Assembly Of Collapsed Buildings For Shipping

Abstract

A building made up of a plurality of sections at least one of which is collapsible for shipping and of which preferably all may be collapsed if desired or one or more may be shipped erect and filled with equipment. The roof is provided with a depending skirt, which in a collapsed condition either overlies the floor or cooperates with an additional skirt member which extends between the floor and the roof skirt to exclude water from the shipping package. When the building is erected, the roof skirt extends down over the joint between the roof and walls to form a seal there between. The skirt is of thin material which pulls into an out-of-the-way position over the interior walls which interior walls support the roof. Electrical outlets are provided in the walls with pigtails, which are exposed at the upper end of the walls through an access panel. A breaker box is provided in the ceiling and the wires run from the breaker box to the perimeter of each roof section and thence down through the top plates of the walls where they are connected to the pigtails running from the wall outlets.

Description

This invention relates to buildings and more particularly to portable collapsible buildings which may be collapsed during shipment and easily erected into finished form with a minimum amount of assembly.

Portable buildings in which single piece roofs and walls are designed to be collapsed for shipping and readily erected into a finished product are well known. (See Bigelow U.S. Pat. No. Re. 25,827.) While these buildings have been arranged and used together in various manners, they have essentially been individual buildings positioned together with suitable access between buildings. Prewired buildings of the type shown in the Bigelow Patent where the walls are completed, conventionally employ surface mounted and exposed electrical receptacles and wiring on the walls which is undesirable. The method taught therein permits production line manufacturing of prefabricated housing where wiring is concealed in the walls and ceiling and may be readily joined together with relatively semi-skilled labor.

It is an object of this invention to provide a portable building which is moved in sections, at least some of which are designed to be collapsed for shipping, and which may be easily erected into a single unitary building with common walls between adjacent sections.

Another object is to provide a portable building which is constructed of several sections, at least some of which are adapted to be collapsed for shipping, in which the wiring of the building is totally concealed, giving the appearance of a home fabricated on the site; and in which the building is prewired before shipping.

Another object is to provide a building composed of sections in which some sections may be collapsed for shipping; and in which the skirt depends from the roof and may engage with the floor or with a disposable piece which depends to the floor to protect the interior of the package during shipping; and in which the skirt corporates with the outer wall of the building to provide a seal between the roof and wall; and in which the skirt may be moved to an out-of-the-way position over interior walls where it will not interfere with support of roof sections by interior walls.

Another object is to provide a concealed lifting eye for a roof.

Other objects, features, and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the drawings, the specification, and the claims.

In the drawings wherein an illustrative embodiment of this invention is shown and wherein like reference numerals indicate like parts;

FIG. 1 is an isometric view of four building sections with one section in erected condition and the remaining sections in collapsed condition for shipping, illustrating the manner in which the collapsed sections may be stacked, one upon the other;

FIG. 2 is an isometric view of the building when completely erected;

FIG. 3 is a cross sectional view through a portion of the building illustrating the manner in which the building is wired and the manner in which building sections are connected together;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary sectional view through an interior wall supporting adjacent roof sections illustrating the manner in which the wiring is handled for electrical outlets on interior walls;

FIG. 5 is a top plan view of the roof of the building with the top sheathing removed to expose the ceiling and with interior walls shown in dashed lines and illustrating the manner in which the roof sections are prewired;

FIG. 6 is an elevational view of an exterior wall of the building with the internal wall covering removed;

FIG. 7 is a view on an enlarged scale of a fragment of the building showing the manner in which end walls of the building sections are tied together and the manner in which the roof sections are tied together and a seal provided between adjacent roof sections;

FIG. 8 is a fragmentary view in sections through a collapsed building section illustrating the manner in which the building is sealed against entry of water during shipping; and

FIG. 9 is a fragmentary isometric view of a section of a roof to be positioned over an interior wall showing the suspension strap for attachment to a lifting cable.

