Entranceway and disaster shelter utilizing the same

Information

  • Patent Grant
  • 6438907
  • Patent Number
    6,438,907
  • Date Filed
    Friday, June 11, 1999
    25 years ago
  • Date Issued
    Tuesday, August 27, 2002
    22 years ago
  • Inventors
  • Examiners
    • Friedman; Carl D.
    • Glessner; Brian E.
    Agents
    • Persson; Michael J.
    • Lawson, Philpot & Persson, P.C.
Abstract
An entranceway for a disaster shelter and a disaster shelter. The entranceway include a substantially hollow main manway, a hatch dome ring disposed about, and extending outward from, the open top of the main manway; and a hatch dome cover removably attached to the hatch dome ring such that the hatch dome cover forms a weather resistant seal with the hatch dome ring. The exterior surfaces of the preferred hatch dome ring and hatch dome cover are manufactured of an intumescent laminate material. A substantially hollow emergency escape manway is disposed through the main manway wall to allow an alternate point of egress from the shelter in the event that the hatch dome cover is blocked by debris. The preferred entranceway also includes an air filter and a septic tank, each located exterior to the manway such that each may be accessed by a shelterist within the manway. The disaster shelter includes an entranceway, a substantially hollow shelter cell, and a seismic joint joining the entranceway and the shelter cell. The seismic joint is dimensioned to allow the entranceway to move relative to the shelter cell and to maintain a watertight relationship between the entranceway and the shelter cell.
Description




FIELD OF THE INVENTION




The present invention relates to the field of disaster shelters and, in particular, to an entranceway for a disaster shelter that enhances the protection of its occupants in the event of a disaster.




BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION




In spite of a large amount of misinformation which has been presented to the public, there is convincing scientific and technical information available that it is possible for most people to survive a fall scale exchange of nuclear weapons, provided that proper advance preparations are made.




It is acknowledged that there would be little incentive for an individual to survive such a nuclear holocaust if, as a result, all life on earth were doomed to extinction or marginal existence. However, the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) has produced extensive reports on the atmospheric effects from various war scenarios, which contradict any such idea. In reality, therefore, the question today is not whether persons can survive a nuclear holocaust, but whether people have the will and determination to prepare for survival.




Some efforts have been made to prepare shelters capable of providing some degree of protection in the event of a nuclear blast or multiple detonations. Most such shelters were designed to afford a measure of protection from fallout. However, these fallout shelters provide no blast protection, nor do they protect against any number of certain other surface effects, such as a burst of nuclear radiation, the fireball which can reach millions of degrees Fahrenheit, thermal radiation transmitted from the fireball, fire storms produced by the thermal radiation, pressure waves (both under and over pressure), and blast wind.




A number of underground disaster shelters have been developed to overcome the problems attendant to traditional fallout shelters. The typical backyard, or personal, shelter has the capability of providing shelter for a small number of people, such as a family unit and incorporates features to protect its occupants against some of the effects of nuclear weapons. However, as these shelters must allow air to be taken in and vented, and must permit access to the shelter, it is possible for intruders to flush out the occupants with the use of gasoline, water, fire, etc. In addition, many current shelters do not protect against the use of a vehicle to force open the hatch.




In my U.S. Pat. No. 4,660,334 issued on Apr. 28, 1987, incorporated herein by reference, I describe a shelter capable of producing survival for its occupants during and after one or more nuclear blasts. Such a shelter is capable of withstanding large doses of neutron and gamma radiation, ground shock, and substantial over pressures, as well as a variety of other conditions, both short and long term, enumerated in my patent.




In my U.S. Pat. No. 5,115,613 issued on May 26, 1992, also incorporated herein by reference, I describe an improved shelter having an enhanced ability to resist the blast effect resulting from the detonation of a nuclear device. The shape of this shelter was rendered more compact and less expensive to manufacture and install than that of the shelter described in my U.S. Pat. No. 4,660,334 and the construction of the connecting shaft below the command station was improved such that the system better absorbed the downward forces on the command station.




