Portable assembly convertable between a shipping unit and a building unit

Abstract

A portable expandable facility is provided comprising a core including: a top, a bottom, a first end and a second end substantially parallel to the first end, four corner posts and a first side; and an expandable portion including: an at least two end walls, each end wall pivotally attached to the corner post with an at least one hinge and connected to an at least one end wall actuator extending from a frame member under the bottom to the end wall in a vicinity of a bottom of the end wall; at least one roof panel pivotally attached to the top with at least one roof hinge; and at least one side wall, the at least one side wall hinged to a folding floor at a first end of the folding floor in a vicinity of a bottom of the at least one side wall.

1 . An expandable facility comprising: a core including: a top, a bottom substantially parallel to the top, a first end and a second end, the second end substantially parallel to the first end, the first and second ends attached to and extending between the top and the bottom; and an expandable portion including: an at least one end wall pivotally attached to an end with an at least one hinge; an at least one end wall actuator, the end wall actuator connected to the end wall in a vicinity of a bottom of the end wall and extending to and attached to a frame member under the bottom; an at least one roof panel, the at least one roof panel pivotally attached to the top with an at least one roof hinge; an at least one side wall attached to the at least one roof panel; a folding floor, the at least one side wall hinged to the folding floor at a first end of the folding floor in a vicinity of a bottom of the side wall; an at least one arm and side wall actuator combination comprising an arm and an actuator, the at least one arm and side wall actuator combination attached to a frame member of the bottom, and extending and connected to the side wall, wherein the folding floor, the two end walls, the at least one roof panel and the at least one side wall form an at least one side substantially normal to the first and second ends in a contracted state to provide a container having an unencumbered inner space. 
     
     
         2 . The expandable facility of  claim 1 , wherein there are four end walls, two side walls and two roof panels that form two substantially parallel sides in the contracted state. 
     
     
         3 . The expandable facility of  claim 2 , further comprising a floor lifter mechanism, which lifts the folding floor at a pivot point during contraction of the facility and is connected to the arm and side wall actuator combination. 
     
     
         4 . The expandable facility of  claim 2 , wherein each end wall is configured such that a top of the end wall abuts an underside of the roof panel at a contact point to raise and lower the roof panel during expansion and contraction. 
     
     
         5 . The expandable facility of  claim 4 , wherein the contact point is at least about 12 inches from the at least one roof hinge. 
     
     
         6 . The expandable facility of  claim 4 , wherein an upper corner of each end wall comprises a wheel or slider. 
     
     
         7 . The expandable facility of  claim 6 , each end wall further comprising a slide on a bottom plate, the folding floor in slidable engagement with the slide. 
     
     
         8 . The expandable facility of  claim 1 , further comprising an at least one expanding floor joist configured to abut the underside of the folding floor in the expanded position. 
     
     
         9 . (canceled) 
     
     
         10 . The expandable facility of  claim 1 , wherein the arm is an articulating arm or a telescoping arm extending between the frame member of the bottom and the side wall in the vicinity of the bottom of the side wall. 
     
     
         11 . The expandable facility of  claim 3 , the floor lifter mechanism comprising a slider block slidably disposed on a distal region of a proximal section of the articulating arm and pivotally linked to the lifter, a biasing member extending between the slider block and a hinge that pivotally attaches the distal section to the proximal section and a sleeve slidably disposed on the proximal section of the articulating arm proximal to the slider block and linked to the lifter. 
     
     
         12 . (canceled) 
     
     
         13 . (canceled) 
     
     
         14 . An expandable facility comprising: a core including: a top, a bottom substantially parallel to the top, a first end and a second end, the second end substantially parallel to the first end, the first and second ends attached to and extending between the top and the bottom; and an expandable portion including: an at least two end walls, each end wall pivotally attached to a respective end with an at least one hinge; an at least one end wall actuator, each end wall actuator, attached to and extending from the core to the end wall; an at least one roof panel, the at least one roof panel pivotally attached to the top with an at least one roof hinge; an at least one folding floor, the folding floor comprising an at least one pair of floor panels, a first floor panel pivotally attached to a second floor panel with an at least one hinge; an at least one side wall, an at least one side wall attached to the at least one roof panel hinged to an outer end of the folding floor in a vicinity of a bottom of the side wall; an at least one arm and side wall actuator combination comprising an arm and an actuator, the at least one arm and side wall actuator combination attached to a frame member of the bottom, and extending and connected to the side wall; and a floor lifter mechanism which pivots the folding floor upward about the folding floor hinge during contraction of the facility, the floor lifter mechanism attached to and actuated by the arm and side wall actuator combination. 
     
     
         15 . The expandable facility of  claim 14 , wherein the floor lifter mechanism comprises a lifter adjacent an underside of the folding floor, the lifter pivoting upward above a level of the floor only during contraction of the facility. 
     
     
         16 . The expandable facility of  claim 15  further comprising an at least one articulating floor joist which abuts the underside of the folding floor in an expanded position. 
     
     
         17 . The expandable facility of  claim 16 , wherein the articulating floor joist comprises a pair of struts and a vertical support, the vertical support pivotally attached to the folding floor at a floor hinge with an upper hinge and to the pair of struts with a lower hinge, the lower hinge, which hinges the pair of struts. 
     
     
         18 . The expandable facility of  claim 17  further comprising an at least one slide on an underside of the floor panels slidably engaging the articulating floor joist, the slide having a proximal stop and a distal stop. 
     
     
         19 . The expandable facility of  claim 14 , wherein the arm is an articulating arm or a telescoping arm extending between the frame member of the bottom and the side wall in the vicinity of the bottom of the side wall. 
     
     
         20 . (canceled) 
     
     
         21 . (canceled) 
     
     
         22 . The expandable facility of  claim 18 , the floor lifter mechanism comprising a slider block slidably disposed on a distal region of a proximal section of the articulating arm and pivotally linked to the lifter, a biasing member extending between the slider block and a hinge that pivotally attaches the distal section to the proximal section and a sleeve slidably disposed on the proximal section of the articulating arm proximal to the slider block and linked to the lifter. 
     
     
         23 . The expandable facility of  claim 15   14 , wherein the expandable facility is a monocoque structure. 
     
     
         24 . (canceled) 
     
     
         25 . (canceled) 
     
     
         26 . (canceled) 
     
     
         27 . (canceled) 
     
     
         28 . (canceled) 
     
     
         29 . (canceled) 
     
     
         30 . (canceled) 
     
     
         31 . (canceled) 
     
     
         32 . (canceled) 
     
     
         33 . (canceled) 
     
     
         34 . (canceled) 
     
     
         35 . (canceled) 
     
     
         36 . A method of expanding the portable expandable facility of  claim 1 , the method comprising an at least one user actuating the at least one end wall actuators and actuating the at least one side arm and side wall actuator combinations wall actuators, thereby expanding the portable expandable facility. 
     
     
         37 . The method of  claim 36 , further comprising articulating an articulating arm extending between a frame member under the bottom to the at least one side wall. 
     
     
         38 . The method of  claim 37 , further comprising articulating an at least one articulating floor joist. 
     
     
         39 . (canceled) 
     
     
         40 . (canceled) 
     
     
         41 . (canceled) 
     
     
         42 . (canceled) 
     
     
         43 . (canceled)