Shelter System And Associated Devices

Abstract

A shelter system for use within an environment having air includes an enclosure disposable within the environment formed of an air impermeable material. The enclosure is expansible from a collapsed configuration to a usage configuration and is configured to define an interior chamber, to contain a quantity of air within the chamber, and to substantially prevent entry of the environment air into the chamber. An oxygen generator disposable within the enclosure includes a housing and a quantity of oxygen-producing material disposable within the housing for generating oxygen by spontaneous chemical reaction, the oxygen being discharged to the enclosure chamber. A carbon dioxide removal device disposable within the enclosure includes a chamber, a reactive material disposed within the chamber for removing carbon dioxide from the enclosure air, and a fan initiating flow through the chamber. The system may be used within a building, a vehicle, or an open environment.

1 . A shelter system for use within an environment having air, the shelter system comprising: 
 an enclosure disposable within the environment and formed of an air impermeable material, the enclosure being configured to define an interior chamber, to contain a quantity of air within the chamber, and to substantially prevent entry of the environment air into the chamber;    an oxygen generator disposable within the enclosure, the oxygen generator including a chemical oxygen generation device for generating oxygen and being configured to discharge oxygen into the enclosure air; and    a carbon dioxide removal device disposable within the enclosure and including an interior chamber and a reactive material disposed within the removal device chamber and configured to remove carbon dioxide from the enclosure air.    
   
   
       2 . The shelter system as recited in  claim 1  wherein the enclosure is configured to expand from a storage configuration to a deployed configuration and to alternatively contract from the deployed configuration to the storage configuration.  
   
   
       3 . The shelter system as recited in  claim 1  wherein the environment includes a building having a first room and a second room, the enclosure includes a first section disposable within the first room and a second section connected with the first section and disposable within the second room, the enclosure chamber extending through the two enclosure sections.  
   
   
       4 . The shelter system as recited in  claim 1  wherein the oxygen generator includes: 
 a housing disposable within the enclosure chamber and having an interior chamber and an opening, the opening extending into the interior chamber and being fluidly connectable with the enclosure chamber; and    a quantity of an oxygen-producing material removably disposable within the housing chamber and configured to generate oxygen by spontaneous chemical reaction, the housing being configured such that the oxygen generated by the material flows from the housing chamber, through the housing opening and into the enclosure chamber.    
   
   
       5 . The shelter system as recited in  claim 1  wherein the carbon dioxide removal device further includes: 
 a housing bounding the interior chamber and having an inlet fluidly connecting the enclosure chamber with the removal device chamber and an outlet fluidly connecting the device chamber with the enclosure chamber; and    a fan connected with the housing and configured to initiate flow of a portion of the enclosure air into the inlet, through the reactive material disposed within the removal chamber, out of the outlet and back to enclosure chamber.    
   
   
       6 . The shelter system as recited in  claim 1  wherein the environment includes a vehicle having an interior chamber and the enclosure is disposed within the vehicle chamber.  
   
   
       7 . A shelter for isolating at least one person from an environment having air, the shelter comprising: 
 an enclosure formed of an air impermeable material and disposable within the environment, the enclosure being configured to define an interior chamber and being expansible from a storage configuration in which the chamber has a minimum volume to a usage configuration in which the chamber has a maximum volume, the maximum volume being of sufficient magnitude to entirely contain at least one person, the enclosure being further configured to contain a quantity of air within the chamber when disposed in the usage configuration and to at least one of substantially prevent entry of the environment air into the enclosure chamber and substantially prevent egress of enclosure air into the environment.    
   
   
       8 . The shelter as recited in  claim 7  further comprising an oxygen generator device disposed within the enclosure chamber and configured to generate oxygen and to release the oxygen into the chamber.  
   
   
       9 . The shelter as recited in  claim 7  wherein the environment includes a building having at least one room and the enclosure is disposable within the room.  
   
   
       10 . The shelter as recited in  claim 9  wherein the building includes a first room and a second room, the enclosure includes a first section disposable within the first room and defining a first chamber section and a second section connected with the first section, disposable within the second room and defining a second chamber section, the two chamber sections containing the enclosure air.  
   
   
       11 . The shelter as recited in  claim 9  wherein the room has at least one generally vertical wall and a generally horizontal ceiling and the enclosure is removably connectable with at least one of the wall and the ceiling so as to support the enclosure in the usage configuration.  
   
   
       12 . The shelter as recited in  claim 7  wherein the environment includes a vehicle having an interior chamber and the enclosure is disposed within the vehicle chamber.  
   
   
       13 . The shelter as recited in  claim 7  wherein the enclosure includes a first enclosure section disposable in a first location in the environment, the first enclosure section defining a first chamber section, and a second enclosure section disposable in a second location in the environment spaced from the first location, the two enclosure sections being connected together such that the two chamber sections provide a generally continuous enclosure chamber.  
   
   
       14 . The shelter as recited in  claim 13  wherein the two enclosure sections are removably connected together.  
   
   
       15 . The shelter as recited in  claim 7  wherein the enclosure includes at least one generally thin and flexible sheet of material formed into a bag.  
   
   
       16 . The shelter as recited in  claim 7  wherein the enclosure has a passage opening sized to permit a person to move between the environment and the enclosure chamber and a cover configured to substantially seal the opening.  
   
   
       17 . The shelter as recited in  claim 7  wherein the enclosure includes at least one sheet of a first flexible material, the first material including a layer of a metallic substance, and at least one sheet of a second flexible material, the second material being at least generally transparent so as to provide a window.  
   
   
       18 . The shelter as recited in  claim 7  wherein the enclosure is a residence enclosure and further comprising at least one decontamination enclosure connected with the residence enclosure and defining an interior chamber, the decontamination enclosure having a first opening extending between the decontamination chamber and the environment and a second opening extending between the decontamination chamber and the residence enclosure chamber.  
   
   
       19 . (canceled)  
   
   
       20 . The shelter as recited in  claim 7  further comprising means for removing carbon dioxide from the enclosure air.  
   
   
       21 . The shelter as recited in  claim 7  further comprising a frame configured to maintain the enclosure disposed in the usage configuration.  
   
   
       22 - 155 . (canceled)