Abstract:
A universal building unit comprising a plurality of members connected to each other by at least one adjustable plate. There is also at least one panel connected to the plurality of members. In this case, the plurality of members, the adjustable plate, and the panels all connect together to form a universal building unit that can be repeatedly constructed and combined with adjacent building units to form a building structure. These building units also contain a heating and cooling system for heating and cooling each unit within the structure. In addition, these units can be combined in any manner to create stairs, walls, doors, fixed and movable partitions, windows, roofs, or any other type of building component. These building units comprise a series of simple, easy to install fittings and steel profiles to create framing for any type of building.

Description:
[0001]    This application is a continuation in part application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/552,040 filed on Apr. 19, 2000. 
     
    
     
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0002]    Most buildings today are constructed with numerous drawbacks such as excessively long construction time, expensive specialized labor and equipment, poor workmanship, lack of fire-resistance and inefficient heating, cooling and ventilation systems. This invention relates to a series of simple, easy to install steel fittings and profiles to create framing for any type of building. In addition, the invention comprises special panel units to form floor, wall, ceiling and roof cladding to achieve improved radiant heating/cooling, ventilation and fire-resistance at a lower cost than present methods.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0003]    A universal building unit is provided comprising a plurality of members joined to each other by at least one connector. There is also at least one panel connected to the plurality of members. In this case, the plurality of members, the connectors, and the panels all join together to form a universal building unit that can be repeatedly constructed and combined with adjacent building units to form a building structure. These building units also contain a heating and cooling system for heating and cooling the occupants of the structure. These connectors can be set in position and adjusted in order to fit the building units to any desired length or height.  
           [0004]    Further, these units can be combined in any manner to create stairs, walls, doors, fixed and movable partitions, windows, roofs, or any other type of building component. These building units also comprise a series of inexpensive, easy to install steel fittings and profiles to create framing for any structure. These building units could even be used as scaffolding to erect a building as well. In addition, because this building unit is assembled from parts that can be handled by individuals, no cranes are needed to complete the construction of a building unit or a building structure made from these building units.  
           [0005]    The closed circuit heating/cooling system includes a series of tubes within the structural members. These tubes are connected to a water pump, hot water heater and cold water chiller. Further, the system includes a three-way mixing valve, and thermostat for controlling the temperature of the water flowing through the tubes.  
           [0006]    The structure is erected with a plurality of members connected to an adjustable header or plate. For example, the adjustable header or plate is connected to the first member at each end of this member. Successive members are connected to the adjustable headers or plates and positioned as required to achieve the desired height and length of the final assembled building unit. The members are connected to the adjustable headers or plates by bolting or welding. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0007]    Other objects and features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description considered in connection with the accompanying drawings, which disclose several embodiments of the present invention. It should be understood, however, that the drawings are for the purpose of illustration only and not as a definition of the limits of the invention.  
         [0008]    In the drawings wherein similar reference characters denote similar elements throughout the several views:  
         [0009]    [0009]FIG. 1A is a side view of the building unit;  
         [0010]    [0010]FIG. 1B is a cross-section through a building unit member;  
         [0011]    [0011]FIG. 2 is a side view of the adjustable plate connected to two members;  
         [0012]    [0012]FIG. 3 is a side view of two members bolted together;  
         [0013]    [0013]FIG. 4A is a cross-sectional view of two members bolted together back to back;  
         [0014]    [0014]FIG. 4B is a cross-sectional view of two members bolted together back to back with a tightening nut in between;  
         [0015]    [0015]FIG. 4C is a cross-sectional view of two members welded together back to back;  
         [0016]    [0016]FIG. 4D is a cross-sectional view of two members bolted together face to face;  
         [0017]    [0017]FIG. 5 is a top view of the clip attachment of panels to members on one side forming a building unit;  
         [0018]    [0018]FIG. 6 is a cross-section view of the clip attachment of panels to a member;  
         [0019]    [0019]FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of panels, members and insulation;  
         [0020]    [0020]FIG. 8 is a side view of a spring loaded pivot for a frameless door;  
         [0021]    [0021]FIG. 9 is a top view of the spring loaded pivot for a door; and  
         [0022]    [0022]FIG. 10 shows the glass panes being placed together; and  
         [0023]    [0023]FIG. 11 is a schematic block diagram of the heating and cooling system. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT  
       [0024]    Referring now in detail to the drawings, FIG. 1A represents a side view of a structural portion of building unit  10  comprising a plurality of members  12  connected directly to each other via a series of nuts and bolts or connected to each other via adjustable plates  30 . Members  12  can be inserted into the ground so that this building unit  10  does not need a foundation. Instead, once a first set of members  12  have been sunk into the ground, additional members  12  can be attached to these members to form a building unit.  
