FOLDING SHED
The apparatus described herein includes a folding shelter structure. The folding structure includes a roof, two sidewalls, two end walls a floor. The floor is divided into two sections, each section pivotally connected to a sidewall. The roof may be divided into two sections, each section pivotally connected to a sidewall. Each end wall may be divided into two sections that are pivotally connected to each other and to the sidewall adjacent the section. The folding structure is transformed from an operation to a storage or transport configuration by outwardly pivoting each roof section until the exterior surface of each roof section approximately abuts the exterior surface of the respective sidewall to which it is connected. The floor section is inwardly pivoted until the top surface of each floor section approximately abuts the interior surface of the respective sidewall to which it is connected and sandwiched between the sidewalls and the end walls. The roof may be supported by removable trusses extending between the side walls and supported at the end walls by a channel.
The present application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. §119(e) to U.S. provisional patent application No. 62/082,089 filed Nov. 19, 2014 and entitled “Folding Shed,” which is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.
TECHNICAL FIELDThe field of the invention generally relates to structures, and more particularly to folding sheds.
BACKGROUNDSheds have many practical uses, including providing storage space for tools or equipment or shelter for people or animals. However, when not being used, a shed may undesirably occupy space. Further, it may be difficult to transport an assembled shed to a site or move it to another site because of the space occupied by it. This may be solved by transporting the shed in unassembled components. This solution, however, requires the shed to be assembled at the site and/or disassembled and reassembled.
Accordingly, what is needed in the art is an improved shed. Ideally, an improved shed would occupy less space when not being used than it does when being used. Also ideally, an improved shed would be easier to transport than a typical shed.
SUMMARYIn accordance with various embodiments, a folding shed may include a first sidewall and a second sidewall; a first roof section pivotally coupled with the first sidewall, a second roof section pivotally coupled with the second sidewall, a foldable first end wall pivotally coupled with the first sidewall and the second sidewall, and a foldable second end wall pivotally coupled with the first sidewall and the second sidewall.
In accordance with various embodiments, the first and second roof sections are configured to pivot from the outside of the sidewalls around to be placed in a position proximal the tops of the first and second end wall. A support member is provided to engage the first end wall on a first end of the first roof section or to engage the roof section on an interior portion of the roof section in such a way that the support member limits the movement of the end wall or the side wall in an outward or inward direction. The support member may be an elongated channel that limits the movement of the end wall in a direction parallel with at least one of the first and second side walls. Each end of each of the first and second roof sections proximal to the first and second end walls includes the elongated channel. The elongated channel is less than half the length of the edge of the roof section proximal to the top of the end wall. The elongated channel is more than half the length of the edge of the roof section proximal to the top of the end wall. The elongated channel includes an aperture that extends through a first wall of the elongated channel and a second wall of the elongated channel. The end wall includes an aperture that aligns with the aperture of the elongated channel when the first roof section is pivoted around to from a roof over the folding shed. A pin may extends through the aperture of the elongated channel and the aperture of the first end wall thereby fixing the first roof section in place relative to the end wall.
In accordance with various embodiments, the support member may include at least one truss that extends from the first side wall to the second side wall. The truss limits the movement of the side walls by fixedly attaching to each of the side walls and providing a ridged attachment through the truss between each of the side walls. The truss includes a riser portion that follows the contour of the first and second roof sections as they extend from one side wall to the other. The truss provides vertical support to the first and second roof sections limiting their ability to sag. A plurality of trusses may be positioned between the first end wall and the second end wall. The plurality of trusses may extend between the first wall portion and the second wall portion.
In accordance with various embodiments, a first floor section and a second floor section are operable to cover a lower interior space of the folding shed. The first floor section is operable to pivot up from the lower interior space of the folding shed to approximately abut the first side wall as the folding shed is transformed into a folded position. The first floor section is sandwiched between the first sidewall and the first end wall when the folding shed is folded. The first side wall may include protrusions on a first end and a second end proximal to the pivotable joints with the first end wall and the second end wall, wherein the hinged connection between the first end wall and the first side wall and the second end wall and the second side wall are located on the protrusions with the first floor section operable to nest between the two protrusions.
