Foldable habitation

Abstract

The foldable habitation can be unfolded and deployed to satisfy dwelling needs, and can be folded into a compact configuration for displacement or storage, for example. The foldable habitation has a base with an elongated central floor portion, a frame secured to and vertically extending from the central floor portion, and a covering having a central roof portion mounted to the upper portion of the frame. The foldable habitation can be provided as a cottage unit which can be displaced from year to year, a movable motel unit, or an office unit which can be installed on a temporary construction site, to give three examples of the numerous possibilities.

1 . A foldable habitation comprising: a base having an elongated central floor portion with a front end and a rear end; a frame having a front portion secured to and vertically extending from the front end of the central floor portion, a rear portion secured to and vertically extending from the rear end of the central floor portion, and an upper portion connecting the front portion and the rear portion, the frame being capable of supporting the weight of the foldable habitation when the foldable habitation is lifted by the front portion and the rear portion of the frame; and a covering having a central roof portion mounted to the upper portion of the frame. 
   
   
       2 . The foldable habitation of  claim 1  wherein the upper portion of the frame includes two parallel, longitudinally-extending, interconnected, and spaced-apart steel I-beams. 
   
   
       3 . The foldable habitation of  claim 2  wherein the front and rear portions of the frame each include two parallel steel studs, each stud being connected to a corresponding end of a corresponding I-beams. 
   
   
       4 . The foldable habitation of  claim 3  wherein each one of the four steel studs has a plurality of fastener-receiving threads in an upper end thereof, the fastener-receiving threads being configured and adapted to receive fasteners capable of collectively supporting the weight of the foldable habitation. 
   
   
       5 . The foldable habitation of  claim 1  characterized in that the frame has front lifting area in an upper end of the front portion and a rear lifting area in an upper end of the rear portion, the frame being capable of supporting the foldable habitation with limited longitudinal deflection when the foldable habitation is lifted by the front and rear lifting areas. 
   
   
       6 . The foldable habitation of  claim 1  wherein the base further has two lateral floor portions, each floor portion being hingedly mounted to pivot along on a respective side of the central floor portion, and the frame further has a front brace member and a rear brace member, each brace member having a central brace beam embracing a respective end of the central floor portion and having two opposite transversal ends, and two lateral brace beams, each embracing a corresponding end of a corresponding one of the two lateral floor portions and hingedly connected to a corresponding end of the central brace beam. 
   
   
       7 . The foldable habitation of  claim 1  wherein the base further has two lateral floor portions, each floor portion being hingedly mounted to pivot along on a respective side of the central floor portion, and the deployable walls have two longitudinally-oriented lateral walls, each lateral wall being wheel mounted and transversally slidable along a respective one of the lateral floor portions on a front wheel slidable along a front end of the corresponding lateral floor portion and on a rear wheel slidable along a rear end of the corresponding lateral floor portion, one of the front end and the rear end of the corresponding lateral floor portion having a wheel-guiding track. 
   
   
       8 . The foldable habitation of  claim 7  wherein the two wheel-guiding tracks are provided on a hinged portion of a brace beam connected to the frame. 
   
   
       9 . The foldable habitation of  claim 7  wherein the two wheel-guiding tracks have a vertically-extending male portion and the corresponding wheels have a mating female recess groove defined circumferentially therein. 
   
   
       10 . The foldable habitation of  claim 1  wherein the frame further has an intermediate frame portion interconnecting the upper portion of the frame to the central floor portion in a manner that a portion of the weight of the base is suspended from the upper portion of the frame when the foldable habitation is lifted by its frame. 
   
