US4001990A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Prefabricated building structure
Assignee: Individual
•
Filing: 1975-07-23
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Granted: 1977-01-11
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Expires: 1995-07-23
Abstract
Abstract An improved economical, easily assembled, prefabricated building structural system is disclosed in which practically no on site construction is necessary as compared with the substantial site preparation necessary in the prior art. Substantially every portion of the main structure may be prefabricated on or off site, prior to assembly. The system is characterized in the use of materials which render it fireproof, weatherproof and termite proof and not subject to buckling or warping. It has structural details and connections at the footings, floor slab, vertical columns, roof trusses and interior and exterior walls, for example, which render the finished structure flood and earthquake resistant and give it a life expectancy far superior to prior art prefabricated or conventional housing. Thus, the floor slab, of prefabricated sections, is supported elevated off the ground, on piers set in footings which may be positioned well below moisture and freeze lines; vertical columns and trusses are non-rigidly connected to provide for slight movement, if necessary, for resisting earthquake shock and settling and other aging damage; and floor slab, side walls, and roof panels are all of precast concrete or similar materials to provide insect and weather resistance and to provide an integrated building structural system of extremely solid construction, having a longer life expectance than prior art prefabricated housing or conventional housing.
Inventors
- 👤 William P. Chase
- 👤 Leon Holloschutz
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-27 19:08
CPC Classifications
E; E04; E04H; E04H9/00; E04H9/02
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 36
Claim 1
Independent Claim
85 words
A prefabricated building structure comprising a floor slab assembly, a plurality of vertical columns, means for attaching the lower ends of said columns to said floor slab assembly, and a roof truss assembly attached to and supported by said columns and adapted to support and tie down a roof slab assembly, and means permitting movement of said floor slab assembly, said roof truss assembly and said vertical columns relative to one another in response to slight building movements due to shock, settling or the like.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
85 words
A prefabricated building structure comprising a floor slab assembly, a plurality of vertical columns, means for attaching the lower ends of said columns to said floor slab assembly, and a roof truss assembly attached to and supported by said columns and adapted to support and tie down a roof slab assembly, and means permitting movement of said floor slab assembly, said roof truss assembly and said vertical columns relative to one another in response to slight building movements due to shock, settling or the like.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
77 words
A prefabricated building structure according to claim 1, wherein said means comprises means for pivotally attaching the lower end of said columns to said floor slab assembly, said last mentioned means including resilient means to permit limited pivotal movement of the vertical columns relative to the floor slab assembly whereby slight relative movement may occur, rather than cracking, buckling or warping of building components, in accommodating for slight building movements due to shock, settling or the like.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
117 words
A prefabricated building structure according to claim 1 wherein said means comprises a plurality of roof trusses forming said roof truss assembly, each said truss being comprised of top and bottom chords, said top and bottom chords being pivotally attached to said columns, web means interposed between said top and bottom chords and means for pivotally attaching said web means to said top and bottom chords, said last named means permitting pivotal movement of said web relative to said chords and said columns, whereby slight relative movement of said chords and web relative to one another may occur rather than cracking, buckling, or warping in accommodating for slight building movements due to shock, settling or the like.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
136 words
A prefabricated building structure comprising a prefabricated floor slab assembly, a plurality of vertical columns resiliently mounted at their lower ends to said floor slab assembly, a roof truss assembly attached to and supported by said vertical columns and adapted to support and tie down a roof slab, said roof truss assembly being comprised of a plurality of roof trusses, each said roof truss comprising a top chord member and a bottom chord member and a web element pivotally attached to and interposed between said top and bottom chord members, each of said chord members being pivotally attached at each of its ends to a vertical column, whereby said vertical columns and said chord members may have slight movement relative to one another in response to slight building movements due to shock, settling or the like.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
136 words
A prefabricated building structure comprising a prefabricated floor slab assembly, a plurality of vertical columns resiliently mounted at their lower ends to said floor slab assembly, a roof truss assembly attached to and supported by said vertical columns and adapted to support and tie down a roof slab, said roof truss assembly being comprised of a plurality of roof trusses, each said roof truss comprising a top chord member and a bottom chord member and a web element pivotally attached to and interposed between said top and bottom chord members, each of said chord members being pivotally attached at each of its ends to a vertical column, whereby said vertical columns and said chord members may have slight movement relative to one another in response to slight building movements due to shock, settling or the like.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
39 words
A prefabricated building structure according to claim 1 wherein said floor slab assembly comprises a plurality of prefabricated floor panels assembled and secured together to form a monolithic floor slab and adapted to be attached to suitable supporting piers.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
54 words
A prefabricated building structure according to claim 5, further comprising a plurality of prefabricated piers placed in appropriate footings and in a pattern to support said floor panels at the junctures of the interior matching edges thereof and adjacent the outer peripheral edges thereof, and means to attach said floor panels to said piers.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
