STACKABLE COVER IN THE SHAPE OF A DOME

Abstract: A stackable cover (1) in the shape of a dome is intended to be placed on a base and to enclose an internal space (18) inside the cover. The cover exhibits at the top a roof opening (3) and a suspension arrangement (7) which is anchored close to the roof opening. The suspension arrangement may adopt an internal position in which it hangs down inside the internal space (18). In this position, objects (19) can be attached to the suspension arrangement. Under the effect of an upward pulling force applied to the suspension arangement, this may be caused to adopt an external position. In this position, the suspension arrangement may be used to lift the cover by means of the pulling force. Several covers can be stacked one on top of the other with the subjacent cover projecting into the space inside the superjacent cover and with the roof openings located essentially directly in line with each other, so that all the suspension arrangements are able in their external position to extend outwards through all the roof openings for the purpose of lifting the covers together.

Description: Title of the Invention: Stackable cover in the shape of a dome Technical Field: The present invention relates to a stackable cover in the shape of a dome intended to be placed on a base and to enclose an internal space inside the cover. Description of the Prior Art: A range of activities in the forests and on the land require the use of a protective arrangement for both materials and individuals, in connection either with open—air recreation or with the performance of work. For instance, when drawing electricity cables or telephone lines, etc., it is usual to make use of caravans or other cabins, or possibly tents. All the solutions used until now suffer from certain disadvantages , for instance with regard to the positioning of caravans, which requires a road suitable for vehicles to be available as far as the place of work, which may be situated in a very inaccessible position in many cases.. Tents and similar are an unacceptable alternative in adverse weather conditions, for example during the winter or under conditions of strong winds. This is also true of open—air recreational activities. Technical Problem: The purpose of the present invention is to propose a stackable cover which is capaβle of solving the problems referred to by way of introduction by being easily transportable to the site, for instance by means of a helicopter, and by providing excellent protection even under adverse weather conditions. Solution: The aforementioned purpose may be achieved by means of a stackable cover which is characterized in that the cover exhibits at the top a roof opening and a suspension arrangement which is capable of being adjusted between an internal position hanging down inside the internal space, in which position objects can be attached to the suspension arrangement, and is able to adopt under the effect of an upward pulling force applied to the suspension arrangement an external position in which the suspension arrangement may be used to lift the cover by means of the aforementioned pulling force, and in that several covers are so arranged as to be capable of being stacked one on top of the other with the subjacent cover projecting into the space inside the superjacent cover and with the roof openings located essentially directly in Line with each other, so that all the suspension arrangements are able in their external position- to extend outwards through all the roof openings for the purpose of lifting the covers together. Description of the Drawings: The invention is closer described below in -an embodiment with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. 1 shows a partially sectioned view of the cover in accordance with the invention, anchored to a base; Fig. 2 shows a number of covers stacked one on top of the other and suspended by means of a suspension arrangement in accordance with the invention belonging to each cover; Fig. 3 and Fig. 4 show views of part of the cover in accordance with the invention, whilst Fig. 5 shows a partially sectioned view of the cover with the suspension arrangement in accordance with the invention. Description of the Preferred Embodiment: As may be appreciated from Fig. 1, the stackable cover 1 in accordance with the invention is in the form of a dome of a design which is precisely shaped so as to achieve good stackability and so as to achieve the maximum internal space in combination with a high degree of resistance to climatic effects. When placed on a base 20 , the cover 1 essentially becomes a closed unit , with the exception of an entrance opening 2 and a roof opening 3 . The structure and the design of the roof opening may best be appreciated from Fig. 3, which will be described in greater detail - UREA OMPI below. The entrance opening is of a suitable height to permit an adult to pass through without great difficulty, if necessary bent forward. The entrance opening is thus rather broader at the top than at the bottom. The entrance opening is also not open at the lower edge 4 of the dome, where a sill section 5 is formed in order to provide the dome with high strength and to offer protection against the ingress of small animals, snow and water, etc. Although not illustrated in the drawing, it is appropriate in certain applications for the entrance opening 2 to be provided with some means of closure, for example in the form of a door, which is suspended on hinges and is fitted with a- handle and lock. Alternatively, the door may be replaced by a raisable flap which