Abstract:
An emergency shelter structure is disclosed for use where people are displaced from their homes as the result of some catastrophe. The inventive shelter can be erected entirely without hand tools or power tools in less than 20 minutes. It is comprised of plastic panels which are joined together using push anchors, fasteners which permit rapid and permanent engagement of adjoining panels. Bed platforms are included as part of the assembly. In advanced embodiments, solar arrays are provided for harvesting solar energy for use as electricity and uni-directional heating apparatus is molded into the floor panel.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     The present application claims the priority of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/337,186, filed Feb. 1, 2010, entitled “EMERGENCY SHELTER.” 
    
    
     STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT 
     Not Applicable 
     REFERENCE TO SEQUENCE LISTING, A TABLE, OR COMPUTER PROGRAM LISTING COMPACT DISC APPENDIX 
     Not Applicable 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to emergency shelters and specifically to emergency shelters provided to relieve suffering as a result of large scale disasters where many people are displaced from their homes. More specifically, the present invention discloses construction of short term sleeping quarters using pre-formed plastic panels enabling displaced persons to survive more safely and comfortably than they would if they were using more conventional facilities. 
     2. Description of the Prior Art 
     Typically, relief agencies and governments turn to tent erection as the primary solution to short term housing even though the limitations and shortcomings of tents and tent-like shelters are well known. Tents of the kind provided to refugees offer little protection from temperature extremes in cold or very hot climates. The internal support structure of a tent can be difficult for ordinary, unskilled persons to assemble properly without training. Tents usually have dirt floors which can be wet and unsanitary and a haven for vermin, insects and even unwanted reptiles. Tents can also be expensive to manufacture depending upon the fabric used and the complexity of the mechanical structure needed to keep them up. Therefore many shelters and alternative dwelling units have been invented or proposed but have not been successfully commercialized. Cost is a major consideration and there is reluctance on the part of decision makers to depart from tents as a well known palliative. Some examples of more recent prior art follows beginning with the earliest chronologically. 
     A first example is U.S. Pat. No. 4,621,467, issued to Golden, which describes a system for constructing buildings using plastic panels to make emergency structures of unusual shape—rhombic triacontahedral buildings—featuring special hollow edge connectors. The hollow connectors have extruded profiles which fit along the edge of each panel connecting one to another. The instant invention uses a different means of fastening panels altogether as each panel is joined directly to an adjacent panel to form a simple rectangular structure. 
     A second example, more akin in appearance to the instant invention, is U.S. Pat. No. 5,083,410 to Watson, for a “System for Construction of Emergency Housing”. Watson&#39;s rectangular construction is made of metal and uses a number of different pre-formed metal channels and common fastening components. Watson envisions an emergency shelter which can be converted into a permanent habitation. Except for initial appearance, the Watson structure is quite different in scope and manufacture from that offered here as an inventive solution. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 5,184,436 issued to Sadler discloses a portable utility structure which, in its preferred form, comprises two specially fabricated boards. One board can be folded down along hinged axes to form the top and sides of the shed and the second board can be folded up forming front and back panels. Interlocking tabs connect the top board structure to the bottom part. This appears analogous to various constructions of cardboard boxes and differs markedly from the instant invention which uses primarily plastic panels and entirely different connecting devices. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 5,319,904 awarded to Pascoe describes a prefabricated modular building formed from plastic interlocking panels. The panels are configured to form a cone-like structure which helps it resist extreme climatic wind forces and other harsh environmental hazards. It is a much more costly and sturdy structure than the current invention as it is intended to last much longer as a habitation, and even, as inventor Pascoe suggests, function as a hazardous waste storage facility. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 5,447,000 to Larsen discloses a system which uses plastic panels to partition the interior of standard intermodal freight containers. These containers are commonly used throughout the world and could be converted to emergency housing relatively quickly using pre-fabricated panels and cam-based connectors. While such an idea may have merit for longer term use as habitations for displaced people, they would be impractical to use in many disaster situations as the cost, availability and difficulties associated with converting great numbers of units and then transporting such large structures to remote areas poses huge logistical problems. The present invention addresses the more immediate need for fast and inexpensively manufactured habitations. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 5,771,639 issued to Wood discloses a polygonal structure put together with panels hinged to one another. Pulling on ropes or tensioning lines from opposite sides allows the structure to change from a group of stacked panels into a three dimensional polygonal structure. The present invention is delivered as a group of stacked panels, however, the method of assembly and the design of the shelter are, as will be shown herein, plainly a departure from the Wood disclosure. 
