IL265658A - Air filtration system - Google Patents

Description

1 AIR FILTRATION SYSTEM FIELD AND BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention, in some embodiments thereof, relates to the field of chemical biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) filtration systems, and more particularly but not exclusively to CBRN filtration systems for residential secure spaces (RSS) and shelters.

CBRN filtration systems are used in public and private shelters for filtering any chemical, biological and radioactive materials out of the air in the environment before pumping the air into the shelter or RSS. Such CBRN filtration systems typically include a suitable CBRN filter that includes one or more filtering materials that adsorb chemical agents (such as, for example active carbon) and that filters out hazardous particulate matter, such as chemical gaseous warfare, biological warfare agents (for example, bacteria and viruses) as well as radioactive dust particles that may be part of nuclear fallout. In addition to the filter, the CBRN system may include suitable air flow tubes that may be used to connect the filter to suitable openings made in the wall of the shelter or RSS and to one or more pumping devices. Typically, the pumping device may be an electrical air pump that is operated on mains electricity. If electricity is available, in use, one end of the air filter is connected to the outside air through an opening in the wall of the RSS or shelter, either directly or through a suitable air flow tube connected to the filter, the electrically operated pump is connected to the other end of the filter either directly or through a second air flow tube.

The filtered air from the pump is introduced into the shelter or RSS. However, as there is a reasonable chance that during war there may be electricity shutdown or failure, most CBRN systems also include a manually operated air pump. If electricity is not available, the manual air pump is connected to the filter (instead of the electrical air pump) and the air pumping is performed manually until electricity supply is renewed. Typically in prior art CBRN systems, all the system components including the filter, electrical pump, manual pump and the air flow tubes are stored within a suitable housing that has a suitable housing cover. The filter is hermetically sealed by suitable filter seals that are removed before use. When the system needs to be used, the system housing is opened or removed and the system parts are assembled for electrical or manual operation.

Typically, the space available in an RSS is quite limited and quite often in a war several people may need to stay in such a limited space for relatively long periods of time (often several days and night. Therefore, during use time periods the RSS or shelter may need to accommodate sleeping arrangements ( such as, beds, beddings and blankets) and feeding arrangements (such as, 2 water tanks and food items). All these requirements result in space being at a premium. A problem of prior art CBRN systems is that when the system is opened and assembled for use, the system's housing cover has to be put aside and occupies much needed space as well as inconveniently cluttering the RSS space.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An aspect of the present invention is the use of the system’s cover or housing as a manual air pump, or as a part of the manual air pump, significantly reducing the system’s size, reducing production cost and production time.

There is therefore provided, in accordance with some embodiments of the present application, a manual air pump for an air filtration system installable in a shelter or a residential secure space (RSS). The manual air pump includes a hollow housing cover of the air filtration system. The housing cover has an open end configured for being attached to a housing base of a housing of the air filtration system. The housing cover has a second closed end configured for being detachably attached to a wall of the shelter or the RSS. The manual air pump also includes a foldable air pumping member, detachably attachable to the open end of the housing cover to form the manual air pump.

In accordance with some embodiments of the manual air pump, the manual air pump is adapted for pulling air from an air filter into the manual air pump and for pushing air from the manual air pump into the shelter or RSS.

In accordance with some embodiments of the manual air pump, the air pumping member is a foldable air pumping member having an open end and a closed end and the air pumping member is configured for being folded and stored within the housing of the air filtration system when the air filtration system is not in use.

In accordance with some embodiments of the manual air pump, the air pumping member includes an attachment mechanism for attaching the open end of the air pumping member to the first open end of the housing cover.

In accordance with some embodiments of the manual air pump, the attachment mechanism may be, a securing belt threaded into loops disposed around the circumference of the open end of the air pumping member or an elastic band attached to or disposed within the perimeter of the open end of the air pumping member.

In accordance with some embodiments of the manual air pump, the housing cover is detachably attachable to a connecting mechanism disposed on a wall of the shelter or RSS containing the air filtration system. 3 In accordance with some embodiments of the manual air pump, the air pumping member may be a foldable tent-like pliable member having a closed end and an open end or a bellows shaped member having an open end and a closed end or a corrugated or pleated member having an open end and a closed end.

In accordance with some embodiments of the manual air pump, the air pumping member is made from or includes a material selected from, a densely woven fabric, a fabric impregnated with a sealant, rubber, synthetic rubber, a pliable polymer based material and any combinations thereof.

In accordance with some embodiments of the manual air pump, the manual air pump is selected from, a manual air pump having a first one-way valve formed in the housing cover for allowing filtered air from an air filter to flow into the manual air pump and a second one-way valve formed in the housing cover for allowing filtered air to flow from within the manual air pump into the RSS or shelter, a manual air pump having an opening formed in the housing cover, the opening is adapted for attaching an air hose comprising a first one-way valve to the opening for allowing filtered air to flow from an air filter attached to the air hose through the air hose and into the manual air pump, the housing cover has a second one-way valve formed therein for allowing filtered air to flow from within the manual air pump into the RSS or shelter, a manual air pump having an opening formed in the housing cover, the opening is adapted for attaching an air hose comprising a first one-way valve to the opening for allowing filtered air to flow from an air filter attached to the air hose into the manual air pump, the air pumping member has a second one-way valve formed therein for allowing filtered air to flow from within the manual air pump into the RSS or shelter, and a manual air pump having a first one way valve formed in the housing cover for allowing filtered air from an air filter fluidically connected to the first one way valve to flow into the manual air pump, wherein the air pumping member includes a second one-way valve formed therein for allowing filtered air to flow from within the manual air pump into the RSS or shelter.

In accordance with some embodiments, the first one-way valve and the second one-way valve are selected from the list consisting of a leaf one-way valve, a spring-loaded leaf one-way valve and a ball type one-way valve, and any combinations thereof.

There is also provided, in accordance with some embodiments of the air filtration systems of the present application, an air filtration system for a shelter or a residential secure space (RSS).

The air filtration system includes an air filter having an inlet port and an outlet port, a housing 4 including a housing base attachable to a wall of the shelter or RSS and a housing cover. The housing cover has an open end detachably attachable to the housing base and a closed end detachably attachable to an attachment mechanism on the wall of the shelter or RSS. The air filtration system also includes a foldable air pumping member detachably attachable to the open end of the housing cover to form a manual air pump, an electrical air pump detachably attachable to the outlet port of the air filter, and an air hose fluidically connectable to the outlet port of the air filter and to the manual air pump.

In accordance with some embodiments of the air filtration system, the electrical air pump is an electrical air pump directly fluidically connectable to the outlet port of the air filter, or an electrical air pump connectable to the outlet port of the air filter by the air hose.

In accordance with some embodiments of the air filtration system, the foldable air pumping member has an open end and a closed end and the air pumping member is configured for being folded and stored within the housing of the air filtration system when the air filtration system is not in use.

In accordance with some embodiments of the air filtration system, the air pumping member includes an attachment mechanism for attaching the open end of the air pumping member to the open end of the housing cover.

In accordance with some embodiments of the air filtration system, the attachment mechanism is a securing belt threaded into loops disposed around the circumference of the open end of the air pumping member or an elastic band attached to or disposed within the perimeter of the open end of the air pumping member.

In accordance with some embodiments of the air filtration system, the air pumping member is a foldable tent-like pliable member having a closed end an open end or a bellows shaped member having an open end and a closed end, or a corrugated or pleated member having an open end and a closed end.

In accordance with some embodiments of the air filtration system, the air pumping member is made from or includes a material selected from, a densely woven fabric, a fabric impregnated with a sealant, rubber, synthetic rubber, a pliable polymer based material and any combinations thereof.