69 words
A prefabricated building structure according to claim 6, wherein said floor panels are of reinforced concrete and wherein each panel has a thickened beam portion along those edges which comprise the periphery of the assembled floor slab, said thickened beam portions extending downwardly and being supported by said piers with the bottoms of said beam portions substantially at ground level to provide an air space under the building structure.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
38 words
A prefabricated building structure according to claim 6 wherein said prefabricated piers are of a length to extend sufficiently into the ground whereby the footings poured to anchor said piers may be below frost and surface water levels.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
54 words
A prefabricated building structure according to claim 6, wherein said means to attach said floor panels to said piers comprise screw threaded rods threadedly engaged within each of said piers and extending through floor panels supported by said piers, and nut means threaded onto said rods to secure the floor panels to the piers.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
110 words
A prefabricated building structure according to claim 9 wherein said floor panels are of reinforced concrete and wherein each panel has a thickened beam portion along those edges which comprise the periphery of the assembled floor slab, said thickened beam portions extending downwardly and being supported by said piers at the outer ends of said floor slab assembly and at the junctures of the matching interior edges of adjacent floor panels, said matching edges being provided with cooperating surfaces to provide cylindrical passages at said matching edges to accommodate said threaded rods whereby each of said nut means secures the edges of two adjacent floor panels to the supporting pier.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
47 words
A prefabricated building structure according to claim 10 wherein said beam portions at the outer ends of the floor slab assembly are provided with cylindrical passages to accommodate said threaded rods extending from the piers underlying said beam portions at the outer ends of the floor slab.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
46 words
A prefabricated building structure according to claim 2 wherein each of said vertical columns is of tubular metallic construction, the lower end thereof including a resilient pad secured therein and means extending through said resilient pad for resiliently mounting said column to said floor slab assembly.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
75 words
A prefabricated building structure according to claim 11 wherein each of said vertical columns is of tubular metallic construction, the lower end thereof including a resilient pad therein and bearing plate secured internally of the column above said resilient pad, said screw threaded rods extending through said resilient pad and said bearing plate whereby said nut means resiliently secures said column to the floor panels as well as securing the floor panels to the piers.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
66 words
A prefabricated building structure according to claim 13 wherein each of said floor panels is provided with apertured anchor plates embedded therein adjacent the matching and outer edges thereof, with the apertures overlying said cylindrical passages, said anchor plates being of a size and configuration to be received closely within and to engage the inner walls of said vertical columns to position and align said columns.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
42 words
A prefabricated building structure according to claim 1, having a plurality of prefabricated exterior wall panels, at least some of said wall panels being attached at their bottom edges to said floor slab assembly and at their side edges to vertical columns.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
28 words
A prefabricated building structure according to claim 15 wherein at least some of said attached wall panels are attached at their upper edges to said roof truss assembly.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
44 words
A prefabricated building structure according to claim 15 further having internal walls and means tying the upper edges of said walls to said roof truss assembly, said last mentioned means providing for relative movement of said roof truss assembly and the said internal walls.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
68 words
A prefabricated floor slab assembly for building structures comprising a plurality of prefabricated floor panels assembled together to form a monolithic floor slab and a plurality of prefabricated piers, placed in prepared holes in the ground to support said assembled floor panels at the junctures of the interior matching edges thereof and adjacent the outer peripheral edges thereof, and means to secure said floor panels to said piers.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
68 words
A prefabricated floor slab assembly for building structures comprising a plurality of prefabricated floor panels assembled together to form a monolithic floor slab and a plurality of prefabricated piers, placed in prepared holes in the ground to support said assembled floor panels at the junctures of the interior matching edges thereof and adjacent the outer peripheral edges thereof, and means to secure said floor panels to said piers.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
70 words
A prefabricated floor slab assembly according to claim 18 wherein said floor panels are of reinforced concrete and wherein each panel has a thickened beam portion along those edges which comprise the periphery of the assembled floor slab, said thickened beam portions extending downwardly and being supported by said piers with the bottoms of said beam portions substantially at ground level to provide an air space under the building structure.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
39 words
A prefabricated floor slab assembly according to claim 18 wherein said prefabricated piers are of a length to extend sufficiently into the ground whereby the footings poured to anchor said piers may be below frost and surface water levels.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
55 words
A prefabricated floor slab assembly according to claim 18 wherein said means to attach said floor panels to said piers comprise screw threaded rods threadedly engaged within each of said piers and extending through floor panels supported by said piers, and nut means threaded onto said rods to secure the wall panels to the piers.
