GB2085941A - Collapsible portable shelter - Google Patents

Abstract

The portable shelter includes a floor (15) and a roof, e.g. comprising a flexible roofing element, which can be extended from a central support frame (5,6) which can be mounted as a trailer vehicle. The floor comprises a number of panels (15a etc) hinged together and capable of being run out along rails (12) which fold out from the support frame. The roof also has side rails (22) which can be folded out with cross members which can be drawn out long the side rails 22, and over which the roofing element extends. The frame (5,6) can be jacked up to provide a suitably high roof without making the trailer vehicle unduly tall for travel. The shelter can be used in place of a conventional marquee. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Portable shelter This invention relates to a portable shelter.

Temporary cover of large areas of ground, for example at agricultural shows or outdoor exhibitions, is typically provided by large tents whose complex structure requires considerable skill and the use of a large amount of manual labour to erect. It is not unusual to have to allow an extra day both before and after the show or other event for erection and removal of the tent. Thus, when the tent has been hired, the hire period has to be two days in excess of the length of the show or other event, and access to the site must be similarly extended. This increases the cost to the hirer.

From the point of view of the tent owner, the number of bookings he can accept in any period must allow for transport, erection, dismantling and packing of the tent for each event.

Further disadvantages with conventional tents are that maintenance costs are also relatively high, the ropes and canvas in particular suffering high wear and thus requiring repair or replacement, and that the life of the tent is short.

The present invention provides a portable shelter comprising a support frame from which a roof and a floor may be extended, the floor comprising at least two elongate supporting rails which are parallel when the floor is extended, and a plurality of floor panels which may be supported on the rails, each panel being hingedly connected to the or each immediately adjacent pane', whereby the panels may be drawn together along the extended rails between a first position wherein the panels are folded together on or in the support frame and a second position wherein the panels are resting generally horizontally on the rails.

Preferably, the panels are provided with wheels or rollers adapted to run along the rails. The panels may be drawn along the rails by means of winches winding ropes or cables attached at suitable points on the panels.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the support frame has removable road-wheels and coupling means for coupling to a tractor unit permitting the support frame to be drawn along as a trailer when the roof and floor are retracted into the frame. The frame may be arranged centrally of the shelter so that a portion of the roof and a portion of the floor may be extended on each side of the support frame, which itself defines a central portion of the shelter. The support frame may include vertically-extensible frame portions which may be extended downwardly to engage the ground, permitting the road wheels and other supports to be removed so that the remainder of the support frame can then be lowered to the ground, by retracting the frame portions.

The movement of the frame portions relative to the remainder of the support frame may be controlled by hydraulic rams powered by a hydraulic pump mounted on or in the support frame and supplied with electric power from the tractor unit's battery, the tractor unit being positioned adjacent to the frame during erection and dismantling of the shelter.

The roof may comprise side rail members, which may be extended parallel from the support frame, and a plurality of cross members which may be drawn generally parallel along and between the side rail members and which have a flexible roofing element, for example canvas or a plastics material sheet, attached to each cross-member such that when the roof is fully extended, the crossmembers are spaced along the side rail members with the flexible roofing element extending continuously across the crossmembers.

The sides of the shelter between the roof and the floor may be closed by means of rigid or flexible panels attached between the roof and the floor. Thus, for example, canvas or plastics material sheets may be used, or rigid plastics or other wall panels, including, if desired, doors and windows.

The shelter of the invention offers several advantages over conventional large tents or marquees. Erection and dismantling of the shelter can be achieved very quickly by one or two men, thus permitting the shelter to be transferred quickly from one site to another.

No guy-ropes or other supports are required, the shelter thus being usable in spaces which are not much larger than the floor area of the shleter and on surfaces, such as concrete or tarmac car-parks, where pegs and other rope anchors cannot be used. The shelter may provide a uniform height inside, with an even floor. Lighting may be included in the roof so as to be ready for use as soon as the roof has been extended.

Since the shelter may, when retracted, form a trailer vehicle, one or two men with a single tractor unit may deliver and erect several shelters in a single day. The shelter may be expected to have a larger working life than a tent.