In accordance with some embodiments of the air filtration system, the housing cover is attachable to the housing base when the air filtration system is not in use and wherein the housing cover is convertible to a manual air pump by detaching the housing cover from the housing base, attaching the closed end of the housing cover to a wall of the shelter or RSS, attaching the closed end of the housing cover to the wall of the shelter or RSS using the attachment mechanism, attaching the air pumping member to the open end of the housing cover and fluidically connecting the air hose between the outlet port of the air filter and the manual air pump.

In accordance with some embodiments of the air filtration system, the manual air pump is selected from, a manual air pump having a first one-way valve formed in the housing cover for allowing filtered air from an air filter to flow into the manual air pump and a second one-way valve formed in the housing cover for allowing filtered air to flow from within the manual air pump into the RSS or shelter, a manual air pump having an opening formed in the housing cover, the opening is adapted for attaching an air hose comprising a first one-way valve to the opening for allowing filtered air to flow from an air filter attached to the air hose through the air hose and into the manual air pump, the housing cover has a second one-way valve formed therein for allowing filtered air to flow from within the manual air pump into the RSS or shelter, a manual air pump having an opening formed in the housing cover, the opening is adapted for attaching an air hose comprising a first one-way valve to the opening for allowing filtered air to flow from an air filter attached to the air hose into the manual air pump, the air pumping member has a second one-way valve formed therein for allowing filtered air to flow from within the manual air pump into the RSS or shelter, and a manual air pump having a first one way valve formed in the housing cover for allowing filtered air from an air filter fluidically connected to the first one way valve to flow into the manual air pump, wherein the air pumping member includes a second one-way valve formed therein for allowing filtered air to flow from within the manual air pump into the RSS or shelter.

In accordance with some embodiments of the air filtration system, the first one-way valve and the second one-way valve are selected from the list consisting of a leaf one-way valve, a spring-loaded leaf one-way valve and a ball type one-way valve, and any combinations thereof.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS Some embodiments of the invention are herein described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which like components are designated by like reference numerals. With specific reference now to the drawings in detail, it is stressed that the particulars shown are by way of example and for purposes of illustrative discussion of embodiments of the invention. In this regard, the description taken with the drawings makes apparent to those skilled in the art how embodiments of the invention may be practiced. 6 In the drawings: FIG.1 is a schematic, front view of a prior art CBRN air filtration system; FIG. 2 is a schematic isometric view of the prior art CBRN air filtration system of FIG.1 installed in an RSS and ready for manual operation; FIG. 3 is a schematic isometric see-through view of the prior art CBRN air filtration system of FIG. 1; FIG.4 is a schematic isometric view of a manual air pump included in the prior art CBRN air filtration system of FIG. 1, illustrating the air pump in a contracted state; FIG. 5 is a schematic isometric view of the air pump of FIG. 4 illustrated in an extended state; FIG. 6 is a schematic isometric view of a CBRN system installed in an RSS in a standby configuration prior to use, in accordance with an embodiment of the systems of the present application; FIG. 7 is a schematic isometric view illustrating the system of FIG. 6 configured for electrically powered operation; FIG. 8 is a schematic isometric view of the air filtration system of FIG.6 configured for manual operation; FIG. 9 is a schematic isometric view illustrating the housing cover of the air filtration system of FIG. 6; FIG. 10 is a schematic isometric view illustrating the housing cover of FIG. 9 with an air pumping member attached thereto to form a manual air pump, in accordance with some embodiments of the air filtration systems of the present application; FIG. 11 is a schematic side view illustrating the manual air pump of FIG. 10; FIG. 12 is a schematic isometric view illustrating a method of operation of the housing cover and the air pumping member attached thereto, as a manually operated air pump, in accordance with some embodiments of the systems of the present application; FIG. 13 is a schematic top view of the manual air pump of FIG. 10; FIG. 14 is a part isometric part cross-sectional view of the manual air pump of FIG. 13, taken along the lines XIV-XIV; FIG. 15 is a schematic part isometric, part cutout view of the air hose of the system of FIG. 6, in accordance with some embodiments of the systems of the present application; FIG. 16 is a schematic exploded view of the manual air pump of the system of FIG. 7; 7 FIG. 17 is a schematic top view of a housing cover including two one-way valves formed as parts of the housing cover, in accordance with some embodiments of the air filtration systems of the present application; FIG. 18 is a schematic, part cross-sectional, part isometric exploded view of the housing cover of FIG. 17, taken along the lines XVIII-XVIII; FIG. 19 is a schematic isometric view illustrating a manual air pump having an air pumping member including a one-way air valve therein.

FIG. 20 is a schematic isometric view illustrating a housing cover attachable to the air pumping member of FIG. 19 to form a manual air pump, in accordance with an embodiment of the air filtration systems of the present application; and FIG. 21 is a schematic part isometric, part cross-sectional exploded view illustrating a part of another housing cover attachable to the air pumping member of FIG. 19 to form a manual air pump, in accordance with another embodiment of the air filtration systems of the present application.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF SPECIFIC EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION Abbreviations: The following abbreviations are used throughout the specification and the claims of the present application: Abbreviation Means CBR Chemical, biological, radiological.

CBRN Chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear. cm Centimeter RSS Residential secure space.

Unless otherwise defined, all technical and/or scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which the invention pertains. Although methods and materials similar or equivalent to those described herein can be used in the practice or testing of embodiments of the invention, exemplary methods and/or materials are described below. In case of conflict, the patent specification, including definitions, will control. In addition, the materials, methods, and examples are illustrative only and are not intended to be necessarily limiting.

Implementation of the method and/or system of embodiments of the invention can involve performing or completing selected tasks manually, automatically, or a combination thereof. 8 Moreover, according to actual instrumentation and equipment of embodiments of the method and/or system of the invention, several selected tasks could be implemented by hardware, by software or by firmware or by a combination thereof using an operating system.

Before explaining at least one embodiment of the invention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not necessarily limited in its application to the details of construction and the arrangement of the components and/or methods set forth in the following description and/or illustrated in the drawings and/or the examples. The invention is capable of other embodiments or of being practiced or carried out in various ways. It is expected that during the life of a patent maturing from this application many relevant types of CBR and CBRN filters will be developed and the scope of the terms "filter", "CBR filter" and "CBRN filter" are intended to include all such new technologies a priori. As used herein the term “about” refers to  10 %. The word "exemplary" is used herein to mean "serving as an example, instance or illustration." Any embodiment described as "exemplary" is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other embodiments and/or to exclude the incorporation of features from other embodiments.

The word "optionally" is used herein to mean "is provided in some embodiments and not provided in other embodiments." Any particular embodiment of the invention may include a plurality of "optional" features unless such features conflict.

The terms "comprises", "comprising", "includes", "including", “having” and their conjugates mean "including but not limited to".

The term “consisting of” means “including and limited to”.

The term "consisting essentially of" means that the composition, method or structure may include additional ingredients, steps and/or parts, but only if the additional ingredients, steps and/or parts do not materially alter the basic and novel characteristics of the claimed composition, method or structure.

As used herein, the singular form "a", "an" and "the" include plural references unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. For example, the term "a compound" or "at least one compound" may include a plurality of compounds, including mixtures thereof.

Throughout this application and claims, the terms "wall" and "walls" mean the wall(s), and/or ceiling and/or floor (of the RSS or Shelter), as it may be possible, in some embodiments of the systems disclosed herein to attach one or more parts of the system(s) to the walls or the ceiling or the floor of the RSS or shelter.

Throughout this application, various embodiments of this invention may be presented in a range format. It should be understood that the description in range format is merely for 9 convenience and brevity and should not be construed as an inflexible limitation on the scope of the invention. Accordingly, the description of a range should be considered to have specifically disclosed all the possible subranges as well as individual numerical values within that range. For example, description of a range such as from 1 to 6 should be considered to have specifically disclosed subranges such as from 1 to 3, from 1 to 4, from 1 to 5, from 2 to 4, from 2 to 6, from 3 to 6 etc., as well as individual numbers within that range, for example, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6. This applies regardless of the breadth of the range.

