US2115615A

US2115615A - Prefabricated cubic units for small houses

Info

Publication number: US2115615A
Application number: US85805A
Authority: US
Inventors: Karl H Brunner
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1936-06-17
Filing date: 1936-06-17
Publication date: 1938-04-26
Anticipated expiration: 1955-04-26

Description

April 26, 1938. K. H. BRUNNER 2,115,615

P REFABRIGATED CUBIC'UNITS FOR SMALL. HOUSES Filed June 17, 1936 3 Sheets-Sheet l Apr-i126, 1938. K. H. BRUNNER 2,115,615

PREFABRICATED CUBIC UNITS FOR SMALL HOUSES 'l Filed June 1'7, 1936 5 Sheets-Sheet Q2 Hlm/g- H. BRUN/vm V53M WMM' SLW@ @HMM/w" Aprilze, 1938. I KHBRUNNER 2,115,615`

PREFABRICATED VCUBIC UNITS FOR SMALL HOUSES Filed Junel 17, 193e s sheets-sheet 3 [iq/QL H. ERL/NNE@ Patented Apr. 26, 193s y v l 2,115,615

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE PREFABRICATED oUIc UNITS Foa SMALL HOUSES Karl H. Brunner, Bogota, Colombia Application June 17, 1936, Serial No. 85,805 J 1 2 Claims. (Cl. 20-1) The present invention relates to improvements tion block assembly employed in the structure in prefabricated cubic units for small houses of Figures 1 and 2,

and has for an object to accomplish prefabrica- Figure 5 is a perspective view showing the rst tion of a house to such an extent that the comstep in the process of building up the house 5 pletion of the house requires only the building shown in Figures 1 and 2 from the units. 5

of a foundation, assembly of the units and mak- Figure 6 is a fragmentary detail of the hinged o ing the usual connections with gas, water etc. l roof structure of one of the units shown in Fig- Another object is to provide building units ures 1 and 2, which are readily transportable and easily and Figure 'I is a fragmentary detail of the mancheaplyassembled and disassembled. t ner of Joining the hinged roof sections of two 10 A further object is the provision of building such units as shown in Figures-5 and 6, units which may be assembled without the usel Figure 8 is an enlarged fragmentary detail of of cranes and the like. the peak joint of the roof shown in Figure "l,

Another object is the possibility of enlarging Figure 9 is a detail view of the insulating joint 15. a completed house by the addition of vfurther employedinconnecting walls of the several units,

units; or modification of the existing plan of showing the parts disjoined,

a set of assembled units. Figure l0 is a detail view of the parts of Fig- Another object is to allow the building of a ure 9 with the Joint made, v prefabricated house which has lhitherto unat- Figure 11 is a detail view of a modified dovetainable architectural beauty. tail joint with parts disjoined, 20

Further objects include building the units to Figure 12 is a detail view of the parts of Figconform with the gauge of railroads to facilitate ure 11 joined and showing the dove-tail filled rail transportation of the units over` long diswith a sealing substance, tances; reducing the cost of housing by'increas- Figure 13 is a floor plan of a modified house ing the amount of factory work and decreasing structure incorporating additional building units, 25

the amount of work at the building site; the and l l possibility of assembling the units in any kind Figure 14 is a roof plan of a further modificaof weather; the use of a roof structure which tion incorporating still more building units. reduces the height of the unit While it is being Referring nOW t0 the drawings und Particutransported; assembling the units with an inlurly 110`F1gure 1, the hOuSe here Shown is com- 30 sulating joint between abutting walls; eliminat- DOSed 0f W10 L-Shaped units 20, 2l and a recing in large measure overlap of walls which retangular unit 22- The l-,sheped units are placed suits in great waste of material and is not neceswith their longer Sides abutting While the recsary; the possibility of placing a readily transtangular unit 22 is placed against the Shorter portable house on a rented lot which is of par.. sides thereof. `35 ticular value .in communities where land is of AS Will be Seen by reference t0 Figure 5 the very high price; and providing a. house with L-Shaped unit 20 is a completely prefabricated the above features with distributing characterbuilding unit. The framework may be either istics similar to those of other factory built prod- Steel 01 WOOd and the Walls of any suitable mauctsl Suchv as automobiles. y y terlal. AS the units are built at the factory they 40 With the foregoing and other Objects in View' are complete with iloors, windows, doors etc. the invention will be more fully described here- The walls of the umts are dlsposed as Show@ in inafter.` and will be more particularly pointed Figures 2 gud? to prevent needless ovrlappmg om., in the claims appended hereta With this m view the wall 23 of the unit 20 ends i so as to register with the wall 24 of the unit'I 22. 45 In the drawings wherein like symbols refer The inner wall 25 of the unit 20 ends against to like or corresponding parts throughout the the side of the inner Wan 25' of the ,mit several Views" There is then no overlapping or waste of wall Figure 1 is a perspective view of one form of Structure and the abutting Walls may be se hou. assempled from three of the bundilg umts cured together by any desirable form of boit or 50 Fleur? 2 1S e Section teken 0n the-11H8 2--2 the like. Likewise, the outer wan 21 of the unit 0f tile Figure 1, 2| abuts the end' wall 28 of the unit 22. The Figure 3 is a diagrammatic view 0f the units inner wan 2s of the una 2| is provided with just used 1n Figure 2 Showing them disassembled, sulcient length to complete the end of a room Figure 4 is a perspective view of the founda- 30 and to hold a door 3l opening into said room. 55

A post 28' supports open corner oi' the unit 2|.

