Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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FRAMES FOR SUPPORTING SERVICE CELLS
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This patent application claims benefit under 35 U.S.C. 119(e) of
copending, U.S.
Provisional Patent Application, Ser. No. 61/185,240, filed June 9, 2009, the
disclosure of which
is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.
COPYRIGHT NOTICE
[0002] A portion of the disclosure of this patent document contains material,
which is
subject to copyright protection. The copyright owner has no objection to the
facsimile
reproduction by anyone of the patent document or the patent disclosure, as it
appears in the
United States Patent and Trademark Office files or records, but otherwise
reserves all copyright
rights whatsoever.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0003] This invention relates generally to structures used to support
components arranged
in a building site plan and, more particularly, to a frame structure for
supporting modular
components providing one or more services to the building site.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0004] Traditional building sites often include ancillary structures for
housing equipment
to provide various services to the site such as, for example, utilities (e.g.,
power, water, and the
like). The ancillary structures are typically configured as a central point
to, for example, provide
the service from utility company distribution lines to the site. From the
ancillary structures, the
utilities may be distributed where needed on site through or along a
distribution network
including conduits such as pipes, cables and the like, run above or below
grade. Generally
speaking, concrete is poured to form foundations or slabs supporting the
ancillary structures.
Once poured and constructed, it can be difficult, time consuming and/or
expensive to reconfigure
the slab support for a change in site design or needs such as, for example, to
increase capacity
and/or provide new services.
[0005] Recently, there has been a growth in the use of modular building
techniques
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wherein a number of pre-manufactured, modular cells are configured to provide
one or more
services to a building site. That is, the modular cells are individual
building blocks that are
housed in an individual building structure or, are arranged in the open air of
a building site on,
for example, a single or multiple concrete slabs. Each modular cell may
provide one or more
services or, two or more cells may cooperate to provide one or more services
to the site. At least
one modular building technique includes the use of standardized shipping
containers to house
equipment providing services to a site. For example, International
Organization for
Standardization (ISO) containers, also known as Intermodal Transport Units
(ITUs) may house
equipment such as power generators, heating and cooling equipment, and the
like. At least some
perceived benefits seen from the use of such ISO containers are a reduction in
cost and time of
constructing a housing structure for equipment to service the site. For
example, Turner
Logistics, LLC of Hawthorne, NY (USA), the assignee of the present
application, has a
copending, U.S. Provisional Patent Application, Ser. No. 61/090,057, that
teaches the use of one
or more ISO containers to configure a data center. The disclosure of the above-
identified U.S.
patent document is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.
[0006] Even with the use of modular building techniques employing modular
cells as
building blocks, changes in site design or the needs of the site may exceed
the existing capacity
of the building housing the modular cells or the open air configuration of the
one or more slabs
supporting the cells. As a result, time consuming and/or expensive
reconfiguration of the
support structures may be needed before additional cells or a modification to
cell configuration
may be possible.
[0007] The inventors have recognized that a need existing for a scalable
support structure
that can efficiently accommodate a reconfiguration, e.g., addition or
modification, of modular
cells of a building site.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0008] The present invention resides in one aspect in a frame for supporting
one or more
modular cells that provide one or more services to a site. The frame includes
a plurality of
footings and a frame assembly disposed on the footings. The frame assembly
includes a plurality
of support rails and a plurality of connecting rails extending between and
joined to the support
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rails. In one embodiment, a plurality of locking mechanisms is selectively
disposed about the
frame assembly to receive and retain a portion of one or more of the modular
cells. As needed,
the locking mechanisms are released to permit a modification of a
configuration of the modular
cells disposed on the frame.
[0009] In one embodiment, the footings and the frame assembly contribute to
define a
service area between a lower surface of the cells and grade of the site. In
one embodiment, one
or more of the support rails includes one or more through-holes. The through-
holes are
configured to receive conduits for providing one or more services to and
between the one or
more cells. The conduits are accessible and serviceable in place by means of
the service area.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0010] The features and advantages of the present invention will be better
understood
when the Detailed Description of the Preferred Embodiments given below is
considered in
conjunction with the figures provided.
