Transportable, expandable containers and emergency structures for habitat and field use

• US 8,720,126 B2
• Filed: 05/07/2012
• Issued: 05/13/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 05/07/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Jack Dempsey Stone & Rapid Fabrications IP LLC
• Original Assignee: Jack Dempsey Stone & Rapid Fabrications IP LLC
• Inventors: Strickland, Joseph George, Paquin, Jack Arthur
• Primary Examiner(s): Canfield, Robert
• Application Number:
  US13/506,659
• Publication Number:
  US 20130291449A1
• Time in Patent Office: 736 Days
• Field of Search: 52/795, 521/43, 52/71
• US Class Current: 52/79.5
• CPC Class Codes: E04B 1/34317 Set of building elements forming a self-contained package for transport before assembly
• CPC Class Codes: E04B 1/3442 folding out from a core cell
• 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

Abstract

The invention is an expandable and contractible, transforming habitable structure, ISO-certified container designed as a single unit with all primary components contained within, to be easily transported by water, air or land (truck and rail) in stacked configurations. The unit of fold-down floors, easy swing-out interior and exterior walls, and an inter-locking roof system, rapidly expands using: specially designed and engineered “box hinges” and “pivot pins.” When expanded, the unit is structurally secured via especially designed and engineered “spring bolts” requiring little construction knowledge or tools, into HUD-approved, habitable, family friendly structure for emergency and temporary individual, or single-family use, and can be combined in multiples for various field functional applications. The design and engineering of floor, wall and roof (stored for transport within the container) components allow for their simple maintenance by the removal and replacement of some bolts or specially designed and engineered “spring-loaded hinges.”

Claims

1. A container/shelter assembly expandable from a closed container transport state to an expanded habitable state, the assembly comprising:

a container frame including;

a horizontal floor section and an opposed horizontal roof section; and

first and second opposed vertical end sections;

first and second floor panels, one each pivotally connected to a respective opposite longitudinal side of the container floor section, each of the first and second floor panels including a distal longitudinal edge spaced-apart from the container floor section, each of the first and second floor panels pivotable between a closed vertical position and an open horizontal position;

a first exterior side wall panel pivotally connected to the distal longitudinal edge of the first floor panel;

a second exterior side wall panel pivotally connected to the distal longitudinal edge of the second floor panel;

first, second, third and fourth vertical exterior end wall panels, each of the first and second exterior end wall panels pivotally connected to the container frame adjacent the first container end section, each of the third and fourth exterior end wall panels pivotally connected to the container frame adjacent the second container end section;

a first vertical interior wall panel pivotally connected to the container frame between the first and third exterior end wall panels;

a second vertical interior wall panel pivotally connected to the container frame between the second and fourth exterior end wall panels; and

a plurality of roof panels;

wherein, in the closed container state;

each of the first and second floor panels are oriented vertically such that the first and second container end sections, the first and second floor panels, the container floor section and the container roof section define an closed container having an interior;

the first and second exterior side wall panels, the first, second, third and fourth vertical exterior end wall panels, and the first and second vertical interior wall panels are disposed within the interior of the closed container; and

the roof panels are removably held in the container interior;

and wherein, in the expanded habitable state;

the first and second floor panels are pivoted in opposite directions such that each of the first and second floor panels is oriented horizontally and extends away from the container floor section;

the first and second exterior side wall panels are pivoted such that each is oriented vertically;

the first and second exterior end wall panels are pivoted in opposite directions such that each extends away from and is substantially parallel to the first container end section;

the third and fourth exterior end wall panels are pivoted in opposite directions such that each extends away from and is substantially parallel to the second container end section;

the first and second interior wall panels are pivoted in opposite directions such that the first interior wall is aligned with and substantially parallel to the first and third exterior end wall panels and the second interior wall is aligned with and substantially parallel to the second and fourth exterior end wall panels;

wherein each of the first, second, third and fourth vertical exterior end wall panels and the first and second vertical interior wall panels has a top edge that has a sloped portion and a flat portion and a wedge-shaped filler member pivotally connected to the top edge at the flat portion, wherein, in the expanded habitable state, each filler member is pivoted upwardly on the flat portion to form a roof panel mounting surface that has a constant slope; and

wherein, in the expanded habitable state, the roof panels are attached to upper portions of the exterior side wall panels, the exterior end wall panels, the pivotable interior wall panels and the filler members.

2. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the container frame comprises four vertically-extending container corner members, each corner member including an ISO-certified corner fitting at a top and bottom portion thereof, and wherein:

the horizontal container floor section extends between the bottom portions of the corner members and the horizontal container roof section extends between the top portions of the corner members; and

the first vertical container end section extends between one pair of the corner members and the second, opposed vertical container end section extends between the other pair of the corner members.

3. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the first exterior side wall panel is pivotally connected to the first floor panel via at least one box hinge and the second exterior side wall panel pivotally connected to the second floor panel via at least one box hinge, wherein, in the expanded habitable state, each of the first and second exterior side wall panels is pivoted upwardly to form a vertical exterior wall, and wherein the box hinges are configured to retain the first and second exterior side walls in a vertical orientation.

4. The assembly of claim 2, wherein the at least some of the exterior end wall panels include at least one of an ADA-compliant window and an ADA-compliant door, wherein each of the first and second exterior end wall panels is pivotally connected to the container frame adjacent the first container end section and a respective one of the container corner members, wherein each of the third and fourth exterior end wall panels is pivotally connected to the container frame adjacent the second container end section and a respective one of the container corner members, wherein, in the closed container state, the first and second exterior end wall panels are oriented substantially perpendicular to the first container end section and the third and fourth exterior end wall panels are oriented substantially perpendicular to the second container end section.

5. The assembly of claim 4, wherein, in the expanded habitable state:

the first and third exterior end wall panels are each lockingly engaged with the first exterior side wall panel at spaced-apart locations thereof; and

the second and fourth exterior end wall panels are each lockingly engaged with the second exterior side wall panel at spaced-apart locations thereof.

6. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the first pivotable interior wall panel is pivotally connected to a first longitudinal side of at least one of the container floor section and the container roof section, wherein the second pivotable interior wall panel is pivotally connected to a second, opposite longitudinal side of at least one of the container floor section and the container roof section, wherein, in the closed container state the first and second pivotable interior wall panels are substantially perpendicular to the first and second container end sections, and wherein, in the expanded habitable state:

the first pivotable interior wall panel is pivoted outwardly so as to be substantially parallel to the first and second container end sections with the first pivotable interior wall panel adjacent the first exterior side wall panel; and

the second pivotable interior wall panel is pivoted outwardly so as to be substantially parallel to the first and second container end sections with the second pivotable interior wall panel adjacent the second exterior side wall panel.

7. The assembly of claim 6, wherein, in the expanded habitable state:

the first pivotable interior wall panel is lockingly engaged with the first exterior side wall panel; and

the second pivotable interior wall panel is lockingly engaged with the second exterior side wall panel.

8. The assembly of claim 1, further comprising a plurality of fixed interior walls, each of the fixed interior walls fixedly attached to the container floor section, wherein at least some of the fixed interior walls are oriented substantially perpendicular to the first and second container end sections, wherein at least some of the fixed interior walls are oriented substantially parallel to the first and second container end sections, and wherein at least some of the interior walls include an ADA-compliant doorway.

9. The assembly of claim 1, wherein at least some of the floor panels, the exterior side wall panels, the exterior end wall panels, the pivotable interior wall panels, the fixed interior wall panels, the container end sections, the container floor section, the container roof section and the roof panels are insulated.

10. The assembly of claim 1, wherein:

in the closed transportable container state, the assembly is a sealed ISO-certified container having dimensions of 8 feet wide, 9 feet, six inches tall, and 20, 30 or 40 feet long; and

in the expanded habitable state, with the roof panels attached, the assembly forms a HUD-certified structure.

11. The assembly of claim 1, wherein, in the open horizontal position, an upper surface of each of the first and second floor panels is substantially flush with an upper surface of the container floor section.

