Year: 1886

page_text: Date of Application, 31st Aug., 1886.
Complete Left, 27th May, 1887.
Complete Accepted, 28th June, 1887.
I, JOSEF CARL GSOTTBAUER, of 33 Alserbach Street Vienna, Austria, Engineer, do
hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
According to this invention the buildings are constructed, as hereafter described,
of boards varying in width and thickness, according to the size of the building.
The horizontal parts and the rafters of the building are formed of boards 6 ins. wide.
The vertical parts are 64 ins. wide, and all the parts are only 1 in. to 1 in. thick so
that their weight is very light. To render the parts easy of transport I construct them
of a greatest length of from 12'. 6" to 13′. 4", the weight of each part then being at
most 20 lb. to 22 lbs. The buildings may therefore be transported in small hand carts,
and horses or other draught animals are not required.
Where no unfavorable conditions of transport exist, a building of large area and
moderate height may be conveniently constructed in the following manner :-
For the flooring, boards of in. in thickness suffice, which are placed, so as to
allow a proper air circulation, upon the edges of the flooring joists; and their
greatest length is from 12.6" to 13'. 4". For the side walls and roofing, boards of
žin. may be employed.
When the building is to be made use of in the cold season, or in cold climates, the
flooring can be formed of lighter boards doubled, or of thick boards tongued and
grooved; and the walls and roof may also be doubled, or be covered with some
outside coating of a light material, such as tiles, or hurdle work filled in with
clay. By this construction it is possible at will to bestow various ornamentations
on the building; and the building itself while receiving extra heat is more bighly
ornamented.
A building 38 feet long and 17 feet wide, employed as a hospital, will accommodate
12 sick beds, leaving a clear passage of 4. 3" wide in the centre through the whole
length of the building, and the beds are placed in two rows, and are from centre to
centre 6'. 4" apart.
The building can also be formed with more than one room if desired without
departing from the invention.

page_text: The whole of the materials employed in the building are of the usual and existing
dimensions of lightly constructed cut materials, the usual lengths giving 1, 2, 3, 4, or
more separate building pieces without waste. The price of wood material being low
the cost of erection and repairs must also be light. The single building pieces are
joined together by angle plates, fish plates, and bolts and nuts, or other suitable
means.
To stiffen the building pieces, tubular distance pieces are employed, which serve as
stay bolts.
The building can, even by an inexperinced workman, be set up in a few hours, and
moreover no special tools are requisite ; and the exchanging of any single part, or the
confusion of one part with another, is completely excluded.
The ventilation of the inner spaces is accomplished through a "jalousie," or
"louvre" applied under the roof top on two sides of the building.
The window frames are let into the walls, and fastened with wood screws; and the
windows are, on account of the desired portability, made in two parts which hang
upon small pegs. The air may either be admitted through the lower part of window
alone, or through the upper part as well.
Each part of the building may if desired be rendered fireproof.
Finally, this construction can also be employed so that the side part alone is erected
(with a lean-to roof), or the raised middle part may be also added thereto.
In the summer the building can be constructed without the lining above the windows,
and be simply furnished with curtains.
The buildings constructed in accordance with this invention are adapted for both
military and civil purposes.
They may be employed as Hospitals, Barracks for Troops, Magazines or Storehouses,
and the like; and, without altering the system of construction, the buildings may be
extended to any length desired; only requiring for every additional length of
12. 6" to 13". 4' an additional pair of rafters, and an additional pair of flooring
joists.
The lightness of the pieces admits of sufficient parts for two buildings being
conveyed in one railway waggon.
Dated this 31st day of August 1886

page_text: I, JOSEF CARL GSOTTBAUER of 33 Alserbach Street, Vienna, Austria, Engineer
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:-
The principal objects of my invention are, to construct portable buildings, adapted
for civil or military purposes, in such manner that while neither the component
parts or the system of construction are altered, yet at the same time the buildings
may be extended to any desired extent, and the parts forming such buildings according
to my invention are interchangeable, may be put together or separated with facility,
and are strong, light of weight and easy of transport.
In order that my invention may be fully understood and readily carried into effect
I will describe the same with reference to the accompanying drawings from an
inspection of which the type of construction will be readily seen. Figure 1 being a
sectional elevation of a building constructed in accordance with my invention,
Figure 2 is a horizontal section, and Figure 3 is a vertical cross section of the
building shewn at Figure 1. Figure 4 is a perspective view of same when erected,
drawn to a smaller scale than the previous figures; Figures 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9 are
detail views illustrating types of the various joints employed for the framework of
such buildings.
According to my invention the building is composed of boards of slightly varying
width and thickness according to the space to be covered, or the size of the building.
The horizontal portions and the stays or rafters of the building as shewn in the
drawing preferably consist of boards about 6 inches in width, for although I do not
confine myself to the particular dimensions herein stated yet I consider such
dimensions to be suitable and convenient. The vertical parts may be about 6
inches wide and all these parts may be only 14 inches to 1 inches in thickness so
that consequently their weight is but slight. I have found it convenient in order
to facilitate transport to make the maximum length of each part from 12 feet 6 inches
to 13 feet 6 inches, the weight of which will be about from 20 lbs. to 22 lbs. It is
therefore practicable to use as a means of transport not only the smallest farm-house
carts, but also pack animals. Where the conditions of transport are not unfavourable,
buildings covering comparatively speaking, large spaces, may be constructed according
to this invention with but little increase in the dimensions of the various parts.
For the floor, which, in order to produce a proper circulation of the air is laid
on floor joists standing on their edges, boards of 18 inches thickness, suffice. For
these also the maximum length is preferably 12 feet inches to 13 feet 6 inches.
For the side walls, and roof, boards of inch thickness usually suffice. If the building
is to be used during the inclement seasons the floor may be made of thinner boards
doubled or with heavier matchboarding. In this case the sides and roof may also
be made double or be lined with any material ready to hand at the place where the

