FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a collapsible portable building that can be transported, for example, while collapsed in a space saving manner. The building can be erected on site and, subsequently collapsed for transportation.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

There are a vast number of applications for portable buildings including building construction sites, military installations and industrial sites such as mining, agricultural and

manufacturing sites to mention a few. In a number of these applications, international shipping containers (ISO

containers) service the dual purposes of transporting goods and storing goods at a site. In some cases, shipping

containers are also used as a temporary building such as mobile workshop or shed. One of the difficulties with using shipping containers is that the transportation of the

container between sites when empty is not efficient as the containers occupy a large volume.

In addition, on account of the entrance of the shipping containers is positioned at the narrow end of the containers, which is typically 2.4 metres across, the containers can be difficult to move in and out of, particular when using

forklifts for moving goods. Other difficulties in using shipping containers as a portable building is that the

containers have a tendency to rust over time, and are only available in a limited number of sizes.

Alternatives to shipping containers such as light-weight tin sheds, which are available as a "flat pack" can be used.

Whilst tin sheds can be readily transported when disassembled, these types of buildings are typically assembled using self tapping screws or bolts and are time consuming to assemble and disassemble. The components of these sheds also have a high likelihood of being misplaced during the assembly and/or disassembly process (s) . In addition, these types of sheds do not include flooring.

It is an object to provide an alternative building that can be collapsed for transportation between different sites.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a collapsible portable building that can be assembled between an erect operative position and a collapsed stowed position, the building

including : a base structure on which the building can be seated on the ground, and from which the building can be lifted when in the collapsed position; a roofing structure over the base structure that can be moved upward and downward relative to the base structure; and a collapsible side wall assembly comprising

(i) a side wall including an upper and a lower

section that are hingedly connected to the roofing structure and the base structure respectively, and when in a collapsed stowed position the upper and lower sections are pivoted inwardly over the base structure with one laid over the other, and by lifting the roofing structure relative to the base

structure into the erected operative position, the upper and lower sections can be pivoted upright into an operative position, and

(ii) a releasable locking device that is operable to retain or maintain the roofing structure in the erected operative position.

An advantage of the portable building is that each component of the building is modular and can be replaced when damaged. For example, if the roofing structure is damaged, it can be unhinged from the upper section of the side wall and replaced. In contrast, an integrally formed building would have to be replaced in its entirety should it get damaged. This improves the durability of the portable building.

The collapsed stowed position allows transportation of these buildings in a compact space saving method. In one example, the buildings can be stacked on top of each other on a flat ^¬ bed truck to be transported to the target site. The buildings can be secured to the truck using lengths of strapping.

In contrast, shipping containers are typically transported one at a time because of their large size. Furthermore, shipping containers may topple when stacked on top of each other, particularly when travelling on uneven or unpaved roads, lengthy strapping may be required to secure the containers to the truck.

Advantageously, the ability to transport multiple buildings simultaneously may provide transportation cost savings including labour and fuel costs.

The building may comprise at least two side walls that are oppositely disposed to each other. Preferably, each side wall comprises two panels, with each panel having an upper and a lower section. The upper and lower sections of the portable building may be hingedly interconnected such that lifting the roofing structure allows the upper section of the side wall to pivot outwardly under gravity, and the lower section of the side wall to pivot outwardly by virtue of being hingedly connected to the upper section.

Advantageously, folding the upper and lower sections inwardly when moving from the erect operative position to the collapsed stowed position allows the building to be assembled in

confined spaces as the building does not require additional space to move from the erect operative position to the

collapsed stowed position.

The locking device may include posts that interconnect the roofing structure and the base structure. The posts may be disconnected from either one or both of the base structure and the roofing structure when the building is in the collapsed position .

Preferably, the posts interconnect a corner of the roofing structure with a corner of the base structure.

In one example, the posts may be detachable continuous rigid lengths for spanning between the roofing structure and the base structure to support the weight of the roofing structure in the erect operative position. The posts may be fitted to the roofing structure or the base structure using any suitable mechanism including fasteners, clamps and alike.

In one example, the posts may be attached to the base

structure or the roofing structure using interfitting male and female formations. The formations may be integrally formed with the base and/or roofing structures.

Alternatively, the base and roofing structures include alike formations (i.e. either male or female formations) which receives a connector with complementary ends, the connector thereby interconnecting the posts to the base or roofing structure .

In one example, each end of the posts and the roofing and base structures include a cavity. A post is attached to the roofing and base structures by aligning the cavities of the post with the cavities of the roofing and base structures and inserting a connector with projections on either ends that are

receivable by the aligned cavities of the post and roofing structure, and the post and base structure to hold the post in position .

