MXPA01005010A - Container for prefabricated transportable buildings - Google Patents

Abstract

A container (100) for a prefabricated building is disclosed. The container (100) is formed from components of the prefabricated building. The container (100) is built to substantially conform to standard shipping container sizes. Additional storage for some building components is preferably provided by attaching channel members (160) to the top of the container (100). Supports (142, 184) and a covering (150) for the additional storage space may be included. The additional storage space is preferably dimensioned to allow the container (100) to substantially conform to standard shipping container sizes.

Description

CONTAINER FOR PREFABRICATED TRANSPORTABLE BUILDINGS Field of the Invention This invention relates to a container for a transportable prefabricated building where the prefabricated building can be assembled using components fully stored within the container.

Background of the Invention Containers of prefabricated buildings are generally known. For example, U.S. Patents Nos. 5,447,000 and 4,891,919 describe containers of existing buildings. As described, such containers are typically of a standard size for easy transportation. Preferably, the container is substantially the same size as a "cubic high" container, for example, of 2.44 meters x 2.89 meters x 12.19 meters. A disadvantage of existing container systems is that it is often difficult to place all the necessary materials in a single container. For example, additional roofing materials, plumbing materials or other construction materials often must be transported or obtained separately from the components within the container.

There are these and other disadvantages.

Brief Description of the Invention An object of the invention is to overcome these and other disadvantages in existing devices. Another object is to provide a container of transportable buildings having a size for standard shipping and also comprising a storage area for additional construction material. Another object is to provide a casting in the corner of the building container that allows a container to be easily transported with conventional transport or shipping equipment and creates a frame for an additional storage compartment. Another object is to provide a method for creating a building container that substantially uses only the components of the final building structure. Another object is to provide a method for creating a building from substantially the exclusive content of a building container. These and other objects are achieved by providing a container for a prefabricated building structure comprising a frame similar to a box on the outer perimeter comprised of multiple tubular elements; substantially continuous panels, attached to the frame, forming the side walls of the container; molded parts attached to the corners of the frame; and ribbed members attached to the upper portion of the frame to form a storage compartment.

Brief Description of the Drawings Figure 1 shows a top view of an embodiment of the building container. Figure 2 shows a perspective view of one embodiment of the frame members of the building container. Figure 3 shows an embodiment of the building container that includes an additional storage compartment. Figure 4 shows an embodiment of the building container illustrating a side view of the present invention. Figure 5A shows a front and exploded view of another component of an embodiment of the invention. Figure 5B shows an exploded side view of another component of an embodiment of the invention.

Figure 6 shows a perspective view of one embodiment of the invention.

Detailed Description of the Preferred Modes The present invention comprises a rectangular transport or shipping container, which closes on its own 100, which contains all the necessary components to build an unarmed house for a single family, two stories or a house two-story duplex. The transport or shipping container 100 has a galvanized metal cover (e.g., 150) on the outside thereof. The container 100 is formed of two longitudinal side walls 104, 106, two external walls 114, 112 and an upper part and a lower part. Each of the longitudinal side walls 104, 106, the upper section and the lower section are rectangular, having a longitudinal dimension of 6.09 meters or 12.19 meters. Each of the upper part, the lower part, the longitudinal side walls, 104, 106 and the end walls 112, 114 have an outer perimeter formed by hollow square metal pipe approximately 7.62 cm wide. Alternatively, the perimeter can be formed using other types of metal framework (eg, I or L-shaped profiles, different widths of 7.62 cm ), or other variations. The container has six sides, with each side having four square metal tubes (eg, 120, 121, 124, 126) on the outer periphery. The perimeter of the container is defined in this way by twenty-four elongated square tubes. The longitudinal side walls, 104, 106 and the upper and lower sections each have a plurality of I-beams, square metal tubes, or L-shaped beams, extending between the perimeter pipe at predetermined intervals. Sections of plywood are placed over and secured to the I-beams, the square metal pipe, or the L-shaped beams. The castings at the corners (or angle fittings) 130, 132, 134 and 136 are attached to the eight respective corners of the container. Each of the corner castings may include openings for lifting and securing the container to a trailer, a ship deck, or other stacked containers. Each cast part of the corner can be indirectly secured (using screws) to the container 100, for example, through a pair of triangular joining plates. The triangular joining plates can be 1.27 cm steel plates welded to the castings of the corners 130, 132, 132, 134, 136. The triangular joining plates form an angle of 90 ° with respect to each other and are provided with holes which correspond to the holes provided in the square pipe of 7.62 cm in the corners of the container 100. Specifically, each of the castings of the upper corner 130, 132 has triangular connecting plates with upper holes. One of the upper holes on the triangular joining plates corresponds to a hole formed on the upper wall of the container 100. The other upper hole is on the triangular joining plate and corresponds to the hole formed on the extreme periphery 'of the upper wall of the container 100. A triangular joining plate also includes a lower hole which is adapted to be secured to the vertical square pipe of the longitudinal side wall 104, 106 at the end of the container 100. Once the corner castings 130, 132, 134, 135 are removed from the eight corners of the container 100, the container 100 is still a closed structure. A plurality of screws ensure the longitudinal end walls to the upper and lower floor sections even when the castings of the corners are removed.

