Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
CA 02460277 2004-03-05
' 1
A SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR STORING AND DEPLOYING A SOFT
SHELTER FOR PROTECTION AGAINST NBC WARFARE
Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a protection system for providing a Toxic-
S Free (TF) protected space for persons and pets against NBC warfare and acts
of terror
using NBC warfare components. More particularly, the invention relates to a
system
for providing an immediate available and easy to deploy protected space,
against the
penetration of contaminated air and/or gases, liquids or aerosols.
Background of the Invention
As is known, there is an increasing need for protection against the
penetration of contaminants into a sheltered space, given the threat of
military attacks
and acts of terror using nuclear, chemical or biological (NBC) means of
warfare. Such
protection is provided by the use of shelters and protected spaces located
inside
buildings ("hard" shelters), or tent structures ("soft" sheltexs). Such
shelters are
provided with professional NBC air filtration systems including blowers, which
form
an overpressure inside the protected space and preserves cleaned and filtered-
air. The
overpressure is required in order to ensure a clear direction of airflow from
inside the
protected space to the outside atmosphere, through ever-present leaks in the
walls of
the shelter, the door and the window seals. Use of this method assures that no
contaminated air will penetrate into the protected space.
The typical soft shelter is the only solution when no hard shelter is
available,
since being a sealable space, it provides the possibility to create an
overpressure with
filtered clean air. The disadvantage of the soft shelter is that the
preparation of all
components and the erection of the soft shelter itself inside a room in a
flat, takes a
relatively long time. Unfortunately the current alert time due to a threat is
in the range
of three minutes only. This is too short a period of time to install a soft
shelter. To
have a soft shelter permanently installed is not a practical solution in the
daily living
area. Therefore, there exists a need to have a system inside a flat that
provides
CA 02460277 2004-03-05
2
protection within less than three minutes and that is not occupying much space
nor is
unacceptable from an esthetic aspect.
Disclosure of the Invention
It is therefore an object of the present invention to overcome the
disadvantages of the presently used soft shelter systems and to provide a
protected soft
shelter structure ready to be deployed within the shortest time that is
reliable and easily
usable for all the population in homes and offices, commando posts and
emergency
centers.
According to the invention, there is therefore provided a system for
storing and deploying a soft shelter for protection against NBC warfare,
comprising
a two-part cabinet including a storing part and a door part; a soft shelter
made of a
foldable skin defining a protected space upon being unfolded; said skin being
attached at least at one end to said storing part or at least indirectly to
said door part,
wherein upon the opening or displacement of said door part, the foldable skin
is
expandable to form said protected space.
The invention also provides a method for storing and immediate
deployment of an NBC protection system comprising a two-part. cabinet having a
storing part and a door part, a soft shelter made of a foldable skin defining
a
protected space upon being unfolded; attaching said skin at least at one end
to said
storing part or at least indirectly to said door part; displacing said door
part from
said storing part to expand said skin for forming said protected space.
Brief Description of the Drawings
The invention will now be described im connection with certain preferred
embodiments with reference to the following illustrative figures, so that it
may be
more fully understood.
CA 02460277 2004-03-05
3
With specific reference now to the figures in detail, it is stressed that the
particulars shown are by way of example and for purposes of illustrative
discussion of
the preferred embodiments of the present invention only, and are presented in
the
cause of providing what is believed to be the most useful and readily
understood
description of the principles and conceptual aspects of the invention. In this
regard, no
attempt is made to show structural details of the invention in more detail
than is
necessary for a fundamental understanding of the invention, the description
taken with
the drawings making apparent to those skilled in the art how the several forms
of the
invention may be embodied in practice.
In the drawings:
Fig. 1 is an isometric view of a cabinet storing a soft shelter and essential
apparatus and units to provide protection against NBC contaminants;
Fig. 2 is an isometric view of the cabinet of Fig. 1 in its open state,
showing
constructional details of preferred embodiments;
Fig. 3 is a top view of the cabinet and soft shelter, showing on the left side
the deployed mode, and on the right side the closed, storing mode;
Figs. 4a and 4b show isometric views of a further embodiment of the cabinet
in the open and close states;
Figs. Sa and 5b show top views of still a further embodiment of a cabinet in
the open and close states, and
Figs. 6a and 6b show isometrical top views of a cabinet in open and close
states of a modification of Figs. 5a and 5b.
Detailed Description of Preferred Embodiments
The cabinet with the integrated soft shelter according to the present
invention, thus has three modes of operation:
CA 02460277 2004-03-05
4
a) Storage mode - wherein the soft shelter with all elements is
prefixed inside the cabinet and the cabinet is in its closed contracted state;
b) Opening/closing mode - access door is slightly opened to let air
flow in or out of the soft shelter, and
c) Protect mode - fully deployed soft shelter and the entrance door
closed with blower for NBC air filtration _is started, to achieve overpressure
inside the soft shelter.
