Patent Publication Number: US-2015082714-A1

Title: Safe room assembly

Description:
BACKGROUND 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present application relates generally to safe rooms, and more specifically, to a safe room configured to protect persons and property against dangerous weather conditions. 
     2. Description of Related Art 
     Conventional safe rooms and/or shelters are well known in the art for effectively protecting persons and property from dangerous storm conditions such as hurricanes and tornadoes, which can reach wind speeds over 250 mph and are capable of staying on the ground for over one hour. The dangerous weather conditions can easily cause mass destruction with flying debris, resulting in significant damage to property, and in some cases, physical injury. Thus, homeowners who choose not or cannot evacuate their homes during the extreme weather conditions are forced to take cover in a protected area of the home. It should be understood that the homes provide relatively little protection, which are typically not constructed to withstand tornado or hurricane weather conditions. As such, there is a need for each home to have a safe room that can withstand the extreme weather conditions. 
     Safe rooms are typically buried underground to further increase safety. These types of shelters have limitations, including the manufacturing cost and risk of being trapped underground with overhead debris blocking access. Further, the underground structures are typically not accessible to the handicapped and elderly. Also, some properties are not well suited for underground construction. As a result, the safe rooms are configured for aboveground placement. However, the underground safe rooms are cost prohibitive to most families, thereby making these types of shelters ineffective. 
     Although the foregoing developments in shelters represent great strides, many shortcomings remain. 
    
    
     
       DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The novel features believed characteristic of the embodiments of the present application are set forth in the appended claims. However, the embodiments themselves, as well as a preferred mode of use, and further objectives and advantages thereof, will best be understood by reference to the following detailed description when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein: 
         FIG. 1  is an oblique view of a safe room according to a preferred embodiment of the present application; 
         FIG. 2  is a front view of the safe room assembly of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 3  is a top view of the safe room assembly of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 4  is a cross-sectional view of the safe room assembly taken at IV-IV of  FIG. 3 ; 
         FIG. 5  is bottom view of the safe room assembly of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 6  is  FIG. 4  with room accessories; 
         FIGS. 7A-D  are cross-sectional views of the anchoring devices associated with a locking mechanism of the safe room assembly of  FIG. 1 . 
     
    
    
