Patent ID: 7841561

Claim:
A system of support for an airship comprising an airship having a front end and a tail end and further having an overall length from the said front end to said tail end; and further having a skin, said skin having an internal surface and an external surface, a fore section proximate said front end, a central section and an aft section proximate said tail end , said airship further having a central portion, a fore portion and an aft portion; a central member oriented generally fore and aft within said airship, said central member having a fore portion and an aft portion and a longitudinal axis, said central member running the said overall length of said airship; at least one central attachment point proximate to the said internal surface of said skin and which is affixed to said internal surface of said skin by at least one chosen from the group consisting of hingedly, slidingly and fixedly; at least one radially oriented strut having an inner end and an outer end, said inner end slidingly, hingedly and lockably attached to said central member and said outer end hingedly attached to said at least one central attachment point such that said inner end may be slid along said central member with said outer end held in fixed longitudinal position with respect to the said longitudinal axis of said central member while the radial position of said outer end is free to move during collapse or expansion thus allowing the said strut to change position with respect to said central member from parallel through perpendicular; at least one first guy having a first end and a second end, wherein said first end of said at least one first guy is attached by at least one chosen from the group consisting of hingedly, slidingly and fixedly to one chosen from the group consisting of said fore portion of said central member and said aft portion of said central member, and said second end of said at least one first guy is attached to said at least one central attachment point; whereby said central member, said at least one radial strut and said at least one guy are operative to support longitudinal compressive loads and longitudinal bending moments placed on said airship.