Patent Application
20140259387
Various portable bedding structures have been developed for deployment at a remote site. Field hospitals, barracks, fire response units, disaster relief shelters, holding cells, exploration camps, and schools are some applications that may require portable bedding structures. To deploy a bedding structure, the bedding structure may be transported to a remote site and set-up at the site. When the portable bedding structure is no longer needed, it may be taken down for transportation to another location. These set-up and take-down processes often require a relatively large amount of time and many personnel. Existing bedding structures tend to either be very light weight and portable (e.g., camp cots) or very heavy and bulky (e.g., permanent or semi-permanent bed systems). In some instances, existing portable bedding structures includes storage space for personal items. However, the storage elements tend to be burdensome to disassemble and/or require additional space to stow for transportation. As more institutions require portable equipment suitable for remote site applications, particularly in the military environment, there is an increasing need for equipment that is easily collapsible and transportable.
The detailed description is set forth with reference to the accompanying figures. In the figures, the left-most digit(s) of a reference number identifies the figure in which the reference number first appears. The use of the same reference numbers in different figures indicates similar or identical items.
As discussed above, portable bedding structures are often deployed at remote sites, requiring the portable bedding structures to be transported to and set-up at the sites. Due to the need to change locations frequently and quickly, as in many applications, including the military, the portable bedding structures may be taken down and transported quite often. However, as noted above, conventional bedding structures take considerable time and personnel to set-up and take down, making them ill-suited for rapid deployment. Conventional bedding structures also tend to be bulky and/or not self-contained. Further, in conventional bedding structures that include storage elements, such as shelves or compartments, the bedding structures may be burdensome to disassemble and/or may require additional space to stow for transportation.
This disclosure describes a bedding structure that is collapsible to form a compact portable structure. The bedding structure may be easily movable between a deployed state and a stowed state in which the bedding structure is compact and self-contained to enable transportation of the bedding structure. One example embodiment employs a portable bedding structure that includes a first bunk and a second bunk. The first and second bunks may each include a substantially rectangular container with a platform over the top. The platform, in some examples, may have a lip extending upward from the top edges of the platform. When the bedding structure is in a deployed state, this lip may retain a mattress.
In some embodiments, the bunks may include a drawer opening located on a side of each of the bunks. The drawer opening may be configured to receive one or more drawers, when the portable bedding structure is in the deployed state. In some examples the drawer(s) may have a planar base and four upstanding, foldable walls that are upright in the deployed state.
The portable bedding structure may also include a first frame member and a second frame member for supporting the bunks in a horizontal position spaced vertically apart from each other in the deployed state. The frame members may comprise first and second vertical rails that are held substantially parallel to each other by a plurality of crossbars that may couple to the rails.
It may be desirable in some applications for the portable bedding structure to be easily movable between the deployed state and a stowed state. In a stowed state, the mattress may be moved from its position atop the platform of the bunk to the volume within the container of the bunk. The platform may be hingedly coupled to the container so that it can be pivoted to an open position and access can be gained to the interior volume of the container. Once the mattress is placed in the container, the platform may be closed and latched to securely store the mattress and potentially other items in the stowed state for transport.
In the stowed state, the drawer(s) (if included) may have foldable walls moved from an upright position, perpendicular to the planar base, to a folded position with the walls substantially coplanar with the base. When the drawer(s) are in the folded position, they may be substantially flat, occupying a relatively small volume. The folded drawer(s) may be stowed adjacent to the mattress in the enclosed container volume when the portable bedding structure is in the stowed state.
The first and second frame members may be decoupled from the bunks when, as in some embodiments, the portable bunk bed is converted to a stowed position. In some embodiments, the method of coupling/decoupling of the frame members to the bunks may be simple and tool-free, such as with a latch, to allow for quick deployment/stowage.
In some embodiments, the first frame member may be removably coupled to the platform of the first bunk when the portable bedding structure is in the stowed state. Similarly, the second frame member may be removably coupled to the platform of the second bunk in this state. With the first and second frame members adjoined to the first and second bunks, respectively, the first and second bunks may be coupled together, the lip of the first bunk abutting the lip of the second bunk. The coupling may be maintained with a tool-free latch, in some examples. In the stowed state, the portable bedding structure may resemble a rectangular cuboid and, in some embodiments, may have a thickness of at most about 18 inches, a width of at most about 36 inches, and a length of at most about 78 inches. In some embodiments, portable bedding structures according to this disclosure (including two bunks, frame members, mattresses, and drawers) weigh at most about 250 pounds. However, in other embodiments, collapsible bed systems according to this disclosure may have dimensions and/or weights larger or smaller than those given above. In the stowed state, the portable bedding structure may contain all of the separable components (the bunks, the frame members, the mattresses, and the drawers) into a single rectangular cuboid unit, which, in some examples, is self-contained and easily transportable. Some embodiments within the scope of this disclosure may include additional, or alternative, elements. Examples of several embodiments are disclosed with reference to the figures.
Multiple and varied example implementations and embodiments are described below. However, these examples are merely illustrative, and other implementations and embodiments may be used to deploy a portable bedding structure that includes one or more bunks and is movable between a deployed state and a stowed state without departing from the scope of the claims.
Turning now to the figures, details are provided concerning various example embodiments. In general, the embodiments disclosed in the figures are presented by way of example. Thus, the figures should not be considered as constraining the scope of the claims in any way. The components disclosed in the figures may be combined as desired to create a portable bunk bed. The components disclosed in the figures may be rearranged, modified, duplicated, and/or omitted in some configurations.
With reference to
The first bunk 102 may, in some examples, comprise a container 110 and a platform 112 hingedly coupled to an edge of the container so that the platform 112 may, in a first (closed) position, cover an opening of the container 110. The container may, in some embodiments, be substantially rectangular in form. In a second (open) position, the platform 112 may be positioned at an angle relative to the container 110, exposing a volume 114 of the container 110. Both the first position and the second position are illustrated by the first bunk 102 and the second bunk 104, respectively, in
The first bunk 102 may comprise a lip 116 that extends upwards from the platform 112 away from the container 110. In some embodiments a mattress 118 (
The collapsible bed system 100 may, in some embodiments, have the first drawer opening 120 and a second drawer opening 200, as shown in
The collapsible bed system 100 may comprise the first frame member 106 and the second frame member 108, coupled to the bunks 102 and 104 when the collapsible bed system 100 is in the deployed state, as illustrated by way of example in
In some embodiments, the collapsible bed system 100 may be changeable between a deployed state and a stowed state, the stowed state being illustrated by way of example in
In some examples, a handle 804 may be situated on the collapsible bed system 100, as shown in
In some embodiments, the collapsible bed system 100 may form a rectangular cuboid 802 when in the stowed state. The rectangular cuboid 802 may have a thickness of about 17 inches, a width of about 35 inches, a length of about 77 inches, and/or a weight of about 230 pounds, in some examples. A latch 808 may be implemented to couple the first platform 112 to the first container 110, maintaining the rectangular cuboid 802 profile. Thus, in the stowed state the collapsible bed system 100 is compact, self-contained, light weight, and therefore easily transportable.
Although the application describes embodiments having specific structural features and/or methodological acts, it is to be understood that the claims are not necessarily limited to the specific features or acts described. Rather, the specific features and acts are merely illustrative of some embodiments that fall within the scope of the claims of the application.
