US3497606A

US3497606A - Combination inflatable and hard shelters

Info

Publication number: US3497606A
Application number: US674396A
Authority: US
Inventors: Bernard Caminker; La Vern A Andrews; John H Lavin; Ronald F Robberson
Original assignee: Hughes Aircraft Co
Current assignee: Raytheon Co
Priority date: 1967-10-11
Filing date: 1967-10-11
Publication date: 1970-02-24
Anticipated expiration: 1987-02-24

Description

Feb. 24, 1970 B. CAMINKER T 3,497,606

COMBINATION INFLATABLE AND HARD SHELTERS F iled Oct. 11, 1967 I S Sheets-Sheet l Mzvmex fizz/map Jam/x5e,

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1 Feb. 24, 1970 a. CAMINKER FTAL 3,497,606

COMBINATION INFLATABLE AND HARD SHELTERS Filed Oct. 11, 196'? s Sheets-Sheet 2 Feb. 24, 1970 B. CAMINKER ET AL COMBIKATION INFLATABLE AND HARD Filed 001;. 11, 1967 SHELTERS 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 UnitedStates Patent M US. Cl. 174-35 9 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE The jointure of two shelters, each comprising a rigid structure in combination with an inflatable structure attached thereto, is accomplished by associating two such combinations so that the inflatable roofs lie next to each other, and are secured together by securely lacing the roofs. The space between the solid floors is spanned by a tread plate which is arranged for accommodating minor differences in floor spacing and floor level. The uninflated inflatable interior sidewalls are pulled up adjacent to the roof, to provide a single large interior room within the two joined inflatable structures. End walls, between the hard structures, are closed by a closure curtain sewed in place. When required, radio field grounding liner can be secured over the closure curtain, over the floor plate and under the raised sidewalls to maintain integrity of a radio frequency interference liner.

The invention herein described was made in the course of or under a contract or subcontract thereunder, with the US. Air Force, Department of Defense.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention is in the field of readily transported shelters Which can be put in use by unfolding rigid floor panels and inflating shelter walls and shelter roof to provide a completely enclosed shelter.

From earliest times portable shelters have been used by mankind to protect himself from the elements. With technological improvements, these portable shelters have progressed from skin covered poles to fabric tents, and in recent years unfolding solid shelters as well as inflatable structures have come into use. Furthermore, in some applications, shelters having some solid walls have been used to carry an associated inflatable shelter. The structure is normally transported as a package having solid walls, and one or more of these walls may be unfoldable to form a floor for the inflatable section. Furthermore, the inflatable section, in the deflated condition may be carried within the rigid portion of the shelter. When the site is reached with the shelter, one of the hard shelter walls can be unfolded to form a floor for the inflatable portion, and thereupon the inflatable portion is brought out of the hard portion and inflated to form the total shelter. Such a combination is ideal for many purposes, because it is capable of being transported in a compact, yet well protected condition, and is readily expandable into a combination hard and inflatable shelter having 2 considerable interior space.

One of the prime disadvantages of such a combined hard and inflatable shelter is that it must be fairly well integrated so that the parts cooperate with each other to provide the necessary closure from the elements. This integrity which produces protection from the elements establishes the size of the expanded, inflated structure. It is this advantage that is overcome by the present invention.

il-i) 3,497,606 Patented Feb. 24, 1970 Accordingly, the object of this invention is to provide a structure which is comprised of a hard shelter and an inflatable shelter in conjunction with each other which can be associated with an additional similar unit to provide a joined shelter of enhanced floor space and volume, yet with full protection against the elements. It is the further object of this invention to provide a juncture between the inflatable roofs of shelters, which juncture protects against the elements, and completely seals the juncture. It is the further object of this invention to provide for joining between associated adjacent hard flooring sections which have been folded out of adjacent hard shelters so that the flooring of the joined combination inflatable and hard shelters is substantially continuous. Another object of this invention to provide for the raising of the interior side-walls of the joined inflatable shelters so that a single large interior space results. Still another object of this invention to provide for the lining of the joined shelters with radio-frequency interference material which provides radio-frequency interference lining integrity throughout the joined shelters. Other objects and advantages of this invention will become apparent from the study of the following portion of the specification, the claims and the attached drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIGURE 1 is a perspective view showing combination inflatable and hard shelters joined together.