can be released from either side. The opening may also be closed by stretching across it a piece of textile or plastic fabric. The cover 1 is also provided with a number of handles 6 , being four in the example shown, which are located at the bottom close to the lower edge 4 of the cover. The handles 6 are preferably arranged around the cover in such a way that they lie more or less next to each other in pairs. When being lifted by four men, two men may stand on either side of the stack so as to Lift a number of covers stacked one on top of the other, at a point where the greatest distance is present between the handles. In accordance with the invention, the cover exhibits a suspension arrangement 7 which may have several functions and which is therefore used in different situations. The structure of * the suspension arrangement may best be appreciated from Fig. 1 and Fig. 3. Fig. 3 shows part of the cover 1 around the roof opening 3 , as viewed from below. The suspension arrangement 7 exhibits an anchoring component 8 extending around the roof opening 3 , said anchoring component being permanently built into the wall 9 of the cover. The wall of the cover is, in fact, best executed from an injection moulded foam material, for example polyurethane foam, which is injected under pressure so that the material will be given relatively, hard surfaces both externally and internally and a relatively porous core, which possess good thermal and acoustical insulation properties. The hard cover is - B UR OM impact—resistant and strong, as well as being weather—resistant. The anchoring arrangement 8 may thus be bonded into the plastic material in the course of manufacture, for example onto the underside of the wall 9 of the cover, thereby forming a strong reinforcement around the roof opening 3 . In the example shown, the anchorage arrangement 8 comprises an outer ring 10 and an inner ring 11 of steel, light alloy or a similar material. The outer ring and the inner ring are connected to each other by means of a number of radially extending rods 12 of the same material as the two rings, which are securely attached to the rings, for instance by welding. To the inner ring is fixed - an- attachment component in the form of a flexible transverse cabLe 13 , for example a steel rope or similar. This may, for instance, be hooked around the inner ring by its ends, . thereby causing it to be attached in a flexible manner. The inner ring 11 is provided with two indentations for this purpose, again≤t which part of the inner ring is located with a space between it and the wall 9 of the cover, in such a way that the attachment to the ring is slightly flexible. To the transverse cable 13 is attached a pulling component in the form of a pulling cable 14 , which may equally be made from a steel rope , or similar, and which has an eye 15, 16 at either end. The pulling cable 14 is connected via one of the eyes 15 to the transverse cable 13 , in such a way that the transverse cable ' extends through the eye, which is thus able to run along the transverse cable. The. transverse cable ' 13 is extremely flexible and is designed to be of such a length that it may be moved to one side in order to provide sufficient space for a smoke pipe 17 , indicated by the dotted and dashed lines in Fig. 3. The smoke pipe may be used with advantage in those applications in which the cover is used as a dwelling or for stays during the winter, whereby the smoke pipe is connected to a stove for heating the internal space 18 of the cover or for cooking. For this purpose the smoke pipe may be provided with a collar or some other form of union which forms a seal with the roof opening outside the smoke pipe 17 and which is also able to support or to form a support for the pipe. 'BURE OMPI Fig. 1 shows the suspension arrangement 7 in an inner position with the pulling cable 14 connected to a lower anchorage arrangement 19 in the form of a bar or some similar arrangement driven into the earth 20 or some other base for the purpose of securing the cover 1 . The bar 19 which is driven into the earth exhibits at the top a hook 21 , which is introduced into the outer end of the pulling cable 14 with the eye 16. . In this way, excellent anchorage of the cover to the base is obtained, whereby particularly high insensitivity to wind loads is achieved. This internal anchorage also provides protection against unauthorized entry, which- naturally also requires that the entrance opening 2 should be capable of being closed and locked. The bar 19 is thus driven into the earth until it secures a good hold, and to a sufficient depth for the pulling cable 14 and the transverse cable 13 to be relatively taut. The principal function of the suspension arrangement 7 is, however, its function in conjunction with a lifting arrangement for lifting the cover 1 onto a Lorry, or for Lifting the cover and transporting it by means of a helicopter, for instance, to the various places at which it is to be used. The suspension arrangement 7 is thus capable of adjustment between its inner position and an outer position indicated by dotted and dashed lines in Fig. 1. This is possible because the pulling cable.14 is extremely flexible and can be passed up through the roof opening * 3 . The covers may be transported one at a time, whereby a sling 21 hanging down from the helicopter, for instance, is passed through the eye 16 at the outer end of the pulling cable 14 . The sling 21 is executed in such a way for this purpose that it is securely anchored by one of its ends to the helicopter and is held by its other end by means of a