Static structures (e.g. – buildings) – Openwork; e.g. – truss – trellis – grille – screen – frame – or... – Three-dimensional space-defining
Reexamination Certificate
2000-05-04
2001-12-25
Friedman, Carl D. (Department: 3635)
Static structures (e.g., buildings)
Openwork; e.g., truss, trellis, grille, screen, frame, or...
Three-dimensional space-defining
C052S243000, C052S236300, C052S236600, C052S236700, C052S079900, C052S079100, C052S125200
Reexamination Certificate
active
06332298
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention is directed to building construction, modular buildings, portable buildings, a building module, and apparatus and methods for facilitating the correct alignment, connection, and stabilization of one building structure on another.
2. Description of Related Art
The prior art discloses a variety of structures and methods for mounting an upper structure (another building, additional story of a building, roof structure, upper deck, etc.) on a lower or base structure. In one prior art system a second story module is emplaced on a first story module and corner beams or braces and/or intermediate members are secured to each story.
As shown in
FIG. 1A
a prior art system as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,470,227 discloses structure and methods for stacking one building core on another which are interconnected and secured together with metal angle members at their corners. The angle members serve as guides and supports and hold the cores in stacked condition during shipping.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,364,206 discloses a prior art system with stackable prefabricated building units having vertical corner casings extending into corner openings of a top wall. Bolts through an angle member and the top wall join the vertical casings to the top wall. Bolts through an adjacent unit and support beams join the adjacent unit to the top wall of a lower unit. In another aspect pieces of adjacent units are welded together. In another aspect attached sheet metal panels join together a series of units.
FIG. 1B
shows a prior art two-story building on a skid with a floor and upper and lower walls which are interconnected by connection members through which extend bolts or screws into each wall. A ceiling/second story floor is supported by the lower wall. The upper wall's interior side rests on the ceiling/second story floor.
Another common prior art system is the well known use of standard ISO containers and the stacking of such containers one on top of the other. Certain of these prior art systems have a relatively large footprint in use and in transport.
SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT INVENTION
The present invention, in certain aspects discloses a portable building system and method for its transport and assembly. In certain aspects upper and lower beams or “headers” at spaced-apart ends of the building have as an integral part thereof a block in the same shape, size, and configuration as the well-known widely-used standard ISO (“International Standards Organization”) fittings blocks or corners with a plurality of lifting eyes used in the shipping and transport industries worldwide at the corners of standard ISO shipping containers.
In certain aspects these blocks are not at the corners of the beams or headers, but are incorporated within the beam or header at an intermediate location. Thus, a portable building with such blocks is not limited in dimensions to the size of the standard ISO shipping container in which the ISO fittings are at the outermost corners of the container.
In certain aspects, such portable buildings have a roof with support members having a hollow inner body and an upper exposed opening which can receive moisture and rain water from the roof. This water flows into the support, which is an integral part of the assembled building, and then from within the support to the interior of other hollow building components which channel it to a collection container and/or to the ground adjacent the building.
In certain aspects such a building is assembled by bolting the various components together without the need for welding parts together (although it is within the scope of other aspects of this invention to weld any metal parts together as desired).
In certain aspects, the floor, the walls, the headers, the beams, the components, and/or the roof (and/or any interior and/or exterior surface of the building) are coated with covering material as described below.
The present invention, in certain embodiments, discloses a multi-story building or a building with a lower structure and an upper structure wherein the first floor or lower structure has at least one wall (or upright support, pillar, pole, or beam) with at least an upper enlarged portion which is sized to receive and hold a lower portion of an upper wall (or upper beam, pillar, pole support). In one aspect the entire length of the wall of the first floor or lower structure is enlarged and the upper wall's or upper support's lower portion is bolted to and within the lower wall and/or rests on one or more steps in the lower wall.
As desired, the upper and lower walls may be further secured together with interconnecting members, ribs, panels, braces, beams, etc. The upper wall may be a wall of an upper story or a support for an upper structure such as a truss or roof. Each lower wall may have an enlarged portion along its entire length; e.g. in a square or rectangular building all four lower walls may have the upper enlarged portion and all upper walls along their entire length may fit into the enlarged portions of the lower walls.
In another aspect, the lower structure initially includes no walls, but has at least one pillar (beam, support, pole, etc.) with an enlarged open upper end which receives and holds a smaller end of an upper pillar (beam, support, pole, etc.). In one aspect the lower structure includes four such lower pillars each with an enlarged or “funnel” upper opening for facilitating the reception into the lower pillars of a lower end of each of four upper pillars. Of course, any suitable number of structures, building units, pillars, etc. may be stacked and interconnected one on top of the other.
In one aspect the lower wall or lower pillar has a top funnel or enlarged portion which is sized so that the lower end of an upper wall or upper pillar fits in it and is held therein by a friction fit, with or without the use of a stop member or members in the lower wall or pillar on which rests the lower end of the upper wall or upper pillar. Any suitable stop member or members may be used; e.g. a bolt or bolts extending into the lower structure; a plate, strip, or strips secured across the interior of the lower structure; an amount of material glued to the interior of the lower structure; a plug, hollow or solid secured in the lower structure; or a cylindrical or semi-cylindrical member secured in a cylindrical pillar. Bolts, screws, glue, or other fasteners may be used through any upper and lower structure or members herein at an area of their overlap to secure them together.
In one aspect the present invention discloses a structure as described above with a lower pillar having at least a top portion which is hollow (and which in one embodiment may be hollow along its entire length) and an upper pillar similarly hollow. A connection member (solid or hollow) that fits within both pillars is disposed with a portion in both pillars and secured to both pillars, e.g. with glue, screws and or bolts. If the pillars are cylindrical, the connection member may be cylindrical, semi-cylindrical, or some portion of a cylinder. Such a connection member facilitates correcting positioning of an upper pillar with respect to a lower pillar. In one aspect the connection member is emplaced within the upper pillar; the upper pillar is moved over the lower pillar; and the connection member is lowered so that part of it extends into the lower pillar. Alternatively the connection member is originally disposed in the lower pillar and it is raised partially so its upper end extends into the upper pillar. In one aspect one or more stops are positioned in the lower pillar to support and position the connection member. In another aspect one or more spring-loaded detents initially holds the connection member in one of the pillars and then holds it in the other. In one aspect two spaced apart detents are used, one holding the connection member to a lower pillar and one holding it to an upper member.
In one embodiment, the present invention discloses a lower pillar with an upper funnel port
Dorsey Dennis L.
Friedman Carl D.
McClung Guy
LandOfFree
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