COLLAPSIBLE PORTABLE STRUCTURE

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED CASES

This application claims priority to, and the benefit of Provisional U.S. Patent Application Ser. No. 60/881,115, filed Jan. 17, 2007, the entirety of which is incorporated herein by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention generally relates to collapsible portable enclosures that can be easily moved between a raised and lowered position. More particularly, the invention relates to a collapsible enclosure which when in the lowered position is highly portable, and when in the raised position, provides an enclosure for use as a temporary restroom facility.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

It is known to use portable toilets or portable restrooms at construction sites, special events such as concerts, and emergency or disaster locations. Most of these toilets are assembled and then transported fully assembled from location to location, and the size of these assembled portable toilets are approximately four-foot square and eight feet tall. Some portable toilets are designed as “knock-down” portable toilets, but significant assembly on location is still required to create the fully assembled portable toilet. These knock-down portable toilets allow for transportation of more units than the fully assembled portable toilets, but the assembly of knock-down units takes considerable time and manpower to complete assembly. Furthermore, the assembly process sometimes requires many tools and loose pieces can easily be lost during assembly, transport, and disassembly, or can simply be installed improperly.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It thus would be desirable to provide a new enclosure that is easily expandable and collapsible by a single individual. The new enclosure is entirely self-contained, i.e., there are no loose pieces or part that need to be assembled on site and the installation can be performed with a minimal number of tools, or possibly no tools at all. Finally, when collapsed the enclosure is easily stackable for transportation and storage. Such collapsible enclosures would be simple in construction and less costly than prior art enclosures, and installation and transportation would not require highly skilled users to utilize the enclosure.

A collapsible enclosure according to the present invention includes a top section that has a roof, a top wall member, and a top door panel. The enclosure also includes a middle section that has a middle wall member and a middle door panel, and this middle section is telescopically movable with respect to the top section. Finally, the enclosure includes a bottom section that has a base, a bottom wall member, and a bottom door panel. This bottom section is telescopically movable with respect to the middle section, just as the middle section is telescopically movable with respect to the top section. Also, the top door panel is slidably coupled to the middle door panel, and the middle door panel is slidably coupled to the bottom door panel forming a door assembly, such that the door panels are telescopically movable with respect to each other. The collapsible enclosure has a raised position such that the top section, middle section, and bottom section are telescopically extended from each other, and a lowered position such that the top section, middle section, and bottom section are collapsed down onto each other in a nesting fashion.

A particular embodiment of the present invention relates to a collapsible enclosure for use as a portable temporary restroom facility. In such an embodiment, the enclosure further includes a waste tank, a urinal, and a vent stack. The collapsible enclosure, to be fully collapsed (and then transported, if desired), does not require complete detachment or removal of any of the components of the toilet (not the waste tank, urinal, or vent stack, etc.).

In another aspect of the invention, the collapsible enclosure further includes at least one support post to add structural stability and integrity to the enclosure. Optionally, the support post can further have one or more corner shelves slidably coupled to the support post to add further rigidity to the enclosure. In an alternative embodiment, the support post or posts can include a spring or hydraulic piston to assist in raising or lowering the enclosure.

In a further aspect of the invention, the roof can have a channel or channels formed therein to accept and mate with the base of another enclosure to facilitate the stacking of multiple enclosures for ease of transport or storage.

These and other objects, features, and advantages of the invention will be more fully defined and understood by reference to the following description and the included drawings, all of which are part of this disclosure.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

For a fuller understanding of the nature and operation of various embodiments according to the present invention, reference is made to the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing figures which are not necessarily to scale and wherein like reference characters denote corresponding or related parts throughout the several views and wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a representative embodiment of a collapsible enclosure in accordance with the present invention which includes a top section, a middle section, and a bottom section;

FIG. 2A is a perspective view of the top section of the collapsible enclosure shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 2B is a perspective view of the middle section of the collapsible enclosure shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 2C is a perspective view of the middle section of the collapsible enclosure shown in FIG. 2B with the door panel detached;