At the joints between these a sealing Joint which consists in corresponding grooves in the abutting walls between which is placed `ttsealing member. Figures 9 and 10 show the Joint so made between the wall 28 of the` unit 22 and the end of the wall 21 of the unit 2|. Corresponding vertical grooves 22 and 82 are iet into the abutting edges of the respective walls. A compressible block 24, of rubber or the like, is ntted into these grooves. When the Joint is tightened in `assembling the unita the block I4 is crushed to i111 the two grooves completely as shown in Figure 10 thus making a perfect insulating Joint between the

walls

21 and 28. B imilar Joints are 'provided at each of. the connecting Joints of the house.

Referring now to Figure 6, the unit 22 is' shown with its roof in carrying position. 'Ihe roof structure consists in the transverse brace 85 between outer wall 86 and the inner wall 28 of the unit, the vertical support 21 which rests on the transverse brace 25 I8 which extends the length of the unit and is supported by the vertical members 31. A nxed roof side '38 is held between the block 48 of the wall 86 and the longitudinal rib 88 by a series of braces 4| which are secured at their opposite ends to the block 40 and the rib 88. The upper end of the' brace 4I is provided with pivot 42 for a second roof section 42. This section 48 rests on the braces 44 which are pivoted at 42 with the iixed braces 4|. The outer end of the movable roof section43 is reinforced by means of an angle bar 45 which in the folded lposition shown in Figure 6 rests on'the top of the inner wall 26 of the unit. 'The roof sections have at their pivot point a joint which consists in the cut away section 46 of the fixed roof and the corresponding overlapping section 41 of the movable roof. As shown in Figure 7, when this movable roof section 43 is raised an overlapping Joint is formed above the pivot. It will also be seen that a substantial portion of the height of the building unit is removed by-folding down this movable" roof section. This is highly convenient in transporting the units to the building site. When the units are placed in position for an assembly the movable roof sections of the abutting units are raised. When the wall joints are completed these roof sections will rest against one another and will be prevented by their length from returning to the folded position. As shown in Figures 7 and 8 the

angle bars

45 and 48 come together and may be anchored in this position if desired. In addition to this the edges of the roof sections are bevelled and their upper surfaces provided with the corresponding

angular locking strips

49 and 50. Over these locking strips when the units are fastened together is placed a peak cap i which eifectively seals the peak joint of the roof. The twor abutting sections now provide an A roof. When the movable sections of the roof are raised there will be left between the two units a diamond shaped space which, is filled in by a similar shaped insert 52 which completes the walls of the units. This structure of roof is best carried out by the employment of sheet metal as a roof covering.

When a definite house plan has beenadopted and the units obtained a series of foundation blocks 52 are erected or built on the site, as shown in Figure 4. 'I'he arrangement of these blocks 52 is such that there will be provided between the blocks passageways into which a and the longitudinal rib` arrangement of the rooms contained.

truckorlorryllmay centers theunit above the foundation blocks when a series of Jacks or the like are placed bels neath theoverhtnging edges of the unit to raise the same and permit the truck to be moved out of the way, after which the jacks are lowered and the unit settled on the foundation Vblocks 52'.

way on the truck into the passageway 55 and placed with its long side abutting that of the unit 28. The insulating joints will be completed of this unit.is provided with a door 58 which in this assembly forms .the entrance door of the The hall 58 then serves the addition of the

unit

65 and 65 may be accommay readily be varied as to the number. size and In order to renderthe addition of further units simple, each in forming a joint with a new unit.

With reference to this problem of the sealing joint a modied form `of joint is shown in Figorthe like' which completely seals the joint. In case of disassemblyof the units the plaster may be sawed very readily to break the joint.

Another feature contemplated by the present invention relates to the disposition of all rooms required to beeconnected to water, gas, drains and the like within a single one of these building 7 unit 22 is then driven 15 alsv n n ananas units.' In the-house` structure shown in Figure 2 connection. The internal .piping and connections may all be completed at the factory before ship` ping units. Of course it will be seen that the wall 28 is common to some of the rooms in the other units and so, if desired, water and other connections may be carried into the other units to be supplied through the unit 22. The. furnace rooml 'i5 is located in the unit 22 which may be designated as the service unit. VThe heat provided is preferably, for the small house shown, a warm air system in which ducts from the room 'l5 may carry'the warmed air into the other units. The room 15 has built into it the flue 16 and after the roof is attached to the neighboring unit the chimney 11 is placed in position and connected with the flue.

