Truss building system

A building system utilizes a combined roof/wall truss construction where each truss is made in a single U-shaped unit having spaced-apart wall truss subsystems interconnected with a roof truss subsystem. The trusses then are set up with the lowermost ends of the wall trusses resting on and attached to the foundation or building floor slab. The trusses are spaced apart at 32" intervals and are held in a vertical orientation by means of standard sheathing for the walls and roof. Window and door openings are formed in the spaces between the adjacent wall truss subsystems, and the depth of the wall truss subsystems is selected to provide space for built-in cabinets, closets, and unique window treatments.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
A variety of different building techniques and materials are employed for 
the construction of residential and commercial small building types. A 
majority of these buildings, however, are constructed by means of light 
frame wood construction. Conventional light frame construction involves 
piece-by-piece on-site cutting, fitting, and assembly of the different 
parts of the building comprising the exterior and interior walls, ceiling 
and roof members. This is a labor-intensive operation which requires a 
high degree of carpentry skills. It is necessary to coordinate the 
carpentry work with that of other trades such as plumbing, heating and 
electrical, on a relatively precise and critical time schedule. Because so 
much work must be done on a piece-by-piece basis at the site, a 
considerable time lapse occurs between the start of the work and the point 
where the house or building finally is enclosed and is relatively immune 
from wind and rain during the remainder of the construction of the 
interior. In such conventional frame construction, holes must be cut or 
drilled in the framing for electric lines, plumbing pipes and some duct 
work. All of this is time consuming and expensive, and adds considerably 
to the completed cost of the building. 
In efforts to reduce the amount of building time on the site of 
construction, and further, to provide a less expensive but structurally 
stronger building, proposals have been made for what may be termed 
"truss-frame" houses. Such a construction technique is disclosed in the 
patent to Roger L. Tuomi, U.S. Pat. No. 4,005,556. The structure of this 
patent consists of a plurality of flat structural building frames, each 
comprising a roof truss system and a floor truss system interconnected at 
opposite ends to one another through conventional wall studs. The floor 
truss system is necessary to provide structural rigidity to the overall 
unit, so that the resultant frame comprises a completely enclosed outline 
of the building envelope ultimately to be enclosed by it. These frames 
then are set up side by side on the building foundation and are 
interconnected to give them vertical stability. The siding, flooring and 
roof sheathing is attached to the frames in a conventional manner. The use 
of the structures disclosed in the Tuomi patent considerably reduces the 
time required to erect and enclose a house or other building. The floor 
truss arrangement and the roof truss system both provide spaces for the 
major plumbing, electrical and ductwork required in the building. It still 
is necessary, however, to drill or cut holes in the studs forming the 
exterior walls to accomodate electrical lines, plumbing and the like in 
these walls. In addition, it should be noted that the structure of the 
Tuomi patent is not suited for houses of the type constructed on poured 
concrete slabs which do not have basements or crawl spaces beneath the 
main floor. Such construction, however, is widely used, particularly in 
the southern and western parts of the United Stats. Consequently, the 
Tuomi interconnected roof truss/floor truss system does not have utility 
where slab floor construction is desired. 
Another system using components which are similar to the ones used in the 
Tuomi patent is disclosed in the patent to Slayter, U.S. Pat. No. 
3,156,018. The Slayter patent is directed to a plant-manufactured building 
structure or a prefabricated complete building structure. Subcomponents of 
this building structure include roof and floor truss subsystems which are 
interconnected by a sidewall system of a generally triangular 
configuration. This produces outwardly sloped exterior sidewalls with a 
vertical inside sidewall surface. The Slater system requires a complete 
surrounding truss subsystem including floor, roof and the interconnecting 
sidewall system. These are all incorporated together into a prefabricated 
building which subsequently is moved from the manufacturing site to the 
site where it is to be erected. 