Claim 25
Dependent Claim
111 words
A prefabricated floor slab assembly according to claim 22 wherein said floor panels are of reinforced concrete and wherein each panel has a thickened beam portion along those edges which comprise the periphery of the assembled floor slab, said thickened beam portions extending downwardly and being supported by said piers at the outer ends of said floor slab assembly and at the junctures of the matching interior edges of adjacent floor panels, said matching edges being provided with cooperating surfaces to provide cylindrical passages at said matching edges to accommodate said threaded rods whereby each of said nut means secures the edges of two adjacent floor panels to the supporting pier.
Claim 26
Dependent Claim
56 words
A vertical column for building structures comprising a tubular metallic column, the lower end of said column including a resilient pad, a bearing plate welded interiorly of said column to position said resilient pad, said plate and pad having openings therethrough adapted to receive a stud for resiliently attaching the column to a horizontal building surface.
Claim 27
Dependent Claim
56 words
A vertical column for building structures comprising a tubular metallic column, the lower end of said column including a resilient pad, a bearing plate welded interiorly of said column to position said resilient pad, said plate and pad having openings therethrough adapted to receive a stud for resiliently attaching the column to a horizontal building surface.
Claim 28
Dependent Claim
43 words
A vertical column according to claim 23 further characterized in that the lower surface of said resilient pad is spaced from the end of the tubular column to provide a pocket adapted to receive a positioning and anchoring member on said building surface.
Claim 29
Dependent Claim
85 words
A roof truss comprising top and bottom chords, said top and bottom chords having means at their ends for pivotal attachment to the vertical columns of a building structure, web means interposed between said top and bottom chords and means for pivotally attaching said web means to said top and bottom chords whereby, when said truss is positioned in a building structure truss assembly, slight relative movement of said chords and web relative to one another may occur in accommodating slight movements of building components.
Claim 30
Dependent Claim
85 words
A roof truss comprising top and bottom chords, said top and bottom chords having means at their ends for pivotal attachment to the vertical columns of a building structure, web means interposed between said top and bottom chords and means for pivotally attaching said web means to said top and bottom chords whereby, when said truss is positioned in a building structure truss assembly, slight relative movement of said chords and web relative to one another may occur in accommodating slight movements of building components.
Claim 31
Dependent Claim
20 words
A roof truss according to claim 25 wherein said top and bottom chords are each comprised of channel form metal.
Claim 32
Dependent Claim
16 words
A roof truss according to claim 26 wherein said rod and said chords are of steel.
Claim 33
Dependent Claim
13 words
A roof truss according to claim 25 wherein said chords are of wood.
Claim 34
Dependent Claim
58 words
A roof truss according to claim 26 wherein said channel forms chords are disposed in spaced relationship with the channels facing one another and said web comprise a single length of metal rod bent into a zig-zag configuration, the points formed by said zig-zag configuration being alternately pivotally connected in the channels of said top and bottom chords.
Claim 35
Dependent Claim
56 words
A roof truss according to claim 28 wherein said web comprises a plurality of metallic links welded to spaced gusset plates in a zig-zag configuration, said top and bottom chords being spaced apart and having slots in their facing surfaces, said gusset plates being alternately pivotally connected in said slots in said top and bottom chords.
Claim 36
Dependent Claim
14 words
A roof truss according to claim 30 wherein said links are of angle iron.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1980-01-11 | 1980-07-12 | 1981-01-11 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1984-01-11 | 1984-07-12 | 1985-01-11 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1988-01-11 | 1988-07-12 | 1989-01-11 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |