AU2021212129B2

AU2021212129B2 - Portable shelter for a vehicle

Info

Publication number: AU2021212129B2
Application number: AU2021212129A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Gael Kijashka
Original assignee: Eskp3 Pty Ltd
Current assignee: Eskp3 Pty Ltd
Priority date: 2020-11-05
Filing date: 2021-08-06
Publication date: 2023-11-02
Anticipated expiration: 2041-08-06
Also published as: AU2021212129A1

Abstract

A portable vehicle shelter comprising a demountable rigid cuboidal shaped frame formed from a plurality of inter-linked posts. The frame comprising four upright 5 posts the top ends of which are joined by upper lateral posts and the bottom ends of which are joined by lower lateral posts to form the cuboidal shape of the frame. A cover is provided over at least the top of the frame. The cuboidal shape of the frame is configured by adjusting the post lengths to follow the contours of the vehicle, but not to touch the surfaces of the vehicle body, that can drive into and 10 out of the shelter in use. The vehicle is covered by the cover when in the shelter, but there is substantially no additional coverage provided by the shelter other than for the vehicle. 15 1 4/10 000 ! / \ / I-\ N / \ $ / \ ||x

Description

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Portable shelter for a vehicle

Technical field

The present invention relates to a portable shelter for a vehicle such as a car.

Background

A vehicle can be a useful means for transporting a person from one place to another. When a person arrives at a destination and they wish to exit the vehicle, they must leave the vehicle somewhere safe sometimes in a designated parking area. Some persons have a garage at their home or work, so that upon arriving at their destination, the vehicle can be parked in that garage.

A vehicle can be an expensive item and it can be desirable to protect it from the outside elements when it is parked. Sometimes the vehicle needs to be parked for long periods of time if the person does not require it for some reason. An advantage of a garage is that the vehicle is under cover and can be protected from the elements. However, not all locations have convenient garages due to space or cost constraints. Some locations do not have garages that can be assigned to one person, so a vehicle has to be left outside and exposed.

Portable garages can be provided that a person can use at their home or work if they do not have a garage. These portable garages typically allow for the vehicle to be parked under cover and for the person to exit the vehicle once inside. However, they are often complex to set up and once in place demounting them can be a deterrent due to the time and energy that it takes. Furthermore, the portable garage can be large and bulky and difficult to operate.

Accordingly, there exists a need for an improved way of covering a vehicle that overcomes or ameliorates at least some of the problems of the prior art or that provides a useful alternative.

Summary of invention

In a first aspect there is provided a portable vehicle shelter comprising a demountable rigid cuboidal shaped frame formed from: a plurality of inter-linked posts, and a plurality of connectors for interlinking the posts, the connectors having a pivot point that allows an angle between interlinked posts to be adjusted, the frame comprising four upright posts the top ends of which are joined by respective connectors to upper lateral posts and the bottom ends of which are io joined by respective connectors to lower lateral posts to form the cuboidal shape of the frame, a cover provided over at least the top of the frame, wherein the cuboidal shape of the frame is configurable by reversibly adjusting the lengths of the posts and adjusting the angle of the interlinks therebetween to follow the contours of the vehicle, but not to touch the surfaces of the vehicle body, that can drive into and out of the shelter in use, so that the substantially all of vehicle is covered by the cover when in the shelter, but there is substantially no additional coverage provided by the shelter other than for the vehicle.

The present invention, in embodiments, provides a quick and easy shelter for a vehicle that can act like an exoskeleton around the vehicle body. In embodiments, the user can quickly set up the shelter when they wish to leave their vehicle and can feel reasonably confident that the vehicle will be protected while the vehicle is not in use. In embodiments, the user can take the shelter with them to any location, or it can be set up permanently in a location that they frequent. The cover can provide protection from flora and fauna detritus such as bird droppings and tree pollen. In some embodiments, the cover can protect the vehicle from extreme weather such as hail. Hail damage can cause considerable damage to a vehicle body to the extent that a vehicle may need to be written off. By covering the vehicle under the present shelter, in embodiments, the user can protect their vehicle from hail damage.

