Patent Document

This application is a continuation application of application Ser. No. 13/783,300 filed at United States Patent and Trademark Office on Mar. 3, 2013 by the present inventors, which is incorporated herein by reference. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Background 
     There is an ever growing terrorist threat in the world. The main targets of the terrorist organizations around the world are small military stations along the borders close to where terrorist organizations established. These military stations also known as military police stations are usually poorly made structures and therefore they may be defenseless against terrorist attacks. New police stations called the “castle stations” may be built and used to meet the requirements of protecting habitants from terrorist attacks. However due to harsh weather conditions and transportation difficulties in rural areas it may be challenging to build these “castle stations” and often helicopters are used to carry construction equipment which makes it impractical to build these stations. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     A fast inflatable blast proof structure in a pack proposed. The structure can easily be transported to a site by helicopters. Air compressors can inflate the pack. The structures can be in different shapes. One of those shapes used is hexagon. Individual structures can be connected together to create a greater structure complex. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  shows the blast resistant inflatable building 
         FIG. 2  is another view of the blast resistant inflatable building 
         FIG. 3  is another view of the blast resistant inflatable building 
         FIG. 4  shows the details of column and wall 
         FIG. 5  A through F show how inflatable structures can be combined together to generate a larger structure 
         FIG. 6  shows the arch structure of the inflatable building 
         FIG. 7  shows arches and walls in their opened form 
         FIG. 8  A through D shows how arches and walls are connected together in open and closed form 
         FIG. 9A  shows multiple blast resistant inflatable building structure and  FIG. 9  B through F show blast resistant inflatable building details 
         FIG. 10  shows multiple blast resistant inflatable building structure where separate columns are replaced with arches that extend from ground to ceiling arch center point 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     A container box, when inflated will turn into a tent like building. Columns and walls are made of carbon-fiber composite material. Once inflated columns are treated with resin to harden them and then filled with concrete to act as columns of the building. The walls will be pretreated and attached to the columns. The walls will be filled with durable material such as concrete, sand or a composite material to strengthen them. 
     The building is blast resistant and bullet proof. Therefore the building can be used in battle zones. 
     The inflatable building provides shelter for its habitants from attacks. It can be transported easily and easy to deploy. During manufacturing one module of shelter is placed in each box. Each shelter will have about 64 square meters of usable area when inflated. The deployment of the shelter and finishing up the structure by adding concrete to it upon deployment will at most take about couple of days. The building once deployed and finished can withstand external threats such as earthquake, explosions, and bullets. 
     The building is a portable, light and compact structure. It can be deployed by a helicopter. From the start of inflating the building, it can be ready for residency within 48 hours. It can be fully furnished and ready to be lived in within one week. It is a multi-modular structure. Easy to build, easy to use, easy to maintain and easy to fix during and after a combat. It is blast resistant against RPG, hand grenade, mortar and plastic explosives. It is bullet proof against high velocity bullets and 0.30 to 0.45 caliber bullets. It is fire proof. It is easy to clean and easy to repair. It is self sustainable. The roof can carry solar panel and rain water collection system is used. The structure is portable. FRP (Fiber Reinforced Polymer) material is used. Carbon-fiber composite material is preferred, but other materials such as fiber-glass and Kevlar can also be used. Resin infused Carbon-Fiber FRP is used because of its strength to weight ratio. The structure is compact. It can be folded and fit into a container. Container is a light container and portable. It is water resistant, wind resistant, heat and cold resistant. The container acts as a protective shell during the period of storage of the structure. The structure is inflatable and water proof against snow, rain, extreme winds, freezing cold and extreme hot. 
