Abstract:
The preferred embodiment is a construction kit for small structures that can be built without tools and used as a shelter for animals, or an amusement device for people. In one embodiment, the kit includes two sizes of wall pieces and two sizes of corner pieces that connect to create a solid structure capable of withstanding the elements of nature. The wall and corner pieces have cavities that are arranged on the top, bottom and sides of the pieces. The pieces connect to each other using common connectors that fit snugly into the cavities. The pieces can be used to create a variety of differently sized and shaped structures. The preferred embodiment further comprises pieces that are used to create a roof structure and a floor structure that connect to the wall and corner pieces using connectors and said cavities. In the preferred embodiment the pieces are made of plastic using plastic-injection manufacturing processes. The pieces of a kit used to create a structure can be shipped and stored in a small volume relative to the size of the structure that can be created.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    Not Applicable 
       STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT 
       [0002]    Not Applicable 
       REFERENCE TO SEQUENCE LISTING, A TABLE, OR A COMPUTER PROGRAM: LISTING COMPACT DISK APPENDIX 
       [0003]    Not Applicable 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0004]    1. Field of the Invention 
         [0005]    The present invention is in the technical field of prefabricated structural parts used to create small structures. Further, the present invention is in the technical field of construction kits for small modular buildings used to house animals, or used for children&#39;s playhouses. 
         [0006]    2. Description of the Prior Art 
         [0007]    The prior art describes many prefabricated structures. For example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,787,028, 3,020,601, 4,212,130, 5,222,902, 5,921,047, 6,520,831, 7,104,221, and 7,241,198 all describe prefabricated parts and construction methods used to create small structures that can be assembled without or with minimal use of tools. Similar to many solutions found in the prior art, the present invention is inexpensive to manufacture and ship, yet sturdy enough to meet the typical requirements of small structures, such as doghouses or playhouses. Further, like the present invention, many of the structures found in the prior art can be built and taken apart without tools. 
         [0008]    Among other improvements, the present invention improves upon the prior art by providing prefabricated parts that can be used to create differently sized buildings. Thus, a small structure can be expanded into a larger structure when needed, such as when a puppy grows into an adult dog. Another improvement is due to the puzzle-piece-like properties of the structural components; the present invention may be used as an amusement device. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0009]    The present Invention comprises a limited number of structural members that can be configured to construct a variety of differently sized small buildings. The structural members share a symmetry, where all members can be described using the features of one member. The structural members primarily include wall panels and right-angle corner panels, where the corner panels are equivalent to two wall panels that intersect to create a right angle corner. A plurality of female connections exist on the sides of the wall and corner panels so that the panels can be joined together to create larger wall sections. The panels are joined together using a common connector pressed into female connections. The invention includes a feature where three panels share one connector. Embodiments further Include floor sections and roof sections. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0010]      FIG. 1   a  is a perspective view of a structure: 
           [0011]      FIG. 1   b  is a perspective view of a structure; 
           [0012]      FIG. 2  is a perspective view of a wall part: 
           [0013]      FIG. 3  is a perspective view of a wall part; 
           [0014]      FIG. 4  is a perspective view of a wall part; 
           [0015]      FIG. 5  is a perspective view of a wall part: 
           [0016]      FIG. 6  is a perspective view of a corner part; 
           [0017]      FIG. 7  is a perspective view of a corner part; 
           [0018]      FIG. 8  is a perspective view of a section of a wall part and a connector; 
           [0019]      FIG. 9  is a perspective view of a section of a wall part and a connector; 
           [0020]      FIG. 10  is a perspective view of a section of a wall part and a connector; 
           [0021]      FIG. 11  is a cross section of a wall part and a connector; 
           [0022]      FIG. 12  is a cross section of a wall part and a connector; 