In the construction of commercial building using metal or steel truss 
systems and reinforced steel sidewall systems, various attempts have been 
made to prefabricate subsystems for subsequent interconnection and 
erection at the building site. One such system is shown in the patent to 
Ollman, U.S. Pat. No. 4,030,256. This patent discloses the use of a steel 
roof and ceiling system using prefabricated roof and ceiling truss frames. 
Each of these has downwardly depending vertical legs at the corners which 
then subsequently are connected to sidewall steel frame subsections to 
construct a completed building. Thus, separate matching sections must be 
aligned and interconnected at the building site in order to produce the 
frame for the building constructed in accordance with the building 
construction system disclosed in the Ollman patent. 
Other patents have disclosed building subsystems utilizing metal or wooden 
trusses formed in generally L-shaped configurations to produce wall and 
roof subsections, two of which are interconnected together at the building 
site at the apex of the roof sections to form the frame for enclosing the 
building. These systems generally are used for warehouses and the like, 
and the nature of the trusses generally is in the form of triangular legs 
of non-uniform depth which precludes their use in most homes and small 
office buildings. In addition, it still is necessary in the construction 
of buildings using such systems to cut or drill holes for plumbing, 
electrical lines or ductwork necessary for the completed building 
structure. Three patents which disclose systems of this type are the 
patents to Prudhon, U.S. Pat. No. 2,904,139; Sahlberg, U.S. Pat. No. 
2,390,180; and Dickinson, U.S. Pat. No. 3,263,381. 
Various other preassembled building structures have been attempted in the 
past, but all are subject to one or more shortcomings present in the 
structures discussed above. Generally, these subsystems are not such as to 
substantially minimize the construction work required at the building 
site. Most of them do not facilitate the installation of wiring, heating 
and plumbing lines, but generally are subject to the same disadvantages 
encountered in conventional on-site frame construction of buildings. 
Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide an improved 
building system which is capable of reducing the cost of the completed 
building, simplifies the construction, and provides a variety of 
possibilities for architectural variations from both aesthetic and 
practical considerations resulting directly from the building subsystem 
itself. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide an improved 
building system. 
It is another object of this invention to provide an improved building 
truss system. 
It is an additional object of this invention to provide a unitary building 
truss subsystem incorporating wall and roof truss subsystems for use as a 
modular building component. 
It is a further object of this invention to provide an improved building 
frame unit which facilitates construction of a building and reduces the 
time and cost of such construction. 
Accordingly, a preferred embodiment of this invention comprises a roof 
truss subsystem which includes top and bottom chord members, spaced apart 
and interconnected by a plurality of reinforcing web brace members. 
Connected to opposite ends of this roof truss subsystem are first and 
second wall truss subsystems, each comprising interior and exterior chord 
members spaced apart from one another and interconnected by a plurality of 
reinforcing web brace members. The resultant is a flat unitary 
substantially U-shaped building frame unit which is used in conjunction 
with other similar frame units as the primary structural subsystem for the 
building. These units are interconnected by roof and wall sheathing to 
form the completed building structure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
Reference now should be made to the drawings in which the same reference 
numbers are used in the different figures to designate the same or similar 
components. 
The basic structural technique which is used in accordance with the 
building system shown in the drawings is that of incorporating the use of 
prefabricated or off-site constructed, generally U-shaped, truss 
subsystems. For some time, it has been relatively common practice to 
construct roof and ceiling truss systems which are erected onto the top of 
otherwise conventionally constructed building walls in the fabrication of 
a building at a a building site. These roof trusses may take on a variety 
of configurations, depending upon the particular type of roof desired. 
These may range from flat-roofed buildings to pitched roofs of a variety 
of different configurations. In the system shown in the drawings, with 
particular attention being directed to FIG. 1, the truss concept has been 
expanded considerably to combined a roof truss with the outside or major 
support walls of the building into a single piece, generally U-shaped 
truss. 
The entire subassembly may be manufactured in a single integrated unit in a 
truss factory utilizing jigs of types commonly used in such industry. The 
various unitary truss subassemblies then are transported to the building 
site and erected on-site to form the building frame. A typical truss 10 
for a flat-roofed building is shown in FIG. 1. This truss includes a roof 
truss subassembly incorporating a top chord 14 and a bottom chord 15. 
