Abstract:
A mobile elevated building assembly is configured to be compactly transportable in a transportation mode yet readily reconfigured to an installed mode after set-up with a building held many meters off of the ground by a tower supported off of the ground by outriggers. A flat-bed trailer is used to transport the assembly while in its transportation mode, and the trailer can optionally remain attached to the bottom of the tower in the installed mode. A foldable stairway and top-of-stairs platform can form a subassembly that can be pivotally attached where they connect to one-another, and this connection can be supported by a horizontal upper member of the tower. The platform can include one of at least two horizontal support members for holding the building on top of the tower. Methods are provided for reconfiguring the assembly and subassemblies between their transportation mode and their installed mode.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     Not Applicable 
     STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT 
     Not Applicable 
     THE NAMES OF THE PARTIES TO A JOINT RESEARCH AGREEMENT 
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     INCORPORATION-BY-REFERENCE OF MATERIAL SUBMITTED ON A COMPACT DISC 
     Not Applicable 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The invention relates to elevated buildings and in particular to ones that can be reconfigured into a compact assembly that can be easily transported as a single mobile unit from one location to another on an included flat-bed trailer. 
     2. Description of the Related Art 
     In the prior art, buildings that are small enough to be transported readily without requiring their disassembly usually require either being dragged, being lifted and moved by one or more fork-lift trucks, or being placed onto the bed of a commercial truck for transport to a new or next location. If both a building and a tower upon which it is to sit are to be transported, they are usually separated from one-another and each moved independently of the other. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The invention is pointed out with particularity in the appended claims. However, some aspects of the invention are summarized in the following descriptions of some possible implementations and examples. 
     A mobile elevated building assembly is configured to be compactly transportable in a transportation mode yet readily reconfigured to an installed mode after set-up with a building held many meters off of the ground by a tower supported off of the ground by outriggers. A flat-bed trailer is used to transport the assembly while in its transportation mode, and the trailer can optionally remain attached to the bottom of the tower in the installed mode. A foldable stairway and top-of-stairs platform can form a subassembly that can be pivotally attached where they connect to one-another, and this connection can be supported by a horizontal upper member of the tower. The platform can include one of at least two horizontal support members for holding the building on top of the tower. Methods are provided for reconfiguring the assembly and subassemblies between their transportation mode and their installed mode. 
     In one embodiment of the invention, a mobile elevated building comprises a building, a tower structure, and a mobile platform; wherein the tower has a structure that permits lowering the building down into the tower for configuration as a transportation mode; and wherein the building can be raised out of the tower and installed on top of the tower for configuration as an installed mode. This embodiment can further comprise a foldable staircase that is foldable sideways to accommodate the transportation mode. It can comprise a top-of-stairs platform coupled pivotally to an upper horizontal element of the tower; wherein the top-of-stairs platform can be pivoted from a horizontal orientation to a tilted orientation to give clearance for the building to be lowered from above and inserted into the tower. It can further comprise both a foldable staircase and a top-of-stairs platform; wherein the foldable staircase and the top-of-stairs platform are each connected to one another by at least part of a horizontal pivotal mechanism that permits either or both their being rotated as a single unit and/or being rotated independently of one another. The foldable staircase, when folded, can be pivoted downward to accommodate the transportation mode by requiring less extension toward the rear of the mobile platform than when the foldable staircase is unfolded. Also a horizontal cross member can be used to support the building atop the tower and be attached to the top-of-stairs platform such that it rotates with the top-of-stairs platform in its rotation about the horizontal pivot mechanism. 
     Various methods are included. One method is for transforming a mobile elevated building from a transportation mode to an installed mode and comprises the steps of positioning the mobile elevated building at a location for installation, hoisting a building out of a tower structure, deploying outriggers from a mobile platform and lowering the building onto the tower structure. This method can also comprise steps of rotating a top-of-stairs platform to position an attached support member atop the tower; unfolding a staircase attached to the tower, wherein the staircase had previously been folded sideways for the transportation mode; and in the unfolding step can first include rotating the folded staircase upward to extend farther toward the rear of the mobile platform. Another example method is for transforming a mobile elevated building from an installed mode to a transportation mode and comprises the steps of hoisting the building clear of the tower, lowering the building into the tower, and driving away with the mobile elevated building assembly. This additional example method can also comprise steps of folding a staircase sideways that is attached to the tower, rotating a top-of-stairs platform sufficiently to move a building support member attached to the platform out of the way of the building to give the building enough clearance to be lowered into the tower, and the folding step can include following with a rotation of the folded staircase downward. 