[0011] Fig. 1 is a schematic perspective view of one embodiment of a frame for
supporting modular cells providing services to a building site.
[0012] Fig. 2 is a plan view of the frame and cells of Fig. 1.
[0013] Fig. 3 is a partial, detailed view of a portion of the frame and cells
of Fig. 1
labeled "Detail 3".
[0014] Fig. 4 is a view of a portion of the frame and cell take along line 4-4
of Fig. 2.
[0015] Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the frame of Fig. 1 illustrating
exemplary
placement of conduits therein.
[0016] Fig. 6 is a partial elevational view of the frame and cells of Fig. 1
including the
conduits of Fig. 5.
[0017] Fig. 7 is a schematic perspective view of one embodiment of a frame for
supporting modular cells arranged in a stacked configuration for providing
services to a building
site.
[0018] Fig. 8 is a perspective view of a prior art twist lock that may be used
in a
particular embodiment of the invention.
[0019] In these figures like structures are assigned like reference numerals,
but may not
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be referenced in the description of all figures.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0020] Figs. 1 and 2 illustrate one embodiment of a frame, shown generally at
10, for
supporting one or more modular cells such as, for example, two modular cells
12, 14, that
provide one or more services to a building site. In one embodiment, the frame
10 includes a
frame assembly 16 comprising a plurality of support rails, for example, three
support rails 18, 20,
and 22. In one embodiment, the frame assembly 16 also comprises a first
plurality of connecting
rails 24a, 24b, 24c, 24d, 24e, and 24f which extend between, and which are
joined to, the support
rails 18 and 20, and a second plurality of connecting rails 26a, 26b, 26c,
26d, 26e, and 26f, which
extend between, and which are joined to, the support rails 20 and 22. In the
embodiment shown,
the frame assembly 16 rests on a plurality of footings that each support a
portion of the support
rails 18, 20 and 22. For example, in one embodiment, footings 28a, 28b, 28c,
28d, 28e, and 28f
support the support rail 18; footings 30a, 30b, 30c, 30d, 30e, and 30f support
the support rail 20;
and footings 32a, 32b, 32c, 32d, 32e, and 32f support the support rail 22. In
one embodiment,
the footings 28a through 32f are installed within grade of a building site. In
another
embodiment, the footings 28a through 32f may be piers and rest on a floor of
an existing
building structure.
[0021] Various dimensions of the frame assembly 16 are indicated in Fig. 2.
For
example, the support rails 18, 20 and 22 are illustrated as being
substantially parallel to each
other and adjacent support rails are spaced from each other by equal support
rail separation
distances Dsrl and Dsr2. However, the invention is not limited in this regard,
and in other
embodiments, some or all of the separation distances between adjacent support
rails 18, 20 and
22 may differ from each other. For example, the distance Dsrl may be the same
or differ from
the distance Dsr2. Similarly, in embodiments utilizing more than three support
rails, distances
between two or more support rails may differ. Moreover, as shown in Figs. 1
and 2, the support
rails 18, 20 and 22 are all of a substantially same length Lsr, however, the
invention is not
limited in this regard, and in other embodiments, one or more of the support
rails 18, 20 and 22
may have different lengths from others, as is described further below.
[0022] In one embodiment, the connecting rails 24a-24f and 26a-26f are affixed
to the
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respective support rails in a substantially parallel manner and are separated
from adjacent rails by
connecting rail spacing distances, three exemplary ones of which are indicated
as C 1 a, Cl b, Cl c
in Fig. 2. In one embodiment, lengths of the connecting rail spacing distances
between adjacent
connecting rails (e.g., C1a from rail 24a to rail 24b, C I b from rail 24b to
rail 24c, etc.) are equal,
however, the invention is not limited in this regard, and in other
embodiments, some or all of the
connecting rail spacing distances may differ from each other. For example, it
may be desirable
to have more connecting rails (and therefore, less space between connecting
rails) in a region of
the frame assembly 16 that is intended to support, for example, heavier loads
than other regions.
