Abstract:
A portable personal shelter device includes a foldable support base having two base portions pivotally connected to each other and is foldable between an unfolded position in which the two portions are substantially coplanar and a folded position in which the two portions generally face each other. A collapsible hood having a cover and a plurality of pivoted support members for the cover is connected to the support base and arranged such that, the hood can be moved from a deployed state to a collapsed state by folding the support base. A method of making the shelter and a method of sheltering a person in need of shelter are also provided.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    This application claims the benefit of provisional Application No. 60/938,954, filed on May 18, 2007, which is incorporated herein by reference. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    This invention relates to a portable shelter, such as for the homeless or for those requiring temporary shelter as a result of natural or other disaster. The invention is more particularly concerned with a portable personal shelter that provides effective protection from the elements and that is foldable for easy set-up and easy portability. The invention additionally relates to a method of making a portable personal shelter and to a method of sheltering a person in need of shelter. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0003]    In accordance with one of its principal aspects, the present invention provides a portable shelter device which comprises a foldable support base having a first base portion and a second base portion pivotally connected to each other so as to be foldable from an unfolded position, in which the first and second base portions are generally coplanar and define a support surface dimensioned to support a person lying at rest thereon, to a folded position in which the first and second base portions generally face each other. The portable shelter device additionally comprises a collapsible hood including a cover and a plurality of support members supporting the cover. The support members are pivotally connected to the support base such that, by pivotal movement of the support members, the hood can be moved between a collapsed state and a deployed state in which the hood at least partially covers the support surface to shelter the person lying at rest thereon. The hood is arranged such that it is caused to move from the deployed state to a collapsed state by folding the support base from the unfolded position to the folded position. A preferred design allows for an easy one-step folding of the shelter for transport. The materials used for the base, the support structures that support the hood, as well as the hood itself allow for the shelter to be lightweight and therefore, easily carried by one person. 
         [0004]    In accordance with another of its principal aspects, the present invention provides a method of making a portable shelter device. The method comprises a step of pivotally connecting a first base portion to a second base portion so as to form a support base which is foldable from an unfolded position, in which the first and second base portions are generally coplanar and define a support surface dimensioned to support a person lying at rest thereon, to a folded position in which the first and second base portions generally face each other. The method additionally comprises a step of providing a collapsible hood on the support base, the collapsible hood including a cover and a plurality of support members supporting the cover. The support members are pivotally connected to the support base such that, by pivotal movement of the support members, the hood can be moved between a collapsed state and a deployed state in which the hood at least partially covers the support surface to shelter the person lying at rest thereon. The hood is further arranged such that it is caused to move from the deployed state to a collapsed state by folding the support base from the unfolded position to the folded position. 
         [0005]    In accordance with still another of its principal aspects, the present invention provides a method of sheltering a person in need of shelter. The method comprises a step of providing a portable shelter device including a foldable support base having a first base portion and a second base portion pivotally connected to each other so as to be foldable from an unfolded position, in which the first and second base portions are generally coplanar and define a support surface dimensioned to support the person lying at rest thereon, to a folded position in which the first and second base portions generally face each other. The shelter device further includes a collapsible hood including a cover and a plurality of support members supporting the cover. The support members are pivotally connected to the support base such that, by pivotal movement of the support members, the hood can be moved between a collapsed state and a deployed state in which the hood covers a portion of the support surface to shelter the person lying at rest thereon. The hood is arranged such that it is caused to move from the deployed state to a collapsed state by folding the support base from the unfolded position to the folded position. The method additionally comprises a step of arranging the portable shelter device with the support base in the unfolded position and the hood in the deployed position to provide an at least partially sheltered space for the person over the support surface. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0006]    The foregoing and other aspects, features and advantages of the present invention will be better appreciated from the following description of the preferred embodiments, considered with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein: 
           [0007]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a portable shelter device according to a first embodiment of the invention; 
           [0008]      FIG. 2  is a perspective view showing a variation of the portable shelter device of  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0009]      FIG. 3  is view showing structural details of the foldable support and the support members of the embodiment illustrated in  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0010]      FIGS. 4A and 4B  are diagrammatic top plan and side views, respectively, of the embodiment shown in  FIG. 1 , with views A-D showing certain details of construction; 
           [0011]      FIG. 5  is a sequence of views depicting the manner of folding and carrying a portable shelter device according to the invention; and 
           [0012]      FIGS. 6A and 6B  are views showing the portable shelter device arranged for transport on a shopping cart. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
       [0013]      FIGS. 1 and 2  are perspective views of two portable shelters  10  according to the invention. Each shelter  10  includes an insulating, foldable base  12 , which serves as a sleeping support for the user. The support base  12  includes a support board portion  13  provided with a sleeping surface  14 , which may be of a suitably comfortable pad material to facilitate restful sleep. The support base, which will be described in detail later, preferably includes a plurality of depending foot members  16  to raise the support board portion  13  above the ground or floor surface on which the shelter is placed for use. 
