Patent ID: 8166715

Claim:
A shelter-forming container unit, comprising: a rigid container that is expandable from a first collapsed configuration in which the rigid container includes opposed ends, opposed vertical sides, and a horizontal top and bottom, to a second expanded configuration in which the container forms a shelter including walls, a floor and a roof enclosing a living space, said opposed vertical sides each including a pivoting wall portion hingedly connected along one edge thereof to pivot between a closed vertical position and an open horizontal position; a latching mechanism configured to releasably secure said pivoting wall portions in said vertical position; a plurality of wall or roof portions releasably contained within said collapsed container that are configured to engage said pivoting wall portions in said horizontal position to form said walls, floor and roof enclosing a living space; and a connection mechanism configured to releasably connect said container unit when in said first collapsed configuration in side by side configuration to at least one other expandable shelter-forming container unit in collapsed configuration, wherein the rigid container forms, in the first collapsed state, a first fractional part of a single, longitudinally split 20 foot or 40 foot ISO rigid compound shipping container, whereby when the rigid container is connected to the at least one other expandable shelter-forming container unit, the first fractional part and the at least one other expandable shelter-forming container unit jointly form the whole, single, longitudinally split 20 foot or 40 foot ISO rigid compound shipping container.