In accordance with various embodiments, at least one of the first and second end walls or first and second side walls include an aperture which receives an engagement feature from a wheel assembly operable as a jack. The aperture may be an open end of a tubular member that forms the bottom frame member of at least one of the first and second end walls or first and second side walls. The engagement member is part of an L-shaped bracket that extends from the wheel assembly with a lateral member of the L-shaped bracket sized to engage the aperture. The tubular member which defines the aperture includes a second aperture which passes through a side wall of the tubular member. The lateral member includes an aperture there through. The tubular member aperture and the lateral member aperture are operable to align after the lateral member is inserted into the tubular member. The shed may include a locking pin inserted through the aperture in the tubular member and through the aperture in the lateral member in response to the lateral member being inserted to an engagement distance within the tubular member. Each of the first and second side walls, the first and second roof sections and the first and second end walls are formed from a plurality of tubular frame members connected to one another. An exterior sheathing may be fastened to the tubular frame members.
In accordance with various embodiments, at least one of the first and second end walls or first and second side walls may be a common wall with another structure. The structure may be a semi-trailer. The common wall is a side wall and the end walls flex out away from the common wall. The second roof section may be pivotably attached to the common wall.
In accordance with various embodiments, the first and second roof section are configured to pivot from the outside of the sidewalls around to be placed in a position proximal the tops of the first and second end wall. The first roof section folds over and engages the seal plate against the top of the second roof section, wherein the seal plate has a first leg and second leg with a first angle there between. The angle may be less than the angle between the top surface of the first roof section and the top surface of the second roof section with the seal plate contacting the top surface of the second roof section.
Implementations of the apparatus described herein includes a folding shelter structure. One particular implementation is a folding shed. The folding structure may include a roof, two sidewalls, and two end walls. In some embodiments, the structure may include a floor. The floor may be divided into two sections, each section pivotally connected to a sidewall. The roof may be divided into two sections, each section pivotally connected to a sidewall. Each end wall may be divided into two sections that are pivotally connected to each other and to the sidewall adjacent the section. The folding structure may be transformed from an operation to a storage or transport configuration by outwardly pivoting each roof section until the exterior surface of each roof section approximately abuts the exterior surface of the respective sidewall to which it is connected. The floor section may be inwardly pivoted until the top surface of each floor section approximately abuts the interior surface of the respective sidewall to which it is connected. In this way the sidewall sections are sandwiched between floor sections and roof sections. The end walls may then be inwardly pivoted until the exterior sections for each end wall approximately abut each other. Once transformed into a storage or transport configuration, the structure may be readily stored or transported, especially compared to a similarly sized, fully assembled, non-folding structure. The assembled folding shed may be used for any of a number of purposes and functions such as a temporary or permanent structure for camping, hunting, fishing, disaster relief; a greenhouse for providing food production, hydroponic system operation, aquaponic system operation; a weather shelter for protecting livestock or perishables; a recreational shelter such as a hot tub enclosure, pool house; an industrial & construction structure for securing site tool or small equipment, job site headquarters, guard shack; a commercial structure for trade show booth, food service booth, ticket office, security office; a professional services structure for temporary medical use, on-site quarantine, temporary disaster office, on-site insurance claims office; etc.
As shown in
In accordance with various embodiments, the shed 100 may be substantially or entirely enclosed. The enclosure may be formed by the walls and frame members discussed herein. As the frame members may be structural components, it may not be practical to completely enclose the structure with structural components. As such, panels, skins, plates, or the like may close the openings within and between the frame members. This panel system may be done in accordance with the systems described in patent application Ser. No. 13/804,212, and U.S. Pat. No.8,763,315. In accordance with various other embodiments as discussed herein, a skin may be applied to the exterior of the shed 100 of the framing system. More specifically the skin may be applied to the exterior portions of the frame members that makeup the end walls 110/112, side walls 106/108, floor 150/107 and roof 114/116.