Each of my patented shelters is effective at resisting a blast effect from the detonation of a nuclear or other explosive device, and allowing its occupants to survive such a blast. In addition, each may be sealed to prevent intruders from flushing out the occupants with gasoline, water, fire, etc., and each protects against the use of a vehicle to force open the hatch. However, neither of these shelters fully protects shelterists from assault by intruders. For example, neither employ an entranceway that has a low profile and may be easily concealed. Neither provides an entranceway that is fully fire resistant, such that an intruder utilizing a flamethrower would be deterred, or that provides the shelterists with an alternative means of egress in the event that an intruder covers the entranceway with a heavy object, such as a tree or large rock. Neither provides a quick acting hatch or integral locking bar to allow shelterists to quickly enter, close, and secure the hatch in the event that an intruder is observed. Finally, neither entranceway allows the air filtration and septic systems to be accessed from within the shelter.




Therefore, there is a need for a disaster shelter for protecting shelterists during disasters such as tornadoes, storms, forest fires, power failures, nuclear power plant accidents, nuclear terrorism, and a full scale protracted nuclear, chemical, and biological war, that includes an entranceway that is impervious to intruders. In particular, there is need for an entranceway for a disaster shelter that has a low profile and may be easily concealed, is fully fire resistant, provides the shelterists with an alternative means of egress in the event that an intruder covers the entranceway with a heavy object, provides a quick acting hatch or integral locking bar to allow shelterists to quickly enter, close, and secure the hatch in the event that an intruder is observed, and allows the air filtration and septic systems to be accessed from within the shelter.




SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION




The present invention is an entranceway for a disaster shelter and a disaster shelter that overcomes the drawbacks of the prior art. All embodiments of the entranceway include a substantially hollow main manway, a hatch dome ring disposed about, and extending outward from, the open top of the main manway; and a hatch dome cover removably attached to the hatch dome ring such that the hatch dome cover forms a weather resistant seal with the hatch dome ring.




In the preferred embodiment of the entranceway, the exterior surfaces of the hatch dome ring and hatch dome cover are manufactured of an intumescent laminate material. The preferred dome cover is attached to the hatch dome ring via a hinge and is secured to dome ring via an integral locking bar such that a substantially dome shaped surface having an angle of incidence of less than twenty degrees is formed. In this preferred embodiment, a substantially hollow emergency escape manway is disposed through the main manway wall to allow an alternate point of egress from the shelter in the event that the hatch dome cover is blocked by debris. An air inlet is preferably disposed through the main manway wall, and at least one vent opening is disposed through the hatch ring relative to the air inlet and dimensioned such that air is allowed to enter the air inlet and rain is prevented from entering the air inlet. The preferred entranceway also includes a HEPA air filter and a septic tank, disposed within an air filter compartment and septic compartment respectively. These compartments are preferably located exterior to the manway such that each may be accessed by a shelterist within the manway.




The disaster shelter includes an entranceway, a substantially hollow shelter cell, and a seismic joint joining the entranceway and the shelter cell. The seismic joint is dimensioned to allow the entranceway to move relative to the shelter cell and to maintain a watertight relationship between the entranceway and the shelter cell. The entranceway may be any variation of those described above, but will always include a substantially hollow main manway, a hatch dome ring disposed about, and extending outward from, the open top of the main manway; and a hatch dome cover removably attached to the hatch dome cover such that the hatch dome cover forms a weather resistant seal with the hatch dome ring.




Therefore, it is an aspect of the invention to provide a disaster shelter that is capable of resisting a blast effect from the detonation of a nuclear or other explosive device, and allowing its occupants to survive such a blast.




It is a further aspect of the invention to provide a disaster shelter including an entranceway, which is impervious to intruders.




