US-12618251-B2 - Structurally sound quick assembly deployable and reusable housing shelters for disaster sites

US12618251B2US 12618251 B2US12618251 B2US 12618251B2US-12618251-B2

Abstract

Structurally sound quick assembly reusable housing shelters are assembled at disaster sites. These rapidly deployable shelters are assembled on site, and can be disassembled after their use is complete, and deployed to another disaster location. The components are built in a factory setting, so that all the tolerances can be maintained. The identical components are interchangeable. Wall and roof panels of the shelters are coated with a rugged polyurea coating, which is waterproof, mold-proof and with no corrosion. Identical T-shaped uprights are spaced equally apart along an outer perimeter of the shelter. The wall and roof panels nest in place between adjacent T-shaped uprights, which each have a flat backend and a centrally located, perpendicular protruding buttressing web extending outwardly from shelter's exterior. T-shaped roof rafters spanning respective uprights of the housing shelter unit, and have notches engaging upper portions of each upright, or vice versa.

Inventors

John P. Hunter

Assignees

John P. Hunter

Dates

Publication Date: 20260505
Application Date: 20230513

Claims (20)

1 . A method of assembling and disassembling a temporary housing shelter unit comprising the steps of: preparing a foundation including a rectangular-shaped perimeter; mounting, to side surfaces of the rectangular-shaped perimeter of said foundation, a base of each of a plurality of identical T-shaped uprights spaced equally apart along the rectangular shaped perimeter of the foundation, wherein each T-shaped upright further comprises an outstanding leg, said outstanding leg of each of the plurality of T-shaped uprights facing away from the foundation; nesting prefabricated insulated wall panels between and against the outstanding leg of adjacent T-shaped uprights and releasably securing the prefabricated wall panels to one side of the base of each of the adjacent T-shaped uprights using removable fasteners extending into pre-drilled receptacle holes; some of said wall panels containing a built-in doorway and windows; installing prefabricated floor units including floor units with built-in kitchen and bathroom facilities including major appliances; installing a plurality of pairs of T-shaped roof rafters, each pair formed into a triangular shape and spanning respective uprights at opposite sides of the foundation, portions of each roof rafter having notches engaging a top end of each respective upright, and facing the outstanding leg of each of the plurality of T-shaped roof rafters upwardly and away from the foundation; sliding and nesting insulated roof panels into place between and against the outstanding leg of adjacent T-shaped sloped members of adjacent roof rafters to enclose a roof area of said housing shelter unit; releasably securing said roof panels to said roof rafters using removable fasteners extending into pre-drilled receptacle holes; disassembling said housing shelter unit by removing all of said removable fasteners and packaging said roof panels and wall panels, uprights and roof rafters; whereby said housing shelter unit is constructed without use of nails or adhesives to facilitate both assembly and disassembly; and disassembling and packing the housing shelter unit in a pod thereby readying the housing shelter unit for field assembling of the temporary housing shelter unit at a next selected site.
2 . The method of claim 1 in which said foundation comprises concrete pier footings.
3 . The method of claim 1 in which said wall panels are constructed of a plastic foam.
4 . The method of claim 3 in which said wall panels are provided with a polyurea coating making said wall panels waterproof, weatherproof, windproof, airtight and mold resistant without requiring separate roofing or siding.
5 . The method of claim 1 in which all parts of said unit are prefabricated and flat-packed for shipping to a site for assembly.
6 . The method of claim 1 comprising the step of mounting a ridge strap at an apex of each roof rafter.
7 . The method of claim 1 in which a screw gun is employed to engage and disengage said fasteners.
8 . The method of claim 1 in which said notches formed in each roof rafter are precisely angled to accommodate upper portions of said uprights to insure vertical plumb line of structural sides of said housing shelter unit.
9 . The method of claim 1 in which said T-shaped uprights are vertical support posts which form nesting regions for wall, floor and roof framing panels.
10 . The method of claim 1 in which said roofing panels are identical to said wall panels except for doors and windows in some wall panels.
11 . The method of claim 1 further comprising: installing the kitchen floor unit and the bathroom floor unit on an elevated platform to accommodate water and waste pipes below which are pre-installed and ready to be attached to hookups.
12 . The method of claim 11 further comprising: installing the kitchen floor unit adjacent to the bathroom floor unit to accommodate using common plumbing and waste lines.