Additionally, connecting rail spacing distances may accommodate widths of one
or more cells to
be supported by the frame assembly 16, as described below.
[0023] As shown in Fig. 2, the footings 28a-28f, 30a-30f, and 32a-32f, are
each spaced
from adjacent footings along a length of respective support rails 18, 20 and
22 by footing space
distances, two exemplary ones of which are indicated as FS 1 a, FS 1 b in Fig.
2. In one
embodiment, the footing space distances FS 1 a, FS 1b, etc. of the frame
assembly 16 are all equal
to each other, however, the invention is not limited in this regard, and in
other embodiments,
some or all of the footing space distances may differ from each other. For
example, it may be
desirable to employ more footings in a region of the frame assembly 16 that is
intended to
support heavier loads than other regions, or in a region of the frame 10 that
rests on grade or
flooring that is less stable than under other regions of the frame 10. In such
regions, a greater
number of footings may be used to support a heavier load and the disposition
of the footings may
be based on a position that permits supporting of the heavier load by
distribution of the load
among the footings. For example, a first portion of a frame assembly may be
associated with a
first number of a plurality of footings and a second portion of the frame
assembly may be
associated with a second number of the plurality of footings. In some
embodiments, the first
number of the plurality of footings is greater than the second number of the
plurality of footings
such that the first number of footings support the heavier load.
[0024] As seen in Fig. 2, the support rail separation distances Dsrl and Dsr2
are sized
such that corners or ends of containers 12 and 14 rest upon support rails,
e.g., ends 12a and 12b
of container 12 rest on support rails 18 and 22, respectively, and the ends
14a and 14b of
container 14 rest on support rails 20 and 22, respectively. In a particular
embodiment, containers
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12 and 14 each conform to a standard ISO container configuration, for example,
container 12 has
a length L12 of about forty feet (40 ft, 12.19 meters) and a width W12 of
about eight feet (8 ft,
2.44 meters) and container 14 has a length L14 of about twenty feet (20 ft,
6.09 meters). Thus,
in one embodiment, the spacing between adjacent support rails 18, 20 and 22
corresponds to a
standard ISO container length of about twenty feet (20 ft, 6.09 meters) and
the spacing between
support rails 18 and 22 corresponds to a standard ISO container length of
about forty feet (40 ft,
12.19 meters). Therefore, the frame assembly 16 can support a plurality of
twenty and forty-foot
long ISO containers in side-by-side relation to each other with the ends of
the containers on
respective support rails. However, the invention is not limited in this
regard, and in other
embodiments, the frame 10 may support containers of other lengths and widths
in this manner,
such as, for example, other standard ISO container lengths of forty-five feet
(45 ft, 13.7 meters),
forty-eight feet (48 ft, 14.6 meters), or fifty-three feet (53 ft, 16.2
meters). As should be
appreciated, support rails separation distances (e.g., Dsrl, Dsr2, and the
like) as well as
connecting rail spacing distances (e. g., C 1 a, C 1 b, C 1 c, and the like)
may vary from that
described above to accommodate the use of other standard ISO container lengths
and widths
outlined herein.
[0025] As seen in Fig. 3 and 4, in one embodiment, the footing 28a comprises a
pre-cast
base 32 in which an embed plate 34 is secured. The footing 28a further
comprises a clamp 36
affixed (e.g., welded) onto the embed plate, for engaging the support rail 18.
The footing 28a
may be placed on a pre-existing concrete pad, but also may be placed on
compressed soil or
stone, thus providing cost-effective alternatives to the pouring of a concrete
pad. However, the
invention is not limited in this regard, and in other embodiments, the pre-
cast base 32 may be
partly or completely embedded in the ground.
[0026] The footing 28a and the other footings of the frame 10 are configured
to securely
engage the support rails 18, 20 and 22, respectively, so that the frame
assembly 16 resists
displacement due to environmental conditions such as, for example, ground
vibrations, high
wind conditions, or the like. As shown in Fig. 3, in one embodiment, the
support rails 18, 20 and
22 each have a generally I-beam configuration. For example, support rail 18
includes a
horizontal foot flange 18a, a vertical web 18b and a horizontal head flange
18c. The rail clamp
36 securely engages the foot flange 18a to couple the support rail 18 to the
footing 28a. In one
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embodiment, the rail clamp 36 engages the foot flange 18a in a similar manner
as conventional
railway rail clamps engage rail tracks The materials of the footing 28a are
selected so that the
support rail 18 will not be dislodged from the footing 28a by ground
vibrations as may be caused
by, for example, environmental conditions such as earthquakes, high velocity
wind from storms,
and the like, as well as inadvertent contact by, for example, a vehicle or
moving equipment. In
addition, by virtue of rail clamp 36, which bears down on the foot flange 18a
by means of a
threaded bolt, footing 28a engages the support rail 18 in a releasable manner
in contrast to
permanent engagement between the footing 28a and support rail 18 as would
result from, for
example, welding or by casting the pre-cast base 32 around the foot flange
18a.
[0027] As shown in Fig. 3, the footing 28a provides for the support rail 18 a
clearance
distance Df28 above grade. The clearance distance provided by other footings
28b-28f, 30a-30f,
and 32a-32f, may be the same as, or different from clearance distance Df28 as
needed to
accommodate variations in the floor or grade on which the footings are mounted
so that the
frame assembly 16 has the desired orientation, e.g., maintaining the
containers 12 and 14
substantially level on the frame assembly 16. In one embodiment, shims, blocks
or the like, may
be used between the footing and the foot flange to obtain the desired
orientation. The support
rail 18 has a height Ds, and provides a minimum ground clearance defined as Ds
plus Df28a
above grade.
[0028] As illustrated in Fig. 3, in one embodiment, comers of the containers
12 and 14
are equipped with corner fittings 12c and 14c, respectively, which provide
anchor holes for
locking mechanisms. The frame assembly 16 includes a plurality of locking
mechanisms, shown
generally at 35, that are mounted on the support rails 18, 20 and 22, and that
are configured to
engage the anchor holes in the corner fittings 12c and 14c. In one
illustrative embodiment, the
corner fittings 12c and 14c are ISO 1161 corner fittings, and the locking
mechanisms 35
comprise commercially available twistlock mechanisms including a twistlock
base 35a and a
twistlock module 35b. The locking mechanisms 35 secure the containers in place
on the frame
10. Preferably, the locking mechanisms 35 may be selectively enabled and
disabled to permit
realignment of the containers 12 and 14 on the frame 10. Moreover, the locking
mechanisms 35
add an additional height DL to the clearance of the containers 12 and 14 above
grade. However,
the invention is not limited in this regard, and in other embodiments, other
types of comer
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fittings and locking mechanisms may be used, and in still other embodiments,
the end 12a of the
container 12 be secured directly on the top flange 18c. In one embodiment, a
plurality of locking
mechanisms 35 are selectively installed on the frame assembly 16 to support
interchangeability
of modular cells such as, for example, when one or more cells are added or
replaced to increase
capacity of a service provided to the site. In some embodiments, the twistlock
modules may be
coupled to the frame based on lengths and widths of one or more cells to be
supported by the
frame assembly 16.
[0029] As shown in Fig. 3, in one embodiment, the connecting rail 24a is
joined to the
support rail 18 by a bracket 38, which is secured to the connecting rail 24a
at points 40 and 42
by, for example, welding or with fasteners.
