Caravan

Claim 2

Caravan comprising a supporting framework, uprights, means to attach the uprights to the framework, a flooring, sidewall elements, means to attach said sidewall elements to said uprights, at least one retractable room arranged between two succeeding uprights, said retractable room comprising a rigid roof and a rigid floor, means to swing the roof and the floor about axes in substantial parallel relationship with the caravan flooring plane, between an extended position and a retracted position, in which said roof extends in a downward plane and said floor extends in an upward plane; a flexible circumferential wall for the retractable room, means for attaching the flexible wall along edges which project in extended position, of the roof and the floor and along those uprights between which is arranged said retractable room, means for supporting the roof and the floor in extended position, and means to form between the roof and the floor in retracted position, a space for receiving said flexible circumfereNtial wall which is folded together with the folding back of said roof and floor.

Claim 3

Caravan as claimed in claim 1, in which said retractable room rigid roof is shaped as a rectangular parallelogram, that dimension of which measured along one of those edges located in the extended position, in a plane generally at right angle to the opening plane, is not substantially larger and preferably at the most equal to the dimension of the opposite edges.

Claim 4

Caravan as claimed in claim 1, which comprises solid sidewall elements having a rigid outer panel and a rigid inner panel in parallel relationship thereto, said uprights having a generally I-shaped cross section flange, said flange having inner and outer flange members connected by a web, the web of which is located in a plane at right angle to the inner and outer panels, that I-flange located on the caravan outer side, the so-called outer flange, having clipping fins for an outer finishing section, the upward edges of said outer panel being arranged between said outer flange and said section, that I-flange located on the caravan inner side having a fin, the so-called inner fin, arranged in a plane in parallel relationship with said upright web, a boss on said inner fin for clipping thereto an inner finishing section with sides in parallel relationship with said inner flange, said inner panels having upward edges, the upward edges of said inner panels being arranged between said inner flange and said inner finishing section, furniture elements being attached to said inner fins.

Claim 5

Caravan as claimed in claim 1, in which said means for supporting said retractable room rigid roof and floor comprise a pair of columns, means for removably attaching said columns to said roof outside of said flexible circumferential wall, a cradle for each column, means for attaching said cradles to the columns, means for adjusting vertically said column and cradles, and a shaped rim provided at least in those areas facing the column, of said retractable room floor so as to enter said cradles in the floor extended position.

Claim 6

Caravan as claimed in claim 4, which further comprises means for locking said shaped rim of said retractable room floor in said cradles, said means having a control head located inside said retractable room.

Claim 7

Caravan as claimed in claim 5, in which said locking means each comprise a housing projecting relative to a plane generally in parallel relationship with that plane in which lies the retractable room floor in the extended position, means for attaching said housing to the cradle, a rod rotatingly mounted in said retractable room floor and inside thereof, said rod projecting on either side of said floor, a head for rotating said rod, said head being arranged on that part of said rod which lies inside the room, and a small plate which is attached to that rod part which projects from the opposite roof side, so as to cause said plate to enter or to leave said housing during the rotating of the rod.

Claim 8

Caravan as claimed in claim 4, in which each column is comprised of a tube, means for removably attaching the tube top to the retractable room roof, a rod leg telescoped inside the tube base, means for attaching the cradle to said tube, a series of holes spaced vertically in said rod, at least one hole provided in said tube, a clamp hinged on said cradle, a finger fixed to the clamp and engageable in said tube hole and in any one of said rod holes, said finger having a surface located adjacent a surface provided by said shaped floor rim when said rim is located in said cradle, so as to lock said in-line holes of the tube and rod.

Claim 9

Caravan as claimed in claim 7, in which said cradle comprises a yoke, means for attaching said yoke to the tube circumferential wall, said yoke having an upward wall with a bearing edge for the retractable room floor and defining together with the tube circumferential wall, a space for receiving the shaped floor rim, said rim being located in a generally vertical plane in the extended position of said floor, substantially against said finger.

Claim 10

Caravan comprising a supporting framework, a floor, a ceiling, means to join said floor and ceiling to the framework, spaced uprights arranged between said floor and ceiling, said uprights defining openings between them, said floor and said ceiling, sidewall elements, means for attaching said sidewall elements to the uprights so as to close some of said openings, at least one retractable room arranged between two succeeding uprights, said retractable room comprising a rigid roof and a rigid floor, means for hingedly attaching said rigid roof to said framework adjacent the opening top, means for hingedly attaching said rigid floor to the framework level with the caravan floor, a flexible circumferential wall for the retractable room, means for attaching said flexible circumferential wall along edges projecting in the room extended position, of the roof and the floor and along those uprights that bound the opening in which said retractable room is arranged, said means for hingedly attaching the retractable room floor comprising a pair of double-jointed compound hinges, means for attaching the first hinge joint to the framework substantially in the extension of the attachment of the flexible circumferential wall to the upright, means for attaching the second hinge in parallel relationship with said first hinge joint to the retractable room rigid floor, the spacing between the roof hinging and said first hinge joint as well as the spacing between said first hinge joint and said second hinge joint being selected so as to form between said roof and floor in the room retracted position, a space for receiving the flexible circumferential wall which is folded together with the swinging back of said roof and floor.