13 . A pod containing components of a housing shelter unit comprising: a plurality of uprights, each of said uprights formed with a T-shaped cross-section having a base leg, and a centrally positioned outstanding leg protruding away from said base leg, and each said outstanding leg extending outwardly away from a foundation of said modular house shelter unit when said base of said T-shaped uprights are installed against a side surface of the foundation; a plurality of wall panels each configured to nest between and against said outstanding leg of adjacent said uprights and be releasably secured to a corresponding said base leg during assembly to form vertical walls of the housing shelter unit; prefabricated floor units including floor units with built-in kitchen and bathroom facilities; a plurality of roof panels; a plurality of pairs of roof supports with each pair formed into a triangular shape, each of said roof supports formed with a T-shaped cross-section having a base leg, and an outstanding leg protruding away from said base leg; wherein said outstanding leg is configured to protrude upwardly and away from of said T-shaped uprights when each said pair of said T-shaped roof supports are installed upon a corresponding pair of said uprights, and thereby support said roof panels of the housing shelter unit upon each said base leg and between adjacent said outstanding legs; said components being constructed in a factory and ready for assembly on site; and said components configured to be flat stacked in said pod to be ready for being shipped to a housing site.
14 . The pod of claim 13 said wall panels are constructed of a plastic foam.
15 . The pod of claim 14 in which said wall panels are provided with a polyurea coating making said wall panels waterproof, weatherproof, windproof, airtight and mold resistant without requiring separate roofing or siding.
16 . The pod of claim 15 in which said roofing panels are identical to said wall panels except for doors and windows in some wall panels.
17 . The pod of claim 16 in which said kitchen facility and said bathroom facility are configured to be installed on one or more elevated platforms to accommodate water and waste pipes below which are pre-installed and ready to be attached to hookups.
18 . A modular house shelter unit configured for assembly and disassembly using only screws and a screwdriver, said modular house shelter unit comprising: a plurality of preformed concrete piers, each configured for a first portion to be received beneath a ground surface and for a second portion to protrude above the ground surface; a plurality of circumferentially extending joists; said second portion of each of said plurality of preformed concrete piers configured to support a portion of said plurality of circumferentially extending joists; a plurality of rows of floor beams configured to extend between portions of said plurality of circumferentially extending joists; a plurality of floor panels removably fastened to said plurality of circumferentially extending joists and to said plurality of rows of floor beams; a plurality of uprights, each of said plurality of uprights formed with a T-shaped cross-section having a base leg, and an outstanding leg protruding away from said base leg and extending outwardly from said modular house shelter unit; wherein pairs of said plurality of uprights are removably secured to opposite sides of said plurality of circumferentially extending joists with said outstanding leg facing away from said foundation; a plurality of wall panels; wherein each of said plurality of wall panels in configured to nest between said outstanding leg of each adjacent pair of said uprights; a plurality of pairs of roof rafters with each pair formed into a triangular shape; each said rafter formed with a T-shaped cross-section having a base leg and an outstanding leg configured to protrude away from said base leg of said rafter; and each said pair of roof rafters comprising: a first rafter, a second rafter, and a connector, said connector configured join a first end of said first rafter to a first end of said second rafter to form a triangular shape; wherein each said pair of roof rafters are positioned, in said triangular shape, to rest upon, and releasably secure to, an opposing pair of said plurality of uprights with said outstanding leg of each of said pairs of roof rafters facing upwardly and away from said foundation; a plurality of roof panels; and wherein each of said plurality of roof panels is configured to nest between said outstanding leg of each adjacent pair of said roof rafters and be releasably secured to one side of said base of each of each adjacent pair of said roof rafters, to form a gable roof without a conventional ridge plank.
19 . The modular house shelter unit according to claim 18 , wherein said connector is a hinge, said hinge configured to pivotally couple said first end of said first rafter to said first end of said second rafter, being thereby configured to occupy a retracted position for transport, where said first and second rafters are positioned substantially parallel to each other, and an extended position, where said first end of said first rafter butts against said first end of said second rafter, and said first and second rafters form said triangular shape.
20 . The modular house shelter unit according to claim 18 , wherein said connector is a ridge strap.