     Objects and Advantages of the Invention 
     Objects and advantages of the present invention include a building and tower assembly that is mobile by way of its own flat-bed trailer, and is conveniently and rapidly reconfigurable between a compact transportation mode for travel and an installed mode for full, and possibly temporary, deployment at a fixed location with the building atop the tower. In the transportation mode configuration, the bed of the flat-bed trailer can be attached to the base of the tower. In the installed mode, the flat-bed trailer can optionally remain attached to the base of the tower or be detached from the base and removed. The base of the tower includes horizontal box beam members for receiving outriggers in the installed mode. The outriggers support the assembly from the ground in the installed mode, and the outriggers take at least most of the weight load from the building and tower off of the tires of the trailer if the trailer is to remain attached to the base of the tower in the installed mode. In the transportation mode, the building is located mostly inside of the tower. By transporting the building within the tower, both together require little if any additional footprint area on the flat-bed trailer than would be required for the tower alone. A foldable stairway can be included in the overall assembly and configured to fold sideways near the middle of the stairway to reduce its overall length for safe transport. When the building is set-up as an installed on top of the tower before or after transport, the stairway can reach from ground level up to a top-of-stairs platform at a doorway of the building. Both the platform and the stairway can be pivotally attached to an upper horizontal member of the tower, thus enabling convenient repositioning of the stairway and/or platform between the transportation mode and the installed mode. And the platform can include an attached horizontal structural element that in the transportation mode is positioned out of the way of the building, and in the installed mode is positioned between the building and the tower to provide the building one of footings to help hold the building atop the tower. Each embodiment of the current invention provides a transformable assembly of a building and tower that can be reconfigured back and forth between a transportation mode and an installed mode, wherein the tower in transportation mode is located in the tower rather than on top of it. This invention is particularly suited for supporting an armored building elevated from the ground, as the weight of such a building can easily surpass 10,000 kilograms, and it would be advantageous, give the cost of such a building, to be able to rapidly redeploy it as the need arises. 
     The various features and further advantages of the present invention(s) and their preferred embodiments will become apparent to ones skilled in the art upon examination of the accompanying drawings and the following detailed description. It is intended that any additional advantages be incorporated herein. The contents of the following description and of the drawings are set forth as examples only and should not be understood to represent limitations upon the scope of the present invention(s). 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The foregoing objects and advantages of the present invention(s) of a mobile elevated building assembly may be more readily understood by one skilled in the art with reference being had to the following detailed description of several embodiments thereof, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Within these drawings, callouts using like reference numerals refer to like elements in the several figures (also called views) where doing so won&#39;t add confusion. Within these drawings: 
         FIG. 1  shows a perspective view looking forward and from the left side and rear of one embodiment of a mobile elevated building assembly according to the current invention, in particular showing the assembly configured in an installed mode and having a deployed staircase and outriggers. 
         FIG. 2  shows a similar perspective view of the same embodiment of the mobile elevated building assembly embodiment shown in  FIG. 1 , but for comparison showing the assembly configured in a transportation mode. 
         FIG. 3  shows a similar perspective view as in  FIG. 2 , however the building, outriggers, and stairway have been removed for illustration purposes. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     The following is a detailed description of the invention and its preferred embodiments as illustrated in the drawings. While the invention will be described in connection with these drawings, there is no intent to limit it to the embodiment or embodiments disclosed. On the contrary, the intent is to cover all alternatives, modifications and equivalents included within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims. Within these drawings, callouts using like reference numerals refer to like elements in the several figures (also called views) where doing so won&#39;t add confusion, and callouts with primes are to objects that may be similar but have some difference(s) from those objects identified by the un-primed call-outs. The following is a list of definitions for both words and phrases as used within this disclosure and the claims that are given a particular meaning in this disclosure and not intended to be interpreted in their broadest meaning:
         a) “tower” means a structure for holding something more than a couple of meters off of the ground;   b) “mobile platform” means a trailer or other wheeled or tracked vehicle having a generally flat surface for transporting heavy objects;   c) “locking mechanism” means a mechanism or device suitable for fastening two or more objects together;   d) “top-of-stairs platform” means an apparatus located at the top of a staircase and used by people for traversing a distance beyond the top of the stairs of the staircase, or to pause at the top of the stairs or just beyond the top of the stairs;   e) “installed mode” means a configuration of an assembly as installed at a fixed location;   f) “transportation mode” means a configuration of an assembly prepared for safe travel on public highways;   g) “folded staircase” means a staircase consisting of at least two individual but pivotally interconnected length-wise segments of the staircase, wherein the two segments are not co-linear but parallel and side-by-side;   h) “unfolded staircase” means a staircase consisting of at least two individual but pivotally interconnected length-wise segments of the staircase, wherein the two segments are co-linear and parallel, end-to-end, and not side-by-side.       

