CA2122872C - Inflatable storage chamber - Google Patents

Inflatable storage chamber Download PDF

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Publication number
CA2122872C
CA2122872C CA 2122872 CA2122872A CA2122872C CA 2122872 C CA2122872 C CA 2122872C CA 2122872 CA2122872 CA 2122872 CA 2122872 A CA2122872 A CA 2122872A CA 2122872 C CA2122872 C CA 2122872C
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CA
Canada
Prior art keywords
chamber
air
upper sheet
base sheet
sheet
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Expired - Fee Related
Application number
CA 2122872
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French (fr)
Other versions
CA2122872A1 (en
Inventor
George Page
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Individual
Original Assignee
Individual
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Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Individual filed Critical Individual
Priority to CA 2122872 priority Critical patent/CA2122872C/en
Publication of CA2122872A1 publication Critical patent/CA2122872A1/en
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of CA2122872C publication Critical patent/CA2122872C/en
Anticipated expiration legal-status Critical
Expired - Fee Related legal-status Critical Current

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Classifications

    • EFIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
    • E04BUILDING
    • E04HBUILDINGS OR LIKE STRUCTURES FOR PARTICULAR PURPOSES; SWIMMING OR SPLASH BATHS OR POOLS; MASTS; FENCING; TENTS OR CANOPIES, IN GENERAL
    • E04H6/00Buildings for parking cars, rolling-stock, aircraft, vessels or like vehicles, e.g. garages
    • E04H6/02Small garages, e.g. for one or two cars
    • E04H6/04Small garages, e.g. for one or two cars wheeled, hinged, foldable, telescopic, swinging or otherwise movable
    • EFIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
    • E04BUILDING
    • E04HBUILDINGS OR LIKE STRUCTURES FOR PARTICULAR PURPOSES; SWIMMING OR SPLASH BATHS OR POOLS; MASTS; FENCING; TENTS OR CANOPIES, IN GENERAL
    • E04H15/00Tents or canopies, in general
    • E04H15/20Tents or canopies, in general inflatable, e.g. shaped, strengthened or supported by fluid pressure
    • E04H15/22Tents or canopies, in general inflatable, e.g. shaped, strengthened or supported by fluid pressure supported by air pressure inside the tent

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  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Architecture (AREA)
  • Civil Engineering (AREA)
  • Structural Engineering (AREA)
  • Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Fluid Mechanics (AREA)
  • Tents Or Canopies (AREA)

Abstract

An inflatable storage chamber defined by a flexible membrane comprises means for access to the chamber and means for inflating the chamber. The chamber is designed for storing items such as motor vehicles, machinery and furniture.

Description

INFLATABLE STORAGE CHAMBER
This invention relates to an inflatable storage chamber.
Valuable items such as vintage motor vehicles and antiques will deteriorate if not stored in dry, non-humid conditions. Even if for example a vintage car is stored in a garage, the storage conditions are far from perfect. The vehicle will collect dust and grit but even more important is the damage caused by still air and condensation resulting in rusting bodywork and chassis. The interior trim will collect moisture from the still air and will quickly deteriorate. It is known to drape a cover such as a sheet over a car. in an attempt to prevent deterioration. However, if a cover remains in contact with the paint work for a substantial length of time then adhesion to the car will tend to occur and on removing the cover some of the paint will become detached from the car.
The present invention has been made from a consideration of these problems..
According to the present invention there is provided an inflatable chamber adapted for the storage of a motor vehicle which chamber comprises a plastics material base sheet of a size not smaller than the vehicle with which the chamber is to be used; a flexible plastics material upper sheet preformed to be of such a shape that the upper sheet may enclose a motor vehicle - la -located on the base sheet; zipper fastener means for joining the upper sheet to the base sheet; a first opening formed through the upper sheet; and electrically driven air fan means mounted on the upper sheet around the first opening and arranged to draw air from the ambient and supply said drawn air through said first opening under pressure to the interior of the chamber thereby to inflate the chamber; characterized in that:
the base sheet is of generally rectangular shape and defines four side edges; the upper sheet defines four lower edges corresponding to the side edges of the base sheet; the zipper fastener means extends around all four said side edges of the base sheet and all four said lower edges of the upper sheet whereby operation of the zipper fastener means of the base sheet and the upper sheet joins together the base sheet and the upper sheet to form a substantially sealed chamber; and a second opening is formed in the upper sheet, an adjustable air vent means being mounted on the upper sheet to overlie the second opening whereby the flow of air through the chamber may be controlled by adjustment of said air vent means.
In an embodiment of the invention, the chamber is inflated by a fan motor and safety release valves or vents may be provided in the membrane to prevent over inflation. Any suitable gas or combination of gases may be used such as air, helium or nitrogen.

The gas is preferably dried and filtered prior to or upon entering the chamber: A dehumidifier may be provided in or connected to the chamber. The fan motor may be operated via any suitable power source such as a battery, mains or be solar powered. Thus, with the inflatable storage chamber of the present invention items can be stored in a con trolled, fresh, dry environment. An individual env ironment is envisaged for each vehicle.

10In order that the invention may be more readily understood a specific embodiment thereof wil l now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:-Fig. 1 is a perspective view of an inflated 15chamber which is similar to an embodiment of the present invention but falls outside the scope of claim 1:

Fig. 2(a) is a perspective view of an inflated chamber forming a first embodiment of the present 20invention;

Fig. 2 (b) shows the base of the chamber of Fig.
2 (a) ~ and Fig. 2 (c) is a side view of the chamber of Fig.

2 (a) .
25 Referring to Figure 1, this shows an inflatable chamber 10 having a plastics base portion 11 which may be connected to a plastics cover portion 12 via a clasp fastener 16 the slide of which is movable around the three sides of the chamber.
The base of the chamber may optionally be defined by rigid poles.
This example falls outside the scope of claim 1 as the clasp (Zip) fastener extends around only three sides of the chamber.
In use an item to be stored within the chamber would be placed on the base, whereafter the cover portion 12 is pulled thereover. The fastener is subsequently closed to define the chamber 10.
An electric motor driven fan is used to drive gas into the chamber through an opening 30, thereby inflating the chamber 10 such that only the base of the item or in the case of a motor vehicle the wheels are in contact with the base.
If air is used to' inflate the chamber it is desirable to have a filter 28 and a dehydrating agent such as silica gel provided at the opening 30 to the chamber 10. These prevent contamination of the environment and maintain dry conditions within the chamber 10. A dehumidifier may be used to maintain dry conditions in addition to, or as an alternative to this.
Air need not be used to inflate the chamber 10.
Inert gases such as helium or nitrogen are also suitable.
Safety valves may be provided in the cover portion 12 to prevent overinflation of the chamber 10.
Filters and dehydrating agents may be provided in such safety valves.
The cover portion 12 is provided with adjustable vents, to allow a slow release of gas from the chamber 10. If this is so then the amount of gas within the chamber will need to be maintained within certain parameters. This can be achieved by using a pressure meter (not shown) which is connected to the motor and automatically switches on the motor when the amount of gas in the chamber has fallen below a certain minimum level and switches the motor off as the amount of gas in the chamber 10 reaches a predefined maximum level.
The base and cover portions 11 and 12 may be made of any suitable flexible plastics material such as polypropylene, but the plastics material is preferably transparent to allow the stored item to be viewed from outside the chamber. Alternatively, windows of transparent plastics material may be provided.
Referring to the first embodiment of this invention, shown in Fig. 2, the inflatable chamber 50 is formed by starting with a base sheet 52 of coloured pvc with a zip 54 around all four sides. A
clear pvc top 56 is attached and zipped to the base to form the sealed chamber. To this sealed chamber a small fan and air filter unit 58 is added which not only inflates the chamber but supplies a constant flow of fresh filtered air through the entire unit. The unit 58 is sewn into the top cover 56, at one end. To stimulate and enhance the flow of air throughout the chamber controlled openings 60 are provided in the other end of the top 56. These openings, or vents, are at the opposite end to the fan and filter unit 58, thus ensuring air passes over and through the entire contents of the chamber.
The fan and filter will supply enough dust free air to change the air inside the chamber three times every hour. This flow of constantly changing fresh air will have the effect of drying whatever is stored in the chamber. For example, if a wet motor car be placed in the chamber, it should dry completely (after several hours) and stay that way as long as it is stored in the inflated chamber. The openings 60 may be plastic, adjustable air vents.
In use, the vehicle or object to be stored is placed on the base 52 and the clear top 56 is then thrown over it. The top and base are then joined together around all four sides by means of the zip 54. The fan is turned on to inflate the chamber. Usually such inflation will be achieved in approximately ten minutes. The rear air vents 60 are then adjusted to control the chamber ventilation.
The chamber may be designed to approximate the shape of a motor vehicle, as illustrated.
The top cover may be 500s gauge clear plastic and the base sheet may be 1000s gauge clear plastic.
The present invention therefore provides an inflatable chamber which can store an item in a suitable environment whilst only the base of the item is in contact with the chamber and the item can be viewed from outside the chamber.
It is to be understood that the above described embodiment is by way of example only and many modifications and variations may be made.
The size of the chamber may be adapted to suit the item to be stored. Supplementary rigid supports may be attached to the sheets to ensure that once inflated the chamber has a set configuration.
Any item may be stored within the chamber such as motor vehicles and especially vintage cars, machinery, or furniture and especially antiques.

