FOLDABLE EXPANDABLE SHELTER
A foldable shelter can have several wall sections joined to form a cylindrical lattice, and a roof section coupled to the wall sections. The wall sections each have a first member pivotally joined to a second member at near their respective midpoints. The shelter is foldable from an expanded state by inverting the roof segment into the interior of the shelter and pivoting the first and second members of the wall sections towards a parallel orientation. The shelter can have fixed length or extendable vertical and horizontal supports to enhance overall rigidity. The shelter can withstand wind loads without external bracing or cable support.
This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/913,167, entitled “FOLDABLE EXPANDABLE SHELTER”, filed Apr. 20, 2007.
Also, this application hereby incorporates by reference the above-identified provisional application, in its entirety.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION1. Field of the Invention
This application relates to foldable structures such as foldable shelters.
2. Description of the Related Art
Various shelters have been proposed to provide temporary or semi-permanent shelter from the elements. For example, yurt-type shelters have been used for many years by nomadic peoples. A typical yurt-type shelter includes a planar lattice wall bowed into a generally cylindrical orientation and a solid roof permanently attached to the wall. While yurt shelters have proven durable and useful, they can require long assembly and disassembly times. Once disassembled, yurt shelters are not easily portable.
A more modern temporary-use shelter is a foldable sun pavilion. A typical sun pavilion includes relatively tall columnar legs to which a scissor lattice is mounted. Roof spars are mounted to the scissor lattice, and a sun shade is typically provided over the roof supports. While these sun pavilions provide shelter from the sun, they lack substantial wall structure, and, as a result, can be difficult to stabilize during wind events. Stabilizing these shelters for wind gusts often requires running guy wires to secure the pavilion, a time consuming task. Furthermore, once in place, the guy wires can be difficult for passers-by to see, thus creating the risk of injury.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONIn various embodiments, a foldable shelter is described herein that overcomes the problems discussed above with respect to the prior art. In various embodiments, a shelter is provided that is easily and rapidly expanded. In other embodiments, a shelter is provided that is highly wind resistant. In other embodiments, a shelter is disclosed that does not require external guy wires. In other embodiments, a shelter is provided that includes a modular assembly.
In several embodiments, a foldable shelter comprises a plurality of wall sections and a roof section. Each wall section comprises a first member and a second member pivotally connected to the first member at an approximate midpoint of the first member. The roof section comprises a plurality of roof beams. Each roof beam has a first end pivotally connected to at least one wall section and a second end pivotally coupled to at least one other roof beam. The shelter is foldable between a stowed configuration in which the first member and the second member defining each wall section are pivoted towards a substantially parallel orientation with respect to each other and an expanded configuration in which the first member and the second member defining each wall section are transverse to each other.
In various embodiments, a foldable enclosure comprises a plurality of wall sections. Each wall section comprises a first member and a second member pivotally connected to the first member at an approximate midpoint of the first member. The enclosure is foldable between a stowed configuration in which the first member and the second member defining each wall section are pivoted towards a substantially parallel orientation with respect to each other and an expanded configuration in which the first member and the second member defining each wall section are transverse to each other.
With continued reference to
In the illustrated embodiments, the first and second members 12, 14 are pivotally coupled with a pivot joint 16 at the approximate midpoints of each of the first and second members 12, 14. In some embodiments, the pivot joint 16 can be a pinned connection which can be achieved with a bolt, a pin, a rivet, or other fastener. It is contemplated that in other embodiments, other connectors can be used to form the pivot joint 16. It is also contemplated that in other embodiments, the pivot joint 16 can be positioned at other locations on the first and second members 12, 14, including non-central locations.
