EP1590536B1

EP1590536B1 - Building mountable from interlocking units

Info

Publication number: EP1590536B1
Application number: EP04705097A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Matti Olavi Makila
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2003-01-30
Filing date: 2004-01-26
Publication date: 2010-03-24
Anticipated expiration: 2024-01-26
Also published as: FI20035008A0; ATE462048T1; DE602004026160D1; EP1590536A1; WO2004067867A1

Abstract

The invention relates to a building (30) mountable from interlocking units (1, 4, 9, 12, 21) fabricated of a panel-like material. The building comprises two wall units (4), said wall unit's two opposite side edges (6) being adapted to have at least one locking tab (7) protruding therefrom, which is provided with a locking cut (8) parallel to said side edge (6), two gable units (9), said gable unit being provided, for the locking tabs (7) protruding from the wall unit's (4) side edge (6), with a number of slots (10) and/or cuts (11) matching the number of said locking tabs for coupling the wall units (4) and the gable units (9) together, two upper floor units (12), adapted to extend between two spaced-apart gable units (9), the upper floor unit (12) having its ends (13) to be set against the gable units (9) and provided with a locking tab (14) protruding from said end, and the gable unit (9) has its side edge (16) provided with a cut (17), which is provided for the upper floor unit's (12) locking tab (14) and has its location designed in such a way that the upper floor unit (12) is additionally propped on top of the wall unit's (4) upper edge (18), and a roof supported upon the gable units (9).

Description

The invention relates to a building mountable from interlocking units fabricated of a panel-like material.
It is an object of the invention to provide a building of the above type, especially a light-frame cabin, a lean-to or shelter or the like equipped with walls, which is capable of being mounted and dismounted without special tools or equipment, in other words simply by fitting appropriately shaped units together, whereby there is no need for any separate coupling elements which could be lost in the process of shipping, mounting or dismounting.
This object is accomplished according to the invention in such a way that and a building of the invention is characterized in that the building comprises
two wall units, said wall unit's two opposite side edges being adapted to have at least one locking tab protruding therefrom, which is provided with a locking cut parallel to said side edge,
two gable units, said gable unit being provided, for the locking tabs protruding from the wall unit's side edge, with a number of slots and/or cuts matching the number of said locking tabs for coupling the wall units and the gable units together,
two upper floor units, adapted to extend between two spaced-apart gable units, the upper floor unit having its ends to be set against the gable units and provided with a locking tab protruding from said end, and the gable unit has its side edge provided with a cut, which is provided for the upper floor unit's locking tab and has its location designed in such a way that the upper floor unit is additionally propped on top of the wall unit's upper edge, and a roof supported upon the gable units.
By virtue of this arrangement, the wall units and the gable units can be first coupled to each other in a simple manner. By then fitting the upper floor units in position, the structure shall brace itself to its final, proper condition. On top of the thus obtained structure can be fitted a desired type of roof, after which this basic version of the building is ready.
In one preferred embodiment of the invention, the arrangement is such that the gable unit's upper side edge is adapted to have at least one locking tab protruding therefrom, which is provided with a locking cut parallel to said upper side edge. Thus, on top of the gable units is adapted to be fitted a roof unit, which is provided with slots intended for the gable units' locking tabs.
By virtue of this arrangement, the roof units can also be readily fitted and locked in position. This arrangement can be utilized in yet another preferred embodiment of the invention, in which the roof unit is adapted to lock the upper floor unit in position, the latter in turn locking the wall units and the gable units.
In one preferred embodiment of the invention, in which the gable units are adapted to provide a ridge-roofed structure, the immobilization of roof units is further ensured preferably in such a manner that the roof units present on the opposite sides of the ridge are adapted to be locked in position by means of a ridge beam insertable to its position in parallel with the ridge. Thus, the wall units, gable units, upper floor units, and roof units are locked to each other in such a way that a disengagement thereof from each other cannot be done until the ridge beam is removed.
The panel-like units used in a building of the invention are fabricated preferably in such a manner that the locking tabs and the matching slots and cuts are provided as a single piece with the units by cutting out said panel-like material. Therefore, there is no need for any loose components, which could possibly be lost, for joining the units to each other. Naturally it is possible to use separate locking elements attached separately to the units, which nevertheless are preferably fixed permanently in position in order not to be misplaced.
Other preferred embodiments of the invention are disclosed in the dependent claims.
The invention will now be described more closely with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1: shows a floor unit.
Fig. 2: shows a wall unit.
Fig. 3A: shows a half of a gable unit (solid gable).
Fig. 3B: shows a half of a gable unit (unit provided with a doorway).
Fig. 4: shows an upper floor unit.
Fig. 5: shows a roof unit.
Fig. 6: shows a ridge beam in an end view.
Fig. 7: shows a building according to one embodiment of the invention, in an end view.
Fig. 8: shows the building of fig. 7 in a side view.

