Water and land-based modular system for environmentally versatile housing, shelter and commercial use

Inventor: Charles I. Wee (Glendale, CA)

B63B3/08 B63B17/02 B63B29/025 B63B35/38 E04B1/34861 E04H1/005 E04H1/12 E04H1/1205 E04H9/145 E04H15/008 H04N1/32625 H04N1/32651 H04N1/32667 B63B21/50 B63B2035/4426 E04B2001/34884 Y02A10/30 Y02A30/00 Y02A50/00

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Quick Facts

Patent No.: US 12703461
App. No.: 17/814,822
Filed: Jul 25, 2022
Granted: Aug 11, 2026
Kind: B2
Examiner: VASUDEVA, AJAY
Art Unit: 3615
USPC: 358/1.14

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Abstract

A sustainable floating and land application community based on a mass-produced modular, pre-fabricated kit of parts referred to as floating modular units (FMU) or land module units (LMU). Both modular units are designed to allow for various needs while remaining simple to deliver and assemble by hand in remote destinations prone to volatile shifts in water levels and currents. Both floating and land module units can be erected for use on land and bodies of water.

Claims (39)

1 . A transportable structure kit for use in assembling at least one level of communities for land or water comprising:

a top portion having a plurality of upper inserts formed into an upper surface thereof;

a deck assembly having a plurality of bottom inserts formed into a lower surface thereof;

a bottom portion, wherein the top portion, the deck assembly and the bottom portion together form a single story, and wherein the bottom portion comprises a plurality of bottom portion connector recesses spaced along an outermost periphery of the bottom portion and recessed inwardly from a vertical exterior of the bottom portion, wherein each of the plurality of upper inserts and the plurality of bottom inserts are configured to snap fit within a plurality of deck recesses formed into a top surface of the bottom portion;

a plurality of column members, each column member is connected at a first end to a top surface of the deck assembly and at a second end to a bottom surface of the top portion to support a shelter mode configuration of the single story;

at least four panels, each panel connected to the top portion and deck assembly to form an enclosed shelter mode configuration of the single story; and

a plurality of connecting means configured to be plugged into the plurality of bottom portion connector recesses, one or more of the connecting means configured to adjoin another horizontally adjacent shelter mode configuration;

wherein the top portion and the deck assembly are interchangeable with one another in the shelter mode configuration by rotating each by 180 degrees, such that the rotated top portion substitutes for use as the deck assembly and the rotated deck assembly substitutes for use as the top portion.

2 . A method of assembling a shelter structure community for land or water comprising at least a shelter mode configuration from a transportable structure kit that forms a single story, the kit comprising: a top portion including a plurality of upper inserts molded into an upper surface of an upper insert molded into the top portion and extending along a perimeter of the top portion, a deck assembly including a plurality of bottom inserts bottom insert molded into a bottom surface of the deck assembly and extending along a perimeter of the deck assembly, a bottom portion including a plurality of deck recesses deck recess formed into a top surface of the bottom portion which extends along a perimeter of the bottom portion, and a plurality of column members wherein the plurality of upper inserts of the top portion and the plurality of bottom inserts of the deck assembly are configured to snap fit into the plurality of deck recesses of the bottom portion; the method comprising:

connecting the bottom surface of the deck assembly to the top surface of the bottom portion by snapping the bottom inserts into the deck recesses;

connecting at least one end of a column member to a top surface of the deck assembly and at the other end to a bottom surface of the top portion;

wherein the top portion and the deck assembly are interchangeable with one another in the shelter mode configuration by rotating each by 180 degrees such that the rotated top portion substitutes for use as the deck assembly and the rotated deck assembly substitutes for use as the top portion.

3 . The method of claim 2 , further comprising connecting at least one base to a bottom surface of the bottom portion.

4 . The method of claim 3 , further comprising connecting a second shelter mode configuration to a top surface of a top portion of a first shelter mode configuration using a connecting means.

