HEIGHT ADJUSTABLE SHIPPING CONTAINER

• US 20150034634A1
• Filed: 02/12/2013
• Published: 02/05/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 02/17/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lifting Point Pty., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Lifting Point Pty., Ltd.
• Inventors: Mullaney, Nicholas Bruce
• Granted Patent: US 9,067,721 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 220/1.5
• CPC Class Codes: B28B 13/00 Feeding the unshaped material to moulds or apparatus for producing shaped articles; Discharging shaped articles from such moulds or apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 88/005 of variable capacity, e.g. with movable or adjustable walls or wall parts, modular
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 88/12 specially adapted for transport associated with vehicles, see the relevant subclasses of B60 - B64
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 90/0026 Corner fittings characterised by shape, configuration or number of openings
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 90/0033 Lifting means forming part of the container B65D90/0006, B65D90/0026 take precedence; loading or unloading container on or from a truck B60P1/6418; lifting the container using a crane B66C1/663
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 90/023 Modular panels
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 90/06 Coverings, e.g. for insulating purposes
• CPC Class Codes: E04B 1/34305 telescopic
• CPC Class Codes: E04B 1/3431 with only one level of nesting
• CPC Class Codes: E04B 1/34317 Set of building elements forming a self-contained package for transport before assembly
• CPC Class Codes: E04B 1/34336 Structures movable as a whole, e.g. mobile home structures vehicles comprising living accommodation for people, e.g. caravans, camping or like vehicles B60P3/32
• CPC Class Codes: E04B 1/3442 folding out from a core cell
• CPC Class Codes: E04B 1/3483 the supporting structure consisting of metal
• CPC Class Codes: E04B 2001/34876 with a sloping or barrel roof
• CPC Class Codes: E04B 2001/34884 creating a living space between several units
• CPC Class Codes: E04G 11/36 for floors, ceilings, or roofs of plane or curved surfaces end formpanels for floor shutterings floors with lost forms E04B5/32
• CPC Class Codes: E04H 1/005 Modulation co-ordination
• CPC Class Codes: E04H 1/12 Small buildings or other erections for limited occupation, erected in the open air or arranged in buildings, e.g. kiosks, waiting shelters for bus stops or for filling stations, roofs for railway platforms, watchmen's huts or dressing cubicles
• CPC Class Codes: E04H 1/1205 Small buildings erected in the open air E04H1/1272 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: E04H 2001/1283 Small buildings of the ISO containers type
• CPC Class Codes: E04H 9/16 : against adverse conditions, e.g. extreme climate, pests
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49826 : Assembling or joining

Abstract

A height adjustable shipping container usable as a building structure. The container having vertical corner columns and at least three side walls which may be transported at a reduced height as a shipping container and expanded at the receiving end. At least some of the vertical corner columns expand in length during expansion of the reduced height shipping container. The shipping container is able to transport therein structural components, such as wall, panel, roof and even fittings to build a building structure that is the equivalent in floor area to that of at least two shipping containers.

Claims

1. A method of manufacturing a transportable expandable shipping container for use as a building structure, wherein the transportable expandable shipping container during transportation houses within a minimum of two roofs and two floors such that when the transportable expandable shipping container is expanded for use as a building structure the transportable expandable shipping container makes up a minimum area of that of two standard shipping containers, the method includes:

providing a container base and vertical members, providing at least one first vertical wall portion adapted to be attachable to the base and adapted to extend less than the packaged height of the container, providing an upper surface secured at least in one position to an upper portion of a vertical member, providing at least one second vertical wall portion adapted to extend towards the first vertical wall portion from the upper surface, the vertical members having a horizontally extending channel to support a portion of a load bearing beam adapted to extend between two spaced apart expandable vertical members;

extending the members to an expanded position;

attaching at least some part of an interchangeable and relocatable side walls to an upper part of the height adjustable container during expansion; and

attaching at least some other part of the interchangeable and relocatable side walls to the lower part of the height adjustable container during expansion whereby the lower part of the side walls is substantially high enough to accommodate building components, fittings, furniture and fixtures below its height;

wherein when the container is in an unextended position the height of the container is at a reduced height of at least 50% to that of a standard shipping container and when the container is in the extended position the container is at a height equal to that of a habitable area or greater than the height of a standard shipping container and the erected side walls are coaxially aligned to form outer walls having a flat planar surface along the entire surface area of the outer wall.

22. The method of manufacturing a transportable expandable shipping container for use as a building structure as claimed in claim 1, wherein the method includes a further step of relocating the elements forming the shipping container walls during transport elsewhere to and/or within the container after expansion.