With reference to
The shape and configuration for members forming each frame structure for the sidewalls 106, 108, end walls 110, 112, roof 104, floor 103, and door 160 may be configured in any form to serve the purposes of the individual foldable shed unit. Each of these walls may also include a covering 800 which can be a skin, plate, panel, etc. These coverings may include wood, metal (e.g. flat, corrugated, mesh, etc. made from steel, aluminum, tin, etc.) glass, greenhouse material (e.g. high density polyethylene extruded with a corrugated structure/shape such as ® solexx sheet), concrete, plastic (e.g. polycarbonate such as ®Lexan), etc. The coverings 800 may be a combination of these materials. For example as shown in
The exterior and interior vertical end wall members e.g. 152a, b may generally resemble the exterior vertical sidewall members e.g. 132a, b, the sloping and bottom horizontal end wall members e.g. 154, 150a may generally resemble the top and bottom horizontal sidewall members e.g. 130a. Each vertical or horizontal frame members may have unique or shared structure. For example vertical and horizontal end wall members 152b, 150a, c, adjacent the door 160 may have slightly modified cross-sectional areas to accommodate the door 160. For example, the portion of the top horizontal front end wall member 150c adjacent the door 160 may have a rectangular, hollow cross-sectional area with a pair of opposing plates extending vertically upward from the rectangular cross-sectional area rather than an H-shaped cross-sectional area a C-shaped cross-sectional area or the like that any of the other frame members may or may not have. In one example all of the frame members are made with hollow tubular cross-sections.
In accordance with various embodiments each wall portion may have an outside skin 800 out and an inside skin 800 inside. The two skins may be different materials and/or different configurations of material, e.g. 800 out may be a ribbed steel sheathing and 800 in may be a flat steel sheathing. Between the two skins 800 in and 800 out a filler 200 material may be utilized. The filler 200 may maintain the spaced relationship between skin 800 out and skin 800 inside forming and enclosed wall structure. The structure may enhance the structural integrity of the walls to reduce the tendency of the skins from buckling, to provide insulation for the folding shed 100, to soundproof the folding shed 100, to increase the weight of the folding shed 100 to resist uplift or overturning forces, to increase the fire resistance of the folding shed 100, or to do a combination thereof. One or more stiffener plates (not shown) may also located between the skins to maintain the plates' spaced relationship or to enhance the panel's structural integrity. The filler may be a foam (e.g. Styrofoam or injection foam), insulation, sand, wood, plate steel, plastic, or any other suitable material, or any combination thereof. Although each wall may be shown as including a sidewall filler 200, the sidewall filler 200 may be omitted from any or all of the walls.
Yet further, although the sidewalls 106, 108, end walls 110, 112, roof 104, floor and door 160 have been depicted in
In accordance with various embodiments, the folding shed 100 may include one or more access points. These access points may include windows, doors, panels, or any portion of the shed configured to move items or people in and out of the shed. For example, the folding shed 100 may also include a door 160 connected to the front end wall 110 by one or more door hinges 162 to enable entry into and out of the shed 100. Although the door 160 is shown as connected to the front end wall 110 by two door hinges 162, more or fewer door hinges may be used. As indicated, the folding shed may include one or more access points including doors or windows. The end walls 110, 112 or sidewalls 106, 108 may have one or more access points. In one example, an end wall (e.g. 110) may have two doors 160. The doors may open towards each other, having their respective hinges locate on the opposite sides of the end wall from one another. In this way the access point opens up like barn doors. In various embodiments, the doors may be separated from one another by vertical end wall members 152b. In other embodiments, the doors may close directly into one another with no separation. In such embodiments, the hinges 128 may be located on frame portions below the door and above the door.
