Abstract:
An underfloor storage system is disclosed. The storage system comprises a frame with a storage box and at least one raise/lower mechanisms to raise and lower the storage box. A raise/lower mechanism include at least one winch driven pulley system. The storage box includes a floor. Raising the storage box provides access to underfloor storage. In a preferred embodiment, each winch driven pulley system provides an ideal mechanical advantage of 4 and includes an additional pulley which is configured to pivot relative to the winch and thereby adjust the orientation of the pulley to the winch as the line tracks across the winch during wind up or let out of the line.
Abstract:
A horizontal diaphragm for the generation of floor and roof structures includes a plurality of construction units arranged in rows and integrated joists by clip ties, wherein a load transferring material fills spaces between adjacent construction units in a row, both transversely and longitudinally. Each construction unit includes a lip projecting toward an adjacent unit in the row and defining with the other construction unit a space for receiving the filler material. The clip ties are anchored in the joists and are movable from a position obstructing the placement of additional construction units on the joists to a position integrating the previous construction unit with the joists. The joists comprise U-shaped troughs filled with grout in which the clip ties are anchored at spaced locations. The structure defining the trough can be monolithic or can comprise a plurality of discrete units placed in alignment and connected by reinforcing bars. The joists themselves can be monolithic, integrating the troughs and the grout around the reinforcement.
Abstract:
This invention deals with certain specific building blocks that when used in combination, are essentially the only required building blocks to construct an entire building including foundations, if required, floors, bonding beams, supporting and non-supporting walls supporting and non-supporting partitions, and roofs.
Abstract:
A load-carrying building structure, particularly ceilings and floors, comprising an assembly of prefabricated box-shaped components made from appropriate non-viscoelastic material like wood, steel and concrete. The box-shaped components are held together to form a rigid structure by means of tensioning members, a plurality of rods made from high quality steel arranged in at least two crossing directions. The rods are positioned and tensioned to such a degree that the tensile stresses in the structure due to dead load and live load are entirely eliminated by the compression stresses brought to the structure by the tensioning members. The mentioned boxes are thin-walled with a ratio between length: thickness of at least 30:1, and the ratio between depth:length is between 1:1 and 1:4.
Abstract:
A monobloc box building member for use in horizontal structural components of buildings. The box is of rectangular section, formed with a bottom and sidewalls of low height relative to their width.
Abstract:
Disclosed are complex construction-supporting structures made up of two-walled, plane load-bearing structural modules which are designed for the production of two-walled, plane load-bearing structures that are made up of individual, assembled, plane load-bearing structural modules and form primary-shell load-bearing systems which in turn are combined, possibly with the additional use of complementary components such as plane truss elements (9), in order to form complex construction-supporting structures which can be used in the presence of rising sea levels or groundwater tables, poor foundation soils, and earthquakes.
Abstract:
A mechanism for supporting and positioning a glass floor unit relative to a base utilizing a support positioned to contact the glass floor unit. An adjuster interacts with a receiver fixed to the base. The adjuster includes a contact element which moves the support and exerts a force against the glass floor unit in an upward direction.
Abstract:
This invention concerns a system of construction elements for the dry construction of a structure by way of shaped protrusions for mutual connection during assembly. It consists of construction element modules for raising walls, the ceiling and roof, and that the module consists of two elements with adjacent sides connected by a third element, creating a self-tightening connection, and the shaped protrusions of construction elements have two lateral contact surfaces, guiding (1) and self-tightening (2), inclined at specific angles α and β, and these angles are determined, respectively, between the perpendicular to the upper or lower protrusion surface and the guiding or self-tightening surface. The invention also includes applications of the specified system for raising compact and low structures, as well as for completing walls in buildings with skeletal constructions, and also as a block system for raising miniature constructions.
Abstract:
The invention relates to an artificial stone floor element with a basic shape that corresponds to the combination of a plurality of square basic elements, especially to an angular floor element. The floor element includes projections and recesses along its peripheral sides of the basic element when seen from the center of the respective top face of the basic element is substantially point-symmetric with respect to its mid-point. The inventive floor element is further characterized in that the profile consists of three projections and three recesses.