   
       11 . A foldable habitation comprising:
 a base having an elongated central floor portion, generally oriented in a longitudinal orientation, having a front end, a rear end, and two opposite sides, the base also having two lateral floor portions, each lateral floor portion being hingedly mounted along a respective one of the opposite sides of the central floor portion;   a frame having a front portion secured to and vertically extending from the front end of the central floor portion, a rear portion secured to and vertically extending from the rear end of the central floor portion, and an upper portion connecting the front portion and the rear portion;   a covering having a central roof portion mounted to the upper portion of the frame and having two opposite sides, and two lateral roof portions, each lateral roof portion being hingedly mounted along a respective one of the opposite sides of the central roof portion;   two opposite lateral walls, each lateral wall having a front end and a rear end and being slidable in a transversal orientation along a corresponding one of the lateral floor portions; and   a front wall and a rear wall, each having a central wall portion mounted to a respective one of the front portion and the rear portion of the frame and having two opposite sides, and two foldable lateral portions, each lateral portion being hingedly mounted between a respective one of the opposite sides of the central wall portion and a respective one of the front end and the rear end of a respective one of the two lateral walls, the lateral portions being configured and adapted to unfold when the corresponding lateral wall is outwardly slid.   
   
   
       12 . The foldable habitation of  claim 11  wherein the frame includes a plurality of interconnected steel beams. 
   
   
       13 . The foldable habitation of  claim 11  wherein the upper portion of the frame includes two longitudinally-oriented, parallel, steel I-beams interconnected by a plurality of struts. 
   
   
       14 . The foldable habitation of  claim 13  wherein both the front and the rear portions of the frame include two vertically-oriented and parallel steel stud beams, each steel stud being connected to a respective end of a respective one of the I beams. 
   
   
       15 . The foldable habitation of  claim 11  wherein the front portion and the rear portion of the frame each have a respective transversally-extending brace beam connected to a lower end thereof, and by which the front portion and the rear portion of the frame are secured to the opposite ends of the central floor portion. 
   
   
       16 . The foldable habitation of  claim 15  wherein both transversally-extending brace beams each have a central portion connected to the central portion of the floor, and two opposite lateral portions each hingedly connected to opposite ends of the central portion and each connected to a respective lateral portion of the floor. 
   
   
       17 . The foldable habitation of  claim 16  wherein the hinged connection between the lateral portions of the brace beams and the central portion thereof provide the hinged connection between the lateral portions of the floor and the central portion of the floor. 
   
   
       18 . The foldable habitation of  claim 11  wherein each one of the lateral walls has a transversally oriented wheel at a front end thereof and at a rear end thereof. 
   
   
       19 . The foldable habitation of  claim 18  wherein each one of the lateral floor portions has a guiding track for receiving a corresponding wheel, the guiding track extending transversally along one of the rear end and the front end of the corresponding lateral floor portion. 
   
   
       20 . The foldable habitation of  claim 19  wherein each guiding track has a vertically extending male portion, and each corresponding wheel has a recessed circumferential female groove. 
   
   
       21 . The foldable habitation of  claim 20  wherein the guiding tracks are provided as part of a brace beam connected to the respective end of the corresponding lateral floor portion. 
   
   
       22 . The foldable habitation of  claim 11  wherein both the front and rear portions of the frame have leverage beam fastener receiving threads in an upper end thereof. 
   
   
       23 . The foldable habitation of  claim 11  wherein an upper end portion of both the front portion and the rear portion of the frame include respective opposite fixation points capable of supporting the entire weight of the foldable habitation. 
   
   
       24 . The foldable habitation of  claim 23  wherein the fixation points include fastener receiving threads adapted to receive fasteners capable of jointly supporting at least the weight of the foldable habitation. 
   
   
       25 . The foldable habitation of  claim 23  wherein the upper portion of the frame is configured and adapted to present an amount of longitudinal deflection below a predetermined threshold value when the foldable habitation is lifted by the fixation points. 
   
   
       26 . The foldable habitation of  claim 11  further comprising an intermediate frame portion interconnecting the upper portion of the frame to the central floor portion in a manner that a portion of the weight of the base is suspended from the upper portion of the frame when the foldable habitation is lifted by its frame. 
   
   
       27 . A method of handling a foldable habitation in a folded configuration, the method comprising:
 removably fastening a front leverage beam to an upper end of a front portion of a steel frame of the foldable habitation;   removably fastening a rear leverage beam to an upper end of a rear portion of the steel frame of the foldable habitation; and   lifting the foldable habitation using the fastened front and rear leverage beams.