As indicated above, the roof sections 114, 116 are pivotable with respect to the side walls 106, 108. When the left and right roof sections 114, 116 are configured in a closed position as shown in
When the right roof section 116 is in a closed position, it may be secured to the front and rear end walls 110, 112 using end wall connectors 174. The connector can be any mechanism such as latches or a pin in hole. Securing the right roof section 116 to the front end wall 110, the rear end wall 112, or both end walls 110, 112 prevents the right roof section 116 from being undesirably separated from the end walls 110, 112. For example, wind uplift forces could cause the right roof section 116 to be lifted away from the front and rear end walls 110, 112 if not positively connected to at least one of the end walls 110, 112. As shown in
In the unfolded orientation, roof connectors 180 are provided to join the right and left roof sections 114, 116. As shown in
Although the roof connector 180 is depicted as including two roof connector plates 182, 184, the roof connector 180 could be formed using more or fewer plates or using different components. For example, the left and right roof sections 114, 116 may be connected together using a single plate that is connected to both roof sections. As another example, the left and right sections 114, 116 may be connected together using a tie rod connected to each section 114, 116. Further, although the roof connector plates 182, 184 are depicted as mechanically fastened to the right and left roof sections 114, 116 and to each other, other known methods of joining two items together such as welding or adhering, or a combination of other known methods, could be used to join the roof connector plates 182, 184 to the right and left roof sections 114, 116 and to each other. Similarly, alternative forms of the roof connector 180 (e.g., the tie rod) could be mechanically fastened, welded, adhered, joined by other known methods for joining two items together, or joined by a combination thereof. The roof connectors 180 may also be omitted. If omitted, the left and right roof sections 114, 116 may be directly connected to each other without the use of an intermediate component such as a roof connector 180, or may not be connected together.
Generally, the roof connectors 180 form a more stable roof by structurally tying the right and left roof sections 114, 116 together. Columns (not shown) may also be used to support the roof 104, especially for larger sheds. The columns could be connected to the roof 104 by welding or adhering the columns to the roof members 140a-b, 142a-c, 144, using mechanical fasteners, such as bolts or screws, to join the columns to the roof members 140a-b, 142a-c, 144, using any other suitable method of joining two or more components together, or any combination thereof. Cross support 175 and 177 (e.g. roof trusses), shown in
The right sidewall 108, the roof 104, the front and rear end walls 110, 112, the floor 103 and the door 160 may be pre-assembled in a manner similar to that described for the left sidewall 108 for use as part of the folding shed 100. Once the left and right sidewalls 106, 108, the front and rear end walls 110, 112, the roof 104, and the door 160 are assembled, they may be connected together using hinges 118, 128, 162, 170, 172, 191 as shown in
As shown in
With reference to
The roof plate 164 may be made of metal, wood, plastic, concrete, any other suitable material, or any combination thereof. The water sealant 234 may be made of rubber, plastic, or any other suitable material.
Methods of joining the roof plate 164 to the right and left roof sections 114, 116 other than the method depicted in
Methods of preventing water from passing through the joint formed between the left and right roof sections 114, 116 when the sections 114, 116 are configured in a closed position other than the one depicted in
In accordance with various embodiments the roof plate 164 may substantially conform to the angle Ω2 between the outside surfaces of roof section 114 and roof section 116. This angle may be between 45 degrees and 180 degrees. In accordance with various embodiments, roof plate 164 may be sufficiently thin that it is able to be flexed by leverage placed on the roof section 114. Accordingly, the roof panel 164 may have a first angle prior to closure and a second angle after closure. As indicated the angle after closure is Ω2, which corresponds to the angle between roof sections 114 and 116. However, before closure, the roof panel 164 may have a different angle Ω1. The angle Ω1 may be less than the angle Ω2. In various examples, the angle Ω1 may be 1-20° less than the angle Ω2. In various examples, the angle Ω1 may be 5-15° less than the angle Ω2. In various examples, the angle Ω1 may be about 10° less than the angle Ω2. Accordingly, when closed, the roof panel 164 will have a tendency to maintain its angle Ω1 and therefore place a continued pressure on the opposing roof section (e.g. 116) by trying to spring back to its original angle Ω1. This constant pressure by the roof plate 164 may provide improved water sealing due to the constant pressure. Each leg of the roof panel 164 may be configured to extend far enough down each roof section 114, 116 to limit the inflow of water. For example, each leg may be 1-8 inches in length. In various examples, each leg may be 3-6 inches in length.