The posts may be retractable or telescopic, and may for example, have a folding mechanism, screw mechanism, pneumatic mechanism or hydraulic mechanism that allows the length of the post to be adjusted, i.e., retracted or extended, to fit between and support the weight of the roofing structure and base structure. Suitably, an end of the post has one slidable inner member that allows the length of the post to be adjusted. Advantageously, the posts can be replaced when damaged without affecting the rest of the building.

The locking device may be operable to prevent the upper and lower sections of the side wall from pivoting inwardly when in the erected operative position.

In one example, the locking device includes a holding/guide channel that receives edge portions of the upper and lower sections to hold these sections in position, and suitably an upright orientation when the building is in the erect

operative position.

In one example, the locking device may be operable to

releasably lock the hinge connection of any one or a

combination of: a) the hinge connection between the upper section and the roofing structure,

b) the hinge connection between the lower section and the base structure, and

c) the hinge connection between the lower and upper

sections .

The locking device may, for example, be locking bolts that secure the upper and lower sections in the erected operative positions, thereby preventing the upper and lower sections from pivoting inwardly. When the upper and lower sections are secured in the erected operative positions, it is possible that the upper and lower sections support the weight of the roofing structure and any other objects suspended therefrom.

The roofing structure may be lifted relative to the base structure beyond the operative position so that the post can be located between the base and roofing structure. The roofing structure can subsequently be lowered so that the post engages and forms a support column between the roofing and base structures . The side wall may be extendable to allow the roofing structure to be lifted beyond the erect operative position to

accommodate the post between the roofing and base structures.

Each side wall may include a flange having a slot and pin arrangement. In this arrangement, a pin mounted on the upper section of the side wall is movable along a slot located on a flange mounted on the lower section of the same side wall to extend the sidewall. The roofing structure to extend beyond the erect operative position to accommodate the posts between the roofing and base structures

The flange may be located about one or more of the above hinge connections (a) to (c) , mentioned above, to allow the roofing structure to extend beyond the erect operative position to accommodate the posts between the roofing and base structures.

An opening of the collapsible portable building may include a door for controlling access into the building. The door may be hingedly connected to the opening or slidably connected to the opening .

The roofing and base structures may include pockets for facilitating transportation of the building by forklifts. The pockets may also facilitate assembly and/or disassembly of the building by facilitating forklifts to move the roofing

structure between the erect operative position and collapsed stowed position.

The roofing structure may include lugs for facilitating transportation of the building by a crane. The lugs extend upwardly from the roofing structure and are spaced from each other to receive the base structure of another building when the buildings are stacked on top of each other. The buildings may be stacked on top of each other in the collapsed stowed position or the erect operative position.

The lugs may be located at the periphery of the roofing structure. Suitably, the lugs are located at the corners of the roofing structure. The lugs are connected to hooks of the crane to allow the roofing and base structures to be transported. The lugs may also facilitate assembly and/or disassembly of the building by allowing cranes to move the roofing structure between the erect operative position and collapsed stowed position. The lugs may also be used to secure the building against high winds by providing a connection point for fastening the building to the ground.

The collapsible portable building may be connectable to an alike building to increase the internal volume of the

building. This allows different sized containers to be

assembled on site by connecting any number of alike buildings.

Each building may be connectable to an alike building using any suitable mechanism including fasteners, clamps and alike.

In one example, the buildings are releasably fastened to each other. This can be achieved by inserting a pin between sockets located along the opening of each building. Preferably, the pin is U-shaped in which each leg of the pin is received by a socket in adjacent buildings to fasten the buildings together. In this example, the buildings can be easily disassembled by removing the pin from the socket and separating the buildings.

Suitably, a leg of the U-shaped pin may be captively retained in a socket such that the pin is rotatable and axially movable within the socket to connect to an alike socket located on another building.

The buildings may be of any dimensions. However, it is

preferable that each building has an external length ranging from 3 to 4 meters. More preferably, each building has an external length of about 3.6 meters.

Preferably, each building also has an external breadth ranging from 2 to 3 meters. More preferably, each building has an external breadth of about 2.4 meters.

Preferably, each building also has an external height ranging from 2 to 5 meters. More preferably, each building has an external height of about 3.5 meters. Even more preferably, each building has an internal height of about 3.2 meters.

It is also preferable that each building has a height that can accommodate a vehicle in the building. This allows goods to be unloaded easily into the building by vehicles such as

forklifts. In contrast, goods have to be manually moved into building if a vehicle cannot be driven into the building.