5 . The method of claim 4 , wherein the top portion and the deck assembly, each further comprise a plurality of connector recesses formed into an outermost perimeter edge; and wherein the bottom portion comprises a plurality of bottom portion connector recesses along an outer perimeter of the bottom portion; wherein the method further comprising:

connecting a second shelter mode configuration to a top surface of a top portion of a first shelter mode configuration by inserting a hull connector into both of at least one of the plurality of connector recesses of the top portion of the first shelter mode configuration and at least one of the plurality of bottom portion connector recesses of the second shelter mode configuration.

6 . The method of claim 2 , further comprising connecting the shelter mode configuration to the earth by an anchor assembly.

7 . The method of claim 2 , further comprising connecting a second shelter mode configuration to a top surface of a top portion of a first shelter mode configuration using a connecting means.

8 . The method of claim 2 , wherein the top portion and the deck assembly, each further comprise a plurality of connector recesses formed into an outermost perimeter edge; and wherein the bottom portion comprises a plurality of bottom portion connector recesses along an outer perimeter of the bottom portion; wherein the method further comprising:

9 . The method of claim 4 , further comprising connecting the shelter mode configuration to an adjacent shelter mode configuration using a hull connector inserted into at least one of a plurality of bottom portion connector recesses along an outer perimeter of the bottom portion.

10 . A method of assembling a shelter structure community for land or water comprising at least a shelter mode configuration from a transportable structure kit that forms a single story, the kit comprising: a top portion including an upper insert formed into the top portion, a deck assembly including a bottom insert formed into a bottom surface of the deck assembly, a bottom portion including a deck recess formed into a top surface of the bottom portion, and a plurality of column members; the method comprising:

connecting the bottom surface of the deck assembly to the top surface of the bottom portion by snapping the bottom insert into the deck recess;

connecting at least one end of a column member to a top surface of the deck assembly and at the other end to a bottom surface of the top portion; and

connecting the shelter mode configuration to an adjacent shelter mode configuration using a hull connector inserted into at least one of a plurality of bottom portion connector recesses along an outer perimeter of the bottom portion;

11 . The method of claim 10 , further comprising connecting at least one base to a bottom surface of the bottom portion.

12 . The method of claim 10 , further comprising connecting the shelter mode configuration to the earth by an anchor assembly.

13 . The method of claim 10 , further comprising connecting a second shelter mode configuration to a top surface of a top portion of a first shelter mode configuration using a connecting means.

14 . The method of claim 10 , wherein the top portion and the deck assembly, each further comprise a plurality of connector recesses formed into an outermost perimeter edge; and wherein the bottom portion comprises a plurality of bottom portion connector recesses along an outer perimeter of the bottom portion; wherein the method further comprising:

15 . A method of assembling a shelter structure community for land or water comprising at least a shelter mode configuration from a transportable structure kit that forms a single story, the kit comprising: a top portion including an upper insert formed into the top portion, a deck assembly including a bottom insert formed into a bottom surface of the deck assembly, a bottom portion including a deck recess formed into a top surface of the bottom portion, and a plurality of column members; the method comprising:

connecting the bottom surface of the deck assembly to the top surface of the bottom portion by snapping the bottom insert into the deck recess;

connecting at least one end of a column member to a top surface of the deck assembly and at the other end to a bottom surface of the top portion;

wherein the top portion and the bottom surface of the deck assembly, each further comprise a plurality of connector recesses formed into an outermost perimeter edge; and wherein the bottom portion comprises a plurality of bottom portion connector recesses along an outer perimeter of the bottom portion; and

16 . The method of claim 15 , further comprising connecting at least one base to a bottom surface of the bottom portion.

17 . The method of claim 15 , further comprising connecting the shelter mode configuration to an adjacent shelter mode configuration using a hull connector inserted into at least one of a plurality of bottom portion connector recesses along an outer perimeter of the bottom portion.