Foldable Prefabricated Modular House Structure and Related Methods

The present invention relates to the field of prefabricated housing, and more specifically to a foldable prefabricated modular house that offers improved transportation efficiency, extended living spaces, and a more versatile interior configuration.

There is an increasing demand for cost-effective, quickly deployable prefabricated buildings that can be set up quickly and easily. This is especially important during natural disasters like hurricanes or earthquakes, when people need emergency housing and shelters. Moreover, the existing construction method often fails to meet demands for rapid deployment and cost efficiency. The existing modular and fabricated houses, while solving some problems, often lack flexibility in expanding the living spaces after deployment.

In recent years, there have been developments in prefabricated house structures that unfold to create an extended living spaces. However, despite this improvement, these house structures often have limitations that reduce their overall efficiency and usability. For example, some prior art structures allow the folding of the side wall, which restricts the horizontal interior spaces of the core module. However, the folded side walls occupy more spaces due to their increased thickness. As a result, the core module may not fully comply with width restrictions imposed on transport vehicles, such as lowboy trucks, which are commonly used to move prefabricated housing structures.

In addition to transportation challenges, the limited horizontal interior spaces in prior art foldable house structures can also negatively impact the customer experience, interior design, and approval of local building codes.

US20060059792A1 relates to a prefabricated house including two or more modules, each module having one or more foldable walls. The foldable walls have one or more multi-frame openings. The two or more modules are structured to be joined at one of the one or more multiframe openings.

U.S. Pat. No. 8,141,304B2 relates to a prefabricated container house includes a container type main frame member when on a chassis capable of being pulled by a trailer truck; and dwelling forming members which can be housed in the main frame member, and which can be drawn out of the main frame member at an installation site, and assembled into a house.

Conventionally, there exist several prefabricated houses that attempts to provide easy transportability and compact design. However, these prefabricated houses fail to meet demands for rapid deployment and often lack flexibility in expanding the living spaces after deployment.

There is, therefore exists a need for a foldable house structure that addresses these disadvantages and provides a more efficient and versatile housing solution.

There is further a need to develop a foldable prefabricated modular house that addresses the above-mentioned issues by providing extendable living spaces and a unique roofing system.

The present invention provides a foldable prefabricated modular house structure that facilitates easy transportation and rapid assembling by offering quick deployment. The house offers expandable living spaces, enhancing the versatility and usability of the structure.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the foldable prefabricated modular house structure discloses a core module configured with a plurality of panels, the plurality of panels comprises a floor panel, an anterior panel, a posterior panel, a pair of vertical side panels, and a roof panel. The core module further comprises an external extension unit hinged to a top edge of the floor panel at each vertical side of the core module. The external extension units unfold along the floor panel and form extended living spaces on either side of the core module, wherein each of the external extension units comprise an auxiliary floor member and an auxiliary side wall member, having equal dimension and coupled together via a plurality of hinges. The core module comprising an internal extension unit hinged to each vertical edges of the pair of vertical side panels, wherein each of the internal extension units are configured to unfold outwards to complete the enclosure of the extended living spaces. In the embodiment, a deployable roof unit, comprising a plurality of stacked planks, is deployed to cover the roof of the enclosure of the extended living spaces.

In one of the preferred embodiments, the deployable roof unit comprises a plurality of stacked planks on either sides of the roof panel. In the embodiment, at least one of the pluralities of stacked planks on each side is configured with a roller to facilitate deployment of the deployable roof units over the extended living spaces. The plurality of stacked planks comprises an edge plank, at least one adjoining plank and at least one alternate plank. The edge plank is one that has the roller and facilitates roofing with the auxiliary side wall member and the internal extension unit. The at least one adjoining plank comprises a pocket to accommodate the roller when the deployable roof unit is in folded state. In the embodiment, the at least one adjoining plank facilitates roofing over a pair of the internal extension units and provide the pocket to accommodate the roller of edge plank or at least one alternate plank. The at least one alternate plank comprises the roller and facilitates roofing over the pair of internal extension units.

In the embodiment, the dimension of the pocket is such as to completely accommodate the roller inside the pocket and allows the at least two planks to firmly stacked over each other. In the embodiment, each of the internal extension units comprises a cross section at top surface. In the embodiment, each of the cross section of the top surface comprises a plurality of grooves to accommodate the rollers associated with the edge plank and the at least one alternate plank, when the plurality of planks is deployed over the extended living spaces. In the embodiment, the rollers are firmly accommodated inside the plurality of grooves leaving no gap between the deployable roof unit and the pair of internal extension units.

