Portable temporary or semi-permanent shelter structures with modular flooring

Abstract

A temporary or semi-permanent shelter structure may include a modular floor and a modular shelter, each comprising pieces which together may be sized to fit within a standard shipping container for ease of transport. In some embodiments, at least two walls of the modular shelter may be attached to a center structure of the modular floor when placed within the standard shipping container. In some embodiments, lateral rails extending from the center structure can enable construction of the modular floor to be larger than the square footage of the shipping container floor through placement of additional flooring pieces on the lateral rails. In some embodiments, the shelter structure may have a footprint that is the same as the size of the modular floor. In some embodiments, the modular shelter includes a roof whose pieces fit along with the other pieces within the standard shipping container.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A temporary or semi-permanent shelter structure comprising:
 a modular floor comprising a center structure;   a modular shelter having a plurality of first siding pieces and a plurality of second siding pieces, wherein the plurality of first siding pieces and the second plurality of siding pieces form a perimeter of the temporary or semi-permanent shelter structure;   wherein the center structure, the plurality of first siding pieces, and the plurality of second siding pieces sized to fit within a standard shipping container;   wherein the modular shelter comprises:   at least two of the plurality of first siding pieces comprising opposed walls;   wherein the center structure comprises:
 a central portion comprising one or more first flooring pieces; 
 at least two lateral portions surrounding said central portion each of the opposed walls being attached to at least one of the at least two lateral portions; and 
 a sliding mechanism, sized to fit within the standard shipping container and positioned beneath the center structure, to facilitate sliding of the center structure from within the standard shipping container. 
   
     
     
         2 . The temporary or semi-permanent shelter structure according to  claim 1 , wherein:
 the modular floor further comprises:   one or more second flooring pieces; and   a support mechanism, positioned under the central portion, and extendable laterally from the central portion to accommodate placement of the one or more second flooring pieces adjacent to the one or more first flooring pieces to form the modular floor;   wherein the one or more second flooring pieces, along with the center structure, the plurality of first siding pieces, and the plurality of second siding pieces, are sized to fit within the standard shipping container.   
     
     
         3 . The temporary or semi-permanent shelter structure according to  claim 1 , further comprising a roof comprising a plurality of roofing pieces, which, along with the one or more second flooring pieces, the center structure, the plurality of first siding pieces, and the plurality of second siding pieces, are sized to fit within the standard shipping container. 
     
     
         4 . The temporary or semi-permanent shelter structure according to  claim 3 , wherein the roof comprises a roof selected from the group consisting of gable roofs, cross gable roofs, hip roofs, cross hipped roofs, pyramid hip roofs, saltbox roofs, flat roofs, butterfly roofs, or shed roofs. 
     
     
         5 . The temporary or semi-permanent shelter structure according to  claim 3 , wherein the plurality of roofing pieces comprise one or more roof support portions extending between the opposed walls. 
     
     
         6 . The temporary or semi-permanent shelter structure according to  claim 5 , wherein the plurality of roofing pieces comprise one or more posts to which the one or more roof support portions attach. 
     
     
         7 . The temporary or semi-permanent shelter structure according to  claim 5 , wherein the plurality of roofing pieces comprise one or more braces connected between respective ones of the one or more roof support portions. 
     
     
         8 . The temporary or semi-permanent shelter structure according to  claim 1 , wherein at least one of the plurality of second siding pieces comprises a door or gate. 
     
     
         9 . The temporary or semi-permanent shelter structure according to  claim 8 , wherein at least one of the plurality of second siding pieces comprises a partial wall attached to the center structure and wherein at least one of the one or more roof support portions is configured to wrap around the center structure to be deployable therefrom. 
     
     
         10 . The temporary or semi-permanent shelter structure according to  claim 9 , further comprising a hinge to attach the door to one of the opposed walls, and wherein the partial wall abuts the door or gate when the door or gate is closed. 
     
     
         11 . The temporary or semi-permanent shelter structure according to  claim 1 , wherein each of the opposed walls is attached to one of the at least two lateral portions within the standard shipping container prior to deployment of the temporary or semi-permanent shelter structure. 
     
     
         12 . The temporary or semi-permanent shelter structure according to  claim 1 , wherein the center structure further comprises:
 a top surface structure comprising the one or more first flooring pieces;   a bottom surface structure on an underside of the center structure; and   one or more beams or studs extending between the top surface structure and the bottom surface structure.   
     
     
         13 . The temporary or semi-permanent shelter structure according to  claim 2 , wherein there are at least two second flooring pieces, and the support mechanism comprises:
 a first plurality of extensions, extendable away from the center structure in a first lateral direction to support at least one of the at least two second flooring pieces.   
     
     
         14 . The temporary or semi-permanent shelter structure according to  claim 13 , wherein the support mechanism further comprises:
 a second plurality of extensions, extendable away from the center structure in a second lateral direction opposite the first lateral direction, to support at least another of the at least two second flooring pieces.   
     
     
         15 . The temporary or semi-permanent shelter structure according to  claim 14 , wherein the first and second pluralities of extensions comprise beams or tubes. 
     
     
         16 . The temporary or semi-permanent shelter structure according to  claim 15 , wherein the beams or tubes comprise materials selected from the group consisting of steel, aluminum, magnesium, and composites. 
     
     
         17 . The temporary or semi-permanent shelter structure according to  claim 1 , wherein the first and second flooring pieces are made of a material selected from the group consisting of engineered wood, composites, and metals. 
     
     
         18 . The temporary or semi-permanent shelter structure according to  claim 17 , wherein the engineered wood comprises engineered wood selected from the group consisting of plywood, strand board (OSB), medium-density fiberboard (MDF), particle board, other composite board, and cross-laminated timber (CLT). 
     
     
         19 . A temporary or semi-permanent shelter structure system comprising the temporary or semi-permanent structure according to  claim 1  and the standard shipping container. 
     
     
         20 . The temporary or semi-permanent shelter structure system according to  claim 19 , wherein the standard shipping container comprises a container selected from the group consisting of an International Standard Organization (ISO) container, a North American container, a Canadian container, a European pallet wide container, an Australian Railways of Australia Container Express (RACE) container, a Container for Export (CONEX) box, or a military or defense standard (MIL-STD) container.