Mobile, expandable disaster shelter

Abstract

The invention encompasses a mobile, expandable shelter intended to provide medium term housing to disaster victims. The invention minimizes moving parts so as to make the shelter more structurally sound and allows full deployment by two people in less than ten minutes without the use of a motor to supply hydraulic, pneumatic or electric assistance. This shelter will maximize space by offering the unique feature of side shells that slide over the base structure not out of the base structure.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS[0001]Not ApplicableSTATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSERED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT[0002]Not ApplicableREFERENCE TO SEQUENCE LISTING, A TABLE, OR A COMPUTER PROGRAM LISTING COMPACT DISC APPENDIX[0003]Not ApplicableBACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0004]The present invention relates to a mobile, expandable, disaster shelter that would serve as medium-term housing for victims of a disaster.[0005]Recreational vehicles were utilized as medium term emergency housing after hurricane Katrina. The most obvious limitation of recreational vehicles is their relatively small size resulting from the width restrictions of a normal road or highway. There have been many variations of slide-out room extensions but none of those adequately provide the space requirements to house a displaced family. Moreover, recreational vehicles and other types of expandable structures generally due not meet the stringent governmental structural requirements.[0006]In addition to bein...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0014]An objective of the present invention is to provide a room extension system intended to offer medium term housing to victims of disasters. This system is intended to minimize moving parts and joints so as to make it more structurally sound. The unique feature of the system is that it does not slide out of the base structure thus limiting the size of the extension, but rather slides over the base structure thus maximizing the size of the extension. The system features a support floor which folds down from the side of the base structure providing a flat floor throughout the structure. The expandable sides then slide out over the base structure supported by the floor that was previously deployed. The deployment can be performed by two people in less than ten minutes without the use of hydraulic, pneumatic or electric assistance meaning no motor is required.

Problems solved by technology

The most obvious limitation of recreational vehicles is their relatively small size resulting from the width restrictions of a normal road or highway.

There have been many variations of slide-out room extensions but none of those adequately provide the space requirements to house a displaced family.

Moreover, recreational vehicles and other types of expandable structures generally due not meet the stringent governmental structural requirements.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,797,224 of Ray R. Gunthardt describes a multitude of structures composed of many intricate parts and mechanism, all of which would create a great deal of weight and be very complicated to erect.

Moreover, it does not provide a flat floor limiting its functionality for people in wheelchairs.

The variable height results in a seam around the middle of the structure lending itself to air and water leaks and brings into question its structural stability.

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