12. A method for rapidly deploying and erecting a HUD-certified structure, the method comprising:

providing an ISO-certified container, the container comprising;

a container frame including opposed horizontal container floor and horizontal container roof sections and opposed first and second vertical container end sections, the container further comprising first and second opposed vertical floor panels pivotally connected to the container floor sections at opposite longitudinal sides thereof, wherein the container has an interior with a plurality of dwelling members disposed therein, the plurality of dwelling members including;

a first exterior side wall panel pivotally connected to a distal longitudinal edge of the first floor panel that is spaced-apart from the container floor section and a second exterior side wall panel pivotally connected to a distal longitudinal edge of the second floor panel that is spaced-apart from the container floor section;

first and second exterior end wall panels pivotally connected to the container frame adjacent the first vertical end section and third and fourth exterior wall pivotally connected to the container frame adjacent the second vertical end section, wherein each of the first, second, third and fourth exterior end wall panels has a top edge that has a sloped portion and a flat portion and a wedge-shaped filler member pivotally connected to the top edge at the flat portion;

first and second pivotable interior wall panels pivotally connected to the container frame, wherein each of the first and second interior wall panels has a top edge that has a sloped portion and a flat portion and a wedge-shaped filler member pivotally connected to the top edge at the flat portion; and

a plurality of roofing panels releasably held in the interior of the container;

transporting the ISO-certified container to a desired location; and

forming a HUD-certified structure at the desired location, including;

pivoting the first and second vertical floor panels downwardly and outwardly such that each floor panel is oriented horizontally and extends away from an opposite longitudinal side of container frame floor section;

pivoting the first exterior side wall panel upwardly from the distal longitudinal edge of the horizontally disposed first floor panel and pivoting the second exterior side wall panel upwardly from the distal longitudinal edge of the horizontally disposed second floor panel such that the first and second exterior side wall panels are vertically disposed;

then

pivoting the first and second exterior end wall panels outwardly in opposite directions such that a distal end of the first exterior end wall panel is adjacent the first exterior side wall panel and a distal end of the second exterior end wall panel is adjacent the second exterior side wall panel;

pivoting the third and fourth exterior end wall panels outwardly in opposite directions such that a distal end of the third exterior end wall panel is adjacent the first exterior side wall panel and a distal end of the fourth exterior end wall panel is adjacent the second exterior side wall panel;

pivoting the first pivotable interior wall panel outwardly such that a distal end thereof is adjacent the first exterior side wall panel and pivoting the second pivotable interior wall panel outwardly such that a distal end thereof is adjacent the second exterior side wall panel;

pivoting the filler member of each of the first, second, third and fourth exterior end wall panels and the first and second interior wall panels upwardly on the flat portion to form a roof panel mounting surface that has a constant slope; and

then

attaching the roof panels to top portions of the exterior side wall panels, the exterior end wall panels, the pivotable interior wall panels, the filler members and/or the container frame roof section.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the first exterior side wall panel is pivotally connected to the first floor panel via at least one first box hinge and the second exterior side wall panel is pivotally connected to the second floor panel via at least one box hinge, wherein the box hinges are configured to retain the first and second exterior side walls in a vertical orientation.

14. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

lockingly engaging the first and third exterior end wall panels with the first exterior side wall panel at spaced-apart locations thereof; and

lockingly engaging the second and fourth exterior end wall panels with the second exterior side wall panel at spaced-apart locations thereof.

15. The method of claim 12, comprising:

pivoting the first pivotable interior wall panel outwardly so as to be substantially parallel to the first and second container end sections; and

pivoting the second pivotable interior wall panel outwardly so as to be substantially parallel to the first and second container end sections.

16. The method of claim 12, comprising:

lockingly engaging the first pivotable interior wall panel with the first exterior side wall panel; and

lockingly engaging the second pivotable interior wall panel with the second exterior side wall panel.

17. The method of claim 12, wherein the plurality of dwelling members comprises a plurality of fixed interior walls, each of the fixed interior walls fixedly attached to the container floor section, wherein at least some of the fixed interior walls are oriented substantially perpendicular to the first and second container end sections, wherein at least some of the fixed interior walls are oriented substantially parallel to the first and second container end sections, and wherein at least some of the interior walls include an ADA-compliant doorway.

18. The method of claim 12, comprising pivoting the first and second floor panels such that an upper surface of each of the first and second floor panels is substantially flush with an upper surface of the container floor section.

19. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

obtaining ISO certification for the container prior to providing the ISO-certified container; and

obtaining HUD approval of the container and the dwelling members disposed therein prior to transporting the ISO-certified container.