       FIG. 1  shows Blast Resistant Inflatable Building (BRIB)  17  which comprises columns  8 , walls  2 , door  18 , windows  19 , ceiling arches  11 , roof sections  4  and ceiling arch center point  21  wherein all ceiling arches  11  are connected to. In  FIG. 1 , BRIB  17  is shown in a hexagonal shape. The shape can be triangle, rectangle, pentagon, hexagonal or any other suitable shape. In this embodiment hexagonal shape is used. There are six columns  8  that are connected to each other with six walls  2 . Each column  8  has ceiling arch  11  connected to it wherein ceiling arches  11  connect to each other at ceiling arch connector  21 . Before BRIB  17  is packed in a box, roof sections  4  may be attached to ceiling arches  11  and walls  2 . This way, when the box is opened, ceiling arches  11  are inflated. Roof sections  4  are formed between ceiling arches  11  as they are attached to ceiling arches  11  and walls  2  before inflatable building is packed in a box. Alternatively, BRIB  17  can be packed in a box without attaching roof sections  4  to ceiling arches  11  and walls  2 . In that setup, roof sections  4  are attached to ceiling arches  11  and walls  2  after the box is opened and after ceiling arches  11  are inflated. 
       FIG. 2  shows another view of Blast Resistant Inflatable Building (BRIB)  17 . Hexagonal shape is used to form BRIB  17  in this embodiment. However any other shape could be used. There are eight columns  8 . Each column  8  is connected to another column by wall  2 . The top of each column  8  are connected to ceiling arch center point  21  by ceiling arches  11 . There are six ceiling arches  11  and there is one ceiling arch center point  21 . Roof  4  is placed between two ceiling arches  11 . BRIB  17  is automatically inflated when the box is opened. Alternatively, air can be inserted into ceiling arch center point  21 , and the air moves into ceiling arches  11  and columns  8  such that BRIB  17  structure inflates. 
       FIG. 3  shows another view of Blast Resistant Inflatable Building  17 . Hexagonal shape is used to form BRIB  17  in this embodiment. However any other shape could be used. There are eight columns  8 . Each column  8  is connected to another column by wall  2 . The top of each column  8  are connected to ceiling arch center point  21  by ceiling arches  11 . There are six ceiling arches  11  and there is one ceiling arch center point  21 . Roof  4  is placed between two ceiling arches  11  and walls  2 . BRIB  17  is either automatically inflated or manually inflated from ceiling arch center point  21 . When air is inserted into ceiling arch center point  21 , the air moves into ceiling arches  11  and columns such that BRIB  17  structure inflates. 
       FIG. 4  shows column  8  and wall  2  connected to each other. Column  8  has shell  13  and inner part  12 . Shell  13  is made of bi-axial carbon fiber tubes. However any other material can be used in shell  13 . Wall  2  has inner part  11  and side  9 . Wall  2  material is pretreated carbon fiber panel. The design is portable therefore a collapsible mechanism is possible. 
       FIG. 5A  shows how BRIB  17  can be combined with other inflatable buildings to form larger structure  53 . Wall  12  can be placed around larger structure  53 .  FIG. 5B  shows multiple BRIB  17  are connected together. The shape of BRIB  17  in  FIG. 5B  is hexagonal.  FIG. 5C  shows inflatable buildings that are in rectangle shapes.  FIG. 5D  shows pentagon shapes and  FIG. 5E  shows triangle shapes. All these shapes can be used to build BRIB  17 .  FIG. 5F  shows multiple inflatable buildings  17  in hexagonal shape being connected together to form a larger structure  54 . 
     Another embodiment of the invention is shown in  FIG. 6 . In  FIG. 6  ceiling arches  60  connect to each other at ceiling arch center unit  21 . Structure  61  does not have separate columns. Instead, ceiling arch  60  is a continuous structure from ceiling arch center unit  21  to floor. Each ceiling arch  60  is connected to ceiling arch center unit  21 . The shape of the structure in  FIG. 7  is hexagonal. Any other shape could be used in which case the number of arches  60  would change. For example if a rectangle shape is used then there would be four arches  60 . If a triangle shape is used then three arches  60  would be used. 
     An embodiment of the invention is shown in  FIG. 1 . In this embodiment, each wall  2  of the hexagon shaped structure  17  is about 4 meters. Total span will be over 8 meters. The height of the walls  2  is about 2.10 meters. Ceiling arch center point  21 , where all arches  11  and roof pieces  4  meet will be about 3.68 meters above ground. Columns  8  can be made from bi-axial carbon fiber tubes with a thickness of about 2 to 16 mm but preferably 6 to 8 mm. Arches  11  will have a total length of about 13 to 14 meters and a span of 8 meters from bottom center to center of the column  8 . Arches  11  are connected to the outer shell, the I-Box, and also are connected at the ceiling arch center point  21 . Wall  2  and roof  4  are either readily connected or are attached to the structure  17  once it is inflated. All system elements are present inside of one I-box. Each I-box contains only one module of Blast Resistant Inflatable Building (BRIB)  17 . Each BRIB  17  has approximately 64 m 2  of living space, and multiple modules can be connected side by side as shown in  5 A. Selecting hexagon shape makes it easier to connect BRIB  17  together to generate a larger structure, however any other shape can be used for BRIB  17 . BRIB  17  is an inflatable module and therefore Fiber Reinforced Polymer (FRP) material is used. In this embodiment of the invention, wall  2  is a rectangle and wall  2  dimensions are given below. These dimensions are approximate dimensions:
         a. Height: 210 cm.   b. Width: 400 cm.   c. Thickness: 5-7 mm.   d. Total Depth: 20 cm.       

