Patent Application
20240200322
Embodiments of the invention relate generally to expandable structures. More particularly, embodiments of the invention relate to an expandable house structure that includes foldable side expansion spaces and a roof that can be raised to form an inclined roof structure.
The following background information may present examples of specific aspects of the prior art (e.g., without limitation, approaches, facts, or common wisdom) that, while expected to be helpful to further educate the reader as to additional aspects of the prior art, is not to be construed as limiting the present invention, or any embodiments thereof, to anything stated or implied therein or inferred thereupon.
Recently, the expandable house structure is attracting more attention both in the fields of mobile homes and recreational vehicles (RVs). The expansion mode will determine the effective living area, complexity of the driving and control system, and cost for purchase and maintenance. Exploring a concise and reliable folding/expansion mechanism is of great importance.
In view of the foregoing, there is a need for an expandable house structure that can expand living space while reducing complexity in the driving and transmission units for expansion and contraction.
Embodiments of the present invention aim to solve the aforementioned problems in conventional expandable structures by providing a studio-like single-floor foldable house structure with separate driving and transmission units for the roof, sidewall and floor frameworks.
Embodiments of the present invention provide a mobile house comprising a main structure; a first expansion section, the first expansion section expandable outward from a first side of the main structure; front and rear main structure expansion walls that are extendable upward from the front and rear walls of the main structure, the front and rear main structure expansion walls supporting a retractable roof that, once the front and rear main structure expansion walls are extended, permits expansion of the retractable roof at over the first expansion sections.
Embodiments of the present invention provide a mobile house comprising a main structure; a first expansion section, the first expansion section expandable outward from a first side of the main structure; and front and rear main structure expansion walls that are extendable upward from the front and rear walls of the main structure, the front and rear main structure expansion walls supporting a retractable roof that, once the front and rear main structure expansion walls are extended, permits expansion of the retractable roof at an incline over the first expansion sections, wherein the first expansion section includes a first front folding wall disposed against the front wall of the main structure, and a first rear folding wall disposed against the rear wall of the main structure, when in a folded state; and the first front folding wall pivots about 180 degrees on a first pivot axis formed along a first side of the front wall and the first rear folding wall pivots about 180 degrees on a second pivot axis formed on a first side of the rear wall to form the first expandable section.
Embodiments of the present invention provide a mobile house comprising a main structure; a first expansion section, the first expansion section expandable outward from a first side of the main structure; a second expansion section, the second expansion section expandable outward from a second side of the main structure; and front and rear main structure expansion walls that are extendable upward from the front and rear walls of the main structure, the front and rear main structure expansion walls supporting a retractable roof that, once the front and rear main structure expansion walls are extended, permits expansion of the retractable roof at an incline over the first and second expansion sections, wherein the first expansion section includes a first front folding wall disposed against the front wall of the main structure, and a first rear folding wall disposed against the rear wall of the main structure, when in a folded state; the first front folding wall pivots about 180 degrees on a first pivot axis formed along a first side of the front wall and the first rear folding wall pivots about 180 degrees on a second pivot axis formed on a first side of the rear wall to form the first expandable section; the second expandable section includes a second front folding wall disposed against the front wall of the main structure, and a second rear folding wall disposed against the rear wall of the main structure, when in a folded state; the second front folding wall pivots about 180 degrees on a third pivot axis formed along a second side of the front wall and the second rear folding wall pivots about 180 degrees on a fourth pivot axis formed on a second side of the rear wall to form the second expansion section; the first front folding wall stacks on top of the second front folding wall, adjacent the front wall, in the folded state; and the first rear folding wall stacks on top of the second rear folding wall, adjacent the rear wall, in the folded state, and the mobile house further comprises a first set of hinges having a first hinge pivot axis that forms the first pivot axis for the first front folding wall; and a second set of hinges having a second hinge pivot axis that forms the third pivot axis for the first rear folding wall, wherein the first set of hinges have a first side connected to the first front folding wall and the first set of hinges have a second side attached to an expansion arm that extends from and retracts into the front wall; and the second set of hinges have a first side connected to the first rear folding wall and the second set of hinges have a second side attached to an expansion arm that extends from and retracts into the rear wall.
These and other features, aspects and advantages of the present invention will become better understood with reference to the following drawings, description and claims.
Some embodiments of the present invention are illustrated as an example and are not limited by the figures of the accompanying drawings, in which like references may indicate similar elements.
The illustrations in the figures may not necessarily be drawn to scale.
The invention and its various embodiments can now be better understood by turning to the following detailed description wherein illustrated embodiments are described. It is to be expressly understood that the illustrated embodiments are set forth as examples and not by way of limitations on the invention as ultimately defined in the claims.
The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. As used herein, the term “and/or” includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items. As used herein, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well as the singular forms, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “comprises” and/or “comprising,” when used in this specification, specify the presence of stated features, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof.
Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and scientific terms) used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one having ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs. It will be further understood that terms, such as those defined in commonly used dictionaries, should be interpreted as having a meaning that is consistent with their meaning in the context of the relevant art and the present disclosure and will not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense unless expressly so defined herein.
In describing the invention, it will be understood that a number of techniques and steps are disclosed. Each of these has individual benefit and each can also be used in conjunction with one or more, or in some cases all, of the other disclosed techniques. Accordingly, for the sake of clarity, this description will refrain from repeating every possible combination of the individual steps in an unnecessary fashion. Nevertheless, the specification and claims should be read with the understanding that such combinations are entirely within the scope of the invention and the claims.
In the following description, for purposes of explanation, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the present invention. It will be evident, however, to one skilled in the art that the present invention may be practiced without these specific details.
The present disclosure is to be considered as an exemplification of the invention and is not intended to limit the invention to the specific embodiments illustrated by the figures or description below.
As is well known to those skilled in the art, many careful considerations and compromises typically must be made when designing for the optimal configuration of a commercial implementation of any system, and in particular, the embodiments of the present invention. A commercial implementation in accordance with the spirit and teachings of the present invention may be configured according to the needs of the particular application, whereby any aspect(s), feature(s), function(s), result(s), component(s), approach(es), or step(s) of the teachings related to any described embodiment of the present invention may be suitably omitted, included, adapted, mixed and matched, or improved and/or optimized by those skilled in the art, using their average skills and known techniques, to achieve the desired implementation that addresses the needs of the particular application.
Broadly, embodiments of the present invention provide a house structure which is initially folded into a small box-like configuration for easy shipment. The house structure can expand both horizontally and vertically to form a traditional one-floor house-like configuration with inclined roofing. Parts of the front and rear walls are folded and stacked with ends of the main structure for the purpose of saving space in width of the folded structure. Parts of the floor panels are vertically stacked with the sidewalls. These moveable floor parts are linked with the sidewalls and the middle floor panel through designed connection blocks. When the sidewalls are pushed outward, the floor panel will gradually slide and lay down. After setting up the sidewall and floor framework, the roof subassembly can be driven upward and rotate outward its set of triangle-like covering panels to encapsulate the opening area due to the inclined roof profile and offer support for the roof panels which are linked via connection blocks.
One benefit of the design includes the separation of actuation devices for the roof and the wall and floor, which can greatly reduce the complexity of the driving and transmission systems (e.g., motors, gears, linkages and the like) and can facilitate the replacement and maintenance of the structural components.
The proposed expansion mode can increase the living area by three times with simple but reliable structural mechanisms, mainly including hinges, gears and racks, hydraulic sleeves, sliding rails, and connection blocks.
This expansional design can be applied to potential mobile homes and RVs, forming a studio-like living and working space.
The figures are briefly described below, followed by a broader discussion of each figure and the components therein.
Specifically, two pairs of folded panels, belonging to the front and rear walls, are rotated outside in proper sequence. Two sidewall panels can be directly slid outward via rails to greatly expand the housing space, and at the same time, the corresponding connected floor panels (via hinges, described below) are slowly laid downward to form an extended floor area. After that, the roof component is lifted upward through a gear system to achieve an inclined profile via spinning out triangle-like covering panels and gradually stretching out roof panels on each side.
Referring now to
As shown in
When the extension parts 36 pull the wall 12 flush with the front wall 18, a channel 38 formed along upper and lower inside horizontal portions of the wall 12 may align with a channel 38A formed on a portion of an inside of the front wall 18. The channels 38, 38A may provide a path for expansion of the outer side wall 15.
Once wall 12 is opened, the wall 14 may pivot 180 degrees about a hinge axis (not shown) at an opposite side of the front wall 18. Because the wall 14 is disposed adjacent the front wall 18 in the folded state, when unfolded, the wall 14 will be flush with the front wall 18. Like the wall 12, the wall 14 can include channels 40 formed along upper and lower inside horizontal portions of the wall 14 that may align with a channel 40A formed on a portion of an inside of the front wall 18. The channels 40, 40A may provide a path for expansion of the outer side wall 14.
The connectors 54 can include a wall connector side 58 that can include a pivot opening 66 therethrough that can pivotably connect with the channel 52 in the outer side wall 15. A floor connector side 56 can include a pivot opening 65 that can pivotably connect with the floor panel 50. The floor connector side 56 can include a pin 62 that pivots within a slot 60 formed on the floor connector side 56. The slot 60 permits lengthwise variability with the connector 54, thus helping to ensure smooth deployment of the floor panels 50.
As shown in
When the roof 16 is raised, as shown in
The walls 12, 14 may be moved manually or automatically through a expansion mechanism, such as a hydraulic arm, a rotating gear, or the like. The outer side walls 15 may be moved by various mechanisms, such as with a hydraulic, telescoping arms, rotating linkages, rack and gear systems, or the like, disposed on a top side and/or a bottom side of the outer side wall 15. The roof may be raised and lowered with the gears 74 moving along the tracks 70 in various methods, such as with a motor. As can be seen, the mechanisms for expanding the front walls 12, 14, for pushing out the outer side wall 15 and for raising the roof 16 may be separate mechanical structures.
All the features disclosed in this specification, including any accompanying abstract and drawings, may be replaced by alternative features serving the same, equivalent or similar purpose, unless expressly stated otherwise. Thus, unless expressly stated otherwise, each feature disclosed is one example only of a generic series of equivalent or similar features.
Claim elements and steps herein may have been numbered and/or lettered solely as an aid in readability and understanding. Any such numbering and lettering in itself is not intended to and should not be taken to indicate the ordering of elements and/or steps in the claims.
Many alterations and modifications may be made by those having ordinary skill in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Therefore, it must be understood that the illustrated embodiments have been set forth only for the purposes of examples and that they should not be taken as limiting the invention as defined by the following claims. For example, notwithstanding the fact that the elements of a claim are set forth below in a certain combination, it must be expressly understood that the invention includes other combinations of fewer, more or different ones of the disclosed elements.
The words used in this specification to describe the invention and its various embodiments are to be understood not only in the sense of their commonly defined meanings, but to include by special definition in this specification the generic structure, material or acts of which they represent a single species.
The definitions of the words or elements of the following claims are, therefore, defined in this specification to not only include the combination of elements which are literally set forth. In this sense it is therefore contemplated that an equivalent substitution of two or more elements may be made for any one of the elements in the claims below or that a single element may be substituted for two or more elements in a claim. Although elements may be described above as acting in certain combinations and even initially claimed as such, it is to be expressly understood that one or more elements from a claimed combination can in some cases be excised from the combination and that the claimed combination may be directed to a subcombination or variation of a subcombination.
Insubstantial changes from the claimed subject matter as viewed by a person with ordinary skill in the art, now known or later devised, are expressly contemplated as being equivalently within the scope of the claims. Therefore, obvious substitutions now or later known to one with ordinary skill in the art are defined to be within the scope of the defined elements.
The claims are thus to be understood to include what is specifically illustrated and described above, what is conceptually equivalent, what can be obviously substituted and also what incorporates the essential idea of the invention.
