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US-20260125894-A1 - Expandable Building Systems and Related Methods

US20260125894A1US 20260125894 A1US20260125894 A1US 20260125894A1US-20260125894-A1

Abstract

A roof truss can comprise a lower chord, two upper chords that each have a second end pivotably coupled to the second end of the other of the upper chords, and braces that include two or more pivotable braces that each have a first end pivotably coupled to the lower chord and a second end pivotably coupled to one of the upper chords, where the pivotable braces include at least two extendible braces that are each extendible from a shortened to an extended state. The roof truss can be movable between a collapsed state in which each extendible brace is in the shortened state and an expanded state in which each extendible brace is in the extended state and the second end of each upper chord is disposed further from the lower chord. Each pivotable brace can pivot when the roof truss moves between the collapsed and expanded states.

Inventors

  • James F. Harvey

Assignees

  • James F. Harvey

Dates

Publication Date
20260507
Application Date
20241106

Claims (20)

  1. 1 . A roof truss comprising: a lower chord; two upper chords that each have a first end and a second end that is pivotably coupled to the second end of the other of the upper chords, wherein the second end of each of the upper chords overlies the lower chord; and a plurality of braces that include: two or more pivotable braces that each have a first end pivotably coupled to the lower chord and a second end pivotably coupled to one of the upper chords; wherein the pivotable braces include at least two extendible braces that are each extendible from a shortened state to an extended state, wherein a length of the extendible brace is longer when in the extended state than when in the shortened state; wherein each of the upper chords is pivotably coupled to the second end of at least one of the pivotable braces; and wherein: the roof truss is movable between a collapsed state in which each of the extendible braces is in the shortened state and an expanded state in which each of the extendible braces is in the extended state; the second end of each of the upper chords is disposed further from the lower chord when the roof truss is in the expanded state than when the roof truss is in the collapsed state; and each of the pivotable braces pivots relative to the lower chord and relative to the upper chord to which the second end of the pivotable brace is pivotably coupled when the roof truss moves between the collapsed state and the expanded state.
  2. 2 . The roof truss of claim 1 , wherein each of the upper chords is extendible from a shortened state to an extended state, wherein: a length of the upper chord is longer when in the extended state than when in the shortened state; and when the roof truss is in the collapsed state and the upper chord is in the shortened state, the first end of the upper chord overlies the lower chord.
  3. 3 . The roof truss of claim 1 , wherein when the roof truss is in the collapsed state, for each of the pivotable braces: a first portion of the pivotable brace is disposed in a channel of one of the upper chords; and a second portion of the pivotable brace is disposed in a channel of the lower chord.
  4. 4 . The roof truss of claim 1 , wherein a height of the roof truss, measured between the lower chord and the second ends of the upper chords, when the roof truss is in the expanded state is at least 7 times the height of the roof truss when the roof truss is in the collapsed state.
  5. 5 . The roof truss of claim 1 , wherein a height of the roof truss, measured between the lower chord and the second ends of the upper chords, is at least 25% of a length of the lower chord when the roof truss is in the expanded state.
  6. 6 . The roof truss of claim 1 , wherein a height of the roof truss, measured between the lower chord and the second ends of the upper chords, is greater than 10 feet when the roof truss is in the expanded state.
  7. 7 . The roof truss of claim 1 , wherein a length of the lower chord is between 30 and 53 feet.
  8. 8 . A method of constructing a building at a building site, the method comprising: transporting, over one or more roads, a plurality of roof trusses to the building site, each of the roof trusses comprising: a lower chord; two upper chords that each have a first end and a second end that is pivotably coupled to the second end of the other of the upper chords, wherein the second end of each of the upper chords overlies the lower chord; and a plurality of braces that include: two or more pivotable braces that each have a first end pivotably coupled to the lower chord and a second end pivotably coupled to one of the upper chords; wherein the pivotable braces include at least two extendible braces that are each extendible from a shortened state to an extended state, wherein a length of the extendible brace is longer when in the extended state than when in the shortened state; wherein each of the upper chords is pivotably coupled to the second end of at least one of the pivotable braces; and wherein the roof truss: is movable between a collapsed state in which each of the extendible braces is in the shortened state and an expanded state in which each of the extendible braces is in the extended state; and is in the collapsed state during the transporting; for each of the roof trusses, at the building site and while the roof truss is fixed to at least one wall: moving the roof truss from the collapsed state to the expanded state such that: the second end of each of the upper chords moves upwardly away from the lower chord; and each of the pivotable braces pivots relative to the lower chord and relative to the upper chord to which the second end of the pivotable brace is pivotably coupled; and fixing the length of each of the extendible braces when the roof truss is in the expanded state such that the extendible brace is not compressible to the shortened state.