The building may have front and rear aspects on which the doors can be mounted to allow vehicular access. In an example, the doors may be mounted on the sockets located at the front and/or rear of the building to provide access into the

building .

Each door may include at least two male hinge members for mating with the sockets on the building. For example, a door may have a first male hinge member located towards the top of the door and a second male hinge member located towards the base of the door. Each of the male hinge members are downward facing such that the door is installed by lowering the male hinge members into the sockets located on the building.

The male hinge members on each door may have different lengths to facilitate installation of the door. For example, a longer first hinge member allows a user to adjust the door to align the second hinge member with the socket located towards the base of the door after the first hinge member is partially slid into the socket located towards the top of the door.

The doors may be also be removed from either or both the front and rear of a building to connect the building to an alike building. That is, the internal volume of the building can be increased by interconnecting two or more alike buildings using the sockets freed by removing the doors.

The building may include a brace for strengthening the

building. The brace interconnects the side wall and the roof structure at a location remote from the hinge connection therebetween . Suitably, the brace is located at a corner of the building for strengthening the building against buckling.

The brace may be pivotally mounted to the locking device for engaging with the roofing structure. The upper end of the brace may be connected to the roofing structure by means of a protrusion, for example a pin attached to the brace, with the pin engaging a shaped slot in the roofing structure. This slot may be shaped to allow the pin to be engaged in the slot even when the roofing structure is not perpendicular to the side wall (i.e. the building in the erect operative position is slightly skewed) .

The slot may include a tapered section so that, as the

building is biased from side to side, for example with wind loading, the pin moves further into the tapered section. The tapered section may be shaped so that the forces caused by loads, such as wind, which may cause the pin to move up the slot are less than the frictional forces generated by the same load, thereby preventing the pin from disengaging from the slot .

The building may be made out of rust-resistant material such as, for example, galvanised metal, aluminium or plastic.

Preferably, the galvanised metal conforms with ISO standards for rust protection. Some components of the building may be made from recycled material.

The use of such materials improves the durability of the building against weather elements. Use of these materials also provide a lightweight building that can be easily transported, for example, as air cargo, and at the same time, is

sufficiently strong/tough to resist damage during

transportation. The building may also be clad with a nonflammable material to provide a fire-resistant building.

The present invention also relates to a method of assembling a portable building comprising a base structure on which the building can be seated on the ground, and from which the building can be lifted to the erect operative position, a roofing structure over the base structure that can be moved upward and downward relative to the base structure and a collapsible side wall assembly comprising a side wall

including upper and lower sections that are hingedly connected to the roofing structure and the base structure respectively, including the steps of:

(a) lifting the roofing structure relative to the base structure into an erected operative position, the upper and lower sections are pivoted upright into an operative position; and

(b) operating a releasable locking device to retain or maintain the roofing structure in the erected operative position .

Step (a) may include lifting the roofing structure relative to the base structure into an erected operative position using a forklift or a crane that engages pockets or lugs on the roofing structure.

Lifting the roofing structure relative to the base structure beyond the erected operative position may allow a post to be located between the base and roofing structures.

The step of connecting the roofing structure and the base structure may include connecting posts having an end with a slidable inner member that allows the length of the post to be adjusted to the roofing and base structures.

The method may include engaging ends of the posts with mating cavities located on the roofing structure and the base

structure .

The posts may interconnect a corner of the roofing structure with a corner of the base structure.

The method may include the step of fastening two portable buildings to each other by inserting a U-shaped pin between sockets located along an opening of each building. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

A preferred embodiment of the present invention is hereinafter described by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is an isometric view of a portable building in a collapsed stowed position;

Figure 2 is an isometric view of the portable building in Figure 1 in a partially raised position;

Figure 3 is a partial isometric view of the portable building in Figure 1 wherein the building is extended beyond the erect operative position;

Figure 4 is an isometric view of a sidewall of a portable building wherein the sidewall is extended beyond the erect operative position; and

Figure 5 is an isometric view of a series of interconnected portable buildings.

Figure 6 is a side view of a pin for connecting the buildings of Figure 5.

Figure 7 is an isometric view of a brace for strengthening the building of Figure 1.

Figure 8 is a cross-sectional view of a hinge connecting the lower and upper sections of a side wall according to another form of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

One aspect of the portable building as defined by the

invention is marked as 10 in Figure 1.