In the illustrated embodiments, each of the wall sections 10 is joined to two adjacent wall sections 10 to form a generally polygonal prism. As discussed in further detail below, an intersection of a wall section 10 with an adjacent wall section can comprise an upper joint 20 and a lower joint 30, the joints 20, 30 defining an edge of the polygonal prism. The joints 20, 30 allow the first and second members 12, 14 of adjacent wall sections 10 to pivot with respect to each other, thus allowing the shelter 2 to be stowed and expanded in a sequence described below and illustrated in
In some embodiments, the first and second members 12, 14 of the wall sections 10 can be approximately ten feet long each. Thus, if the first and second members 12, 14 are substantially perpendicular to each other when the shelter 2 is in an expanded configuration, a wall section 10 of the shelter 2 can be approximately 7 feet tall and 7 feet wide. However, it is contemplated that in different embodiments, sizing of members 12, 14 of the shelter 2 can be scaled to form shelters of different sizes. Furthermore, while the shelter 2, in exemplary form, is described herein primarily as a shelter to shield people from the elements, it is contemplated that in other embodiments, the shelter could be sized and configured for different uses. For example, the shelter could be scaled to provide automobile storage, equipment storage, an enclosure for an outdoor shower, or various other uses. Where a shelter as described herein is used as an enclosure for an outdoor shower, the relatively rigid roof section can provide sufficient strength and rigidity to provide a storage surface for a water reservoir such as a tank or bladder for the shower.
With continued reference to
In the illustrated embodiments, the supports 40, 42 are fixed length members that can be connected to mounting locations on the upper and lower joints 20, 30 once the shelter 2 is in the expanded configuration. As further discussed below, in other embodiments, the supports 40, 42 can comprise extendable members that can expand and retract as the shelter 2 folds and expands. In still other embodiments, one or more of the horizontal supports 42 can comprise ropes, cables, or other tension members. These tension members can remain attached to the wall sections 10 during folding and unfolding of the shelter.
Advantageously, the vertical and horizontal supports 40, 42 and the cylindrical lattice formed by the wall sections 10 can enhance the rigidity of the shelter 2. In some embodiments, where at least one of the lower joints 30 has been secured to the ground such as with a stake or large weight, the shelter 2 can be resistant to relatively high wind loads without support cables. This can be particularly advantageous where the shelter 2 is used in a relatively well trafficked area such as a beach or outdoor festival. Support cables can present significant risk of injury to people walking nearby as they can be very difficult to see. In some embodiments, once sufficient numbers of vertical and horizontal supports have been engaged, the first and second members 12, 14 of one wall section 10 can be removed to create a large opening that can be used as a door to the shelter. In these embodiments, even with one wall section 10 removed, the structure can be sufficiently rigid to withstand wind loading.
With continued reference to
In the illustrated embodiment, the roof members 28 each comprise a generally hollow tubular member. In some embodiments, the roof members 28 can each comprise a segment of PVC pipe. As indicated above with the respect to the first and second members 12, 14 of the wall sections 10, in other embodiments, the roof members 28 can comprise other materials and/or geometries. While in the illustrated embodiments, the roof members 28 and the first and second members 12, 14 of the wall sections 10 comprise substantially similar tubular members, in some embodiments, the roof members 28 can comprise different materials and/or geometries than the first and second members 12, 14 of a shelter 2. In the illustrated embodiments, the roof members 28 comprise fixed-length members. As discussed in further detail below, in some embodiments, the roof members 28 can comprise foldable members such as hinged foldable members.
In the illustrated six-sided shelter, the roof section 27 includes six roof members 28. In other embodiments, it is contemplated that a shelter can have more or fewer than six roof members 28. It can be desirable that the number of roof members 28 corresponds to the number of wall sections 10 of the shelter 2. However, in some embodiments, a shelter can include more or fewer roof members 28 than wall sections 10.
The roof cover 50 (illustrated in phantom lines to provide detail of the roof section 27) can span substantially the entire roof section 27. Thus, the roof cover 50 can provide protection within the shelter 2 from the sun and precipitation. In some embodiments, the cover 50 can comprise a natural or synthetic fabric material such as a canvas, cotton, or nylon material. In other embodiments, the cover 50 can comprise a plastic material. The material of the cover 50 can be chosen based on various material properties including an ability to provide solar protection and a water resistance of the material.