           [0023]      FIG. 13  is an exploded perspective view of a section of an assembly; 
           [0024]      FIG. 14  is a perspective view of a floor part; 
           [0025]      FIG. 15  is a perspective view of a floor part; 
           [0026]      FIG. 16  is a perspective view of a floor part; 
           [0027]      FIG. 17  is perspective view of an exploded assembly of a floor; 
           [0028]      FIG. 18  is a perspective view of a roof support part; 
           [0029]      FIG. 19  is a perspective view of a roof support part; 
           [0030]      FIG. 20  is a perspective view of a roof support part; 
           [0031]      FIG. 21  is a perspective view of a roof part; 
           [0032]      FIG. 22  is a perspective view of a roof part; 
           [0033]      FIG. 23  is a perspective view of a roof part; 
           [0034]      FIG. 24  is a perspective view of a roof part; 
           [0035]      FIG. 25   a  is an exploded perspective view of a roof assembly; 
           [0036]      FIG. 25   b  is an exploded view of a partially installed roof assembly; 
           [0037]      FIG. 26  is a perspective view of a mold; and, 
           [0038]      FIG. 27  is a perspective view of a shipping and storage assembly. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0039]    Referring now to the drawings in detail,  FIG. 1   a  shows Building  10 , a structure that can be constructed using the structural members described herein. Building  10  is a small structure relative to houses built for humans; Building  10  is the size of atypical doghouse, or a child&#39;s playhouse. Building  10  has four walls, a floor, a roof, and an opening in one of the walls so that a child or small animal, such as a dog, can enter and exit the structure. The structure shown in  FIG. 1   a  is but one of the many shapes of buildings that can be constructed using the structural members described in this document. For example,  FIG. 1   b  shows a smaller structure that can be created using the prefabricated parts discussed herein. 
         [0040]    Referring now to  FIGS. 2 through 5 , four wall pieces are shown. The wall pieces shown are rectangular pieces that have a front and back surface and four side surfaces. The four side surfaces are the smaller surfaces and can be defined as top, bottom, left and right. Arranged along the side surfaces are cavities that are evenly spaced. Cavity  15 s are created by openings on the top and bottom surfaces that are positioned in the center of the top and bottom surfaces, where the center is defined as the middle between the front and back surface. The opening has a depth, creating Cavity  15 . Cavity  15  has one opening, and can be described as a female connection, or a chamber. Edge Cavity  17  is equivalent to a Cavity  15  that is bisected by the adjacent surface. Thus, Edge Cavity  17  has an opening shared by two side surfaces adjacent to each other, such as a bottom surface and a left surface. The part of the Edge Cavity  17 &#39;s opening that is on the top or bottom surface is half of the width of the Cavity  15 &#39;s opening. The adjacent part of the Cavity  17 &#39;s opening is equal to the depth of Cavity  15 &#39;s depth. Thus, when two wall pieces are placed end to end with Edge Cavity  17 s facing each other, the result is a cavity that is the same size as Cavity  15 . Edge Cavity  17  is also referred to as a corner cavity, a bisected female connection, and a half-chamber. 
         [0041]      FIG. 2  shows Closed-Ended Small Wall  75 , and  FIG. 3  shows Small Wall  70 . Both pieces have the same outer dimensions; the only difference between the two is that Closed-Ended Small Wall  75  does not have Corner cavities  17  on one side.  FIG. 4  shows Closed-Ended Big Wall  85 , and  FIG. 5  shows Big Wall  80 . The wall sections shown in  FIGS. 4 and 5  are twice the length of the wall sections shown in  FIG. 2  and  FIG. 3 , and thus have more Cavities  15 . Stated differently, the Big Wall sections are equivalent to two small wall sections placed end to end. Further, the only difference between Closed-Ended Big Wall  85  and Big Wall  80  is that Closed-Ended Big Wall  85  does not have Corner cavities  17  on one side. 
         [0042]    Referring now to  FIG. 2  through  FIG. 7  it is important to note the relationship between the corner pieces and the wall pieces. Dimensionally, Small Corner  50  is the equivalent of two Closed-Ended Small Wall  75 s intersecting and fused together at the closed end at a ninety-degree angle as shown. 
         [0043]    Similarly, Big Corner  60  is dimensionally equivalent to two Closed-Ended Big Wall  85 &#39;s intersecting and joined together at a ninety-degree angle. Stated differently, the length of the side walls of Big Corner  60  and the length of Big Wall  80  are equal, and the same is true for Small Corner  50  and Small Wall  70 . Further, the matching corner pieces and wall pieces have the same number of Cavities  15 . 