Reference is made to the drawings, in which: Figure 1 shows a perspective view of a shelter in accordance with the invention, when folded for transport as a trailer vehicle; Figure 2 illustrates the extension of the flooi of the shelter of Fig. 1; and Figure 3 illustrates the shelter in a position just before final elevation of the roof for use.

The portable shelter comprises a support frame 1 having a base 2 and a pair of fixed pillars 3 at each end thereof. A jacking frame 4 is mounted around each pair of pillars 3 and has guide rollers permitting sliding of the jacking frame 4 relative to the pillars 3. The jacking frames 4 each comprise two generally U-shaped members, the arms of the lower member 5 sliding within the arms of the upper member 6. Locking pins enable the lower member 5 to be releasably locked to the base 2 and the upper member 5 to be releasably locked to the pillars 3 at at least three alternative heights, as will be explained further hereinafter. A hydraulic ram 7 is mounted between the upper and lower members of the jacking frame 4 to enable extension or retraction of the frame.The roof structure 8, described in more detail hereinafter, is mounted on and lies between the upper members 6 of the two jacking frames 4.

The structure of the shelter will be described further while describing the erection of the shelter. Referring to Fig. 1, the shelter is in the form of a trailer vehicle and is provided with road wheels 10 adjacent to one end thereof, secured to the underside of the base 2. The trailer is illustrated with the tractor unit having been removed after hydraulic lowering of a support 11. In this portion, the locking pins securing the lower members 5 of the jacking frames 4 to the base 2 are removed and the rams 7 extended until the weight of the shelter is supported by the jacking frames 4. The hydraulic rams 7 are powered by an electrically-powered hydraulic system within the base 2, the electric power being provided by the tractor battery. As an alternative the hydraulic system may be provided with its own small internal combustion engine.

The road wheels 10 may then be removed as a complete axle/suspension unit and the support 11 retracted together to lower the base 2 on to the ground. The rams 7 are then retracted together to lower the base 2 on to the ground. The locking pins are reinserted to lock the lower members 5 to the base 2. In this position, the floor can be extended.

On each side of the support frame 1, two side rails 1 2 are pivotally mounted on the base 2, one rail being pivotted at each end thereof. The side rails 1 2 are swung out from the base 2 until they lie perpendicular to the side of the base and mutually parallel (Fig. 2).

Screw-jacks (not shown) are then used to ensure that the rails 1 2 are level and evenly supported along their lengths. A plurality of cross-members 1 3 are then slid along the side rails 1 2 until locating pins engage spaced holes along the side rails 1 2 to lock the crossmembers 1 3 at intervals along the rails. Purlins 14 are then located between the crossmembers 1 3 at spaced intervals so as to lie parallel to the side-rails 1 2. The purlins 14 have locating pins engaging sockets in the cross-members 1 3.

With the under-frame comprising side-rails 12, cross-members 13 and purlins 14 assembled, levelled and supported, where appropriate, by screw jacks, floor panels 1 5 can then be positioned on the under-frame to complete the floor. The panels 1 5 are hinged together and are initially folded together for vertical storage on the trailer. Rollers or wheels are provided on the panels 1 5 to engage and run along the side-rails 1 2 and purlins 14.A supporting cable 1 6 runs on each end of the support frame from a point at the join between the outer two panels 1 spa and 1 sub, over a pulley 1 7 on the upper member 6 of a jacking frame 4, around a pulley 1 8 adjacent to the join between the inner two panels 1 sic and 15d, around a central pulley 19 on the upper member 6 and thence to a winch (not shown).Additionally, a cable 20 runs from a central point on the outer panel 1 5a to a hand winch 21 at the centre of the outermost crossmember 13, to enable the panels to be drawn along the side-rails 1 2 and purlins 1 4 into the fully extended position illustrated in Fig. 3, the cables 1 6 serving to control the lowering of the panels as well as to enable the panels to be drawn up again when the shelter is dismantled for transporting. The operation is repeated for the other side of the support frame 1.

Assembly of the roof is effected by first swinging out roof side rails 22 pivotally mounted to the upper member 6 of each jacking frame 4 until they lie perpendicular to a fixed beam 23 between the two upper members 6 and mutually perpendicular. A supporting leg 24 is fitted bet-sveen the roof and the floor at each of the four corners. The legs 24 comprise two parts hinged together with a lockable joint, and are illustrated in Fig.