         [0025]    Members  12  are made from 12 gauge cold rolled, pickled and oiled steel struts that are preferably made from AISI 1021 grade steel that is 1⅝ inches wide high×varying depths: {fraction (13/16)}, 1, 1⅜, 1⅝ and 2{fraction (7/16)} inches deep, of any length, fabricated with a precision of +/−{fraction (1/16)}″. The steel has a yield strength of 50,000 to 55,000 PSI and a tensile strength of between 70,000-80,000 psi. The steel members are hot-rolled flat billets cold-formed into G-shaped strut profiles.  
         [0026]    As shown in FIG. 1B, members  12  have a base section  14 , arms  16 , face section  17 , and crimped sections  18  forming grooves  19  on both sides of member  12 . Inside of these members are tubing  20  that can be made from rubber tubing, nylon  11 , cross-linked polyethylene and can be secured inside members  12 .  
         [0027]    Coupled to member  12  is a back plate  36  which has a base section  37  and two opposite spaced flanges  38  extending substantially perpendicular to base section  37 . Flanges  38  extend into grooves  19  within member  12 . Back plate  36  couples to a connector plate  40  via nut  24  and bolt  26 .  
         [0028]    Tubing  20  coupled with members  12  form a temperature control system that can either raise or lower the temperature of a room through radiant heating or radiant cooling. Tubing  20  is filled with temperature controlled water which reacts with members  12  by either transferring heat to members  12  or by drawing heat away from members  12 .  
         [0029]    Members  12  are connected to each other at an angle which gives this building unit a series of advantages. First, the same basic length of members  12  can swivel to provide any desired height of wall or partition. Second, members  12  become self-bracing, eliminating the need for cross-bridging or blocking associated with rectilinear framing systems. Third, the skewed positioning of members  12  affords easy insertion and turning of the heat/cool tubing  20 , eliminating the need for the installation of labor-intensive tube fittings and their concomitant danger of leaking.  
         [0030]    Adjustable plates  30  can be connected to members  12  via a nut  24  and bolt  26 . In addition, members  12  can be connected to each other directly via nut  24  and bolt  26 . Adjustable plates  30  can be slid along a substantially horizontal member  12  so that the height of a structural unit can be controlled.  
         [0031]    [0031]FIG. 2 shows a cross-sectional view taken along the line II-II on FIG. 1A which shows two members  12  joined together via adjustable plate  30 . As shown, nuts  24  and bolts  26  connect base  14  of members  12  to plate  30 . Bolts  26  slide through pre-drilled holes on both plate  30  and members  12 . Bolts  26  are held in place by washers  25  in combination with nuts  24 ′ and  24 ″.  
         [0032]    [0032]FIG. 3 shows a cross sectional view taken along line III-III in FIG. 1A which shows two members  12  joined together back to back in a crossing manner. In this view, bolt  26  connects members  12  together with three nuts  24 ′,  24 ″, and  24 ′″. Nuts  24 ′ and  24 ′″ are disposed within members  12  while nut  24 ″ is disposed between members  12 . There are also a plurality of washers  25  which are disposed between nuts  24 ′,  24 ″, and  24 ′″, and members  12 . Members  12  can be tightened together using a socket wrench turning nut  24 ″ which will then turn bolt  26  within nuts  24 ′ and  24 ′″.  
         [0033]    [0033]FIGS. 4A, 4B,  4 C and  4 D show how members  12  can be coupled together. For example, in FIG. 4A, members  12  can be coupled so that bases  14  are pressed together with bolt  26  coupling both bases together via nuts  24 ′ and  24 ′″. FIG. 4B shows members  12  being coupled together as shown previously in FIG. 3. FIG. 4C shows members  12  with bases  14  being coupled together via welding or any other type adhesive. Finally, FIG. 4D shows face sections  17  of members  12  being coupled together via bolt  26 , nuts  24 ′ and  24 ′″ and back plate  36 .  
         [0034]    [0034]FIG. 5 shows a top view of a building unit showing double paned glass panels  50  being fixed to members  12  via connector  40 . Double paned glass panels  50  consist of a first pane  52 , and a second pane  54 . Disposed between both panes is an adhesive bond  56  that secures both panes together. Once bond  56  dries, it forms a gap  58  (see FIG. 6) so that connector  40  can fit therein and secure panes  50  to member  12 . Panels  50  are coupled to member  12  via connector  40  which is fastened to member  12  via back plate  36 , nut  24  and bolt  26 . As nut  24  is tightened, connector  40  pulls flanges  38  into a back face of face section  17 . Panel  52  is also pulled into a front face of face section  17 .  
         [0035]    [0035]FIG. 6 shows a cross sectional view of member  12  which shows back plate  36  coupling to panels  50  via connector  40 . Connector  40  has a base section  42 , a first prong section  44  coupled to back plate  36  and a second prong section  46  including opposite spaced prongs  46 ′ and  46 ″. Opposite spaced prongs  46 ′ and  46 ″ fit inside of gaps  58  in panels  50  to secure panels  50  to member  12 . Once connector  40  is secured to members  12 , panels  50  are slid on to prongs  46 ′ and  46 ″ to secure panels  40  to face sections  17  of members  12 .  