         [0044]    Referring now to  FIG. 6 , Small Corner  50  is shown. Small Corner  50  is a symmetrical, ninety-degree corner piece. Small Corner  50  is equivalent to two Closed-Ended Small Wall  75  sections that are joined at the closed side at a ninety-degree angle. The top half and bottom half sections of said wall sections are mirror images of each other. Thus, like the wall sections, Small Corner  50  is symmetrical about a middle line that is halfway up the height of Small Corner  50 , and Small Corner  50  is symmetrical about the ninety degree corner angle. 
         [0045]    Referring now to  FIG. 7 , Big Corner  60  is shown. Big Corner  60  has all of the properties of Small Corner  50 , except that Big Corner  60  wall sections are is twice as long with more Cavities  15 . Further,  FIG. 3  shows that the spaces between Cavities  15  are equal just like Small Corner  50  and the wall sections. 
         [0046]    Referring now to  FIG. 8 , four connectors are shown. Connector  20  is the primary connector used to build a structure. Connector  20  is shaped to fit snugly inside two Cavity  15 s when said cavities have their openings lined up. The fit of the connector inside the cavity is a tight one, thus, Connector  20 &#39;s cross section has approximately the same dimensions as the cross section of Cavity  15 . Further, Connector  20  may not have completely straight sides along its length, rather the sides may have a slight curve to allow for easier insertion and a gradual press fit connection as the connector is pressed into the cavity. In other words, the cross section of Connector  20  may vary. 
         [0047]    Connector  20  is used to connect wall pieces and corner pieces by placing Connector  20  inside Cavities  15  and Cavities  17 . Short Connector  21  is shorter than Connector  20 , and is used when a wall piece or corner piece is connected to something other than another wall piece or corner piece, such as a floor or roof section. Fill Connector  22  is used to fill Cavities  17  when needed or as desired, further,  2  Fill Connector  22 s can be used to fill one Cavity  15 . Hollow connector  23  is shown as another embodiment of a type of connector that can be used. 
         [0048]    Referring now to  FIG. 9  and  FIG. 10 , connectors with ridges are shown. Rounded Ridge Connector  24  and Triangle Ridge Connector  25  are embodiments shown to demonstrate configurations where the connectors and cavities can have specific slot-and-tab shapes that match up with each other. 
         [0049]    Referring now to  FIG. 11  and  FIG. 12 , a top view of a connector embodiment is shown. Rounded Ridge Slim Connector  27  and Triangle Slim Connector  28  are generally smaller than the previously discussed connectors. In this embodiment, ridges are used as the primary contact surface on the connector. With this embodiment a tighter press-fit configuration is possible due to the contact surface area being reduced as compared to the previously discussed connector configurations. 
         [0050]    Referring now to  FIG. 13 , an exploded view of a constructed corner is shown. The purpose of  FIG. 13  is to demonstrate the relationships between the wall, corner and connector pieces when said pieces are used to construct a building. 
         [0051]    Referring now to  FIG. 14 ,  FIG. 15  and  FIG. 16 , three floor pieces are shown. All three floor pieces are squares with a side length equal to the length of Big Wall  80 .  FIG. 14  shows Center Floor  100 , with Double Cavities  18  centered on each side surface. Double Cavities  18  have twice the length of Cavities  15 , and fit two Connector  20 s side by side.  FIG. 15  shows Side Floor  110  that has Double Cavities  18  centered on three sides, and Short Cavities  19  along the edge of the side that does not have a Double Cavity  18 . Short Vertical Cavities  19  have a cross section that is the same as the opening used to create Cavity  15 , but the depth of Short Vertical Cavity  19  is less than the depth of Cavity  15 . Short Vertical Cavity  19 , Cavity  15 , and Short Connector  21  are used to connect wall, corner and floor pieces. Thus the length of Short Connector  21  is equal or slightly less than the combined depths of Short Vertical Cavity  19  and Cavity  15 . Short Vertical Cavities  19  are positioned on the edges of Side Floor  110  to line up with Cavities  15  of Big Wall  80 . Also identified in  FIG. 15  is a Short Vertical Cavity  19  that is not positioned on the edge that can be used for additional building configurations. Referring now to  FIG. 16 , Corner Floor  120  is shown. Corner Floor  120  has Double Cavities  18  on two adjacent sides and Short Vertical Cavities  19  on the other two sides as shown. 