It is a further aspect of the invention to provide an entranceway for a disaster shelter, which prevents intruders from flushing out the occupants with gasoline, water, fire, etc.




It is a further aspect of the invention to provide an entranceway for a disaster shelter, which protects against the use of a vehicle to force open the hatch.




It is a further aspect of the invention to provide an entranceway for a disaster shelter, which has a low profile and may be easily concealed.




It is a further aspect of the invention to provide an entranceway for a disaster shelter, which is fully fire resistant.




It is a further aspect of the invention to provide an entranceway for a disaster shelter, which provides the shelterists with an alternative means of egress in the event that an intruder covers the entranceway with a heavy object.




It is a further aspect of the invention to provide an entranceway for a disaster shelter, which provides a quick acting hatch or integral locking bar to allow shelterists to quickly enter, close, and secure the hatch in the event that an intruder is observed.




It is a further aspect of the invention to provide an entranceway for a disaster shelter, which does not include exposed bolts that may be removed to provide ingress to intruders.




It is a still further aspect of the invention to provide an entranceway for a disaster shelter, which allows the air filtration and septic systems to be accessed from within the shelter.




These aspects of the invention are not meant to be exclusive and other features, aspects, and advantages of the present invention will be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art when read in conjunction with the following description, appended claims and accompanying drawings.











BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS





FIG. 1

is an isometric view of the preferred embodiment of the entranceway of the present invention.





FIG. 2

is a side view of the hatch dome ring, hatch dome cover, main manway and emergency escape manway of the entranceway of the present invention.





FIG. 3

is a section view of the preferred entranceway of the present invention.





FIG. 4

is an isometric view of the preferred disaster shelter of the present invention.





FIG. 5

is a cut away view of the preferred seismic joint utilized to join the entranceway to the shelter cell in the preferred disaster shelter.





FIG. 6

is a section view of one embodiment of the entranceway showing an antenna cavity disposed through said hatch dome ring and a thru-hull coupling disposed through the main manway.











DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION




Referring first to

FIG. 1

, one embodiment of the entranceway


10


of the present invention is shown. The entranceway


10


includes a substantially hollow main manway


12


. The main manway


12


is preferably manufactured of a fiberglass material and is dimensioned both to allow a large adult to enter and exit the shelter, and to withstand external forces from the earth. Accordingly, the preferred main manway


12


has an interior opening that is 24 inches in diameter and has a wall thickness of 0.5 inches. However, it is understood that a main manway


12


manufactured of different materials, and/or having different dimensions, may be substituted to achieve similar results.




A substantially hollow emergency escape manway


28


is preferably disposed through the wall of the main manway


12


. This emergency escape manway


28


is dimensioned to provide a shelterist with an alternate point of egress from the shelter


10


in the event that the hatch dome cover


22


is blocked by debris. As shown in greater detail in

FIG. 2

, the preferred embodiment of the emergency escape manway


28


includes a locking ring


13


and a escape manway cover


15


that is dimensioned to cover the locking ring


13


and lock into place utilizing locking means


11


. The escape manway cover


15


opens inwardly within the main manway


12


allowing the backfilled gravel or crushed stone to fill into the main manway


12


when the escape manway cover


15


is opened. In this manner, the escape manway cover


15


provides a shelterist with access to the earth between the escape manway


28


and ground level, while preventing intruders from excavating around the entranceway to gain access to the shelter.




As shown in

FIGS. 1 and 3

, a hatch dome ring


14


is disposed about, and extends outward from, the open top


16


of the main manway


12


. The hatch dome ring


14


is preferably dome shaped and includes a top opening that is bounded by a recessed hatch seal


26


that is dimensioned to receive and form a weather resistant seal with the hatch dome cover


22


. This seal


26


is preferably a high temperature silicone gasket capable of withstanding temperatures of four hundred and fifty degrees (450°) Fahrenheit. The hatch dome cover


22


is preferably dome shaped, and is removably attached to the hatch dome ring


14


via a hinge


33


. When combined together, the hatch dome ring


14


and hatch dome cover


22


form a substantially dome shaped surface having an angle of incidence A, that is preferably about twenty degrees (20°). A low angle of incidence A


1


is preferred in order to prevent damage to the hatch dome


14


and hatch dome cover


22


in the event of high winds caused by storms or nuclear explosion, and to lower the profile of the ring


14


and cover


22


, enhancing the concealability of the entranceway.




