Portable shelter

Claim 2

A portable free-standing dismantleable curvilinear frame formed of rectilinear components comprising: a multiplicity of initially straight resilient rods, a first multiplicity of joining members having cavities, the cavities and resilient rods being adapted so that two rods before bending are collinear and another rod before bending is at right angles to the two collinear rods, a second multiplicity of joining members having cavities, the cavities and resilient rods being adapted so that two rods, before bending are collinear and another two rods, before bending are also collinear but at right angles to the first two rods, the first multiplicity of joining members and a first series of the multiplicity of resilient rods comprising two collinear rods being bent to form an endless closed curved approximating a circle in one plane, the second multiplicity of joining members and a second series of the multiplicity of resilient rods comprising two collinear rods being bent to form an endless closed curve approximating a circle in a second plane, the planes of the first and second closed curves being spaced apart by a third series of resilient rods having ends engaging the first and second series of joining members each resilient rod in the third series having an outwardly bowed arcuate shape, and a fourth series of rods being in a plurality of planes at right angles to said second plane and on the same side thereof and formed into a plurality of arcuate sections, the end of the arcuate sections terminating in the joining members of the second series, so that all the resilient rods lie on the surface of a spheroid whose largest cross section lies between the first and second planes.

Claim 3

A frame as claimed in claim 1 in which the resilient members of the first and second closed curves are of substantially the same length, and the first and second planes are separated by a distance approximating half the diameter of the endless closed curves so that all the resilient rods lie on the surface of a spheroid whose largest cross section lies approximately half way between the first and second planes.

Claim 4

A shelter comprising a frame as claimed in claim 1 and having an integument thereover.

Claim 5

A shelter comprising a frame as claimed in claim 2 and having an integument thereover.

Claim 6

A portable free-standing dismantleable curvilinear shelter formed of rectilinear components comprising: a multiplicity of initially straight resilient rods, a first multiplicity of joining members having cavities, the cavities and resilient rods being adapted so that two rods before bending are collinear And another rod before bending is at right angles to the two collinear rods, a second multiplicity of joining members having cavities, the cavities and resilient rods being adapted so that two rods, before bending are collinear and another two rods, before bending are also collinear but at right angles to the first two rods, the first multiplicity of joining members and a first series of the multiplicity of resilient rods comprising two collinear rods being bent to form an endless closed curve approximating a circle in one plane, the second multiplicity of joining members and a second series of the multiplicity of resilient rods comprising two collinear rods being bent to form an endless closed curve approximating a circle in a second plane, the planes of the first and second closed curves being spaced apart by a third series of resilient rods having ends engaging the first and second series of joining members, each resilient rod in the third series having an outwardly bowed arcuate shape, a top plate member having appreciable thickness and a series of lateral holes accommodated in the thickness, a fourth series of resilient rods each formed into an arcuate section and having one end located at the joining member of the second endless closed curve and the other located in the lateral holes in said top plate, the two multiplicities of joining members and the four series of rods and the top plate together forming a curvilinear frame with the resilient rods lying on the surface of a spheroid whose largest cross section lies between the first and second planes, and an integument over the frame.

Claim 7

A portable free-standing dismantleable curvilinear shelter formed of rectilinear components comprising: a multiplicity of initially straight resilient rods, a first multiplicity of joining members having cavities, the cavities and resilient rods being adapted so that two rods before bending are collinear And another rod before bending is at right angles to the two collinear rods, a second multiplicity of joining members having cavities, the cavities and resilient rods being adapted so that two rods, before bending are collinear and another two rods, before bending are also collinear but at right angles to the first two rods, the first multiplicity of joining members and a first series of the multiplicity of resilient rods comprising two collinear rods being bent to form an endless closed curve approximating a circle in one plane, the second multiplicity of joining members and a second series of the multiplicity of resilient rods comprising two collinear rods being bent to form an endless closed curve approximating a circle in a second plane, the planes of the first and second closed curves being spaced apart by a third series of resilient rods having ends engaging the first and second series of joining members, each resilient rod in the third series having an outwardly bowed arcuate shape, a top plate member having appreciable thickness and a series of lateral holes accommodated in the thickness, a fourth series of resilient rods each formed into an arcuate section and having one end located at the joining member of the second endless closed curve and the other located in the lateral holes in said top plate, the two multiplicities of joining members and the four series of rods and the top plate together forming a curvilinear frame with the resilient rods lying on the surface of a spheroid whose largest cross section lies between the first and second planes, and an integument over the frame.

Claim 8

A dismantleable curvilinear shelter as claimed in claim 5 in which the resilient member of the first and second closed curves are of substantially the same length and the first and second planes are separated by a distance approximating half the diameter of the endless closed curves so that all the resilient rods lie on the surface of a spheroid whose largest cross section lies approximately half way between the first and second planes.

Claim 9

A dismantleable curvilinear shelter as claimed in claim 5 in which the integument has pockets at the base thereof so as to accommodate at least a portion of the first multiplicity of joining members and thereby attach the integument securely to the frame.

Claim 10

A dismantleable curvilinear shelter as claimed in claim 5 in which the top plate has a hole therethrough of such a size as to accommodate freely a stovepipe, and in which the integument also has a corresponding hole therethrough.