Temporary shelter

Abstract

A temporary shelter that is easy to assemble and disassemble and suitable for use in providing, for example, medical and healthcare services to patients having infectious diseases, as temporary drop-off testing facilities, and/or as emergency housing for the homeless. In one embodiment, the shelters are comprised of one or more modules, which, in turn, are comprised of a PVC pipe structure, a skin covering the structure, zipper doors, and a floor. The modules may be attached to pre-existing structures, attached to other modules to form a larger shelter, or left as a standalone shelter.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A shelter comprising:
 a plurality of modules, each module comprising
 a skin; 
 a plurality of sleeves attached to the skin, each sleeve configured to form a passage therethrough; 
 a plurality of pipes, each pipe configured to be positioned within at least one of the sleeves; 
 a plurality of connectors, each connector configured to connect two or more pipes; 
 wherein, when the pipes are positioned within the sleeves and connected by the connectors, a rigid structure is formed having a plurality of sides, including lateral sides, and providing interior space within the rigid structure, and 
 wherein a first module in the plurality of modules has at least one lateral side having a first opening configured to match a second opening in at least one lateral side of a second module in the plurality of modules. 
   
     
     
         2 . The shelter of  claim 1  wherein the at least one lateral side of the first module and the at least one lateral side of the second module are positioned such that the first and second openings form a doorway between the modules. 
     
     
         3 . The shelter of  claim 2 , wherein the at least one lateral side of the first module is secured to the at least one lateral side of the second module. 
     
     
         4 . The shelter of  claim 1  further comprising one or more pads, wherein, the one or more pads are affixed to one or more sides of at least one of the plurality of modules. 
     
     
         5 . The shelter of  claim 1  further comprising a solar panel, wherein the solar panel is affixed to the top of at least one module. 
     
     
         6 . The shelter of  claim 1 , wherein one or more of the connectors have a respective cylindrical portion having a hole therethrough. 
     
     
         7 . The shelter of  claim 6 , wherein the cylindrical portion of the one or more connectors is configured to provide a point of attachment. 
     
     
         8 . The shelter of  claim 7  further comprising a wire or cable, wherein the cylindrical portion of the one or more connectors is configured to receive the wire or cable therethrough. 
     
     
         9 . The shelter of  claim 8 , wherein the wire or cable is locked to a secure structure. 
     
     
         10 . The shelter of  claim 6  further comprising a tamper proof bolt, wherein the cylindrical portion is configured to receive the tamper proof bolt. 
     
     
         11 . The shelter of  claim 1 , wherein one or more of the pipes and/or connectors are configured to allow electric lines to be run from outside of the shelter to inside the shelter. 
     
     
         12 . The shelter of  claim 1 , wherein the skin includes a removable door and/or window. 
     
     
         13 . The shelter of  claim 1 , wherein the skin includes an opening through or to which a fan and/or HVAC unit can be connected. 
     
     
         14 . The shelter of  claim 1 , wherein the interior of the shelter is positively pressurized.