page_text: building is erected such materials being bricks, hurdlework with loam ming and
the like.
With the construction herein described, the buildings may be lined in a variety of
ways and even be adapted for internal heating.
As an illustration of the type of construction constituting this invention the drawing
represents a building of 38 feet long and 17 feet wide intended to be used as a
hospital for example, and it is arranged to accommodate 12 beds leaving a passage of
4 feet 3 inches wide in the centre and throughout the length of the building. The
beds are placed in two rows and are at a distance of 6 feet 4 inches from centre
to centre.
The building may, without change of construction, be partitioned off into several
separate spaces.
All the parts of the building are made of timber of such dimensions as are readily
obtainable. The customary lengths of material will yield 1, 2, 3 and 4 or more parts
requisite for such building without cutting into waste. As the kinds of wood to be
used are of the cheapest the cost of production is extremely low. Any lost or injured
part can also at any time be readily replaced.
The connection of the several parts with one another is effected by sheet metal
angle piece and bands and by nuts and bolts as are clearly shewn in the detail views
Figures 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9. Pieces of pipe or sleeves serve as spacing pieces to
strengthen the various parts as shewn in detail at Figure 8, thus the framework
generally consists of boards joined by metal joining pieces consisting of angle pieces,
bands etc. without mortising or scarfing.
Some portions of the framework of the building need not be separated when the
building is taken apart for transport but may be folded up like a pocket knife.
The several parts of the building being interchangeable the mistaking of one
part for another does not occasion any delay in erecting the building. Even
unskilled workmen can erect such a building in a few hours and no special tools are
required for this purpose.
Ventilation of the interior is effected by simple dampers or by louvre-boards
provided at two sides under the ridge of the roof. The window frames are slid into
the walls and fixed by wood screws. The windows themselves are for convenience in
transport made in two parts and hung on small pivots or hinges. For airing the
building, the lower portion of the window may be opened alone or the upper part may
be likewise opened.
The material constituting the several parts of the building may be treated in any
well known manner so as to make them more durable, and in some cases fireproof.
This arrangement and construction of building may also be employed (by erecting
the side portions alone) like a lean-to roof, or in addition with the central
raised part.
In the summer the building may be left without side covering above the level of
the window sill and be fitted with curtains only.
By reason of their compactness and portability the parts required for two buildings
may be transported on a single railway truck.
By my invention I thus obtain a portable building having the following characteristics
and advantages.
1. That it consists of boards simply connected by bolts and nuts bands and angle
pieces and stayed by pipes or sleeves.
2. The simple connection of similar pieces of wood without mortising or scarfing.
3. Stiffness and strength are produced without waste in cutting the parts.
4. Light weight in proportion to the area covered without loss of stability.
5. The employment of material which by reason of its slight dimensions can be
readily procured anywhere at a low cost thereby rendering the cost of such building
exceedingly low in comparison with other constructions.
6. The readiness with which such building may be taken apart the fitness for re-use
of the parts and the facility with which it may in a few hours be set up by unskilled
labour and without special tools.

page_text: 7. Any lining material may be applied to the roof and sides so that any temperature
and any condition of climate may be provided against.
8. Without alteration of the system large or small buildings may be produced
without making the parts substantially heavier or slighter and large or small
apartments may be formed by partitioning.
9. Shelter may be formed by this construction even if certain portions are missing
or damaged, such missing or damaged portion being moreover easily replaced.
10. The various portions can serve for constructing buildings of various forms and
for a variety of purposes.
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 :—
Constructing portable buildings as herein described of great strength and stiffness
the dimensions of which may vary considerably withous substantial alteration, if any,
in the weight or size of the various composing parts, and constructed from given
lengths of material joined by means of metal connections, without mortising or
scarfing, the parts of such buildings being interchangeable; whereby great facilities
of erection, packing and transport are obtained together with a capability of adaption
of such buildings to the requirements of varying climatic influences all substantially
in the manner and for the purposes described and shewn with reference to the
accompanying drawings.