Convertible protective shelter

Abstract

A convertible protective shelter for people to shelter and stay in during unsafe situations, such as earthquakes and windstorms. The shelter can protect occupants from falling materials or debris. This shelter is readily convertible into a table for general household use when it is not required, and can be readily deployed when it is required. A plurality of elongate support members which form the arched structure of the shelter may be converted into leg structures for the undeployed shelter (table). The shelter can also be provided with at least one protective door, which optionally can be foldable to facilitate storage of the protective door when the shelter is not in use.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION[0001]The present invention relates to the field of protective shelters. More particularly, the present invention relates to the field of protective shelters that are convertible into items of furniture when not in use.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0002]The potential damage and risks which can be caused by natural disasters such as earthquakes, hurricanes, high winds, etc. is well known. During such natural disasters, usually the most common cause of injury and / or loss of life to people / pets is due to the structural collapse of buildings.[0003]Previously, efforts to try to address this issue have included developing methods to reinforce buildings themselves, but this is still a gradual process of development, and around the world, whether in developing or developed countries, many houses and properties are still inadequately built to withstand earthquakes, hurricanes, etc.[0004]There have also been various innovations created to prevent harm during such natural d...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0006]The protective shelter provides a safe place for occupants to shelter in during natural disasters such as earthquakes, windstorms, and the like, in order to obtain protection from falling debris, etc. It is contemplated that the protective shelter can be made sufficiently spacious to allow occupants to stay / sleep in for an extended period (for example, following a mild earthquake occurring in the middle of the night, occupants can sleep in the shelter without having to worry unduly about potential mild aftershocks). As the protective shelter is a relatively large structure and takes up considerable space, it is contemplated that it would be advantageous to allow it to be convertible into an item of furniture for general use, when the shelter is not required.

[0007]Disclosed herein is a convertible protective shelter having a simple, arched structure. It is contemplated that the shelter can be an integral single unit, requiring no extra connection parts. The structure evenly distributes any potential impact force into the entire structure and is not reliant upon any hinge or load bearing point, which could potentially be a point of failure.

[0008]Disclosed herein is a protective shelter that provides a large space for an average family of between 3-5 people to remain in comfortably, for example while awaiting for updates on the situation or for help to arrive. The protective shelter would protect the occupants from downward impact of falling debris and from glass and other such debris which may ricochet upon impact with the ground. The shelter should be easily convertible to and from daily-use furniture, which in a preferred embodiment is a dining table. The conversion process (both from table into shelter and from shelter back into table) should ideally be achievable quickly and effortlessly. The materials used in the construction of the protective shelter should be high strength (so as to be impact resistant), yet preferably light-weight; suitable construction materials will be well known to one skilled in the art.

[0013]In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, the convertible protective shelter may be additionally provided with one or more securing means to help secure the protective door to one or more of the support members.

Problems solved by technology

During such natural disasters, usually the most common cause of injury and / or loss of life to people / pets is due to the structural collapse of buildings.

Previously, efforts to try to address this issue have included developing methods to reinforce buildings themselves, but this is still a gradual process of development, and around the world, whether in developing or developed countries, many houses and properties are still inadequately built to withstand earthquakes, hurricanes, etc.

There are various shortcomings with these methods, including for example, discomfort to the user when used for extended periods of time, high cost of automation and mechanization, difficulties with accurately and quickly sensing an earthquake, and the inability to shelter multiple people at once.

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