Patent Application
20240125109
Embodiments of the invention relate generally to home construction. More particularly, embodiments of the invention relate to a folding mobile home that can be transported in a retracted/folded configuration and easily opened on site.
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.
Housing has always been a major concern for people. Traditional houses are located on the ground, in the form of villas or high-rise, with a stable structure and large space. However, once built, it is impossible to change the location, and the construction period is long. Recreational vehicles (RVs) are mobile and a good choice for going out to play and camping, but the width restriction of the body leads to a small interior space and low comfort when living.
The traditional villa construction process requires on-site fabrication and installation for the most structures and cannot be prefabricated or has a low degree of prefabrication, resulting in a long construction cycle. The construction process requires professional construction teams for construction, which will occur high labor cost. As the house type is related to the size of the land, the house type needs to be changed or even redesigned for houses with different land sizes. Since there is no standardization of house types for houses with different lot sizes, each time a house is built, and redesigned by professionals.
In view of the foregoing, there is a need for a home design that makes the dwelling mobile while ensuring its original advantages of safety and comfort.
Embodiments of the present invention provide a movable home comprising a main structure having a front side, a rear side opposite the front side, and first and second sides spanning between the front side and the rear side, front side, the rear side and the first and second sides of the main structure defining a main structure interior space therein; a first wall extension pivotably attached to the main structure, the first wall extension movable from a storage position, disposed adjacent along the first side, and an expanded position, extending outward from the front side; a second wall extension pivotably attached to the main structure, the second wall extension movable from the storage position, disposed adjacent along the first side, and the expanded position, extending outward from the rear side; first and second tracks disposed along a length of respective ones of the first and second wall extensions; an outer wall disposed adjacent the first side in the storage position, the outer wall slidable along the tracks to move the outer wall away from the main structure; and a floor member is attached with a pivotable connection along a bottom side of the outer wall, the floor member movable between a floor storage position substantially coplanar with the outer wall and a floor use position substantially orthogonal to the outer wall.
Embodiments of the present invention provide a movable home comprising a main structure having a front side, a rear side opposite the front side, and first and second sides spanning between the front side and the rear side, front side, the rear side and the first and second sides of the main structure defining a main structure interior space therein; a first wall extension pivotably attached to the main structure, the first wall extension movable from a storage position, disposed substantially parallel along the first side, and an expanded position, extending orthogonally outward from the front side; a second wall extension pivotably attached to the main structure, the second wall extension movable from the storage position, disposed substantially parallel along the first side, and the expanded position, extending orthogonally outward from the rear side; first and second tracks disposed along a length of respective ones of the first and second wall extensions; an outer wall disposed adjacent the first side in the storage position, the outer wall slidable along the tracks to move the outer wall away from the main structure; and a floor member is attached with a pivotable connection along a bottom side of the outer wall, the floor member movable between a floor storage position substantially coplanar with the outer wall and a floor use position substantially orthogonal to the outer wall, wherein the floor member includes at least a first floor section and a second floor section; a distal end, relative the main structure, of the first floor section forms the pivotable connection with the outer wall; a proximate end of the first floor section pivotably attaches with a distal end of the second floor section; and the second floor section pivotably attaches to the main structure.
Embodiments of the present invention provide a movable home comprising a main structure having a front side, a rear side opposite the front side, and first and second sides spanning between the front side and the rear side, front side, the rear side and the first and second sides of the main structure defining a main structure interior space therein; a first wall extension pivotably attached to the main structure, the first wall extension movable from a storage position, disposed substantially parallel along the first side, and an expanded position, extending orthogonally outward from the front side; a second wall extension pivotably attached to the main structure, the second wall extension movable from the storage position, disposed substantially parallel along the first side, and the expanded position, extending orthogonally outward from the rear side; first and second tracks disposed along a length of respective ones of the first and second wall extensions; an outer wall disposed adjacent the first side in the storage position, the outer wall slidable along the tracks to move the outer wall away from the main structure; a floor member is attached with a pivotable connection along a bottom side of the outer wall, the floor member movable between a floor storage position substantially coplanar with the outer wall and a floor use position substantially orthogonal to the outer wall; and retractable roof disposed over the main structure in the storage position, the retractable roof extending between the first and second wall extensions, outward to the outer wall, when the movable home is in the expanded position, wherein the retractable roof includes a plurality of roof sections nesting together in the storage position; and the first and second wall extensions include a plurality of tracks permitting the roof sections to slide therealong in the expanded position.
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.
Unless otherwise indicated illustrations in the figures are not necessarily 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 foldable mobile house construction, which (1) is easy to move with strong mobility; (2) has a high folding ratio, providing a good living experience; (3) has a simple structure and is easy to drive; (4) permits for the entire device to be factory manufactured, providing a short production cycle; and (5) provides a standardization of structure, thus reducing costs.
The home construction includes a main body structure and a folding mechanism. The main body mechanism is the main load-bearing structure of the mobile house, which is connected to the folding mechanism. The main structure includes a floor, a water tank, an engine, a bathroom, a kitchen, a door, a window, a load-bearing column, a load-bearing beam, and the like, and can further include several pieces of furniture. In the folded state or transport state, all furniture can be placed in the space of the main structure in an orderly manner. However, there is still enough space for passengers to rest and move around inside, and there is water and electricity supply in the floor and ventilation and temperature control system in the roof.
The folding mechanism can expand the internal space of the mobile house, including the left side folding mechanism, the right-side folding mechanism and the top folding mechanism. The left folding mechanism can be completely symmetrical with the right side, including two rotatable side walls, a foldable floor, and an outer wall. The top folding mechanism is a new type of folding roof in which the left and right sides are symmetrical. One side of the roof is a multiple nested structure and has a sloping angle so that rain and snow run down the slope and do not accumulate on the roof.
Referring to
Referring also to
Referring also now to
In some embodiments, the lower part of the side walls 202, 201 may also include a track 402A that can operate similarly to the track 402 on the upper part of the side walls 202, 201, where the track 402A can guide the lower part of the long exterior wall 406 as it is expanded outward. When there is a driving mechanism, as discussed above, the driving mechanism can be used to move the long exterior wall 406 at equal speeds along the upper and lower tracks 402, 402A. In other embodiments, there is no lower track 402A and the exterior long wall 406 simply moves along the track 402 along an upper interior surface of the side walls 202, 201.
The floor 408 can include at a first section 408A and a second section 408B. The first section 408A may pivotably attach along a distal side (relative to the main body of the movable home 100) thereof, via pivot axis 410, such as a hinge, for example, to the bottom of the long exterior wall 406. A proximate side of the first section 408A may pivotably attach, via a pivot axis 416, such as a hinge or other similar structure, to a distal side of the second section 408B. The proximate side of the second section 408B may pivotably attached at a base of the main structure of the movable home 100 via a pivot axis 418, such as a hinge or other similar structure that can provide a pivot axis along the proximate side of the second section 408B.
Referring additionally now to
For example, in some embodiments, the proximal end of the second floor section 408B is connected to the main structure and remains at almost the same level as the distal end of the first floor section 408A at its pivot point 410 with the outer wall 406. The second floor section 408B is connected to the end of the mechanical linkage and motor 701 to affect rotation of the second floor section 408B about its pivot axis 418. The mechanical linkage and motor 701 can include its motor attached to the main structure and can drive a linkage attached to the second floor section 408B. The motor can push or pull the second floor section 408B through the linkage, causing the second floor section to push or pull the first floor section 408A, which in turn causes the first floor section 408A to push or pull the outer wall 406.
Of course, other mechanisms, as discussed above, can also be used to move the long exterior wall 406 outward along the track 402.
Referring now to
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.
