An Improved Form of Portable Hut.
Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 19th Dec., 1887
Complete Specification Left, 19th Sept., 1888
Complete Specification Accepted, 2nd Nov., 1888
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Form of Portable Hut.
I JAMES CHARLES HARDING PEACOOKE Surgeon Indian Medical Service,
Karachi, India, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
The structure may be briefly described as a frame work held together by tension
rods, with walls, roof and flooring of roller-shutter. It presents the following
features (a) It has no central supports for the roof which so greatly interfere
with passage down the centre of some huts. (b). The parts require no special
packing cases they can all be rolled up in the pieces of roller-shutter which form
the walls, roof & flooring. Thus doing away with all the disadvantages of bulky
packing cases. (c). The pieces can be made of lengths to admit of their being
carried by pack animals. (d). There are no small loose pieces so liable to be lost,
mislaid or forgotten. (e). Similar parts are interchangeable. (). Is simple in
construction requiring no skilled labour for its putting together. (g). Is strong
and all its parts are so constructed as to minimize liability to injury.
1 L 1
1
1.
1000
J. C. H. PEACOCKE.

page_text: An Improved Form of Portable Hut.
I JAMES CHARLES HARDING PEACOCKE Surgeon Medical Service, Karachi, India
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 :-
My Invention has for its object to provide a convenient portable building capable
of being readily and easily erected and taken apart and of being packed into a very
small compass for convenience of transport.
The structure may be briefly described as a framework held together by tie and
tension rods and with walls roof and flooring of roller shutters or of "Willesden
Paper" or other suitable material. It has no central ground supports for the roof to
impede the passage through the building. The parts require no special packing cases
as they can all be rolled up in the roller shutters or other materials which for the
walls roof and flooring thereby doing away with all the disadvantages of bulky
packing cases. The parts can be made of lengths to admit of their being carried by
pack animals and there need be no small loose pieces liable to be lost mislaid or
forgotten. Similar parts are interchangeable and no skilled labour is required in
erecting and taking apart the structure and all the parts are so designed as to
minimise liability to injury.
I will describe my invention with reference to the accompanying drawings.
Figure 1 of which is an end elevation of a building constructed according to my
Invention a portion of the wall and roof being removed. Figure 2 is a corresponding
side elevation. Figure 3 is a transverse section and Figure 4 is a plan or horizontal
section of the same. The remaining figures are details as hereinafter described.
The sole plate or frame on which the structure is erected may consist of metal of
a channel tee or other suitable section, in the Drawings I have shown it as being
composed of beams A of wood of about equal lengths connected together so as to
form a rectangular frame which may be subdivided by intermediate beams as shown
at A¹ when the size of the building to be erected require it. The several lengths of
wood composing the sole plate may be connected together by dovetail joints and fish
plates a as shown by Figure 5 or in any other convenient manner for example as
shown in Figure 6 where the contiguous ends of the beams A are shown as being
provided with reverse hooks b which interlock with each other as shown in the lower
figure so as to form a rigid joint which may be readily separated there being no
screws or other fasteners required to join the lengths together. The beams at the
angles of the sole plate may be hinged together as shown at c Figure 4 and to make
the joint perfectly rigid at the angles I fix to the underside of one of the said beams
a metal plate c² of sufficient length to extend a short distance along the under side of
the beam which is hinged thereto. The intermediate beams A' and the joists B for
supporting the flooring may be connected to the beams A by means of mortice or
dovetail joints or otherwise so as to be capable of being readily connected together
and taken apart.

page_text: In Figures 4, 7 and 8 a convenient arrangement is illustrated for fixing the joists to
the sole plates. On the ends of the joists B hooks & are provided which engage with
metal plates d² fixed on the inner sides of the beams A in which beams are recesses d³
to receive the hooks d. The wall plate C is constructed of beams or lengths of wood
or metal connected together in the manner herein before described with reference to
the sole plate and connected to the said sole plate by uprights D morticed thereto as
shown at e Fig. 12 or otherwise connected so as to be readily detached when required.
This wall plate and roof may or may not be made to extend beyond the walls of the
structure as desired. The rafters for supporting the roof may be fixed to the wall
plate C by bolts, hooks or the like, or as illustrated in Figure 9 by hinges f. The
rafters of the opposite sides of the roof are hinged together in the centre of the roof
as shown at g Figure 10 and are notched or recessed at h to receive the ridge plate E
which consists of lengths of wood or metal connected together in a similar manner
to the wall and sole plates and notched as shown at i Figures 2 and 11 to interlock
with the notches or recesses in the rafters so as to form therewith when in position
a rigid support for the roofing material. The stability of the structure inay be
insured or increased by means of curved metal tubes or bars F extending from side
to side of the building and secured to the wall plate C. These tubes or bars are
connected by reversely threaded rods G and tightening screw nuts H to the ridge
plate E. The roller shutter or other material for the floor, walls and roof may be
secured in position by means of detachable boards or plates I at the junctions of the
said material and held in position by screwed clamps K as shown in Figures 12 and 13
and the window frames may also be clamped in position in a similar manner.
For purposes of ventilation a space or spaces may be left between the roof and the
ridge plate E the said space or spaces being covered by boards or plates hinged to
the ridge plate so as to admit of the exit of vitiated air but prevent the admission of
rain. The structure may be made of any desired size and may be erected on piles or
other suitable supports at any desired distance above the ground.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is :-
:-
1. A portable building consisting of a framework of wood or metal strengthened
by means of tension rods without obstructing the passage through the building and
having walls flooring and roof of roller shutter, Willesden paper, or other suitable
material which will serve as a covering for the parts of the building when taken apart
for transport substantially as herein before described.
2. The general construction combination and arrangement of parts constituting a
portable building capable of being readily erected and taken apart substantially as
herein before described and illustrated by the accompanying Drawings.
Dated this 18th day of September 1888.