Underground shelter

• US 3,173,387 A
• Filed: 03/21/1961
• Issued: 03/16/1965
• Est. Priority Date: 03/21/1961
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Cree Jr George Benson
• Original Assignee: Cree Jr George Benson
• Inventors: CREE JR GEORGE BENSON
• Application Number:
  US04/097,179
• Time in Patent Office: 1,456 Days
• US Class Current: 109/1.00S
• CPC Class Codes: E04H 9/12 entirely underneath the level of the ground, e.g. air-raid galleries

Claims

1. AN UNDERGROUND SHELTER COMPRISING A FIRST CHAMBER HAVING A GREATER WIDTH THAN HEIGHT AND WITHIN A UNITARY WATERPROOF SHELL BELOW THE GROUND LEVEL, EARTH ABOVE AND SURROUNDING SAID SHELL AND REACHING FROM SAID SHELL TO THE GROUND LEVEL, WHEREBY THE EARTH SURROUNDING SAID SHELL PROTECTS SAME FROM NUCLEAR RADIATION, SAID SHELL COMPRISING TWO MATCHING UNITS SUBSTANTIALLY MIRROR IMAGES OF EACH OTHER, EACH UNIT COMPRISING A NON-POROUS FLOOR, ROOF, SIDE WALL AND END WALLS JOINED TOGETHER, AND A SECOND, ENTRANCE SECTION, CHAMBER CONNECTING WITH SAID FIRST CHAMBER AND OPENING THEREINTO AND EXTENDING FROM THE LEVEL OF THE FLOOR OF SAID FIRST CHAMBER TO AN OPENNG ABOVE THE LEVEL OF THE GROUND AND A CENTRAL VERTICAL LONGITUDINAL PERIPHERAL FLANGE EXTENDING EXTERNALLY FOR THE FULL LENGTH OF THE FLOOR AND SAID ROOF, AND EXTERNALLY FOR THE FULL HEIGHT OF EACH OF SAID END WALLS, AND A FLANGE EXTENDING LATERALLY FROM THE BOTTOM OF EACH OF SAID SIDE WALLS, SAID WALLS AND ROOF HAVING RIBS U-SHAPED IN CROSSSECTION, SAID RIBS EACH EXTENDING SUBSTANTIALLY THE FULL HEIGHT OF SAID SIDE WALL, EXTENDING ONTO SAID ROOF AND RUNNING THE FULL WIDTH OF SAID ROOF AND JOINING THE LONGITUDINALLY EXTENDING FLANGE PROJECTION THEREFROM, SAID RIBS PROJECTING OUTWARDLY, SAID RIBS SPACED APART 100 TIMES THE THICKNESS OF THE WALLS AND ROOF, EACH OF SAID UNITS BEING BONDED TO THE OTHER ALONG SAID LONGITUDINALLY EXTENDING FLANGE EXTENDING THE LENGH OF SAID UNIT ON THE TOP AND BOTTOM OF SAID SHELL, SAID FLANGE PROJECTING OUTWARDLY FOR A DISTANCE THREE TIMES THE THICKNESS OF SAID RIBS, SAID SHELL SUPPORTED BY AND ATTACHED TO A FLAT HORIZONTAL CONCRETE BASE, SAID BASE EXTENDING AT LEAST THE FULL WIDTH AND LENGTH OF SAID SHELL, SAID BASE FIRMLY ATTACHED TO THE FLANGE AT THE BOTTOM OF SAID SIDE WALL FOR THE FULL LENGTH THEREOF AND CONTACTING AND SUPPORTING THE FLOOR OF SAID SHELL, SAID SHELTER ALSO COMPRISING AN ENCLOSED WATER RESERVOIR WITH ITS BOTTOM ABOVE THE FLOOR LEVEL OF SAID SHELL AND BELOW THE LEVEL OF THE GROUND, AND OUTLET DUCT FROM SAID RESERVOIR TO SAID FIRST CHAMBER, AN OUTLET CONNECTION FROM SAID OUTLET DUCT TO ABOVE SAID GROUND LEVEL, AN INLET DUCT TO SAID RESERVOIR OPERATIVELY CONNECTED TO THE TOP OF SAID RESERVOIR, SAID INLET DUCT ALSO HAVING A CONNECTION OPENING ABOVE GROUND, AND A TUBULAR CONNECTION FROM SAID INLET DUCT TO THE INTERIOR OF SAID FIRST CHAMBER.