       FIG. 1  shows a perspective view looking forward from the left side and rear of one embodiment of a mobile elevated building assembly  100  according to the current invention, in particular showing the assembly  100  configured in an installed mode (as opposed to a reconfiguration for a transportation mode shown in  FIG. 2 ) and having a deployed staircase  50  and four outriggers. In this example, each of the outriggers is comprised of an outrigger arm  28  connected to a leg and foot  29 . Suitably, the configuration of the installed mode includes a building  10  supported above an elevating structure  20  which in this disclosure will be referred to as a tower. The four outrigger arms  28  are inserted into channels  70  (called out in  FIGS. 2 and 3 , but not in  FIG. 1 ) within the bottom horizontal frame  26  of the tower  20 . The tower is comprised of four vertical support posts  21 ,  22 ,  23 , and  24  located near the corners of both the bottom horizontal frame  26  and an upper horizontal frame  25 . The tower  20  sits on the bed of a flat-bed trailer  30 . In this view from the left and rear, locations left and right as well as forward and rear are relative to the direction the mobile flatbed trailer  30  would travel forward down a highway; this view shows the left and rear of the assembly  10 . In the installed mode, the outriggers are made to stand on the ground  40  (or other base material) and support the weight of at least the tower structure  20  and the building  10 . When in this configuration the mobile flatbed trailer  30 , which includes its trailer bed  31  wheels  32 , could optionally be detached and removed. 
     The building shown in  FIG. 1  includes four lifting attachment devices  12  for a crane to connect to for lifting and lowering the building to/from the tower. The building  10  shown is shown to include a side window  14  and a door  16 , with the door including another window  18 . In the installed mode, the building  10  is positioned on the upper surfaces of two horizontal footings: a forward footing  27  and a rear footing  65 , both of which are sandwiched between the building  10  and the top horizontal frame of the tower  20 . 
     The staircase  50  shown in  FIG. 1  is reconfigurable between this installed mode and the transportation mode (the transportation mode is shown in  FIG. 2 ). In this installed mode shown, the staircase  50 , which is foldable, is in its unfolded mode providing a straight flight of stairs for personnel to transit the journey from the bottom of the stairs to the top of the stairs. The staircase itself  50  comprises a left support rail  53  and a right support rail  54  between which each step or stair-step is located (such as the bottom step or stair  59 ). The bottom of the staircase  50  is on or very close to the ground  40 . The top of the staircase  50  is attached just above the rear side of the top horizontal frame of the tower  20 . The staircase  50  comprises an upper section  51  and a lower section  52  coupled together where they meet one another by a clamp  58  on the right side, and by a hinge on the left side in this example. In this example, the hinge comprises upper and lower pivot plates  55  both attached to the upper region on the left side of the lower section  52  of the folding staircase  50 . Also in this example, the hinge comprises a pivot block  56  and axis pin  57 , wherein the axis pin  57  engages clearance-fit holes in the upper and lower pivot plates  55 . One skilled in the art will recognize that there are many alternative designs possible for such a hinge. Importantly to this implementation, the axis of the axis pin  57  is oriented perpendicular to the principal plane of the staircase. 
     As seen in  FIG. 1  and as already mentioned, the staircase  50 , or rather the upper end of the upper section  51 , is attached just above the rear side of the top horizontal frame of the tower  20 . This attachment is to both ends of a horizontal pivot support bar  60  that is pivotally mounted at those ends by pivot pins  63  inserted into a right pivot base  61  and a left pivot base  62 . Both pivot bases  61  and  62  are attached to the upper surface of the top horizontal frame  25  of the tower  20 . The combination of a pivot support bar  60  with a right pivot base  61  and a left pivot base  62  as well as one or more horizontal axial pins  63  working in this way can together be called a horizontal pivot mechanism. A top-of-stairs platform  64  is also attached to pivot support bar  60 , such that both the top-of-stairs platform  64  and the folding staircase  50  would rotate together if either one were to rotate about the pivot axial pins  63 . The purpose of this partnership between the top-of-stairs platform  64  and folding staircase  50  is to allow for efficient rotation of the two in transforming the mobile elevated building assembly back and forth between the configurations corresponding to the installed mode and the transportation mode, as in moving one moves the other. The rear footing  65  for the building  10  above the top of the tower  20  is attached to the top-of-stairs platform  64  such that when the top-of-stairs platform  64  is horizontal as in the installed configuration, the rear footing  65  will be in place to help support the building above the tower  20 . And when the staircase  50  is folded and lowered (after the building  10  has been removed from the assembly  100  to transform the assembly between the two modes (installed mode and transportation mode), the top-of-stairs platform  64  with the rear footing  65  will have rotated upward putting both clear of the building  10 . This clearance allows for the building to be shifted rearward to clear also the forward footing  27  as needed to lower it into the tower  20  when transforming to the transportation mode. One skilled in the art will recognize that other means could be used to accomplish moving the top-of-stairs platform  64  and/or the rear footing  65  into and out of place for configuring the installed mode. And one skilled in the art will recognize that the top-of-stairs platform  64  and foldable staircase  50  could be hinged separately from one another or even not at all in other implementations of the invention(s). Incidentally, staircase bannisters and other handrails are not shown in these figures in order to not clutter the views. 