  9. 9 . The method of claim 8 , wherein for each of the roof trusses: each of the upper chords of the roof truss is extendible from a shortened state to an extended state, wherein: a length of the upper chord is longer when in the extended state than when in the shortened state; and when the roof truss is in the collapsed state and the upper chord is in the shortened state, the first end of the upper chord overlies the lower chord; during the transporting, each of the upper chords of the roof truss is in the shortened state; and the method comprises, at the building site: extending each of the upper chords from the shortened state to the extended state; and fixing the length of each of the upper chords when the upper chord is in the extended state such that the upper chord is not compressible to the shortened state.
  10. 10 . The method of claim 8 , wherein one or more roof assemblies each include: at least two of the roof trusses; and two roof panels, each coupled to and overlying a respective one of the upper chords of each of the roof trusses of the roof assembly; wherein transporting the roof trusses of the roof assembly comprises transporting, over the road(s), the roof assembly to the building site.
  11. 11 . The method of claim 10 , wherein for each of the one or more roof assemblies, each of the roof panels of the roof assembly comprises a plurality of shingles, a plurality of tiles, or one or more metal sheets.
  12. 12 . The method of claim 10 , wherein each of the one or more roof assemblies comprises a ceiling panel coupled to and underlying the lower chord of each of the roof trusses of the roof assembly.
  13. 13 . The method of claim 8 , wherein when the roof truss is in the collapsed state, for each of the pivotable braces: a first portion of the pivotable brace is disposed in a channel of one of the upper chords; and a second portion of the pivotable brace is disposed in a channel of the lower chord.
  14. 14 . The method of claim 8 , comprising: transporting, over one or more roads, one or more wall assemblies to the building site, wherein each of the one or more wall assemblies: comprises six or more wall segments, wherein the wall segments include at least two pivotable wall segments that are each pivotably coupled to at least one other of the wall segments such that the wall assembly is movable between: a folded state in which: at least two of the wall segments extend in a widthwise direction; at least four of the wall segments that include the pivotable wall segments extend in a lengthwise direction that is substantially perpendicular to the widthwise direction; and the wall assembly has an interior volume circumscribed by the wall segments; and an unfolded state in which: at least four of the wall segments that include at least two of the pivotable wall segments extend in the widthwise direction; at least two of the wall segments extend in the lengthwise direction; and the wall assembly has an interior volume circumscribed by four walls that are defined by at least six of the wall segments that include the pivotable wall segments; wherein: a width of the wall assembly, measured in the widthwise direction, is larger when the wall assembly is in the unfolded state than when the wall assembly is in the folded state; a length of the wall assembly, measured in the lengthwise direction, when the wall assembly is in the unfolded state is approximately the same as the length of the wall assembly when the wall assembly is in the folded state; and the wall assembly is in the folded state when the wall assembly is transported to the building site; for each of the one or more wall assemblies, pivoting each of the pivotable wall segments at the building site such that the wall assembly moves from the folded state to the unfolded state; and for each of the roof trusses, fixing the roof truss to at least one of the walls of one of the one or more wall assemblies that are in the unfolded state at the building site.
  15. 15 . The method of claim 8 , wherein: one or more building assemblies each include: at least two of the roof trusses; one or more ceiling panels, wherein a first one of the ceiling panels is fixed to the lower chord of each of the roof trusses of the building assembly; and two or more walls, wherein each of the walls is coupled to one of the ceiling panel(s) and is pivotable between: a stowed position in which the wall is substantially parallel to the first ceiling panel; and a deployed position in which the wall is substantially perpendicular to the first ceiling panel; wherein transporting the roof trusses of the building assembly comprises transporting, over the road(s), the building assembly to the building site while each of the walls is in the stowed position; and the method comprises, for each of the one or more building assemblies, pivoting each of the walls of the building assembly from the stowed position to the deployed position at the building site.
  16. 16 . The method of claim 15 , wherein for each of the one or more building assemblies: the one or more ceiling panels comprise two or more ceiling panels that include at least one slidable ceiling panel; and the method comprises, after pivoting each of the walls of the building assembly from the stowed position to the deployed position: sliding each of the slidable ceiling panel(s) vertically along two of the walls; and after sliding each of the slidable ceiling panel(s), fixing the slidable ceiling panel(s) relative to the walls.
  17. 17 . The method of claim 8 , wherein for each of the roof trusses, when the roof truss is in the expanded state, a height of the roof truss, measured between the lower chord and the second ends of the upper chords, is at least 7 times the height of the roof truss when the roof truss is in the collapsed state.
  18. 18 . The method of claim 8 , wherein for each of the roof trusses, a height of the roof truss, measured between the lower chord and the second ends of the upper chords, is at least 25% of a length of the lower chord when the roof truss is in the expanded state.
  19. 19 . The method of claim 8 , wherein for each of the roof trusses, a height of the roof truss, measured between the lower chord and the second ends of the upper chords, is greater than 10 feet when the roof truss is in the expanded state.
  20. 20 . The method of claim 8 , wherein for each of the roof trusses, a length of the lower chord is between 30 and 53 feet.

Description

FIELD OF INVENTION The present invention relates generally to expandable building components and building construction methods using such components. BACKGROUND Almost all buildings such as homes are constructed by bringing materials to a building site where the materials are measured, cut to size, and assembled. For example, over 96% of homes in the United States are made in this manner with a stick-built wood frame construction. This construction technique grants architects wide latitude in the customization of the building design. However, with the effort needed to bring all of the materials to the building site and to tailor them for the custom building design, it can be expensive to construct the building in this manner. Additionally, this building process can required a significant amount of time to finish the building, often up to 6 months—or longer if there are delays, such as from weather—for a single-family home depending on the level of customization. And there can be a wide variance in the quality of building construction depending on, for example, the skill of the individuals constructing the buildings. Some buildings are made using modular construction where prefabricated units are manufactured offsite and are transported to the building site where they are assembled. Modular construction can cost less than other conventional construction techniques like stick-built wood frame construction because most of the fabrication is performed in a factory where construction, due to controlled processes, can be more efficient than at the building site. Additionally, the time required to install prefabricated units at the building site can be significantly less than that required to assemble a custom building at the building site. Modular construction, however, still faces challenges that have hindered widespread adoption thereof. For example, while assembly of prefabricated components at a factory can be more cost-effective than assembly at the building site, transportation of the prefabricated components to the building site can be more expensive that transportation of the components' constituent materials because the constituent materials can be packed at a higher density than prefabricated components. Additionally, regulations regarding the size of loads transported over a road can limit the size of the prefabricated components, including their footprint and rooflines, such that buildings made using a modular construction often have a less-desirable architecture than custom-built buildings. SUMMARY There is accordingly a need in the art for building components and building construction techniques that promote affordability and allow for the quick construction of buildings that can have features larger than those of conventional modular constructions. To address this need, the present building systems can include one or more expandable components that can have a compact form for transportation to a building site (e.g., over one or more roads) to allow them to be densely-packed and accordingly mitigate transportation costs, and the expandable component(s) can be expanded at the building site to define one or more features of a building constructed therefrom that can be larger than those defined by prefabricated components in conventional modular construction. The transportability of the expandable component(s) allows them to be constructed off-site (e.g., at a factory) such that they can be produced cost-effectively and with consistent quality, and the expandable component(s), when deployed, can define significant portions of the building such that limited finishing work is required at the building site, which can reduce the amount of time needed to construct the building. In this manner, transporting the expandable component(s) to construct a building can be more cost effective than in conventional modular construction, rendering construction using the same even more cost-effective—and faster—than conventional custom-built techniques. And with their expandability allowing them to define relatively large portions of the building, the expandable component(s) can be used to make a building having an architecture that is more desirable than conventional modular constructions. One expandable component that can be used in some of the present building systems is an expandable roof truss, which can comprise a lower chord and one or two upper chords. With two upper chords, each of the upper chords can have a first end and a second end that overlies the lower chord and is pivotably coupled to the second end of the other of the upper chords. Furthermore, the roof truss can comprise a plurality of braces that include two or more pivotable braces that each have a first end pivotably coupled to the lower chord and a second end pivotably coupled to one of the upper chords, where at least two of the pivotable braces include extendible braces that are each extendible from a shortened state to an extended state. With s