These chords 14 and 15 are interconnected by diagonal and vertical bracing 
webs 16 and 18, respectively, to provide structural rigidity and strength 
to the overall structure. 
The webs 16 and 18 are interconnected to the top and bottom roof chords 14 
and 15 by means of conventional metal truss plates 20, plywood gusset 
plates, or any rigid fasteners capable of transmitting moment, sheer and 
axial forces between the webs 16, 18 and the chords 14, 15. Also, as is 
well known, if the length of the span of the roof truss subsystem is 
greater than the normal length of available material, the chords 14 and 15 
may be made by mechanically splicing shorter lengths of material without 
decreasing the strength of the frame. The splicing is done by means of 
metal truss plates, gusset plates, or other conventional interconnecting 
techniques. 
To complete the truss system 10 shown in FIG. 1, a pair of wall truss 
subsystems extend downwardly from each of the ends of the roof truss 
subsystem. The wall truss subsystems each include an exterior chord 30 and 
an interior chord 31 interconnected by reinforcing diagonal and 
perpendicular web braces 16 and 18 similar to those used in the roof truss 
subsystem. As illustrated in FIG. 1, the two sidewall truss subsystems are 
identical to one another. If, for some reason, however, there is an 
interior step up from a high ceiling area to a lower ceiling area 
reflected in a variation in the floor elevation of the building, the side 
truss subsystems could be of different lengths. In most cases, however, 
the side truss subsystems illustrated in FIG. 1 on opposite ends of the 
roof truss subsystems will be of the same length. 
The resultant truss system 10, which is prefabricated at a factory in a 
single piece, then is duplicated or repeated for each of the different 
areas to be enclosed at the building site. Different truss systems 10 
having different spans, different vertical heights, and different roof 
lines may be incorporated into a single building in accordance with a plan 
which introduces a variety of different structural shapes into the 
building. The basic concept employed, however, is the same, irrespective 
of the specific truss dimensions. 
At the building site, a foundatin or pre-poured floor 35 is finished prior 
to delivery of the truss systems 10 required for a particular building 
structure. The trusses 10 then are set up as shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, 
with the lowermost ends of the wall truss subsystems resting on and 
attached to the foundation or building slab. This attachment may be made 
by any conventional means including, but not limited to, anchor straps, 
nailing, and anchor bolts embedded in the foundation or floor slab. 
For spanning a particular area, the trusses are set up side by side, as 
illustrated in FIG. 2, and then are covered over on the top with 
conventional roof sheathing 37 and on the sides with side sheathing 
materials such as plywood sheets 38, plaster, pre-shaped foam insulating 
sheathing panels, or the like. This provides substantial structural 
rigidity to the building. In FIG. 2, door and window openings have not 
been shown, but may be provided between adjacent ones of the trusses 10, 
as desired. 
Because interconnected wall/roof truss subsystems are used for the trusses 
10, it is possible to use relatively lightweight materials, such as 
standard 2".times.4" lumber or light steel channels, for all of the top 
and bottom roof chord members 14 and 15, as well as for the exterior and 
interior chord members 30 and 31, and the bracing webs 16 and 18. This, of 
course, does not preclude the use of heavier material where it is desired 
or necessary, but the result of the structure shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 
permits the use of conventional 2".times.4" lumber or light steel 
channels, to obtain a very strong frame suitable for most homes and small 
commercial building structures. Because of the strength which is a result 
of the trusses 10, it is not necessary to have the trusses as close 
together as conventional wall studs (typically, 16 inch spacing between 
studs); but a typical structure incorporates 32 inch spacing (residential) 
or 48 inch spacing (commercial) between each of the trusses 10. Thus, 
three successive truss assemblies 10 span a linear distance of 8 feet 
when they are erected as shown in FIG. 2, which permits conventional 
length sheathing and wallboard materials to be used in the building 
structure. This also causes the distance between adjacent trusses to be 32 
inches (2 feet 8 inches) which is a very convenient width for windows, 
doors, cabinets and the like. 