FIG. 2D is a perspective view of the bottom section of the collapsible enclosure shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a partially cut-away view of the collapsible enclosure shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is an exploded view of the collapsible enclosure shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along the lines 4-4 in FIG. 1 showing the telescopic movability of the top section with respect to the middle section and the middle section with respect to the bottom section;

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line 5-5 in FIG. 3 showing the slidable coupling of the middle door panel to the bottom door panel;

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line 6-6 in FIG. 3 showing the recessed door lock;

FIG. 8 is an enlarged and partially cut-away view of the area identified by the number 7 in FIG. 1 showing the snap buttons for holding the enclosure in the raised position in one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the collapsible enclosure shown in FIG. 1 being lowered into a collapsed position;

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the collapsible enclosure shown in FIG. 9 being further lowered into a collapsed position; and

FIG. 11 is a perspective view of three collapsible enclosures of the present invention in the fully collapse position being stacked on top of each other for transport.

DESCRIPTION

As indicated above, the present invention is a collapsible portable enclosure that is durable and cost effective. The enclosure can be readily collapsed to a lowered position to a height of approximately 35 inches and then expanded to a raised position to its full height. When the enclosure is in the raised position it can provide privacy for a changing area, or additional components can be included such as toilet facilities to provide a temporary restroom facility.

An exemplary embodiment of a collapsible enclosure in accordance with the present invention is shown in FIG. 1 designated generally by reference numeral 100. The collapsible enclosure 100 has a top section 110, a middle section 120, and a bottom section 130, which can collapse down onto each other in a nesting fashion similar to a telescoping pipe. The top section 110 includes a roof 112, a top wall member 114 and a top door panel 116. The top wall member 114 and the roof 112 can be manufactured as separate components that are then connected together or can be molded or formed from one piece of material such as, for example, plastic. The top door panel 116 is movably connected to either the roof 112, the top wall member 114, or to both.

The middle section 120 includes a middle wall member 124 and a middle door panel 126. The middle wall member 124 is telescopically moveable with respect to the top wall member and the middle door panel 126 is slidably coupled to the top door panel 116. The middle door panel 126 can either be movably connected to the middle wall member 124 or not connected to the middle wall member 124 at all, i.e., the middle door panel 126 can simply be connected to the top door panel 116 and swing free of the middle wall member 124 without being connected to it.

The bottom section 130 includes a base 132, a bottom wall member 134, and a bottom door panel 136. The bottom wall member 134 and the base 132 can be manufactured as separate components that are then connected together, or can be molded or formed from one piece of material as described above with respect to the top wall member 114 and roof 112. Also, the base 132 can be sized to the industry standard footprint of approximately 44 inches wide and approximately 48 inches deep, and the base 132 can be made out of standard industry materials including plastic or pressure treated lumber. The bottom wall member 134 is telescopically movable with respect to the middle wall member 124, just as the middle wall member 124 is telescopically movable with respect to the top wall member 114. Similarly, the bottom door panel 136 is slidably coupled to the middle door panel 126, just as the middle door panel 126 is slidably coupled to the top door panel 116. The bottom door panel 136 is movably connected to either the base 132, the bottom wall member 134, or to both.

Referring now to FIGS. 2A-2D, the three sections of the enclosure 100 are shown individually to more clearly show the overall shape of each section. FIG. 2A shows the top section 110 with the roof 112 detached from top wall member 114 and top door panel 116. FIG. 2B shows the middle section 120 with the middle door panel 126 in a closed position with respect to the middle wall member 124. FIG. 2C shows the middle section 120 with the middle door panel 126 detached from the middle wall member. FIG. 2D shows the bottom section 130 with the base 132 and the bottom door panel 136 attached to the bottom wall member 134. As shown, the top 110, middle 120 and bottom 130 sections all have a substantially rectangular cross section. In alternative embodiments, these sections 110, 120, 130 could be round, or any other shape instead of the substantially rectangular cross section depicted in the drawings. Also, the individual wall members 114, 124, 134, as best represented by the middle wall member 124 in FIG. 2C, have a “C” type cross section when the door panels are not in place. As with the sections 110, 120, 130 described above, in alternative embodiments the wall members 114, 124, 134 could have any of a number of cross sections including, for example, a “V” type cross section.

