Patent Publication Number: US-8112944-B2

Title: Pre-engineered building for an integral mobile imaging unit

Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD 
     The present invention relates to pre-engineered structures, and particularly relates to a pre-engineered building for housing and making use of a mobile imaging unit, such as a mobile modality of Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) unit and associated administrative and clinical space. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Mobile diagnostic imaging units are designed to house multi-modality diagnostic scanners, i.e. CAT-scan (CT) or Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) and Positron Tomography (PET) or Positron Tomography/Computerized Tomography (PET/CT) apparatus secured within a trailer capable of being moved along roadways to various locations. By having such modern medical resources available as mobile units, medium and smaller sized medical facilities often in remote or thinly populated regions may offer cutting edge technology to their patients without the expense of outright purchasing of such modern and costly medical resources. Mobile units also make it possible for facilities to provide additional scan services for backlogs or when upgrades take place. Additionally, their facilities do not have to be re-constructed to house such complex medical equipment as PET/CT or MRI modalities. Moreover, as the technology of such PET/CT scanners and MRI imaging resources improves, the medical facilities do not have to invest the substantial capital to be constantly upgrading their facilities to accommodate such improved equipment. Instead, the mobile imaging units are upgraded, and thereby simply bring improved imaging technology to the various medical facilities that utilize mobile imaging units. 
     It is common that one mobile imaging unit may be at one medical facility for daily services or can be for incremental periods of time, such as a week, and then be at another facility a hundred or so miles away for a subsequent time period and so on to thereby maximize the availability of the mobile imaging units to many people. Such movement of the mobile imaging units may be on a schedule of incremental stays at varying locations throughout remote regions. Simultaneously, the medical facilities schedule patient visits for the mobile imaging units during their stay at a particular facility. 
     While such deployment of mobile imaging units has significant advantages, many significant problems are also associated with their usage. For example,  FIG. 1  shows a typical mobile imaging unit at reference numeral  10 , and as is apparent the unit  10  has the rugged exterior appearance of a highway freight trailer. To position the mobile imaging unit next to a medical facility  12 , the unit  10  must be in a parking lot  14  adjacent to the facility  12 . That gives rise to risks of vehicles traveling within the parking lot  14  accidentally hitting the mobile imaging unit  10 . Therefore, the unit  10  is typically surrounded by unsightly barrier warnings  16 , as better shown in  FIG. 2 , which shows a second similar mobile imaging unit  18  surrounded by vehicle barrier warnings  16 , such as brightly colored chains and posts, etc. Much effort is put into making medical facilities appear attractive, with appealing exteriors and extensive landscape work. Positioning a mobile imaging unit  10 ,  18  in a parking lot adjacent such a medical facility  12  completely disrupts the appearance of the facility  12 , and presents risks to both persons using the facility parking lot  14  and also to persons within the mobile imaging unit from vehicles traveling in the parking lot  14 . 
       FIG. 3  shows the second mobile imaging unit  18  from a rear view so that an entrance  20  to the unit  18  is opened adjacent a second medical facility  22 . The entrance  20  requires a patient to climb a significant height from the parking lot  14  to a base  24  of the unit  18 . The base  24  of the mobile imaging unit  18  is comparable to a bed of a common freight trailer (not shown), and is used to provide the structural support for the imaging and/or medical equipment and related control machinery located upon the base  24 . The base  24  is supported by mobile unit support wheels  26  above the parking lot  14  a substantial distance due to mechanical requirements of the mobile imaging unit  18 . 
     Therefore, patients utilizing the mobile imaging unit  18  face additional risks inherent in climbing a steep entrance  20  to pass into the unit  18 . While facility based wheel chair accessible ramps (not shown) and/or more elaborate entrances could be designed and deployed for use with the mobile imaging units  10 ,  18 . The costs of such elaborate machinery are typically prohibitive, especially where the units  10 ,  18  are only resident at the medical facility  12  for short durations. 