In one of the embodiments, the plurality of grooves comprises a corner groove and at least one additional groove. In one of the embodiment, the at least one additional groove is configured to accommodate the roller associated with the at least one alternate plank. In the embodiment, the at least one additional groove may comprise a slant surface to safely and smoothly land the roller inside the at least one additional groove of the internal extension unit. In the preferred embodiment, the slant surface facilitates smooth landing of the roller configured with the at least one alternate plank of the plurality of stacked planks of the deployable roof unit. In the embodiment, the slant surface is at one end of the additional groove, wherein the additional groove is a rectangular groove with the slant surface at one end. In the embodiment, the corner groove is a rectangular groove. Moreover, the plurality of grooves may be of any shape or size to safely accommodate the roller. In the embodiment, each of the alternate planks amongst the plurality of planks of the deployable roof unit comprises the roller, wherein the roller is accommodated in the at least one additional groove configured at a corresponding position in the top surface of each of the internal extension units.

In one of the preferred embodiments of the invention, the corner groove comprises a first open ended groove configured in the internal extension unit along the outer end and a second open ended groove configured in the top surface of the auxiliary side wall member, wherein the second open ended groove is smaller than the first open ended groove. The first open ended groove and second open ended groove facilitate to form a corner groove at a corner of the extended living spaces when each of the internal extension units and the auxiliary side wall members are in an unfolded state. The corner groove so formed with the first open ended groove and the second open ended groove that facilitates strong locking system when the roller of the edge plank gets fully accommodated in the corner groove. In the embodiment, the dimension of the corner groove is such as to completely accommodate the roller inside the corner groove.

In one of the embodiments, the groove comprises a sliding mechanism to facilitate rolling of the roller over the slant surface.

In the embodiment, the plurality of stacked planks is connected to each other through hinge connections. In other embodiment, the plurality of stacked planks is connected to each other through mechanical joint connections, which allows folding of the planks at a pre-defined range. In the embodiment, the plurality of planks is connected to each other through water-proof connection.

In the embodiment, once the house structure in a folded state compacted to the core module, has similar dimensions to an international shipping container. Each of the external extension unit and each of the internal extension units are coupled to the core module via a plurality of hinged connections, allowing folding within a pre-defined range. The folding of the external extension units and the internal external units allow the house to be compacted into the core module for transport and unfolded to create extended living spaces on both sides of the core module.

In one of the embodiments of the present invention, the anterior panel associated with the core module includes at least a window and/or a door.

In one of the embodiment of the present invention, the auxiliary floor member and the auxiliary side wall member of the external extension unit are configured to unfold outwards by 90 degrees to form the floor and side wall of the extended living spaces.

In the embodiment of the present invention, the auxiliary floor member and the auxiliary side wall member of the external extension units are constructed from lightweight, durable materials suitable for rapid deployment and retraction.

In one of the embodiment of the present invention, each of the internal extension units are configured to unfold outwards by 90 degrees to form the width wise side panels of the extended living spaces.

In one of the embodiments of the present invention, the foldable fabricated modular house structure comprises a locking system for securing the external extension unit and the internal extension units in position when the house structure is in an unfolded state.

In one of the embodiments of the present invention, the foldable fabricated modular house structure comprises a divider separating the length of the floor panel of the core module into a kitchen space and a bathroom space.

In one of the embodiments of the present invention, the pair of vertical side panels of the core module includes windows and doors.

In one of the embodiments of the present invention, the foldable fabricated modular house structure comprises pre-built bathroom and kitchen fittings integrated into the core module.

In one of the embodiments of the present invention, the foldable fabricated modular house structure comprises home automation systems and energy-efficient lighting integrated into the structure.

In one of the embodiments of the present invention, the foldable fabricated modular house structure comprises eco-friendly materials and design elements, including solar panels or green roofing, incorporated into the structure.

The present invention further provides a method of deploying prefabricated modular house structure, the method comprising installing a core module configured with a plurality of panels at a predefined area, unfolding an external extension unit hinged to a plurality of bottom edges of a pair of vertical side panels to form an extended living space on either side of the core module, unfolding an auxiliary side wall member to form vertical side wall for the extended living space, unfolding an internal extension unit hinged to each vertical edges of the pair of vertical side panels, wherein each of the internal extension unit are configured to unfold outwards to complete the enclosure of the extended living space, and deploying a deployable roof unit comprising a plurality of stacked planks and a plurality of rollers to cover the roof of the enclosure of the extended living space.

While the invention has been described and shown with particular reference to the preferred embodiment, this will be apparent that variations might be possible that would fall within the scope of the present invention.

The preceding is a simplified summary to provide an understanding of some embodiments of the present invention. This summary is neither an extensive nor exhaustive overview of the present invention and its various embodiments. The summary presents selected concepts of the embodiments of the present invention in a simplified form as an introduction to the more detailed description presented below.

