| 摘要 |
A portable shelter is provided for sheltering materials or human occupants at a remote location. The shelter includes, among other things, a flexible cover and a supporting frame. In operation, hinged members that are part of the frame are used to support a first portion and then a second portion of the shelter. Before the frame is raised up, the people who are constructing it can easily reach the top parts of the shelter without a stepladder or the like. By avoiding the need for a stepladder, the overall size and weight of the assembled components that have to be transported to the remote location can be reduced, and the shelter can be constructed more quickly and easily. Hinges, purlin connections, and corner closure systems for the shelter are also disclosed. |
| 主权项 |
1. A portable shelter for sheltering materials or human occupants at a remote location, said shelter comprising:
a flexible cover; and a frame for supporting the flexible cover, the frame having a length in a first direction and a width in a second direction, the length being greater than the width, and the second direction being perpendicular to the first direction; and wherein the frame includes first and second hinged members for supporting a first side and then a second side of the shelter; and wherein the frame includes arches extending in the second direction, wherein one of the arches includes the first and second hinged members, and wherein each one of the arches has an arched configuration, and wherein each one of the first and second hinged members has an arcuate shape to conform to the arched configuration, and wherein the frame includes braces located between the arches; and snap-in purlin connectors for releasably connecting the braces to the arches; and wherein the frame includes third and fourth members for supporting the portable shelter in a partially-constructed configuration, and-wherein the first and second members are hingedly connected to the third and fourth members, respectively, and wherein the portable shelter has a side wall and an end wall, the side wall extends in the first direction, and the end wall extends in the second direction, and wherein the flexible cover has a closeable corner structure, between the side wall and the end wall of the portable shelter, for providing access into the portable shelter during an intermediate stage of construction; and wherein the first member is movable relative to the third member through a plane that is essentially perpendicular to a line that extends from the hinged connection between the first and third members toward a floor of the portable shelter, and wherein the third member has the arcuate shape. |