     Helin, WIPO Patent Application WO/2000/066846, discloses a house for temporary erection comprised of a plurality of plastic panel elements that are arranged in three layers. This design emphasizes the greater volume of inside space created by having an additional layer of ceiling panels. Of necessity, more panel elements are required in Helin&#39;s survival house than the simpler design employed in the present invention. 
     Linares, in U.S. Patent Application 2007/0074462 A1, discloses a modularizable and assembleable housing structure that emphasizes the use of powder impression molded construction. While some embodiments appear similar to the instant invention, the structure of Linares is different in manufacture, more costly and complicated and is intended to serve as permanent as opposed to temporary housing. 
     Similarly, Day, in U.S. Patent Application 2008/0263968, shows a structure built from a “kit” containing all the requisite components including toilet facilities, air conditioning and apparatus suitable for a housing unit in a society with a developed infrastructure. The instant invention, however, is only intended for temporary use in places where there is little or no functioning water or electricity infrastructure. 
     Finally, Esposito, in two U.S. Pat. Applications 2009/0223143 and 2009/0223144, discloses new variations on the use of intermodal containers for housing. These containers are designed for long term habitation unlike the present invention which is intended only for temporary use, at most, perhaps, a six month duration. 
     While there have been many prior attempts to address the need for better emergency shelters, the present invention removes the principal impediments to adoption of a newer design, namely, by providing a design that has lower manufacturing costs, lower costs of transportation and extreme ease of assembly. It is exceedingly important that emergency shelters be easy to assemble on site wherever they may be needed by people who may be under a great deal of stress. Accordingly, an object of this invention is to provide an emergency shelter which is lightweight, easily transported using conventional means, and can be erected quickly and easily without tools. Another object of this invention is to provide an emergency shelter which is more durable, safe and comfortable than conventional tents which are usually supplied as a first response to calls for emergency shelters. 
     A further object of this invention is to provide an emergency shelter capable of shielding displaced persons from the debilitating effects of exposure to the natural elements and can serve as a temporary replacement dwelling for two persons though capable of being extended modularly into a larger habitat. 
     A further object of the invention is to provide a shelter which is constructed primarily of plastic panels, securely packaged and capable of being air-dropped by parachute to remote locations. Still another object of this invention, in an advanced embodiment, is to provide a fully operable emergency shelter equipped with uni-directional heating apparatus (as described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,922,084) located within the floor panel and solar generating power means normally supplied and located in the roof. 
     A still further object of this invention is to provide an emergency shelter composed of easily recyclable materials. 
     SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT INVENTION 
     The present invention discloses a novel and non-obvious assembly for use as an emergency shelter. In one embodiment, the inventive shelter is assembled from eight (8) plastic composite hollow-filled panels as sub-assemblies. Six (6) hollow-filled panel sub-assemblies form an exterior structure and two (2) bed platform panel sub-assemblies form interior components. Each component or sub-assembly is comprised mainly of a plastic polymerized panel shell with a hollow interior. At least a portion of the interior shell of each panel is filled with cellular or composite material. The panels, referred to herein also as sub-assemblies, or, panel sub-assemblies, have been pre-formed with holes or apertures and relieved portions for very fast assembly in the field by untrained people without the benefit of hand tools or power tools. Four (4) exterior panels or sub-assemblies are raised into an upright position to form the walls of the structure, and one wall panel contains a window and a doorway with a door hingedly affixed. A floor panel sub-assembly and a roof panel sub-assembly together with four wall sub-assemblies form the completed exterior structure. The inventive emergency shelter is portable and assembleable on the site where it is needed. It is delivered to the site in pre-assembled form. Normally, the panel sub-assemblies are stacked on a pallet in “knocked down” form. Very fast assembly of the emergency shelter structure from the pre-assembled form to a fully assembled three dimensional form is accomplished using “push anchors”. Push anchors are fasteners that can be inserted manually and pushed into pre-existing holes in the panels joining adjacent panels together permanently. Panel fastening means incorporating wall or “push” anchors of the type shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,633,640 and in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,963,051 and 5,088,851 permit very rapid assembly of adjacent panels. Push anchors of this type have pivotable, triangular-shaped gripping members which will engage the internal foam or other composite medium inside the panel sub-assemblies. Holes are pre-formed or drilled in the panels to accept the insertion of the push anchors. It has been demonstrated that the entire emergency shelter can be erected by two people in 10 minutes or less after opening the packaging on the pallet containing the panel sub-assemblies. In more advanced embodiments, not illustrated in the accompanying drawings, the roof panel carries arrays of solar cells for converting radiant energy into electricity. In other embodiments, floor heating apparatus are embedded into the floor panel. Additionally, packaging used to contain a shelter assembly while it is being transported can be used to anchor it more firmly in its fully assembled location. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       Drawings are provided which illustrate and clarify inventive aspects of the emergency shelter as described in the Detailed Description which follows. Reference numerals in the drawings which refer to similar parts throughout the various views have similar numbers. It should be understood, however, that the invention is not limited to the embodiments illustrated by these Figures. The drawings, briefly described, are as follows: 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view from a front corner of the embodiment of an assembled emergency shelter unit. 
         FIG. 2  is a perspective line drawing of the emergency shelter of  FIG. 1  as if the roof and front and near sidewalls were removed illustrating interior features. 
         FIG. 3  is a elevation detail in cross-section of a wall panel connected to the roof panel assembly by means of a fully inserted push anchor. 
         FIG. 4  is an elevation detail in cross-section showing how a vertical panel is connected to the floor platform by means of a fully inserted push anchor. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     Referring to  FIGS. 1 and 2 , a housing unit assembled for use as an emergency shelter is illustrated generally at  10  in the present invention. The shelter is comprised of a front wall panel  18 , two sidewall panels  14  and  16  respectively, a back wall panel  22 , a roof panel  20 , two bed platform panels  24  and a lower platform panel  12  which serves as the interior floor. In a preferred embodiment, the floor panel  12  also serves as the top surface of a rugged pallet for transporting the other panel sub-assemblies. The platform panel  12  of this preferred embodiment has a horizontal upper surface and lower skid-like projections, or risers,  40 , which extend laterally along the underside of floor panel  12 . The ends of three lateral risers  40  are visible in  FIGS. 1 and 2 . The lateral risers  40  are useful as a pallet for the sub-assemblies and also serve to keep the emergency shelter above the ground and free from flowing water. 
     Each panel sub-assembly is manufactured from plasticized polymeric panels of dual wall construction. Essentially these are plastic panels of dual wall construction having a hollow area contained within an outer plastic shell. In some constructions, the shell can have multiple layers. The hollow region between the outer shell(s) is filled with insulation or other composite material. Insulation such as cellular foam is sandwiched between the external polymeric shells to limit the effects of climatic temperature extremes. The rigid foam or other internally contained composite material acts as the medium to accept secure engagement with the aforementioned push anchors  50 . The shelter illustrated in these FIGS. is approximately 2 meters (7 feet) wide, side wall  14  to side wall  16 , and 1.6 meters (5 feet) deep measured from the front door panel  18  to the back wall panel  22 . It is designed with a minimum inside ceiling height of approximately 1930 mm (6 ft. 4″) and increases to more than 2200 mm (more than 7 feet) in the center of the structure. Thus it is able to provide comfortable accommodation to the vast majority of humans regardless of physical stature. 