To further clarify advantages and features of the present invention, a more particular description of the invention will be rendered by reference to specific embodiment thereof, which is illustrated in the appended drawings. It is appreciated that these drawings depict only typical embodiments of the invention and are therefore not to be considered limiting of its scope. As will be appreciated, other embodiments of the present invention are possible utilizing, alone or in combination, one or more of the features set forth above or described in detail below.

Common reference numerals are used throughout the figures and the detailed description to indicate like elements. One skilled in the art will readily recognize that the above figures are examples and that other architectures, modes of operation, orders of operation, and elements/functions can be provided and implemented without departing from the characteristics and features of the invention, as set forth in the claims.

The following is a detailed description of exemplary embodiments to illustrate the principles of the invention. The embodiments are provided to illustrate aspects of the invention, but the invention is not limited to any embodiment. The scope of the invention encompasses numerous alternatives, modifications and equivalent; it is limited only by the claims.

Numerous specific details are set forth in the following description in order to provide a thorough understanding of the invention. However, the invention may be practiced according to the claims without some or all of these specific details. For the purpose of clarity, technical material that is known in the technical fields related to the invention has not been described in detail so that the invention is not unnecessarily obscured.

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 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.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting. As used herein, the singular forms “a,” “an” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise.

The terms “first,” “second,” and the like are used herein to describe various features or elements, but these features or elements should not be limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one feature or element from another feature or element. Thus, a first feature or element discussed below could be termed a second feature or element, and similarly, a second feature or element discussed below could be termed a first feature or element without departing from the teachings of the present disclosure.

Referring now to the drawings, wherein like reference numerals designate identical or corresponding parts throughout the several views, the foldable prefabricated modular house of the present invention is described in detail with an emphasis on its advantageous features and optional elements that contribute to enhanced ease of construction and user enjoyment.

-demonstrate various stages of an unfolding process of a foldable prefabricated modular house structure, in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the present invention. The prefabricated modular house structurecomprises a floor panel, an anterior panel, a roof panel, an auxiliary floor member, an auxiliary side wall member, an internal extension unit, a door, at least one window, a double door, at least one additional groove, a first open ended groove, a second open ended grooveand a pair of vertical side panels, an edge plank, at least one adjoining plank, at least one alternate plank, rollers, and a pocket.

Referring to, an isometric view of the prefabricated modular house structureis illustrated in completely folded state, compacted to a core module. The foldable prefabricated modular house structurecomprises of the core module having a plurality of panels. The plurality of panels includes a floor panel, an anterior panel, a posterior panel (not shown in figure), a pair of vertical side panels(as shown in), and a roof panel. The core module of the present invention has similar dimensions to an international shipping container when in a folded state. In the folded state, the core module is suitable for transportation and storage, significantly reducing associated costs and enabling efficient logistics for housing projects.

The core module forms a cuboid shape with the floor panel, the anterior panel, the posterior panel, the pair of vertical side panels, and the roof panel. A divider (not shown in the figures) may optionally separate the length of the floor panelinto a kitchen space and a bathroom space, both equipped with pre-built fittings, electronics, and plumbing for enhanced ease of construction and user enjoyment.

In one of the embodiments of the present invention, the anterior panelassociated with the core module includes a window and/or door.

Referring to, an isometric view of a first stage of an unfolding process of the folded core module is illustrated. The prefabricated modular house structurefurther comprises an auxiliary floor member, an auxiliary side wall member, and an internal extension unit.

The foldable prefabricated modular house structurefurther comprises of an external extension unit and an internal extension unit, which unfolds to create extended living spaces on both sides of the core module.

In the embodiment of the present invention, the external extension unit is hinged to a top edge of the vertical sides of the floor panelto unfold along the floor paneland form extended living spaces on either side of the core module. In the embodiment, each of the external extension unit comprises an auxiliary floor memberand an auxiliary side wall member, having an equal dimension and coupled together via a plurality of hinges. Further, the external extension unit are configured to unfold outwards by 90 degrees to form the auxiliary floor memberand the auxiliary side wall memberof the extended living spaces.

In the embodiment of the present invention, the auxiliary floor memberand the auxiliary side wall memberof the external extension units are constructed from lightweight, durable materials suitable for rapid deployment and retraction.

Referring to, an isometric view of the first stage of the unfolding process of the folded core module, with the external extension unit unfolded along the floor paneland an isometric view of a second stage of the unfolding process are illustrated. The house structurefurther comprises a door, at least one windowand a double door.

In one of the embodiments, the auxiliary side wall memberis configured with the at least one windowand/or the double door.

In one of the embodiments, the internal extension unitcomprises an additional or emergency doorfor additional passage or emergency exit.