     Walls  2  are pretreated carbon fiber panels. BRIB  17  is portable therefore a collapsible mechanism is possible. Wall  2  will close in like an accordion instrument as shown in  FIG. 7 . This set up saves space during transportation. Once fully opened and attached to the arches  11  as shown in  FIG. 1  or  FIG. 2 , walls  2  are filled with a material that will stop the fragments from an explosion, or bullets fired from large caliber weaponry. 
     Roof  4  is in curved triangular shape and is made of pretreated carbon fiber panels. Roof  4  approximate dimensions are:
         e. Height: 158 cm.   f. Length: 300 cm.   g. Width: 400 cm.   h. Thickness: 5-7 mm.   i. Total Depth: 20 cm.       

     Arch  11  has a tube shape with a thickness of about 6 to 8 mm. Tube diameter is about 50 cm. The tube has an outer skin of vacuum raisin infusion. The tube has an inner bladder, which will inflate the structure. The inner bladder also acts as an inner cast during vacuum infusion process. Bi-axial tube approximate dimensions are
         j. Height: 368.54 cm.   k. Length: 635 cm.   l. Span: ˜350 cm.   m. Tube Detail:       

     Hatch Dimensions (Hexagonal):
         n. Height: 55 cm.   o. Length of each side: 55 cm.       

