US20180371761A1

US20180371761A1 - Catwalk system tiny house

Info

Publication number: US20180371761A1
Application number: US15/635,164
Authority: US
Inventors: Herbert Walter Green
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2017-06-27
Filing date: 2017-06-27
Publication date: 2018-12-27

Abstract

The technical disclosure of this Catwalk System Tiny House is the allowance of the user to walk in an erect manner alongside of the length, head or foot of the +mattress bed in a sleeping loft in a tiny house with a low ceiling and get onto the mattress bed laying on the loft floor, and get up from it without resorting to getting on one's hands and knees. This is new in the art of design of tiny houses with low ceiling sleeping lofts, as previously all lofts required the user to go from a ladder or stairway to a hands and knees crawling position to get to and from the sleeping mattress.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

None

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

Not applicable to this invention.

BACKGROUND OF THIS INVENTION

Background of the Invention: Field of endeavor to which this invention pertains. This invention pertains to the ease and difficulties of bed entry and egress in the tiny house industry where the tiny house has a sleeping loft. It utilizes a rectangular well with a catwalk walkway as shown in FIGS 1,2 and 3, to allow the user to stand and walk alongside the length of one side of the loft floor and mattress without ever bending over. This catwalk walkway allows the user to get into bed and arise from the bed by using normal body ergonomics, and as an additional benefit allows the user to dress and undress in a normal manner from the edge of the bed. The prior art of bed entry for a tiny house with a sleeping loft has the user go up a ladder or stairway, or a combination of them, to gain access to the upper loft floor. In almost all cases, this ladder or staircase goes all the way from the ground floor to the loft surface. In a majority of tiny houses it is a ladder. At the top of the ladder the user maneuvers himself or herself from the ladder to get onto the loft surface. Because the loft height surface is too close to the loft ceiling to allow standing, the user then must crawl or severely stoop over to get to the mattress bed to lie down. This process is reversed getting up out of bed. In addition, also because the ceiling is so low, the user must take clothes off and put them on while laying on the user's back. After arising and dressing on the user's back, the prior art requires the user to crawl on hands and knees to the edge of the loft, then go backwards onto to the ladder or stairway to descend to the ground floor. These prior art designs force the user to perform unusual, uncomfortable and irritating maneuvers just to go to bed, dress and undress and get up from bed in the now-typical-present art designs.
Previously Existing Problems: Prior to this invention the typical way to get onto the loft floor surface is by means of a ladder or stairway. The ladder method creates a high danger as the user goes upwards to or downward from the loft. First, there is a safety issue created by going up the ladder itself, and secondly, a chance of falling nearly 7 feet when dismounting from the ladder to the loft surface. An even greater danger exists when mounting the ladder to go down, as the user is backwards and cannot see exactly where his/her feet are first being placed during the mounting procedure. These same dangers of falling going up and coming down from the loft are only slightly reduced when there is a stairway. This invention allows the usage of an ordinary stairway as shown in 1, and solves all of these falling dangers because the stairway is entered in the usual manner to go up the stairs; and it allows the user to be facing downward in a normal manner to descend, and as an added benefit, the stairway can be of standard dimensions with handrails on both sides.
Such a stairway is not required; but to utilize the full safety benefits of the catwalk invention, a stairway is recommended. Even though it is recommended, no stairway to the catwalk forms a part of this claim of invention.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THIS INVENTION

This invention is a construction and building design feature for tiny houses with a sleeping loft that consists of a rectangular well that runs along the length of the loft floor and mattress bed. It is a rectangular well, as shown in 2, with a catwalk walkway as its floor of sufficient depth to allow the user to walk and stand on it. Due to height restrictions for highway travel, usually 13 feet 6 inches, most typical loft heights are minimal—only about 4 feet, (or 4 feet and a few inches), clearance from the loft floor, 6 to the ceiling, and none allow an adult of normal height to stand erect in the sleeping loft. In the preferred embodiment the well for this catwalk walkway is of the optimal height to mimic the height of a regular height bed, 26 inches from the floor to the upper surface of the mattress, the object being, that even though the loft is only about 4 feet high, it allows the user to walk and stand next to the bed in a normal erect manner. This allows the user to get into bed and arise from it as one would do in a full sized house or hotel; and dress and undress in a normal manner either by standing in the well or dressing while sitting on the edge of the bed. The user is never forced to crawl on hand and knees or stoop over or dress or undress while laying on one's back. The general idea of this invention is to solve the problem of bed entry and egress where the tiny house, usually highway mobile, that has a loft with a mattress bed, 4. Typically the bed is simply a mattress on the loft floor—a mattress bed. This new catwalk system invention allows the user to walk alongside the length of the mattress bed, 4 FIGS. 1,2, &3 in a normal erect manner, 5, and get into bed, and get up from it, without ever bending over and crawling on one's hands and knees. This invention allows, (but does not require), for an ordinary *full sized, (*full tread width and no unusual height between stairs), stairway, 1, to gain access to the catwalk itself.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THIS INVENTION