Claim 11

Caravan comprising a supporting framework, a floor, a ceiling, means to join said floor and ceiling to the framework, spaced uprights arranged between said floor and ceiling, said uprights defining openings between them, said floor and said ceiling, sidewall elements, means for attaching said sidewall elements to the uprights so as to close some of said openings, at least one retractable room arranged between two succeeding uprights, said retractable room comprising a rigid roof and a rigid floor, means for hingedly attaching said rigid roof to said framework adjacent the opening top, means for hingedly attaching said rigid floor to the framework level with the caravan floor, a flexible circumferential wall for the retractable room, means for attaching said flexible circumferential wall along edges projecting in the room extended position, of the roof and the floor and along those uprights that bound the opening in which said retractable room is arranged, said means for hingedly attaching the retractable room floor comprising a pair of double-jointed compound hinges, means for attaching the first hinge joint to the framework substantially in the extension of the attachment of the flexible circumferential wall to the upright, means for attaching the second hinge in parallel relationship with said first hinge joint to the retractable room rigid floor, the spacing between the roof hinging and said first hinge joint as well as the spacing between said first hinge joint and said second hinge joint being selected so as to form between said roof and floor in the room retracted position, a space for receiving the flexible circumferential wall which is folded together with the swinging back of said roof and floor.

Claim 12

Caravan as claimed in claim 9, in which the double-jointed hinges comprise a first pivot pin, means to attach said first pivot pin to the framework level with the caravan floor, adjacent the upright and substantially in extension of the junction of said flexible circumferential wall with said upright, in parallel relationship with the swinging axis of the retractable room roof, a second pivot pin in parallel relationship with the first pivot pin, means to attach said second pivot pin to the retractable room rigid floor, a link rotatably mounted on both said pivot pins, said link having on the side of that pivot pin which is attached to the retractable room floor, an end edge which is generally at right angle to the rigid floor plane in the extended position of said floor, said caravan further comprising for each link, a temporary locking part for said second joint, means for attaching said locking part to the retractable room rigid floor next to said second pivot pin, said locking part having an edge in general parallel relationship with said link edge, in the position where said link lies in the floor extended position.

Claim 13

Caravan comprising a supporting framework, a floor, a ceiling, means for attaching said floor and ceiling to said framework, spaced uprights which are arranged between the floor and ceiling, said uprights defining openings between them, the floor and the ceiling, sidewall elements, means for attaching said sidewall elements to said uprights so as to close some of said openings, at least one retractable room arranged between two succeeding uprights, said retractable room comprising a rigid roof and a rigid floor, means for hingedly attaching said rigid roof to the framework adjacent the opening top, means for hingedly attaching said rigid floor to the framework level with the caravan floor, said means for hingedly attaching said retractable room floor comprising a pair of double-jointed hinges, each hinge having a first pivot in parallel relationship with the swinging axis of said retractable room roof, said pivot being located level with the floor means for attaching said pivot to the framework adjacent to that upright which bounds the retractable room opening, aNd a second pivot in parallel relationship with said first pivot, means for attaching said second pivot to that edge generally at right angle to the opening plane of said retractable room floor, a flexible circumferential wall for said retractable room, means for attaching said flexible wall in stretched condition when the room is in extended position, on the one hand along those uprights which bound said retractable room opening in a plane which is generally coextensive with the plane of said first pivots of said double-jointed hinges, on the other hand along the edges of the retractable room rigid floor between the areas engaged by the hinges and further along the edges of the retractable room rigid ceiling, the spacing between the roof hinging and the first joint of said double-jointed hinges as well as the spacing between said first and second joints of said double-jointed hinges being selected so as to form between said roof and floor in the retracted position of said room, a space for receiving said flexible circumferential wall which is folded together with the folding back of said roof and floor.