     For patients being processed through such mobile imaging units  10 ,  18 , host facilities must also adhere to clinical requirements by providing a waiting room, private administrative offices, a changing room, lavatories etc. As is apparent from  FIGS. 1-3 , the mobile imaging units provide little extra room for any waiting rooms or administrative offices to interview patients and process their medical documents. They also do not offer the patients adequate privacy, and consequently they may not be in compliance with HIPAA. Additionally, any changing rooms for patients to change out of their clothing to be properly examined by either a CAT scan or MRI within the units  10 ,  18  are extremely small, or often located some distance away within the medical facility  12 ,  22 . It is common that patients therefore process through a waiting room, private administrative offices and a changing room within the medical facility  22  before being escorted out of the facility  22  through the outside weather and up the entryway  20  into the mobile imaging unit  18 . Such challenging logistics for efficient use of the mobile imaging unit  18  presents significant discomfort and stress for patients. Some patients therefore simply decline to use a medical facility with only a mobile imaging unit  10 ,  18 . Consequently, while mobile imaging units currently provide many benefits, they unfortunately also raise risks that limit their potential value. 
     SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE 
     The Disclosure is a pre-engineered building for housing an integral mobile imaging unit within the building. The pre-engineered building includes a patient service enclosure and an adjacent mobile imaging unit enclosure sharing a common wall. The patient service enclosure includes a first front wall, a first rear wall opposed to the first front wall, a first side wall extending between the first front and first rear walls, and the common wall opposed to the first side wall and extending between the first front and first rear walls. A first floor extends between the first front, first rear, first side and common walls, and a roof extends over and between the first front, first rear, first side and common walls to define an interior patient service void within the patient service enclosure. The first floor is secured to the first front, first rear, first side and common walls and defines a plane a first distance above a bottom edge of the common wall. 
     The mobile imaging unit enclosure includes a second front wall, a second rear wall opposed to the second front wall, and a second side wall extending between the second front and second rear walls and opposed to the common wall. A second floor extends between the second front, second rear, second side and common walls and defines a plane about perpendicular to the bottom edge of the common wall. The roof also extends over and between the second front, second rear, second side and common walls to define an interior mobile imaging unit void within the mobile imaging unit enclosure. 
     The patient service void is configured to define one or more rooms to receive and process patients into the mobile imaging unit void, and the mobile imaging unit void is configured to selectively receive a mobile imaging unit through the second front wall and enclose the unit within the mobile imaging unit void. The mobile imaging unit is designed to have a base for supporting various types of medical modality equipment, such as CT, MRI, PET, PET/CT, etc. The base of the mobile imaging unit is supported above the second floor by wheels of rear axles, aluminum support stands or hydraulic rear legs between the rear axles and by the front landing gear of the unit. The base is supported above the second floor a distance between the base and the second floor that is about the same as the first distance. Therefore, the first floor of the patient service enclosure is about the same distance above the second floor as is the bed of the mobile imaging unit to thereby provide for patients moving from the patient service enclosure into the mobile imaging enclosure without need for any steps. 
     All of the interior and exterior walls and roof panels of the patient service and mobile unit enclosures are pre-engineered so that the walls are manufactured to include structural support components, exterior sheathing, and utility components prior to installation of the walls upon a foundation supporting the pre-engineered building. The phrase “utility components” in reference to the pre-engineered walls is to mean that the walls include any necessary electrical wiring, switches, electrical outlets, circuit breakers or related electrical components, any plumbing fixtures, such as pipes, valves, etc., and any heating and/or cooling fixtures, etc. Additionally, for purposes herein, the word “pre-engineered” is to mean that pre-engineered components include architectural and engineering design attributes necessary to be constructed in accordance with International Building Codes, and an ability to be constructed in panelized configurations in contrast to traditional construction methodologies. 
