U.S. patent application number 12/584582 was filed with the patent office on 2011-03-10 for load-bearing construction pod and hybrid method of construction using pods.
Invention is credited to Patrice Beaudet.
Application Number | 20110056147 12/584582 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 43646574 |
Filed Date | 2011-03-10 |
United States Patent
Application |
20110056147 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Beaudet; Patrice |
March 10, 2011 |
Load-bearing construction pod and hybrid method of construction
using pods
Abstract
Off-site load-bearing construction pod (module) that incorporate
the vertical structure to carry similar pods placed on top of it
and part of the on-site structure built around and above these
pods. Hybrid method of construction where buildings are erected by
combining standardized pods which incorporate smaller, most
labor-intensive rooms and components of the edifice to conventional
methods of construction for larger, less labor-intensive rooms and
components. The very same mass-manufactured pod that incorporates
kitchen, bathrooms, laundry room and most of the plumbing and the
electric system of a dwelling can be used to build the top floor of
a skyscraper or a single-family house.
Inventors: |
Beaudet; Patrice; (Calgary,
CA) |
Family ID: |
43646574 |
Appl. No.: |
12/584582 |
Filed: |
September 9, 2009 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
52/79.9 ;
52/79.1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
E04B 1/34869 20130101;
E04B 1/3483 20130101; E04H 1/005 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
52/79.9 ;
52/79.1 |
International
Class: |
E04H 1/02 20060101
E04H001/02; E04B 1/38 20060101 E04B001/38 |
Claims
1. A prefabricated load-bearing pod that comprise a vertical
structure, which vertical structure comprise four vertical members
in its four corners, which said structure can carry the weight of
the said pod, the weight of other similar pods place on top of it
and part of the weight of the on-site structure built around and on
top the said pods as well as the potential live load to be included
in these pods and said on-site structure.
2. A pod according to claim 1 that has a floor, a ceiling and
walls.
3. A pod according to claim 1 that can be fully finished inside and
easy to inspect and connect from the outside and that can include
bathrooms, kitchen, laundry room and utility room.
4. A vertical member according to claim 1 that has two connection
plates, one at its bottom and one at its top, each said connection
plate has at least one connection hole including one main
connection hole and the main connection holes of different pods of
the same series of pods are located at the same location. The said
connection holes are used to insert structural bolts or other
connection devices to secure a first pod to the foundations of a
building and to secure pods together one on top of the other. The
said connection plates and main connection holes also allow the
lining of the pod and the securing of the pod during
transportation.
5. A pod according to claim 1 with connection plates according to
claim 4 that can be connected on top of another pod having the
exact same structure where all the connection holes are located at
the same place in order to connect these pods using structural
bolts or other connection device; or that same pod can be connected
to another pod having a stronger structure, larger connection
plates having more connection holes because the lower connection
plate of the said pod would be fully supported by the larger top
connection plate of the pod beneath and the top connection plate of
the pod beneath, even if it has more connection holes, has matching
connection holes with smaller connection plates of the pods of the
same series.
6. Each pair of vertical members according to claim 1 is join
together by at least one cross member.
7. A vertical member according to claim 1, a connection plate
according to claim 4 and a cross member according to claim 6 that
are made of hot-rolled steel and welded together.
8. A floor according to claim 2 which structure is made of
cold-formed steel or other material and is connected using screws,
tracks, L-shaped brackets, bolts or other connection device to the
cross members according to claim 6 and to the vertical structure
according to claim 1.
9. A ceiling and walls according to claim 2 which structure is made
of cold-formed steel or other material.
10. An hybrid method of construction where pods according to claims
1 become part of the structure of the building, the said pods are
combined to on-site construction so that floor joists and the
ceiling trusses built outside the pod can be attached to one or two
pods. The said structure built outside the pod is attached to the
vertical members according to claim 1 and to the cross members
according to claim 6.
11. A chassis trailer or semi-trailer to carry the pod according to
claims 1 that has four connection holes located at the same
locations than the pods' main connection holes according to claim
4, in order to secure the said pod to the chassis trailer from the
said pod four bottom connection plates according to claim 4 using
structural bolts or other connection device.
12. A pod according to claims 1 and 4 that can be built directly on
the chassis trailer or semi-trailer according to claim 11.
13. A lifting device that permits to crane up the pods according to
claims 1 and 4, that has four connection holes located at the same
locations than the said pods' top main connection holes according
to claim 4; in order to attached the pod at its four top corners
using bolts or other connection devices inserted at the same
location where the upper pod is to be connected.
14. A lifting device according to claim 13 with many hooking holes
located at and around its center in order to lift a pod according
to claims 1 and 4 from its center of gravity, which center of
gravity can vary depending on the configuration of the said pod and
the options it carries, using one crane with one hook while keeping
the said pod leveled until it reaches its permanent location.
Description
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
TABLE-US-00001 [0001] U.S. PATENT DOCUMENTS 3,952,465 April 1976
Masiello 52/73 3,990,193 November 1976 Ray et al 52/79 4,050,215
September 1977 Fisher 52/79.3 4,083,154 October 1978 Klink 52/79.9
4,118,905 October 1978 Shelly 52/79.2 4,136,492 January 1979
Willingham 52/79.7 4,135,833 February 1979 Townend 52/745 4,194,339
March 1980 Fisher 52/745 4,485,608 December 1984 Kaufman 52/745
4,512,120 April 1985 Lindal 52/79.1 4,599,829 July 1986 DiMartino,
Sr 52/79 4,891,919 January 1990 Palibroda 52/79.5 5,447,000
September 1995 Larsen 52/79.1 5,706,614 January 1998 Wiley 52/79.1
6,493,996 December 2002 Alexander et al 52/79.9 6,625,937 B1
September 2003 Parker et al 52/79.7 6,826,879 B1 December 2004
Allen et al 52/236.3 FOREIGN PATENT DOCUMENT WO 2009/005449 January
2009 E04B 1/348
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] 1. Field of the Invention
[0003] The present invention relates generally to building
construction. The present invention relates to a construction
method combining conventional methods of construction and
prefabricated, mass-manufactured load-bearing pods (modules).
[0004] 2. Prior Art
[0005] Many patents have been granted for prefabricated or
industrialized modular buildings. The simplest form of
prefabricated building would be a small self-contained building; an
example of such building is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,485,608. A
steel shipping container can be transformed into a small building
as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,706,614. Then there are modular
buildings where two or more modules are joined together to form a
single story building, examples of such buildings are disclosed in
U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,083,154, and 4,512,120. There are also larger
modular buildings where many modules are attached together both
vertically and horizontally; examples of such buildings are
disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,952,465, 3,990,193, 4,599,829,
6,625,937 B1, and 6,826,879 B1. The above buildings all have in
common that the square footage of the building is simply the sum of
the square footage of all its components and are therefore very
expensive to transport.
[0006] To reduce transportation costs, U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,447,000 and
4,891,919 disclose a containerized prefabricated building kits, the
shipping container module becomes part of the building, the rest of
the building being made of panels that fit inside the container for
transportation purposes. These two patents relate to small
buildings (single or double family buildings) where the square
footage of a building is slightly larger than the combine size of
the container that has to be transported.
[0007] There are many industrialized modular construction systems
to build the shell of the building using very elaborate mechanism
to fasten the precast modules together, and a lot of specialized
work is needed to build everything inside the empty shell, like
bathrooms, kitchens, outdoor walls and windows, plumbing, heating
system, electricity and so on. Examples of such buildings are
disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,050,215, 4,118,905, 4,136,492,
4,135,833, 4,194,339 and 6,493,996.
[0008] Finally, WO 2009/005449 discloses a building system where
bathroom modules are integrated into a shaft on top of one another,
the rest of the building being erected using factory pre-fitted
panels and pillars.
[0009] All of the above methods use a specific technique and
specific modules, panels or other components to erect the whole
building. There is a need for a method construction that combines
the advantages of modular off-site construction to the advantages
of on-site construction. There is a need for a method of
construction that integrates the same standardized
mass-manufactured key components into custom made buildings of all
shapes and heights.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0010] The present invention substantially reduces the cost of
construction, drastically improves quality and considerably reduces
construction time by having the most repetitive and labor intensive
parts of the building being incorporated into factory-made
standardized pods (modules); thus having specialized construction
site work replaced by more productive factory work while making
construction simpler for both the conception and erection of the
building.
[0011] The pods of the present invention are fully finished inside
and easy to inspect and connect from the outside. Pods can include
the bathrooms, the kitchens, the utility rooms, most of the
plumbing system, the electric panels and most of the wiring and
electrical receptacle outlets. Many of the smaller rooms can be
integrated into a pod while larger rooms are being located outside
pods. Transportation costs are reasonable because the pods can
easily be the standard size of a trailer or semi-trailer as in the
preferred embodiment or the size of a shipping container. Pods can
be manufactured in a controlled environment where labor is largely
available and inexpensive and the building can be erected where
labor is expensive and scarce and where weather conditions can be
harsh.
[0012] In the preferred embodiment, the structure of the pod is
made of steel; it can also be made of wood, concrete or other
material. The rest of the building being constructed using almost
any other construction method or materials, in the preferred
embodiment, the rest of the building is built using steel.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS
[0013] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the main structure of the
pod.
[0014] FIG. 2 is a partial enlarged perspective view showing
different sizes of columns that can be connected together.