To fully collapse the enclosure 100, the top wall member 114 slides down over the middle wall member 124, which then in turn slides down over the bottom wall member 134 in a nesting fashion similar to a telescoping pipe. Similarly, the top door panel 116, middle door panel 126, and bottom door panel 136 are slidably coupled to each other such that when the enclosure 100 is collapsed, the top door panel 116 will slide down over the middle door panel 126, and both of those panels 116 and 126 slide down over the bottom door panel 136. The door assembly (i.e., all three panels 116. 126, and 136 slidably coupled together) is attached to the collapsible enclosure 100 at the roof 112 and base 132 by any of a variety of industry standard hinges such as, for example, self-closing hinges. Alternatively, each door panel 116, 126, and 136 can be attached to its related wall member 114, 124, and 134 by any of a variety of industry standard hinges. The door assembly can also include a lock 162 (see FIG. 3) to secure the door assembly in a closed position from an interior of the enclosure 100. In an alternative embodiment, three wall members 114, 124, 134 and/or door panels 116, 126, 136 can telescopically collapse within themselves.

Referring now to FIG. 3, the collapsible enclosure 100 is shown with toilet facilities to provide a temporary restroom. In this embodiment, the bottom section 130 includes a waste tank 150 with an opening 152 and a toilet seat 154 aligned with the opening 152. As shown, the enclosure 100 also has a urinal assembly 156 attached to an arm 158 which fluidly couples the urinal assembly 154 to the waste tank. The urinal assembly 156 can be selectively attached to one of the wall members 114, 124 using any of a variety of known and standard quick disconnect hardware arrangements such as spring-loaded, push-in-to-release locking arrangements so that the urinal assembly 156 can be pivoted on the arm 158 out of the way prior to collapsing the enclosure 100 for storage or transportation.

The waste tank 150 can also include a vent stack 160 to exhaust odors out of the enclosure 100. The vent stack 160 is essentially a telescoping pipe that is fluidly coupled to the waste tank 150 and extends out of the enclosure 100 through the roof 112. It is envisioned that the middle section of the vent stack 160 will have a lip which will be pulled up by the top section when the enclosure 100 is being expanded to a raised position. The waste tank 150 is a substantially sealed container so that liquids will not leak out of the waste tank 150. However, the waste tank can also have a drain (not shown) to empty and clean the waste tank 150 after it has been used. Furthermore, the waste tank 150 can have any number of mechanical fasteners and gaskets to fluidly seal any openings in the waste tank 150 during transport after it has been used.

The collapsible enclosure also has a telescoping support post 140 in a corner of the enclosure 100 to provide additional stability and rigidity. Although only one post 140 is shown, it is envisioned that any number of support posts can be used to provide adequate structural integrity to the enclosure 100. For example, in one embodiment there is a telescoping support post 140 positioned in each corner of the enclosure 100 to provide maximum stability and rigidity. The support post 140 is attached to the top section 110 and to the bottom section 130, generally at the roof 112 and base 132 respectably and will extend telescopically as the enclosure 100 is expanded to its raised position. Once the post 140 is extended to its maximum position, snap buttons 142, or other mechanical locking mechanism, will engage to secure the support post 140 into the extended position. Similarly, the support post 140 will collapse telescopically as the enclosure 100 is collapsed to a lowered position.