Hinge


33


may be an internal hinge that is not visible from the exterior of the hatch dome ring


14


. However, the preferred hinged


33


, is an external hinge that fits within a pocket (not shown) in the hatch dome ring


14


. The preferred hatch dome cover


22


is secured to the hatch dome ring


14


via an integral locking bar


30


. The combination of the integral hinge


33


and locking bar


30


allows the hatch dome cover


22


to be quickly closed and locked in the event that a shelterist is pursued by an intruder and to resist pressures of negative


5


PSI created by a blast or tornado.




The hatch dome ring


14


includes an air intake manifold pocket


17


covered by an air intake manifold cover


19


, and an air exhaust manifold pocket


18


covered by air exhaust manifold cover


20


. The air exhaust manifold pocket


18


is disposed over the leaching septic tank vent


23


and is placed under positive pressure by air exhausted from the main manway


12


. This air travels through access port/vent


24


and cylinder insect screen


25


and is exhausted through the perimeter gap around the air exhaust manifold cover


20


. The access/vent port


24


is normally maintained in open position and allows a shelterist to place their hand into the air exhaust manifold pocket to unlock the mechanism holding the air exhaust manifold cover


20


in place. This feature prevents intruders outside of the shelter from removing the air exhaust manifold cover


20


to sabotage the shelter.




The air intake manifold pocket


17


is disposed on the air intake side, or HEPA filter side, of the main manway


12


. Air intake manifold pocket


17


is under negative pressure and supplies air to the shelter through the perimeter of the air intake manifold cover


19


. In operation, unfiltered air enters air intake manifold pocket


17


and passes through the HEPA filter intake insect screen


46


into the HEPA filter bag


32


where it is filtered. The filtered air is then sucked though the air intake pipe coupling


27


and piped to the shelter air carbon filter (not shown), where toxins not caught by the HEPA filter bag are neutralized. The resulting filtered air is subsequently fed into the shelter for use by the shelterists. Access port


21


is normally kept closed, but may be opened to allow a shelterist to placed their hand within the air intake manifold pocket


17


to unlock the securing mechanism


37


securing the air exhaust manifold cover


19


.




The HEPA filter bag


32


is disposed within the filter compartment


34


that is attached to the exterior of main manway


12


. The HEPA filter cover


31


is preferably accessed through air intake manifold cover


19


, and removed from the ground surface to allow the HEPA filter bag


32


to be replaced. The preferred HEPA filter bag


32


is made of a material that will filter out 99.9% of particles that are larger than


1


micron. Such a bag design allows heavy particulates, such as sand and grit, to fall to the bottom while allowing air to pass through the vertical walls of the filter bag. The HEPA filter bag


32


also removes and holds radioactive fallout particles, making the HEPA filter bag


32


a source of radiation. Accordingly, it is important that the HEPA filter bag


32


be placed away from shelterists such that there is a mass or earth barrier between the radioactive HEPA filter bag


32


and the shelterists.




Rain is allowed to travel through the perimeter around both air pocket manifolds is


17


and


18


where it exits through perimeter gap


29


. Accordingly, the floor of the air intake manifold pocket


17


and air exhaust manifold pocket


18


include raised portions that prevent water from entering the HEPA filter and septic tank.




The leaching septic tank


36


is attached to main manway


12


and contains a plurality of holes


38


to allow the septic fluid to leach out into the ground. The septic tank cover


43


is preferably accessible through the air exhaust manifold cover


20


, allowing the septic tank


36


to be manually pumped out from the ground surface.




