Abstract:
A modular building system for constructing the frame of a structure. Standardized foundation forms, vertical forms, and tie beam forms are attached to each other. The vertical forms are hinged so as to be capable of defining a corner of any angle. Cover plates are selectively inserted into the tie beam forms so as to define a reception recess which corresponds to the size of a roof truss being used. The various forms can be attached to each other with a minimal amount of labor.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The subject invention relates to a modular system for building various structures. In particular, the subject invention is a modular building system wherein standardized forms can be used to build the frame of a structure with a minimal amount of parts and labor. 
     2. Description of the Related Art 
     Conventionally, houses and other structures have been constructed from a wooden frame and either bricks or various types of siding. While wood is readily available, it requires a great deal of labor to cut the wood to the proper size and assemble the frame. It is well known to utilize prefabricated frame portions for building a structure. These frame portions are constructed of wood, or other materials, at a centralized facility and shipped to the construction site where the various frame portions are assembled into a frame. This method does reduce costs somewhat because the labor can be accomplished more efficiently at the centralized facility than at the construction site. However, a great deal of labor is still involved in making and assembling the prefabricated frame portions. In fact, other than the relocation of some labor to a more efficient facility, prefabricated building techniques vary little from other conventional techniques. 
     The high cost of labor over recent years has thus contributed greatly to the rising cost of homes and other structures. Inflated housing costs have forced home buyers to allocate limited resources to satisfy the down payment requirements of lenders. Accordingly, the rate of foreclosures has risen drastically. This has resulted in even more stringent down payment requirements which forces home buyers to spread their finances even thinner in order to proffer the required down payment. Of course, this contributes to a cycle wherein housing is increasingly unobtainable for many people. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     In view of the above, it is an object of the invention to provide a modular building system with which a structure can be built with a minimal amount of labor. 
     It is a further object of the invention to provide a modular building system which is suitable for building structures of various sizes and shapes. 
     It is still a further object of the invention to provide a modular building system which utilizes only a small amount of standardized forms. 
     In order to achieve the objectives above, the invention is a modular building system which utilizes standardized foundation forms for constructing a foundation, standardized vertical forms, and standardized tie beam forms. The various forms can be easily attached to each other to build a desired structure. The vertical forms are hinged so as to be capable of defining a corner of any desired angle. Cover plates of various sizes can be coupled to the tie beam forms to define a desired space for receiving joist rafters of various sizes. Accordingly, structures of various shapes and sizes can be built from a small amount of materials and with minimal labor. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     Preferred embodiments of the invention will be described below with reference to the attached drawings in which: 
     FIG. 1 illustrates a structure according to a first preferred embodiment of the invention; 
     FIG. 2 illustrates a structure according to a second preferred embodiment of the invention; 
     FIG. 3 illustrates a cover plate attached to the tie beam form; 
     FIGS. 4A, 4B and 4C illustrate various sizes of cover plates; 
     FIG. 5A is an exploded view of a vertical form; 
     FIG. 5B illustrates a vertical form after assembly; and 
     FIGS. 6A, 6B and 6C illustrate an arrangement for attaching the various forms to each other. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     FIG. 1 illustrates a frame for a structure according to a first preferred embodiment of the invention. Slab edge forms 20 are set in the ground and attached to each other so as to define an area for pouring concrete slab 22. In this embodiment, slab edge forms 20 are continuous pieces however, slab edge forms 20 can each be constructed of more than one form which are attached to each other in a manner which will be described below. Vertical forms 24 extend from corners defined by slab edge forms 20. 
     Tie beam forms 26a and 26b extend between upper portions of vertical forms 24 along the length of the structure and end forms 28 extend between upper portions of vertical forms 24 along the width of the structure. Roof trusses 30 (only 3 of which are indicated) extend across the structure between tie beam forms 26. Finally, an end truss 32 is disposed along the top of each end form 28. End trusses 32 and roof trusses 30 can be attached in a known manner at the peak of the frame. 