In some embodiments, the cover 50 can be removable, and can be attached for example by removable straps joined to the shelter 2, such as joined to the roof members 28, horizontal supports 42, or upper joints 20. The straps can include fastening devices such as mating hook and loop fasteners, mating snaps, buckles, or other removable connection devices to allow the cover 50 to be quickly and easily removed from the roof section. In other embodiments, the roof cover 50 can be more permanently attached to the roof section 27. For example, the roof cover 50 can include at least one sleeve through which a corresponding at least one roof member 28 passes.
With reference to
Once the shelter 2 is expanded to the configuration illustrated in
With reference to
In some embodiments, the shelter can have extendable vertical supports 40′.
In the illustrated embodiment, the inner tubular member is coupled to the upper joint 20, and the outer tubular member is coupled to the lower joint 30. However, it is contemplated that in other embodiments, the outer tubular member could be coupled to the upper joint 20, and the inner tubular member could be coupled to the lower joint 30.
In the illustrated embodiment, and the inner tubular member 46 and the outer tubular member 44 are sized such that in an extended configuration (
Furthermore, it is contemplated that in other embodiments, an extendable support can comprise an assembly other than nested tubes, such as planar spars that slide with respect to one another, or another suitable extendable assembly. In some embodiments, one or more extendable support can comprise a driven extendable assembly, such as a worm gear driven extendable or telescoping beam, such that the foldable shelter can be automatically expanded or retracted.
In
Advantageously, in embodiments of shelter having extendable vertical supports 40′, a user does not need to individually connect each vertical support once the shelter is in an expanded configuration. Rather, the extendable vertical supports 40′ can retract to the desired length during an expansion sequence. Thus, the expansion of the shelter can be made easier and more rapid in embodiments of shelter including extendable vertical supports 40′. However, in some instances it can be desirable for a shelter to have fixed-length vertical supports 40 (
While the roof joint 60 has heretofore been discussed as a substantially rigid ring, in some embodiments, the roof joint can be an expandable member having a retracted configuration for storage of the shelter and an expanded configuration when the shelter is erected. Advantageously, an expandable roof joint 60 can be stored in a relatively small space when the shelter is collapsed.
For example, in some embodiments an expandable roof joint can comprise a scissor lattice formed by a plurality of lattice faces each having a pair of lattice arms pivotably coupled to one another near their midpoints, similar to the wall sections of the shelter. A bracket to receiving a roof member can be coupled to one or both lattice arms near the pivotal coupling of the lattice arms. The lattice arms can be pivotably coupled to lattice arms of adjacent lattice faces at their respective endpoints. In some embodiments, brackets having bends can be pivotably coupled to ends of adjacent lattice arms to form corners between adjacent lattice faces. In other embodiments, the lattice arms can have bends near there ends that can define corners of the lattice faces. The configuration and operation of a scissor lattice expandable roof joint can thus be similar to the assembly of wall sections 10 described above and illustrated in
As discussed below with reference to
In some embodiments, it can be desirable to reinforce or otherwise brace the roof joint 60 when the shelter is in a folded configuration. When the folded shelter is stored in certain orientations, such as lying on a side such that wall sections 10 are generally parallel to the ground, the roof joint 60 can be subjected to loads such that it tends to distort. In some embodiments, a relatively rigid solid cap can be provided to maintain the shape of the roof joint 60. In other embodiments, an open cap can be provided to maintain the shape of the roof joint 60. In some embodiments, tensile wires or compressive rods can maintain the shape of the roof joint. In still other embodiments, the roof joint 60 can be removable when the shelter is in a folded configuration to reduce any risk of distortion during storage or transportation.
