The present invention relates to frame elements and systems and, more particularly, to foldable frame elements and systems.
Various folding frame systems for forming collapsible shelters and the like are known, such as those disclosed in my U.S. Pat. No. 5,230,196, U.S. Pat. No. 5,444,946, and U.S. Pat. No. 6,141,934, all of which are incorporated by reference. Those shelters, while generally well-suited for quick erection and for use in adverse environmental conditions, involve numerous parts and are designed for use for extended periods of time and in circumstances that can generally be anticipated. They are particularly useful in military applications where considerations of cost are secondary to the ability of the equipment to be successfully used under difficult environmental conditions.
In certain emergency situations, shelters such as those typically used by the military, while desirable, are often not practical. In disasters such as floods and earthquakes, the quantity of shelter needed for victims substantially exceeds the quantity of shelter available through collapsible shelters of the type purchased by the military. Moreover, the cost of such shelters, even if available, would be prohibitively expensive for most aid agencies and well beyond the means of the victims themselves.
Often, disaster victims are provided with crude shelters that are constructed out of any available materials, or provided with tents that are not intended for extended use. Usually, the shelters are poorly insulated and, in cold weather, they do not provide adequate protection from the elements. While these shelters are built or erected in the expectation that they will only be temporarily occupied, the reality is that the disaster victims often spend extended periods in these shelters. Survival is difficult where the shelters are not well-suited for adverse weather conditions.
It is desirable to provide a foldable frame system that is inexpensive to make, simple to erect, and that can be used as a disaster relief shelter, among various possible uses.
According to an aspect of the present invention, a frame element comprises a first scissor comprising a first and a second strut pivotably connected to each other at a first pivot point, a second scissor comprising a third and a fourth strut pivotably connected to each other at a second pivot point, and a hub to which the first and the third strut are pivotably connected, the first and second scissors being pivotable about the hub between a closed position in which the first, second, third, and fourth struts are substantially parallel to one another and an open, locked position in which the first and third struts define a non-zero angle with each other and abutment portions of the second and fourth struts contact receiving portions of the third and first struts, respectively, and prevent the first and third struts from pivoting beyond the non-zero angle.
According to another aspect of the present invention, a folding frame system comprises at least two frame elements, each frame element comprising a first scissor comprising a first and a second strut pivotably connected to each other at a first pivot point, a second scissor comprising a third and a fourth strut pivotably connected to each other at a second pivot point, and at least three hubs, each of the first, second, third, and fourth struts having first and second ends, the first ends of at least one of the first, second, third, and fourth struts being pivotably connected to at least one of the three hubs, the first and second scissors being pivotable about the hubs between a closed position in which the first, second, third, and fourth struts are substantially parallel to one another and an open, locked position in which the first and third struts define a non-zero angle with each other and abutment portions of the second and fourth struts contact receiving portions of the third and first struts, respectively, and prevent the first and third struts from pivoting beyond the non-zero angle, and at least three third scissors, each third scissor comprising a fifth and a sixth strut, the fifth strut being pivotably connected to one of the hubs and the sixth strut being pivotably connected to the second and fourth struts.
The features and advantages of the present invention are well understood by reading the following detailed description in conjunction with the drawings in which like numerals indicate similar elements and in which:
A frame element 21 according to an embodiment of the present invention and that is adapted for use in a folding frame system 23 (see
An outer hub 41 to which the first and the third strut 27 and 35 are pivotably connected is provided. The first and second scissors 25 and 33 are pivotable about the outer hub 41 between a closed position (
Ordinarily, the first and fourth struts 27 and 37 are pivotable in a substantially common plane, and the second and third struts 29 and 35 are pivotable in a substantially common plane. In this way, the abutment surfaces 43 of the second and fourth struts 29 and 37 are at or are themselves ends of the second and fourth struts. As seen in
Each of the first, second, third, and fourth struts 27, 29, 35, and 37 have first and second ends 25a and 25b, 27a and 27b, 35a and 35b, and 37a and 37b. As seen in
A tension member 51 extends between successive ones of each of the at least three outer hubs 41. The tension member 51 can be in the form of a cable, as shown, or can comprise a member such as a tent cover when the frame element 21 forms part of a system that is used as a shelter, such as a tent. Often, the system will have tension members 51 in the form of cables as well as a cover that also functions as a tension member. A hub 41 suitable for use as the outer hub is shown in
The second and the fourth struts 29 and 37 are pivotably connected to each other at pivot points 67 intermediate the first and second pivot points 31 and 39 and the abutment portions 43 of the second and fourth struts. Like the first and third struts 27 and 35, the second and fourth struts 29 and 37 are pivotably connected to each other in side by side fashion, such as by a pin 69 extending through each strut.
In order to pivot the first and second scissors 25 and 33 from the closed position (
By designing the frame element 21 so that a distance D1 between the first pivot point 31 (or second pivot point 39) and a center of the outer hub 41 is greater than a distance D2 between the first pivot point (or second pivot point) and the intermediate pivot point 65, when the frame element is in the open, locked position, the distance D3 between the intermediate pivot points on the struts forming a scissor is less than the distance D4 between the centers of the outer hubs 41 on the struts forming the scissor. By positioning several such frame elements end to end (as seen in
In the frame element 21, the first and second pivot points 31 and 39 are ordinarily parallel pivot axes so the scissors 25 and 33 are in substantially the same plane, although other embodiments (not shown) may have scissors that are not in substantially the same plane. In the frame element 21, a third scissor 71 comprising a fifth and a sixth strut 73 and 75 can be provided. The fifth strut 73 can be pivotably connected to the outer hub 41 and the sixth strut 75 can be pivotably connected to the second and fourth struts 29 and 37. In this embodiment, the third scissor 71 is substantially perpendicular to the first and second scissors 25 and 33 when the scissors are all in an open position. In embodiments where two third scissors 71 extend perpendicularly to a first and a second scissor, as seen in, e.g.,
The folding frame systems 23 seen in
As seen in, e.g.,
As seen in
A cover, not shown, may be provided on the exterior of the frame system before or after erection. Another cover may be provided on the interior of the frame system, ordinarily after erection. Insulation can be provided inside the outer cover and, if an inner cover is provided, between the inner and outer covers.
In the present application, the use of terms such as “including” is open-ended and is intended to have the same meaning as terms such as “comprising” and not preclude the presence of other structure, material, or acts. Similarly, though the use of terms such as “can” or “may” is intended to be open-ended and to reflect that structure, material, or acts are not necessary, the failure to use such terms is not intended to reflect that structure, material, or acts are essential. To the extent that structure, material, or acts are presently considered to be essential, they are identified as such.
While this invention has been illustrated and described in accordance with a preferred embodiment, it is recognized that variations and changes may be made therein without departing from the invention as set forth in the claims.
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Number | Date | Country |
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2849668 | Jul 2004 | FR |
Number | Date | Country | |
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20080017233 A1 | Jan 2008 | US |