US20080034676A1

US20080034676A1 - Folding house

Info

Publication number: US20080034676A1
Application number: US11/502,769
Authority: US
Inventors: Rizwan Ahmad
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2006-08-14
Filing date: 2006-08-14
Publication date: 2008-02-14

Abstract

There is no device or structure in existence today that has such folding mechanism of the walls and the roof fitted in the manner described in this document. This is a novel device and given the conditions we have faced recently, the practical need of such easily transportable and easily manufactured living structure is acute.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

There have been no other related applications.

BACKGROUND

A few years ago a Tsunami hit the islands in Southeast Asia. Hundreds of thousands of people died as a result of that disaster. Thousands more died in the aftermath of the disaster where people had to live in inhospitable conditions and substandard housing.
When hurricane Katrina hit the south east region of the United States of America, the relief agencies were not prepared to deal with the aftermath of that natural disaster as well. This disaster also showed us that housing is a major part of dealing with natural disasters. If there is inadequate housing it multiplies the problem many folds. The government and local agencies came up with the trailer homes as a solution. The trailer homes were too expensive and could not reach the places were they were needed. Such trailer homes sat at the tarmac while people lived in football stadiums and in tents.
When an earthquake hit Pakistan and India and thousands of homes were destroyed, the need for adequate emergency housing became even more evident. The affected people in remote areas could not get help on time. Some people did not get any help at all. The relief agencies were once again inadequately equipped. The people were made to live in tents which did not provide any shelter from the cold and the rains.
After seeing such disasters and the conditions created by such disasters, I have come up with a solution for emergency housing that is to be economical, easily transportable, easily manufactured, and which is to provide shelter in all kinds of weather. This invention is called the Folding House. It is a combination of several simple machines hence it falls in the category of a Utility Patent. Previously, there is no such invention in the market that operates on such principles. I have seen sheds in the supermarket or at the Home Depot but all of them are roomy and previously manufactured and they do not fold unto themselves. They are not easily transportable to remote areas and they are too expensive. My Folding House will provide an advancement in technology, alleviate the problem in housing and it can easily be used to provide disaster relief assistance.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SPECIFICATION OF THE DRAWINGS

Attached diagrams 1 through 7 are not drawn to scale.
Diagram 1: View from the front of the House of the folding Mechanism of the side walls.
Diagram 2: View from one side of the connection of the side wall and the front wall.
Diagram 3: Cross-sectional view of the slip-on connector of the four walls.
Diagram 4: Full frontal view of the folding mechanism of the four walls.
Diagram 5: A View from below i.e. looking up, of the roof panels that fit on top of the walls and a view from the front of the structure of the roof panels as they fit on top of the four walls.
Diagram 6: A view of the connection of the poles that support the roof panels and secure the roof panels to the base of the structure.
Diagram 7: Cross-sectional view of the water proofing guard that sits on top of the roof where the roof panels are joined together.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION:

The invention is called the Folding House. The entire structure of the house is built with light weight material such that the weight of the structure is as light as possible for ease of transport. All four walls of the house fold on to themselves with the help of hinges as shown in the diagram. The side, front and the back walls of this House fold unto themselves with the help of hinges similar to the ones affixed to any door. These hinges run along the entire base of the four walls individually. The folding mechanism is described in detail in the attached drawings. (Diagram 1 and Diagram 4.) The walls are then interconnected with a slip-on bracket that is either made out of hardened plastic or a material similar to steel. I prefer hardened plastic as it does not get hot in warmer climates and does not get cold in colder climates. (Diagram 2 and Diagram 3.) The roof is then fitted on top of the four walls as shown in the diagram (Diagram 5) and tethered to the floor with the help of metallic rods that have fitted ends at the floor and at the ceiling as indicated in the diagram. The roof is made in two separate sections and each section is tethered to each other at the top. Three bolt/rod interconnections run through the middle of the roof such that the bolts tie the panels of the roof together and the rods directly under the bolts, in a T-formation, hold the weight of the roof and tie the roof to the floor. See diagram 5 and diagram 6 for detail. Once the panels are tethered to each other and the bolts are fully screwed in, the waterproofing guard is fitted on top of the roof as described in diagram 5 and diagram 7. There are three more rods attached to the roof and the floor as described in diagram 5 and diagram 6. These metallic rods serve three purposes; one they tie the roof to the floor, second, they hold the weight of the roof onto themselves, third, they stop the roof from flying off in windy conditions.

Claims

1. I claim that the idea of folding walls that are interconnected in the manner described in this document is mine and any device built with the principle such as described in this document will be an infringement upon my intellectual property rights.

2. I claim the idea of a transportable and fitted roof as described in this document is mine and any device built with a similar mechanism will be an infringement upon my intellectual property rights.

3. I claim the idea of the roof joined to the floor via posts made out of steel or iron or any other material in the fashion described in this document is mine and any device built with such principles will be an infringement upon my intellectual property rights.