FIGURE 2 is a horizontal section through the joined shelters, taken generally along the line 2-2 of FIG. 1.

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged section showing the floor plate joining adjacent floors, taken on the line 33 of FIG. 2,.

FIGURE 4 is an enlarged portion of FIG. 2. showing the juncture and closure between the adjacent hard shelters.

FIGURE 5 is an enlarged vertical section taken through the juncture of the engaged adjoining inflatable roofs, and showing the raised interior sidewalls.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT As is seen in FIGS. 1 and 2, the joined combination hard and inflatable shelter is generally indicated 10. The joined combination 10 comprises two combination hard and inflatable shelters, indicated at 12 and 14. Shelter 12 is made up of hard shelters 16 and 18, together with inflatable shelter 20. Similarly, combination shelter 14 is made up of

hard shelters

22 and 24, together with inflatable shelter 26.

Considering the combined hard and inflatable shelter 14, it arrives at the site as two closed boxes, which form the

hard shelters

22 and 24. One of these shelters carries the inflatable structure 26, and such other equipment as may be required in the deployed shelter, while the other of these hard shelters simply carries additional equipment. The hard shelters are of such size that they can be managed with convenient transportation equipment, and preferably, are such that they can be transported upon fairly light trucks. When it is desired that the shelters be erected for usage,

shelters

22 and 24 are oriented with respect to each other. Thereupon, floors are unfolded. Preferably, these floors were originally positioned as sidewalls of the

hard shelters

22 and 24.

Floor panels

28, 30, 32 and 34 thus form the hard floor. When these are unfolded so that they meet in edgewise relation, the inflatable shelter 26 is appropriately secured to the floor edges, as well as to the ends and roofs of the

hard shelters

22 and 24. Thereupon, the inflatable portion is inflated to form the combination hard and inflatable shelter. This shelter has a roof 36 as well as

sidewalls

38 and 40. Similarly, the inflatable structure 20 of combination hard 3 and inflatable shelter 12 comprises roof 42 and sidewalls 44 and 46. The panels folded out of hard shelters 16 and 18 form floor 50.

When it is desired that two combination hard and inflatable shelters such as 12 and 14 be joined, the hard shelters are appropriately positioned adjacent to each other upon initial setup. Thus, shelter 16 is spaced from shelter 22, while shelter 18 is spaced from shelter 24 an appropriate distance so that

roofs

36 and 40 will abut each other when inflated. However, previous to inflation, the gap between floors 48 and 50 is bridged by means of floor plate 52, see FIG. 3. Floor plate 52 spans the gap between floors 48 and 50, and is sufllciently thin at its lateral edges so that flanges 54 and 56 can overlie the adjacent floors without presenting an excessive obstruction. Flanges 54 and 56 are sufficiently long so that there is quite a wide tolerance in the positioning of floors 48 and 50 with respect to each other, insofar as the space therebetween is concerned. Furthermore, flanges 54 and 56 respectively carry cylindrical knobs 58 and 60 at their ends. These knobs permit floors 48 and 50 to lie a small distance out of the common plane without causing the ends of the flanges 54 and 56 from rising above contact with the respective floors.

Floors 48 and 50 are covered with floor covering 60 and 62 respectively and if continuity of floor covering is desired, an extra strip of floor covering 66 can be laid over floor plate 52 to overlap some of the floor covering of 62 and 64. Such is especially desirable when radiofrequency radiation into or out of shelter must be attenuated as much as is practical. In that case, floor coverings 62, 64 and 66 are suitable material to attenuate such radiation. Furthermore, in such case, floor coverings 62 and 64 are joined to their respective outer sidewalls 40 and 44, which are also lined with suitable radio-frequency attenuating material.