Referring now to

FIGS. 4 & 5

, the preferred disaster shelter


50


of the present invention is shown. The preferred shelter


50


includes an entranceway


10


, a substantially hollow parabaloid shelter cell


52


, and a seismic joint


54


joining the entranceway


10


and the shelter cell


52


. The seismic joint


54


is dimensioned to allow the entranceway


10


to move relative to the shelter cell


52


and to maintain a watertight relationship between the entranceway


10


and the shelter cell


52


.




As shown in

FIG. 5

, the preferred seismic joint


54


is a bellow joint that joins the entranceway


10


to the shelter


50


such that each may move independently from one another. In particular, the seismic joint allows the top of the main manway to tip sideways and allows the entranceway to move up and down, essentially allowing any movement except translation. The preferred seismic joint


54


includes a first fiberglass flange


55


formed integral to the bottom of the main manway


12


of entranceway


10


and a second fiberglass flange


57


formed integral to the top of entranceway portion of the shelter


50


. During assembly, the first fiberglass flange


55


and second fiberglass flange


57


are aligned relative to one another, a gasket material


59


is disposed between the flanges


55


,


57


, and the flanges


55


,


57


are mechanically fastened together to form the bellow joint. As shown in

FIG. 5

, the flanges


55


,


57


are attached via a plurality of nuts and bolts. However, it is understood that other mechanical fasteners, such as clips or the like, may also be utilized to achieve similar results.




Because the seismic joint allows the entranceway


10


to move independently from the shelter


50


, the ladder


80


that allows shelterists to descend through the main manway


12


into the shelter


50


is made of at least two pieces and includes a slot, which allows the sections to move up and down relative to one another. In the preferred shelter, this ladder


80


is a two piece ladder that is free to move two inches in either direction. However, it is recognized that other ladder designs may serve the same purpose and, therefore, may be substituted to achieve similar results.





FIG. 6

shows a section view of one embodiment of the entranceway, which includes an antenna cavity


60


to allow the CB and scanner radio antenna


62


to be installed and removed from inside the entranceway


12


. The antenna cavity


60


is preferably a cylindrical tapered cavity, having a diameter of approximately six (6) inches, and extends from the hatch dome


14


to just below the ground


65


. The hatch dome at this point contains a threaded coupling


61


that accepts a threaded bushing


64


, which holds antenna


62


. The antenna cable


72


connects to at least one radio (not shown) disposed within the shelter


50


. The preferred antenna cavity


60


allows enough room for a person to hand tighten the bushing


64


into the threaded coupling


61


. Although only one antenna pocket


60


is shown, it is recognized that more than one pocket may be utilized in order to accept more than one radio.




Finally,

FIG. 6

also shows a thru-hull coupling


69


that allows a watertight passage for various outside services, such as 12 volt power lines, 110 volt power lines, telephone lines, etc., to penetrate the entranceway wall


12


while preventing water from entering the shelter. Typically, one thru-hull coupling is provided for each line, with each located approximately 12 inches below ground level


65


.




Although the present invention has been described in considerable detail with reference to certain preferred versions thereof, other versions would be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art. Therefore, the spirit and scope of the appended claims should not be limited to the description of the preferred versions contained herein.