         [0052]    Referring now to  FIG. 17 , an exploded assembly is shown to illustrate one embodiment of a floor assembly. 
         [0053]      FIGS. 18 through 20  show roof support elements. Generally, the roof support elements and connectors are used to create a beam that extends from the top of one wall to the top of the wall opposite to it.  FIG. 18  shows Roof Support End  200  that connects to the top of a corner or wall piece using Short Connector  21  and a vertical cavity that extends from the top surface through the bottom surface. An additional vertical cavity is shown that can be used for differently sized building, or to create an overhang. A horizontal cavity is shown that is equivalent to Cavity  15  on the end Roof Support End  200  that is used to connect the piece to another piece using Connector  20 .  FIG. 19  shows Roof Support Long Extension  220  that has vertical cavities in the center and horizontal cavities at both ends.  FIG. 20  shows Roof Support Short Extension  230  that has a single horizontal cavity extending from end to end. 
         [0054]      FIGS. 21 through 24  show roof elements. Generally, the roof element have a flat surface and extensions that extend from the flat surface that fit into the cavities on the top of the wall sections, corner sections and roof support elements.  FIG. 21  shows Narrow Roof End  300  that has a flat section on top that creates a section of roof, and from that roof section extends a section that has the same cross-sectional dimensions as the connectors so that the piece can be placed into a Cavity  15  or two Cavity  17 s.  FIG. 22  shows Roof Center  310  that is used when a wall or corner cavity is not available. Roof Corner  320  is shown in  FIG. 23  that has features for use over corner pieces. Said features include extensions that fit into Cavities  15  or  17  are arranged at 90 degrees with respect each other.  FIG. 24  shows Wide Roof End  330  that has two extensions for Cavities  15  or  17  and smaller extensions that fit into the vertical cavities of the roof extensions. 
         [0055]      FIG. 25  shows an exploded assembly view of a possible configuration for a roof assembly. The roof support elements and connectors create beams that extend from wall to wall and are attached to said walls with connectors. The roof elements are placed to that one continuous surface exists ocer the area bounded by the walls and corner sections. 
         [0056]    In the preferred embodiment, the parts shown in the preceding figures are made of plastic. Further, the preferred manufacturing process for said parts is plastic-injection molding.  FIG. 26  shows Plastic Injection Mold  400  that is a possible configuration of a device that can be used to create a short wall section. 
         [0057]    Referring now to  FIG. 27 , a possible shipping and storage configuration is shown. One of the advantages of the invention is that it can be stored and shipped easily. In the preferred embodiment a box-like shipping container is not needed, rather the structural components create a shipping container that can be wrapped and shipped. Further, if the intended structure is approximately 2½ feet tall, as would be ideal for a doghouse, the shipping item would only be 8 inches tall, and less than 3 feet wide. 
         [0058]    The advantages of the present invention include, without limitation, a construction kit for a small structure that is made of a small number of pieces. The structures that can be created using the kit are ideal for pets or small children. Assembling the structures and taking it apart is fun and easy, so the kit can be used as an amusement device. Further, floor and roof options create a structure that can house an animal outdoors and provide shelter from the elements. In the preferred embodiment the pieces are made of plastic, thus the structure is inexpensive, and easy to clean. The pieces can fit together during storage and shipping to that the footprint of the storage or shipping item is small in relation to the structure that can be built, and because the preferred embodiment is made of plastic, the shipping is inexpensive relative to other heavier materials. 
         [0059]    In broad embodiment, the present invention is construction kit for a small structure. 
         [0060]    While the foregoing written description of the invention enables one of ordinary skill to make and use what is considered presently to be the best mode thereof, those of ordinary skill will understand and appreciate the existence of variations, combinations, and equivalents of the specific embodiment, method, and examples herein. The invention should therefore not be limited by the above described embodiment, method, and examples, but by all embodiments and methods within the scope and spirit of the invention.