The shelter is demountable, which means that it can be collapsed and rebuilt any number of times. A user should be able to disconnect the posts, similarly to a tent that can be assembled for packing and reassembled for use. The shelter is able to be dismantled or removed from its setting and readily reassembled or repositioned if the user wants to use it elsewhere. The posts are rigid which provides a solid frame structure and which in embodiments allows the posts to be reused a number of times without being buckled or broken. The shelter is portable so that the user can take it with them. In some embodiments, the shelter can be packed into the vehicle itself so that it is always available to the user when the vehicle needs to be parked. The shelter can be provided with a container that keeps the parts of the io shelter together in one place when they are not in use. The container could be a hardwearing bag such as a canvas bag. The container could be a solid container optionally with a lid.

Each post can be made from strong plastic or metal. Preferably the posts are lightweight. The posts can be hollow to reduce their weight and to reduce the amount of material required to form them. The posts can have any cross-sectional shape such as circular or square. In an embodiment, the posts have a substantially square cross-sectional shape. The square can have a side wall thickness in the range of from about 2 to 4 cm. Each post can be labelled so that the user knows where in the cuboidal shaped frame it needs to be located. The labelling could be by colour or letters that correspond to the location at another post to which it should be connected.

The frame comprises four upright posts. By upright it is meant substantially upright with respect to the ground. The upright posts will form the four struts at each corner of the vehicle body. It should be understood that the upright posts may lean slightly from upright or might be slanted at an angle in order to be connectable with the other posts or to follow the contours of the vehicle that they surround. The four upright posts can be identical, or they can differ. Each of the upright posts can have a different length. The posts have a top end which is remote from the ground, and a bottom end which is at the ground. The top ends of the upright posts can be joined by four upper lateral posts. The four upper lateral posts when in position would form a shape with four corners such as a square or rectangular (or rhomboid) shape when viewed from above. The bottom ends of the upright posts can be joined by four lower lateral posts. The four lower lateral posts when in position would form a shape with four corners such as a square or rectangular (or rhomboid) shape when viewed from above. The four lower lateral posts can be laying on the ground and thereby provide a base. All of the posts together form the substantially cuboidal shape of the frame.

An advantage of a squared base of the frame that sits on the ground is that the vehicle itself is not required to hold the frame into position. In some embodiments, the vehicle wheels do not contact with the frame when the vehicle is parked in the shelter. While the vehicle can optionally be parked over one or more of the posts, the vehicle can be wholly within the frame and therefore in the shelter. In some embodiments, when the vehicle is parked and the frame is viewed from above, the vehicle wheels are wholly contained within the frame structure. In other embodiments, the vehicle wheels are touching the frame structure as described below. In yet a further embodiment, when the vehicle is parked, the lower lateral posts in the direction of the width of the vehicle will sit just forward of each of the wheels or just to the rear of each of the wheels. This is a smaller configuration of the frame in which the wheels are fully contained. In this embodiment, at least some of the front and rear of the vehicle will be protruding from the frame.

In an embodiment, the lower lateral posts are arranged so that the vehicle wheels are intended to contact them when in the shelter. This is a small version of the shelter, where once in position, the front and read ends of the vehicle will extend somewhat outside of the space provided by the cuboidal shaped frame. An advantage of the vehicle being parked on top of the lower lateral posts is that the vehicle itself can prevent the frame from being moved or dislodged or disassembled once the vehicle is in position.

The lower lateral posts on which the vehicle can sit when in the shelter can be flattened in sections where each tyre of the vehicle will be located when the vehicle is parked in the shelter. The flattening can be in sections where the tyre will be located with the remainder of the post being of the usual cross-section of that post. Alternatively, the entire lower lateral post can be a flattened section for receiving the vehicle tyres in use. However, at least some of the post is advantageously not flattened so that the usual way of engaging with the other posts in the frame can be maintained.

There can be twelve main post, poles or struts forming the shelter. There can be additional posts around the upright frame structure if required to provide additional structural integrity. However, this should not be required since the cuboidal shape itself is strong and rigid. For example, optionally if required there can be additional post(s) between the upper lateral posts to provide additional support to the roof part of the frame. There could also be additional posts running diagonally across io any one of the square or rectangular faces of the cuboid. In some embodiments, however, there are no more than twelve posts forming the frame. An advantage of fewer posts is a more lightweight structure once dismantled, which adds to the portability of the shelter. When in place, the posts should be rigid and substantially immovable. The posts are not intended to pivot or move once assembled. Pivotable or movable posts require complex hinges or other mechanical movement means which adds to the weight and complexity of the structure.