Referring first to FIGS. 1 and 2, the building is shown in erected form in FIG. 2 to comprise the four sections 11, 12, 13, and 14. If desired, a carport 10 may be added.

The building may be shipped completely equipped with kitchen, bath, and laundry facilities, as well as furniture if desired. In this event, one section 14 would normally be shipped in erected form and all of the furniture would be packed therein. Preferably all utilities are preinstalled at the factory in this section 14. The section 14 may be fully erected with an outside wall from one of the other sections, but it is preferred that the wall indicated generally at 15 be a temporary wall for shipping purposes. The temporary wall might be provided by any desired construction, such as a continuous sheet of plastic material overlaid with sections of plywood 15a. In this manner, the necessity of dismantling one side wall is avoided.

The remaining sections are shipped knocked down as shown in FIG. 1. Sections 12 and 13 are shown in stacked relationship, one upon the other. Section 11 is shown ready to be stacked on section 13. During shipping, section 11 would be supported on the stacking racks 16 of section 13 in the manner taught by the aforesaid Bigelow patent. These stacking racks would be temporarily supported on the skid and would be removed during erection of the building.

The plan of the building is shown in FIG. 5. The areas 16, 17, and 18 are open to each other and provide a living room. The areas 19, 20, and 21 are three bedrooms. In area 22, the kitchen is provided. Area 23 is the utility room and areas 24 and 25 are two baths. It will be noted that the bath 25 is associated with bedroom 21 to give a private bath for one bedroom.

FIG. 5 also illustrates the manner in which the wiring for the building is handled in the roof sections. Referring to section 14, the main line power line for the building enters through box 26 and a lead to the other building sections is provided in conduit 27 which passes through junction boxes 28, 29, and 30 on the building sections 13, 12, and 11, respectively. A similar junction box 31 is provided on building 14 and from this box conduit 32 connects to the breaker box A in the ceiling of building 14. Like breaker boxes B, C, and D are provided in the other sections. In accordance with this invention, all wiring for each building section as exemplified by building 14 is provided by conduit extending from the breaker boxes. These conduits extend to the perimeter of the roof at desired points as exemplified by conduit 33 and to points for connection with interior walls as exemplified by wire 34. The conduits extend downwardly from the ceiling and terminate shortly therebelow as will be apparent from FIGS. 3 and 4 where the wires in the conduits are connected to wires in the walls of the building. Thus, for instance, in FIG. 3 the wall receptacle 35 has its pair of leads in a common conduit 37 extending upwardly to a position indicated generally at 38 just below the roof. The conduit 33 extends downwardly through the ceiling 34 of the roof and the top plate 36 of the wall. As shown in FIG. 3, the two wires within the conduit 37 are electrically connected to the two wires within the conduit 33.

The construction of the building and the manner in which the building sections are ties together is exemplified in FIG. 3. The building sections are supported on skids made up of suitable longitudinal I beams 39 and 40 which are tied together at spaced points with suitable cross beams. A metal pan 41 is laid over the skid, and floor sills 42, 43, and 44 are secured together and suitably attached to the skid. A base floor covering, preferably of plywood, 45 is laid over the floor sills and the base floor covering is itself covered with a suitable material, such as linoleum 46.

By reference to FIGS. 3 and 6, it will be seen that each exterior wall includes studs 47, top plate 36, and lower plate 48. An inner covering, such as plywood 49, covers the inside of the wall. In areas in which electrical connections are to be made between conduits in the roof and in the wall, the inner wall covering 49 will terminate short of the top plate, preferably at a horizontal stringer 51 as shown in FIG. 3. The remaining inner wall covering is provided by a removable panel 52 which is nailed in place after the electrical connections have been completed.

The exterior wall covering is provided preferably by plywood 53 having bonded to the exterior thereof an impervious covering such as an aluminum 54. This aluminum preferably has a bonded coating of paint thereon. It will be noted that the exterior covering 53-54 extends downwardly below the bottom plate 48. Preferably, it extends to the bottom of sill 44 to provide a water-tight covering over the juncture between the wall and floor and to conceal the floor sill. The same construction is followed on all of the peripheral walls.

