US Patent 8689514 Expandable structure

An expandable structure formed from a single piece of material is moveable between a stowed position and an extended position. The structure has a base and a plurality of support members integral with the base that move between a stowed position and an extended position. In the stowed position, the base and the plurality of support members are essentially a two dimensional shape. A biasing force makes the structure self-erecting and moves it to the extended position. In the extended position, the expandable structure has a hollow interior and a cross-section that is bounded by a closed path.