In some embodiments, in which the vehicle protrudes from the frame, there can be additional post frame work provided to further extend the frame around the vehicle parts that are protruding from the frame. In an embodiment, there can be four upright posts, one in each corner and then an additional upright post in each corner (making a total of eight upright posts). The additional upright posts just offset from the original upright posts can be so as to provide an extension. The presence of the additional upright posts may necessitate additional upper and lower lateral posts in the width direction. When the frame is viewed from above there would be, in this embodiment, four upper lateral posts running in the direction of the width of the vehicle (and two in the direction of the length of the vehicle). When the frame is viewed from above there would be, in this embodiment, four lower lateral posts running in the direction of the width of the vehicle (and two in the direction of the length of the vehicle). The cuboidal shaped frame now has three areas, the main area for housing the body of the vehicle, a first extension area for accommodating the front of the vehicle and a second extension area for accommodating the rear of the vehicle. The wheels of the vechile can rest, when parked, between the lower lateral posts running in the direction of the width of the vehicle.

It should be understood that the cuboid has three dimensions and various lengths in the x, y and z planes. The dimensions of the cuboid will vary depending on the vehicle that the shelter is intended to cover. In an embodiment, in which the vehicle has a low profile the upright poles in the z axis may have a shorter length than an embodiment in which the vehicle has a high profile and therefore the upright poles in the z axis may have a longer length. In an embodiment, the upright posts in the z axis direction (to accommodate for the height of the vehicle) are in the range of from about 1m to 2 m, preferably 1.2m to 1.5m. The upright posts can be about equal to the height of the vehicle to be covered. A vehicle that is long will have lateral posts in the x axis that are longer than for vehicles that are shorter. In an embodiment, the lateral posts in the x axis direction (to accommodate for the length of the vehicle) are in the range of from about 3m to 6 m, preferably 3.2m to 5.6m. In embodiments in which the vehicle sits on the lower lateral posts of the frame, or in which the posts are just to the front of all wheels (or just to the rear of all wheels) the posts in the x axis direction will be shorter than for posts used in other frames. The posts in these embodiments will be set to approximately the distance of the wheelbase of the vehicle. The lateral posts in the x direction can be about equal to the width of the vehicle (plus rear vision mirrors) to be covered. A vehicle that is wide in the y axis will have lateral posts in the y axis that are longer than a very narrow vehicle. In an embodiment, the lateral posts in the x axis direction (to accommodate for the width of the vehicle) are in the range of from about 2m to 3m, preferably 1.7m to 1.9m. The lateral posts in the y direction can be about equal to the length of the vehicle to be covered.

The posts are inter-linkable with one another. The posts can link directly to one another. In embodiments in which the posts link directly to one another there may be a linking mechanism at the locations on the post where they connect. The linking mechanism could comprise an aperture in the upright posts which receives the lateral posts. Alternatively, the posts can link with one another via a connector. The connector can have sockets for receiving ends of the posts. A connector can assist in making sure that the posts are connected to one another into the correct resultant configuration (e.g. cuboidal frame). A connector can also be advantageous in that it can assist in modifying the lengths of the posts by having an accommodating socket into which more or less of the post can be inserted thereby changing the length of the post for the frame. As the post is inserted into the socket, there can be apertures in the socket and post that align, and a locking pin can be inserted into a passageway formed by the aligned apertures once the post is at the desired length and location. In some embodiments, the posts can also be telescopic so as to change/adjust their length during use and to shorten their length during storage. In embodiments in which a lower lateral post is flattened in some parts, the telescopic part can be the portion of the post located between the flattened portions. Where a telescopic join is not desirable, or an io alternative is required, instead a flattened spacer bar can be provided between the flattened portions. The flattened spacer bar can engage with the parts of the post having the flattened portions so as to extend or shorten the distance between the flattened portions.