     Because the configuration of the mobile imaging units are similar and the requirements for processing patients through the units are likewise comparable, the pre-engineered building of the present disclosure can be quickly constructed in about three months without any major disruption of an adjacent medical facility. The resulting attractive, pre-engineered building enhances the overall look of the campus for the medical facility. More importantly, the pre-engineered building seamlessly integrates the mobile imaging unit within the mobile imaging unit enclosure with necessary patient services facilities within the patient services enclosure so that patients within the building need never be aware that they are entering a mobile imaging unit rather than a fully integrated imaging facility. For example, patients may enter a waiting room upon entering the patient services enclosure with an adjacent, private administrative room for processing patient documents. The patient may then proceed into a patient changing room within the patient services enclosure, and then pass through an enclosed passageway into the mobile imaging unit within the mobile imaging enclosure to be examined within the PET/CT, or MRI, etc. 
     In alternative embodiments of the pre-engineered building, the building may also include an enclosed walkway into the medical facility to provide ready transport of patients into and out of the building without any exposure to ambient weather. The second front wall or front wall of the mobile imaging unit enclosure may include an overhead door, or be a replaceable wall, to enable movement of the mobile imaging unit in and out of the building, for temporary positioning of the unit within the building, or for upgrading of the mobile imaging unit without any disruption of the pre-engineered building or the medical facility. Such movement of the mobile imagining unit into and out of the pre-engineered building also enables the facility to offer multi-modality technology, such as switching from MRI technology to PET/CT technology, etc. 
     Additionally, the pre-engineered building may provide for varying interior design configurations, such as expandable first back or side walls to offer an efficient expansion of the patient services enclosure to thereby satisfy evolving requirements of the medical facility. The patient services enclosure may also be pre-engineered so that a floor plan of waiting room administrative offices and/or changing rooms may be custom designed and/or quickly changed to meet specific requirements of a particular medical facility. The enclosed passageway between the patient service enclosure and the mobile imaging unit is also designed to be retractable and extendable, much like airport plane entryways, to further facilitate replacement of the mobile imaging unit within the pre-engineered building. Additionally, the roof of the building and/or the walls of the mobile imaging unit enclosure may be pre-engineered to provide necessary utility components for the mobile imaging unit, including for example any necessary ventilation components (HVAC—Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning) and specially designed cryogen exhausts, etc. 
     Accordingly, it is a general purpose of the present disclosure to provide a pre-engineered building for an integral mobile imaging unit that overcomes deficiencies of the prior art. 
     It is a more specific purpose to provide a pre-engineered building that will house integral mobile imaging unit(s) that minimizes patient risks of using the mobile imaging unit. The pre-engineered building also provides associated clinical and administrative support space in a patient service enclosure adjacent to the mobile imaging unit. 
     These and other objects and advantages of this disclosure will become more readily apparent when the following description is read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is front perspective view of a prior art mobile imaging unit. 
         FIG. 2  is a rear perspective view of a prior art mobile imaging unit. 
         FIG. 3  a rear perspective view of the  FIG. 2  mobile imaging unit, showing the unit with an open entryway. 
         FIG. 4  is a raised perspective view of a pre-engineered building for an integral mobile imaging unit constructed in accordance with the present invention and located adjacent a medical facility, which may also be positioned as a stand alone building. 
         FIG. 5  is a raised perspective view of a mobile imaging unit surrounded by a foundation suitable for a pre-engineered building of the present disclosure. 
         FIG. 6  is front perspective view of the  FIG. 4  pre-engineered building, showing a front wall of the building opened and showing a mobile imaging unit being replaced within the building. 
         FIG. 7  is raised perspective view of the  FIG. 4  pre-engineered building, showing a roof of the building removed and showing varying rooms within the building, and showing an enclosed walkway between the pre-engineered building and an adjacent medical facility. 
         FIG. 8  is a raised perspective view of a pre-engineered building for an integral mobile imaging unit showing an expanded patient service enclosure. 
         FIG. 9  is a rear plan sectional view of a pre-engineered building for an integral mobile g imaging unit showing a first floor and a second floor of the building. 
