Improvements in or relating to Portable Houses or Structures.
Year: 1896

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or relating to Portable Houses or Structures.
I, HENRY JOHN LAWSON, Engineer, of 40 Holborn Viaduct, in the County of
Middlesex, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to portable houses or structures which while possessing the.
stability and strength of a permanent structure such as an ordinary dwelling house,
public hall, or the like, is nevertheless adapted to be moved about from place to
place, more particularly by power contained within itself. With these objects in
view the house or other structure may be as follows:-
For the skeleton or framework I prefer to employ steel, or other strong circular
or oval tubes or tubular formations connected together by screwed couplings.
electrically or otherwise welded or pressed joints, or by other means. Sections;
other than tubular may be employed as for example channel, H. or T, and these..
are in some cases particularly convenient where the plates forming the closed
walls can be bolted or otherwise conveniently secured to the flanges. The
skeleton whether tubular or other may be tied or trussed in any convenient way,
and particularly when tubular brackets may be formed upon or connected to
the tubes to receive a plating, flooring, ceiling etc. In order to maintain the
parallelism of the various walls or equivalent special provision may be made for
the strengthening of the joints and maintaining the correct angles; however
when desired I may dispense with the angles and employ curves, and I may also
substitute curved for straight walls throughout. The outside corners in particular
may be rounded and the ends of the building may be more or less rounded or
pointed to facilitate the passage of the structure when travelling.
The lower portion of the structure may be a special carriage upon which the
rest of the structure is placed or it may merely be a portion of the rest of the
structure and of a similar character. It must however be strong and although I do
not propose in the framework or skeleton of the building to use wood generally,
I may nevertheless employ wood in this lower portion or framework. The bottom
portion or framework is carried upon wheels, rollers or equivalent devices to allow
of the movement of the structure and there may also be lifting jacks or equivalent
devices by which the weight of the structure may be entirely removed from the
wheels, whether for extra firmness when not travelling or to give access to any
of the wheels or their bearings. The wheels or rollers may be enclosed so as not
to show from outside the building.
The motor house or space may be placed where convenient in the bottom portion
of the structure and in this the motor may be permanently fixed or the arrangement
may be such that an independent motor may be placed in the position when
required for driving purposes. Or again the permanent motor may be arranged.to
be removed for use in other parts of the building or outside when needed. The
motor may be arranged so that its power may be employed for other purposes than
merely moving the building as for example pumping, warming or ventilating,
electric lighting and the like...
Where a tubular structure is employed the tubes or portions of them may he
utilized for drainage, ventilation supply of water or for other purposes, or the
interior of the tubes may be filled up with concrete or other solid material, though

page_text: generally speaking in order to retain a certain lightness of the whole structure and
cheapness of construction, 1 prefer not to fill the tubes with anything heavy or
expensive.
The walls are made by plating secured to the tubes or other suitable portions of
the structure and these plates may be made of metal, wood, straw-board, paper
pulp, or other suitable material, and secured to the frame-work by screws, bolts,
or other means. In some cases instead of employing separate plates I may run in
paper or other pulp'or equivalent material so as to fill up the spaces between the
tubes etc. of the frame-work thus forming solid, or approximately solid instead of
hollow walls.
The roofing may be arranged in a manner very similar to that described for the
walls, plates or equivalent being preferred to slates or tiles on account of lightness
though. they may if desired be formed to resemble slates or tiles. The roof may or
may not drain into gutters in the usual manner; when it does so, one or more of
the vertical skeleton tubes may be utilized for carrying off the water, whether
entirely off the building or into it for use inside.
These structures may be provided with cisterns, fitted baths and other ordinary
water appliances common to permanent houses. Hot water can be conveniently
provided where oil motors are employed by utilizing the water used for cooling the,
cylinders or the exhaust can be used for heating water, or for warming purposes.
The walls, particularly the interior ones, may be made either removable or
movable so that rooms of different sizes, shapes etc. may be formed when required
and the building can easily be so constructed that additions to it, or subtractions,
from it, may readily be made to vary its size.
The roof may be hinged or arranged to lift for ventilation or other purposes.
Dated this 1st day of July 1896.
H. J. LAWSON.
Boult & Wade,
Agents for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or relating to Portable Houses or Structures. :
I, HENRY JOHN LAWSON, Engineer of 40 Holborn Viaduct, in the County of
Middlesex, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner
the same is to be performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement:-
This invention relates to portable houses or structures which while possessing
the stability and strength of permanent structures such as ordinary dwelling
houses, public halls, or the like, are nevertheless adapted to be moved about from
place to place, more particularly by power contained within themselves, with these
objects in view the house or other structure may be as follows;
For the skeleton or framework I prefer to employ steel, or other strong circular
or oval tubes or tubular formations connected together by screwed, couplings,
electrically or otherwise welded or pressed joints, or by other means. Sections
other than tubular may be employed as for example, channel H, or T, and these,
are in some cases particularly convenient where the plates forming the closed walls,
can be bolted or otherwise conveniently secured to the flanges. The skeleton,
whether tubular or other may be tied or trussed in any convenient way, and
particularly when tubular brackets may be formed upon or connected to the tubes,
to receive a plating, flooring, ceiling etc. In order to maintain the parallelism of
the various walls or equivalent special provision may be made for the strengthening

