Static structures (e.g. – buildings) – Barrier or major section mounted for in situ repositioning;... – Barrier of hingedly connected sections
Patent
1997-09-18
1999-05-18
Canfield, Robert
Static structures (e.g., buildings)
Barrier or major section mounted for in situ repositioning;...
Barrier of hingedly connected sections
52 65, 52 795, E04B1/344
Patent
active
059040050
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
This invention relates to modular structure, particularly to modular buildings. The invention is particularly concerned with modular buildings comprising walls, floor and roof, with the walls being based upon a foldable frame structure.
In DE-A-2620689 there is described a transportable building which consists of a three-dimensional central cabin to which are connected pivotable wall and roof sections. When these are folded up to the central cabin one has a unit which resembles a container for transportation.
In GB-A-2172915 there is described a foldable building structure, such as a shed or lean-to. The structure is collapsible and is intended to be mounted against a wall.
In the design of modular buildings it is important that they should be capable of being easily and quickly assembled, that the structures should be simple in order to aid assembly and dismantling, and that they should be versatile so that a variety of different building layouts can be constructed with as small a number as possible of basic components. It is also important that the components of the structure should be sealed to prevent the ingress of water.
It is one object of the present invention to provide a modular structure, especially for use as a building, in which these objects are achieved and where one basic modular unit can be used as a key component of a variety of different structures.
It is another object of the invention to provide a building module which can be transformed in minutes from a flat pack to an erected, rigid structure without the need for special tools, skilled labour or cranes. The structure can equally easily be dismantled to a flat pack for transportation, redeployment or storage.
In accordance with the invention there is provided a modular unit for a building, comprising a central body and four walls pivotable relative to the central body and arranged in pairs on each side of the central body, characterised in that the central body comprises linear structural members connected together to define an open-centered frame, and the walls and frame together give an I-shaped configuration with at least one pair of the opposing pairs of walls being foldable towards the frame to make a unit of configuration.
Preferably, both pairs of opposing walls are foldable towards the central frame so that the unit is substantially flat for transportation and/or storage.
In a preferred embodiment, the outer vertical edges of the walls are provided with connector means to enable wall-to-wall connections to be made with an adjacent modular unit or units.
The foldable nature of the modules means that substantial savings can be achieved in terms of transport and necessary personnel for deployment or retrieval, as compared with conventional temporary portable structures.
With conventional portable structures what you see is what you get. With the modular structures of the present invention they are easily adaptable to create additional space as needed. This can be achieved by the addition of extra modules and movement of internal partitions.
The modular units of the present invention can be "fitted out" through the opposing pairs of foldable walls, i.e. openable end panels. This is particularly advantageous where large items are concerned and where one would normally have to dismantle the item for access through doorways.
It is a further advantage of the invention that wall panels, for example if damaged, can readily be replaced and without the need to dismantle the whole structure.
The modular building units of the present invention find widespread application. They can be used inside buildings or outside, for office, light industrial, military and residential purposes. Examples include use as waiting rooms, canteens, dormitories, hospitals, stores, clinics, security posts and barracks.
Preferably, sealing means are provided between the component parts of the modular building structure, for example between frames and panels and between individual panels.
In order that the invention may be more fully understood, a number of embod
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patent: 2886856 (1959-05-01), Che
patent: 3866365 (1975-02-01), Honigman
patent: 4633626 (1987-01-01), Freeman et al.
patent: 4726158 (1988-02-01), Fagnoni
patent: 4741133 (1988-05-01), Kutzner
Dyer David Charles
Lawler Nicholas Anthony
Canfield Robert
Kudos 2000 Limited
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