DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

[0029] Referring now in detail to the Figures, there is shown in FIG. 1 a portable toilet shelter 10 that is constructed in accordance with the present invention. Uniquely, the portable toilet shelter is hinged along each of its four corners 12 with flexible hinge strips 14. Preferably, as shown in FIG. 2, the flexible hinge strips 14 are fastened to the portable toilet shelter 10 with rivets 16, but may also be integrally fastened thereto using any other method including thermoforming or heat lamination techniques. The novel and unobvious aspects of the present invention apply not only to toilet shelters, but also apply to any other types of portable shelters. Other types of portable shelters include but are not limited to changing rooms, hand wash stations, first aid buildings, and the like.

[0030] Preferably, and as better shown in FIG. 3, the toilet shelter generally includes a base 18, a commode, tank, or toilet unit 20 mounted to the base 18, a loop enclosure 22 circumscribing the base, and a roof 24 mounted to the loop enclosure 22. The base 18 is preferably constructed of wood, such as from a standard square pallet. The base 18 also preferably includes a non-skid floor material as a sanitary top surface of the base 18. Alternatively, the base 18 can be produced from plastic or any other cost-effective material. A toilet seat 26 is mounted to the toilet unit 20 and a urinal 28 is mounted either to a portion of the loop enclosure 22 or is mounted directly to the toilet unit 20 itself. Nonetheless, the urinal 28 drains to the toilet tank 20 as is well known in the art, such as with a flexible tube. A stackpipe 20A extends upward from the toilet unit 20 and out of the roof of the toilet shelter. Such base 18 and toilet unit 20 construction is well-known in the art and is consistent with Porta-John® brand portable toilets. Alternatively, it is possible to not use the base 18 at all, or rather, use level ground as the base 18.

[0031] Circumscribing the base 18, the loop enclosure 22 is preferably constructed of a loop of walls including a front end wall 30, a back end wall 32, and left and right side walls 34 and 36 connected therebetween. The term loop is not limited herein to only circular or closed loop structures. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that each of the individual walls are preferably made of polyethylene, but can alternatively be made from wood or any other cost effective material. As is well known, the front end wall 30 includes a door 38 to permit access to the interior of the portable toilet shelter 10 through the front end wall 30. Located between the base 18 and the loop enclosure 22 at each of the four corners 12 are four angled supports 40, as also shown in FIGS. 4 and 7. The angled supports 40 are preferably fastened to the inside of the loop enclosure 22 with a hook and loop fastener material 40A, as shown in the enlarged view of FIG. 4. Accordingly, the angled supports 40 act as gussets to help rigidify the inside of the loop enclosure 22 at the corners 12 thereof. Additionally, the angled supports 40 snugly locate the base 18 within the loop enclosure 22.

[0032] FIG. 5 illustrates another aspect of the present invention wherein the toilet unit 20 includes a tank portion 42 having a lid 44 pivotably connected thereto by hinges 46. This fliptop arrangement facilitates improved waste removal from the tank portion 42 and enables storing the urinal 28 within the tank portion 42 for better transportability of the portable toilet shelter 10.

[0033] FIG. 6 illustrates a portable toilet shelter 110 according to an alternative embodiment of the present invention wherein the roof 24 and a floor 48 are hingedly connected to the loop enclosure 22 with flexible hinge strips 14. The hinged roof 24 and floor 48 facilitate assembly and disassembly, and increase the strength of the portable toilet shelter 110 by integrating the components thereof. The floor 48 also provides an improved barrier against entry by vermin such as small mice and rats that can squeeze through spaces between the base and walls of prior art structures.

[0034] As best shown between FIGS. 6 and 7, the front end wall 30 of the loop enclosure 22 further includes top and bottom longitudinal ends 30A and 30B, an inward surface 30C, and left and right vertical edges 30D and 30E. Similarly, the back end 32 wall includes top and bottom longitudinal ends 32A and 32B, an inward surface 32C and left and right vertical edges 32D and 32E. The left side wall 34 also includes top and bottom longitudinal ends 34A and 34B, an inward surface 34C, and front and rear vertical edges 34D and 34E. Finally, the right side wall 36 includes top and bottom longitudinal ends 36A and 36B, an inward surface 36C, and front and rear vertical edges 36D and 36E. As shown, the right vertical edge 30E of the front end wall 30 extends longitudinally parallel with and transversely normal to the front vertical edge 36D of the right side wall 36, and the rear vertical edge 36E of the right side wall 36 extends longitudinally parallel with and transversely normal to with the right vertical edge 32E of the back end wall 32. Similarly, the left vertical edge 32D of the back end wall 32 extends longitudinally parallel with and transversely normal to the rear vertical edge 34E of the left side wall 34, and the front vertical edge 34D of the left side wall 34 extends longitudinally parallel with and transversely normal to with the left vertical edge 30D of the front end wall 30 to establish the loop.

[0035] To close the loop, the walls 30, 32, 34, and 36 are interconnected by the flexible hinge strips 14, which are preferably composed of fabric woven from any durable and flexible material such as nylon. Alternatively, the flexible hinge strips 14 could be constructed in any other cost effective manner, such as with sheet material, wire, some types of metal hinges, or any other flexible material. It is contemplated that the loop enclosure 22 not always be fixedly closed by the flexible hinge strips 14. In other words, it is possible to have one of the flexible hinge strips 14 be easily removably attached to one of the four walls 30, 32, 34, and 36, to permit the loop enclosure 22 to be completely unfurled to a flat state. At the bottom of the loop enclosure 22, the bottom longitudinal ends 30B, 32B, 34B, and 36B of each of the walls 30, 32, 34, and 36 together define a bottom end 50 of the loop enclosure 22, circumscribe the base 18, and can be fastened to the base 18 by any well known method such as using screws, X-tree fasteners, and the like. However, when using the angled supports 40 it is not necessary to fasten the loop enclosure 22 to the base 18, since the angled supports 40 frictionally interpose the loop enclosure 22 and the base 18 to provide sufficient stability for the portable toilet shelter 10.