     The front wall panel  18  contains within it a conventional door for ingress and egress and a window, suitably insulated, to supply light and ventilation which makes the inventive shelter more user-friendly and secure than tents commonly provided to refugees. A series of clearance holes  52  are molded into the panel to accommodate push anchors  50 . The holes  52  project perpendicularly through the thickness of the panel and are located near the edge of the front surface, or face, of panel  18 . Each hole  52  is slightly inset from the perimeter of panel  18  as they are designed to align with holes  54  in the edge faces of panels abutting the back surface of front panel  18 . Hole  52 , as mentioned, is a clearance hole for a push anchor whereas hole  54  is an acceptance hole for a push anchor. As such, hole  54  is a cavity within material designed to engage the pivoting members of the push anchor  50  as taught in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,963,051 and 5,088,851. To simplify the assembly of the emergency shelter, all the push anchor  50  fasteners should be of the same size, in both diameter and length. 
     The back wall panel  22  supports two horizontal cleats  26  which provide partial support for the bed or sleeping platforms  24 . Two such platforms  24 , an upper and a lower, are provided with each shelter. A novel aspect of the inventive shelter is the structural support provided by the sleeping platforms  24  as they are fixed in position using push anchors  50  on outwardly molded cleats, or projections,  30  from each interior sidewall  14  and  16 . The platforms  24  span the entire width of the shelter and therefore, as a person reclines on a horizontal platform  24 , the down force imparted by his or her weight is transferred directly to the sidewalls  14  and  16  increasing the rigidity of the lightweight structure and thus enhancing its stability. The back wall panel  22 , like front panel  18 , has holes  52  to accommodate push anchors  50  located linearly around the surface of the panel near its perimeter. Alternatively, the bed or sleeping platforms  24 , if extended in length, could be inset into the sidewalls  14 , 16  if a relief is provided in the sidewall to accept the additional length. Push anchors  50  can still be used to maintain the bed platforms fixedly against the sidewalls and back wall. 
     Each sidewall panel, as shown by numerals  14  and  16  in the various Figures, contains a surface projection  30  designed as a cleat or support for the end of a bed platform  24 . These cleats contain a hole  54  suitably sized for acceptance and engagement of a push anchor  50 . In addition, the sidewall panels  14  and  16 , like the front panel  18  and back panel  22 , have thru holes  52  to accommodate push anchors  50  located linearly around the surface of each respective panel near each of the panel perimeters. 
     Each bed platform  24  has one or more thru holes  52  on each end perpendicular to its top horizontal surface, suitably located to align with the push anchor acceptance holes  54  in the cleats  30  located on the sidewall panels  14 ,  16 . 