Whenever a numerical range is indicated herein, it is meant to include any cited numeral (fractional or integral) within the indicated range. The phrases “ranging/ranges between” a first indicate number and a second indicate number and “ranging/ranges from” a first indicate number “to” a second indicate number are used herein interchangeably and are meant to include the first and second indicated numbers and all the fractional and integral numerals therebetween.

The present application discloses a CBRN system for use in an RSS or a shelter that is compact and space saving without sacrificing performance. In order to understand the novel improvements of the CBRN system of the present application, the structure and operation of an exemplary prior art CBRN are briefly described hereinbelow.

Reference is now made to FIGS. 1-5. FIG.1 is a schematic, front view of part of a prior art CBRN air filtration system. FIG. 2 is a schematic isometric view of the prior art CBRN air filtration system of FIG.1 installed in an RSS and ready for manual operation. FIG. 3 is a schematic isometric see-through view of the prior art CBRN air filtration system of FIG. 1.

FIG.4 is a schematic isometric view of a manual air pump included in the prior art CBRN air filtration system of FIG. 1, illustrating the air pump in a contracted state. FIG. 5 is a schematic isometric view of the air pump of FIG. 4 illustrated in an extended state.

Turning to FIGS. 1-3, the prior art CBRN system 1 includes a housing 10 that includes a housing cover 10A and a housing base 10B. The housing base 10B is attached to a wall 3 of the shelter or RSS (the wall 3 is not shown in the front view of FIG. 1 but may be seen in FIG. 2 hereinafter). The attachment of the housing base 10B to the wall 3 may be performed by any suitable attachment method, such as, for example by screws and wall plugs, but any other suitable attachment method may be used.

The housing cover 10A may be attached to the housing base 10B by any suitable attachment mechanism. For example, suitable knob-headed screws 5A and 5B may be screwed into the housing base 10B and may fit into respective slots 7A and 7B formed in the sides of the housing 10A. The system 1 also includes a CBR filter 2, an electrical air pump 4 (electrical air blower). The system 1 may also include a power supply (not shown for the sake of clarity of illustration) connectable to a mains electrical outlet and to the electrical air pump 4 for providing power to the air pump 4. Alternatively, the electrical air pump 4 may be operated by directly being energized from the mains power socket available within the shelter or RSS.

The system 1 also includes a manually operable air pump 8 and a flexible air hose 12 (the air hose 12 is not shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 3, for the sake of illustration but may be seen in FIG. 2). When the system 10 is not in use, the CBR filter 2, the electrical air pump 4 and the manually operable air pump 8 and the air hose 12 are all disposed within the housing 10 for storage. When not in use the CBR filter 2 is sealed by air-tight seals or covers (not shown) to prevent penetration of air into the air filter and filter degradation. The air hose 12 has suitable connectors (not shown) at both ends thereof for connecting the air hose 12 to the filter 2 and to the electrical air pump 4 (for automatic electrical operation) or for connecting the filter 2 to the manual air pump 8 (for manual operation of the system. The system 1 also includes a connecting member 6 disposed below the housing 10. The connecting member may be any type of member that is attached to the wall 3 and that may be used to attach the manual air pump 8 thereto.

Typically, when electricity is available and the system 1 needs to be used, the user detaches the housing cover 10A from the housing base 10B (such as, for example, by opening the knob headed screws 5A and 5B and pulling the housing cover 10A away from the housing base 10B), puts the housing cover 10A aside (as shown in FIG. 2). The user then opens and/or removes the cap's sealings or covers of the filter 2, connects the input port of the filter 2 to a suitable air inlet (not shown) formed in the wall 3 of the RSS, connects the output port of the air filter 2 to the electrical air pump 4 by using the air hose 12 and activates the electrical air pump 4. The activation of the electrical air pump 4 results in a negative air pressure being applied to the air outlet of the air filter 2 which causes air from outside the RSS or shelter entering into the filter and being filtered to remove any gaseous or solid particle contaminants. The filtered air is then pushed from the air outlet of the electrical air pump 4 into the internal space within the RSS or shelter. This active pushing of the filtered air into the RSS or shelter creates a slightly positive air pressure within the RSS or shelter which causes flow of air outside the RSS or Shelter through any cracks or small openings in the doors and/or walls of the RSS or shelter.

Such positive airflow prevents penetration of chemical and/or biological and/or radiological contaminants into the RSS or shelter through such cracks or openings.

In times where there is no electrical power available for operating the electrical air pump 4 (such as, for example due to blackouts or electrical networks malfunction) the user may change the system configuration to a manual operating mode by disconnecting the filter 2 from the electrical air pump 4, by disconnecting the air hose 12 from the inlet port of the electrical air 11 pump 4 and connecting the disconnected end of the air hose 12 to the manual air pump 8. The manual air pump 8 may then be attached to the wall 3 by connecting it to the connecting member 6 as illustrated in FIG. 2. Turning now to FIGS. 4-5, the manual air pump 8 includes a front end 8A having a handle 8D and an air outlet port 8E, and a rear end plate 8B. The rear end plate 8B has a suitable air inlet port (not shown) for connecting the air hose 12 thereto and suitable attachment members (not shown) for attaching the rear end plate 8B to the connecting member 6 (which is attached to the wall 3 (as illustrated in FIG. 2). The manual air pump 8 also includes a bellows- like member 8C sealingly attached to the front end plate 8A and to the rear end plate 8B. By holding the handle 8D and pulling or pushing, the manual air pump may be alternated between an expanded state and a contracted state, respectively.

The manual air pump 8 has two one-way valves (not shown) installed in the air outlet port 8E and in the air inlet port (not shown) of the manual air pump 8. The one way valve in the air inlet port is arranged to allow air to flow into the air inlet port only and to close when the air pressure within the manual air pump is larger than the ambient air pressure to prevent back-flow of air from the manual air pump 8 into the outlet port of the air filter 2 through the air hose 12.

The one-way valve installed within the air outlet port 8E is arranged to open when the air pressure inside the manual air pump 8 exceeds the air pressure within the RSS or shelter. The user may manually operate the manual air pump 8 by holding the handle 8C of the manual air pump 8 and pulling the handle 8D to expand the bellows-like member 8C to an expanded state (as illustrated in FIG. 5) and by pushing the handle 8D to contract the bellows-like member to a contracted state (as illustrated in FIG. 4).

When electrical power is restored, the system 1 may be disassembled and the air hose 12 may be used to connect the electrical air pump 4 to the air filter 2 as disclosed in detail hereinabove.

It is noted that the housing 10 of the prior art system 1 needs to be large enough to store therein the air filter 2, the electrical air pump 4, the manual air pump 8 and the air hose 12.

Additionally, when the system 1 is being used, the housing cover 10A needs to be removed from the housing 10 and put aside. which may be cumbersome and may use some of the space available within the RSS or shelter and increase clutter of the shelter's available space (see FIG. 2).

The inventors of the present invention have serendipitously discovered a way to improve the prior art CBRN system by reducing the dimensions of the system within the RSS or shelter as well as reducing clutter due to the additional space required for storing the housing cover of the system when the system is being used. 12 Reference is now made to FIGS. 6-8. FIG. 6 is a schematic isometric view of a CBRN system installed in an RSS in a standby configuration prior to use, in accordance with an embodiment of the systems of the present application. FIG. 7 is a schematic isometric view illustrating the system of FIG. 6 configured for electrically powered operation. FIG. 8 is a schematic isometric view of the CBRN system of FIG.6 configured for manual operation.