     While the safe room assembly and method of manufacturing and use is susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms, specific embodiments thereof have been shown by way of example in the drawings and are herein described in detail. It should be understood, however, that the description herein of specific embodiments is not intended to limit the invention to the particular embodiment disclosed, but on the contrary, the intention is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the process of the present application as defined by the appended claims. 
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     Illustrative embodiments of the safe room assembly are provided below. It will of course be appreciated that in the development of any actual embodiment, numerous implementation-specific decisions will be made to achieve the developer&#39;s specific goals, such as compliance with system-related and business-related constraints, which will vary from one implementation to another. Moreover, it will be appreciated that such a development effort might be complex and time-consuming, but would nevertheless be a routine undertaking for those of ordinary skill in the art having the benefit of this disclosure. 
     The safe room assembly of the present application overcomes the above-listed problems commonly associated with conventional safe rooms and/or shelters. Specifically, the safe room assembly is configured for aboveground placement on a platform and secured thereto via a plurality of locking mechanisms. The safe room is manufactured as a single integral structure, preferably via a casting manufacturing process. During the manufacturing process, an electrical system is completely disposed within the walls, thereby providing electrical access to one or more utility systems disposed within the safe room. The simplicity of design allows for reduced costs and allows for easily and rapid installation. These and other unique features of safe room assembly are discussed below and illustrated in the accompanying drawings. 
     The safe room assembly and method of manufacturing and use will be understood, both as to its structure and operation, from the accompanying drawings, taken in conjunction with the accompanying description. Several embodiments of the safe room are presented herein. It should be understood that various components, parts, and features of the different embodiments may be combined together and/or interchanged with one another, all of which are within the scope of the present application, even though not all variations and particular embodiments are shown in the drawings. It should also be understood that the mixing and matching of features, elements, and/or functions between various embodiments is expressly contemplated herein so that one of ordinary skill in the art would appreciate from this disclosure that the features, elements, and/or functions of one embodiment may be incorporated into another embodiment as appropriate, unless described otherwise. 
     Referring now to the drawings wherein like reference characters identify corresponding or similar elements throughout the several views,  FIGS. 1-5  depict various views of a safe room assembly  101  in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present application. 
       FIG. 1  shows an oblique view of safe room assembly  101  preferably comprising one or more of a room  103  configured to securely rest on a top surface  107  of a platform  105 . In the preferred embodiment, room  103  is preferably positioned aboveground, while platform  105 , e.g., a concrete slab, is buried at least partially below ground level. A plurality of anchors  109  (for viewing simplicity, only one fastener is identified; however, all anchors share the same characteristics) are utilized to secure room  103  to platform  105 . 
     One unique feature believed characteristic of assembly  101  is the ease of manufacturing, which preferably includes the process of casting the room with a die (not shown), transporting the casted room to a designated location, and then securing the room to the platform. The relatively simple process of manufacturing and installing assembly  101  provides significant advantages, namely, the costs to own and operate assembly  101  is minimal, thereby allowing the majority of homeowners the option to purchase safe room assembly for their home. 
     In the contemplated embodiment, room  103  preferably includes one or more of four walls and a roof. Specifically, two side walls  111 ,  113  are integrally joined together by a front wall  115  and a back wall  117 . A roof  119  is also integrally joined to the four walls to create a single room with integral walls. It will be appreciated that alternative embodiments could include rooms with different shapes, e.g., cylindrical rooms and additional walls, e.g., five walls in lieu of the preferred embodiment. 
     Another unique feature believed characteristic of room  103  is having all four side walls and the roof as an integral structure; whereas, conventional rooms are manufactured having two or more members, which are joined together when assembled. These rooms result in a structurally weaker design than the contemplated safe room. 
     Room  103  is manufactured with sufficiently durable material to retain structural integrity for compensation against extreme weather conditions. In the preferred embodiment, room  103  is manufactured with a high-strength concrete that is preferably reinforced with rebar disposed within one or more of the walls and/or roof. The concrete material and rebar are readily available materials and relatively easy to use during the manufacturing and assembly process. Alternative embodiments could utilize additional materials, e.g., bricks that are also cast with the concrete. It is contemplated forming room  103  through a casting manufacturing process, e.g., pouring the concrete within a die cast and thereafter removing the casted material upon the concrete curing. Alternative embodiments could include differently materials sharing one or more of the same characteristics of concrete and rebar. 
     Front wall  115  forms an entrance  121  preferably manufactured at a non-central location on wall  115 , e.g., near the right or left side of wall  115 . Entrance  121  has a sufficient height for ingress and egress. It will be appreciated that alternative embodiments could include one or more entrances or openings in lieu of a single entrance. 
     During assembly, room  103  is placed on platform  105  and is securely held thereto via the plurality of anchors  109 . This assembly process is further discussed below with reference to  FIGS. 7A-7C . 