Claims (14)

1. An inflatable chamber adapted for the storage of a motor vehicle, which chamber comprises:
a plastics material base sheet of a size not smaller than the vehicle with which the chamber is to be used;
a flexible plastics material upper sheet preformed to be of such a shape that the upper sheet may enclose a motor vehicle located on the base sheet;
zipper fastener means for joining the upper sheet to the base sheet;
a first opening formed through the upper sheet; and electrically driven air fan means mounted on the upper sheet around the first opening and arranged to draw air from the ambient and supply said drawn air through said first opening under pressure to the interior of the chamber thereby to inflate the chamber;
characterized in that:
the base sheet is of generally rectangular shape and defines four side edges;

the upper sheet defines four lower edges corresponding to the side edges of the base sheet;
the zipper fastener means extends around all four said side edges of the base sheet and all four said lower edges of the upper sheet whereby operation of the zipper fastener means of the base sheet and the upper sheet joins together the base sheet and the upper sheet to form a substantially sealed chamber; and a second opening is formed in the upper sheet, an adjustable air vent means being mounted on the upper sheet to overlie the second opening whereby the flow of air through the chamber may be controlled by adjustment of said air vent means.
2. An inflatable storage chamber according to claim 1, wherein the air fan means draws air from the ambient and supplies said drawn air to the chamber at such a rate that the air within the chamber is changed about three times every hour.
3. An inflatable storage chamber according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein a dehumidifier is provided in the chamber.
4. An inflatable storage chamber according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein a dehumidifier is provided within said first opening whereby air supplied under pressure by the air fan means passes through the dehumidifier.
5. An inflatable storage chamber according to any of the preceding claims 1-4, wherein the base sheet comprises a clear plastics material of approximately 1000 gauge.
6. An inflatable storage chamber according to any of the preceding claims 1-5, wherein the upper sheet comprises a clear plastics material of approximately 500 gauge.
7. An inflatable storage chamber according to any of the preceding claims 1-6, wherein the shape of the chamber as defined by the base sheet and the upper sheet, when inflated, approximates to that of a motor vehicle whereby said motor vehicle may be stored there within.
8. An inflatable chamber adapted for the storage of a motor vehicle, which chamber comprises:
a plastics material base sheet of generally rectangular shape and of a size not smaller than the vehicle with which the chamber is to be used, the base sheet having four side edges;

a flexible plastics material upper sheet preformed to be of such a shape that the upper sheet may enclose a motor vehicle located on the base sheet, the upper sheet defining four lower edges corresponding to the side edges of the base sheet;
zipper fastener means extending around all four said side edges of the base sheet and all four said lower edges of the upper sheet whereby operation of the zipper fastener means of the base sheet and the upper sheet joins together the base sheet and the upper sheet to form a substantially sealed chamber;
first and second openings formed through the upper sheet at opposed positions therein;
electrically driven air fan means mounted on the upper sheet around the first opening and arranged to draw air from the ambient and supply said drawn air through said first opening under pressure to the interior of the chamber thereby to inflate the chamber; and adjustable air vent means mounted on said upper sheet to overlie said second opening whereby the flow of air through the chamber may be controlled by adjustment of said air vent means.
9. An inflatable storage chamber according to claim 8, wherein the air fan means draws air from the ambient and supplies said drawn air through the chamber at such a rate that the air within the chamber is changed about three times every hour.
10. An inflatable storage chamber according to claim 8, wherein a dehumidifier is provided in the chamber.
11. An inflatable storage chamber according to claim 8, wherein a dehumidifier is provided within said first opening whereby air supplied under pressure by the air fan means passes through the dehumidifier.
12. An inflatable storage chamber according to claim 8, wherein the base sheet comprises a clear plastics material of approximately 1000 gauge.
13. An inflatable storage chamber according to claim 8, wherein the upper sheet comprises a clear plastics material of approximately 500 gauge.
14. An inflatable storage chamber according to claim 8, wherein the shape of the chamber as defined by the base sheet and the upper sheet, when inflated, approximates to that of a motor vehicle whereby said motor vehicle may be stored therewithin.
CA 2122872 1994-05-04 1994-05-04 Inflatable storage chamber Expired - Fee Related CA2122872C (en)

Priority Applications (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
CA 2122872 CA2122872C (en) 1994-05-04 1994-05-04 Inflatable storage chamber

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
CA 2122872 CA2122872C (en) 1994-05-04 1994-05-04 Inflatable storage chamber

Publications (2)

Publication Number Publication Date
CA2122872A1 CA2122872A1 (en) 1995-11-05
CA2122872C true CA2122872C (en) 2004-03-16

Family

ID=4153534

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
CA 2122872 Expired - Fee Related CA2122872C (en) 1994-05-04 1994-05-04 Inflatable storage chamber

Country Status (1)

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CA (1) CA2122872C (en)

Cited By (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US20170036779A1 (en) * 2015-08-06 2017-02-09 Heli-One Canada Ulc System and method for storing aircraft

Cited By (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US20170036779A1 (en) * 2015-08-06 2017-02-09 Heli-One Canada Ulc System and method for storing aircraft
US10252820B2 (en) * 2015-08-06 2019-04-09 Heli-One Canada Ulc System and method for storing aircraft

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
CA2122872A1 (en) 1995-11-05

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