FIG. 3A is a diagrammatic representation of the truss system which is 
illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2. The same techniques, however, may be used to 
obtain a variety of different building shapes and treatments. For example, 
in FIG. 3B, a sloped roof is obtained by utilizing a truss wall subsystem 
40 on one end which is shorter than the truss wall subsystem 50 on the 
other end of the roof truss subsystem 45. The roof truss subsystem 45 also 
may extend beyond one or more of the wall truss subsystems 40 or 50. 
In FIG. 3B, it is shown extending beyond or to the outside of the wall 
truss subsystem 50. FIG. 3C illustrates the manner in which a pair of 
equal height wall truss subsystems 60 and 70 are used in conjunction with 
a roof truss subsystem 65 to produce a gabled roof. This gabled roof may 
have either a flat ceiling, where the bottom roof chord is horizontal 
(shown in solid lines in FIG. 3C) or it may have a vaulted ceiling (as 
shown in dotted lines in FIG. 3C). 
FIG. 3G illustrates the manner in which a mansard roof treatment may be 
obtained as an integral part of the interconnection of the wall truss 
subsystem 75 with a roof truss subsystem 76 by extending each beyond the 
other and interconnecting them with a mansard treatment subsystem 77. 
FIG. 3D illustrates the manner in which a pair of equal height wall truss 
subsystems 66 and 68 are bridged and interconnected together with a roof 
truss subsystem 69 extending outwardly to the left and to the right to 
form overhangs 67 as an integral part of the unitary truss subsystem used 
to construct a building. The techniques for building and interconnecting 
the wall and roof truss subsystems of the configuration shown in FIG. 3D 
are precisely the same as described previously in conjunction with FIG. 1. 
FIG. 3E illustrates the basic truss subsystem of FIG. 1 in which a pair of 
equal height wall truss subsystems 80 and 81 are used to interconnect a 
roof truss subsystem 82. An additional one or more wall truss subsystems 
83 and 84 are illustrated located between the wall truss subsystems 80 and 
81 to form interior walls or inset walls for use in patio treatment or the 
like. These additional wall truss subsystems 83 and 84 have been shown in 
dotted lines in FIG. 3E with arrows indicating that they may be located in 
any position desired by the architect or building designer. 
It also should be noted that multi-story structures may be built, using the 
unitary trusses 10 of FIGS. 1 and 3A in particular, by simply stacking the 
trusses one on top of the other. In such an event, what has been called a 
roof truss subsystem in FIG. 1 for the lower or intermediate floors simply 
becomes a floor truss subsystem for the next higher floor, with the 
uppermost one of the units then comprising the roof truss subsystem which 
has been described previously. The structure, however, of each of the 
unitary trusses 10 shown in FIG. 3F to form a three-story building is the 
same as used for a single story building. Each floor is interconnected to 
the one immediately below it by means of standard construction techniques. 
From an examination of FIG. 1, it is readily apparent that the openings 
between the parallel exterior and interior wall chords 30 and 31 provide 
roomy and ready passageways for electrical, plumbing, and heating/cooling 
ductwork. Similarly, the space between the top and bottom roof chords 14 
and 15 permits considerable space for electrical, plumbing, and 
heating/cooling ductwork; so that it usually is not necessary to drill or 
cut holes through the 2".times.4"s and other structural components to 
effect the installation of the electrical, plumbing and heating equipment 
in the building. 
Reference should now be made to FIGS. 4 and 5 for some typical finished 
building treatments which may be accomplished by means of the building 
system using the trusses 10 illustrated in FIGS. 1 through 3. 