       FIG. 2  shows a similar perspective view of the same embodiment of the mobile elevated building assembly embodiment shown in  FIG. 1 , but for comparison showing the assembly  100 ′ configured in a transportation mode, whereas the assembly  100  in  FIG. 1  is configured in the installed mode. The use or not of a prime on the callout number here denotes different configurations of the same assembly components.  FIG. 2  shows the foldable staircase  50  (callout not shown here) with its two segments or sections  51  and  52  rotated relative to one another such that one section is now alongside and parallel to the other, which is referred to in this disclosure as not collinear but as parallel and side-by-side. The foldable staircase  50  is therefore shown here to be folded and therefore can now be referred to as a folded staircase, and in addition it has been rotated or tilted downward so that the two sections  51  and  52  don&#39;t reach out as far rearward from the tower as when they are in the installed configuration folded or unfolded. Note that the two sections/segments of the left support rail  53  are here closer to one another than are the two sections/segments of the right support rail  54  which are now at opposite sides of the folded staircase. This view doesn&#39;t show each of the outriggers  28  or each leg and foot  29  as they can be stowed for travel with the assembly  100 ′ by placing them inside the building  10 . The top-of-stairs platform  64  is shown rotated and tilted upward from the pivot support bar  60 , placing the attached rear footing  65  rearward away and out from underneath the building  10  where it would be in the installed mode. The clearance provided by this tilting of the top-of-stairs platform  64  with its attached rear footing  65  aids in allowing the building  10  to be placed rearward of the forward footing  27  as it is lowered into receiving space within the structure of the tower  20  and set down on the flat-bed of the flat-bed frame  31 . As before, bannisters and handrails are not shown on the foldable staircase  50  in order to not clutter the view. 
       FIG. 3  shows a similar perspective view as in  FIG. 2 , however the building  10 , outriggers  28  each with its leg and foot  29 , and foldable stairway  50  have been removed for illustration purposes to show what remains, where the configuration callout  100 ″ has a double-prime to denote its missing parts. In this view, a pattern  80  is visible where the foldable staircase  50  would be attached in either installed or transportation mode. And the top-of-stairs platform  64  is viewed in its tilted orientation with the rear footing  65  raised and moved backward from its position when supporting the building  10 . The forward footing  27  is also visible atop the top horizontal frame  25  of the tower  20 . All the callouts shown are the same ones shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2 . 
     Embodiments of the present invention include methods used in the transformation (or partial transformation) of a building and tower assembly between a transportation mode and an installed mode. One method example is for transforming a mobile elevated building from a transportation mode to an installed mode and comprises the steps of positioning the mobile elevated building at a location for installation, hoisting a building out of a tower structure, deploying outriggers from a mobile platform and lowering the building onto the tower structure. This method can also comprise steps of rotating a top-of-stairs platform to position an attached support member atop the tower; unfolding a staircase attached to the tower, wherein the staircase had previously been folded sideways for the transportation mode; and in the unfolding step can first include rotating the folded staircase upward to extend farther toward the rear of the mobile platform. Another example method is for transforming a mobile elevated building from an installed mode to a transportation mode and comprises the steps of hoisting the building clear of the tower, lowering the building into the tower, and driving away with the mobile elevated building assembly. This additional example method can also comprise steps of folding a staircase sideways that is attached to the tower, rotating a top-of-stairs platform sufficiently to move a building support member attached to the platform out of the way of the building to give the building enough clearance to be lowered into the tower, and the folding step can include following with a rotation of the folded staircase downward. One skilled in the art will recognize that the invention is not limited to methods of transformation, between installed mode and transportation mode, that move the building  10  into or out of the tower  20  as the tower is sitting on the mobile platform, be it a flat-bed trailer  30  or other vehicle providing a flat bed, as the tower  20  might be raised off of the flat-bed before the building  10 , or lowered around the building  10  after the building has already been placed on the bed of the flat-bed trailer  30 . 
     Although specific embodiments of the invention(s) have been illustrated and described herein, those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that any arrangement configured to achieve the same purpose may be substituted for the specific embodiments shown. This disclosure is intended to cover any and all adaptations or variations of various embodiments of the invention(s). It is to be understood that the above description has been made in an illustrative fashion, and not a restrictive one. Combinations of the above embodiments, and other embodiments not specifically described herein will be apparent to those of skill in the art upon reviewing the above description. The scope of various embodiments of the invention(s) includes any other applications in which the above structures and methods are used.