The upper joint 20 can have various mounting holes 52, 53, 54, 55, 56 that can be used to mount the members. For example, as illustrated in
As noted above, in some embodiments the upper joint 20 can be modular such that the same manufacturing template can be used to form an upper joint 20 and a roof joint bracket 62 for the shelter. Advantageously, this modular construction can reduce manufacturing costs by providing parts commonality. Where the same manufacturing template illustrated in
As illustrated in
The joints 20, 30, 62 can be formed of materials suitable to support the loads imposed by the shelter and wind, rain, snow or other loads reasonably expected to be externally applied to the shelter. In some embodiments, the joints 20, 30, 62 can be cut from a sheet of metallic material such as a sheet of steel. In these embodiments, the joints 20, 30, 62 can be formed from the cut sheet metal by drilling or cutting mounts and bending the joints at the bend regions as desired to form the desired angular displacements. Construction from metallic sheet material allows for relatively low manufacturing costs. In other embodiments, the joints 20, 30, 62 could be formed from a molded metallic material. In other embodiments, the joints can comprise thermoplastic parts that have been molded such as by injection molding.
As noted above, in some embodiments, it can be desirable that the size of the shelter in the folded configuration be reduced.
As illustrated in the folding sequence depicted in
Although the shelters described herein have been disclosed in the context of certain preferred embodiments and examples, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that the present inventions extend beyond the specifically disclosed embodiments to other alternative embodiments and/or uses of the inventions and obvious modifications and equivalents thereof. In addition, while the number of variations of the inventions have been shown and described in detail, other modifications, which are within the scope of these inventions, will be readily apparent to those of skill in the art based upon this disclosure. It is also contemplated that various combinations or subcombinations of the specific features and aspects of the embodiments may be made and still fall within the scope of the inventions. Accordingly, it should be understood that various features and aspects of the disclosed embodiments can be combined with, or substituted for, one another in order to perform varying modes of the disclosed inventions. Thus, it is intended that the scope of the present inventions herein disclosed should not be limited by the particular disclosed embodiments described above, but should be determined only by a fair reading of the claims.
Claims
1. A foldable shelter comprising:
- a plurality of wall sections, each wall section comprising: a first member; a second member pivotally connected to the first member at an approximate midpoint of the first member; and
- a roof section comprising: a plurality of roof beams, each roof beam having a first end pivotally connected to at least one wall section and a second end pivotally coupled to at least one other roof beam;
- wherein the shelter is foldable between a stowed configuration in which the first member and the second member defining each wall section are pivoted towards a substantially parallel orientation with respect to each other and an expanded configuration in which the first member and the second member defining each wall section are transverse to each other.
2. The foldable shelter of claim 1, wherein the first member of each wall panel has a first end and a second end and the second member of each wall panel has a first end and a second end, and wherein the shelter further comprises a support member coupled to at least one wall section and extending generally vertically from the first end of the first member to the first end of the second member of the wall section.
3. The foldable shelter of claim 2, wherein the support member is extendable between a stowed length when the shelter is in the stowed configuration and a deployed length when the shelter is in the expanded configuration.
4. The foldable shelter of claim 1, wherein the first member of each wall panel has a first end and a second end and the second member of each wall panel has a first end and a second end, and wherein the shelter further comprises a support member coupled to at least one wall section and extending generally horizontally from the first end of the first member to the second end of the second member of the wall section.
5. The foldable shelter of claim 1, wherein the plurality of wall sections define a circumference of the shelter and an enclosed space, and wherein the roof section is pivotable with respect to the plurality of wall sections such that the roof section has an everted position extending generally upwards from the wall sections when the shelter is in the expanded configuration and an inverted position within the enclosed space defined by the wall sections when the shelter is in the stowed configuration.
6. The foldable shelter of claim 1, further comprising a roof cover.
7. The foldable shelter of claim 6, wherein the roof cover is removable.
8. The foldable shelter of claim 6, wherein the roof cover further comprises at least one wall cover.
9. The foldable shelter of claim 1, wherein in the expanded configuration of the shelter, the first member and the second member defining a wall section are substantially perpendicular to one another.