The system 21 includes the CBRN air filter 2 (as disclosed hereinabove), an electrical air pump 24, a storage compartment 25 and an air hose 12. The system 21 also includes a housing for storing the CBRN air filter 2, the electrical air pump 24, the storage compartment 25 and the air hose 12 therein. The system 20 also includes a foldable air pumping member 27 (FIG. 7). During a standby mode of the system 21, the foldable air pumping member is folded and stored within the storage compartment 25 in the housing 20. The electrical air pump 24 and the air hose 12 may also be stored within the housing 20. The housing 20 includes a housing cover 20A and a housing base 20B. The housing base 20B is suitably attached to the wall 3 of the RSS or shelter. The attachment of the housing base 20B to the wall 3 may be performed by any suitable attachment method, such as, for example by screws and wall plugs (not shown for the sake of clarity of illustration), but any other suitable attachment method may be used.

The housing base 20B may be made from any suitable material, such as, for example, iron, galvanized iron, steel, a strong polymer based material or any other suitable material. The housing cover 20A may be made from any suitable material, such as, for example, sheet metal, galvanized iron, steel, a strong polymer based material or any other suitable material. The foldable air pumping member 27 may be made from any foldable and pliable material such as, for example, a tightly woven fabric, a woven fabric impregnated with a sealing material (for example, synthetic rubber, or any other suitable sealant), a sheet of pliable polymer based material, or any other material suitable for pumping air. The housing cover 20A has two holes 33A and 33B formed therein for attaching the housing cover to the wall 3 when the system 21 is being used (in electrical pumping or mechanical pumping modes).

The air pumping member 27 may be shaped as a truncated pyramidal (tent-like) pliable member but may also have any other suitable shape such as, for example, a tapering shape, a hemispherical shape, a conical shape, a frustoconical (truncated conical) shape, a bellows shape or any other shape that may be sealingly or semi-sealingly attached to the open end 20C of the housing cover 20A and be used for pumping air. Turning briefly to FIGS. 10 and 16 hereinafter, in the exemplary embodiment of the system 21, the air pumping member 27 has a prismatic shape (when stretched) having a rectangular end 27A that may be fitted onto the circumference of the open end 20C of the housing cover 20A. A fastening belt 30 having a buckle 34 may be 13 passed within suitable securing loops 32 disposed at the circumference of the open end 27A.

The fastening belt 30 may be used to firmly attach the air pumping member 27 to the open end 20C of the housing cover 20A for forming a manual air pump 22. The air pumping member 27 may include a handle 29 that may be inserted into two handle pockets 27B and 27C positioned at an end of the air pumping member 27. The handle 29 may be a cylindrical rod made from plastic or wood, but in accordance with some embodiments , the handle may be a strong strip ( not shown) of the same material from which the air pumping member is made, the strip may be sewn to the closed end of the air pumping member 27 instead of the handle 29. Any other suitable type of handle may also be used in some embodiments of the air pumping member of the system 21.

Turning now to FIG. 7, when the system 21 is used in an electrical pumping mode, the housing cover 20A is detached from the housing base 20B (by loosening the knob-headed screws 5A and 5B and pulling the housing cover 20). The housing cover 20A may then be attached to the wall 3 using the connecting member 26 (the exact details of how the housing cover 20A is attached to the wall 3 are described in detail with respect to FIG. 16 hereinafter).

Briefly returning to FIG. 6, the connecting member attached to the wall 3 of the RSS or shelter may be implemented as a connecting plate 26A having two threaded holes 26B and 26C formed therein. The connecting member 26 may be firmly attached to the wall 3 by using suitable screws (not shown) and wall plugs (not shown) inserted into the wall 3. The connecting member 26 may be made from a suitable metal, such as, for example, galvanized iron or aluminum or stainless steel but any other suitably strong material may be used.

After the housing cover 20A is firmly attached to the wall 3, the folded air pumping member 27 may be taken out of the storage compartment 25 and unfolded. The fastening belt 30 may be inserted within the securing loops 32. The open end 27A of the air pumping member 27 may be fitted onto the open end 20C of the housing cover 20. The fastening belt 30 may then be tightened and the buckle 34 locked to firmly attach the air pumping member 27 to the housing cover 20A. The Electrical air pump 24 is removed from the housing based 20B. The air-tight coverings or seals are removed from the air filter 2 and one end of the air filter 2 may be attached to a suitable connector (not shown) accessing an opening in the wall 3 that allows air from outside the shelter or RSS to reach the inlet port of the filter 2.

It is noted that in some embodiments, the housing base 20B is attached to the wall 3 in a position such that the connector (not shown) for connecting to the inlet port of the filter 2 is disposed within the housing base 20B ( The connector is not shown in any of the figures because it is typically disposed behind the filter 2). However, this is not obligatory, and in some 14 embodiments, the connector for accessing outside air may be disposed on the wall 3 outside of the housing 20.

After connecting the inlet port of the filter 2 to the connector, the electrical air pump 24 may be suitably sealingly connected to the outlet port (not shown in FIGS. 6-9) of the filter 2.

The outlet port of the electrical air pump 24 may be shaped as any type of connector configured to match the inlet connector of the air filter 2 ( for example, the filter 2 may have a threaded screw-in type of connector, a bayonet type connector, or any other suitable type of connector. If the electrical air pump 24 is a low voltage DC operated pump, a suitable power supply 42 is connected to the electrical pump 24 and plugged into a mains electrical socket 44 disposed in the wall 3 as illustrated in FIG. 7. If the electrical air pump 24 is operable by mains AC, the air pump 24 may be directly energized by connecting it directly to the mains AC socket 44. The power supply 42 may be stored in the housing 20 when the system 21 in not in use.

It is noted that in some embodiments, the system 21 may include an additional air hose ( not shown) that may be used for fluidically connecting the air inlet port of the filter 2 to the connector in the wall 3 that opens into the air outside the RSS or shelter. If such an additional air hose is provided, it may be stored within the housing 20 when the system 21 is not being used.

In the electrically operated mode illustrated in FIG. 7, the user simply turns the electrical pump 24 on and the pump automatically and continuously draws air from outsider shelter or RSS through the filter 2 and pumps the filtered air into the space of the shelter or RSS.

Turning to FIG. 8, when electrical power is not available, the system 21 may be reconfigured to a manual air pumping mode. In the air pumping mode, the electrical air pump is detached from the air outlet of the filter 2 and a first connector 12A of the air hose 12 is connected to the air outlet port of the filter 2. The First connector is not shown in detail in FIG. 8 for the sake of clarity of illustration A second connector 12B of the air hose 12 ( not shown in detail in FIG. 8) is connected to an air inlet port 36 disposed on a side of the housing cover 20A.

The housing cover 20A includes a one way valve 38. The one way valve 38 is configured to open when the pressure of the air within the housing cover 20A exceeds the air pressure within the shelter or RSS and to close when the pressure of the air within the housing cover 20A is equal to or smaller than the pressure of the air within the RSS or shelter.

In the manual pumping mode, the system may be manually operated by a user. The user manually operates the system 21 by holding the handle 29 and alternatingly pushing and pulling the handle 29 to decrease and increase, respectively the volume enclosed in the space enclosed within the housing cover and the air pumping member 27. When the user pulls the handle 29 towards himself (away from the wall 3), the air pressure within the space enclosed within the housing cover and the air pumping member 27 decreases, causing the one way valve 38 to close, and the one way valve XX of the air hose 12 to open. Air is drawn from the filter 2 into the manual air pump 22 formed from the housing cover 20A and the air pumping member 27.

When the user pushes the handle 29 away from himself (towards the wall 3), the air pressure within the space enclosed within the housing cover and the air pumping member 27 increases, causing the one-way valve XX of the air hose 12 to close and the one-way valve 38 to open, resulting in the filtered air within the manual air pump 22 (including the housing cover 20A attached to the air pumping member 27) to flow into the RSS or shelter (for a better understanding of the operation of the one-way valves 38 and XX, see FIGS. 13-15 hereinafter).

