RETRACTABLE INTEGRATED TOWNHOUSE STRUCTURE

Abstract

A two-level expandable house structure can be used on an innovative recreational vehicle or new kind of movable house. The two-level structure will offer more space to people. For the same footprint area, a two-floor house will have more square footage of living space. The second level can be formed over a main section, which defines the footprint of the expandable house in the collapsed state, and also over one of the first story expansion sections that extend from one or both sides of the main section. Thus, the expandable house may expand to provide about four times the living space as compared to the main structure. A balcony may be provided over the second first story expansion sections, accessible from the second story.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

Embodiments of the invention relate generally to expandable homes. More particularly, embodiments of the invention relate to a mobile, expandable house that can be expanded both outward and upward to create a two floor living space.

2. Description of Prior Art and Related Information

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.

An expandable moveable house structure is gaining in popularity in recent years. In most expandable house designs, there are few with a second floor. A mobile house or recreational vehicle are both developed to be expandable. Typically, such structures include one or more slide outs that can slide outward from the main structure to expand the living space. Often, expansion may occur on one side of the main structure, while some such mobile structures may expand on opposing sides.

In view of the foregoing, there is a need for an expandable house that can expand in multiple directions, including upward, to increase living space.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Embodiments of the present invention aim to solve the aforementioned problems in conventional expandable homes by providing an expandable home that can expand both outward and upward, providing a second floor over the entirety of the first floor structure, including both the main section and the expansion sections.

Embodiments of the present invention provide an expandable structure comprising a main structure; a second story upward expansion section, the second story upward expansion section expandable upward to form a second story above the main structure; at least one first story expansion section, the at least one first story expansion section expandable outward from the main structure in at least one direction from at least one side of the main structure; and a second story outward expansion section expandable outward from the second story upward expansion section after the second story upward expansion section is extended upward.

Embodiments of the present invention provide an expandable structure comprising a main structure; a second story upward expansion section, the second story upward expansion section expandable upward to form a second story above the main structure, the second story upward expansion section defining an exterior of the expandable structure in a retracted state; a first story left side expansion structure expandable outward from a left side of the main structure; a first story right side expansion structure expandable outward from right side of the main structure; and a second story outward expansion section expandable outward from the second story upward expansion section after the second story upward expansion section is extended upward, the second story outward expansion section expandable over either the first story left side expansion structure or the first story right side expansion structure.

Embodiments of the present invention provide an expandable structure comprising a main structure; a second story upward expansion section, the second story upward expansion section expandable upward to form a second story above the main structure, the second story upward expansion section defining an exterior of the expandable structure in a retracted state; a left side and a right side roof pivotably attached to the main structure, each of the left side and the right side roof movable between a retracted state, disposed vertically adjacent the main structure, and an extended state, extending outward from the main structure to cover, respectively, each of a first story left side expansion section and a first story right side expansion section; a left side and a right side movable outer wall movable from being disposed adjacent the main structure, to being extended away from the main structure to form an outer wall of, respectively, each of the first story left side expansion section and the first story right side expansion section; a left side and a right side floor pivotably attached to the main structure and movable along a track in respective left side and right side outer walls as the respective left side and right side outer walls are extended away from the main structure; front and rear walls of each of the first story left side expansion section and the first story right side expansion section pivotably attached to the main structure and expandable to enclose each of the first story left side expansion section and the first story right side expansion section.

These and other features, aspects and advantages of the present invention will become better understood with reference to the following drawings, description and claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

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.

FIG. 1 illustrates a perspective view of retractable integrated townhouse structure, in a retracted state, according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 illustrates a perspective view of the retractable integrated townhouse structure of FIG. 1, in an expanded state;

FIG. 3 illustrates a perspective view of the retractable integrated townhouse structure of FIG. 1, showing an initial upward raising to form a second floor;

FIG. 4 illustrates a perspective view of the retractable integrated townhouse structure of FIG. 1, showing expansion outward to form an expanded first story;

FIG. 5A illustrates a perspective view of the retractable integrated townhouse structure of FIG. 1, showing expansion of the floor panel of the expanded first story;

FIG. 5B illustrates a detailed perspective view of the floor expansion of FIG. 5A.

FIG. 5C illustrates a detailed side view of the floor expansion of FIG. 5A;

FIG. 6 illustrates a perspective view of the retractable integrated townhouse structure of FIG. 1, with the first floor fully expanded outward;

FIG. 7 illustrates a perspective view of the retractable integrated townhouse structure of FIG. 1, showing outward expansion of the second floor over one side of the expansion of the first floor; and

FIG. 8 illustrates a perspective view of the retractable integrated townhouse structure of FIG. 1, showing folding out a floor portion over the second story expansion section.