3 in the position adopted before t'7e roof is elevated, straightening and locking the legs.

Cross-beams 25 are then drawn along and between the roof side rails 22 until the crossbeams 25 are equally spaced along the side rails 22. A plastics material sheet 26 is fixed to each cross-beam 25 so that as the crossbeams are drawn along the side rails 22, the sheet 26 is also drawn out to form a roof. In Fig. 3, for clarity, half of the roof is shown without the sheet present, but it will be understood that a continuous sheet may extend from one end of the roof to the other.

When the roof is fully extended, the locking pins between the upper members 6 of the jacking frame 4 and the pillars 3 are removed and the rams 7 extended to elevate the roof fully. The legs 24 are then locked straight and the locking pins inserted to lock the upper members 6 in their elevated position relative to the pillars 3, thus transferring the load from the rams 7.

The open sides of the shelter may, if desired, be closed by means of flexible plastics or other waterproof sheets fixed between the roof and the floor, or by rigid panels, which may include windows and doors.

Dismantling and removal of the shelter follows the erection procedure in reverse.

Drainage for the roof can be provided by gutters running along the lower edge of the side rails 22, draining into down-pipes on the supporting legs 24 to discharge under the floor or at any convenient point. It will be seen from Fig. 3 that the shape of the sheet 26 when stretched over the cross-beams 25 as shown will tend to channel any rain-water towards the lower edges of the side rails 22, and thus into the gutters.

Claims (14)

1. A portable shelter comprising a support frame from which a roof and a floor may be extended, the floor comprising at least two elongate supporting rails which are parallel when the floor is extended, and a plurality of floor panels which may be supported on the rails, each panel being hingedly connected to the or each immediately adjacent panel, whereby the panels may be drawn together along the extended rails between a first position wherein the panels are folded together on or in the support frame and a second position wherein the panels are resting generally horizontally on the rails.

2. A shelter according to Claim 1, wherein the panels are provided with wheels or rollers adapted to run along the rails.

3. A shelter according to Claim 1 or 2, wherein winches are provided to wind ropes or cables attached at suitable points on the panels to draw the panels along the rails.

4. A shelter according to Claim 1, 2 or 3, wherein the support frame has removable road-wheels and coupling means for coupling to a tractor unit permitting the support frame to be drawn along as a trailer when the roof and floor are retracted into the frame.

5. A shelter according to Claim 4, wherein the support frame includes vertically extendible frame portions which may be extended dowbwardly to engage the ground, whereby the road wheels can be removed thereby allowing the remainder of the support frame to be lowered to the ground by retracting the frame portions.

6. A shelter according to Claim 5 wherein the movement of the frame portions relative to the remainder of the support frame is controlled by hydraulic rams.

7: A shelter according to Claim 6, comprising a hydraulic pump mounted on or in the support frame to power the rams, and a motor to drive the hydraulic pump.

8. A shelter according to any preceding claim, wherein the frame is arranged centrally of the shelter, whereby a portion of the roof and a portion of the floor may be extended on each side of the support frame, which itself defines a central portion of the shelter.

9. A shelter according to any preceding claim, wherein the roof comprises side rail members which may be extended parallel from the support frame, and a plurality of cross members which may be drawn generally parallel along and between the side members.

10. A shelter according to Claim 9, wherein a flexible roofing element is attached to each cross-member such that, when the roof is fully extended, the cross members are spaced along the side rail members with the flexible roofing element extending continuously across the cross members.

11. A shelter according to Claim 10, wherein the flexible roofing element is a canvas or a plastics material sheet.

1 2. A shelter according to any preceding claim, wherein the sides of the shelter between the roof and the floor are closed by means of rigid or flexible walls panels attached between the roof and the floor.

1 3. A shelter according to Claim 12, wherein at least on of the wall panels includes a door.

14. A shelter according to Claim 12, or 13, wherein at least one of the wall panels includes a window.

1 5. A portable shelter, substantially as described herein with reference to, or as shown in, the drawings.