Reference is now made to FIGS. 9-14. FIG. 9 is a schematic isometric view illustrating the housing cover of the air filtration system of FIG. 6. FIG. 10 is a schematic isometric view illustrating the housing cover of FIG. 9 with an air pumping member attached thereto. FIG. 11 is a side view illustrating the housing cover with an air pumping member attached thereto. FIG. 12 is a schematic isometric view illustrating a method of operation of the housing cover and the air pumping member attached thereto, as a manually operated air pump, in accordance with some embodiments of the systems of the present application. FIG. 13 is a schematic top view of the manual air pump of FIG. 10. FIG. 14 is a part isometric part cross-sectional view of the manual air pump of FIG. 10, taken along the lines XIV-XIV.

Turning to FIG. 9, the housing cover 20A is shown detached from the housing base 20B.

The housing cover 20A has a first end 20C and a second end 20D. The first end 20D is open and detachably attachable to the housing base 20B by using the slots 7A and 7B as disclosed in detail hereinabove with respect to the housing cover 10A of the prior art system 1 (see FIG. 3).

The second end 20C is a closed end that may have two small circular holes 33A and 33B passing there-through. The top side 20E of the housing cover 20A may have a first circular opening 36 and a second circular opening 38A formed therein. The opening 36 is covered by a first cover 37 and the second opening 38A is covered by a second cover 38B. The first cover 37 and the second cover 37 are movably attached within a recess 43 formed in the housing cover 20A. In accordance with some embodiments of the housing cover, the covers 37 and 38B may be implemented as a single flat peace of flexible material (such as, for example, synthetic rubber, latex, polybutadiene or any other pliable or bendable polymer based material) that may be attached within the recess 43 by two screws 45A and 45B (as illustrated in FIG. 9). In some embodiments of the housing cover 20A, rivets, pins, or any other suitable type of connectors may be used instead of the screws 45A and 45B. In some other embodiments (not shown in 16 FIG. 9), the covers 37 and 38B may be implemented as two separate covers made from the same bendable or pliable material disclosed hereinabove, that may be independently and movably attached within the recess 43 using suitable attachment means, such as, for example, screws, rivets securing pins or any other suitable attachment means).

In some other embodiments (not shown) the covers 37 and 38B may be two separate parts made from a rigid type of material (such as, for example, any suitable type of rigid plastic or polymer based rigid material, metal or any other type of suitable rigid material. In such an embodiment, the Rigid covers may be movably attached to the housing cover 20A using two suitable axle-like pins that may pass through each of the covers into the sides of the recess 43.

Such axle like pins may allow each of the rigid covers to be rotated by 90° or a larger angle with respect to the surface of the top side 20E of the housing cover 20A. The thickness of the covers 37and 38B are equal to the depth of the recess 43 such that when the covers 37 and 38B are closed, their upper surfaces are flush with the upper surface of the top side 20E of the housing cover 20A.

In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 9, the movable and bendable covers 37 and 38B may be bent or lifted aside to reveal the openings 36 and 38A, respectively. The housing cover 20A may include a connecting mechanism (not shown in detail in FIG. 9) that allows the air hose 12 to be attached to the housing cover 20A above the opening 36.

It is noted that the opening 38A and the cover 38B together form a one-way valve 38.

When the pressure of the air within the manual air pump 22 exceeds the air pressure within the RSS or shelter, the cover 38B is pushed upwards and opens to allow filtered air to flow to the RSS or shelter through the opening 38A.

Turning to FIGS. 10-11, the manual air pump 22 includes the air pumping member 27 attached to the open end 20D of the cover housing 20A using the fastening belt 30 which is threaded through the securing loops 32 . After tightening the belt 30, the belt 30 may be locked by the buckle 34.

Turning briefly to FIG.12, the manual air pump 22 may be operated by a user. The user's hand 40 grasps the handle 29 and alternatingly pushes and pulls the handle 29 in the directions schematically represented by the directions of the double headed arrow 39 to operate the manual air pump 22. The air pumping member 27 is illustrated in FIG. 12 as being maximally pulled towards the user in a direction away from the housing cover 20A of the manual air pump 22.

Turning now to FIGS. 13-14, the top view of manual air pump 22 illustrates the cover 37 in an opened state exposing the opening 36 and the connecting mechanism 47 attached to the top part 20E of the housing cover 20A. The one-way valve 38 is illustrated as closed. The cross- 17 sectional view of FIG. 14 also illustrates a cross-sectional view of part of the air hose 12 with the connector 39 of the air hose 12 inserted into the opening 36 and engaged within the connecting mechanism 43 to securely attach the connector 39 to the housing cover 20A. The connector 39 of the air hose 12 also includes a one-way valve 50 disposed therein.

Reference is now made to FIG. 15 which is a schematic part isometric, part cutout view of the air hose of the system of FIG. 6, in accordance with some embodiments of the systems of the present application. The air hose 12 includes a hollow conduit 12C, a first connector 55 attached to a first end 12B of the hollow conduit 12C and a second connector 39 attached to a second end12A of the hollow conduit 12C. The hollow conduit 12C may be any type of air- tight flexible conduit made from any suitable material (such as, for example a flexible polymer based material, a sealant impregnated fabric, synthetic rubber, or any other air-tight flexible material. It is noted that while in accordance with some embodiments of the air hose, the hollow conduit 12C (of FIG. 15) is implemented as a cylindrical hollow tube having a uniform circular cross-section, this is not obligatory, and the hollow conduit 12C may be any hollow conduit having any desired shape and cross section. For example, in accordance with some embodiments of the air hose, the hollow conduit may be a ribbed hollow tube (not shown) to increase the strength of the hollow conduit, or may be an accordion-like (or harmonica-like, or corrugated) hollow conduit.

The first connector 55 may be inserted and locked within the opening 38A of the housing cover 20A. The second connector 39 may be inserted and locked within the opening 36 of the housing cover 20A In some embodiments, the second connector 39 includes a one-way valve 50 attached within the connector 39. The one-way valve 50 may be an integral part of the connector 39 or may be a separate valve attached within the connector 39. In the specific embodiment illustrated in FIG. 15, the one-way valve 50 is a spring loaded leaf one-way valve.

The one-way valve 50 includes a circular leaf 50C disposed at the open end 39A of the connector 39 and attached to one end of a spring 50B. The other end of the spring 50B is attached to a spring supporting member 50A attached to a second end 39B of the connector 39.

When the connector 39 is connected to the opening 36 of the manual air pump 22 and the connector 55 is connected to the outlet port of the air filter 2, the spring 50B typically holds the leaf 50B closed against the opening of the end 39A of the connector 39. Whenever the downward force F1 acting on the leaf 50C due to the difference in air pressure ∆P between the two sides 50E and 50F of the leaf 50C exceeds the upward force F2 exerted on the leaf by the spring 50B, the leaf 50B will open and allow filtered air to flow through the air hose 12 into the 18 manual air pump 22. However, the one-way valve may not allow significant passage of air from inside the manual air pump22 back into the air hose 12 once F2 is greater than F1.

Reference is now made to FIG. 16 which 16 is a schematic exploded view of the manual air pump of the system of FIG. 7. When the manual air pump 22 is assembled, the housing cover 20A is attached to the wall (the wall is not shown in FIG. 16 for the sake of clarity of illustration) of the RSS or shelter (see FIG. 6) by aligning the holes 33B and 33A of the housing cover 20A with the two threaded holes 26B and 26C, respectively, of the connecting member 26 (best seen in FIG. 7) placing a securing member 80 having two holes 83A and 83B formed therein on the inner surface 20F of the housing cover 20A such that the holes 83A and 83B are aligned with the holes 33A and 33B of the housing cover 20A, inserting two knob-headed screws 85A and 85B into the holes 83A and 83B, respectively and screwing the knob-headed screws into the threaded holes 26B and 26C, respectively, of the connecting member 26 to firmly attach the housing cover 20A to the wall 3. The securing member 80 may be a flat member made from a metal such as, for example, aluminum or stainless steel, or galvanized iron, but any other suitable strong material may also be used. The securing member 80 and the knob-headed screws 83A and 83B may be stored within the storage compartment 25 of the housing 20 when the system 21 is not being used.