As described above, the dimensions of the frame can be configured by adjusting the post lengths. The frame shape can be changed so that the result is that is follows or hugs the contours of the vehicle. By "follows the contours" it is meant that the frame is about 1 to 5 cm from the vehicle body once assembled. The frame is at least about 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5 cm from the closet parts of the vehicle body. The frame is at most about 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5 cm from the closest parts of the vehicle body. The frame should not touch the surfaces of the vehicle body, although there may be one or more point locations at which the frame touches the body if the vehicle has an unusual shape e.g. with protruding panels, fins, or accessories. If the vehicle has wing mirrors, the mirrors can be folded. The frame might touch the vehicle wheels, and indeed all the wheels will inevitably at least temporarily touch the frame when the vehicle drives into or out of the shelter. In embodiments in which the vehicle is parked on some of the lower lateral posts, the frame is intended to be in contact with the vehicle wheels, but not the vehicle body. In an embodiment the shape and size of the frame should be such that the vehicle can drive into and out of the frame. When driving in, the wheels will roll over the lower lateral posts on the ground. In some embodiments, the wheels of the vehicle can sit and be parked on the lower lateral poles forming the base of the frame. This can be advantageous because it can prevent or reduce any likelihood that the frame could be removed e.g. by third parties or by the weather such as strong wind.

The shelter has a cover provided over at least the top of the frame. The top of the frame is formed by the four upper lateral posts joined to the upright posts. In some embodiments, the cover can depend down at least some of the sides of the frame and cover the sides and front and back of the vehicle underneath. The cover can be positioned before the vehicle is in the frame. The cover can be positioned after the vehicle is in the frame. The cover can be positioned over the top of the frame and along the sides and the front and the back of the frame. If the cover is over the top and all the sides of the frame, to get the vehicle into the shelter there can be io slits provided in the cover so a part of it can be lifted to provide a temporary door. In embodiments in which the vehicle protrudes from the frame, the cover can be cut so as to be larger at the front and rear ends so that it can extend over the body of the vehicle that protrudes from the frame. The cover can be attached to the frame by any means including tying with ropes, metal hooks, rubber plugs and or straps.

The cover can be a tough material that protects it and the vehicle underneath from the elements. The cover is preferably foldable to be stored with the posts when not in use. The cover can be fabric. The cover can be a tough hessian material such as shade sail fabric. The cover can include UV protection. The cover can have more than one layer. The cover can have a layer that assists in providing hail protection. The layer that assist in reducing hail damage can be a netting. The cover can also be fire retardant. The cover can have different materials across the cover surface area, for example, the top surface of the cover can have more UV protection and hail protection than any side parts of the cover.

The frame and cover are designed so that the vehicle is covered by the cover when in the shelter, but there is substantially no additional coverage provided by the shelter other than for the vehicle. By no additional coverage provided, it is meant that the space inside the shelter is not big enough even for the door of the vehicle to be covered when the door is opened. The cover is intended to be like an exoskeleton as tight as possible around the vehicle body.

The vehicle can be any form that can drive into the shelter. The shelter can be partially constructed before the vehicle drives into the shelter and need not be fully constructed. In an embodiment, the lower lateral posts may be laid on the ground and the vehicle might drive over those posts until the tyres are located on the posts. The remaining posts can then be assembled so as to erect the shelter around the vehicle. The vehicle is intended to be a land-based vehicle that is substantially cuboidal in shape. The vehicle can be a four-wheeled type of transport that is required to be covered by a shelter. The vehicle can be a car including any shape of car from a station wagon, hatchback, sedan, coupe, convertible, SUV or utility. The vehicle could also be larger type such as a minibus or truck. The dimensions of a vehicle can be found by looking up the VIN number on websites that have the dimension data, and or by consulting the owner manual.

Brief Description of the Figures Embodiments of the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings which are not drawn to scale and which are exemplary only and in which:

Figures 1 is a perspective view of an embodiment of a frame without a vehicle or a cover.

Figure 2 shows the frame of Figure 1 in a collapsed state.

Figure 3 shows the posts and Figure 4 is a close up of an embodiment of a connector at the corner of the frame for connecting the posts.

Figure 5 is a perspective view of an embodiment of the frame with a vehicle under the shelter.

Figure 6 is an alternative embodiment to the shelter of Figure 5.

Figure 7 is a side view of a portable shelter according to one embodiment.

Figure 8 is an alternative embodiment in which the connector is pivotable.

Figure 9 is a birds eye view of locations in which the vehicle wheels can be parked relative to the lower lateral posts.

Figure 10 shows embodiments of lower later posts having flattened sections to accommodate vehicle wheels.

Figure 11 is a perspective view of a wheel on a flattened section.

Figure 12 is an embodiment of a shelter having a front and rear extensions.

