Abstract A coil of spring wire or similar material is provided with a flexible cover attached to the coils and the individual coils are secured together at the bases thereof. When erected, a segmented enclosure is formed with the open ends on the ground. The ends are held in contact with the ground by the weight of the coil and due to the holding together of the individual coils at the bases thereof. Access can be by lifting either end assisted by the slight torsion and for storage the coils are moved to an overlapping flat position whereupon one side of the folded coils may be moved towards the other and the coils twisted to form a figure 8. The ends of the figure 8 are then overlapped one with the other to make a circle of approximately half the diameter of the individual coil diameter at which time ties are provided to hold the coils in the folded position for storage and transportation purposes. Alternatively, the device may be in any orientation in space and may be any part or all of a segment of a torus.
A collapsible and foldable enclosure comprising in combination a continuous helical coil spring forming a frame and a flexible cover secured to the individual coils of said coil spring, and means to hold parts of said individual coils together on common parts of the perimeter thereof and in consecutive order, said means includes at least one tie member engaging around said common parts of said individual coils, all of said coils passing through said tie member in consecutive order, whereby said frame can be moved from between the open position with the ends engaging a surface thus forming a partial torus, and the closed position with the individual coils in an overlapping relationship of substantially circular configuration, and means to secure said cover to said individual coils thereby defining gores between said individual coils, said continuous helical coil spring transferring the gravitational and aerodynamic load from one individual coil to the other individual coils.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
154 words
A collapsible and foldable enclosure comprising in combination a continuous helical coil spring forming a frame and a flexible cover secured to the individual coils of said coil spring, and means to hold parts of said individual coils together on common parts of the perimeter thereof and in consecutive order, said means includes at least one tie member engaging around said common parts of said individual coils, all of said coils passing through said tie member in consecutive order, whereby said frame can be moved from between the open position with the ends engaging a surface thus forming a partial torus, and the closed position with the individual coils in an overlapping relationship of substantially circular configuration, and means to secure said cover to said individual coils thereby defining gores between said individual coils, said continuous helical coil spring transferring the gravitational and aerodynamic load from one individual coil to the other individual coils.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
39 words
The shelter according to claim 1 in which said means to secure said cover to each individual coil includes at least one pocket formed on the surface of said cover, a portion of said coil passing through said pocket.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
41 words
The shelter according to claim 1 in which said means to hold the common parts together includes a tube having a substantially elliptical cross section, all of said common parts of said individual coils passing through said tube in consecutive order.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
37 words
The shelter according to claim 1 in which the ends of said frame are engaged one with the other when in the open position thus forming a complete torus, and means to detachably secure said ends together.