10. The foldable shelter of claim 1, wherein the plurality of wall sections are arranged to form a generally polygonal prism shape and the shelter further comprises:
- an upper joint coupling one of the plurality of wall sections to an adjacent one of the plurality of wall sections; and
- a lower joint coupling one of the plurality of wall sections to the adjacent one of the plurality of wall sections; and
- wherein the upper and lower joints define an edge of the polygonal shape.
11. The foldable shelter of claim 10, wherein the upper joint comprises a first mounting surface pivotally coupled to the first member of one of the plurality of wall sections, a second mounting surface pivotally coupled to the second member of the adjacent one of the plurality of wall sections, and a third mounting surface pivotally coupled to a roof beam.
12. The foldable shelter of claim 10, wherein the lower joint comprises a first mounting surface pivotally coupled to the second member of one of the plurality of wall sections and a second mounting surface pivotally coupled to the first member of the adjacent one of the plurality of mounting sections.
13. The foldable shelter of claim 1, wherein the roof section comprises a ring joint pivotally coupling the second ends of all of the roof beams of the plurality of roof beams.
14. The foldable shelter of claim 1, wherein the plurality of wall sections comprises six wall sections.
15. The foldable shelter of claim 1, wherein the plurality of wall sections comprises four wall sections.
16. The foldable shelter of claim 1, wherein the plurality of wall sections comprises eight wall sections.
17. The foldable shelter of claim 1, wherein the first member and the second member of at least one wall section of the plurality of wall sections are tubular members.
18. The foldable shelter of claim 1, wherein the first member and the second member of each wall section of the plurality of wall sections are foldable members each having a folded configuration and an expanded configuration, and wherein when the shelter is in the stowed configuration, the first members and second members are in the folded configuration.
19. The foldable shelter of claim 16, wherein the first member and the second member of each wall section each comprise two pivotable joints.
20. The foldable shelter of claim 1, wherein the first member and the second member of each wall section are extendable having a retracted configuration when the shelter is in the stowed configuration and an extended configuration when the shelter is in the expanded configuration.
21. The foldable shelter of claim 1, wherein the first member and the second member of each wall section are lockable in the extended configuration by a pin pivotally coupling the first member to the second member.
22. The foldable shelter of claim 1, wherein the first member and the second member of defining each wall section each has a length of approximately ten feet.
23. A foldable enclosure comprising:
- a plurality of wall sections, each wall section comprising: a first member; a second member pivotally connected to the first member at an approximate midpoint of the first member; and
- wherein the enclosure is foldable between a stowed configuration in which the first member and the second member defining each wall section are pivoted towards a substantially parallel orientation with respect to each other and an expanded configuration in which the first member and the second member defining each wall section are transverse to each other.
24. The foldable enclosure of claim 23, further comprising a roof section coupled to at least one of the wall sections.
25. The foldable enclosure of claim 24, wherein the roof section is removably coupled to the wall section.
26. The foldable enclosure of claim 24, wherein the roof section is pivotally coupled to the wall section.
27. The foldable enclosure of claim 24, wherein the roof section comprises a plurality of roof beams, each roof beam having a first end pivotally connected to at least one wall section and a second end pivotally coupled to at least one other roof beam.
28. The foldable enclosure of claim 27, further comprising a ring joint pivotably coupling the second ends of the each of the plurality of roof beams.
29. The foldable enclosure of claim 28, wherein the ring joint is expandable.
Type: Application
Filed: Apr 18, 2008
Publication Date: Nov 27, 2008
Inventors: Thomas Roden (Irvine, CA), Carl Folsom (San Diego, CA), John Russell, JR. (Irvine, CA), Erik Stambaugh (Torrance, CA)
Application Number: 12/106,129
International Classification: E04H 15/50 (20060101); E04H 15/32 (20060101);