Detailed Description of Embodiments of the Invention Figure 1 shows a portable vehicle shelter 10 comprising a demountable rigid cuboidal shaped frame 12 formed from a plurality of inter-linked posts 14, 16, 18. The frame 12 comprises four upright posts 14a, 14b, 14c, 14d. The top ends 114 of the upright posts 14a, 14b, 14c, 14d are joined by upper lateral posts 16a, 16b, 16c, 16d. The bottom ends 214 of the upright posts 14a, 14b, 14c, 14d are joined by lower lateral posts 18a, 18b, 18c, 18d are joined by lower lateral posts to form the cuboidal shape of the frame. Figure 5 shows a car 20 in the shelter 10 (some numbers on the posts not shown for clarity).

In Figure 5, the car 20 in shelter 10 has the dimensions x length = 4655mm by y width = 1790mm by z height =1460mm. The cuboid frame 12 is therefore configured to have similar dimensions. In this embodiment, the length of the posts is 1 to 10 cm, preferably 1 to 5 cm longer than the dimensions of the car to ensure a really tight fit around the car. The posts in the x dimension (16b, 16d, 18b, 18d) are therefore about 4665mm. The posts in the y dimension (16a, 16c, 18a, 18c) are therefore about 1800mm. The posts in the z dimension (14a, 14b, 14c, 14d) are therefore about 1470mm.

Each post 14a, 14b, 14c, 14d, 16a, 16b, 16c, 16d, 18a, 18b, 18c, 18d is made from stainless steel metal and has a hollow square cross-section. The posts are inter linkable with one another via connectors 22 shown in e.g. Figure 4. The location of one connector is shown as an example in Figure 5. It should be understood that there would be a connector 22 in each corner of the frame 12 (only one is shown for clarity). There would be in total eight connectors forming frame 12. The eight connectors 22 would join twelve posts 14, 16, 18.

In some embodiments, when the vehicle is parked and the frame is viewed from above, the vehicle wheels are wholly contained within the frame structure. This can be seen in Figure 9(e). In other embodiments such as that in Figure 9(a), the vehicle wheels are touching the frame structure. In yet a further embodiment, when the vehicle is parked, the lower lateral posts in the direction of the width of the vehicle will sit just forward of each of the wheels (Figure 9(b)) or just to the rear of io each of the wheels (Figure 9(c)).

The lower lateral posts 18 on which the vehicle 20 can sit when in the shelter can be flattened into sections where each tyre of the vehicle will be located when the vehicle is parked in the shelter. This can be seen in Figures 10 and Figure 11. Figure 11 shows a wheel 200 on a flattened section. Figure 10 shows various configurations of the lower later posts 18a or 18c (only 18a shown) showing various types of flattened areas 118. The flattening can be in sections in where the tyre 200 of car 20 will be located with the remainder of the post being of the usual cross-section of that post (see for example Figure 10(a)). Alternatively, the entire lower lateral post e.g. 18a can be a flattened section (as shown in Figure 10(d)) for receiving the vehicle tyres in use. However, at least some of the post is advantageously not flattened so that the usual way of engaging with the other posts in the frame can be maintained

The connector 22 has sockets 22a, 22b, 22c for receiving respective ends of the posts to which it is connected. Accordingly, the dimension of the socket 22 is slightly larger than the outside size of the post 14, 16 or 18 that it will receive. The connector 22 shown top left as an example in Figure 1 would receive posts 16c, 16d and the upper end 114 of post 14d. Each post e.g. post 18 can be slidingly received into a socket e.g. 22a (refer Figure 4). As can be seen in e.g. Figure 4, a post e.g. 18 can be labelled (e.g. label "A") and this can be an indicator that it should be slid into socket 22a (also labelled "A"). Once in the socket 22a, 22b, 22c the post therein can be manipulated manually so that apertures 24 in the post align with apertures 24' in the socket. When the apertures align to form a passageway, locking pin 26 can be passed through the passageway formed by the apertures 24, 24' to thereby prevent the post 18 from sliding back out of the socket 22a. The more post 18 is slid into socket 22a the shorter the lateral post will be in the frame. Figure 5 (see inset) shows the posts at their furthest most extension, i.e. the posts are at their longest and locking pins 26 are all in the outer most holes 24, 24'. In Figure 6, the posts are shown at the minimum extension, i.e. the posts are at their shortest and locking pins 26 are all in the inner most holes 24, 24'. There can be any number of apertures 24 provided in the socket 22. There can be 4, 5, 6, 7 or 8 apertures spaced at 4, 6, 8 or 10 cm apart. The more choices of aperture distance, io the closer the frame can be to the dimensions of a given vehicle. In Figures 5 and 6 there are shown 6 apertures per x,y,z axis, but there could be more or less. Furthermore, there could be a different number along different portions of the same connector. In embodiments in which a lower lateral post 16 is flattened in some parts, there can be a portion of the post located between the flattened portions that is telescopic or which is adjustable with locking pins as described above. This is shown in Figure 9 (c). The flattened spacer bar 218 can engage with the parts of the post having the flattened portions so as to extend or shorten the distance between the flattened portions.