Attached to the plate 240 may be a latch 244 that forms an enclosed space with the slot in the end wall connector plate 240 for retaining the peg 242 within the slot. The latch 244 may be generally biased by a spring or other suitable device into a closed a position and may be connected to a latch handle 246 that permits the latch 244 to be moved from the closed position to an open position. To receive the peg 242 within the slot, the latch 244 may be moved to an open position as the roof 104 is moved into its closed position. Once the peg 242 is received within the slot, the latch 244 may be returned to its closed position (e.g., for example, by releasing the handle 246 if the latch 244 is biased to the closed position), thereby retaining the peg 242 within the enclosed space formed by the slot and the latch 244. The latch 244 may be configured to be moved into an open position by contact with the peg 242 as the roof 104 is moved into a closed position. Once the peg 242 clears the latch 244, the latch 244 may then be biased by a spring or other suitable device to return the latch 244 to its closed position. Methods other than the one depicted in
A method for transforming the folding shed 100 depicted in
After disconnecting any connections between the left and right sections 114, 116 to each other and to the sidewalls 106, 108 and end walls 110, 112, the left roof section 114 may be pivoted outwardly relative to the left sidewall 106 until its exterior surface approximately abuts the exterior surface of the left sidewall 106 as shown in
The various connections between floor portions 105 and 107 may be undone with respect to the side walls 106, 108 and the end walls 110,112 with the exception of the pivotable connection between the floor sections 105, 107 and the respective side walls. Once connections are removed, the floor sections 105, 107 may be pivoted up toward the respective side walls and approximately abut thereto.
After the exterior surfaces of the left and right roof sections 114, 116 approximately abut the exterior surfaces of their respective sidewalls 106, 108, one or more supports may be removed from between the side walls 106, 108. In various examples, the supports may be roof trusses 175, 177. The supports (e.g. trusses 175, 177) may engage in brackets 187 on each of the side walls 106, 108 (also shown in
After the exterior surfaces of the left and right roof sections 114, 116 approximately abut the exterior surfaces of their respective sidewalls 106, 108, any connections between the sidewalls 106, 108 and end walls 110, 112 to each other, to the ground or a foundation (other than the hinged connections between the end walls to each other or the sidewalls 106, 108) are undone. Once these connections, if any, are undone, the right and left sections 120, 122, 124, 126 of the front and rear end walls 110, 112 may be moved inwardly toward the interior of the folding shed 100 as shown in
As depicted in
To transform the folding shed 100 from the storage or transport configuration shown in
In one embodiment, the folding shed 100 in its operation configuration may be approximately 6′-12′ wide by 6′-12′ long with a height of 5-8 at the eaves and 6′-9′ at the peak. At this size or smaller, the folding shed 100 can be readily configured from its folded configuration to its unfolded configuration, or vice versa, by one or two people. For larger sheds, mechanical equipment may be used to help move the folding shed 100 to a desired location on site and/or to change the folding shed 100 from a folded to an unfolded configuration, and vice versa.
A method for transforming the expandable folding shed shown in
In accordance with various embodiments, as shown in
In various alternative examples, the folding shed 100 may include any suitable number of wheel assemblies, from as few as one wheel assembly to as many as ten or more wheel assemblies. In embodiments that include only two wheel assemblies, it may only be possible to use the wheels for moving the shed when it is in a folded/transport configuration. Otherwise, most embodiments will include three or more wheel assemblies, so that the folding shed can be moved, using the wheels, in an open/operation configuration. In the embodiment shown, the folding shed 100 includes four wheel assemblies 600a-d. The wheel assemblies 600a-d may be used to facilitate transfer of the shed 100 when it is in an operation configuration, as shown, or in a transport configuration.
