US604277A

US604277A - tofft

Info

Publication number: US604277A
Authority: US
Publication date: 1898-05-17
Anticipated expiration: 1915-05-17

Description

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KNOCKDOWN HOUSE. No. 604,277. Patented May 17, 1898.

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KNOCKDOWN HOUSE. ,277. Patented May l?, 1898.

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PETER A. TOFFT, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

KNOCKDOWN HOUSE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 604,277, dated May 17, 1898. Application led September 9, 1897. Serial No. 651,115. (No model.)

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, PETER' A. TOFFT, of New York city, in the county and State of New York,have invented a new and Improved Knockdown House, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

My invention relates to an improvement in knockdown houses, or that class of houses intended to be readily taken apart and moved from place to place and also to be readily set up when desired.

The house is in general of a hemispherical shape, and consists of vertical ribs extending from the base toward the apex and provided with grooves in their edges andV of plates which slide within these grooves and overlap each other. These parts are all divisible into small sections, so that they may be readily transported from place to place.

The invention also consists of the novel features of construction hereinafter described, and particularly pointed out in the claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this speciiication, in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the gures.

Figure 1 is a top plan view of my house with a portion broken out at one side. Fig. 2 is an elevation with a portion broken out to show the interior. Fig. 2' is a horizontal section through the doors, taken on theline 2a 2a of Fig. 2. Fig. 2b is a vertical section on the line 2b 2b of Fig. 2. Fig. 3 is a top plan view of the center, which receives the upper ends of the ribs, the ends of the ribs being shown in place. Fig. 4. is a Vertical section of the same, taken upon the line 4. 4L of Fig. 3. Figs. 5, 6, and 7 are a perspective, a plan, and a sectional view of, a portion of one of the ribs, consisting of two sections thereof. Figs. 8 and 9 are sectional views taken through parts where the sections of the ribs are joined and showing the manner of securingthem together. Fig. 10 is a plan View of a small segment of the house-wall. Fig. 11 is a section taken upon the line 11 11 of Fig. 10. Fig. 12 is a plan view of two sections of a rib slightly separated. Fig. 13 is a plan view of the plate, which may be insertcd between the ribs at the point of juncture of two plates of the wall. Fig. 14. isa plan of a small segment of the roof, showing the manner of putting the parts together; and Fig. 15 is a perspective view of a modified construction for the plates forming the outer and inner portions of the ribs.

The object of my invention is to provide a house which may be quickiy set up or taken down and which may be divided into such small members that they may be easily handled and carried wherever it is possible for man to go and carry anything with him.

This house is particularly designed for use by miners, travelers, and other people residing or traveling in out-of-the-way and inaccessible districts, particularly in cold countries. It is constructed entirely of metal or of other material, which may be worked into plates and bars similarly to metal.

The house consists of the vertical ribs A, which curve from their bottom toward the center piece at the top of the house, the plates D, which are inserted in grooves formed in the edges of said ribs, and bars B extending about the base of the house and acting as a band or hoop to resist outward pressure. The upper ends of the ribs A are all inserted in a socket formed in the center piece and extending entirely around lthe same. This center piece is shown in detail in Figs. 3 and 4, and