         FIG. 10  is a raised perspective view of an extendable, variable pitch ramp secured between a first floor and a second floor of a pre-engineered building for an integral mobile imagining unit. 
     
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     Referring to the drawings in detail, a pre-engineered building for an integral mobile imaging unit is shown in  FIG. 4  and is generally designated by the reference numeral  50 . The building  50  is shown located adjacent a medical facility  52 , and constructed within a parking lot  54  of the facility  52 . For purposes of clarification,  FIG. 5  shows a mobile imaging unit  56  surrounded by a foundation  58  appropriate for supporting the pre-engineered building  50 .  FIG. 5  is shown with the mobile imaging unit  56  within the foundation  58  to juxtapose relative dimensions of the mobile imaging unit  56  and the resulting pre-engineered building  50  of  FIG. 4  that will house the unit  56 . During actual construction and erection of the building  50 , the mobile imaging unit  56  would not be within the foundation  58  as shown in  FIG. 5 . Because weather conditions vary from region to region, and because construction by-laws likewise vary, the foundation  58  of the building would not be pre-engineered, but could be constructed in allocated real estate on a medical facility campus with little difficulty.  FIG. 5  also shows an enclosed walkway  60  extending from the medical facility  52  out and over the foundation  58 . 
     As best shown in  FIGS. 4 ,  6  and  7 , the pre-engineered building  50  for an integral mobile imaging unit  56  includes a patient service enclosure  62  and an adjacent mobile imaging unit enclosure  64  sharing a common wall  66  (shown in  FIG. 7 ). The patient service enclosure  62  includes a first front wall  68 , a first rear wall  70  opposed to the first front wall  68 , a first side wall  72  extending between the first front and first rear walls  68 ,  70 , and the common wall  66  opposed to the first side wall  72  and extending between the first front and first rear walls  68 ,  70 . A first floor  74  extends between the first front  68 , first rear  70 , first side  72  and common walls  66 , and a roof  76  extends over and between the first front  68 , first rear  70 , first side  72  and common walls  66  to define an interior patient service void  78  within the patient service enclosure  62 . The first floor  74  is secured to the first front  68 , first rear  70 , first side  72  and common walls  66  and defines a plane a first distance  80  above a bottom edge  82  of the common wall  66 , as shown in  FIGS. 8 and 9 . 
     The mobile imaging unit enclosure  64  includes a second front wall  84 , a second rear wall  86  opposed to the second front wall  84 , and a second side wall  88  extending between the second front and second rear walls  84 ,  86  and opposed to the common wall  66 . A second floor  90  extends between the second front  84 , second rear  86 , second side  88  and common walls  66  and defines a plane about perpendicular to the bottom edge  82  of the common wall  66 . The roof  76  also extends over and between the second front  84 , second rear  86 , second side  88  and common walls  66  to define an interior mobile imaging unit void  92  within the mobile imaging unit enclosure  64 . 
     The patient service void  78  is configured to define one or more rooms  94  to receive and process patients into the mobile imaging unit void  92 . The mobile imaging unit void  92  is configured to selectively receive a mobile imaging unit  56  through the second front wall  84  and enclose the unit  56  within the mobile imaging void  92 . The mobile imaging unit  56  has a base  24  (shown in  FIG. 3 and 9 ) for supporting imaging and/or medical equipment (not shown), and the base  24  is supported by mobile imaging unit front landing gear  93 , and rear aluminum support stands or hydraulic legs (not shown) located adjacent the rear axle support wheels  26  (shown if  FIG. 3 and 5 ) above the second floor  90 . The base  24  is supported a distance between the base  24  and the second floor  90  that is about the same as the first distance  80  (shown in  FIG. 9 ). (For purposes herein, the word “about” is to mean plus or minus twenty per cent.) Therefore, the first floor  74  of the patient service enclosure  62  is about the same distance above the second floor  90  as is the base  24  of the mobile imaging unit  18 ,  56  to thereby provide for patients moving from the patient service enclosure  62  into the mobile imaging enclosure  64  without need for ascent or descent along any steps (not shown). 
