Patent ID: 7874304
Filing Date: 2011-01-25
Classification: E04B,Y10T

Abstract:
1. A shelter of the type having collapsed and expanded configurations, the expanded configuration including a tunnel-shaped portion forming a pair of opposing side walls and a roof section, the roof section having a peak positioned above the side walls, the tunnel-shaped portion including opposing ends with a first opening at the first end and a second opening at the second end, each opening capable of accommodating an end wall along portions of the side walls and roof section, the shelter comprising: a first sheet, foldable along crease lines formed therein to define the walls and roof section, the first sheet segmented into rectangular-shaped panels of uniform dimension adjoining one another, pairs of adjoining panels forming a first plurality of pleats each having a vertex of variable angle, each panel having first and second opposing wall ends; and a floor section including a sheet having first and second opposing sides and foldable along crease lines formed therein to define a second plurality of rectangular-shaped panels adjoining one another each extending to both opposing sides, the floor section sheet having a first mounting portion along the first side to which first wall ends of the first sheet are securable and a second mounting portion, along the second side and spaced apart from the first mounting portion, to which second wall ends of the first sheet are securable, securement of the wall ends to the mounting portions in the expanded configuration setting a predetermined side wall length with the roof peak having a length no more than ten percent longer than the side wall length when the tunnel-shaped portion is formed without end walls along portions of the side walls and roof section at first and second ends, wherein: some of the panels of the first sheet have opposing sides coincident with adjacent crease lines formed in the first sheet, pairs of adjacent crease lines of the first sheet each having a first crease line spacing therebetween; some of the panels in the floor section sheet have opposing sides coincident with the crease lines therein, pairs of adjacent crease lines of the floor section sheet having a second crease line spacing therebetween; and an average ratio of first crease line spacing to second crease line spacing among multiple panels in the first sheet and multiple panels in the second sheet is less than 1.23.