After the housing cover has been firmly attached to the wall 3, the handle 29 may be inserted into the handle pockets 27B and 27C. The fastening belt 30 may be threaded into the loops 32 of the air pumping member 27 and the open end 27A is securely attached to the open end 20D of the housing cover 20A by tightening the fastening belt 30 using the buckle 34 to complete the manual air pump 22.

It is noted that while the housing cover 20A of the system 21 has only a single one–way valve 38 formed therein while the second one-way valve 50 is included within the air hose 12, this is not obligatory to practicing the invention. For example, in accordance with some embodiments, the housing cover 20A may include two one-way valves. It is also noted that while the one-way valve 38 is implemented as a leaf type one-way valve (also referred herein as a flap type one-way valve, hereinafter) and the one-way valve 50 is implemented as a spring- loaded leaf type one-way valve, this is by no means obligatory to practicing the invention.

Rather, the one–way valves included in the housing cover 20A and/or in the air hose 12 may be implemented as any other suitable type of one-way valve known in the art. For example, ball type one-way valves or any other suitable types of one-way valves may be used in the housing cover 20A and/or the air hose 12. It is also noted that while the one-way valve 50 is disposed 19 within the connector 39, this is not obligatory and the one-way valve 50 may be disposed at any position within the air conduit 12A or within the connector 55.

Reference is now made to FIGS. 17-19. FIG. 17 is a schematic top view of a manual air pump having a housing cover including two one-way valves formed as parts of the housing cover, in accordance with some embodiments of the air filtration systems of the present application. FIG.18 is a schematic, part cross-sectional, part isometric view of the housing cover of FIG. 17, taken along the lines XVIII-XVIII. FIG. 19 is an exploded view of the housing cover of FIG. 17 useful for understanding the structure of the one way leaf valves included in the housing cover.

The manual air pump 62 includes a housing cover 60A and the air pumping member 27.

The air pumping member 27 may be constructed as disclosed in detail hereinabove for the air filtration system 21. The housing cover 60A is similar to the housing cover 20A with the following exceptions. The top side 60E of the housing cover 60A includes two built in one-way leaf valves 67 and 68. The one-way valve 67 includes an opening 67A formed in the top part 60E of the housing cover 60A and a flat circular moving leaf 79 movably disposed below the opening 67A inside the housing cover 60A. The moving leaf 79 has three holes 79A, 79B and 79C formed therein (it is noted that only the holes 79A and 79B are shown in the cross-section of the housing 60A of FIG. 18). Three corresponding holes 70A, 70B, and 70C are formed in the top side 60E of the housing cover 60A. Three identical captive sliding pins 91 pass through the holes 70A, 70B, and 70C and through the holes 79A, 79B and 79C. The pins 91 are captively disposed within the holes 70A, 70B, 70C 79A, 79B and 79C because they have ends 91A and 91B having a diameter larger than the diameter of the holes 70A, 70B, 70C 79A, 79B and 79C.

The leaf 79 may freely slide up and down in response to changes in the air pressure within the manual air pump 62 to close or open, respectively, the opening 67A.

The one-way valve 68 includes an opening 68A formed in the top part 60E of the housing cover 60A and a flat circular moving leaf 69 movably disposed above the opening 67A and outside the housing cover 60A. The moving leaf 69 (and the moving leaf 79) may be made from a suitable lightweight material, such as, for example, a plastic or a polymer based material.

The moving leaf 69 has three holes 69A, 69B and 69C formed therein (it is noted that only the holes 69A and 69B are shown in the cross-section of the housing 60A of FIG. 18). Three corresponding holes 71A, 71B, and 71C are formed in the top side 60E of the housing cover 60A. Three identical captive sliding pins 91 pass through the holes 71A, 71B, and 71C and through the holes 69A, 69B and 69C. The pins 91 are captive pins as disclosed hereinabove.

The leaf 69 may slide up and down in response to changes in the air pressure within the manual air pump 62, to open and close, respectively, the opening 68A.

The moving leafs 69 and 79 together with the pins 91 function as one-way valves as will be apparent to the person skilled in the art. It is noted that in embodiments of the air filtration systems including the housing cover 60A that includes two built-in one-way valves, the air hose ( not shown) used for fluidically connecting the opening 67A with the outlet port of the air filter 2 is modified by eliminating the valve 50 (of FIG. 15) and may include two connectors similar to the connector 55 attached to both ends 12A and 12B of the hollow conduit 12.

It is noted that while in the air filtration system 21 the one way valve 38 is formed in the housing cover 20A, this is not obligatory to practicing the invention and the one-way valve may be formed in another part of the manual air pump 22.

Reference is now made to FIG. 19 which is a schematic isometric view illustrating a an air pumping member including a one-way air valve therein, in accordance with some embodiments of the air filtration systems of the present application.

The air pumping member 127 has a shape similar to the shape of the air pumping member 27 of FIG 16, and may be made from the same materials, except that it also includes a one-way valve 108 that is disposed within a side 127E of the air pumping member 127. The one-way valve 108 may be a leaf valve but any other suitable one-way valve types may also be used in some embodiments of the air pumping members of the present application.

The securing loops 132, the open end 127A and the two handle pockets 127B and 127C are similar to the securing loops 32, the open end 27A and the two handle pockets 27B and 27C of the air pumping member 27, respectively. The fastening belt 30 is not shown in FIG. 19 for the sake of clarity of illustration.

In accordance with some embodiments of the air filtration systems, the air pumping member 127 may be attached to a housing that has no air inlet valves therein or to a housing cover that has a single air inlet one-way valve.

Reference is now made to FIGS 20-21. FIG. 20 is a schematic isometric view illustrating a housing cover attachable to the air pumping member of FIG. 19 to form a manual air pump, in accordance with an embodiment of the air filtration systems of the present application. FIG. 21 is a schematic part isometric part cross sectional view illustrating part of another housing cover attachable to the air pumping member of FIG. 19 to form a manual air pump, in accordance with another embodiment of the air filtration systems of the present application. 21 The housing cover 120A is similar to the housing cover 20A of FIG. 9, except that the housing cover lacks the one-way valve 38 and includes an opening 136 and a cover 137 similar in structure and functionality to the opening 36 and the cover 37, respectively, of the housing cover 20A. When the housing cover 120A is attached to the air pumping member 127 to form a manual air pump, the connector 39 of the air hose 12 (of FIG. 15) may be attached to the opening 136 ( after lifting the cover 137) and the connector 55 of the air hose may be attached to the air filter 2. When the resulting manual air pump is operated, the one-way valve 50 of the air hose 12 may allow filtered air to enter the manual air pump, while the one-way valve 108 of the air pumping member 127 allows filtered air to flow from the manual air pump into the RSS or shelter.

Turning to FIG. 21, the housing cover 160A is similar to the housing cover 60A of FIG. 18, except that the housing cover lacks the one way valve 68 of the housing cover 60A and includes the built in one-way valve 67. When the housing cover 160A is attached to the air pumping member 127 to form a manual air pump, a valve-less air hose (not shown) may be attached to the opening 67A and the valve-less air hose may be attached to the air filter 2. When the resulting manual air pump is operated, the one-way valve 67 disposed on the upper side 160E of the housing cover 160 may allow filtered air to enter the manual air pump, while the one way valve 108 of the air pumping member 127 allows filtered air to flow from the manual air pump into the RSS or shelter.

It is noted that, in some embodiments of the housing cover 160A, the valve 67 of the housing cover 160A may be substituted with any other type of suitable one-way valve (such as, for example, a leaf type one-way valve, a ball type one-way valve, a spring loaded leaf type one- way valve, or any other suitable one-way valve.