release mechanism (not shown), which is- able to be disengaged at one end so as to permit the sling to pass through the eye 16 , thereby permitting the cover 1 to be deposited in any desired position. During the lifting operation, the transverse cable 13 will thus be situated above the roof opening 3 , and once the transport operation has been concluded, the suspension arrangement 7 together with both the pulling cable 14 and the transverse cable 13 may be passed down through the opening 3 and may be used for anchorage or for some other form of suspension, which will be described in greater detail below. The function of the suspension arrangement 7 in conjunction with a lifting arrangement of the helicopter type is particularly advantageous in the case of the transport of a- number of covers stacked one on top of the other, as shown in Fig. 2. Stacking is best done by utilizing the suspension arrangement 7 to lift one cover at a time by connecting a lifting hook or similar arrangement to the eye 16 of the pulling cable 14 and by lowering one cover at a time onto a preceeding cover. The Lifting handles 6 for manual lifting of the cover are so positioned in terms of their height and are so designed that the covers will remain separated from each other by a certain space without the risk of them becoming stuck to each other. As may be appreciated from Fig. 4, the handles 6 in the example shown are executed with a mounting plate 22 , which is securely attached to the cover concerned by means of screws, rivets or similar. To the mounting plate 22 is attached a curved hand grip 23 , which forms not only a lifting handle but also a storage organ to support the superjacent cover, which thus rests by its lower edge 4 upon the curved hand grip. As indicated by the dotted and dashed lines in Fig. 4 and as stated above, the storage organ * provides a space between the inner wall 24 of the superjacent cover and the outer wall 25 of the subjacent cover. The distance between the upper side of the curved hand grip 23 and the Lower edge 4 of the cover is precisely designed in relation to the angle of inclination of the wall of the cover and its thickness in such a way that said space may be maintained, thereby preventing the covers from becoming stuck to each other. When transporting a stack of covers to the various places at which they are to be used, the covers which have been stacked one on top of the other are lifted -simultaneously, although each and every one of the covers is attached by means of its own suspension arrangement, whereby the transporting unit, for example the helicopter, exhibits a sling 21 for each cover, whereby each sling is thus passed through the eye 16 in the pulling cable 14 of each cover, as shown in Figure 2. It is in fact possible in this way to deposit each cover at the intended place without the need to release the other covers. This is a great advantage when a large number of covers is to be deposited at various points in the countryside. A number of covers stacked one on. top of the other and suspended by means of their suspension arrangement 7 is transported, whereby the helicopter descends sufficiently low for the stack of covers to be placed on the ground -or on a prepared base, for example a slab, etc. One end of the sling which is attached to the suspension arrangement 7 of the lowest cover is then released by means of the aforementioned release arrangement, whilst the remaining suspension arrangements remain secure. In so doing, the Lowest cover is released from the helicopter and will remain on the ground when the helicopter again Lifts into the air, whereby the released sling will pass through the eye 16 . Because the remaining covers are still secureCy attached to the helicopter, these will follow the helicopter as it lifts into the air, and " the lowest cover will thus be separated from the remaining covers in the stack. The suspension arrangement 7 * of the lowest cover will then drop down, and its pulling cable 14 will run automaticalLy through the roof openings 3 of the superjacent covers as these are lifted once more. This procedure is repeated * at each place at which a cover is to be deposited, until the last cover has been released from the helicopter, the hanging cables which made up the sling 21 may be pulled into the helicopter one at a time or all together once all the covers have been deposited. The collection of covers which have already been deposited basically takes place in the same fashion, but in the reverse order, whereby the stack is Lowered over the cover to be collected, the suspension arrangement of which is attached to a separate sling hanging from the helicopter, and the stack may then be lifted. Fig. 5 shows a further function of the suspension arrangement 7 in accordance with the invention in its inner position, that is to say serving as a means of suspending a cooking pot 26 . For this purpose the suspension arrangement 7 is allowed to hang down below the roof opening 3 with the cooking pot 26 hanging from the outer end 16 of the pulling cable 14 , that is to say from its eye. Host cooking pots which are intended for use in open—air recreational activities and similar activities exhibit a curved handle 27 which is capable of being attached to the eye 16 by means of a hook 28 or similar arrangement. By means of an extension cable (not shown) or similar arrangement, the cooking pot 26 can be adjusted to a suitable height to - provide a suitable distance above a fire 29 situated below. The roof opening 3 in this case serves as a smoke outlet. As may best be appreciated from Fig. 2, the