedly inserted into the knob fixing groove 474. By inserting the bent tip of the lower end of the knob spring 480 into the knob fixing groove 474, the knob spring 480 is not rotated at random but fixed at a precise position. Also, a knob guide groove 476 may be concavely formed in a bottom surface of the pole cap 470 from the knob fixing groove 474 to an inner end of the pole cap 470 in order to precisely guide the lower end of the knob spring 480 to the knob fixing groove 474 of the pole cap 470.

[69] Although the present invention has been described with reference to certain exemplary embodiments thereof, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that a variety of modifications and variations may be made to the present invention without

departing from the spirit or scope of the present invention defined in the appended claims, and their equivalents. Industrial Applicability

[70] According to the present invention, an automatic folding tent can be easily installed and dismantled using the elasticity of a torsion member. Also, the installed tent can be conveniently employed without any additional fixing unit. [71] Further, since the length of a lower support pole of the automatic folding tent is variable, the tent can be fabricated to a sufficient height and dismantled to a small volume. Therefore, it is easy to keep and transfer the tent.