Patents Examined by Yvonne Horton-Richardsen
  • Patent number: 5953866
    Abstract: A storm shelter is provided having a modular rectangular shelter housing. An egress port extends slightly above the shelter housing, such that the housing can be buried underground with the egress port extending slightly above ground. A reinforced, sliding access door is mounted at the egress port, and a stairway is provided to allow descent into the shelter housing. A plurality of seat boxes is provided which can be utilized to contain tools, supplies, or the like, with a seat lid pivotally mounted in a hinged manner to each seat box. Each step is provided with a non-skid surface, and is sufficiently large enough to provide a seating surface. The top stair has an accessible cut-out panel for allowing an emergency jack to pass through. An emergency jack can be utilized to forcibly remove the door, should the door become stuck or blocked from the outside.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 8, 1998
    Date of Patent: September 21, 1999
    Inventor: James Riley Poole
  • Patent number: 5797224
    Abstract: This invention is a prefabricated expandable architecture including a plurality of structural segments collapsible and nested together in a first configuration encompassing a first volume and expandable or extendible in a second configuration and rigidly coupled together to form a selected shape encompassing a second larger volume.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 19, 1995
    Date of Patent: August 25, 1998
    Inventor: Ray R. Gunthardt