Figs. 1-6 illustrate examples of individual elements included in a building of the invention, and figs. 7 and 8 show an example of a building 30 of the invention, which is mountable from interlocking units fabricated of a panel-like material.
In its most simple form, the building 30 comprises two wall units 4 (fig. 2), two gable units 9, one of which may consist for example of two interconnected halves shown in fig. 3A and the other of two interconnected halves shown in fig. 3B, two upper units 12 (fig. 4), and a desired type of roof supported upon the gable units 9.
In this most simple form thereof, the building 30 is not provided with an actual floor, but instead with benches or bunks established by the upper floor units 12 along two opposite sides of the building.
However, the building 30 of the invention can also be provided for example with a lower floor unit 1 of fig. 1, as well as with a roof consisting for example of roof units 21 as shown in fig. 5.
The wall unit 4 of fig. 2 has its two opposite side edges 6 adapted to include at least one, in the illustrated example two locking tabs 7 protruding therefrom. The locking tabs 7 are further provided with locking cuts 8 parallel to said side edge 6.
The gable unit 9, which in its basic form comprises two halves as shown in either fig. 3A or 3B, which are interconnected or made of a single-piece panel, is provided, for the locking tabs 7 protruding from the wall unit's 4 side edge 6, with a matching number of slots 10 and/or cuts 11 for locking the wall units 4 and the gable units 9 to each other. The example shown in figs. 3A and 3B includes a slot 10 and a cut 11.
In the process of mounting or erecting the building, the wall unit's 4 locking tabs 7 are pushed into the gable unit's 9 slot 10 and cut 11, whereafter, in the example of figs. 2 and 3, the gable unit 9 sinks into the locking cuts 8 present in the wall unit 4, thereby locking the wall unit 4 and the gable unit 9 to each other.
The upper floor unit 12 (fig. 4) is arranged to extend between two spaced-apart gable units 9. The upper floor unit's 12 ends 13 to be set against the gable units 9 are provided with a locking tab 14 protruding from said end, the locking tab 14 being preferably further provided with a locking cut 15 parallel to said end 13 to be set against the gable units 9 for locking the gable unit 9 in position. The gable unit 9 has its side edge 16 provided with a horizontal cut 17, which is arranged for the upper floor unit's 12 locking tab 14 and whose location is designed in such a way that the upper floor unit 12 is additionally propped on top of the wall unit's 4 upper edge 18. The slot 10 has its location adapted in such a way that the wall unit 4 takes up most of the load applied to the upper floor unit 12. Thus, the slot 10 is spaced from the side edge 16 by a distance which is most preferably slightly less than the width of the upper floor unit 12.
Once the wall units 4 and the gable units 9 to have been connected to each other, the upper floor units 12 are fitted in position, and thus, after placing an appropriate roof structure on top, the inventive building 30 in its most simple form is ready.
In the example of figs. 3A and 3B, the gable unit's 9 upper side edge 16' is adapted to have two locking tabs 19 protruding therefrom, which are provided with locking cuts 20 parallel to said side edge. Thus, the gable units 9 are adapted to be topped by a roof unit 21 as shown in fig. 5, which is provided with slots 22 arranged for the gable units' 9 locking tabs 19.
Hence, the roof unit 21 is adapted to lock the upper floor unit 12 in position, whereby the upper floor unit 12 in turn locks the wall units 4 and the gable units 9 for an integral entity, which is only dismountable in the order reverse to the mounting order.
In the embodiment illustrated in the drawings, the gable units 9 are designed to provide a ridge-roofed structure. Other types of structures are also feasible, depending on how the elements are designed. In the example of fig. 7, the roof units 21 present on either side of the roof ridge are adapted to be locked in position by means of a ridge beam 22 (fig. 6) insertable to its position in parallel with the ridge, said beam being designed to prevent the roof unit 21 from being slid along the upper side edge 16' and thus the roof unit from coming off the locking cuts 20.
Thus, there is no way of removing any element from the structure of fig. 7 until the ridge beam 22 is removed. Dismounting proceeds in a reverse order with respect to mounting.
In the solution described above, there is not an actual floor except for benches or bunks established by the upper floor units 12 laid along the sides of the building. It is also possible to provide the building with a separate floor, which is established by a lower floor unit 1 shown in fig. 1. Its two opposite side edges 2 are adapted to have at least two locking tabs 3 protruding therefrom, the wall unit 4 (fig. 2) being provided with slots 5 for the lower floor unit's 1 locking tabs 3.
In the vicinity of the lower floor unit's 1 two other opposite side edges 23 is provided at least one locking slot 24, and the gable unit's 9 bottom edge 25 is adapted to have at least one locking tab 26 protruding therefrom, which is adapted to extend into the lower floor unit's 1 locking slot 24. The locking slots 24 and the locking tabs 26 are not absolutely necessary whenever solid or single-piece gable units 9 are used. However, they are of major significance from the viewpoint of keeping multi-component gable units 9 immobilized.
The locking tab 26 can be further provided with a locking slot (not shown), which can be fitted with a locking member (not shown) for locking the lower floor unit 1 and the gable unit 9 in a per se known manner to each other also in vertical direction. In this case, the lower floor unit 1 is locked between the locking member presently in the locking slot and the gable unit 9.
The gable unit 9 can be constituted, for example, by two elements shown either in fig. 3A or 3B or by a similar type of single-piece element. However, a single-piece gable unit 9 is generally difficult to handle because of its considerable size.
The locking tabs 3, 7, 14, 19, 26 and the coinciding slots 5, 10, 22, 24 and cuts 11, 17 are preferably designed as a single-piece element with the units by cutting out a panel-like material used for fabricating said units. Naturally, the locking tabs can also be made from another material, in which case the most important aspect is, however, that the locking tabs be attached permanently in position to avoid being misplaced.
As a conclusion, it should be noted that the employed term "a panel-like material" encompasses both materials made of several layers or plies and also materials made by laminating several components, e.g. panels, to each other.