The construction of the interior walls are shown in FIGS. 3 and 4. The interior wall consists of an upper plate 55 and a lower plate 56 covered with suitable material such as plywood 57, preferably up to the level of the stringers 51. Where no electrical connections are to be made in a particular wall, the covering 57 may be extended up to the top plate if desired. In the interest of conformity, it is preferred that the portion of the wall above the stringers 51 be covered with the removable panel 52, which may be the same throughout the building. It is pointed out that the panel 52 would also cover the access hole on the exterior wall. In FIG. 4, an interior wall having an electrical conduit 58 therein is shown, and the removable panel 52 gives access to secure the wires in the conduit 58 to like wires in the conduit 59 extending down from the ceiling.

It might be noted that the top plate 55 has a hole 61 cut approximately in its center to underlie the space between the edges of contiguous roof sections. A notch 62 is cut in the lower edge of the longitudinal rafter 63 which may for instance be a 2-by-12. The notch also extends down through the ceiling board 76 as shown at 64. Thus, the conduit 59 may turn about a relatively gentle radius and extend downwardly in the space between adjacent roof sections. While the roof sections are shown to be very close together, it will be understood that the conduit is disproportionately large in the drawings and there is room enough for the conduit to extend downwardly between two adjacent roof sections and into the interior wall. By contrast, it will be noted from FIG. 3 that the conduit for the exterior walls extends downwardly through the ceiling 34 at a point slightly inboard from the longitudinal rafter 65 and through the hole 66c in the top plate.

One or more of the building sections will be shipped in collapsed position, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 8. As shown in FIG. 8, the walls indicated generally at 67 and 68 are stacked on the floor indicated generally at 69. A plurality of spacers 71 are laid on the uppermost wall in a position not to interfere with the conduits depending from the roof section. The roof is then set down on these spacers with the conduits, such as shown at 72, turnedin and lying on top of the uppermost wall between the spacers. These spacers may be short sections of 1-by-2 lumber covered with paper to avoid marring the finish on the walls and ceiling. It will be noted that the skirt 66 terminates above the floor. In order to protect the shipping package, a piece of plywood 73 is secured in position and extends from the floor upwardly to a position underlying the skirt 66. The skirt may then be temporarily secured to the piece of plywood 73, and there results a shipping package which will exclude the elements from the interior of the package. In those instances where it is desired to ship all of the walls in two of the collapsed sections, the third section may be made up merely of the floor and ceiling, and in this instance the skirt 66 would cooperate with the floor to exclude weather from the interior of the shipping package.

At the site the roof is lifted from the shipping package and the several walls stood up and secured in upright position, as shown in FIG. 3. Where one of the packages is shipped with the equipment installed, the temporary wall 51 will be removed and the next skid and floor may be positioned immediately adjacent to the erected section. Preferably a foundation not shown is provided upon which the several building sections are erected. The additional sections may be erected one at a time, or they may be erected with the exception of the roof until all are erected and then the several roof sections placed in position. In either event, the skirt 66 on the outer peripheral of the building will extend down over the peripheral wall, as shown in FIG. 3, to provide a weather-tight seal. Where roofs butt each other, the skirt 66a is turned upwardly, as shown in FIG. 3, to a position where it will not interfere with the roof resting upon the interior wall. Lag bolts, such as shown at 74, will tie the upper plate of the walls to the longitudinal rafter 65 of the roof structure, as shown in FIG. 3, to hold the roof in position.

It will be noted from FIG. 5 that at the juncture of each pair of sections of the building at least a short stub wall, such as shown at 66b, is employed at the peripheral of the building to support the roof at its corners and to provide a means for securing two sections of the building together as will appear hereinafter.

The roof is made up of the longitudinal rafters 65 and cross members 75, extending therebetween together with ceiling board 76 applied to the underside of the roof, and a top board 77 applied to the upper side of the rafters. An impervious covering 78 is applied over the top board. When the roof is set in position on the walls, the ceiling board 76 rests upon the walls.