         [0014]    A collapsible hood  20  is attached to the support base  12  to cover the user and provide a desired degree of privacy and protection from the elements. The hood  20  may be deployed to provide partial or full coverage of the sleeping surface  14 . The hood includes a cover  22  of protective material, such as neoprene, supported at positions R by a plurality of U-shaped support members  24  (shown in  FIG. 3  to be discussed later). Each of the support members  24  has its opposite ends pivotally supported to the support base  12 . In the form shown in  FIG. 1 , the support members  24  are situated between layers of cover material, such that they are not exposed. However, one or more of the support members  24  may be exposed on the outside and/or the inside of the cover  22 , as desired. An illustrative arrangement is shown in  FIG. 2 , where the front (left-most) support member is exposed. Otherwise, the shelters of  FIGS. 1 and 2  are the same, except for color. The cover  22  may be attached to the support members  24  in any desired manner, such as by tacking, bonding, or forming the cover with channel-like pockets in which the support members  24  are inserted and confined. Other techniques will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art. Support members  24  can be made of plastic, such as PVC, or of any other suitable material, such as aluminum or other metal. 
         [0015]    One end of the hood  20  is preferably affixed to the foldable support base  12  to increase stability and to simplify use of the shelter. With the hood  20  fully deployed to provide full coverage of the sleeping surface  14 , the user is afforded complete privacy within an enclosed space beneath the hood and is effectively protected from the surrounding environment. The hood  20  may include one or more screened window openings with zippered covers (not shown), which may be open to allow for air flow between the surrounding environment and the space beneath the hood. Partial deployment of the hood as shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2  provides partial privacy for the user. The arrow in  FIG. 2  indicates that the free end of the hood may be pulled fully forward and downward such that its inner periphery is juxtaposed to the outer periphery of the support board structure  13 , thus providing a fully enclosed space. 
         [0016]      FIG. 3  illustrates the construction of the foldable support base  12  in more detail. The foldable support base  12  is made of two portions, which are foldably coupled to one another by a hinge  26  (shown in  FIG. 4  to be discussed later). In a preferred embodiment the U-shaped support members  24  are also pivotally supported on the hinge, such that the support base  12  and the hood  20  share a common pivot axis to facilitate quick and easy folding and unfolding of the personal shelter for transport and subsequent use. 
         [0017]    The two portions of the foldable support base  12  can be constructed as identical U-shaped halves  12   a , and  12   b . Each half of the support base  12  includes a corresponding half of the support board  13  provided with a plurality of foot members  16 . Each half of the support board  13  is constructed with a frame portion  30 , preferably made of PVC or other suitably strong and lightweight material. The frame portion  30 , has a plurality of axially extending internal dividers  31  and a surrounding peripheral wall  31   a  between its top and bottom walls  32 ,  33  to define a plurality of internal spaces  34 . Spaces  34  are filled with corresponding inserts  36  preferably rigid foam insulation, such as rigid polystyrene. The thickness of each insert  36  is selected to match the height of dividers  31  and peripheral wall  31   a . In practice, the top wall  32  of the frame portion  30  can be attached or molded to the remainder of the frame portion after installation of inserts  36 , followed by attachment of a corresponding half of the comfort pad  14  to the top wall of the finished frame portion. The foot members  16  are conveniently made of the same material as the frame portion, so that the foot members  16  and the frame portion bottom wall, peripheral walls  31   a  and dividers  31  can be formed as a single molding. 
         [0018]      FIGS. 4A and 4B  are diagrammatic top plan and side views, respectively, of the illustrative embodiment of the invention. Sectional views A and B represent cross-sections through the support base at the positions indicated in  FIG. 4A . View  4 C illustrates a hinge connector  26 , which connects the two halves  12   a ,  12   b  of the foldable support base  12  together and having the U-shaped support members  24  of hood  20  pivotally mounted thereon. The hinge connector  26  may be of any design suitable for attachment to the two halves  12   a ,  12   b  of the foldable support base  12  to couple the halves together. For example, the plates of the hinge connector may be made of PVC and bonded to the respective halves  12   a ,  12   b  of the support base  12 . As shown in view  4 B, the straight end of each support base half may be provided with a recessed portion  38  to receive a corresponding hinge plate, so that the foot members  16  at the center of the assembled support base  12  come into face-to-face engagement, the foot members thus acting as stops which limit unfolding the foldable base  12  to a state in which the sleeping surface portions of the halves  12   a  and  12   b  are coplanar. View  4 D illustrates a support member  24  supporting cover  22  of the hood  20 . 
         [0019]      FIG. 5  is a series of views illustrating the manner in which the personal shelter  10  of the invention is folded for transport. Basically, the two halves  12   a ,  12   b  of the foldable support base  12  are folded upwardly about a hinge  26  and brought substantially together, causing the hood  20  to collapse with the cover support members  24  pivoting about hinge  26  and gathering together between the support base halves. The opposite ends of the support base  12  may be provided with straps  40  or other means to secure the ends together to prevent unintended unfolding of the shelter  10 . As shown, the foldable support base  12  may also be provided with shoulder straps  42  to permit carriage of the shelter  10  in the manner of a backpack. 
         [0020]    In large numbers, the portable shelter  10  of the present invention can be used as an effective means in the battle against homelessness and in situations, such as natural disasters, where mass sheltering of numerous people is required. Many homeless individuals own a shopping cart, which they use to transport their belongings. As shown in  FIGS. 6A and 6B , the straps  42  may be used to secure the shelter  10  of the invention to the front end or undercarriage of a shopping cart for transport. When mounted as shown in  FIG. 6A , the weight of the shelter is conveniently borne by one foot member  16  resting on the top front edge of the shopping cart basket. The shelter of the invention may also be used for recreational purposes. 
         [0021]    It should be understood that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described herein. Rather, those skilled in the art will appreciate that various changes and modifications can be made in keeping with the principles exemplified by the illustrative embodiments.