The above described structure then carries out all of the objects stated. All of the Work on the units may be completed at s'ome central factory where modern assembly methods will serve to reduce to a minimum the cost of building. At this factory the units will be completely finished as to floors, doors, windows, and fixtures. It is only necessary then to set the foundation blocks 52 in the positions suited to the layout of the units, set units thereon, make the joints between them, and complete outside connections.- It will readily be seen that all this may be accomplished within a few hours.

The units are made of such width that they may be carried on standard rail and truck equipment making for ease and quickness in delivery. Also in line with facilitating transportation of the units overall height is considerably diminished by forming the roof in two hinged sections.

Previous prefabricated houses have had to be of unconventional design and therefore lack a` very important element of appeal to prospective purchasers. The houses from the above described units have slanted roofs, and are not mere boxes but have graceful lines and readily adapt themselves to many interesting modifications in design.

Such building units as these may readily 'be exhibited and sold and various types kept in stock in every city, so that once it is decided to change the house structure, by enlarging or modifying, this change may be made in a very short time. It is also quite feasible when it is desired to move from one location to another to dismantle the house and carry it to the new site. This feature is also of a great deal of importance in localities Where land is very expensive, as the house may be placed upon a rented lot-and moved from one lot to another when necessary.

Of course, if desirable, the units may be arranged end to end instead of abutting sideways and in such a case the small A roof over each unit would be the permanent roof. the A in such a case may both be hinged at the sides of the unit to fold over one another for purposes of transportation.

It is obvious that various changes and modifications 'may be made in .the details of construction and `design of the above specifically described embodiment of this invention without departing from the `spirit thereof, such changesand modications being restricted only by the scope of the following claims.

What is claimed is:

The two sides of 1. `A composite building structure, comprising independent building units each having a fixed and a movable roof section, and means for securing lthe movable roof sections of adjacent building 'units together to provide s.- composite roof for the composite building structure, and means vfor sealing the adjoint portions of the building units together "into a composite building structure.

3. A composite building structure, comprising a plurality of independently complete building. units having wall openings for register with adjacent units in the composite structure and each having a complete roof with an adjustable portion for relative adjustment with the adjustable roof portions of adjacent units to provide a composite roof for the composite building structure.

4. A composite building structure, comprising independent building units each having an A roof with one side section thereof hinged at .the peak relatively to the other side section to swing into substantially the plane thereof, and means for securing the free edges of the hinged roof sections of adjacent units to provide a common roof for the composite building structure.

5. A composite building structure, comprising independent building units each having an A roof with one side section thereof hinged at the peakv edges, of the hinged sections abutting when the hinged sections of adjacent units are raised into the plane of the other section, and a cap tting over said ilangeslocking the hinged sections together and sealing the joint therebetween.

7. A composite building structure, comprising independent building units each having an A roof with one side thereof hinged at the peak relatively to the other side section to swing substantially into the plane thereof, the upper surface of one of said sides being cut back from the peakfora distance, and the upper surface of said other side extending over the peak for a distance corresponding to said cut back to provide an overlapping joint at the hinge between said sides when the sides are swung into a common plane.

B. A composite house structure comprising a number of complete building units, eachunit having a complete A roof one section of which is hinged at thepeak to form with an adjacent unit of similar structure a larger A` roof over the two units.

9. A pair of -prefabricated building units comprising each, a floor, corresponding wall structures to provide inner and outer walls, and a slanting roof structure for each unit adapted to join and form an A roof over the two units and each of said roof structures being in two sections hinged 4together vtransversely to fold down and reduce the height of the unit for shipping.

10. A pair of building units comprising two separatestructures each having walls and a roof, the walls being complementary to form a larger single structure when the units are brought together, said roofs being secured at an angle other than a right angle to said walls and adapted when the units are brought together to abut at their upper edges to form an A-rooi.' over the two units, said roofs being hinged longitudinally of the unit to allow the upper side of the roof. to be folded down to reduce the overall height of the unit for shipping.

11. A composite structure comprising one unit having side walls with fiat top edges and end walls with top edges tapering upwardly to a center higher than the side walls, a xed roof section secured to one side wall and one side of the tapering top edges of the end walls, a movable roof section hingedly secured to the upper edge of said ilxed roof. section, and a second unit having like side and end walls and fixed and movable roof sections, said units being `placed with the movable roof sections adjacent one another and said roof sections being swung upwardly on their hinges into the planes of their respective fixed roof sections, and the upper outer edges of said movable rooi' sections abutting to roof section hingedly secured to the upper edge o1'. said fixed roof section, a second unit having like -side and end walls and fixed and movable roof sections, said units being placed with the movable rooi' sections adjacent one another and said roof sections being swung upwardly on their hinges into the planes of their respective xed rooi' sections, and the upper outer edges oi said movable roof sections abutting to complete an A-rcof over the two adjacent units,'and a diamond shaped insert iilling the space at each end of the structure betweenthe raised movable roof sections and the end Walls oi' the units.

KARL H. BRUNNER.