[0015] FIG. 3 is a perspective view, similar to FIG. 1 where the
structure of the floor has been added.
[0016] FIG. 4 is a perspective view similar to FIG. 3 where the
walls and the ceiling have been added.
[0017] FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a stack of four pods.
[0018] FIG. 6 is a floor plan view of the preferred embodiment.
[0019] FIG. 7 is a top plan view of a chassis semi-trailer used to
transport pods.
[0020] FIG. 8 is a floor plan view of single family house built
using one pod.
[0021] FIG. 9 is a partial plan view of a floor of a multi-family
residential building using multiple pods.
[0022] FIG. 10 is a floor plan view of four pods and the structure
of the floor attached to these four pods.
[0023] FIG. 11 is a perspective view of eight pods and the
structure of the floor attached to the main structure of the four
upper pods, the pods are shown unfinished for clarity.
[0024] FIG. 12 is a front elevational view of a building being
erected using pods of the present invention.
[0025] FIG. 13 is an enlarged partial side view of two pods
attached together with a structural holt and a nut.
[0026] FIG. 14 is an enlarged partial side view of a pod secured to
a chassis semi-trailer by a structural bolt and a nut.
[0027] FIG. 15 is an enlarged partial side view a pod attached to
the lilting device using a structural bolt and a nut.
[0028] FIG. 16 is a top plan view of the lifting device.
[0029] FIG. 17 is an enlarged plan view of one of the steel plate
that carries the load of the lifting device.
[0030] FIG. 18 is a side plan view of the lifting device.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0031] The present invention permits the construction of custom
made buildings of all sizes, made using diversified materials and
styles while using off-site standardized construction pods that
integrate the most labour-intensive components of the edifice and a
significant part of the structure of that edifice. One pod can be
used to build a small building like a single-family house (see FIG.
8), or many similar pods can be stacked on top of one another to
erect a multi-story building.
[0032] Pods can be connected on top of one another; the pod located
on top of another pod can have a similar structure or a lighter
structure since it has to carry a lighter load. FIGS. 1 and 2 show
the main structure of the pods which is made of hot rolled steel.
The pod has four columns (elements 1 to 1c), one in each corners,
the size of the columns varies depending on how many floors it has
to carry. In the preferred embodiment the column are made of steel
tubing that can go for example from a small 150 millimeters by 75
millimeters by 6 millimeters thick (6 inches by 3 inches by 1/4
inch thick) (element 1) for pods that can carry the weight of up to
live floors to a 200 millimeters by 200 millimeters by 16
millimeters thick (8 inches by 8 inches by 5/8 inch) (element 1c)
for pods located at the lower floors of a forty-story building.
[0033] Each column has two connection plates (element 2 to 2g in
FIG. 2), one at each end, each of these connection plates has at
least one connection hole including one main connection hole
(elements 6 to 6g), the main connection holes of different pods are
all located at the same location even if pods located at the lower
levels of a building with a larger structure have more connection
holes to insert more structural bolts. Pods with the same size of
columns can be connected together and as presented on FIGS. 5, 11,
12 and 13 because all of the connection hole of their lop
connection plates and their bottom connection plates are located at
the same place; different sizes of columns can also be connected
together because even if the larger column has more connection
holes in its connection plates, it has connection holes at the same
location than the smaller column in order to connect these pods
together using structural bolts or other connection device, for
example the top column (elements 1) in FIG. 2 can be connected to
larger columns (elements 1a, 1b or 1c), even though it has only one
connection hole per connection plate, its lower connection hole
(element 6a) matches the main connection hole of the top connection
plate of all of the columns below (elements 6h, 6d and 6f). A
connection plate is always fully supported by the identical or the
larger connection plate of the pod beneath.
[0034] As presented in FIGS. 1, 3, 4, 5 and 11, every two columns
are attached together by a cross member (element 3) made of steel
tubing in the preferred embodiment, these components as well as the
connection plates are welded together. The rest of the structure of
the building is made of cold-formed steel, in FIG. 3, cold-formed
steel floor joists (elements 4) are attached to the cross members
(element 3) using common end tracks, L-shaped brackets and
self-drilling screws (not show), bolts or other connection device
can also be used. As presented in FIGS. 4, 5, 6 and 12, the rest of
the building is built using steel studs, for both the walls
(elements 5) and the ceiling (element 5a), these studs are also
connected together using common end tracks, L-shaped brackets and
self-drilling screws (not show) or other connection device.
[0035] Pods can be used to make the restrooms (toilets) and
mechanical rooms of an office tower, an industrial building, a
restaurant, a mall or a government building, pods can also be used
for the bathrooms of a hotel, a hospital or a student or retirement
residence. In the preferred embodiment as presented in FIG. 6, pods
are used for residential purposes and include one kitchen (elements
7-7d), one laundry room (element 8-8d), and two bathrooms (elements
9-9i), the very same pod can be used to built a single family house
(FIG. 8) or can be combine to similar pods to make a multi-family
building including a 40-story high-rise. A partial plan view of a
floor of a multi-family residential building using multiple pods is
presented in FIG. 9. In a different embodiment not shown here, a
large house can be built using 2 or more pods.
[0036] The structure of the floors built between pods can be
attached to the main structure of the pods as shown in FIGS. 10 and
11. In the preferred embodiment the structure built outside the
pods is made of cold-formed steel joists and tracks. Primary
cold-formed steel tracks (elements 11) are attached to the outside
of the cross members of two pods (elements 3 in drawings 1, 3, 4
and 5) using self-drilling screws, bolts, rivets or other fastener;
primary cold-formed steel tracks (elements 11) are backed by
secondary cold-formed steel tracks (elements 11a) where primary
cold-formed steel tracks (elements 11) are not hacked by the main
structure of the pod, secondary cold-formed steel tracks (elements
11a) are attached to primary steel track using self-drilling screws
and are attached to the pods' columns (elements 1 to 1c) at each
end using L-shaped brackets and self-drilling screws, bolts, rivets
or other fasteners. Floor joists (elements 12 and 12a) are attached
to these tracks using L-shaped brackets and self-drilling
screws.
[0037] The pods of the present invention have a very strong
structure that improve the structural integrity of a building,
however, until these pods are placed on well leveled foundations or
on top of similar pods, they are vulnerable to deformation that can
cause cracks in tiles, stone counter tops, plaster panels
(drywall), cement boards and joints. It is important that the four
columns of the pod being aligned at all time to avoid these
problems and that is why this method of construction could only be
possible with custom-made trailers or semi-trailers and the lifting
device that is part of the present invention.
[0038] A pod can be built directly on a chassis semi-trailer
(element 10 in FIGS. 7 and 12) or trailer (element 10a in FIG. 12);
it can be built on a production line and be moved to the different
stages of the production process on that very same chassis trailer
or semi-trailer that will transport that pod to the construction
site. Pods are secured to chassis trailers or semi-trailer at each
corner with a structural bolt (element 15 in FIG. 14) and a nut
(element 16 in FIG. 15) or other connection device, custom-made
chassis trailer or semi-trailers have four main connection holes
(elements 611 in FIG. 7) which fit with the four main connection
holes of the lower connection plates of the pod (elements 6a, 6c,
6e, or 6g). In the preferred embodiment, as shown in FIG. 12 one
chassis trailer (element 10a) and one chassis semi-trailer (element
10) can be pulled by a truck to deliver two pods at a time.
[0039] The moment where the pod is the most vulnerable for
deformation is during lifting, because there is nothing to support
the pod underneath. Pods are lifted from the chassis trailer to
their permanent location on the construction site using a crane
(element 13 in FIG. 12) and the lifting device (element 14 in FIGS.
12, 15, 16 and 17) that is not only part of the present invention
but one of its most important parts. The lifting device of the
present invention permits the lifting of the pod from the top of
its (bur columns in a leveled position.
[0040] The lifting device is placed on top of the pod, the
connection holes of the lifting device (elements 6i on FIGS. 16 and
17) being aligned with the main connection holes of the top
connection plates of the pod (elements 6, 6h, 6d or 6f) and one
structural bolt (element 15 in FIG. 15) and nut (element 16 in FIG.
15) or other connection device is being used to secure each corner.
In the preferred embodiment the bolts used to connect the pods
together or to the lifting device or to the trailer or semi-trailer
are 2.5 centimeters (1 inch) high-strength structural bolts.
[0041] The main structure of the lifting device is made of two
steel I-beams (elements 17 in FIGS. 16, 17 and 18) and two end
members (elements 18 in FIGS. 16 and 17) made of steel tubes as
well as lateral support made of smaller steel tubes (elements 20,
21 and 21a) all welded together, the connection holes (elements 6i)
are drilled directly into the end members. There are many hooking
steel plates (elements 19 in FIG. 16-18) at and around the middle
of the lifting device, welded between the two long I-beams. The
many hooking plates, seven in the preferred embodiment, have many
hooking holes (elements 22 in FIG. 18), seven in the preferred
embodiment, so in the preferred embodiment, there are 49 hooking
hole to choose from to make sure the pod is lifted leveled with a
single hook (element 23) from its center of gravity that can vary
depending on the configuration of the pod and the options it
carries.
[0042] Finally, the hybrid method of construction of the present
invention makes the conception of the building easier which brings
additional savings. The architect and the draftsperson do not have
to draw the repetitive details of the elements included in the
pods, they just have to ad each pod as a block in the drawings and
still they can create buildings of all sizes and shapes and spend
more time being creative.
* * * * *