As can be seen in e.g. Figure 8, the upright posts 14a and 14b at the rear of the vehicle can have a different length to the upright posts at the front of the vehicle 14c and 14d. This can be because the car is greater in height at the front than at the rear end. Each post can be adjusted as required to accommodate for the car 20 that will be under shelter 10.

The shelter 10 has a cover 28 provided over at least the top of the frame 12. The cover is a tough hessian shade fabric with UV polymer. The top of the frame is formed by the four upper lateral posts 16a, 16b, 16c, 16d joined to the tops 114 of upright posts 14a-14d. In the embodiment shown in Figure 5, the cover 28 is only over the part of the frame and does not cover the sides. In Figure 6, the cover depends to the ground.

Figure 7 is a side view of a vehicle 20 in the shelter 10. The very close contour hugging nature of the posts can be seen more clearly as a schematic (not to scale).

In Figure 8, it is made clear that the connector 22 can have a pivotable arm to allow for additional contouring around the vehicle. In this embodiment, the car (ute) 20' could reverse in past post 16 since the front upright post 16 is higher in elevation that rear upright post 16'. The connector arm is shown having a pivot point A' that allows it to be adjusted. The adjustment can be through a range of angles from 90 degrees to as small as 25 or 20 degrees, although in practice, the car under the shelter will require at most 45 degree tilt. The adjustment can be through a range of angles from 90 to as high as 180 degrees, although in practice, the car under the shelter will require at most 135 degrees.

The shelter 10 of e.g. Figure 1 is demountable and it can be seen in Figure 2 in the collapsed state. In the collapsed state the shelter 10 can be gathered together and stored in container (not shown). The pivotable connector shown in Figure 8 should also pack better once the shelter is disassembled since the leg portion may be folded.

As described above, the dimensions of the frame 12 can be configured by adjusting the post lengths 14, 16, 18. The user may determine the dimensions of their car 20 and then build the frame 12. The frame can be built to just larger than the dimension of the car. In order to assist the user to determine how to adjust the post length, the posts can be marked by 10cm increments along their lengths. The user can then decide that the posts 18 in the width direction (y axis) need to be 1.8m long and adjust the posts 18a and 18c into the connector sockets accordingly. Furthermore, for popular car models, there can be markings at the apertures to indicate to the user where to insert the locking pins into the connectors 22 to create a frame suitable for that car model.

Figure 12 shows a vehicle 20 in shelter 10. In this embodiment, the vehicle 20 would protrude from the framework if there was not additional post frame work provided to further extend the frame around the vehicle parts that are protruding from the frame. In this embodiment, there are four upright posts 14, one in each corner and then an additional upright post 14 set inwards from each corner (making a total of eight upright posts) the additional upright posts 14'just offset from the original upright posts so as to provide the extension. The presence of the additional upright posts 14 necessitates additional upper 16 and lower lateral posts 18 e.g. 16c'. The cuboidal shaped frame now has three areas, the main area for housing the body of the vehicle 20, a first extension area for accommodating the front of the vehicle and a second extension area for accommodating the rear of the vehicle. The wheels of the vechile rest when parked between the lower lateral posts running in the direction of the width of the vechile.

It is to be understood that, if any prior art publication is referred to herein, such reference does not constitute an admission that the publication forms a part of the io common general knowledge in the art, in Australia or any other country.

In the claims which follow and in the preceding description of the invention, except where the context requires otherwise due to express language or necessary implication, the word "comprise" or variations such as "comprises" or "comprising" is used in an inclusive sense, i.e. to specify the presence of the stated features but not to preclude the presence or addition of further features in various embodiments of the invention.

Any promises made in the present description should be understood to relate to some embodiments of the invention and are not intended to be promises made about the invention as a whole. Where there are promises that are deemed to apply to all embodiments of the invention, the applicant/patentee reserves the right to later delete them from the description and does not rely on these promises for the acceptance or subsequent grant of a patent in any country.