In some embodiments, the wheel assemblies 600a-d may be permanently attached to the foldable shed 100. Alternatively, the wheel assemblies 600a-d may be removably attached. Using the caster jacks 604a-d, the wheels 602a-d of the wheel assemblies 600a-d may be adjusted up or down. In the up position, the wheels 602a-d will be off the ground and the shed 100 will fully contact the ground. In the down position, the wheels 602a-d will fully contact the ground and lift the shed 100 off the ground. The shed 100 may then be moved from one place to the next, using the wheels. Additionally, in a neutral position, the wheels may be in contact with the ground and the shed may not be lifted off the ground. Each caster jack may be actuated to a different height, with one or some not actuated at all, and others actuated to different height levels. This allows the different parts of the shed supported by the caster jacks 604a-d to be lifted as much as needed to sufficiently clear the obstructions necessary to move that part of the shed. Further, if the shed may require that a particular angle be maintained during transport (whether a short or long distance), the separately mounted caster jacks allow for the adjustment of the relative height of the shed to approximate or obtain the required angle.
In some examples, one or more of the wheels 600a-d may include a wheel lock (not shown), which may help to stop the shed 100 from moving even when the wheels 602a-d are in the down position.
The shed 100 may include one or more receiving features 650 which are operable to receive one or more portions of the wheel assembly, such that the wheel assembly can positively engage the shed 100 and support the weight. The receiving features 650 may be any bracket, aperture, lifting surface, or the like that is accessible to the wheel assembly 600. The receiving feature 650 may be located below one or more of the vertical walls of the shed 100, on the floor of shed 100, through one or more of the side walls or end walls of shed 100 or through the horizontal or vertical side wall members or end wall members e.g. 150 and 130 series of horizontal members, 132 and 152 series of vertical wall members, as shown in
The wheel assembly may also include a clearance portion 630 along upright member 612. The clearance portion 630 may alter the plane of engagement between the upright member 612 and the vertical wall of shed 100 to clear the wheel 602. The wheel assembly 600 may also include standoffs 640, shown in
Referring again to
It is contemplated that in the circumstance where only one or two wheel assemblies are utilized to move the shed, that a secondary rolling support mechanism may be utilized to movably support on the ground the portion of the shed not lifted off the ground by the first- or second-wheel assemblies. Such secondary rolling support mechanism may be positioned entirely under the shed, partially under the shed, or not under the shed (such as by suspension from a crane extending off the rear of a service truck). The secondary rolling support mechanism may take the form of, in one example, a flat platform with one or more caster wheels mounted on its bottom side. This would be positioned at least partially under the shed during repositioning of the shed.
The various components of the wheel assembly 600 may be made of any suitable material. In one embodiment, for example, all or substantially all components may be made of metal. In another example, all components may be made of metal, except the wheel 602, which may be made of rubber.
In various embodiments, the wheel assembly 600 may either permanently or removably attach to the shed 100. Permanent attachment may be made by welds or other permanent attachment means. Removable attachment may be made one or more shared engagement features between the shed 100 and the wheel assembly 600 by bolts 610a, 610b or other temporary attachment means. As the component parts of the wheel assembly 600 are generally well known, they will not be described further herein.
Although the sidewalls, end walls, roofs, and doors for various representative examples of folding sheds have been depicted and described as having certain frame or panel structures, the sidewalls, end walls, roofs, and doors for any of the various examples of folding sheds illustrated in the figures or described above may be created using any wall, roof, or door construction method used to create a structure. Furthermore, although various representative examples of this invention have been described above with a certain degree of particularity, those skilled in the art could make numerous alterations to the disclosed examples without departing from the spirit or scope of the inventive subject matter set forth in the specification and claims.
In accordance with various embodiments, the features, aspects, embodiments and examples from patent application Ser. No. 13/804,212, and U.S. Pat. No. 8,763,315 may be variously incorporated into the different aspects, features, embodiments and examples presented herein. Application Ser. No. 13/804,212, and U.S. Pat. No. 8,763,315 are hereby incorporated herein by reference in their entireties.