page_text: of the joints and maintaining the correct angles; however when desired I may
dispense with the angles and employ curves, and I may also substitute curved
for straight walls throughout. The outside corners in particular may be rounded
and the ends of the building may be more or less rounded or pointed to facilitate
the passage of the structure when travelling.
The lower portion of the structure may be a special carriage upon which 'the
rest of the structure is placed or it may merely be a portion of the rest of
the structure and of a similar character. It must however be strong and
although I do not propose in the framework or skeleton of the building to use wood
generally, I may nevertheless employ wood in this lower portion or framework.
The bottom portion or framework is carried upon wheels, rollers, or equivalent
devices to allow of the movement of the structure and there may also be lifting
jacks or equivalent devices by which the weight of the structure may be entirely
removed from the wheels, whether for extra firmness when not travelling or to
give access to any of the wheels or their bearings. The wheels or rollers may be
enclosed so as not to show from outside the building.
The motor house or space may be placed where convenient in the bottom" portion
of the structure and in this the motor may be permanently fixed or the arrangement
may be such that an independent motor may be placed in the position when
required for driving purposes. Or again the permanent motor may be arranged
to be removed for use in other parts of the building or outside when needed.
motor may be arranged so that its power may be employed for other purposes.than
merely moving the building as for example pumping, warming or ventilating,
electric lighting and the like.
The
Where a tubular structure is employed, the tubes or portions of them may.be
utilised. for drainage, ventilation, supply of water or for other purposes, or the
interior of the tubes may be filled up with concrete or other solid material, though
generally speaking in order to retain a certain lightness of the whole structure and
cheapness of construction, I prefer not to fill the tubes with anything heavy or
expensive..
.
The walls are made by plating secured to the tubes or other suitable portions
of the structure and these plates may be made of metal, wood, straw-board, paper.
pulp, or other suitable material, and secured to the frame-work by screws,
bolts, or other means. In some cases instead of employing separate plates I may
run in paper or other pulp or equivalent material so as to fill up the spaces between
the tubes etc. of the framework thus forming solid, or approximately solid instead
of hoilow walls.
The roofing may be arranged in a manner very similar to that described for the
walls, plates or equivalent being preferred to slates or tiles on account of lightness,
though they may if desired be formed to resemble slates or tiles. The roof may
or may not drain into gutters in the usual manner; when it does so, one or more of
the vertical skeleton tubes may be utilised for carrying off the water, whether
entirely off the building or into it for use inside.
These structures may be provided with cisterns, fitted baths and other ordinary
water appliances common to permanent houses. Hot water can be conveniently
provided where oil motors are employed by utilising the water used for cooling
the cylinders or the exhaust can be used for heating water, or for warming
purposes.
The walls, particularly the interior ones, may be made either removable or
movable so that rooms of different sizes, shapes etc. may be formed when required
and the building can easily be so constructed that additions to it, or subtractions
from it, may readily be made to vary its size.
The roof may be hinged or arranged to lift for ventilation or other purposes.
The accompanying drawings illustrate two forms of a movable house..
Figure 1 is a perspective elevation, and Figure 2 a perspective view mainly in
section of a house partly collapsable,