The drainage and water lines of the container are preferably installed in the building when it is in place, but, if desired, the power lines can be substantially pre-installed in the wall sections. After the container 100 is filled with the contents forming the prefabricated building, the longitudinal side walls are rigidly fastened in the upper and lower sections by a plurality of screws extending through the square pipe. When the container 100 reaches its destination, the container 100 is placed on a foundation which is built on the site. The foundation may comprise various types of construction foundations known in the art, for example, cast concrete, blocks and pillars, metal framework, etc. For embodiments comprising a metal frame foundation, the metal frame foundation may include a plurality of square tubes placed in concrete footings. The square pipe on the bottom of the container 100 is welded to the foundation of the metal frame. In alternative designs, the permanent foundation can be formed with concrete with screws extending upward from the concrete. The bottom of the container 100 in this case would be provided with a plurality of holes to accept the screws that extend upwards. In any case, after securing the container to the foundation, the castings of the corners 130, 132, 134, 136 are then removed, and the screws securing the longitudinal side walls to the upper and lower sections are then removed. The longitudinal side walls 104, 106 are then opened, removed to a location away from the container site, and, at a later appropriate time, placed horizontally on the foundation. These longitudinal side walls are preferably welded on two edges of the lower section to form the lower floor of the house. Within the container 100 immediately adjacent to the two respective longitudinal side walls 104, 106 there are two vertically placed walls ("internal walls") 102, 108 that have substantially the same length as the longitudinal side walls 104, 106. Those internal walls 102 , 108 are placed on the respective sides of the upper section of the container 100, and together with the upper section of the container 100, eventually form the upper floor of the house. The outer walls of the container are then removed from the container and, after the lower floor of the house is constructed, the outer walls are placed around the perimeter of the lower floor and eventually support the section of the upper floor of the container. One embodiment of the container for buildings 100 is shown in Figure 1, which represents a top view of the container as it appears when it is partially filled with the building components. Only one arrangement is described for packaging the components of the construction; Other arrangements are possible and can be designed to accommodate desired construction components. Preferably, the components necessary to complete a complete building can be packaged in the container 100. For example, the members of the floor, walls, windows, braces and other prefabricated materials are preferably packaged to create the container 100. As shown in Figure 1, the container 100 approximates substantially in the dimensions of a standard container (e.g., 2.44 meters x 2.44 meters x 12.19 meters) or a high cubic container (e.g., 2.44 meters x 2.89 meters x 12.19) meters) any of which can be transported or shipped via a truck, railroad, marine vessels, or other known form.