All directional references (e.g., upper, lower, upward, downward, left, right, leftward, rightward, top, bottom, above, below, vertical, horizontal, clockwise, and counterclockwise) are only used for identification purposes to aid the reader's understanding of the examples of the present invention, and do not create limitations, particularly as to the position, orientation, or use of the invention unless specifically set forth in the claims. Joinder references (e.g., attached, coupled, connected, and the like) are to be construed broadly and may include intermediate members between a connection of elements and relative movement between elements. As such, joinder references do not necessarily infer that two elements are directly connected and in fixed relation to each other.
In some instances, components are described with reference to “ends” having a particular characteristic and/or being connected with another part. However, those skilled in the art will recognize that the present invention is not limited to components which terminate immediately beyond their points of connection with other parts. Thus, the term “end” should be interpreted broadly, in a manner that includes areas adjacent, rearward, forward of, or otherwise near the terminus of a particular element, link, component, part, member or the like. In methodologies directly or indirectly set forth herein, various steps and operations are described in one possible order of operation, but those skilled in the art will recognize that steps and operations may be rearranged, replaced, or eliminated without necessarily departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. It is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative only and not limiting. Changes in detail or structure may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention as defined in the appended claims.
Claims
1. A folding shed comprising
- a first sidewall and a second sidewall;
- a first roof section pivotally coupled with the first sidewall;
- a second roof section pivotally coupled with the second sidewall;
- a foldable first end wall pivotally coupled with the first sidewall and the second sidewall; and
- a foldable second end wall pivotally coupled with the first sidewall and the second sidewall, wherein the first and second roof sections are configured to pivot from the outside of the sidewalls around to be placed in a position proximal the tops of the first and second end wall, wherein a support member is provided to engage the first end wall on a first end of the first roof section or to engage the roof section on an interior portion of the roof section in such a way that the support member limits the movement of the end wall or the side wall in an outward or inward direction.
2. The folding shed of claim 1, wherein the support member is an elongated channel that limits the movement of the end wall in a direction parallel with at least one of the first and second side walls.
3. The folding shed of claim 2, wherein each end of each of the first and second roof sections proximal to the first and second end walls includes the elongated channel.
4. The folding shed of claim 2, wherein the elongated channel is less than half the length of the edge of the roof section proximal to the top of the end wall.
5. The folding shed of claim 2, wherein the elongated channel is more than half the length of the edge of the roof section proximal to the top of the end wall.
6. The folding shed of claim 2, wherein the elongated channel includes an aperture that extends through a first wall of the elongated channel and a second wall of the elongated channel.
7. The folding shed of claim 6, wherein the end wall includes an aperture that aligns with the aperture of the elongated channel when the first roof section is pivoted around to from a roof over the folding shed.
8. The folding shed of claim 7, wherein a pin extends through the aperture of the elongated channel and the aperture of the first end wall thereby fixing the first roof section in place relative to the end wall.
9. The folding shed of claim 1, wherein the support member includes at least one truss that extends from the first side wall to the second side wall.
10. The folding shed of claim 9, wherein the truss limits the movement of the side walls by fixedly attaching to each of the side walls and providing a ridged attachment through the truss between each of the side walls.
11. The folding shed of claim 9, wherein the truss includes a riser portion that follows the contour of the first and second roof sections as they extend from one side wall to the other.
12. The folding shed of claim 9, wherein the truss provides vertical support to the first and second roof sections limiting their ability to sag.
13. The folding shed of claim 9, wherein a plurality of trusses are positioned between the first end wall and the second end wall.
14. The folding shed of claim 9, wherein the plurality of trusses extend between the first wall portion and the second wall portion.
15. A folding shed comprising
- a first sidewall and a second sidewall;
- a first roof section pivotally coupled with the first sidewall;
- a second roof section pivotally coupled with the second sidewall;
- a foldable first end wall pivotally coupled with the first sidewall and the second sidewall; and
- a foldable second end wall pivotally coupled with the first sidewall and the second sidewall, wherein a first floor section and a second floor section are operable to cover a lower interior space of the folding shed.