         [0036]    [0036]FIG. 7 shows a top view of a building unit comprising a three-layer system of members  12 . With this design, there are a series of panels  80  made from Viroc cement board. Disposed between these panels  80  is insulation  81  made from mineral wool to create a fire resistant building unit  10  that forms a two-hour fire rated building structure. Panels  80  include two separate part panels  82  and  84  coupled together via an adhesive  86 . These panels are coupled together to form an air tight water resistant seal. Thus, once each building is constructed, it forms a waterproof building unit that can be repeatedly stacked to form a waterproof building structure. As in FIG. 5, back plate  36 , along with connector  40 , nut  24  and bolt  26  work together to couple back plate  36  to panels  80 .  
         [0037]    [0037]FIG. 8 shows a door  90  formed by member  12 , and two spring based pivots  100  disposed inside of member  12  and panels  80  coupled to members  12 . Spring based pivots  100  comprise a base plate  102  that secures to member  12  and a spring loaded insert  104  that snaps into a recess in a door frame. A door can be coupled to the door frame by lining up spring loaded insert  104  with the recess so that insert  104  snaps into this recess. In addition, FIG. 9 shows a top view of door  90  including pivot  100 . Pivot  100  includes spring loaded member  104 , which is disposed within member  12 .  
         [0038]    The building units formed by members  12  and either glass panels  50  or V-rock panels  80  can form a self enclosed heating and cooling unit as well. For example, as shown in FIG. 10, glass panels  52  and  54  which are joined together with adhesive  56  form an insulated double paned system that traps heat inside the structure in the winter and keeps the heat out in the summer. As shown in FIG. 10, panel  52 , has a first side  52 ′ and a second side  52 ″ while panel  54  has a first side  54 ′ and a second side  54 ″. With this design faces  1  and  4 , which comprise sides  52 ′ and  54 ″ are coated with a pyrolitic low E coating. Normally, clear glass has an Emissivity value of 0.84 while glass having a pyrolitic low E coating has an Emissivity value of 0.15. Essentially the lower the Emissivity value of the glass, the better it performs in reducing the emission of infrared radiation.  
         [0039]    For example, an uncoated glass surface facing the interior of a building would permit most of the heat in the form of infrared radiation to pass through it to the exterior of the building. Similarly, an uncoated glass surface facing the exterior of the building would permit most of the solar radiation to pass through it to the interior of the building. However, if both the interior or the exterior glass surfaces have a pyrolitic low E coating, most of the interior building radiant energy would stay there and little of the solar radiant energy would enter the building.  
         [0040]    [0040]FIG. 11 shows a schematic block diagram of a heating and cooling or temperature control system  130  that includes a series of tubes or tubing  20  for handling water. This temperature control system is designed to heat or cool a room through radiant heating or radiant cooling. For example, on a warm sunny day, cool water at approximately 60 degrees Fahrenheit is pumped through these tubes  20  to cool the adjacent members  12  and panels  80  coupled thereto. This cool water is enabled by a water chiller  150  and a stainless steel water pump  160  and/or by using ground water or direct earth cooling of the water. In contrast, during cooler months, such as the wintertime, water pump  160  circulates warm water through tubes  20 . These members  12  and panels  80  can then reach a surface temperature of approximately 81 degrees Fahrenheit to heat people in a room through radiant heating. The heat source is a water heater  180  feeding hot water via water pump  160 . There is precise temperature control in the system using a three-way mixing valve  185  actuated by non-electric thermostat  192  graduated in numerals instead of temperature settings. This design allows fine tuning of the comfort zone to suit the needs of specific occupants.  
         [0041]    Once the water leaves either the cold water chiller  150  or the hot water heater  180 , it is fed through a three way valve  182  and then through an expansion tank  184  before it is sent to three way mixing valve  185  to heat or cool a room.  
         [0042]    In cold weather, warm water circulates through the tubing within the steel profiles transmitting heat to the floor, wall and ceiling surfaces which creates their surface temperature at 81 degrees Fahrenheit which is ideal for human comfort. This heat radiates into each room to heat the occupants. Similarly, summer cooling occurs through the circulation of cool water at 60 degrees Fahrenheit whereby the occupants lose heat through radiant cooling to these same surfaces. The building is heated and cooled by its own structural fabric so that there are no radiators, ducts or grilles.  
         [0043]    This design can also be used to create a self heating structure whereby tubes  20  are placed just inside an exterior panel surface. This exterior level of tubing could be separate from an interior level of tubing disposed adjacent to the interior panels via a radiant heat barrier. This design will enable all the exterior surfaces of the building such as roofs, walls and even driveways to efficiently and invisibly absorb solar radiant energy thus obviating the necessity for obtrusive glass solar energy sources.  
         [0044]    Accordingly, while several embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described, it is to be understood that many changes and modifications may be made thereunto without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.