     All of the walls  66 ,  68 ,  70 ,  72 ,  84 ,  86 ,  88  of the patient service and mobile unit enclosures are pre-engineered, and the roof  76  may also be pre-engineered, so that the walls and roof  76  are manufactured to include structural support components (not shown), applied exterior sheathing (not shown), and utility components (not shown) prior to installation of the walls upon the  58  foundation supporting the pre-engineered building  50 . For purposes herein, the phrase “utility components” in reference to the pre-engineered walls  66 ,  68 ,  70 ,  72 ,  84 ,  86 ,  88  and  76  is to mean that the walls include any necessary electrical wiring, switches, electrical outlets, circuit breakers, smoke sensors, or related electrical components, any plumbing fixtures, such as pipes, valves, etc, and any heating and/or cooling fixtures, etc. Additionally and as recited above, the walls  66 ,  68 ,  70 ,  72 ,  84 ,  86 ,  88  of the patient service and mobile unit enclosures are pre-engineered, and the roof  76  may also be a pre-engineered component so that they include architectural and engineering design attributes necessary to be constructed and erected in accordance with International Building Codes, and include an ability to be constructed and erected in panelized configurations in contrast to traditional construction methodologies. 
     As shown best in  FIGS. 4 and 6 , the second front wall  84  of the mobile imaging unit enclosure  64  includes entry means for permitting selective entry and removal of the mobile imaging unit  18 ,  56  through the front wall  84 , such as an overhead door  96  as shown in.  FIG. 6 . Alternatively, the entry means may be a removable wall, especially for circumstances wherein the mobile imaging unit is to remain within the pre-engineered building  50  for protracted periods of time. 
       FIG. 8  shows that the patient service enclosure  62  may include an expandable common wall segment  98 , and expandable first side wall segment  100  and a removable-expandable first rear wall segment  102 , and expanded roof  76  segment (not shown) to provide for expansion of the patient service enclosure  62  in the event of need for more space in that enclosure. The expandable common wall segment  98 , expandable first side wall segment  100 , removable-expandable first rear wall segment  102  and expanded roof  76  segment are all pre-engineered so that they are manufactured to include structural support components, exterior sheathing, and utility components prior to installation and erection of the expandable segments  98 ,  100 ,  102  adjacent patient service enclosure  62 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 7 , the patient service enclosure  62  may also include a retractable-expandable passageway  104  for providing a seamless passage for patients into the mobile imaging unit  56 , and for retracting to facilitate removal of the mobile imaging unit  56  from the mobile imaging enclosure  64 . By being enclosed, such as modern airport retractable entryways for entering aircraft, patients may not even appreciate that they are entering a mobile imaging unit, and would not view any of the exterior of the mobile imaging unit  56 , thereby substantially enhancing the overall appearance of the pre-engineered building  50  for the patients using the building  50 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 10 , in a preferred embodiment of the pre-engineered building  50 , the retractable-expandable passageway  104  may include a extendable, variable pitch ramp  106  secured to the common wall  66  between the first floor  74  and the second floor  90  of the building  50 . The ramp  106  is preferably constructed to include an extendable tongue  108  that extends from a ramp sleeve  110  upon activation of a tongue extending mechanism  112 . The tongue extending mechanism  112  may be a hand crank (as shown in  FIG. 10 ) integrated with a cable spring apparatus (not shown) within the sleeve  110 , a jack screw and receiver (not shown) within the sleeve  110 , or any mechanism capable of retractably extending the tongue out of and back into the sleeve  110 , such as automated electric apparatus, hydraulic apparatus etc. 