or spacing member E, which is inserted between them. These three plates are secured to each other by means of rivets e and are all provided with a central hole e2, which acts as a ventilating-oriiice and may, if desired, be provided with an upwardly-extending pipe. The central washer or spacing-ring E is of considerably less diameter than the plates E. This forms a socket whichextends around `the center plates and within which the upper ends of the ribs A are inserted. The upper sections of these ribs diier from the other sections in that the plates forming the rib are all carried out to the same length and that the ends are slightly beveled, as clearly shown at ain Figs. 3, 5, and 6. This bevel is such that the ends of the ribs fit snugly in the space between the two plates E, entirely filling the same. also provided with a hole a', adapted to receive a bolt c', which passes through the outer edges of the plates E and the rib. The secconsists of the annular plat-esE and the washer The upper ends of the sections are tions of the ribs are each formed of three plates. The two outer plates A and A3 are of the same width. The inner plate A2 is narrower than the plates A and A3 and is placed centrally between them, so that when the three plates are joined together a groove will be left on each side of the rib. At the ends these plates are placed so that each succeeding plate in the section extends farther than the last one, thus forming two offsets, as clearly shown in plan in Fig. l2-that is, the lower end of the plate A extends farther down than the lower end of the central plate A2, and this latter farther than the lower end of the plate A3. Similarly the plates A4, A5, and A6, forming the next section of the rib, are made to project successively farther than the last plates, so that when the two sections are placed end to end the plates will lap by each other, as shown in Figs. 5 and 7. In doing this the outer plate of one section is made to butt against the central plate of the other section. This forms grooves A7, which are offset at the point of junction of two sections, thus providing means for securely holding a plate therein. The ribs A are formed in sections in this manner of such a length as may be deemed desirable and with as great a number of sect-ions as may be necessaryr to secure the completed length of rib. The ribs at their lower ends are secured to each other by means of the plates B, which may be made of such a length as to reach over more than one of the spaces between the ribs, if desired, but which preferably are made to reach only from one rib to the next one. These plates are secured to the bottom of the ribs in a Inanner-which will be hereinafter described.

When the ribs are put in position, the plates D, which are each of such a shape as to fill its respective place, are inserted into the grooves of the ribs. The offset in the grooves at the point of junction of the sections serves to hold the lower edge of each of these plates and prevent its falling down, and the grooves A7 in adjacent ribs securely hold the side edges of the plates. At the point Where the offset is made between adjacent sections of the ribs the grooves A7 in adjacent sections slightly overlap. As a result of this the several plates D overlap each other, the upper plate being the outer one. (See Fig. l.) This forms a tight joint and prevents entrance of water or snow.

The bottom ring or hoop B is formed double-that is, of an outer and an inner plate, and these plates are secured to the bottom ends of the ribs. The point of separation of adjacent plates in the hoop or ring B is preferably made upon the aperture through which the locking-bolt is passed. This locking-bolt C, as shown in Figs. 8 and 9, is provided with a head C' and with washers O2, which are in the form of bars extending to 'I .c 65`some distance on opposite sides of the boltaperture. These bars are, provided with inwardly-turning pins or points O 3,and the plates was, l

forming the ring B are also provided with holes adapted to receive these points and thus to lock the plates Vsecurely to the ribs and. to each other. These washers C2 maybe made, as shown in Fig. 8, with the pins C3 of such a length as to reach entirely through all the plates at this point or, as shown in Fig. 9, with pins of such a length as to reach to the center thereof and two washers be used, one upon each side of the plates. The nuts which screw upon the bolts C are preferably made in such a shape that they may be screwed down firmly by hand.

The particular construction of the nut which I prefer is that shown in Figs. 8 and 9. In said iigures the nut is shown as provided with a head or ring C4, which furnishes a broad surface for engagement by the hand for turning the nut and securing the parts in place and also serves another useful purpose-that is, when this nut is placed inside the house it furnishes a convenient device to which any article may be attached.

As shown in Fig. 2, a stand F of any convenient form may be provided for the center of the house. The legs of this stand rest upon the ground and are connected to a cornmon plate F' at the top. The legs are also provided at or near the top with rings F2 or other suitable device, to which a rope may be attached. As shown in Fig. 2, a hammock may then be attached between the eyes Ctl of the nuts and the rings attached to the stand F. In this way a series of hammocks may be swung about the house and furnish sleeping accommodation for a large number of men.

It is of course understood that the stand F will either be firmly secured against u psettin g or be 'guyed from the opposite side of the house either by special guy-ropes or by other hammocks attached thereto. In this way the ends of the bolts which secure the parts together may be utilized for attaching any article desired thereto. Certain of the plates D may, if desired, be provided with holes d, within which are placed circular glasses,

vwhich will permit entrance of light without admitting the air.

If desired, a plate I, such as shown in Figs. 13 and- 14, may be provided for insertion between the adjacent edges of the plates D. This plate I is provided with a lug or extension I at each end, adapted to enter notches formed in the edges of the central plate of the ribs, as shown in Fig. 14.. This securely holds the plate in place and prevents its removal. In using the plate its upper edge will be placed beneath the upper one of the plates D and the lower edge above the upper portion of the plate D next below.