Referring to Fig. 1, the cabinet 2 is shown in its storage mode. The cabinet 2
includes a front cover 4 which is fastened to the storing body 6 and the door
8, leading
to the soft shelter (not shown), closed. The door 8 may be made in the storing
body 6
and/or in the front cover 4, as shown.
In Figure 2 the cabinet 2 is shown in semi-open mode. The door 8 is open
and the front cover 4 is pulled away from the storing body 6. The front cover
4 is
parallel to the storing body 6 by foldable and/or extendible connection
elements 10
affixed e.g., at the top of both the cabinet 2 and the cover 4. The connection
elements
10 may be in the form of multi-hinged links 10', lazy tongue 10", telescopic
members
(not shown), or the like. To these connection elements 10, gas-impermeable
skin T2
constituting the soft shelter, is hanged by strips 14, or otherwise attached.
The front
cover 4 is advantageously equipped with rollers or wheels 16, which are
synchronized
by an axis 18. The opening and closing can operationally be automatically
effected by
inflatable and contractible hoses 20, which are filled or emptied by means of
an air
pump or a blower system (not shown). The hoses 20 may be installed at the
upper
and/or lower sides of the cabinet. Purified air is blown into the soft shelter
by means
of an NBC air filtration unit affixed onto the inside rear wall of the storing
body 6,
which unit includes a blower 22 for sucking air from the outside via a hose 24
through
an NBC air filter 26. Similarly, the opening and closing may be effected by
means of
mechanically extendable interconnecting elements of the type described above.
CA 02460277 2004-03-05
The skin 12 of the soft shelter is configured as a pipe. The ends of this pipe
are attached to the front cover and the body of the, cabinet in an air- and
gas-tight
manner by pressing the skin 12 along its circumference between mechanical
coupling
elements, e.g., elements configured to have a groove and tongue for clamping
the
5 edges of the skin 14 at one end to the storing body 6 and at the other end
to the front
cover 4.
Figure 3 shows a top view of a soft shelter, wherein the left side shows it in
its open state, and the right side in its close state. It is easy to see where
the multi-
hinged links 10' of the connection elements 10 are located in both, expanded
and --
contracted states. Also visible are the hose 20 in its expanded and contracted
states, as
well as the soft shelter skin 12 and the hanging strips 14 in the deployed
mode only.
While for clarity, the cabinet 2 is shown to include six rigid walls (front,
top,
bottom, deck and side walls), it should be noted that, in fact, the cabinet 2
may include
only four walls (front, top and two side walls), and that the cabinet 2 rnay
be located
I5 near a wall of a room with the edges of the side and top walls contacting
the wall. The
skin of the soft shelter disposed inside the cabinet should, however, be
closed from all
sides, including a floor, so as to form a TF protected space, including, of
course, an
access and egress closable aperture: Provision should also be made for
affixing a filter
and a blower, per se know.
In Figs. 4a and 4b, there is illustrated an embodiment in which the front
cover 4 is hinged by hinges 28 to a lateral edge of the storing body 6, so as
to facilitate
swiveling by 90 degrees. On the side of the storing body 6, that does not hold
the
door, skin supporting arms 30, 32 hinged at 34 and 36 are provided. The hinges
enable the arms to be swiveled out, in order to guide the skin 12 to its
unfolded state.
At the inside of the front cover 4, a guiding system 40 is affixed to guide
the soft
shelter out from the storing body 6. The entrance 38 to the soft shelter is
not rigid like
the door 8 of Fig. 1, but is flexible like the doors in other soft shelters.
CA 02460277 2004-03-05
6
Referring to Figs. 5a and 5b there is illustrated an embodiment in which the
front cover 42 is foldable, e.g., at its middle, and does not include guiding
members.
The guiding of the soft shelter skin 44 to its expanded state is done by two
swivelable
support frames 46; 48, hingedly mounted on each side of the cabinet body 6.
.The
height of affixing the guiding support frames 46, 48 to the sides of the
cabinet body 6
may be different and a slight inclination is recommended as an option.
Figs. 6a and 6b illustrate a cabinet body 6 with split-cover panels 50, 52.
Guiding arms 54, 56 for guiding the soft shelter skin 58 are affixed
diagonally inside
the cover panels 50, 52. In order to extend the length of the arms 54, 56,
they may be
embodied as telescopic arms. The supporting arms can be held or affixed in the
expanded and contracted states by hooks provided on the door.
It will be evident to those skilled in the art that the invention is not
limited
to the details of the foregoing illustrated embodiments and that the present
invention
may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or
essential attributes thereof. The present embodiments are therefore to be
considered
in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, the scope of the
invention being
indicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description, and
all
changes which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims
are
therefore intended to be embraced therein.