Additionally, the support post 140 can include corner shelves 164 which can be selectively attached to one or more of the wall members 114, 124, 134 with quick disconnect assemblies to give the unit additional rigidity and strength. These shelves 164 can be slidably coupled to the support post 140 such that the shelf 164 can be disconnected from the wall member 114, 124, 134 and then dropped to the bottom section 130 or base 132 prior to collapsing the enclosure 100. In addition to supplying extra rigidity and strength to the enclosure 100, these shelves 164 provide an additional mounting location for additional items such as hand sanitizer. In an alternative embodiment, these support post 140 could be located on the outside of the unit, and/or they could be of a round, oval, or other shape instead of the shape depicted in the drawings.

Referring now to FIG. 4, an exploded view of the collapsible enclosure 100 is shown. As shown the wall members 114, 126, 136 are or formed from one piece of material, however, they can also be manufactured as separate panels that are then connected together with mechanical fasteners or adhesives. In either embodiment, the corners of the wall members 114, 126, 136 can be reinforced by a heavy plastic “L” shaped corner moldings to increase rigidity and decrease torqueability of the sections 110, 120, 130 and of the overall enclosure 100. Any of a variety of standard industry fasteners may be used to attach the corner moldings to the plurality wall members 114, 126, 136.

As shown, the top wall member 114 is a separate component that is then attached to the roof 112 with any of a variety of standard industry mechanical fasteners or adhesives. Also, the top door panel 116 is shown as being pivotally connected to the top wall member 114 with a hinge 166, but as mentioned above, it can also be pivotally connected to the roof 112 with a hinge. Furthermore, the bottom wall member 134 is shown as a separate component that is then attached to the base 132 with any of a variety of standard industry mechanical fasteners or adhesives. The bottom door panel 136 is shown as being pivotally connected to the bottom wall member 134 with a hinge 168, but as mentioned above, it can also be pivotally connected to the base 132 with a hinge 168.

It is envisioned that the roof 112 will be permanently, or at least semi-permanently, connected to the top wall member 114 and the base 132 will be permanently, or at least semi-permanently, connected to the bottom wall member 134. A permanent connection can be made with, for example, glue or other adhesive, or by integrally forming the sections or components together. A semi-permanent connection can be made with, for example, screws, bolts, or other mechanical fasteners that can be removed, but which require significant effort and hand or power tools and not simply with an individual's hands and fingers. It is further envisioned that all of the components of the collapsible enclosure 100 will be connected in such a way that none of the components will have to be removed or attached to raise or lower the enclosure 100. For example, the urinal assembly 156 is pivotally attached via an arm 158 to the waste tank 150 but can also be selectively attached to one of the wall members 114, 124 using any of a variety of known and standard quick disconnect hardware arrangements such as spring-loaded, push-in-to-release locking arrangements. This way, the urinal assembly 156 can be held in a secure position during use, but can also be pivoted out of the way prior to collapsing the enclosure 100 for storage and transportation. As another example, the corner shelves 164 are slidably coupled to the support post 140 and can be selectively attached to one or more of the wall members 114, 124, 134 with quick disconnect assemblies, but the shelves 164 can also be disconnected from the wall member 114, 124, 134 and then dropped to the bottom section 130 or base 132 prior to collapsing the enclosure 100. One major benefit from such an arrangement is that there are no loose pieces or parts that can get misplaced or lost during assembly/disassembly and transportation. Although it is envisioned that some components will be “permanently” connected in the sense that they are not designed to be removed or disassembled during normal operation, it should be understood that these components can be disassembled or removed to replace or repair broken or malfunctioning pieces.

Referring now to FIG. 5, the cross section of the top section 110 with respect to the middle section 120, and the middle section 120 with respect to the bottom section 130 is shown. As the arrow indicates, the two sections are movable with respect to each other. As will be appreciated to one skilled in the art, making the sections, wall members, and door panels telescopically movable with respect to each other can be accomplished in a variety of ways.