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.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS AND BEST MODE OF INVENTION

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 two-level expandable house structure that can be used on an innovative recreational vehicle or new kind of movable house. The two-level structure will offer more space to people. For the same footprint area, a two-floor house will have more square footage of living space. The second level can be formed over a main section, which defines the footprint of the expandable house in the collapsed state, and also over one of the first story expansion sections that extend from one or both sides of the main section. Thus, the expandable house may expand to provide about four times the living space as compared to the main structure. A balcony may be provided over the second first story expansion sections, accessible from the second story.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, a retractable integrated townhouse structure 10, also referred to as townhouse structure 10, can be moved between a retracted state, as shown in FIG. 1, and a fully expanded state, as shown in FIG. 2. In the retracted state, the townhouse structure 10 may be sized to be permitted travel on a roadway. The townhouse structure 10, in the retracted state, may be a motor home, a travel trailer, or may be moved similar to that of a shipping container. Thus, the townhouse structure 10 may be used as a mobile house, a recreational vehicle (RV), or may be transported and placed on a foundation structure, such as a concrete slab, a stem wall, or the like.

The townhouse structure 10, in the retracted state, may be defined by a front wall 12, upper expansion wall 20, outer wall 14 and rear wall 18. In the expanded state, as shown in FIG. 2, the roof 16, front wall 12 and rear wall 18 may be raised and the main structure 11 may be expanded to form first story left and right-side expansion sections 13, 15. The second story upward expansion section 17 may be expanded outward to form a second story outward expansion section 19 (over first story left side expansion section 13). In some embodiments, a railing 32 may be disposed about at least a portion of the right side expansion section 15 to form a balcony on a roof portion 32 of the first story right side expansion section 15.

The main structure 11 may include a front wall 26 having a door opening 28 therethrough. Of course, the door opening may be placed elsewhere, such as at a rear wall of the main structure 11 or in one of the first story expansion sections 13, 15. The first story right side expansion section 15 may include a movable outer wall 20 and folding front and rear expansion section walls 22. Similarly, the first story left side expansion section 13 may include a movable outer wall 21 and folding front and rear expansion section walls 24. A roof portion 34 may be disposed over the first story right side expansion section 15. A roof portion 38 may be disposed over the first story left side expansion section 13.

From the second story upward expansion section 17, the second story outward expansion section 19 may slide outward on slide tracks 40. The second story outward expansion section 19 may be disposed over roof 38 and may include a roof 36. An access opening 30, such as a sliding door, for example, may be disposed on the outer wall 14 of the second story upward expansion section 17 to permit access to the roof 34 of the first story right side expansion section 15.

Referring now to FIG. 3, the main structure 11 can be initially covered with the second floor upward expansion section 17 which can be raised up to form the second story. The wall and roof of the second floor can be designed as an entire structure. The raising and lowering of the second floor upward expansion section 17 can be performed by various techniques, such as with the use of four hydraulic rods at the corners. Because the second story surrounds the first story, when retracted (as shown in FIG. 1), movement of the first floor expanding structures is restricted to movement.

Referring to FIG. 4, once the second story upward expansion section 17 is fully raised, the first story expansion process can begin. The roofs 34, 38 may be raised up from a pivoting connection with the main structure 11. Various mechanisms may be used to pivot the roofs 34, 38, such as linkages, hydraulic arms, gears, or the like.

Referring to FIGS. 5A through 5C, after the roofs 34, 38 are expanded out, the outer wall 20 for the first story right side expansion section 15, and the outer wall 21 for the first story left side expansion section 13 are pushed out. A floor 50 may be pivotably attached to the main structure 11 and may include a track engagement element 54 that can engage with a track 52 formed on an inside surface of the outer walls 20, 21, permitting the floor to automatically lower as the outer walls 20, 21 are pushed outward. The outer walls 20, 21 may be pushed out by various mechanisms, such as with hydraulic rods 56.

Referring to FIG. 6, the front walls 22, 24 of the first story left and right expansion sections 13, 15 may be pivoted into position to be generally coplanar with the front wall 26 and, with similarly designed rear walls of the first story left and right expansion sections 13, 15, can enclose the structure.

Referring to FIGS. 7 and 8, the second story outward expansion section 19 may slide outward from the second story upward expansion section 17, over the roof 38. A floor member 60 may be pivotably attached to an outer wall 62 (see FIG. 7) of the second story outward expansion section 19 so that, when the second story outward expansion section 19 is fully extended, the floor member 60 may pivot to provide a floor surface.

Once fully expanded, a fence 32, as shown in FIG. 2, may be placed around at least a portion of the roof 34 over the first story right side expansion section 15 to provide a balcony space for the townhome structure 10.

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.

Claims

1. An expandable structure comprising: a main structure;a second story upward expansion section, the second story upward expansion section expandable upward to form a second story above the main structure;at least one first story expansion section, the at least one first story expansion section expandable outward from the main structure in at least one direction from at least one side of the main structure; anda second story outward expansion section expandable outward from the second story upward expansion section after the second story upward expansion section is extended upward.

2. The expandable structure of claim 1, wherein the second story outward expansion section is expandable over at least a portion of one of the at least one first story expansion section.

3. The expandable structure of claim 1, wherein the second story upward expansion section is disposed surrounding the main structure when in a retracted state.

4. The expandable structure of claim 1, wherein the at least one first story expansion section includes a first story left side expansion structure and a first story right side expansion structure, each expanding from opposite sides of the main structure.

5. The expandable structure of claim 4, wherein the second story outward expansion section is expandable over one of the first story left side expansion structure and the first story right side expansion structure and a balcony is formed over the other one of the first story left side expansion structure and the first story right side expansion structure.

6. The expandable structure of claim 5, further comprising a fence disposed on the roof to enclose the balcony.

7. The expandable structure of claim 1, wherein the at least one first story expansion section includes a roof pivotably attached to the main structure, the roof movable between a retracted state, disposed vertically adjacent the main structure, and an extended state, extending outward from the main structure to cover the at least one first story expansion section.

8. The expandable structure of claim 1, wherein the at least one first story expansion section includes a movable outer wall movable from being disposed adjacent the main structure, to being extended away from the main structure to form an outer wall of the at least one first story expansion section.

9. The expandable structure of claim 8, wherein a floor is pivotably attached to the main structure and is movable along a track in the outer wall as the outer wall is extended away from the main structure.

10. The expandable structure of claim 8, further comprising front and rear walls of the at least one first story expansion section pivotably attached to the main structure and expandable to enclose the at least one first story expansion section.

11. The expandable structure of claim 1, wherein the second story outward expansion section slides outward from the second story upward expansion section and a second story outward expansion section floor pivots down from an outer wall of the second story outward expansion section to form a floor surface for the second story outward expansion section.

12. An expandable structure comprising: a main structure;a second story upward expansion section, the second story upward expansion section expandable upward to form a second story above the main structure, the second story upward expansion section defining an exterior of the expandable structure in a retracted state;a first story left side expansion structure expandable outward from a left side of the main structure;a first story right side expansion structure expandable outward from right side of the main structure; anda second story outward expansion section expandable outward from the second story upward expansion section after the second story upward expansion section is extended upward, the second story outward expansion section expandable over either the first story left side expansion structure or the first story right side expansion structure.

13. The expandable structure of claim 12, further comprising a balcony formed over one of the first story left side expansion structure and the first story right side expansion structure.

14. The expandable structure of claim 12, wherein each of the first story left side expansion section and the first story right side expansion section include a roof pivotably attached to the main structure, the roof movable between a retracted state, disposed vertically adjacent the main structure, and an extended state, extending outward from the main structure to cover each of the first story left side expansion section and the first story right side expansion section.

15. The expandable structure of claim 14, wherein each of the first story left side expansion section and the first story right side expansion section include a movable outer wall movable from being disposed adjacent the main structure, to being extended away from the main structure to form an outer wall of each of the first story left side expansion section and the first story right side expansion section.

16. The expandable structure of claim 15, wherein a floor is pivotably attached to the main structure and is movable along a track in the outer wall as the outer wall is extended away from the main structure.

17. The expandable structure of claim 16, further comprising front and rear walls of each of the first story left side expansion section and the first story right side expansion section pivotably attached to the main structure and expandable to enclose each of the first story left side expansion section and the first story right side expansion section.

18. An expandable structure comprising: a main structure;a second story upward expansion section, the second story upward expansion section expandable upward to form a second story above the main structure, the second story upward expansion section defining an exterior of the expandable structure in a retracted state;a left side and a right side roof pivotably attached to the main structure, each of the left side and the right side roof movable between a retracted state, disposed vertically adjacent the main structure, and an extended state, extending outward from the main structure to cover, respectively, each of a first story left side expansion section and a first story right side expansion section;a left side and a right side movable outer wall movable from being disposed adjacent the main structure, to being extended away from the main structure to form an outer wall of, respectively, each of the first story left side expansion section and the first story right side expansion section;a left side and a right side floor pivotably attached to the main structure and movable along a track in respective left side and right side outer walls as the respective left side and right side outer walls are extended away from the main structure;front and rear walls of each of the first story left side expansion section and the first story right side expansion section pivotably attached to the main structure and expandable to enclose each of the first story left side expansion section and the first story right side expansion section.

19. The expandable structure of claim 18, further comprising a second story outward expansion section expandable outward from the second story upward expansion section after the second story upward expansion section is extended upward, the second story outward expansion section expandable over either the first story left side expansion structure or the first story right side expansion structure.

20. The expandable structure of claim 19, further comprising a balcony formed over one of the first story left side expansion structure and the first story right side expansion structure.