In one embodiment, the container includes "long" walls (or "longitudinal" side walls or "elements") 104 and 106. The internal walls 102 and 108 are placed within the container 100 behind the longitudinal side walls 104 and 106. Preferably, each of the elements 102, 104, 106 and 108 comprises substantially continuous building components (or single solid panels) and span the length of the container 100. For example, the elements 102, 104, 106 and 108 may comprise walls constructed of typical construction materials (for example, braces or struts he structuring, insulation, dry stone nodes, etc.). Other construction components can be preferably packaged in the space formed between the elements 104 and 108. For example, other wall panels, windows, doors and other preassembled building components can be packaged, substantially parallel to each other, in the space between the elements. elements 104 and 108. In some embodiments, the prefabricated substantially planar wall, door, window, and other building panels are preferably packaged in such a way as to leave an empty space 110 in the front portion 112 of the container 100. The space 100 can be filled preferably by packing in it other components of building. For example, plumbing fixtures, household appliances, furniture, and other items that can be packaged in the space 110. The front portion 112 and the rear portion 114 of the container 100 preferably comprise substantially rigid structural members to increase the structural integrity and facilitate the transport of the container 100. Figure 2 shows an embodiment of the invention comprising steel structural members 120, 122, 124 and 126. The structural members 120, 122, 124 and 126 preferably comprise members substantially similar to a beam (or shaped of beam) with a substantially L-shaped cross-section allowing the container 100 to retain a substantially rectangular box shape. Other shapes of cross section are possible. The structural members 120, 122, 124 and 126 preferably comprise a system for attaching the structural members to the container 100. For example, the structural members 120, 122, 124 and 126 may contain holes, suitable for joining bolts, screws, nails or other fasteners Preferably, the container 100 comprises receptacles suitable for interconnecting with typical transportation equipment. For example, the pieces Steel castings 130, 132, 134 and 136 can be joined to the structural members 120, 122, 124 and 126. The castings 130132, 134 and 136 may be attached to the structural members 120, 122, 124 and 126 in any suitable manner. For example, the castings 130, 132, 134 and 136 can be welded, bolted, bolted or bonded to the structural members with a suitable joining method. Alternatively, some of the structural members 120, 122, 124 and 126 can be integrally formed with joined castings. The castings 130, 132, 134 and 136 preferably comprise grooves, holes or impressions which are capable of interconnecting with the typical transport equipment. For example, the castings 130, 132, 134 and 136 may comprise grooves which engage the transport or shipping crane or forklift blades placed therethrough to allow lifting of the container 100. Alternatively, the castings 130, 132 , 134 and 136 may comprise projections or bars that allow interconnection with the typical transport equipment. Preferably, the castings 130, 132, 134 and 136 are also capable of coupling with each other to allow "stacking" of several containers 100.