     Referring specifically to  FIG. 2 , a front view of room  103  is shown. Assembly  101  is further optionally provided with an electrical system  201  (shown with phantom lines) configured to provide electrical energy to one or more devices disposed within room  103 . System  201  preferably includes one or more of an electrical conduit  203  operably associated to an electric box  205 , which in turn can serve as an outlet box for an electrical device  204 . Conduit  203  could be utilized as means for channeling, for example, an electrical wire and is preferably disposed within front wall  115  and is exposed to the outside of room  103  for connection with an electrical power supply (not shown), which could be the utility company and/or a generator. Although shown extending through wall  115 , it will be appreciated that conduit  203  can also be disposed within and extend through other walls and/or the roof. 
     Another unique feature believed characteristic of safe roof assembly  101  is the manufacturing process that includes the additional step of disposing electrical system  201  within the walls during the casting process. In particular, system  201  is placed within the die cast and the concrete is poured therearound. Thus, system  201  becomes integral with the solid walls, completely disposed therein. This feature provides significant advantages, namely, having one or more conductors within the walls reduces the possibility of electrical shock, fires, and damage—all likely results in extreme weather conditions. As such, the walls serve as a protective barrier to the conductors. 
     It will also be appreciated that alternative embodiments could utilizes the features of system  201 , specifically, having one or more components disposed within the wall during the casting process. For example, a water system could include a fluid conduit disposed within the wall for passage of water from an outside source to the enclosed area of room  103 . 
     Referring specifically to  FIG. 3 , a top view of room  103  is shown. Room  103  is further optionally provided with an opening  301  extending through the thickness of roof  119 . In the contemplated embodiment, opening  301  serves as an air vent, a lighting fixture, a possible escape area, and/or viewing means. 
     Although not shown, it will be appreciated that opening  301  and entrance  121  could include doors and/or other structures that open and close access to room  103 . 
     In  FIG. 6 , a cross-sectional view is shown with optional room accessories. In the contemplated embodiment, assembly  101  is further provided with a wall structure  601  that attaches to the side walls of room  103 . For example, the exemplary embodiment utilizes a plurality of sheets of drywall rigidly attached to wood studs, which in turn are secured to the inner walls. It will be appreciated that the accessories provide both aesthetic and utility means for persons required to spend long durations within room  103 . 
     Another unique feature believed characteristic of assembly  101  is tapering the walls from a greater thickness near the roof, as indicated by point “A”, to a lesser thickness near a bottom surface  600  that rests on platform  105 , as indicated by point “B”. As depicted, wall  113  has a greater thickness “T 1 ” at point “A”, than thickness “T 2 ” at point “B.” Although shown as a linear tapering, it is also contemplated having the wall gradually taper in non-linear fashion. It has been found that a minimal tapering angle “A 1 ” of approximately 2.5 degrees is optimal for effectively removing room  103  from the die cast while also retaining sufficient structural integrity against severe weather conditions. The tapering of the walls allows the room to easily slide out of the casting dies during the manufacturing process, and also, the tapering forms a gap  603 , indicated by thickness “T 3 ”, which is commonly referred to as a mechanical chase, between structure  601  and the inner surface  605  of wall  111 . 
     Assembly  101  is further optionally provided with one or more of a utility system  607  disposed within room  103 . As shown, gap  603  provides passage for a conduit  609  or conductor, e.g., electrical wire operably associated with an electrical device  611 . In one exemplary embodiment, room  103  could house a utility system such as a toilet in fluid communication with a conduit passing through gap  603 . Other utility systems are also contemplated such as a stove in gaseous communication with a gas conduit passing through gap  603 . 
     Referring now to  FIGS. 7A-7D  in the drawings, front partial cross-sectional views of assembly  101  are shown. In the contemplated embodiment, room  103  is configured to be securely attached to platform  105  via a plurality of anchors  109  embedded within platform  105  and configured to extend partially outside surface  107 . In the contemplated embodiment, anchor  109  is a metal rod, e.g., rebar that engages with a locking mechanism  701  disposed within the walls of the room. Locking mechanism  701  includes a housing  703  in communication with two passages: passage  705  and  707 . A optional rod  709  disposed within the wall is configured to attach to housing  703  and is configured to retain housing  703  in a fixed position, while also adding additional support and rigidity to the walls of room  103 . 
     In  FIG. 7B , the side wall is positioned on surface  107  and anchor  109  slides within housing  703 . Thereafter, a sealing material such as grout or concrete enters into housing  703  via passage  705  and the excessive sealing material exits through passage  707 . This feature ensures that housing  703  is completely filled with the sealing material. The sealing material is configured to thereafter retain anchor  109  within the inner cavity of housing  703 . 
     The particular embodiments disclosed above are illustrative only, as the embodiments may be modified and practiced in different but equivalent manners apparent to those skilled in the art having the benefit of the teachings herein. It is therefore evident that the particular embodiments disclosed above may be altered or modified, and all such variations are considered within the scope and spirit of the application. Accordingly, the protection sought herein is as set forth in the description. Although the present embodiments are shown above, they are not limited to just these embodiments, but are amenable to various changes and modifications without departing from the spirit thereof.