2. A height adjustable transportable shipping container usable as a building structure, wherein the transportable expandable shipping container houses during transportation within a minimum of two roofs and two floors such that when the transportable expandable shipping container is expanded for use as a building structure the transportable expandable shipping container makes up a minimum area of that of two standard shipping containers, the height adjustable shipping container having:

vertical corner members and at least three interchangeable and relocatable side walls which may be transported at a reduced height as a shipping container and expanded at the receiving end wherein at least some of the vertical corner members expand in length during expansion of the reduced height shipping container and the shipping container is capable to house and to transport therein structural components, such as wall panels, floor, roof and even fittings to erect a building structure that is the equivalent in floor area to that of at least two shipping containers;

at least some part of the interchangeable and relocatable side walls is attached to an upper part of the height adjustable container during expansion and at least some other part of an interchangeable and relocatable side walls is attached to the lower part of the height adjustable container during expansion, the lower part of the side walls is substantially high enough to accommodate building components, fittings, furniture and fixtures below its height; and

the vertical members including a horizontally extending channel to support a portion of a load bearing beam adapted to extend between two spaced apart vertical members,

wherein further when the container is in an unextended position the height of the container is at a reduced height of at least 50% to that of a standard shipping container and such that when the container is in the extended position the container is at a height equal to that of a habitable area or greater than the height of a standard shipping container and the erected side walls are coaxially aligned to form outer walls having a flat planar surface along the entire surface area of the outer wall.

3. The height adjustable shipping container as claimed in claim 2, wherein the vertical members are vertical rails or columns.

4. The height adjustable shipping container as claimed in claim 2 includes access points for utility services, the access points are situated at the junctures of the upper and lower walls.

5. The height adjustable shipping container as claimed in claim 2, wherein at least part of a wall filling the gap between upper and lower shipping container parts is pulled into place on expansion of the container.

8. The height adjustable shipping container as claimed in claim 2, wherein the floor of the shipping container may act to receive a pourable settable material and may include elements acting as reinforcement for the settable material.

9. The height adjustable shipping container as claimed in claim 8, wherein the reinforcement elements may extend through two adjacent expanded shipping container floors.

10. The height adjustable shipping container as claimed in claim 2, wherein the shipping container corner members may include telescoping portions in which any engagement features in the corner rail top are substantially repeated in the top of each telescoping portion.

11. The height adjustable shipping container as claimed in claim 2, wherein when in the expanded form the corner members remain capable of supporting vertical loads.

12. The height adjustable shipping container as claimed in claim 2, wherein the side panels can be relocated to an outer shell of the erected container to create a combination of external walls, windows and door openings, whereby the panels, windows and doors are interchangeable, and able to create a number of different formats as desired.

13. The height adjustable shipping container as claimed in claim 8, wherein the floor includes spaced apart openings adapted to receive the tines of a fork lift to allow the unerected shipping container to be easily transported and are adapted when the shipping container is erected to used as service ducts.

14. The height adjustable shipping container as claimed in claim 2, wherein the vertical corner members have an open cross section.

15. The height adjustable shipping container as claimed in claim 2, wherein the lower part of the side walls is substantially 0.9 metres high and the upper part of the side walls is substantially 0.3 metres high.

17. The height adjustable shipping container as claimed in claim 14, wherein the vertical corner members have a substantially ‘

L’

-shaped cross section.

23. The height adjustable transportable shipping container usable as a building structure as claimed in claim 2, wherein the elements forming the shipping container walls during transport adapted to be relocated elsewhere within the container after expansion.

6. (canceled)

7. (canceled)

16. (canceled)

18. A transportation system for the transportation, packaging and erection of a transportable height adjustable shipping container usable as a building, the transportable expandable shipping container during a transportation mode houses within a minimum of two roofs and two floors such that when the transportable expandable shipping container in a building mode for use as a building structure the transportable expandable shipping container makes up a minimum area of that of two standard shipping containers, the transportation system including an external building shell transformable from the transportation mode to the building mode, when in the transportation mode the external building shell falls within same floor dimensions and floor area of a shipping container format, the external building shell being height adjustable such that the external shell is adapted to be transformed from the transport mode to the building mode by adjusting the height of the external building shell to a desired height, when in the transportation mode the internal space within the external building shell includes structural components, such as building components, wall panels, floor, roof fittings, furniture and fixtures required to erect and fit out a building structure that is the equivalent in floor area to that of at least two shipping container formats;

the external building shell includes;

vertical corner members and at least three interchangeable and relocatableside walls which may be transported at a reduced height as a shipping container and expanded at the receiving end wherein at least some of the vertical corner members expand in length during expansion of the reduced height shipping container;

at least some part of the interchangeable and relocatable side walls is attached to an upper part of the height adjustable container during expansion and at least some other part of an interchangeable and relocatable side walls is attached to the lower part of the height adjustable container during expansion, the lower part of the side walls is substantially high enough to accommodate the structural components, such as building components, wall panels, floor, roof fittings, furniture and fixtures, below its height when in the transportation mode; and

the expandable vertical members having a horizontally extending channel to support a portion of a load bearing beam adapted to extend between two spaced apart expandable vertical members,

wherein the transportation system when in the transportation mode the external building shell is at a reduced height of at least 50% to that of a standard shipping container and such that when in the building mode the external building shell is at a height equal to that of a habitable area or greater than the height of a standard shipping container and the erected side walls are coaxially aligned to form outer walls having a flat planar surface along the entire surface area of the outer wall.

19. The transportation system as claimed in claim 18, wherein the lower part of the side walls is substantially 0.9 metres high and the upper part of the side walls is substantially 0.3 metres high.

20. The height adjustable shipping container as claimed in claim 18, wherein the vertical corner members have an open cross section.

21. The transportation system as claimed in claim 20, wherein the vertical corner members have a substantially ‘

L’

-shaped cross section.