It is noted that the two one-way valves 67 and 68 are specific exemplary one-way valves that may be used in the housing cover 60A and are not obligatory. Rather any other suitable one-way valves may be used in embodiments of housing covers that include two one-way valves therein, such as for example, flexible leaf one-way valves, rigid one-way leaf valves, ball type one-way valves, or any other suitable one-way valves known in the art. In accordance with some embodiments of the air filtration systems of the present application, any suitable combination of such one-way valves may be used in the housing covers including two one-way valves.

One of the advantages of the system 21 over prior art systems (such as, for example the system 1 of FIGS. 1-5), is that due to the elimination of the manual air pump 8, the dimensions of the housing of the system may be significantly reduced making the system 21 more compact 22 than the prior art system 1. For example, the dimensions of the housing 10 of prior art system 1 are 75 by 40 by 21 cm (width x height x depth). By using the same air filter 2 and eliminating the manual air pump 8, the dimensions of the housing 20 of the system 21 may be reduced to 50 by 40 by 20 cm (width x height x depth). Therefore, the air filtration system of the present application may be more compact and space saving as compared to the prior art systems using the same filter and electrical pump.

Another advantage of the system 21 is that since the housing cover 20A is used (together with the air pumping member 27) for manually pumping air, the need for the manual air pump 8 is eliminated resulting in a substantially reducing the manufacturing cost of the system 21.

Yet another advantage is that as the housing cover 20A is attached to the wall 3 during use of the system 21, there is less clutter in the RSS or shelter, because in contrast to the prior art system 1, there is no need for an additional space for placing the housing cover (such as, for example the housing cover 10A of the prior art system 1 of FIG. 2).

It is noted that while the connectors 39 and 55 of the air hose 12 are shown as specific types of connectors, other types of connectors may also be used, such as, for example, bayonet type connectors, screw-in threaded connector types, or any other suitable type of connectors.

The openings in the housing covers 20A and 60A may be modified to accept any type of connector being used.

It is further noted that while the specific housing base 20B of the system 21 is configured as illustrated in FIG. 7. The structure of the housing base may be modified and any type of housing base may be used. For example, the housing base may include two or more L-shaped members (not shown) that may be attached to the wall 3 on one side of the L-shaped member and may be detachably attachable to the housing cover by a threaded hole (not shown) formed in the other side of the L-shaped member. May other variations and modifications to the housing base may be made and may be included in the air filtration systems of the present application.

It is noted that the dimensions of the housing 20 and the shape and configuration of the housing cover 20A and of the housing base may vary, depending, inter alia, on the shape and size of the air filter being used, the shape and size of the electrical air pump being used and other considerations. Thus, the exemplary shape and dimensions of the housing 20 disclosed hereinabove are not intended to be limiting and may be modified in accordance with the above indicated changes. For example, while the housing 20 is roughly shaped as a substantially rectangular housing with rounded corners, this is not obligatory. In some embodiments, the 23 housing may have a cylindrical shape, or a shape having an elliptical cross section, or any other desired suitable shape.

It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the manual air pumps 22 and 62, need not be hermetically sealed in order to work. For example, small openings in the connection of the air pumping member 27 to the housing cover 20A or to the housing cover 60A will not critically affect the pumping action of the respective manual air pumps as long as the volume of air escaping from such opening is reasonably small. Similarly, small air leaks from the regions where the connector 39 is attached to the housing cover 20A at the opening 36 or where the connector 39 of a valve-less air hose (not shown) is connected to the opening 67A of the housing cover 60A will not critically affect the air pumping as long as the air leaks are reasonably small.

Similarly, small air leaks through any small holes formed within the housing covers 20A and 60A, such as, for example, the holes 33A and 33B (see FIGS. 9 and 18) in the closed end of the housing covers 20A and 60A may not seriously affect the manual air pumping action of the manual air pumps 62 and 22.

It is also noted that is the woven fabric from which the foldable air pumping member may be made need not obligatorily be perfectly and hermetically air-tight and any sufficiently tightly woven fabric may be used.

It is appreciated that certain features of the in invention, which are, for clarity, described in the context of separate embodiments, may also be provided in combination in a single embodiment. Conversely, various features of the invention, which are, for brevity, described in the context of a single embodiment, may also be provided separately or in any suitable subcombination or as suitable in any other described embodiment of the invention. Certain features described in the context of various embodiments are not to be considered essential features of those embodiments, unless the embodiment is inoperative without those elements.

All publications, patents and patent applications mentioned in this specification are herein incorporated in their entirety by reference into the specification, to the same extent as if each individual publication, patent or patent application was specifically and individually indicated to be incorporated herein by reference. In addition, citation or identification of any reference in this application shall not be construed as an admission that such reference is available as prior art to the present invention. To the extent that section headings are used, they should not be construed as necessarily limiting.

R. Eyal Systems Ltd. 1 of 14 2 4 10B 5A 5B 8 10A 10A FIG. 1 PRIOR ART 10B 4 2 1 6 12 8 3 10A PRIOR ART FIG. 2R. Eyal Systems Ltd. 2 of 14 5A 7A 2 4 10B 7B 5B 8 PRIOR ART 10A FIG. 3R. Eyal Systems Ltd. 3 of 14 8 8 8B 8A 8C 8E 8B 8A 8C 8D 8D 8E PRIOR ART PRIOR ART FIG. 5 FIG. 4R. Eyal Systems Ltd. 4 of 14 38 36 5A 33B 20A 33A 26 26C 26B 3 26A FIG. 6R. Eyal Systems Ltd. 5 of 14 2 20B 44 24 42 38 32 36 37 21 20A 29 22 27 FIG. 7R. Eyal Systems Ltd. 6 of 14 2 20B 12 24 38 36 21 34 32 29 20A 22 27 FIG. 8R. Eyal Systems Ltd. 7 of 14 37 20E 36 20A 45B 38A 38 38B 20C 45A 7B 43 33A 20D 33B FIG. 9 20A 37 22 38B 32 27 34 32 20C 27B 29 27A 27C FIG. 10R. Eyal Systems Ltd. 8 of 14 20E 20A 34 27 32 32 29 20C 32 22 FIG. 11 27A 20E 37 20A 38B 38 22 27 32 34 32 27B 20C 39 29 32 27A 40 27C FIG. 126(&7,21;,9;,9 R. Eyal Systems Ltd. 9 of 14 29 27B 27C 27 22 32 34 32 32 47 20D 20E 38B 43 ;,9 ;,9 XIV XIV 20A 38 36 20C 37 FIG. 13 37 12 50 32 39 34 7A 38 36 47 38B 38A 32 27 32 20A 32 FIG. 14 6(&7,21$$ $ $R. Eyal Systems Ltd. 10 of 14 % 1 12C 12 12A 50 & 50 50C 39 55 12B % 12A 39B 50A 50B 39 F2 50E 39A F1 50C 50F '(7$,/& 6&$/( FIG. 15 6(&7,21%%R. Eyal Systems Ltd. 11 of 14 11/14 38 38A 38B 36 22 7A 37 34 33A 32 20F 32 83A 7B 85A 20A 83B 85B 80 20D 27C 32 27A 29 27B 32 27 FIG. 16'(7$,/ 6&$/( 6(&7,21;9,,,;9,,, 6&$/( R. Eyal Systems Ltd. 12 of 14 12/14 71A 70B 67 80 85B 85A 71C 60A 68 60C 70A 62 60E 69 ;9,,, ;9,,, XVIII XVIII 71B 6&$/( 79 60D 32 32 70C 32 34 27 27C 29 91A FIG. 17 91 70A 67 91 67A 60E 91 69 68 91B 69A 79A 69B 71A 68A 71C 79 79B 33B 33A 83B 85B 80 60A 83A 85A FIG. 18 6(&7,21%% % %R. Eyal Systems Ltd. 13 of 14 13/14 132 127 132 127E 132 108 132 127A 127C 132 29 132 127B FIG. 19 136 7A 137 33A 7B 120A FIG. 20 120D'(7$,/ 6&$/( R. Eyal Systems Ltd. 14 of 14 14/14 70A 67 91 67A 160E 91 79A 79 79B 33B 33A 160A FIG. 21 6(&7,21%% % % 24 265658/2

Claims (20)

1. A manual air pump for an air filtration system installable in a shelter or a residential secure space (RSS), the manual air pump comprises: a hollow housing cover of the air filtration system, the housing cover having an open end configured for being attached to a housing base of a housing of the air filtration system, the housing cover has a second closed end configured for being detachably attached to a wall of the shelter or the RSS; and a foldable detachably attachable air pumping member, detachably attachable to the open end of the housing cover to form the manual air pump.