Description

RELATED APPLICATIONS This application claims benefit of provisional application No. 63/342,989 filed on May 17, 2022, pursuant to 35 U.S.C. § 119(e). The '989 application is incorporated by reference herein. FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to housing shelter structures that can be rapidly and easily assembled for persons in need after a natural or man-made disaster, and which can also be easily and quickly disassembled when their emergency use is completed, so that they can be transported quickly to another nearby location at the disaster site, or be transported to a distant location after a different natural or man-made disaster has occurred elsewhere. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION T-shaped joists have been used previously in housing structures to support flat wall panels, which walls may be between two spaced apart T-shaped joists, where the T shaped joists have a flat base located on the exterior of the walls of the structure, and the protruding mid flange of each of the T shaped joists extends inward into the interior of the structure. One problem with using T shaped joists with an interior extending/protruding mid flange is that the bottom of the wall panel held between the T-shaped joists is positioned flush with the floor of the interior of the structure. Therefore, rainwater or flood water can seep in at the bottom of the joists and the bottom of the wall panels right into the level of the interior floor of the structure. Often such structures that may be built as replacement housing have to be installed at an elevated location being several feet off the ground, to avoid ground level seepage. Some prior art patents for portable housing include U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,069,224 to Bigelow and 5,070,667 to Bigelow, Republic of Korea patent application number KR100978578 B1 and French Patent Number 482,354 of Société Civile D'Architecture Industrielle. Bigelow teaches the use of an inwardly extending T-shape, as shown in FIG. 3 of the '224 patent, however the “side connector elements 32” are flattened, and provide no real cross-sectional strength to support the “walls 10,” and therefore does not furthermore provide a structurally sound temporary shelter. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In keeping with the following objects and others which may become apparent, the present invention is for quick and easily deployable and disassemblable housing shelters for disaster sites and other areas where there is a need for rapidly deployable housing structures for people in need. The herein disclosed house structures can be rapidly deployed to, and be quickly assembled on location at, a disaster area (flood, earthquake, fire, hurricane, Covid etc.), and which, on the other hand, can also be rapidly disassembled, after the temporary shelter is no longer needed. A single housing shelter as disclosed herein may constitute a bundled up set of longitudinally extending T-shaped upright posts, which support nested in spaces between corners of base legs and outwardly extending base web unit the vertical wall panels, where the uprights can also function as longitudinally extending T-shaped roof rafters, also for nesting the same panels as roof panels. All of the components of the housing shelter structure can be taken apart and reassembled a multitude of times, particularly because no nails are used, which would otherwise cause degradation of the components when being hammered for disassembly. The nails also leave indelible marks. All of the holes for the screws are also predrilled so as not to rip apart the wall panels, and cause irreparable damage when the unit may be destined for immediate reassembly at another location of critical need. Basically, the T-shaped upright posts are set with protruding lengthwise extending buttressing web leg sections, extending out perpendicular to the lengthwise extending surface of the base legs, forming generally squared-off, concave receding areas between two of the perpendicular protruding lengthwise extending web leg sections. As such, two adjacent upright posts, spaced about 30 inches apart, may be provided to “nest” two or three inch thick foam risen filled panels, having rectangular shapes of about thirty inches in width and eight feet in length, so that the wall panels nest in the squared off, concave receding areas between the perpendicularly and outwardly extending lengthwise buttressing web leg sections of the eight foot T-shaped uprights. The roof of the housing shelter structure forms a gable with a lengthwise extending peak, formed by pairs of angularly extending roof rafters, which may have the same dimensions as the upright posts, except that the roof rafters have corresponding angular notches accepting the corresponding vertically extending T-shaped uprights, to maintain the T-shaped roof rafters in place above the T-shaped uprights, while also assuring a vertical plumb line of the vertical walls of the housing structure. Preferably the angle of the roof gable has a 1