Claims

CLAIMS 1. A portable vehicle shelter comprising a demountable rigid cuboidal shaped frame formed from a plurality of inter-linked posts, and a plurality of connectors for interlinking the posts, the connectors having a pivot point that allows an angle between interlinked posts to be adjusted, the frame comprising four upright posts the top ends of which are joined by respective connectors to upper lateral posts and the bottom ends of which are joined by respective connectors to lower lateral posts to form the cuboidal shape of the frame, a cover provided over at least the top of the frame, wherein the cuboidal shape of the frame is configurable by reversibly adjusting the lengths of the posts and adjusting the angle of the interlinks therebetween to follow the contours of the vehicle, but not to touch the surfaces of the vehicle body, that can drive into and out of the shelter in use, so that the substantially all of vehicle is covered by the cover when in the shelter, but there is substantially no additional coverage provided by the shelter other than for the vehicle.

2. The portable vehicle shelter of claim 1, wherein there are four lower lateral posts configured to rest on the ground, and when in position form a shape with four corners such as a square or rectangular (or rhomboidal) shape when viewed from above, the wheels of vehicle, when in the portable shelter, do not contact with any one of the four lower lateral posts.

3. The portable vehicle shelter of claim 1, wherein there are four lower lateral posts configured to rest on the ground, and when in position form a shape with four corners such as a square or rectangular (or rhomboidal) shape when viewed from above, the wheels of vehicle, when in the portable shelter rest on two of the lower lateral posts running in the direction of the width of the vehicle.

4. The portable vehicle shelter of claim 1, wherein there are four lower lateral posts configured to rest on the ground, and when in position form a shape with four corners such as a square or rectangular (or rhomboidal) shape when viewed from above, the wheels of vehicle, when in the portable shelter, rest just forward or just to the rear of the two lower lateral posts running in the direction of the width of the vehicle.

5. The portable vehicle shelter of any one of the preceding claims, wherein there the frame consists of no more than 12 posts comprising four upright posts, four upper lateral post and four lower lateral posts.

6. The portable vehicle shelter of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the upright posts in the z axis direction (to accommodate for the height of the vehicle) are in the range of from about 1m to 2 m, preferably 1.2m to 1.5m.

7. The portable vehicle shelter of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the lateral posts in the x axis direction (to accommodate for the length of the vehicle) are in the range of from about 3m to 6 m, preferably 3.2m to 5.6m.

8. The portable vehicle shelter of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the lateral posts in the x axis direction (to accommodate for the width of the vehicle) are in the range of from about 2m to 3m, preferably 1.7m to 1.9m.

9. The portable vehicle shelter of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the posts are hollow and rigid.

10. The portable vehicle shelter of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the posts have a square cross-sectional shape.

11. The portable vehicle shelter of any one of the preceding claims wherein each connector comprises at least one socket for receiving ends of the posts.

12. The portable vehicle shelter of claim 11, wherein there are apertures in the socket and in the posts which align to form passageways, and a locking pin can be inserted into the passageway once the post is at the desired length and location in the socket.

13. The portable vehicle shelter of any one of the preceding claims, wherein at least some of the posts are telescopic so as to change/adjust their length during use and to shorten their length during storage.

14. The portable vehicle shelter of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the once assembled, the frame is at least or at most about 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5 cm from the closest part of the vehicle body that is in the shelter.

15. The portable vehicle shelter of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the cover extends down at least some of the sides of the frame and covers the sides and front and back of the vehicle.

16. The portable vehicle shelter of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the cover is formed from a tough hessian material such as shade sail fabric including UV protection.

17. The portable vehicle shelter of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the cover provides protection to the vehicle from the elements selected from the a layer that assists in providing hail protection and formed from a material that provides fire retardation.

18. The portable vehicle shelter of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the vehicle is a car.

16c 10 16b 114

14c 114

16d

14d 16a 14b

114 1/10

214

18c 18b 214 Z 214 Y 14a

X 214 12 18a FIGURE 1 18d

22 22

22 22 2/10

22 18

16 Z 22 Y 14 28

X

FIGURE 2

A

18 B C 16 14 C

14 22c FIGURE 3

214 3/10

C 22

24 18 16

A 26 B

A B 22b 22a 24' FIGURE 4