Claims

A building (30) mountable from interlocking units (1, 4, 9, 12, 21) fabricated of a panel-like material, characterized in that the building comprises
two wall units (4), said wall unit's two opposite side edges (6) being adapted to have at least one locking tab (7) protruding therefrom, which is provided with a locking cut (8) parallel to said side edge (6),
two gable units (9), said gable unit being provided, for the locking tabs (7) protruding from the wall unit's (4) side edge (6), with a number of slots (10) and/or cuts (11) matching the number of said locking tabs for coupling the wall units (4) and the gable units (9) together,
two upper floor units (12), adapted to extend between two spaced-apart gable units (9), the upper floor unit (12) having its ends (13) to be set against the gable units (9) and provided with a locking tab (14) protruding from said end, and the gable unit (9) has its side edge (16) provided with a cut (17), which is provided for the upper floor unit's (12) locking tab (14) and has its location designed in such a way that the upper floor unit (12) is additionally propped on top of the wall unit's (4) upper edge (18), and
a roof supported upon the gable units (9).
A building as set forth in claim 1, characterized in that the gable unit's (9) upper side edge (16') is adapted to have at least one locking tab (19) protruding therefrom, which is provided with a locking cut (20) parallel to said side edge.
A building as set forth in claim 2, characterized in that on top of the gable units (9) is adapted to be fitted a roof unit (21), which is provided with slots (22) arranged for the gable units' (9) locking tabs (19).
A building as set forth in claim 3, characterized in that the roof unit (21) is adapted to lock the upper floor unit (12) in position, which in turn locks the wall units (4) and the gable units (9).
A building as set forth in any claim 3, characterized in that the gable units (9) are adapted to provide a ridge-roofed structure, and that the roof units (22) on either side of the ridge are adapted to be locked in position by means of a ridge beam (22) insertable to its position in parallel with the ridge.
A building as set forth in claim 1, characterized in that the building further comprises a lower floor unit (1), whose two opposite side edges (2) are adapted to have at least one, most preferably two locking tabs (3) protruding therefrom, and that the wall unit (4) is provided with slots (5) for the lower floor unit's (1) locking tabs (3).
A building as set forth in claim 5, characterized in that the lower floor unit (1) has at least one locking slot (24) provided in the vicinity of its other two opposite side edges (23), and that the gable unit's (9) bottom edge (25) is adapted to have at least one locking tab (26) protruding therefrom, which is adapted to extend into the lower floor unit's (1) locking slot (24).
A building as set forth in claim 1, characterized in that the gable unit (9) is made up of two elements.
A building as set forth in claim 1, characterized in that the upper floor unit's (12) locking tab (14) is provided with a locking cut (15) for the gable unit (9), which is parallel to the end (13) to be set against the gable units (9).
A building as set forth in claim 1, characterized in that the locking tabs (3, 7, 14, 19, 26) and the matching slots (5, 10, 22, 24) and cuts (11, 17) are provided as a single piece with the units by cutting out said panel-like material.