From FIG. 3 it will be noted that the skirt 66 extends upwardly to a position where it underlies the top impervious covering 78. This covering 78 may be aluminum having suitable paint bonded thereto. It will be appreciated that the covering 78 provides a water-tight structure for each roof section.

In order to tie the roof sections together, wooden members 75 preferably extend the length of each side of each roof. Thus, when two roof sections are positioned side by side, the members 75 will lie parallel to each other. A length of plywood 76 is then placed over the members 75 and nailed into position to secure the two roof sections together. Preferably, suitable calking material is placed between the aluminum skin 78 over the roof and the member 75 before the members 75 are fastened into place on the roof. An inverted channel shaped section of impervious material 79, preferably aluminum having a suitable paint bonded thereto, is then placed over the plywood 76 and nailed in place with nails passing through the legs of the channel shaped member into the elongated members 75. Suitable sealing means such as calking material 81 is positioned between the channel shaped member 79 and the roof cover 78 to seal therebetween. At the ends of the roof the legs of the channel are cut away and the web 79a is turned down and nailed into position, as shown in FIG. 7.

The peripheral walls of the building are secured together by fastening a metal strap 82 to each peripheral wall at spaced vertical points opposite an interior wall. A lag bolt 83 is then extended through a hole in the strap 82 into the adjacent stud in the interior wall to thus provide for securing of the peripheral walls to the interior walls at the juncture between adjacent building sections. A strip of material 84, which is the same as the material providing the outer skin 54 of the building, is then placed in position to overlie the joint between adjacent buildings and cover the strap 82. After the material 84 has been placed into position, the channel 79 has its end portion 79a turned down and nailed into position, as shown in FIG. 7.

With buildings having roof sections of considerable length, it is desirable in lifting the roof section to attach to the roof section at points along its length. On the peripheral of the roof this presents little problem as a bolt 85 (FIG. 3) may be carried in the rafter 65 and a strap 86 having an eye 87 therein may be provided to which a hook can be attached. After the building is erected, the bolt 85 may be removed and the hole filled with calking compound. However, this type of arrangement cannot be used where roof sections are adjacent to each other, as there is no access to a bolt such as 85. In FIG. 9, there is shown a construction of a strap which may be raised for lifting, and after the roof is in place may be lowered into an out-of-the-way position. The rafter 65 has a notch 88 cut in its lower face. A J-shaped strap 89 is provided with the hook on the J-being shown in dashed lines at 89a to extend into the notch and when the strap is raised to hook about the downwardly facing surface of the notch 88 and extend upwardly about the inside of the rafter 65 so that the strap cannot disengage from the rafter. The strap has a slot 91 therein, and a pair of nails or bolts 92 are provided to extend through the slot and hold the strap in place. A suitable eye 93 is provided at the upper extremity of the strap to which a lifting hook can be attached. The strap is shown in its operative position in FIG. 9. It will be appreciated that after the roof is in position, the strap is pushed downwardly and at this time the upper end of the strap will be down to at least the level of the upper surface of the wooden members 75 on the top of the roof so that the strap will not interfere with the placement of the sheet of plywood 76 thereover.

The foregoing disclosure and description of the invention are illustrative and explanatory thereof and various changes in the size, shape and materials, as well as in the details of the illustrated construction, may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention.

Claims

What is claimed is:

1. A portable building package comprising a plurality of sections, at least some of which sections are adapted to be shipped in a collapsed condition and erected at the building site, wherein at least one of said sections when erected comprises:

a skid;

a floor attached to said skid;

a plurality of walls secured to said floor, at least one of said walls comprising,

spaced vertical studs,

a top plate attached to said studs,

covering attached to said studs on opposite sides thereof, said covering on at least one side terminating short of said top plate to provide an opening,

holes through said top plate, and

a removable means attached to said studs for covering said opening;

electrical outlets secured to said walls with wires extending up to the area adjacent said top plate;

a roof attached to and supported by said top plates on said walls;

at least one breaker box secured in said roof with wires extending therefrom to points adjacent the perimeter of the roof and hanging down therefrom and extending through the holes in said top plates and attached to said wires from the electrical outlets;

a flexible waterproof skirt secured to the roof and extending downwardly about the perimeter of the building and over the juncture of said roof and said top plates to prevent water from entering the building between the roof and walls;

and wherein at least one of said sections when collapsed comprises,

said plurality of walls laying on said floor without substantial overhang,

said roof overlying said floor and said walls lying thereon; and

means underlying said downwardly extending skirt and extending downwardly beyond said floor about the entire periphery thereof to protect the section from the elements.

2. A portable building according to claim 1 wherein when erected each roof section includes:

a pair of parallel members along opposite edges of the roof and on the top surface thereof,

a downwardly opening channel shaped member overlying adjacent parallel members on adjacent roofs, and

means sealing between the roof and channel to seal between adjacent roof sections of the building.

3. A portable building according to claim 1 wherein adjacent roof sections rest upon a common interior wall.

4. The portable building according to claim 3 wherein said downwardly extending skirt is adapted to be bent into an out-of-the-way position when the periphery of the roof rests upon an interior wall.

5. A portable building comprising;

a plurality of sections, at least some of which are collapsible for shipping;

at least one of said sections when erected comprising:

a skid;

a floor attached to said skid;

a plurality of walls secured to and supported on the floor;

at least one of said walls comprising spaced vertical studs, a top plate,

a covering on opposite sides of said studs,

said covering on at least one side terminating short of said top plate to provide an opening,

holes through said top plate,

and a removable covering attached to said studs for covering said opening;

electrical outlets in the wall having wires terminating adjacent to the top plate and accessible through said opening;

a roof secured to and supported on said walls; and

a breaker box in said roof with wires extending therefrom to points adjacent to the perimeter of the roof and extending through the holes in said top plate and connected to the wires in the walls.

6. A portable building comprising a plurality of sections, at least one of which is adapted to be shipped in a collapsed condition and erected at the building site, each of said sections in the erected condition comprising:

a skid;

a floor attached to said skid;

a plurality of walls secured to said floor, at least one of said walls comprising,

spaced vertical studs,

a top plate attached to said studs,

covering attached to said studs on opposite sides thereof, said covering on at least one side terminating short of said top plate to provide an opening,

holes through said top plate, and

a removable means attached to said studs for covering each of said openings;

electrical outlets secured in said walls with wires extending up to the area adjacent said top plate;

a roof attached to and supported by said top plate on said wall; and

at least one breaker box in said roof with wires extending therefrom to points adjacent to the perimeter of the roof and hanging down therefrom and extending through the holes in said top plates and attached to said wires from the electrical outlets;

a flexible waterproof skirt secured to the roof and extending downwardly about the perimeter of the building and over the juncture of said roof and said top plates to prevent water from entering the building between the roof and walls.

7. A portable building according to claim 6 wherein said downwardly extending skirt is adapted to be bent into an out-of-the-way position when the periphery of the roof of a section rests upon an interior wall.

8. A portable building according to claim 6 wherein:

each roof section includes a pair of parallel members along opposite edges of the roof and on the top surface thereof,

a downwardly opening channel shaped member overlies adjacent parallel members on adjacent roofs, and

means seals between the roof and channel to seal between adjacent roof sections of the building.

9. A portable building according to claim 6 wherein said roof sections each include:

a rafter extending along the side of the roof section adapted to be position adjacent to another roof section,

a notch extending through said rafter, and

a J-shaped lifting strap with the hook of the J extending into the notch and when raised adapted to engage said rafter,

said strap carried by said roof section with a sliding connection permitting the strap to be raised and engaged by a lifting cable and to be lowered into an out-of-the-way position when the building is erected.