     Ceiling arch center point  21  acts as the middle topside of the BRIB  17  structure. As shown in  FIG. 6 . When the structure is in a box, the only way to inflate the structure is through ceiling arch center point  21 . When opened, ceiling arch center point  21  will provide access to each bladder in each arch  11 , as well as the back-up bladder in case the bladder leaks air for any reason. Ceiling arch center point  21  is also connected to the bottom part of the box. A cable stretching from the bottom to the ceiling arch center point  21  will limit the height of the structure while being inflated therefore proving the shape desired. 
       FIG. 8  shows ceiling arches and Wall will close in like an accordion instrument. This set up saves space during transportation. Once fully opened and attached to the arches  11  as shown in  FIG. 1  or  FIG. 2 , walls  2  are filled with a material that will stop the fragments from an explosion, or bullets fired from large caliber weaponry. 
       FIG. 9A  shows how multiple BRIB  17  are connected together to form a larger structure  23 .  FIG. 9B  shows single BRIB  17 .  FIG. 9C  shows ceiling arches and roof sections.  FIG. 9D  shows walls of the BRIB  17 .  FIG. 9F  shows walls  2 , columns  8  and ceiling arch arches  11  connected together. 
       FIG. 10  shows another embodiment of the invention. In  FIG. 10 , blast resistance inflatable building  62  has ceiling arches  60  of  FIG. 6 . Ceiling arches  60  connect to each other at ceiling arch center unit  21 . BRIB  62  does not have separate columns. Instead, ceiling arch  60  is a continuous structure from ceiling arch center unit  21  to floor. Each ceiling arch  60  is connected to ceiling arch center unit  21 . Wall  65  is located between two ceiling arches  60 . Roof sections  66  are attached between walls  65  and ceiling arches  60  for each segment. The shape of the structure in  FIG. 7  is a hexagonal shape. There are six ceiling arches  60 , six roof sections  66  and six walls  65 . Any other shape could be used in which case the number of arches  60 , roof sections  66  and walls  65  would change. For example if a rectangle shape is used then there would be four arches  60 , four roof sections  66  and four walls  65 . 
     In this embodiment, each wall  65  of the hexagon shaped BRIB  62  is about 4 meters. Total span will be over 8 meters. The height of the walls  65  is about 2.10 meters. Ceiling arch center point  21 , where all arches  60  and roof sections  66  meet will be about 3.68 meters above ground. There are no columns used in this embodiment as ceiling arches  60  are continuous structure and expands from the floor to ceiling arch center point  21 . Ceiling arches  60  will have a total length of about 14 meters to 16 meters. The half point length for ceiling arch  60  is about 7 meters and spans over about 4 meters. Ceiling arches  60  are connected to the outer shell, the I-Box, and also are connected at the ceiling arch center point  21 . Wall  65  and roof section  66  are either readily connected or are attached to the structure  17  once it is inflated. All system elements are present inside of one I-box. Each I-box contains only one module of Blast Resistant Inflatable Building (BRIB)  62 . Each BRIB  62  has approximately 64 m 2  of living space, and multiple modules can be connected side by side as shown in  5 A. Selecting hexagon shape makes it easier to connect BRIB  62  together to generate a larger structure, however any other shape can be used for BRIB  62 . BRIB  62  is an inflatable module and therefore Fiber Reinforced Polymer (FRP) material is used. In this embodiment of the invention, wall  65  is a rectangle and wall  65  dimensions are given below. These dimensions are approximate dimensions:
         p. Height: 210 cm.   q. Width: 400 cm.   r. Thickness: 5-7 mm.   s. Total Depth: 20 cm.       

     Walls  65  are pretreated carbon fiber panels. BRIB  62  is portable therefore a collapsible mechanism is possible. Wall  65  will close in like an accordion instrument as shown in  FIG. 7 . This set up saves space during transportation. Once fully opened and attached to the arches  60  as shown in FIG.  6 , walls  65  are filled with a material that will stop the fragments from an explosion, or bullets fired from large caliber weaponry. 
     Roof section  66  is in curved triangular shape and is made of pretreated carbon fiber panels. Roof section  66  approximate dimensions are:
         t. Height: 158 cm.   u. Length: 300 cm.   v. Width: 400 cm.   w. Thickness: 5-7 mm.   x. Total Depth: 20 cm.       

     Ceiling arch  60  has a tube shape with a thickness of about 6 to 8 mm. Tube diameter is about 50 cm. The tube has an outer skin of vacuum raisin infusion. The tube has an inner bladder, which will inflates the structure. The inner bladder also acts as an inner cast during vacuum infusion process. Bi-axial tube approximate dimensions are
         y. Height: 368.54 cm.   z. Length: 635 cm.   aa. Span: ˜350 cm.   bb. Tube Detail:       

     Hatch Dimensions (Hexagonal):
         cc. Height: 55 cm.   dd. Length of each side: 55 cm.       

     Ceiling arch center point  21  acts as the middle topside of the BRIB  62  structure as shown in  FIG. 6 . When the structure is in a box, the only way to inflate the structure is through ceiling arch center point  21 . When opened, ceiling arch center point  21  will provide access to each bladder in each ceiling arch  60 , as well as the back-up bladder in case the bladder leaks air for any reason. Ceiling arch center point  21  is also connected to the bottom part of the box. A cable stretching from the bottom to the ceiling arch center point  21  will limit the height of the structure while being inflated therefore proving the shape desired. 
     While the foregoing written description of the invention enables one of ordinary skill to make and use what is considered presently to be the best mode thereof, those of ordinary skill will understand and appreciate the existence of variations, combinations, and equivalents of the specific embodiment, method, and examples herein. The invention should therefore not be limited by the above described embodiment, method, and examples, but by all embodiments and methods within the scope and spirit of the invention.

Technology Category: 0