basic shape of the cover 1 is designed essentially in the form of a cone with a rounded top. Thus, at the bottom, the shape is essentially in the form of the generated surface of a truncated, upright cone, and, at the top, essentially in the form of a hemisphere, a parabola or some other double— urvature shape. As stated above, this shape offers excellent characteristics with regard to the standing height available over a Large proportion of its floor area, in conjunction with excellent stacking characteristics and excellent weather—resistant characteristics. The cover in accordance with the invention may be used for an enormously wide rage of different applications. The cover may be- used as a holiday cabin or as a tourist cottage, a kiosk, a play house, a shelter for outdoor work places, for instance as overnight accommodation or as protection for the workers. The cover may, for example, be placed over a trench or shaft when working in the ground, or may be used to provide shelter for hunters and fishermen, for instance when they are out on the ice. Transport of the cover over snow or ice is also possible by means of a base—plate resembling a sledge, which can also be used to form the inner floor. This base-plate can also be provided with holes through which fishing—holes in the ice may be drilled. The cover may also be used as emergency accommodation in disaster areas. Other areas of application include use as an air-raid shelter, either fully or partly buried in the ground. When the cover is only partly buried, the part whih is exposed above the ground may be covered with sand bags or similar. The invention is not restricted to the typical embodiment specified above and illustrated in the drawings, but may be modified in a number of ways within the context of the following Patent Claims. For example, the anchorage arrangement 8 for the suspension arrangement 7 may be executed in a number of different ways. Also, the handles 6 may be executed differently, when, for example, the mounting plate - 22 may be executed with an upward—facing contact surface which will serve in place of the curved hand grips 23 as the support for the superjacent cover. Furthermore, the arrangement for securing and releasing the pulling cable 14 on the suspension arrangement 7 may be executed in a different fashion to the sling 21 which is specified and illustrated here. Instead of a large number of slings 21 , for example, a specially executed arrangement may be provided which exhibits a large number of suspension hooks, each of which is capable of being released individually in order to release each suspension arrangement 7 individually.

Claims: Patent Claims: 1. A stackable cover (1) in the shape of a dome intended to be placed on a base and to enclose an internal space (18) inside the cover, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that the cover exhibits at the top a roof opening (3) and a suspension arrangement (7) which is capable of adjustment between an internal position hanging down into the internal space (18), in which position objects (19, 26) may be attached to the suspension arrangement, and is able to adopt under the effect of an upward pulling force applied to the suspension arrangement an external position in which the suspension arrangement may be. used to lift the cover by means of the aforementioned pulling force, and in that several covers are so arranged as to be capable of being stacked one on top of the other with the subjacent cover projecting into the space inside the superjacent cover and with the roof openings located essentially directly in line with each other, so that all the suspension arrangements are able in their external position to extend outwards through all the roof openings for the purpose of Lifting the covers together. 2 A cover in accordance with Patent Claim 1, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that the suspension arrangement (7) is anchored close to the roof opening and exhibits an attachment component (13) which spans the roof opening and a long lifting component (14) attached by one of its ends to the attachment component and having an attachment organ (16) at its other end. 3. A cover in accordance with Patent Claim 2, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that the cover (1) exhibits a number of lifting handles ( 6) located close to the lower edge (4) of the cover which serve on the one hand to permit the cover to be lifted and moved by hand and on the other hand as a storage organ to support the superjacent cover in a stack. 4. A cover in accordance with Patent Claim 3, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that the lifting handles (6) are located at a height such that the cover (1) in a stack will exhibit an internal space between its own internal wall (24) and the external wall (25) of the cover located inside it. * BURE OMP 5. A cover in accordance with any of the above Patent Claims, ch-e-ra c t e r i z e d in that the suspension arrangement (7) is so arranged as to be capable in its internal position of providing a means of suspending objects such as cooking pots (26), etc. 6. A cover in accordance with any of the above Patent Claims, c hara c t e r i z e d in that the suspension arrangement (7) is capable of being connected in its internal position to a lower anchorage arrangement (19) such as a bar, etc., driven into the earth for the purpose of anchoring the cover (1) to the ground.

Inventors: ANDERSSON LENNART, ANDERSSON, LENNART
Applicants: ANDERSSON LENNART, ANDERSSON, LENNART
Application year: 1983
Main classification: E04H1
IPC codes: E04H1