     The ramp  106  may also include a sleeve pitch varying mechanism  114  for varying the pitch of the sleeve  106  to match any variations in support bases (such as the base  24  of the mobile imagining unit  56  as shown in  FIG. 9 ) of differing mobile imaging units  18 ,  56 . The sleeve pitch varying mechanism  114  may be a hand crank operated, jack post  116 , using mechanical structures commonly found in automotive jacks used to raise heavy vehicles for tire changing. Alternatively, the sleeve pitch varying mechanism  114  may be any apparatus known in the art capable of varying the pitch of the sleeve  110 , such as electrically operated jack screw assemblies, hydraulic jack assemblies, etc. The ramp  106  may also include a first side baseboard  118  with a first side baseboard extension  120  and an opposed second side baseboard  122  having a second side baseboard extension  124 . The first and second side baseboard extensions  120 ,  124  are configured to be secured to the tongue  108 , so that they extend and retract out of and back into the sleeve  110  with the tongue  108 . 
     The retractable-expandable passageway  104  may also include a first adjustable wall  126  and secured to the common wall  66  and the first side baseboard  118  of the ramp  50  and an opposed second adjustable wall  128  also secured to common wall  66  and the second baseboard  122 . An adjustable ceiling (not shown) may also be secured between the first and second adjustable walls  126 ,  128 , so that the retractable-expandable passageway  104  provides a completely enclosed entry way between the patient service void  78  and the mobile imagining unit  56 . The ramp  106  may also include additional sleeve pitch varying mechanisms (not shown), such as below the first baseboard  118 , etc. to provide adequate support for the ramp  106 . In a preferred embodiment the ramp  106  may have a ramp width  125  extending a shortest distance between the first and second baseboards  118 ,  122  of about fourteen feet in order to simultaneously accommodate patients, support personnel and medical equipment, and to accommodate variability in locations of entryways in mobile imagining units  56 . 
     Because varying mobile imaging units  18 ,  56  may have an entryway  20  at differing locations along the units  18 ,  56 , the ramp is preferably a particular minimum length that is a function of a shortest distance between the second front wall  84  and second rear wall  86 , which represents the length of the mobile imaging unit enclosure  64 . Specifically, in a preferred embodiment, the extendable, variable-pitch ramp  106  has a ramp width  125  that is at least fifteen percent of the length of the mobile imaging unit enclosure  64 . If the length of the mobile imaging unit enclosure was about sixty feet, then the ramp width  125  would be at least nine feet. In an alternative embodiment, the ramp width  125  may be at least twenty percent of the length of the mobile imaging unit enclosure  64 . For this embodiment, if the length of the mobile imaging unit enclosure was about sixty feet, then the ramp width  125  would be at least twelve feet. By having such a substantial ramp width  125 , the pre-engineered building may accommodate all possible mobile imaging units  18 ,  56 . A preferred length of the sleeve  110  of the ramp  106  extending perpendicular to the width is about four feet, wherein the tongue  108  extends out of the sleeve  110  about one foot. The ramp  106  may also include standard mechanical securing structures  130  to firmly secure the ramp  106  to the common wall  66 . 
     In use of the extendable, variable pitch ramp  106 , prior to a mobile imaging unit  56  being positioned within the mobile imaging unit void  92 , the tongue  108  is retracted within the sleeve  110 . After the mobile imaging unit  56  is positioned adjacent the common wall  66 , an operator (not shown) opens an entryway  20  of the unit  56  and then extends the tongue  108  of the ramp  106  into the entryway  20 . The operator then raises or lowers the sleeve  110  so that the tongue  108  rests firmly upon the base  24  of the mobile imaging unit  56 . The operator also extends the first and second adjustable walls  126 ,  128  and adjustable ceiling (not shown) along the first and second baseboards  118 ,  122 , to fully extend the retractable-expandable passageway  104  from the common wall  66  to be adjacent the mobile imaging unit  56 . 