FIG. 4 is a partially cut-away view of an interior wall used to illustrate 
different treatments which may be accomplished by means of the use of the 
trusses 10 in constructing a building. Each of the roof truss 
subassemblies have been shown in the open manner of FIG. 1 as extending 
outwardly over the room of which the wall shown in FIG. 1 is a part. The 
lower plane established by the bottom roof chords 15 then is covered with 
suitable ceiling material 100 in a conventional manner. 
In most cases, it is desirable to have the exterior and interior chords 30 
and 31 of the wall truss subsystems parallel to one another and vertically 
oriented when the truss 10 is in place. Typically, the distance between 
the outside edges of these wall chords is 2 feet. This is a standard 
closet depth and is an adequate depth for storage cabinets of various 
types including kitchen cabinets. Whenever one of the wall trusses 10 is 
located at a point in the building where it is exposed, it may be covered 
with a suitable wall covering 101, as shown for the leftmost truss 10 in 
FIG. 4. 
The 2 foot depth between the inner and outer chords 30 and 31 of the wall 
truss subsystems permits the installation of both lower cabinets 102 and 
upper cabinets 103, as illustrated in FIG. 4. In addition, this depth 
provides different possibilities for placement of a window (in either a 
single or multi-section configurations). The 3-section window 105 of FIG. 
4 is located on the inside wall portion of the truss system. The overhang 
produced then provides shade for the window 105, and the vertical 
extensions of the adjacent trusses (as shown in FIG. 4) provide additional 
shading or shielding from the sun wherever windows are placed on the south 
or west sides of a home in particular. It is not necessary, however, to 
confine the window treatment to the interior since the windows also may be 
placed on the outside wall, such as the double section window 106 shown on 
the right-hand end of the wall portion illustrated in FIG. 4. This then 
produces a shelf or a window seat (if located lower) to permit a wide 
variety of architectural treatments, depending upon the practical effects 
and the aesthetic effects desired. 
Door openings, such as illustrated by the door 109, also may be set in from 
the exterior or placed on the exterior to frame the door. The door 109 
also may be utilized as a closet section, and when the wall (such as shown 
in FIG. 4) is used in a bedroom, closet sections simply may be placed 
between each of the adjacent trusses 10 and incorporate an endless variety 
of built-in features limited only by the imagination of the designer 
utilizing the building system which is described. 
FIG. 5 illustrates some exterior treatments which may be accomplished by 
the building system. For example, a window 114 (similar to the window 106 
of FIG. 4) may be placed on the outside wall of the building. The roof 
treatment 115 (outlined by the heavy line in FIG. 5) may be set back in 
accordance with a variety of different treatments as illustrated, or it 
may extend along the outside edges of all of the trusses illustrated in 
FIG. 5. A typical arrangement utilizing an additional leg, such as the 
legs 83 or 84 of FIG. 3F, in shown in the patio treatment in the lower 
left-hand side of the building illustrated in FIG. 5. The outside legs of 
the trusses extend out over an open patio, and an interior leg 116 is used 
to form the interior wall of the building in which glass panels 117 are 
illustrated in FIG. 5. The treatment, however, is not limited to the 
illustrations shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, but may be as varied as the 
imagination of the builder or architect permits, ranging from a simple 
box-like structure to a complex design incorporating a variety of 
different features. 
As is apparent from the foregoing, by constructing a building with 
prefabricated unitary roof/wall trusses, significant savings in both time 
and cost in the erection and completion of a building are possible. In 
addition, the thickness of the vertical or wall truss subsystems permits 
unique architectural treatments to be obtained. 
It further should be noted that, if wider openings than the 32 inch 
openings which have been described are desired, conventional headers and 
the like may be employed with the wall truss subsystems cut out or cut 
short to accomodate such wider openings. To the extent possible, however, 
it is desirable to minimize such wider openings and to simply confine 
openings through the vertical wall sections of the building to the spaces 
between the trusses 10 as much as possible. 
Various changes and modifications to the trusses and to the building system 
which has been disclosed above and which is shown in the drawings will 
occur to those skilled in the art. The preferred embodiment which has been 
described and shown is to be considered as illustrative only of the 
invention and not as limiting.