Inflatable structure for covering sport utility vehicles, boats and the like

Abstract

A pneumatically inflatable structure including two adjacent pairs of bowed and criss-crossed pneumatic tubes mounted at their ends to a base wherein each of the two pairs of tubes form a frame defining a downwardly concave substantially domed enclosure, and a further vault-forming bowed pneumatic tube mounted to the base so as to be substantially vertical and sandwiched between adjacent ends of the two adjacent pairs of tubes. The two adjacent pairs of tubes and the vault-forming tube define an elongate open enclosure including the substantially domed enclosures and an inter-connected vaulted passage-way.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A pneumatically inflatable structure comprising:
 two adjacent pairs of bowed and criss-crossed pneumatic tubes mounted at their ends to a base wherein each pair of said two adjacent pairs of bowed and criss-crossed pneumatic tubes form a frame defining a downwardly concave substantially domed enclosure,   and wherein a further vault-forming bowed pneumatic tube is mounted to said base so as to be substantially vertical and sandwiched between adjacent ends of said two adjacent pairs of bowed and criss-crossed pneumatic tubes,   wherein said two adjacent pairs of bowed and criss-crossed pneumatic tubes and said vault-forming pneumatic tube define an elongate open enclosure comprising said substantially domed enclosures and an inter-connected vaulted passage-way,   and wherein at least one end of said elongate open enclosure defines a doorway whereby an elongate wheeled vehicle or elongate towable wheeled device may be driven or translated into and parked along the interior of said open enclosure.   
     
     
         2 . The structure of  claim 1  further comprising a pair of substantially domed canopies mounted to said two adjacent pairs of bowed and criss-crossed pneumatic tubes so as to substantially cover said pair of substantially domed enclosures, and a passageway canopy mounted to said pair of substantially domed canopies to substantially cover said vaulted passageway whereby said elongate open enclosure is substantially covered, and wherein said doorway is open to provide access into said elongate open enclosure. 
     
     
         3 . The structure of  claim 2  further comprising a door mounted to said canopy adjacent said doorway for selectively releasably closing said doorway. 
     
     
         4 . The structure of  claim 3  wherein said vault-forming pneumatic tube is approximately twenty-four feet long and has a substantially constant circumference along its length of approximately twenty-two inches. 
     
     
         5 . The structure of  claim 4  wherein the distance between opposite ends of said vault-forming pneumatic tube measured across said base is approximately thirteen feet. 
     
     
         6 . The structure of  claim 5  wherein said elongate open enclosure is approximately twenty feet long. 
     
     
         7 . The structure of  claim 6  wherein the height of said elongate open enclosure under said vault-forming pneumatic tube is approximately eight feet. 
     
     
         8 . The structure of  claim 1  wherein said base is a substantially planar sheet. 
     
     
         9 . The structure of  claim 8  wherein said sheet is continuous so as to cover substantially entirely all of a floor of said elongate open enclosure.