As is seen in FIG. 4, the interior facing open sides of hard shelters 1'6 and 22, and 18 and 24, are also joined to close the interior of the sheltered area against the exterior weather. This is accomplished by closure curtains 68 and 70 which are strapped together by lacing 72. Closure curtains 68 and 70 are secured on the interior of the

hard shelters

24 and 18, respectively, and thus these curtains hold the shelters with respect to each other. Similar curtains are positioned on the other ends of each of these shelters adjacent to the open face and are respectively secured to sidewalls 40 and 44 to maintain integrity at that joint between the hard and inflatable portions of the shelters.

In view of the fact that lacing 72 cannot completely close the space between curtains 68 and 70, liners 74 and 76 are also secured to the hard shelters on the interior thereof adjacent to the open sides. Liners 74 and 76 are preferably of such nature as to attenuate radio-frequency signals, and thus these provide the necessary attenuation of this juncture.

Liners 74 and 76 are secured together by means of zipper 78, but to assure complete radio-frequency attenuation lining continuity, additional securement is provided at 80. The securing means indicated at 80 is preferably Velcro, a trademark for securing means which comprises a layer of looped pile on one side and a layer of resilient hook shaped pile on the other. When these two layers are pressed together, the hooks engage with the loops and retain the structures together. The loops are sufficiently resilient so that when pulled apart, the hooks resiliently straighten out to release the looped pile side. This securing means is commercially available, and will be identified below as Velcro. The two sides of Velcro 80 are secured to flaps which are secured to linters 74 and 76. Thus, the liners are completely sealed together.

The manner in which the inflatable roofs 36 and 42 are joined is illustrated in FIG. 5. These roofsrespectively have tying structures 82 and 84 sewn on the tops of the outer tubes, as is illustrated in this figure. The tying structures are fabric webs which are shaped as catenaries to the tie points. Lacing 86 engages the typing points to hold the inflatable roof tubes together. In fact, lacing 86 is applied before the roof tubes are inflated, and subsequent inflation causes considerable distortion of the outer surfaces to provide a tight seal. Additionally, flexible waterproof rain gutter 88 can be positioned to prevent water seepage through this butt joint between the inflated roof tubes.

In order to provide full space within the interior of he joined shelter 10, the

interior sidewalls

38 and 46 are raised as is illustrated in FIG. 5. The sidewalls are in the form of vertically oriented tubes which are secured to each other. When uninflated, they are sufliciently flexible to be capable of being raised adjacent the roof, as is illustrated. The

sidewalls

38 and 46 are retained in the raised position by means of a plurality of crosspieces 90 which lie thereunder. Crosspieces 90 are held in place by

retainers

92 and 94.

As has been previously described, a radio-frequency attenuating lining is positioned on the floor, over the floor plate joining the floors and at the junctures between the hard shelters. Additionally, the interiors of the hard shelters are appropriately lined with attenuating lining, as are the interiors of the walls and roofs of the inflatable shelters. Such linings are shown at 96 and 98 where they are zipped against the roof structure by

zippers

100 and 102. Liner extension 104 extends from liner 96 to liner 98 beneath the raised walls and crosspieces 90. The liner extension 104 is secured by zipper 106 and by Velcro securing means 108. By this means integrity of the radio frequency attenuating lining is assured throughout the shelter 10 even though it is formed of joined shelters 12 and 14. Furthermore, the joined shelter is weathertight and provides a very satisfactory shelter from the elements.