     The various forms can be secured to each other with bolts or other conventional fasteners. However, in the first preferred embodiment, the forms are secured to each other utilizing the wedge locking arrangement illustrated in FIGS. 6A-6C. In particular, FIGS. 6A-6C illustrate an arrangement for securing tie beam form 26a to tie beam form 26b end to end. Of course, this arrangement can be utilized for attaching any of the slab edge forms 20, tie beam forms 26 and vertical forms 24 to each other as desired. 
     As illustrated in FIG. 6A, tie beam form 26a has generally L-shaped projections 40a formed on an outer end surface thereof. Tie beam form 26b also has L-shaped projections 40b formed on an inside end surface thereof. Also, holes 42 are formed through the end surface of tie beam form 26b. When the end surfaces of tie beam forms 26a and 26b are placed against each other, projections 40a extend through holes 42 so as to be positioned in opposed relationship to projections 40b, as illustrated in FIG. 6B. 
     With reference to FIG. 6C, wedge 44 can now be driven through apertures defined by projections 40a and 40b so as to secure the end faces of tie beam frames 26a and 26b to each other. A stepped portion 46 can be formed on one of tie beam frames 26a and 26b and a cooperating recessed portion 48 can be formed on the other thereof so as to prevent lateral relative movement of tie beam forms 26a and 26b after attachment to one another (see FIG. 6A). Also, wedge 44 can be chained, or otherwise secured to tie beam form 26b so as to always be readily available. The arrangement described above, allows the various forms to be properly attached to one another and precisely aligned with a minimal amount of labor and very few tools. Also, this arrangement does not require any threads or other components which can be easily damaged. 
     FIGS. 5A and 5B illustrate vertical form 24 in detail. Each vertical form 24 is constituted of two halves which are joined by a hinge. Accordingly, vertical forms 24 can define a corner of a frame structure which has virtually any angle. During assembly, the two halves are set so as to define the desired angle (see FIG. 5A) and tapered pins 50 are inserted into the hinges to hold the halves together (see FIG. 5B). Recesses are formed on the inside surface of the hinges to cooperate with splines formed on pins 50 so as to allow vertical form 24 to be incrementally fixed at various angles. In addition, slots 51 (two of which are indicated) are formed incrementally along vertical sides of vertical forms 24. Slots 51 can be used for aligning masonry along the structure. A string can be stretched between Corresponding slots 51 so as to provide an additional guide for masonry. Also, lips may be integrally or separately formed on vertical forms 24 to define the thickness of plaster and to aid in alignment of window jambs. 
     FIG. 3 illustrates tie beam form 26a in detail. Of course, tie beam form 26b is similar in construction. A cover plate 60 is inserted into each notch 62 formed along tie beam form 26a. Cover plates 60 of various sizes can be constructed in advance. Specifically, cover plate 60 can be constructed in advance to define a reception recess 64 which is of a desired size for accepting the joist rafter to be utilized in roof trusses 30 (see FIG. 1). Accordingly, tie beam form 26a can be utilized in conjunction with various sizes of joist rafters simply by placing the proper sized cover plate 60 in notch 62. Cover plates 60 can be secured to tie beam frame 26a by virtue of bolts, or the like. However, in the first preferred embodiment, cover plates 60 have L-shaped projections 40d formed thereon and tie beam frame 26a has L-shaped projections 40c formed thereon. Wedge 45 can be driven into an aperture defined by projections 44c and 44d so as to secure cover plate 60 to tie beam form 26a. Wedge 45 can be identical to wedge 44 and projections 40c and 40d can be identical to projections 40a and 40b respectively to allow even greater standardization of parts and assembly procedures. FIGS. 4A-4C illustrate cover plates 60 having tie beam receiving recesses 64 of various sizes. 
     FIG. 2 illustrates a second embodiment of the invention wherein tie beam forms 26a and 26b are utilized all around the frame and the need for end forms (FIG. 1) is obviated. Otherwise, the second preferred embodiment is similar to the first preferred embodiment. 
     The present invention allows a frame for a structure to be constructed with very little labor by utilizing different standardized parts. Accordingly, a structure built from the invention can be constructed at a significantly lower cost than with conventional methods. 
     The invention has been described through preferred embodiments. However, various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.