page_text: Figure 3 is a perspective elevation of a non-collapsable house.
Like letters refer to like parts in Figures 1 and 2.
With reference first to Figures 1 and 2, Figure 1 shows the house open and
Figure 2-shut. A is the rigid part of the house, the rooms A' and A' being made
to fold up with the help of the following mechanism :-
Inside the hollow tube B, Figure 2, slides the rod or pole B' fixed at its top
end to the roof of the room A¹; a rack B2 is attached to the pole B' with which
the pinion B engages. Motion is transmitted from the winch B to the pinion B³
by means of the chain B and shaft B. A pawl B' and ratchet B8 keep the
pole B¹ in its proper position, and when it is desired to lower the pole, the pawl is
disengaged from the ratchet by pushing upwards the rod B which gives a small
rotation to the shaft B upon which the pawl is fixed.
The side walls C and C¹ of the upper room A¹ are fastened to the roof by a
waterproof joint which may be made by giving the strip C2 which has been turned
at right angles with the roof a backing of indiarubber C³ and bolting the side
wall C firmly to it. Wherever waterproof joints are required they may be made in
this way.
When it is desired to close the upper room A¹ the side walls C and C₁ are
unbolted from the roof and folded flat on the floor as shown in Figure 2 being
hinged in the middle C' and at the bottom C5; the roof is then lowered with the
help of the winch B and the end walls D and D' fold inwards being hinged at the
top D bottom D³ and middle D'.
The room A folds in the same way. E is a rack rigidly fixed to the poles E¹
and E' by means of the cross bar E³ these poles being fixed to the end wall F of
the room A2. A pinion E engages with the rack E and motion is given to it by
means of the winch E, the chain E the spur wheel E' and the shaft E. The
side walls F and F are folded flat against the partition wall F³ as seen in
Figure 2, where part of the partition wall is cut away to shew this. This is
done as described for the side walls C and C of the upper room. The end
wall F is now drawn inwards with the help of the rack E and winch E³, the
roof F and floor F being hinged and folding inwards as shown in Figure 2
.and described for the walls D and D' of the room A¹.
The steering wheel is shown at H, motion being transmitted to the front turn-
table H' by means of the toothed wheels H2 and H' and to the back turn table
by means of the rods H and H which cross each other; the connections of
these rods with the rear turn table are not shown for the sake of clearness.
The motor is in the box K, the chain wheel
driving wheels K³ by means of the chain K*.
shaft K for stopping and starting.
K' on the shaft K2 gearing with the
A lever K operates a clutch on the
Figure 3 gives a perspective view of one form of rigid house. There is a
steering apparatus L at each end, which is connected by chains or suitable gearing
with the steering wheels M M¹. N is the motor & M2 the driving wheel which is
connected with the motor by the chain N¹. The wheels and driving gear are
protected by a covering board M³ which in the drawing is cut away in places to
show the mechanism. P is the dwelling house which in this case is only of one
storey but may be of two or more. A staircase P¹ leads onto the roof P2, which
is provided with scats P³ and lights P. The motor may be used for driving a
dynamo and other purposes when the house is stationary. The steps D³ are
made to fold up so as to be out of the way when the house is in motion.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is:-
1. A folding portable house or structure of the kind described.
2. A. folding automotive house.
3. An automotive house provided with folding rooms.

page_text: 4. The folding automotive house substantially as described and illustrated in
Figures 1 and 2 of the accompanying drawings.
5. The automotive house substantially as described and illustrated in Figure 3.
of the accompanying drawings.
H. J. LAWSON.
Boult & Wade,
Agents for the Applicant.