In addition to the structure which employs two joined shelters 12 and 14, it is clear that more can be joined in sidewise relationship with raised interior sidewalls so that an even larger protected space can be obtained. This larger protected space has all the advantages of the described shelter 10, including weathertight character and attenuation of radio-frequency interference. This latter is especially important when the shelter is used in situations where electronic equipment is positioned within the shelter, such electronic equipment requiring shielding either from external radio interference, or needs shielding to prevent the generated signals in the equipment from extending to a substantial extent outside of the shelter. Furthermore, the shelters, either as a single combination hard and inflatable shelter or as a joined combination, as shown and described, can be quickly and easily set up and quickly and easily taken down so that the shelters have a tremendous amount of mobility yet provide excellent sheltering results.

This invention having been described in a preferred embodiment, it isclear that it is susceptible to numerous modifications and embodiments within the skill of the routine engineer and without the exercise of the inventive faculty. Accordingly, the scope of this invention is defined by the scope of the following claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A shelter, said shelter comprising:

first and second joined shelters, each of said first and second joined shelters comprising combination hard and inflatable shelters;

each of said hard shelters having an open side, said open sides of said first and second hard shelters facing in the same direction;

said first and second hard shelters being spaced from each other, first and second closure curtains respe c tively secured to said first and second hard shelters. said first and second closure curtains being secured to each other to close said first and second hard shelters with respect to each other;

first and second floors respectively extending from said first and second hard shelters, said first and second inflatable shelters respectively extending from said first and second hard shelters and extending across said first and second floors, respectively;

each of said first and second inflatable shelters having an inflatable roof, said first and second inflatable roofs being in edgewise-abutting relationship, said first and second inflatable roofs being secured together to form a joined roof for said'cornbined shelter.

2. The shelter of claim 1 wherein first and second liners are respectively secured to said first and second hard shelters, securing means on each of said first and second liners, said securing means on each of said first and second liners being secured together so as to provide a continuous lining between said first hard shelter and said second hard shelter.

3. The shelter of claim 2 wherein said first and second liners are each made of radio-frequency attenuating material so that radio-frequency attenuating material extends between said first hard shelter and said second hard shelter.

4. A shelter, said shelter comprising:

first and second floors respectively extending from said first and second hard shelters;

first and second inflatable shelters respectively extending from said first and second hard shelters and extending across said first and second floors, respectively;

each of said first and second inflatable shelters having inflatable roof, said first and second inflatable roofs being in edgewise-abutting relationship, said first and second inflatable roofs being secured together to form a joined roof for said combined shelter;

said first inflatable roof carrying a first interior sidewall and said second inflatable roof carrying a second interior sidewall, said first and second interior sidewalls lying substantially next to each other when said first and second inflatable roofs are secured together.

5. The shelter of claim 4 wherein said interior sidewalls are respectively raised adjacent to first and second roofs, securing means for retaining said raised first and second interior sidewalls adjacent to said first and second roofs.

6. The shelter of claim 5 wherein said first and second sidewall securing means comprises a retainer secured to each of said first and second roofs.

7. The shelter of claim 6 wherein crosspieces are sup 'ported by said retainer, said crosspieces extending beneath said first and second sidewalls.

8. The shelter of claim 5 wherein a liner extends under each of said first and second roofs and beneath said first and second raised sidewalls.

9. The shelter of claim 8 wherein said liner is a radiofrequency attenuating liner.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 559,966 5/1896 Bierstadt 52-68 1,302,182 4/1919 Lanchester 52-2 1,348,396 8/1920 Dubee 52471 2,955,606 10/1960 Walker 9-11.1 2,961,802 11/1960 Mongan -1 3,047,860 7/ 1962 Swallow 52-2 3,130,406 4/1964 Jones-Hinton 9-11.1 3,247,627 4/1966 Bird 52-2 2,516,869 8/1950 Harris 135-1 3,227,169 1/1966 Fischer 52-2 3,393,479 7/1968 Slotnick 52-2 FOREIGN PATENTS 690,817 7/ 1964 Canada.

HENRY C. SUTHERLAND, Primary Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 52-2, 86