Referring now to FIG. 6, the cross section of the middle door panel 126 and bottom door panel 136 is shown. The bottom door panel 136 has a pin 170 protruding from one surface of the panel 136 (see also FIG. 4). The head of the pin 170 is slidably engaged in a channel 172 of the middle door panel 126 (see also FIG. 3) which allows the door panels 126, 136 to telescopically slide with respect to each other as the collapsible enclosure 100 is raised and lowered.

Referring now to FIG. 7, the cross section of the door lock 162 mechanism of the middle door panel 126 is shown. The lock 162 is recessed into the door panel 126 so as to not prevent the enclosure 100 from collapsing (see also FIG. 3).

Referring now to FIG. 8, an enlarged and partially cut-away view of the a support post 140 and a snap button 142 is shown. As mentioned above, the support post 140 extend telescopically as the enclosure 100 is expanded to a raised position. Once the post 140 is extended to its maximum position, the snap button 142 engages to secure the support post 140 in the extended position. When it is time to collapse the enclosure 100 for storage or transport, a tool (such as the working end of a screw driver) can be pushed through a keyhole like opening 174 to push or depress the snap button 142 back into the support post 140 so that the enclosure can be collapsed to a lowered position.

In operation, the enclosure 100 shown in FIG. 1 can be collapsed down to approximately one-third of its original height. Referring now to FIGS. 9 and 10, the enclosure 100 is shown being collapsed to a lowered position. In FIG. 9, the top section 110 is shown being lowered down over the middle section 120 in the direction of the arrow. Similarly, in FIG. 10, the top section 110 is shown being lowered down over the bottom section 130 (the middle section 120 is already nested in the top section 110 and thus hidden from view). The lowering of these sections is accomplished as described above with reference to FIG. 8 by pushing or depressing the snap buttons 142 to disengage the telescoping support posts 140. When the enclosure 100 is fully collapsed, the top section 110 is the primary component that is visible, with the other two sections 120, 130 stored in a nesting fashion underneath it.

To assemble the enclosure 100, the top section 110 is lifted until the first set of snap buttons 142 are engaged, thus supporting the top section 110 in a raised position. To complete the assembly of the enclosure 100, the middle section 120 (with the top section 110 already raised) is lifted until the second set of snap buttons 142 are engaged, resulting in an enclosure 100 in a fully raised position (see FIG. 1). Other optional components such as the urinal 156 and corner shelves 164 can then be rotated or moved and then secured in place.

In an alternative embodiment, the support posts 140 can include any of a variety of spring-loaded or hydraulic piston devices to assist in raising or lowering the enclosure 100. For example, if the support posts 140 include hydraulic pistons similar to the hood of an automobile, the top 110 and middle sections 120 would not have to be lifted up by an individual to assemble the enclosure 100. The pistons would actually perform the work of lifting the sections to a fully raised position. In this embodiment, the expanded pistons could also hold the sections in the raised position eliminating the need for snap buttons 142, or other mechanical locking mechanism to engage and secure the support posts 140 in the extended position. However, some other locking mechanism such as, for example, a latch, would likely be necessary to secure the enclosure in a lowered position.

To facilitate the stacking of multiple enclosures 100, the roof 112 can have a channel or channels formed therein to accept and mate with the base 132 of another enclosure 100. Referring now to FIG. 11, three enclosures 100 in their collapsed states are shown being stacked three-high for ease of transport (on/in, for example, a standard tractor trailer or rail car). These channels 180, and possibly a gutter system, are molded into the roof 112 and are designed to reinforce the roof 112 for stacking and also to shed water. The peak of the roof 112 is low enough to allow the enclosure 100 stacked above it to rest on the reinforced channels 180 described above. The roof 112 can also be made from a transparent or translucent material to permit the illumination of the interior of the enclosure 100.

The disclosed embodiments are exemplary. The invention is not limited by or only to the disclosed exemplary embodiments. Also, various changes to and combinations of the disclosed exemplary embodiments are possible and within this disclosure.