The portable building 10 includes a base structure 12 on which the portable building 10 can be seated on the ground and a roofing structure 14 over the base structure 12 that can move upward and downward relative to the base structure 12. The portable building 10 also includes a collapsible side wall assembly comprising opposing side walls 16 and 18, each side wall including an upper section 16A or 18A and a lower section 16B or 18B that are hingedly connected to the roofing

structure 14 and the base structure 12.

The side walls are oppositely disposed to each other and each side wall comprises two panels, with each panel having an upper and a lower section.

The side walls are held in place by a building frame 20 on which the hinge connections are located. Specifically, there are hinge connections between (i) the upper sections 16A and 18A and the roofing structure 14, (ii) lower sections 16B and 18B and the base structure 12, and (iii) the lower and upper sections that allow the building to move from its collapsed stowed position to its erect operative position.

In an embodiment, the hinge connection between the lower and upper sections includes a z-shaped flange 13 for directing water away from the interior of the building. During a

downpour, water may enter the cavity 15 between the hinge 17 and the vertical portion of the z-shaped flange 13. The step portion 19 of the z-shaped flange 13 reduces the likelihood of water entering the interior of the building by directing the water in the cavity to the outside of the building (the fluid flow path of the water is indicated by Direction C in Figure 8) .

The length-wise edges of the base structure 12 also include pockets 22 for facilitating transportation of the portable building 10 by a forklift. These pockets allow a forklift to lift the roofing structure 14 away from the base structure 12. The pockets can be located on the breadth-wise edges of the base structure 12 and roofing structure 14 to perform the same function .

In operation, the portable building 10 is transported in its collapsed stowed position to the target location by a vehicle such as a flat-bed container truck (Figure 1) .

Transporting the portable building 10 in its collapsed stowed position allows multiple buildings to be transported simultaneously using a single truck as each building can be stacked one on top of another in a compact manner. A further advantage of transporting the portable building (s) in a collapsed stowed position is that building (s) can be brought to target locations such as forested areas where the tree canopy would otherwise prevent fully erected building (s) such as shipping containers from being transported.

At the target location, the portable building 10 is unloaded from the truck using a forklift and placed at the target location. The forklift is then used to move the building into its erected operative position by lifting the roofing

structure 14 upward relative to the base structure 12

(Direction A in Figure 2) . Alternatively, the roofing

structure may be lifted into the operative position using a crane by engaging a hook connector of the crane with lugs (not shown) mounted at the corners of the roofing structure.

This causes the upper and lower sections of side walls 16 and 18 to pivot outwardly into an erect operative position (Figure 3) . Preferably, the forklift is fitted with an extender bar having four prongs when handling the portable building 10. This reduces the likelihood of the building frame bending during transportation or assembly by distributing the weight of the building across the four prongs as opposed to the conventional two prongs when the building is manoeuvred via pockets 22 and 24.

In Figure 3, after the roofing structure 14 is raised from the base structure 12, a locking mechanism including a post 26 is installed to secure the position of the building in its erect operative position. This is achieved by using a forklift to lift (Direction B) the roofing structure beyond the erect operative position allowing the posts 26 to fit between the roofing and base structures (Figure 3) .

The posts 26 serve as a locking mechanism to hold the building in its erect operative position by preventing the upper and lower sections of the side walls 16 and 18 from pivoting inwardly when in the erected operative position. However, various other embodiments of the invention may include any other suitable mechanism including fasteners, clamps and the like to hold the portable building 10 in its erect operative position .

Each post also has a holding/guide channel 32 for receiving an edge portion of the upper and lower sections to hold these sections in an upright position when the building 10 is in its erect operative position. This provides additional stability to the building by preventing the side walls from folding inwards. The underside of the roofing structure also includes an attachment member to allow articles to be suspended within the building. For example, a U-shaped pin for connecting the roof structures of abutting buildings has a bent looped section to provide a means for hanging objects from the roof. This allows the storage of articles that have to be kept off the base structure 12 or the suspension of equipment from the roof structure.

In another embodiment of the building as shown in Figure 4, upper section 16A includes a pin 38 that engages flange 42 that is hingedly connected to lower section 16B. When the roofing structure 14 is raised from the base structure 12, pin 38 slides along slot 40 to extend the upper and lower sections beyond the erect operative position. Post 26 is then inserted between the roofing and base structures to form a support column .

The roofing and base structures include formation 28 that is received by cavity 30 located on the ends of post 26 to secure the post to the building. In this respect, the cavity 30 at the bottom of post 26 is inserted into formation 28 on the base structure 12 and the roofing structure is lowered to the erect operative position. This engages formation 28 of the roofing structure 14 with the cavity at the top of post 26.