Claims
  • 1. An entranceway for a disaster shelter comprising:a substantially hollow main manway having a main manway wall, a substantially open top and a substantially open bottom: a substantially hollow emergency escape manway disposed through said main manway wall; a hatch dome ring disposed about, and extending outward from, said open top of said main manway, said hatch dome ring having an exterior surface; and a hatch dome cover removably attached to said hatch dome ring such that said hatch dome cover forms a weather resistant seal with said hatch dome ring.
  • 2. The entranceway as claimed in claim 1 further comprising an air inlet disposed through said main manway wall, and wherein said hatch dome ring further comprises at least one vent opening, said vent opening being dimensioned and disposed relative to said air inlet such that air is allowed to enter said air inlet and rain is prevented from entering said air inlet.
  • 3. The entranceway as claimed in claim 2 further comprising an air filter disposed between one of said at least one vent openings and said air inlet.
  • 4. The entranceway as claimed in claim 3 wherein said air filter is a highly effective particulate air filter bag.
  • 5. The entranceway as claimed in claim 3 wherein said air filter is disposed within a filter compartment, and wherein said filter compartment is disposed exterior to said main manway wall such that said filter compartment may be accessed from an interior of said main manway.
  • 6. The entranceway as claimed in claim 1 further comprising a septic tank disposed within a septic compartment, and wherein said septic compartment is disposed exterior to said main manway wall such that said septic compartment may be accessed from an interior of said main manway.
  • 7. The entranceway as claimed in claim 1 wherein said hatch dome cover and said hatch dome ring form a substantially dome shaped surface having an angle of incidence of less than twenty degrees.
  • 8. The entranceway as claimed in claim 1 further comprising a cover hinge and wherein said hatch dome cover is removably attached to said hatch dome ring via said cover hinge.
  • 9. The entranceway as claimed in claim 8 wherein said hatch dome cover comprises an integral locking bar for securing said dome cover in locked relation to said dome ring.
  • 10. The entranceway as claimed in claim 1 wherein said hatch dome ring further comprises at least one antenna cavity disposed through said exterior surface.
  • 11. The entranceway as claimed in claim 1 wherein an exterior surface of said hatch dome ring and an exterior surface of said hatch dome cover are manufactured of an intumescent laminate material.
  • 12. A disaster shelter comprising:an entranceway comprising: a substantially hollow main manway having a main manway wall, a substantially open top and a substantially open bottom: a hatch dome ring disposed about, and extending outward from, said open top of said main manway; and a hatch dome cover removably attached to said hatch dome ring such that said hatch dome cover forms a weather resistant seal with said hatch dome ring; a substantially hollow shelter cell; and a seismic joint joining said entranceway and said shelter cell, said seismic joint being dimensioned to allow said entranceway to move relative to said shelter cell in any manner except translation, and to maintain a watertight relationship between said entranceway and said shelter cell.
  • 13. The disaster shelter as claimed in claim 12 wherein an exterior surface of said hatch dome ring and an exterior surface of said hatch dome cover of said entranceway are manufactured of an intumescent laminate material.
  • 14. The disaster shelter as claimed in claim 12 wherein said entranceway further comprises a substantially hollow emergency escape manway disposed through said main manway wall.
  • 15. The disaster shelter as claimed in claim 12 wherein said entranceway further comprises an air inlet disposed through said main manway wall, and wherein said hatch dome ring of said entranceway further comprises at least one vent opening, said vent opening being dimensioned and disposed relative to said air inlet such that air is allowed to enter said air inlet and rain is prevented from entering said air inlet.
  • 16. The disaster shelter as claimed in claim 12 further comprising an air filter disposed within a filter compartment, and wherein said filter compartment is disposed exterior to said main manway wall such that said filter compartment may be accessed from an interior of said main manway.
  • 17. The disaster shelter as claimed in claim 12 further comprising a septic tank disposed within a septic compartment, and wherein said septic compartment is disposed exterior to said main manway wall such that said septic compartment may be accessed from an interior of said main manway.
  • 18. The disaster shelter as claimed in claim 12 wherein said hatch dome cover and said hatch dome ring form a substantially dome shaped surface having an angle of incidence of less than twenty degrees.
  • 19. The disaster shelter as claimed in claim 12 wherein said hatch dome ring of said entranceway further comprises an antenna cavity disposed through said exterior surface.
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5017039 Spiess et al. May 1991 A
5115613 McCarthy May 1992 A
5201151 LeBlanc et al. Apr 1993 A
5600923 Riley Feb 1997 A