The castings 130, 132, 134 and 136 preferably allow another aspect of the present invention allowing the creation of an additional storage compartment, which, when placed on top of a standard container (eg, 2.44 meters x 2.44 meters x 12.19 meters converts the standard container into a tall cubic container (eg, 2.44 meters x 2.89 meters x 12.19 meters) Alternatively, an additional storage compartment can be created on top of a container of size non-standard for converting the container into a standard size container (eg, 2.44 meters x 2.44 meters x 12.19 meters) Figure 3 shows a container embodiment 100 that includes an additional storage compartment 140 formed in cooperation with the members castings 130 and 132. Preferably, the castings 130 and 132 are dimensioned in such a way that the total size d the container 100 does not exceed a standard shipping or shipping container size (e.g., a high C cube or a super high cube). Figure 5A shows a front view of another component of an embodiment of the invention. The storage compartment 140 can preferably be formed with the cooperation of grooved members 160. The ribbed members 160 are formed and preferably attached to the container 100 to form a compartment 140. For example, the ribbed members 160 may comprise substantially straight members having a C-shaped, L-shaped, Z-shaped cross section, in the form of I or other substantially square ones (an example of which is described in Figure 5B, which is an exploded and side view of the grooved member 160). The ribbed members can be attached to the container 100 in a suitable manner. For example, ribbed members 160 can be secured with bolts, screws or energy-actuated fasteners. Other joining methods are possible such as fasteners activated by energy or welding. As shown in Figure 3, the additional storage compartment 140 can be preferably formed in the area above the upper part of the container 100. In some embodiments, additional panels or boards 141 can be used to form a cover for the storage compartment. additional storage 140. The panels 141 may comprise wood, plywood, lumber, composite panels, particle board, sheet metal or other rigid construction material. In some modalities, it may be preferable to include support members for the panels 141. For example, a central support 142 may be provided. The support 142 may preferably comprise additional useful building materials. For example, support 142 may comprise 2 x 8 pieces of lumber. Figure 4 shows one embodiment of the container 100 illustrating a side view of the present invention. As shown, the storage compartment 140 can encompass the length of the container 100. Preferably, the storage compartment 140 can be packaged with additional construction material to complete the prefabricated building. For example, asphalt roof shingles, fiberglass insulation, floor coverings and other materials can be packaged in the storage compartment 140. For some embodiments of the container 100 it may be preferable to protect the container from adverse weather and environmental conditions. . For example, in situations where the container is shipped aboard a marine vessel it may be preferred to protect the container against salt water and air. One embodiment of the invention provides for the connection of a protective cover 150 on the container 100. The protective cover (or "cover") 150 is preferably chosen to protect against potential hazards incurred when the container 100 is transported. For example, the protective cover 150 may comprise a 30 gauge sheet metal fastened to the top, bottom and sides of the container 100. The cover 150 may be joined in a manner suitable for the chosen cover. For example, a sheet metal cover 150 may be joined or connected using low speed bolts and washers or other suitable fasteners such as screws. Figure 6 shows a perspective view of one embodiment of the invention. As shown, a container 100 may comprise additional structural support members 184 to increase structural integrity. The support members 184 can comprise any suitable material and preferably can be used in the assembly of the prefabricated building. For example, brackets 184 may comprise flat pieces of steel, or lumber, which may be used to mount or support structures in the prefabricated building. Also in Figure 6 a front portion 112 is shown. As shown, the front portion 112 may comprise an opening 180 through which the inlet and outlet to the container 100 may be obtained. Preferably, the opening 180 may comprise a door for the prefabricated structure when completed (eg, a front entry door or Similary) . Other embodiments and uses of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art from consideration of the specification and practice of the invention described herein. The specification and examples should be considered as exemplifying only. The scope of the invention is limited only by the claims appended hereto. It is noted that in relation to this date, the best method known to the applicant to carry out the aforementioned invention, is that which is clear from the present description of the invention.

Claims (4)

1. CLAIMS Having described the invention as above, the content of the following claims is claimed as property: 1. A container for a prefabricated construction structure, characterized in that it comprises: a frame similar to a box on the external perimeter comprised of multiple tubular elements; panels or boards substantially continuous, attached to the frame, forming the side walls of the container; molded parts attached to the corners of the frame; and ribbed members attached to the upper portion of the frame to form a storage compartment.
2. 2. A method for forming a container for a prefabricated building, characterized in that it comprises: forming a frame similar to a box in the external perimeter from multiple tubular elements; assemble the components of the prefabricated building in a substantially rectangular configuration and place them in the frame; joining the substantially continuous panels, attached to the frame, to form the walls of the container; join castings to the corners of the frame; joining the grooved members to at least one upper side of the frame; form a storage space between the ribbed members where construction components can be packaged.
3. 3. A method for transporting structural components of a prefabricated building structure in a container, comprised of: a) a box-like frame, on the outer perimeter, including multiple tubular elements; b) substantially continuous panels, attached to the frame, forming the side walls of the container; c) castings at the corners of the frame; and d) corrugated members attached to the upper portion of the frame to form a storage compartment; The method is characterized because it comprises: i) packaging the structural components in a box-like frame and in the storage compartment; and ii) transport the container to its destination. The container according to claim 1, characterized in that the dimensions of the container, including the storage compartment, do not exceed the dimensions of the high C-bin or the super-high C-bin.