In another embodiment of the building, an end of each post has a slidable inner member that allows the length of the post to be adjusted. In this embodiment, the upper and lower sections do not have to be extended beyond the erect operative position to insert a post between the roofing and base structures.

Instead, the roofing structure is raised into the erect operative position and one end of the post is inserted into a mating cavity located at a corner of the roofing structure. The other end of the post having the slidable inner member is aligned to a mating cavity located at a corner of the base structure. In this embodiment, the mating cavity substitutes the formation 28 illustrated in Figure 4.

The inner member is extended from the post into the cavity on the base structure by any locking mechanism. For example, the inner member may be actuated by a button spring/clip to extend and lock the post into the mating cavity on the base

structure .

The erected building has an external length of 3.6 meters, an external breadth of 2.4 meters and an external height of 3.5 meters (including an internal height of 3.2 meters) . The dimensions of the building allow vehicles to move in and out of the building for transporting goods or for the buildings to function as a garage for these vehicles.

Each building also has sockets 34 located along its opening for interconnecting alike buildings together to extend the internal volume of the building. In this embodiment of the invention, these sockets 34 are located on the posts. It can be appreciated that the sockets may also be located on the edges of the side walls or the building frame 20. This provides a building with an internal volume that can be adjusted as required.

The building has front and rear aspects on which doors can be mounted or removed to control the internal volume of the building or control access into the building.

In Figure 5, the rear of building 10 is interconnected with the front of building 110, and the rear of building 110 is interconnected with the front of building 210 using pins 36. Doors can be added to the front of building 10 and/or the rear of building 210 to control access into the building.

Alternatively, the buildings can be extended by

interconnecting additional buildings.

During assembly, the buildings are abutted against each other to align the sockets 34 of adjacent buildings. The U-shaped pins 36 are inserted into the sockets such that each socket of a building receives an arm of the U-shaped pin (Figure 5) . A door can also by hinged onto sockets 34 to provide controlled access to the building (not shown) .A brace may be pivotally connected to the post 26 for strengthening the building. The brace is in the form of a metal strip having a protrusion, in the form of a bolt head, on its free end for fastening onto a T-shaped slot 31 on the frame of the roofing structure. This forms a diagonal support between the post 26 and the frame of the roofing structure. The T-shaped slot has a tapered tail 33 to allow the brace to fit into the T-shaped slot when the roofing structure is not perpendicular to the post (Figure 7) . As the building is biased from side to side, for example with wind loading, the bolt head moves further into the tapered tail 33. The tapered tail 33 is shaped so that forces caused by a load, such as wind, which may cause the bolt head to move up the tapered tail 33 towards the T-junction, are less than the frictional forces generated by the same load to prevent the bolt head from disengaging from the slot 31.

During disassembly, the pins 36 are removed from the sockets 34 and the buildings are separated. In another embodiment, a leg of the pin 36 includes a retaining means for captively retaining the pin within socket 34. In the embodiment

illustrated in Figure 6, leg 35 of pin 36 is captively

retained within a socket 34 by sliding a rod into bore 37 and the pin can be releasably connected to another socket 34 of another building by sliding opposing leg 39 into the socket of the other building.

A forklift is then used to lift the roofing structure 14 beyond the erect operative position to disengage the posts 26 which can then be removed from the building. Once the posts 26 are removed, the forklift is used to move the roofing

structure 14 downwards towards the base structure 12. This causes the folding of the upper and lower sections inwardly over the base structure 12 into the collapsed stowed position. In the embodiment shown in Figure 4, flange 42 folds inwardly to be sandwiched between the upper and lower sections in the collapsed stowed position.

Advantageously, the folding of the upper and lower sections inwardly allows the disassembly of the building in confined spaces as the building does not require additional room to move from the erect operative position to the collapsed stowed position. Similarly, it also provides a space saving method of assembling the building.

The modular nature of the building provides a durable

structure that can be easily repaired when damaged. For example, when a side wall is damaged, it can be unhinged from the building and replaced without affecting other sections of the building.

In the embodiment including lugs at the corners of the roofing structure, a first building may be securely stacked onto a second building by fitting the first building into the space defined by the lugs of the second building.

The building frame can be made from any material. However, it is preferable that the building is made from rust-resistant material, such as aluminium. Components of the building may also include other material, such as recycled plastic.

Accordingly, there is provided a portable building for storing goods at a site which can be transported in a compact manner and can be connected to other alike buildings to form a building with a tailored internal volume.