[0030] It should be appreciated that since frame assembly 16 is rigid and the
containers
12 and 14 are secured or locked thereon, the effective base of each of the
containers is increased,
thus increasing the moment of inertia about their respective central axes that
would be needed to
overturn the containers. Therefore, when the containers 12 and 14 are locked
onto the frame 10,
they are more resistant to being over-turned as a result of seismic shock or
other physical
disturbances (e.g., an accidental collision with another container during
deployment, inadvertent
contact with vehicular or equipment traffic on the site, severe wind
conditions, and the like) than
if they containers were simply placed on a floor or grade at a building site.
As shown in Fig. 7,
in one embodiment, a plurality of containers are arranged on the frame 10 in
side-by-side and/or
stacked configurations, as is needed or desired to provide services to the
building site. For
example, a container 80 is disposed on top of the container 12 and containers
84 and 86 are
arrange in a stacked configuration on the frame 10. As noted above, the frame
10 increases the
effective base of the containers 12, 14, 80, 84 and 86 to increase the moment
of inertia thereof.
[0031] As shown in Figs. 1, 4, 5 and 6, in one embodiment, the support rails
18, 20 and
22 include one or more through-holes such as holes 44a, 44b, 44c, 44d, and
44e, located along a
length of support rail 18 and holes 46a, 46b, 46c, 46d, and 46e, located along
a length of support
rail 20. In one embodiment, the through-holes, e.g., holes 44a-44e and 46a-
46e, permit passage
of conduits 50 (e.g., pipes, tubing, duct work, cables, and the like)
individually, or as a group or
rack 52, that may provide service to or distribute service from and between
containers disposed
on the frame 10. For example, the elevated positioning of containers 12 and 14
on the frame
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assembly 16 creates a service area W (Fig. 3), between a bottom surface B of
the containers 12
and 14 and a finish grade G of the building site. In one embodiment, the
conduits 50 and 52
running in the service area W beneath the containers 12 and 14 may carry
wiring for distributing
power or electronic data to and between containers, distribute air provided
from a HVAC system
70 (Fig. 6) to control the internal atmosphere within the containers 12 and
14, such as to provide
heat, air conditioning or to control humidity, and the like. It should be
appreciated that in some
embodiments, fewer than all of the support rails 18, 20 and 22 in the frame
assembly 16 may
include the through holes, and/or one or more of the support rails may have
only one through-
hole, or no holes at all. As shown in Fig. 5, the conduits 50 and conduit
racks 52 may be
connected via one or more conduit pull and/or service boxes 60. In one
embodiment, the pull
and/or service boxes 60 assist deployment, maintenance or upgrade of the
conduits 50 and 52
and/or components running therethrough (e.g., wiring, connectors, and the
like). As should be
appreciated, access to the conduits 50, conduit racks 52 and boxes 60 is
provided to personnel
via the service area W.
[0032] As seen in Fig. 3, the connecting rail 24a has a height Hcr which is
less than the
height Ds of the support rails 18, 20 and 22. In addition, the connecting rail
24a is mounted at
the foot of the support rail 18, i.e., close to the footing 28a, to leave a
clearance space C between
the top of the connecting rail 24a and the top of the support rail 18. The
clearance space C
contributes to and provides access by, for example, maintenance personnel, to
the service area W
between the connecting rail 24a and the bottom of the container 12 without
having to lift the
container 12 off from the frame assembly 16. As shown in Fig. 3, the height DL
provided by the
locking mechanism 35 also contributes to the service area W.
[0033] It should be noted that in one embodiment, the footings 28a-28f, 30a-
30f, and
32a-32f, releasably engage the support rails 18, 20 and 22 of the frame
assembly 16. For
example, in the illustrated embodiments, the rail clamps 36 can be loosened to
release the
support rails 18, 20 and 22 so that the frame assembly 16 may be lifted off
the footings 28a-28f,
30a-30f, and 32a-32f. This allows for maintenance and repair of the footings
28a-28f, 30a-30f,
and 32a-32f, and the flooring or grade on which the footings rest, and for the
re-installation of
the frame assembly 16 on the footings 28a-28f, 30a-30f, and 32a-32f once
maintenance and/or
repairs are complete. Optionally, maintenance and/or upgrade may include re-
positioning one or
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more footings or adding footings so that the frame 10 can support additional
containers and/or
container loads. Conversely, a damaged frame assembly 16 can be removed and
replaced to
allow the facility to resume operation when the damaged frame is replaced.
Moreover, the
releasable engagement of the containers 12 and 14 via the locking mechanisms
35 permit
selective removal of the containers 12 and 14 so that maintenance or upgrade
may be done with
the frame assembly 16 in place on the footings.
[0034] As mentioned above, the broad base effectively provided by the frame 10
to
containers 12 and 14 on the frame 10 decreases the likelihood that the
containers might by
overturned as a result of seismic, wind and other environmental disturbances.
To further insulate
the containers 12, 14 on the frame 10 from such disturbances, the frame 10 may
include shock
absorbing components, for example, resilient elastic components or components
that will
undergo deformation to absorb and/or dissipate seismic shock energy or energy
transferred to a
container as a result of a collision between containers. For example, in one
embodiment, in
place of locking mechanism 35, the frame assembly 16 may comprise a twistlock
mechanism
that includes one or more steel cable coil springs, as shown in a known
twistlock mechanism 90
illustrated in Fig. 8. The twistlock mechanism 90 has a base 92 that engages
one of the support
rail (such as support rail 18), a rotatable flange 94 for engaging a corner
fitting of a container
(e.g., corner fitting 12c), and between the base 92 and the rotatable flange
94, two rows of steel
cable coils 96a and 96b secured between a first plate 97 on the base 92 and a
second plate 98 on
which the rotatable flange 94 is mounted. Alternatively, the footings may
comprise springs, or
hydraulic shock absorbers, or elastic or plastically deformable materials that
absorb seismic
shocks of a magnitude that might overturn one or more of the containers on the
frame 10.
[0035] In one embodiment, the frame 10 is constructed to support one or more
modular
cells comprised of ISO containers having dimensions of about eight feet (8 ft,
2.4 meters) in
width x about twenty feet or forty feet (20 ft, 6.09 meters or 40 ft, 12.19
meters) in length x
about eight and one half feet (8.5 ft, 2.59 meters) in height, and having a
standard maximum
weight of about seventy-five thousand pounds (75,000 lbs). It should be
appreciated that the
frame 10 can support other ISO container sizes disposed in, for example, side-
by-side, end-to-
end, stacked multi-level configurations and combinations thereof.
[0036] It should be appreciated that the frame 10, as described herein,
provides a highly
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flexible storage facility, in that the frame 10 is easily installed,
maintained and repaired, allows
for easy access to the flooring or grade for maintenance and repair, allows
easy access for
running services (e.g., electrical, water, HVAC services, and the like) to and
between modular
cells on the frame, and is adaptable to support changing site needs such as,
for example,
additions or re-configurations of modular cells on the frame. In addition,
multiple frames 10
may be used one beside another on a site, and may be rearranged relative to
each other to expand
the storage capacity of modular cells providing services to the site, as well
as to conform to
changes in the configuration of the site.
[0037] The terms "first," "second," and the like, herein do not denote any
order,
quantity, or importance, but rather are used to distinguish one element from
another. The terms
"a" and "an" herein do not denote a limitation of quantity, but rather denote
the presence of at
least one of the referenced item.
[0038] Although the invention has been described with reference to particular
embodiments thereof, it will be understood by one of ordinary skill in the
art, upon a reading and
understanding of the foregoing disclosure, that numerous variations and
alterations to the
disclosed embodiments will fall within the scope of this invention and of the
appended claims.
