OT: Alabama receives patent for popup sideline medical tent

Submitted by ghostofhoke on
I guess it’s a good exercise for college kids to go through the process of getting a patent and it was definitely their innovation so on some level it would be silly not to protect it but what’s the market? 100 something college football teams and 32 NFL teams at most? I thought the best part was it took 4 mechanical engineering students to create a popup tent. I wonder if Da’Shawn Hand got to work on the project. https://www.saturdaydownsouth.com/alabama-football/alabama-receives-pat…

LSAClassOf2000

February 13th, 2018 at 10:15 AM ^

I thought about this when I was reading it - there might be some interesting variations on the concpet now, but of course, some team somewhere will probably overreact and try out some tiny Coleman tent with hilariously bad results. 

As for the article, I think there's probably a surprisingly large market for this, especially now that we see games at lower levels of competition becoming a little more sophisticated in their setup. 

1VaBlue1

February 12th, 2018 at 11:02 PM ^

I looked at it.  I don't get what had to be patented.  I mean, there are dozens of popup tents, from ~$100-250, that come with side curtains.  Not sure why something with sides permanently fixed on had to be created...

But hey, congrats to the Mech Eng students...

Sopwith

February 12th, 2018 at 11:03 PM ^

So here you go, issued claim no. 1, for which the University of Alabama now has the right to exclude others from making or selling:

1. A tent frame assembly comprising: a first hub comprising a first pivotable bracket; a second hub comprising a second pivotable bracket, the second hub being separate and spaced apart from the first hub; and at least a first frame member, a second frame member, and a third frame member, each frame member having a first end and a second end, the first ends of at least the second and third frame members being coupled to the first pivotable bracket, and the second ends of at least the second and third frame members being coupled to the second pivotable bracket, wherein: each pivotable bracket is pivotable relative to the first and second hubs, respectively, between an extended position in which at least a portion of each of the second and third frame members are spaced apart from each other and the first frame member and a collapsed position in which the frame members are stacked adjacent each other, each pivotable bracket comprises a first V-shaped plate and a second V-shaped plate, the V-shaped plates being spaced apart, each plate defining openings that align with corresponding openings in the other plate and with a corresponding opening defined through each of the second and third frame members, each of the second and third frame members are pivotably coupled between the V-shaped plates via a frame member fastener, each frame member fastener extending through the corresponding aligned openings in the plates and the respective frame member, the respective frame members being pivotable about the respective frame member fastener, and each pivotable bracket is pivotably coupled to the respective hub via a bracket fastener, wherein each pivotable bracket pivots about the respective bracket fastener.

CW97

February 12th, 2018 at 11:13 PM ^

It's basically an ice fishing shanty but bigger. Most of them have the same exact setup where you can flip the roof and sidewalls over you once your inside.

MGlobules

February 12th, 2018 at 11:55 PM ^

what it says about the sport or its future when you need on of these on your sideline. 

Of course, the networks will be providing us "exclusive excess" to the inside of the tents before a year is out.