     The pre-engineered building  50  may also include a cryogenic exhaust-alarm system  130  shown schematically in  FIG. 7 . It is known that MRI modalities use extremely cold fluids. If such cryogenic fluids escape their normal containment and exhausts structures, they can pose extreme risks to humans. Mobile imaging units  56  having such cryogenic fluids include exhaust apparatus that direct the cryogenic fluids safely away from humans utilizing the unit  56 . However, by enclosing such a MRI mobile imaging unit  56  within the mobile imaging unit enclosure  64 , there is a risk of such cryogenic fluids exhausted from the MRI mobile imaging unit  56  becoming uncontained and thereby contaminating humans within the pre-engineered building  50 . Therefore, the building  50  may also include the cryogenic exhaust-alarm system  130  to eliminate any risk of such contamination. 
     The system  130  may include any cryogenic exhaust-alarm apparatus and system means known in the art for directing flow of cryogenic fluids away from humans and for alerting such humans in the event of unsafe discharge of uncontained cryogenic fluids. For example, the cryogenic exhaust-alarm system  130  may include exhaust vents (not shown) that mate with exhaust vents (not shown) of the mobile imaging unit  56  to direct flow of cryogenic fluids out of the building  50 . The mobile imaging unit enclosure  64  may include alignment apparatus (not shown), for example secured to and extending from the second rear wall  86  that signal when exhaust vents (not shown) passing through the roof  76  of the building  50  are aligned with exhaust pipes (not shown) of the mobile imaging unit  56 . The system  130  may also include audio and visual (e.g. strobe light) alarms (not shown) located in various places within the building  50  to alert all humans of any cryogenic fluid discharge within the building  50 . The alarms would be coupled with sensors (not shown) known in the art for detecting discharge of cryogenic fluids. The cryogenic exhaust-alarm system  130  may also include an independent battery charging sub-system (not shown) to provide electric maintenance of the system  130  and activation of the system alarms (not shown) in the event of disruption of ordinary electrical service (e.g., from the electric distribution grid). The system  130  may also include non-toxic, compressed gas in fluid communication with the system exhaust vents (not shown) within the roof  76  and configured to purge any cryogenic fluids out of the building  50 . 
     By utilizing pre-engineered walls  66 ,  68 ,  70 ,  72 ,  84 ,  86 ,  88  and also a pre-engineered roof  76  to wrap somewhat standard sized mobile imaging units  18 ,  56  within a seamless integration of the mobile imaging unit  18 ,  56  adjacent an efficient patient service enclosure  62 , the present pre-engineered building  50  provides many advantages for modern medical facilities  52 . For example: overall costs are dramatically reduced compared to building a custom-engineered building; downtime for a medical facility to otherwise integrate modern imaging technology within the facility is virtually eliminated; providing an attractive pre-engineered building with seamless integration of the mobile imaging unit  18 ,  56  adjacent an efficient patient services enclosure  62  increases patient satisfaction and hence patient flow leading to increased revenue. Additionally, the pre-engineered building is designed to be HIPAA compliant. Also, the overall appearance of the medical facility campus is significantly enhanced compared to mobile imaging units  18 ,  56  standing alone. Finally, construction and erection of the pre-engineered building  50  within a medical facility campus can be accomplished in as little as three months. The present disclosure also includes a method of constructing and erecting a pre-engineered building utilizing the above described components. 
     In a preferred embodiment the pre-engineered building  50  may be configured so that a length of the patient service enclosure  62  is about sixty-nine feet, four inches, a width is about eighteen feet, eight inches, and a height is about eighteen feet, and a length of the mobile imaging unit enclosure  64  is about sixty feet, ten inches, a width is about seventeen feet, and the height is about eighteen feet. This gives rise to a total square footage of the building  50  being twenty-three hundred and twenty-five square feet. As described above however, the actual size of the pre-engineered building  50  may be reduced or expanded to accommodate specific needs of a facility 
     While the present disclosure has been described and illustrated with respect to particular descriptions and illustrations of preferred embodiments of the pre-engineered building  50  for an integral mobile imaging unit  18 ,  56 , it should be understood that the disclosure is not limited to the described and illustrated examples. Accordingly, reference should be made primarily to the attached claims rather than to foregoing description to determine the scope of the invention.