FIG. 1: End View

FIG. 2: Top View

FIG. 3: Side View

MANNER AND PROCESS OF MAKING AND USING THIS INVENTION

Abstract: A rectangular well with a catwalk walkway, 2, running alongside a sleeping loft in a tiny house which allows the user to walk and stand fully erect next to the typical mattress bed located on the loft floor of a tiny house, so the user can go to bed, (lie down) by first sitting on the mattress, 4, and then laying down. The user then reverses these movements to get up out of bed. The user gets up out of bed by sitting on the edge of the bed and putting his/her feet on the catwalk floor, 3 of the catwalk walkway, 2, then standing up in a fully erect posture, 5, and then walking away. The effect of this invention can best be described as normalizing the body mechanics of going to bed and getting up out of bed without the necessity of crawling on the user's hands and knees first to get to or leave the mattress bed.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMBERS

1 Stairway
2 Rectangular Well with Catwalk Walkway
3 Catwalk Floor
4 Mattress
5 Erect Person of Ordinary Height
6 Loft Floor

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The idea of this invention is to solve the problem of bed entry and egress where the tiny house, usually highway mobile, has a loft with a mattress bed, 4. Due to height restrictions for highway travel most loft heights are minimal, (most are just at, or slightly over, 4 feet) from the loft floor, 6 to the ceiling, and none allow an adult of normal height to stand erect in the sleeping loft. This requires the user to go to a hands and knees position to either go to bed or get up from it. Typically the bed is simply a mattress on the loft floor—a mattress bed. This catwalk system invention allows the user to walk alongside the length of the mattress bed in a normal erect manner and get into bed, and get up from it, without ever bending over and crawling on one's hands and knees. This invention allows, (but does not require), for an ordinary *full sized, (*full tread width and no unusual height between stairs), stairway to gain access to the catwalk itself.
Throughout the world when an adult goes into a bedroom in a house or into a hotel room a bed of reasonable height is expected. As stated in the preferred embodiment this is a height of 26 inches. A mattress laying on the floor would be rejected. Due to overall height restrictions for highway travel, (usually 13 feet 6 inches), most sleeping lofts have heights which are minimal—usually 48 inches or possibly a few more inches from the loft floor, 6 to the ceiling so that no adult users of normal heights can stand erect. Unfortunately for the tiny house industry, prior to this invention the user was forced to go to a hands and knees position to get into bed and arise from it, and to go to from a ladder or an improvised stairway to get up to the loft floor; then to reverse the motion to begin the climb down from the loft. With this catwalk walkway invention, using the dimensions of the preferred embodiment the user, if blindfolded, will find no difference comparing this catwalk invention to an ordinary bed in a full-sized house or a hotel. As stated above a mattress bed in a tiny house is a mattress, 4, on the loft floor, 6. The mattress bed described in this invention does not change that. What it does change is the catwalk invention, FIGS. 1,2 and 3, which is a rectangular well, 2 of such a depth as to allow the user to stand erect alongside the mattress bed, 4. In the prior art to go to bed it required the user to go to a hands and knees position and crawl or move severely stooped over to either go to bed or get up from it. Then the user typically travels/crawls on hands and knees to get to the top of the ladder or stair to get to the ground floor. This invention, placing the catwalk floor, 3 of sufficient depth. FIGS. 1,2 and 3, alongside the bed length, allows the user to walk alongside the bed in a normal adult erect manner and get onto bed and get up from it without ever bending over and crawling around on hands and knees. As stated above, this invention allows (but does not require) for an ordinary stairway, 1, of full tread depth with no unusual stair riser height to gain access to the catwalk itself. Stairs can be constructed with commonly accepted tread and riser dimensions and this invention further allows installation and usage of handrails. Any stairway may be used to reach the catwalk surface; a straight stairway, stairs with 90 degree bends or a spiral staircase.
Preventing Existing Problems: Typically in the present art the way to get up onto a sleeping loft is by means of a ladder or stairway or a combination of them. The ladder or stairway begins at ground floor and ascends all the way up to the loft floor. The ladder method, especially, creates a high danger, as the user risks falling going up or down the ladder itself, and the heightened risk of falling nearly 7 feet when dismounting from the ladder upwards to get safely to the loft floor. The ladder user risks an even greater risk of falling when going down from the loft when the user must mount backwards onto the ladder from the surface of the loft floor, 6. These dismounting and mounting falling risks are only slightly diminished when access to the loft is by means of a stairway.