Claim 14

Caravan comprising a supporting framework, a floor, a ceiling, means for attaching said floor and ceiling to said framework, spaced uprights which are arranged between the floor and ceiling, said uprights defining openings between them, the floor and the ceiling, sidewall elements, means for attaching said sidewall elements to said uprights so as to close some of said openings, at least one retractable room arranged between two succeeding uprights, said retractable room comprising a rigid roof and a rigid floor, means for hingedly attaching said rigid roof to the framework adjacent the opening top, means for hingedly attaching said rigid floor to the framework level with the caravan floor, said means for hingedly attaching said retractable room floor comprising a pair of double-jointed hinges, each hinge having a first pivot in parallel relationship with the swinging axis of said retractable room roof, said pivot being located level with the floor means for attaching said pivot to the framework adjacent to that upright which bounds the retractable room opening, aNd a second pivot in parallel relationship with said first pivot, means for attaching said second pivot to that edge generally at right angle to the opening plane of said retractable room floor, a flexible circumferential wall for said retractable room, means for attaching said flexible wall in stretched condition when the room is in extended position, on the one hand along those uprights which bound said retractable room opening in a plane which is generally coextensive with the plane of said first pivots of said double-jointed hinges, on the other hand along the edges of the retractable room rigid floor between the areas engaged by the hinges and further along the edges of the retractable room rigid ceiling, the spacing between the roof hinging and the first joint of said double-jointed hinges as well as the spacing between said first and second joints of said double-jointed hinges being selected so as to form between said roof and floor in the retracted position of said room, a space for receiving said flexible circumferential wall which is folded together with the folding back of said roof and floor.

Claim 15

Caravan comprising a supporting framework, a floor, a ceiling, means for attaching said floor and ceiling to said framework, spaced uprights arranged between said floor and ceiling, said uprights defining openings between them, said floor and said ceiling, sidewall elements, said uprights having a generally I-shaped cross section flange with a web and inner and outer flanges, the web of which is located in a plane at right angle to the planes of said sidewall elements, that I-flange located on the caravan outer side, the so-called outer flange, having clipping fins for an outer finishing section, that I-flange located on the caravan inner side having at least one fin, the so-called inner fin, located in a plane in parallel relationship with the upright web, a boss on said inner fin for clipping thereto an inner finishing section with sides in parallel relationship with said inner flange, said sidewall elements being wedged along the upward edges thereof between the upright flanges and the finishing sections thereof, said caravan being provided with furniture elements attached to said inner fins, at least one retractable room arranged between two succeeding uprights, those uprights bounding the retractable room opening having a half outer flange only which extends on that side opposite said opening, said retractable room comprising a rigid roof and a rigid floor, means for hingedly attaching said rigid roof to the framework adjacent the opening top, means for hingedly attaching said rigid floor to the framework level with the caravan floor, said hinged attaching means for the retractable room floor comprising a pair of double-jointed hinges, each hinge having a first pivot located at floor level in parallel relationship with the swinging axis of said retractable room roof and in a plane that passes substantially through said inner finishing section sides, a second pivot in parallel relationship with said first pivot, means for attaching said second pivot to that edge generally at right angle to the opening plane, of the retractable room floor, a flexible circumferential wall for said retractable room, means for attaching said flexible wall in stretched condition in the room extended position, on the one hand against those sides facing the opening of the inner finishing sections of the uprights bounding the retractable room opening, on the other hand along the edges of the retractable room rigid floor between the areas for the hinges, and further along the edges of the retractable room rigid roof.

Claim 16

Caravan comprising a supporting framework, a floor, a ceiling, means for attaching said floor and ceiling to said framework, spaced uprights arranged between said floor and ceiling, said uprights defining openings between them, said floor and said ceiling, sidewall elements, said uprights having a generally I-shaped cross section flange with a web and inner and outer flanges, the web of which is located in a plane at right angle to the planes of said sidewall elements, that I-flange located on the caravan outer side, the so-called outer flange, having clipping fins for an outer finishing section, that I-flange located on the caravan inner side having at least one fin, the so-called inner fin, located in a plane in parallel relationship with the upright web, a boss on said inner fin for clipping thereto an inner finishing section with sides in parallel relationship with said inner flange, said sidewall elements being wedged along the upward edges thereof between the upright flanges and the finishing sections thereof, said caravan being provided with furniture elements attached to said inner fins, at least one retractable room arranged between two succeeding uprights, those uprights bounding the retractable room opening having a half outer flange only which extends on that side opposite said opening, said retractable room comprising a rigid roof and a rigid floor, means for hingedly attaching said rigid roof to the framework adjacent the opening top, means for hingedly attaching said rigid floor to the framework level with the caravan floor, said hinged attaching means for the retractable room floor comprising a pair of double-jointed hinges, each hinge having a first pivot located at floor level in parallel relationship with the swinging axis of said retractable room roof and in a plane that passes substantially through said inner finishing section sides, a second pivot in parallel relationship with said first pivot, means for attaching said second pivot to that edge generally at right angle to the opening plane, of the retractable room floor, a flexible circumferential wall for said retractable room, means for attaching said flexible wall in stretched condition in the room extended position, on the one hand against those sides facing the opening of the inner finishing sections of the uprights bounding the retractable room opening, on the other hand along the edges of the retractable room rigid floor between the areas for the hinges, and further along the edges of the retractable room rigid roof.