[0036] Likewise, the roof 24 mounts to the loop enclosure 22 either independently or hingedly to complete the portable toilet shelter 10. The top longitudinal ends 30A, 32A, 34A, and 36A of each of the walls 30, 32, 34, and 36 together define a top end 52 of the loop enclosure 22. The roof 24 is mounted to the top end 52 of the loop enclosure 22, preferably circumscribing the top end 52 as shown and being fastened with screws, X-tree fasteners, or the like. The roof 24 is a substantially square piece, preferably formed from polyethylene and includes a stackpipe vent 24A.

[0037] Disassembly and assembly of the portable toilet shelter 10 is easier than prior art structures and requires only about five minutes by an experienced service person. The portable toilet shelter 10 is more easily disassembled than the toilet shelters of the prior art. The roof 24 is removed by unscrewing or shearing off the fasteners, lifting the roof 24 off the top end 42 of the loop enclosure 22, and loading the roof 24 to a truck. Alternatively, according to the portable toilet shelter 110 of FIG. 6, the roof 24 can be pivotably lifted off the top longitudinal end 52 of the loop enclosure 22.

[0038] Then, the loop enclosure 22 is lifted away from the base 18 and is placed on its side permitting it to automatically fold flat on the ground, as depicted by FIGS. 8 and 9. As shown in FIG. 9, when the loop enclosure is placed on its side and permitted to collapse, the front and back end walls 30 and 32 fold relatively toward respective side walls 34 and 36. In other words, the walls 30, 32, 34, and 36 collapse toward one another such that the inside surface 30C of the front end wall 30 overlays one of the inside surfaces 34C or 36C of one of the side walls 34 or 36, while the inside surface 32C of the back end wall 32 overlays the other of the inside surfaces 34C or 36C of the side walls 34 or 36. Additionally and alternatively according to the collapsed portable toilet shelter 110 of FIG. 9A, the roof 24 and floor 48 can be collapsed and folded together with the loop enclosure 22.

[0039] Finally, once the loop enclosure 22 is set aside or loaded to a truck, the emptied toilet unit 20 is removed from the base 18 and loaded to a truck and the base 18 is then lifted from the ground and loaded to a truck. Accordingly, the compact collapsed loop enclosure 22 can be stacked in any convenient manner to maximize the number of units transportable by a truck. As used herein, the term overlay is synonymous with superimpose and is not limited herein to exact matching alignment of one wall over another. Rather, the term means that one wall substantially covers another with surface area misalignment permissible.

[0040] The portable toilet shelter 10 is also easier to assemble than toilet shelters of the prior art. First, the base 18 is positioned on level ground. Then the toilet unit 20 is mounted atop the base 18. Next, the loop enclosure 22 is easily opened from its collapsed condition a shown in FIG. 9 to a self-supporting condition by spreading the walls away from one another. Consequently, the side walls 34 and 36 are positioned substantially parallel to one another, the end walls 30 and 32 positioned substantially parallel to one another, and thus the side walls 34 and 36 are substantially transverse to the end walls 30 and 32. The angled supports 40 are removably fastened to the inside of corners 12 of the bottom end 50 of the loop enclosure 22 for rigidity. From this self-supporting position, the loop enclosure 22 is lifted over the toilet unit 20 and the bottom end 50 is easily aligned with the perimeter of the base 18 such that the bottom end 50 of the loop enclosure 22 circumscribes the base 18 and angled supports 40. Thus, it is not necessary to struggle with prior art bi-fold side walls, by trying to keep the bi-fold sides fully open and straight so as to align with the perimeter of the base. As such, the present invention is easier to assemble and therefore takes less time to do so. Once the loop enclosure 22 is firmly in place, the roof 24 is placed to the top end 52 of the loop enclosure 22 and is fastened thereto. Finally, the stackpipe 20A is attached to the toilet unit 20.

[0041] According to the alternative embodiment of FIGS. 6 and 9A, the portable toilet enclosure 110 is assembled first by opening the loop enclosure 22 such that the walls are substantially square to one another. The floor 48 is then flipped into place at the bottom end 50 of the loop enclosure 22. Then the angled supports 40 are removably fastened to the inside of corners 12 at the bottom end 50 of the loop enclosure 22. The base 18 is then inserted into the loop enclosure 22 through the door 38 and placed on the floor 48 inside of the angled supports 40. The toilet unit 20 is then dropped into the loop enclosure 22 either through the open top end 52 or through the door 38. The roof 24 is then flipped over into place such that it circumscribes the top end 52 of the loop enclosure 22. Finally, the stackpipe 20A is attached to the toilet unit 20.

[0042] While the present invention has been described in terms of a preferred embodiment, it is apparent that other forms could be adopted by one skilled in the art. In other words, the teachings of the present invention encompass any reasonable substitutions or equivalents of claim limitations. For example, the structure, materials, sizes, and shapes of the individual components could be modified, or substituted with other similar structure, materials, sizes, and shapes. One specific example includes using a tri-fold design, or other geometry, instead of the quad-fold design disclosed herein. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that other applications, including those outside of the portable toilet shelter industry, are possible with this invention. Accordingly, the present invention is not limited to only portable toilet shelters and the scope of the present invention is to be limited only by the following claims.