Description of Preferred Embodiment

This invention of this catwalk which allows the user to walk alongside the bed in a tiny house in an erect posture has been outlined broadly in order that the detailed description thereof may be better understood and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. The following is a detailed description of exemplary embodiments to illustrate the principles of this invention. The embodiments are provided to illustrate aspects of the invention, but the invention is not limited by any embodiment. The scope of the invention encompasses numerous alternatives, modifications and equivalents; it is only limited only by the claim. Numerous specific details are set forth in the following description in order to provide a thorough understanding of the invention. However, the invention may be practiced according to the claim without some or all of these specific details. For the purpose of clarity, technical material that is known in the technical fields related to the invention has not been described in detail so the invention is not unnecessarily obscured. This invention of this catwalk which allows the user to walk alongside the bed in a tiny house in an erect posture has been outlined broadly in order that the detailed description thereof may be better understood and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are additional features of this invention that will be described hereinafter and that will form the subject matter of the claims of this patent. In this respect, before explaining the following embodiment of this invention in detail, it is to be understood that this invention is not limited in the following description in its application to the details of construction and to the arrangements of the component set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. This invention is capable of other embodiments and being practiced and carried out in various ways. Also it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purposes of description and should not be regarded as limiting. The primary object of the present invention is to provide a safe and convenient way to get into and arise from the mattress bed in a low-ceilinged loft of a tiny house, all without bending over or crawling on hands and knees and overcomes the shortcomings of the prior art devices. The second object is to provide for safety from falling from the top of the ladder or stairway, which in all art forms previously, have presented major risk factors.
Referring now to the drawings (FIG. 1/3) (FIG. 2/3) and (FIG. 3/3) the ideal height of the catwalk floor, 3, the walking/standing surface of the catwalk alongside the bed is 63 inches from the ground floor. This preferred embodiment allows for a ceiling of 80 inches under the bed area. This 63 inch catwalk floor height also results in a normal, (7⅞ riser height between treads) eight step stairway to reach the floor of the catwalk, resulting in an ideal height of 26 inches from the floor of the catwalk, 3 to the top surface of the bed mattress. This allows sufficient height for an adult up to 6 feet 4 inches to stand erect on the catwalk. The walkway/catwalk is created by “cutting” or constructing a long rectangular well along the tiny house wall, with the walkway/catwalk as it's floor, 3. This well, FIGS. 1,2 and 3, is created by making the depth of it exactly the same as it would be if the user were standing on a floor next to an ordinary height bed with legs, box spring and mattress, with the ideal height of 26 inches from the floor to the top surface of the mattress. It is the preferred embodiment to have an 8 inch thick mattress, 4. It matters not if the mattress is a full mattress size or a queen or king-sized mattress. If blindfolded and standing on the inventor's catwalk in a tiny house the user could reach out and touch the top surface of the 8 inch mattress bed and not know the difference between that and being in a full-sized bedroom or hotel and reaching out to touch the top surface of a mattress with a regular 26 inch height bed. This catwalk well ideally would be aligned along the lengthwise dimension of the tiny house as pictured, FIGS. 1, 2 and 3, or it could be aligned along the transverse dimension simply by running the stairway 90 degrees to it.
A possible adaptation: It is possible to align the catwalk well to run along the foot or head of a loft bed. Although this adaptation could be utilized, it would not be optimal unless for children, who are generally more agile than adults.

Claims

What is claimed is:

1. The inventor claims the catwalk walkway and rectangular well, entitled: Catwalk System Tiny House as being a rectangular well with a lowered walkway floor running alongside the length of a mattress bed or along the head or foot of a mattress bed on the loft floor found in a typical tiny house loft, lowered sufficiently as to allow the user to walk on the lowered walkway of the catwalk and stand in an erect posture prior to getting into bed, that is, to lay upon the surface of the mattress bed; and to permit getting out of bed in a normal manner, that is, arising from the mattress bed and placing the user's feet onto the catwalk floor and standing in an erect posture prior to walking away, even though the ceiling of a typical tiny house loft is only 4 feet or 4 feet and a few more inches from the floor of the loft.

2. A tiny house, comprising:

a ground floor;

one or more walls;

a roof;

a loft floor;

a bed with a top on said loft;

a catwalk floor;

stairs or a ladder ascending to said catwalk;

wherein said roof is above said loft floor at a height that is lower than an average standing person; and, wherein said catwalk runs in a well beside the bed the full length of the bed and is below the height of the loft and below the height of the roof to a distance that allows an average person to stand upright.

3. The tiny house of claim 1, wherein the distance between the ground below the tiny house and said roof is less than 13 feet and 6 inches.

4. The tiny house of claim 3, wherein the distance between said loft floor and said roof is less than 4 feet and 6 inches.

5. The tiny house of claim 3, wherein the distance between said catwalk floor and said bed top is approximately 26 inches.

6. The tiny house of claim 3, wherein the distance between said ground floor and said catwalk floor is approximately 63 inches.

7. The tiny house of claim 3, wherein the distance between said catwalk floor and said roof is approximately 80 inches.

8. The tiny house of claim 1, wherein the distance between said loft floor and said roof is less than 4 feet and 6 inches.

9. The tiny house of claim 8, wherein the distance between said catwalk floor and said bed top is approximately 26 inches.

10. The tiny house of claim 8, wherein the distance between said ground floor and said catwalk floor is approximately 63 inches.

11. The tiny house of claim 8, wherein the distance between said catwalk floor and said roof is approximately 80 inches.

12. The tiny house of claim 1, wherein the distance between said catwalk floor and said bed top is approximately 26 inches.

13. The tiny house of claim 1, wherein the distance between said ground floor and said catwalk floor is approximately 63 inches.

14. The tiny house of claim 1, wherein the distance between said catwalk floor and said roof is approximately 80 inches.