Static structures (e.g. – buildings) – Barrier or major section mounted for in situ repositioning;... – Telescoping sub and main enclosures
Reexamination Certificate
2002-04-19
2004-08-10
Glessner, Brian E. (Department: 3635)
Static structures (e.g., buildings)
Barrier or major section mounted for in situ repositioning;...
Telescoping sub and main enclosures
C052S064000, C052S079100, C052S079500, C052S079700, C052S079900, C296S026080, C296S171000, C296S175000, C220S001500, C220S001600, C220S004030, C280S238000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06772563
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to a mobile accommodation unit in container form. The mobile accommodation unit comprises a box-shaped main box element which has a floor element and a ceiling and normally end and side walls. The main box element may have the standardized dimensions of a conventional container, though this is not necessary, and the dimensions of the main box element may be different from the standardized container dimensions. At least one secondary box element of smaller cross sectional area is provided. In a transport state, this secondary box element is retained within said main box element. This secondary box element can be pulled out of the main box element through a lateral opening of the main box element, in order to provide an accomodation unit of enlarged space and floor area for living or working.
Accommodation units in container form can be used for various purposes. Container can easily and quickly be transported to any desired location by truck, boat, rail, helicopter, airplane or other transport means. Their capacity of quickly providing rooms make the particularly adapted for emergency missions. Container can easily be used as mobile hospital with surgery facilities or as control center for catastrophe or emergency missions. They may also be used, for example, as a command center for military missions. Other applications are work rooms on construction sites, temporary classrooms or simply rooms to live in.
In order to be able to transport containers with conventional transport equipment, the containers are usually made with standardized dimensions. Often, the space available within such containers is not sufficient. It is well known, to place a plurality of such containers side-by-side or one on top of the other. It is possible to connect such containers. To this end, individual side walls of the containers may be removed. This procedure suffers from the disadvantage that a separate vehicle is required for the transport of each container. In some cases, for example if a mobile operating room or a mobile control center is to be established, a rather large, continuous floor area is required, which permits equipment to be installed easily accessible. Such floor areas are not provided by the dimensions of a standardized, mobile container. Often, such continuous floor areas cannot be obtained by modular combination of a plurality of separate containers. Firstly, errecting a construction with a plurality of containers requires quite some time. In addition, such construction will not yield a continuous floor surface of the desired size.
German patent 44 29 927 discloses a mobile accommodation unit in container form, which consists of a main box element and at least one secondary box element, which can be pulled out of the main box element on an open side thereof. A lifting device permits the secondary box element to be lowered, after it has been completely pulled out of the main box element, such that the floor of the secondary box element is lowered to the level of the floor of the main box element. Correspondingly, when retracting the secondary box element, the secondary box element has to be lifted to permit pushing it into the main box element.
A similar design is disclosed by German utility model 0 94 08 060.7. There, a lifting rail is provided, which can be extended from the main box element parallel to the secondary box element and permits the secondary box element to be lowered, in order to bring the floor of the secondary box element to the level of the floor of the main box element.
These prior art mobile accommodation units; suffer from the disadvantage that they are difficult to seal. In order to bring the floors to a common level, the secondary box element has to be removed completely from the main box element, and the the secondary box element has to be lowered as a whole. This results in rather large gaps between main box element and secondary box element. Such gap is difficult to seal. Such seal is, however, imperative, for example, for a sterile operation room. Furthermore, always the whole secondary box element has to be lifted or lowered. This necessitates an expensive an high-power lifting device. This is particularly true, if the secondary box element has heavy equipment such as an operating table fixedly installed therein.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,719,386 has an expansible caravan with a main box element and a secondary box element. The secondary box element is larger than the main box element mounted on a chassis and has no fixed floor. Thereby, the secondary box element can be pushed over the main box element, in the transport state. In the expanded state of use, the secondary box element is pulled laterally from the main box element. A floor for the secondary box element consists of two articulated halves and is folded up, in the transport state. In the state of use, the two halves are straight and close the secondary box element at the bottom.
DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the invention to provide an accommodation unit in container form of the type mentioned in the beginning which permits a continuous floor level to be established after expansion of the secondary box element.
It is another object of the invention to provide an accommodation unit in container form of the type mentioned in the beginning wherein a continuous floor level can be achieved with a minimum of expenditure of equipment or power.
Furthermore, it is an object of the invention to provide an accommodation unit in container form of the type mentioned in the beginning which can easily be sealed.
To this end, the main box element, as means for equalizing the floor levels, has a movable floor element in addition to its basic floor element and means for lifting and lowering this movable floor element.
With such an arrangement, the secondary box element need not be lowered after being pulled out of the main box element. Rather remains the floor of the secondary box element at its floor level, which is higher because the secondary box element has to be movable into the main box element. The floor levels are equalized by appropriate lifting of the movable floor element of the main box element. There is no need, as with the prior art, to completely pull the secondary box element out of the main box element, in order to permit it to be lowered. Instead it is possible to retain the main box element-side edge of the secondary box element within the main box element. This facilitates sealing.
In order to further enlarge the floor area of the mobile accommodation unit in its expanded state, one embodiment of the invention provides a second secondary box element of smaller cross sectional area than that of the first secondary box element. In the transport state, the first secondary box element is retracted into the main box element on one side thereof through a first opening, and the second secondary box element is retracted into the first secondary box element on the opposite side through a second opening of the main box element. The first secondary box element has also a movable floor element which is vertically movable relative to a basic floor element such that the floor levels of both the main box element and of the first secondary box element can be equalized with the floor level of the second secondary box element by appropriate adjustment of the heights of the movable floor elements.
Also here, the floor level of the whole accommodation unit is determined by the highest floor level. Here, this is the floor level of the smallest, second secondary box element which has to be pushed into the first secondary box element, in the transport state. The floor levels of both the main box element and of the first secondary box element are equalized wit this highest floor level by appropriate adjustment of the respective movable floor elements.
Sealing means may be provided between the main box element and each of the secondary box elements. As already explained above, this is facilitated by the fact that main box element and secondary box element reta
Fridman Lawrence G.
Glessner Brian E.
Green Christy M.
Wietmarscher Ambulanz & Sonderfahrzeug GmbH
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