16. The folding shed of claim 15, wherein the first floor section is operable to pivot up from the lower interior space of the folding shed to approximately abut the first side wall as the folding shed is transformed into a folded position.
17. The folding shed of claim 15, wherein the first floor section is sandwiched between the first sidewall and the first end wall when the folding shed is folded.
18. The folding shed of claim 15, wherein the first side wall includes protrusions on a first end and a second end proximal to the pivotable joints with the first end wall and the second end wall, wherein the hinged connection between the first end wall and the first side wall and the second end wall and the second side wall are located on the protrusions with the first floor section operable to nest between the two protrusions.
19. A folding shed comprising
- a first sidewall and a second sidewall;
- a first roof section pivotally coupled with the first sidewall;
- a second roof section pivotally coupled with the second sidewall;
- a foldable first end wall pivotally coupled with the first sidewall and the second sidewall; and
- a foldable second end wall pivotally coupled with the first sidewall and the second sidewall, wherein at least one of the first and second end walls or first and second side walls include an aperture which receives an engagement feature from a wheel assembly operable as a jack.
20. The folding shed of claim 19, wherein the aperture is an open end of a tubular member that forms the bottom frame member of at least one of the first and second end walls or first and second side walls.
21. The folding shed of claim 20, wherein the engagement member is part of an L-shaped bracket that extends from the wheel assembly with a lateral member of the L-shaped bracket sized to engage the aperture.
22. The folding shed of claim 21, wherein the tubular member which defines the aperture includes a second aperture which passes through a side wall of the tubular member.
23. The folding shed of claim 22, wherein the lateral member includes an aperture there through. The tubular member aperture and the lateral member aperture are operable to align after the lateral member is inserted into the tubular member.
24. The folding shed of claim 23, wherein the shed includes a locking pin inserted through the aperture in the tubular member and through the aperture in the lateral member in response to the lateral member being inserted to an engagement distance within the tubular member.
25. The folding shed of claim 24, wherein each of the first and second side walls, the first and second roof sections and the first and second end walls are formed from a plurality of tubular frame members connected to one another.
26. The folding shed of claim 25, further comprising an exterior sheathing fastened to the tubular frame members on the exterior of the folding shed.
27. A folding shed comprising
- a first sidewall and a second sidewall;
- a first roof section pivotally coupled with the first sidewall;
- a second roof section pivotally coupled with the second sidewall;
- a foldable first end wall pivotally coupled with the first sidewall and the second sidewall; and
- a foldable second end wall pivotally coupled with the first sidewall and the second sidewall, wherein at least one of the first and second end walls or first and second side walls is a common wall with another structure.
28. The folding shed of claim 27, wherein the structure is be a semi-trailer.
29. The folding shed of claim 27, wherein the common wall is a side wall and the end walls flex out away from the common wall.
30. The folding shed of claim 27, wherein the second roof section is pivotably attached to the common wall.
31. A folding shed comprising
- a first sidewall and a second sidewall;
- a first roof section pivotally coupled with the first sidewall;
- a second roof section pivotally coupled with the second sidewall;
- a foldable first end wall pivotally coupled with the first sidewall and the second sidewall; and
- a foldable second end wall pivotally coupled with the first sidewall and the second sidewall, the first and second roof section are configured to pivot from the outside of the sidewalls around to be placed in a position proximal the tops of the first and second end wall, wherein the first roof section folds over and engages the seal plate against the top of the second roof section, wherein the seal plate has a first leg and second leg with a first angle there between and the angle is less than the angle between the top surface of the first roof section and the top surface of the second roof section with the seal plate contacting the top surface of the second roof section.
Type: Application
Filed: Nov 18, 2015
Publication Date: May 19, 2016
Inventors: Paul E. Schaffert (Indianola, NE), Morris L. Hartman (Hayes Center, NE)
Application Number: 14/945,173