     A roof panel  20  is delivered with the other sub-assemblies as a flat rectangular panel (not shown as flat) with protruding flanges  44  approximately 3″ (7.6 cm.) high and 2″ (5 cm.) in thickness. A view of a part of one protruding flange  44  is shown in  FIG. 3 . A relieved midline bend line  48  is molded into the plastic roof panel  20  allowing it to bend downward. As a result, the roof can rest on the top edges of the four vertical walls  14 , 16 , 18 , 22  bringing holes  54  in line with holes  52 . Holes  54  are located in a line in flanges  44  which protrude from the underside of the roof  20 ; holes  52  are located in a line near the top edges of the vertical wall panels  14 , 16 , 18 , 22  as disclosed previously. The rapid assembly of the inventive emergency shelter  10  is possible because the parts are lightweight and capable of being assembled using a single size of push anchor  50 . The method of rapid assembly is as follows: The sub-assemblies are delivered to the shelter erection site stacked on the floor platform  12  which is placed in a desired location. The back panel assembly  22  is removed from the stack and tilted into a vertical position along a longer side of the floor platform  12 . The floor platform  12  has a horizontally relieved surface  34  along its perimeter; in this example, the width of the relieved surface  34  is the thickness of a vertical panel—3″ (7.6 cm.). The depth of the relief is 2″ (5 cm.). As a result, there is a secondary horizontal surface  34  3″ wide adjacent a 1″ (2.54 cm) high vertical face  38  along the entire perimeter of the floor platform  12 . Locating pins  28  project vertically up from this secondary horizontal surface  34 . These pins  28  are designed to mate with holes (not shown) in the bottom edge of each panel as each is raised and tilted into vertical position along the floor platform  12 . When the back panel  22  is located on the pins  28  and held vertically, all the holes  52  along that side align with all the holes  54  in the vertical face  38  of the floor platform  12 . Push anchors  50  are inserted passing through holes  52  into holes  54  and are pressed in permanently, locking the back panel  22  against the floor panel  12 . Then, sequentially, a first sidewall panel,  14  or  16 , is mounted on its respective locating pins  28  and tilted into vertical position and fastened in place. It is mated with the adjacent back wall panel along its vertical edge in the same manner as previously described by lining up holes  52  and  54  and inserting and fully depressing the push anchors  50 . Then the second sidewall panel is erected and fastened in place. Then, with two sidewalls and the back wall fixed in place, the bed platforms  24  are mounted on cleats  30  and fastened to the inside wall panels using push anchors  50 . Next, the front wall panel  18  is tilted into vertical position and fastened to the floor panel  12  and both sidewalls  14 , 16 . Finally, the roof panel  20  is lifted into position over the tops of the vertical panels and fastened to each vertical panel  14 , 16 , 18 , 22  using push anchors  50 . The push anchors are inserted through holes  52  in the vertical panels. The shank of the push anchor passes through holes  52  into holes  54  in the flanges  44  as shown in  FIG. 3  which project downward from the underside of the roof panel  20 . 
     Another embodiment of the emergency shelter provides the additional feature of solar cells in arrays on the roof panel  20  (not specifically illustrated in Figures provided) for harvesting solar energy for use directly or indirectly to supply electrical current for lighting or to augment current required for floor heating apparatus. These arrays of solar cells supply electricity where none is available or increase the available supply of electricity to occupants of the shelter when the supply is limited. 
     A further embodiment of the emergency shelter for use where colder temperatures are prevalent provides heating means embedded in the lower platform panel  12  preferably in the floor immediately below and in front of the bed platforms  24 . An appropriate heating apparatus is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,922,084 which discloses a uni-directional device which would efficiently direct heat upwards into the interior of the emergency shelter. This device would also work in conjunction with the solar cells already mentioned. 
     The emergency shelter invention described is meant to be useful for a limited time, perhaps six months at most. As such it is desirable that it be made from fully recyclable materials. 
     In instances where wind or stormy weather will impart lateral forces against the paneled structure, the use of rope tethers or a weighted fabric skirt fastened to the outer panels will inhibit wind damage and keep the structure firmly in place. The embodiment illustrated in  FIGS. 1 and 2  can use risers  40  manufactured of formed plastic which are hollow. Water can be injected to provide ballast and further retard movement by wind forces. 
     The emergency shelter as described weighs approximately 150 kg and thus can be easily air-dropped singly or in multiples. In a further embodiment, an air bladder is provided to act as a drop cushion fastened to the package containing the emergency shelters. As it exits the plane, the bladder is expanded to cushion the impact of the package as it hits the ground. The bladder, in collapsed form, can then be removed, fastened to the side panels or lower platform of the emergency shelter to act as the skirt noted above. 
     While the present invention has been disclosed and described herein with reference to certain embodiments, variations and modifications may be made which will fall into the true spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the following claims: