Portable building construction

Claim 2

A building construction comprising: a roof having a plurality of generally triangular sections, each section being hingedly connected to the sections adjacent thereto to permit the roof to be expanded and collapsed; means coupled with the sections for holding the same against further expansion beyond predetermined expanded positions relative to each other when the roof is expanded; and a floor hingedly coupled to said roof and having a number of generally triangular panels, each panel being hingedly connected to the panels adjacent thereto, said roof and said floor being movable together from expanded conditions with said panels disposed below said sections to collapsed conditions with said sections being in stacked relationship to each other and with at least certain of said panels being in nested relationship with said sections.

Claim 3

A building construction comprising: a roof having a plurality of generally triangular sections, each section being hingedly connected to the sections adjacent thereto to permit the roof to be expanded and collapsed; means coupled with the sections for holding the same against further expansion beyond predetermined expanded positions relative to each other when the roof is expanded; and a floor hingedly coupled to said roof and having a number of generally triangular panels, each panel being hingedly connected to the panels adjacent thereto, said roof and said floor being movable together from expanded conditions with said panels disposed below said sections to collapsed conditions with said sections being in stacked relationship to each other and with at least certain of said panels being in nested relationship with said sections.

Claim 4

A building construction comprising: a roof having a plurality of generally triangular sections, each section being hingedly connected to the sections adjacent thereto to permit the roof to be expanded and collapsed; means coupled with the sections for holding the same against further expansion beyond predetermined expanded positions relative to each other when the roof is expanded; and a floor hingedly coupled to said roof and having a number of generally triangular panels, each panel being hingedly connected to the panels adjacent thereto, said roof and said floor being movable together from expanded conditions with said panels disposed below said sections to collapsed conditions with said sections being in stacked relationship to each other and with at least certain of said panels being in nested relationship with said sections.

Claim 5

A portable building comprising: a roof assembly having a plurality of hingedly interconnected roof sections, said assembly being movable from a collapsed condition with the roof sections substantially parallel with each other to an expanded condition with the roof sections overlying a surface area to be covered; a floor assembly having a plurality of hingedly interconnected floor panels and being hingedly interconnected with said roof assembly, said floor assembly being movable with said roof assembly from a collapsed condition with the floor panels substantially parallel with said roof sections to an expanded condition with the floor panels in covering relationship to said surface area, whereby the floor assembly underlies said roof assembly.

Claim 6

A portable building comprising: a roof assembly having a plurality of hingedly interconnected roof sections, said assembly being movable from a collapsed condition with the roof sections substantially parallel with each other to an expanded condition with the roof sections overlying a surface area to be covered; a floor assembly having a plurality of hingedly interconnected floor panels and being hingedly interconnected with said roof assembly, said floor assembly being movable with said roof assembly from a collapsed condition with the floor panels substantially parallel with said roof sections to an expanded condition with the floor panels in covering relationship to said surface area, whereby the floor assembly underlies said roof assembly.

Claim 7

A building as set forth in claim 2, wherein each roof section is substantially triangular and has one extremity hingedly coupled to said floor assembly.

Claim 8

A building as set forth in claim 2, wherein said floor assembly is spaced from said roof assembly, and including sidewall means spanning the distance between said assemblies and hinged thereto.

Claim 9

A building as set forth in claim 2, wherein said roof and floor assemblies define a plurality of side openings when the assemblies are in respective expanded conditionS, and wherein is included a sidewall panel for each opening respectively, the sidewall panels being hingedly connected to said roof assembly for covering said openings when the assemblies are in their expanded conditions, said sidewall panels being movable to positions in substantial parallelism with the roof sections and the floor panels when said assemblies are in respective collapsed conditions.

Claim 10

A building as set forth in claim 1, wherein each roof section has a normally uppermost extremity, said holding means including structure connected to the uppermost extremities of said roof sections.

Claim 11

A building as set forth in claim 1, wherein each pair of adjacent roof sections have respective, generally contiguous, longitudinal, hingedly interconnected edges, there being hinge means defining a double hinge line for the contiguous edges of certain pairs of adjacent roof sections, said holding means including structure adjacent to the contiguous edges of said certain pairs of adjacent roof sections respectively.

Claim 12

A portable building as set forth in claim 2, wherein certain of said roof sections are spaced apart when the roof is in its collapsed condition, certain of said floor panels being in side-by-side relationship and disposed within the space formed by a respective pair of said certain roof sections when said floor unit is in its collapsed condition.

Claim 13

A portable building comprising: a roof having a plurality of roof sections, each roof section having a pair of edges contiguous to corresponding edges of a pair of adjacent roof sections; means hingedly interconnecting the contiguous edges of each pair of adjacent roof sections, respectively, whereby said roof can be expanded and collapsed; and a floor hingedly coupled to said roof and having a number of panels, each panel being hingedly connected to the panels adjacent thereto, said roof and said floor being movable together from expanded conditions with said panels disposed below said sections to collapsed conditions with said sections being in stacked relationship to each other and with at least certain of said panels being in nested relationship with at least certain of said sections.

Claim 14

A portable building comprising: a roof having a plurality of roof sections, each roof section having a pair of edges contiguous to corresponding edges of a pair of adjacent roof sections; means hingedly interconnecting the contiguous edges of each pair of adjacent roof sections, respectively, whereby said roof can be expanded and collapsed; and a floor hingedly coupled to said roof and having a number of panels, each panel being hingedly connected to the panels adjacent thereto, said roof and said floor being movable together from expanded conditions with said panels disposed below said sections to collapsed conditions with said sections being in stacked relationship to each other and with at least certain of said panels being in nested relationship with at least certain of said sections.

Claim 15

A portable building as set forth in claim 9, wherein said hingedly interconnecting means comprises structure defining a single hinge line for each pair of adjacent roof sections.

Claim 16

A building construction comprising: a roof having a plurality of sections, each section being hingedly connected to the sections adjacent thereto to permit the roof to be expanded and collapsed; a main floor hingedly coupled to said roof and having a number of panels, each panel being hingedly connected to the panels adjacent thereto to permit the floor to be expanded and collapsed, said roof and said floor being movable together from expanded conditions with said panels disposed below said sections to collapsed conditions with said sections being in stacked relationship to each other and with at least certain of said panels being in nested relationship with said sections; and a collapsible subfloor positionable below said main floor for supporting the latter and said roof when the same are in their expanded conditions.

Claim 17

A building construction comprising: a roof having a plurality of sections, each section being hingedly connected to the sections adjacent thereto to permit the roof to be expanded and collapsed; a main floor hingedly coupled to said roof and having a number of panels, each panel being hingedly connected to the panels adjacent thereto to permit the floor to be expanded and collapsed, said roof and said floor being movable together from expanded conditions with said panels disposed below said sections to collapsed conditions with said sections being in stacked relationship to each other and with at least certain of said panels being in nested relationship with said sections; and a collapsible subfloor positionable below said main floor for supporting the latter and said roof when the same are in their expanded conditions.

Claim 18

A building construction comprising: a number of buildings, each building having a roof provided with a plurality of roof sections, each roof section being hingedly connected to the sections adjacent thereto to permit the roof to be expanded and collapsed, and a floor hingedly coupled to said roof and having a number of floor panels, each panel being hingedly connected to the panels adjacent thereto, said roof and said floor of each building being movable together from expanded conditions with said panels disposed below said sections to collapsed conditions with said sections being in stacked relationship to each other and with at least certain of said panels being in nested relationship with said sections, said buildings being arranged relative to each other with at least a pair of buildings in siDe-by-side contiguous relationship, whereby the contiguous pair of building define a building complex.

Claim 19

A building construction comprising: a number of buildings, each building having a roof provided with a plurality of roof sections, each roof section being hingedly connected to the sections adjacent thereto to permit the roof to be expanded and collapsed, and a floor hingedly coupled to said roof and having a number of floor panels, each panel being hingedly connected to the panels adjacent thereto, said roof and said floor of each building being movable together from expanded conditions with said panels disposed below said sections to collapsed conditions with said sections being in stacked relationship to each other and with at least certain of said panels being in nested relationship with said sections, said buildings being arranged relative to each other with at least a pair of buildings in siDe-by-side contiguous relationship, whereby the contiguous pair of building define a building complex.

Claim 20

A building comprising: a roof having a plurality of sections, each section being hingedly connected to the sections adjacent thereto to permit the roof to be expanded and collapsed; a floor having a number of panels, each panel being hingedly connected to the panels adjacent thereto to permit the floor to be expanded and collapsed; and means hingedly interconnecting the roof sections with respective floor panels at locations permitting the roof and floor to be movable together from expanded conditions with said floor disposed below said roof to collapsed conditions with said roof sections and said floor panels in stacked relationship.

Claim 21

A building comprising: a roof having a plurality of sections, each section being hingedly connected to the sections adjacent thereto to permit the roof to be expanded and collapsed; a floor having a number of panels, each panel being hingedly connected to the panels adjacent thereto to permit the floor to be expanded and collapsed; and means hingedly interconnecting the roof sections with respective floor panels at locations permitting the roof and floor to be movable together from expanded conditions with said floor disposed below said roof to collapsed conditions with said roof sections and said floor panels in stacked relationship.

Claim 22

A portable building comprising: a roof having a plurality of roof sections, each roof section having a pair of edges contiguous to corresponding edges of a pair of adjacent roof sections; means hingedly interconnecting the contiguous edges of each pair of adjacent roof sections respectively, whereby said roof can be moved from an expanded condition with the roof sections angularly disposed relative to each other to a collapsed condition with the roof sections substantially parallel with each other; a collapsible floor; and means hingedly connecting the floor to said roof unit, said connecting means including a strip secured to the contiguous edges of at least one pair of adjacent roof sections, said floor having a spar terminating adjacent to the lower end of the strip, said strip having a width substantially equal to that of said spar, and a hinge pivotally securing said strip at its lower end to said spar.

Claim 23

A portable building comprising: a roof having a plurality of roof sections, each roof section having a pair of edges contiguous to corresponding edges of a pair of adjacent roof sections; means hingedly interconnecting the contiguous edges of each pair of adjacent roof sections respectively, whereby said roof can be moved from an expanded condition with the roof sections angularly disposed relative to each other to a collapsed condition with the roof sections substantially parallel with each other; a collapsible floor; and means hingedly connecting the floor to said roof unit, said connecting means including a strip secured to the contiguous edges of at least one pair of adjacent roof sections, said floor having a spar terminating adjacent to the lower end of the strip, said strip having a width substantially equal to that of said spar, and a hinge pivotally securing said strip at its lower end to said spar.

Claim 24

A portable building comprising: a roof having a plurality of roof sections, each roof section having a pair of edges contiguous to corresponding edges of a pair of adjacent roof sections; means hingedly interconnecting the contiguous edges of each pair of adjacent roof sections respectively, whereby said roof can be moved from an expanded condition with the roof sections angularly disposed relative to each other to a collapsed condition with the roof sections substantially parallel with each other; and a collapsible floor, said roof being positionable on said floor for support thereby, said interconnecting means including a hinge structure coupled to a pair of roof sections for moving the same from angled, operative positions to generally parallel, collapsed positions to define a space therebetween, said hinge structure including a hinge pin centrally disposed between and spaced from the corresponding roof sections.

Claim 25

A portable building comprising: a roof having a plurality of roof sections, each roof section having a pair of edges contiguous to corresponding edges of a pair of adjacent roof sections; means hingedly interconnecting the contiguous edges of each pair of adjacent roof sections respectively, whereby said roof can be moved from an expanded condition with the roof sections angularly disposed relative to each other to a collapsed condition with the roof sections substantially parallel with each other; and a collapsible floor, said roof being positionable on said floor for support thereby, said interconnecting means including a hinge structure coupled to a pair of roof sections for moving the same from angled, operative positions to generally parallel, collapsed positions to define a space therebetween, said hinge structure including a hinge pin centrally disposed between and spaced from the corresponding roof sections.

Claim 26

A building construction comprising: a roof having a plurality of generally triangular sections, each section being hingedly connected to the sections adjacent thereto to permit the roof to be expanded and collapsed, one end of each roof section being adjacent to the outer periphery of the roof when the latter is expanded; and means connected with the ends of at least certain of said roof sections and extending inwardly of said outer periphery when said roof is expanded for determining the expansion thereof.

Claim 27

A building construction comprising: a roof having a plurality of generally triangular sections, each section being hingedly connected to the sections adjacent thereto to permit the roof to be expanded and collapsed, one end of each roof section being adjacent to the outer periphery of the roof when the latter is expanded; and means connected with the ends of at least certain of said roof sections and extending inwardly of said outer periphery when said roof is expanded for determining the expansion thereof.

Claim 28

A building constructions as set forth in claim 16, wherein said determining means is hingedly coupled to the ends of said certain roof sections.