2. The manual air pump of claim 1, wherein the manual air pump is adapted for pulling air from an air filter into the manual air pump and for pushing air from the manual air pump into the shelter or RSS.

3. The manual air pump according to claims 1-2, wherein the air pumping member is a foldable air pumping member having an open end and a closed end and wherein the air pumping member is configured for being folded and stored within the housing of the air filtration system when the air filtration system is not in use.

4. The manual air pump according to claims 1-3, wherein the air pumping member includes an attachment mechanism for attaching the open end of the air pumping member to the first open end of the housing cover.

5. The manual air pump according to claim 4, wherein the attachment mechanism is selected from, a securing belt threaded into loops disposed around the circumference of the open end of the air pumping member and an elastic band attached to or disposed within the perimeter of the open end of the air pumping member.

6. The manual air pump according to any one of claims 1-5, wherein the housing cover is configured to be detachably attachable to a connecting mechanism disposed on a wall of the shelter or RSS containing the air filtration system.

7. The manual air pump according to any one of claims 1-6, wherein the air pumping member is selected from, a foldable tent-like pliable member having a closed end and an open end, a bellows shaped member having an open end and a closed end, and a corrugated or pleated member having an open end and a closed end.

8. The manual air pump according to any one of claims 1-7, wherein the air pumping member is made from or comprises a material selected from, a densely woven fabric, a fabric 25 265658/2 impregnated with a sealant, rubber, synthetic rubber, a pliable polymer based material and any combinations thereof.

9. The manual air pump according to any one of claims 2-8, wherein the manual air pump is selected from, a manual air pump having a first one-way valve formed in the housing cover for allowing filtered air from an air filter to flow into the manual air pump and a second one-way valve formed in the housing cover for allowing filtered air to flow from within the manual air pump into the RSS or shelter, a manual air pump having an opening formed in the housing cover, the opening is adapted for attaching an air hose comprising a first one-way valve to the opening for allowing filtered air to flow from an air filter attached to the air hose through the air hose and into the manual air pump, the housing cover has a second one-way valve formed therein for allowing filtered air to flow from within the manual air pump into the RSS or shelter, a manual air pump having an opening formed in the housing cover, the opening is adapted for attaching an air hose comprising a first one-way valve to the opening for allowing filtered air to flow from an air filter attached to the air hose into the manual air pump, the air pumping member has a second one-way valve formed therein for allowing filtered air to flow from within the manual air pump into the RSS or shelter, and a manual air pump having a first one way valve formed in the housing cover for allowing filtered air from an air filter fluidically connected to the first one way valve to flow into the manual air pump, wherein the air pumping member includes a second one-way valve formed therein for allowing filtered air to flow from within the manual air pump into the RSS or shelter.

10. The manual air pump according to claim 9, wherein the first one-way valve and the second one-way valve are selected from the list consisting of a leaf one-way valve, a spring-loaded leaf one-way valve and a ball type one-way valve, and any combinations thereof.

11. An air filtration system for a shelter or a residential secure space (RSS) comprising: an air filter having an inlet port and an outlet port; a housing including a housing base attachable to a wall of the shelter or RSS and a housing cover, the housing cover has an open end detachably attachable to the housing base and a closed end detachably attachable to an attachment mechanism on the wall of the shelter or RSS; a foldable air pumping member detachably attachable to the open end of the housing cover to form a manual air pump; an electrical air pump detachably attachable to the outlet port of the air filter; and an air hose fluidically connectable to the outlet port of the air filter and to the manual air pump. 26 265658/2

12. The air filtration system according to claim 11, wherein the electrical air pump is selected from, an electrical air pump directly fluidically connectable to the outlet port of the air filter, and an electrical air pump connectable to the outlet port of the air filter by the air hose.

13. The air filtration system according to any one of claims 11-12, wherein the foldable air pumping member has an open end and a closed end and wherein the air pumping member is configured for being folded and stored within the housing of the air filtration system when the air filtration system is not in use.

14. The air filtration system according to any one of claims 11-13, wherein the air pumping member includes an attachment mechanism for attaching the open end of the air pumping member to the open end of the housing cover.

15. The air filtration system according to claim 14, wherein the attachment mechanism is selected from, a securing belt threaded into loops disposed around the circumference of the open end of the air pumping member and an elastic band attached to or disposed within the perimeter of the open end of the air pumping member.

16. The air filtration system according to any one of claims 11-15, wherein the air pumping member is selected from, a foldable tent-like pliable member having a closed end an open end, a bellows shaped member having an open end and a closed end, and a corrugated or pleated member having an open end and a closed end.

17. The air filtration system according to any one of claims 11-16, wherein the air pumping member is made from or comprises a material selected from, a densely woven fabric, a fabric impregnated with a sealant, rubber, synthetic rubber, a pliable polymer based material and any combinations thereof.

18. The air filtration system according to any one of claims 11-12, wherein the housing cover is attachable to the housing base when the air filtration system is not in use and wherein the housing cover is convertible to a manual air pump by detaching the housing cover from the housing base, attaching the closed end of the housing cover to a wall of the shelter or RSS, attaching the closed end of the housing cover to the wall of the shelter or RSS using the attachment mechanism, attaching the air pumping member to the open end of the housing cover and fluidically connecting the air hose between the outlet port of the air filter and the manual air pump.

19. The air filtration system according to any one of claims 1-18, wherein the manual air pump is selected from, a manual air pump having a first one-way valve formed in the housing cover for allowing filtered air from an air filter to flow into the manual air pump and a second one-way valve formed 27 265658/2 in the housing cover for allowing filtered air to flow from within the manual air pump into the RSS or shelter, a manual air pump having an opening formed in the housing cover, the opening is adapted for attaching an air hose comprising a first one-way valve to the opening for allowing filtered air to flow from an air filter attached to the air hose through the air hose and into the manual air pump, the housing cover has a second one-way valve formed therein for allowing filtered air to flow from within the manual air pump into the RSS or shelter, a manual air pump having an opening formed in the housing cover, the opening is adapted for attaching an air hose comprising a first one-way valve to the opening for allowing filtered air to flow from an air filter attached to the air hose into the manual air pump, the air pumping member has a second one-way valve formed therein for allowing filtered air to flow from within the manual air pump into the RSS or shelter, and a manual air pump having a first one way valve formed in the housing cover for allowing filtered air from an air filter fluidically connected to the first one way valve to flow into the manual air pump, wherein the air pumping member includes a second one-way valve formed therein for allowing filtered air to flow from within the manual air pump into the RSS or shelter.

20. The air filtration system according to claim 19, wherein the first one-way valve and the second one-way valve are selected from the list consisting of a leaf one-way valve, a spring-loaded leaf one-way valve and a ball type one-way valve, and any combinations thereof. Dr. Lihu Kolton Patent Attorney G.E. Ehrlich (1995) Ltd. 11 Menachem Begin Road 5268104 Ramat Gan