The house :may also be provided with a Ventilating-pipe G, which is connected with the lower part of the house and extends vertically outside of the same. This pipe will provide for the admission of fresh air in case the house should be entirely buried in snow. At one side of the house an opening is formed roo IZO

adapted to receive the doors H, which slide in grooves formed on the inside of the house, as shown in Figs. 2fL and 2b. These doors are double, each half sliding toits side and meeting in the middle to close the opening. As will be seen from the construction described, this house may be taken apart vinto pieces which are of comparatively small size and thus may be carried to any point desired. It will also take but a short time to erect the house or take it down, and the house is capable of sheltering a large number of men. Theplates forming the top of the house are made of very thin metal, and consequently weigh but little. The ribs A are also made of comparatively thin plate and will thus weigh but little.

If desired, other material than metal may be used in the construction ofV the house. Metal has been referred to, as it is more readily obtained and more common in the particular forms which would be used in constructing this house. It is, however, possible that the ribs as well vafs the plates may be made of wood or paper suitably prepared for this purpose. I do not therefore wish to be confined to the use of metal for this purpose, although metal has been described as the material of which it has been constructed.

When it is desired to make the ribs unusually strong, the outer plates thereof may be made as shown in Fig. 15. These plates are made of strips P, bent at an angle and secured together, giving the whole a T-section. The bases of these strips P are made so that the ends of each pair come at the same place, but so that the ends of the inwardly-projecting anges do not correspond. One of these iianges is made to extend beyond the other, as shown at p2, and the bases of the sections overlap, as shown at p'. As a consequence the joints are formed by overlapping at all points, and the parts are secured together by bolts 19. Where hammocks are suspended from the ribs, a brace R should be provided to extend from the rib to the ioor to strengthen the rib.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent- 1. Aknockdown house, made in the general form of a dome, having ribs formed of plates secured together so as to leave a groove in each edge, a central crown formed of two plates secured together and having sockets between their edges adapted to receive the upper ends of the ribs, and plates adapted to enter the grooves in the edges of the ribs and t between adjacent ribs, substantially as described.

2. Aknockdown house, made in the general form of a dome, having ribs formed of plates secured together so as to leave a groove in each edge, said ribs being made in sections which may be secured together at their ends, the outer layer of each section registering with the groove in the section next above, a central crown,consisting of two plates secured together and having sockets between their edges adapted to receive the upper ends of the ribs, and plates adapted to enter the grooves in the edges of and iit between the adjacent ribs, substantially as described.

8. A knockdown house, having hooks or eyes attached to the inner walls thereof at intervals, and a central stand having hooks or rings thereon, said wall and center rings being adapted to support hammocks, substantially as described.

4c. A knockdown house, composed of ribs meeting at their upper ends and having grooves in their edges, segmental plates adapted to t the grooves in the edges of the ribs, and an encircling band surrounding the base of the house, said ribs and bands being made in sections and bolted together, substantially as described.

5. A knockdown house, composed of vertical ribs meeting at their upper ends and having grooves in their edges, segmental plates adapted to fit the grooves in the edges'of the ribs, and an encircling band surrounding the base of the house, said ribs and bands being made in sections and bolted together, said houseA having a door-opening on one side, guides adjacent thereto, and a door sliding therein, substantially as described.

6. A knockdown house, composed of ribs meeting overhead and having grooves in their edges, a central crown receiving the upper ends thereof, said crown being formed of two plates having a spacing-washer between, segmental plates adapted to fit the grooves in the edges of the ribs, and an encircling band surrounding the edges of the house and secured to the lower ends of the ribs, substantially as described.

7. A sectional or knockdown house, having ribs formed in short sections, each section consisting of two outer plates of substantially the same width and an interposed plate of narrower width, thus forming a groove in each edge, the plates at the joining ends of the sections projecting successively at a greater distance, and adjacent sections being joined to each other by batting an outer plate of each section against the central plate of the other section, and securing the sections through the overlapping parts, substantially as described.

PETER A. TOFFT.

WVitnesses:

J A ooB SEIBERT, Jr., THos. J. IIAMILroN.

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