Tarpaulin including a replaceable section
AssigneeFabrication Elcargo Inc.
InventorKendrick Martin
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A tarpaulin (10) including two sections (20 and 22) linked to each other through a junction section (24). The tarpaulin (10) includes a fibrous body (30, 32 and 33) and a polymer layer (34, 36 and 37) covering or embedding at least part of the fibrous body (30, 32 and 33). The polymer layer (34, 36 and 37) is reinforced in the junction section (24) so that the latter can be cut and to remove one of the two sections (20 and 22) and to attach a replacement tarpaulin (38) to a the remaining one of the two sections (20 and 22) while protecting the fibers of the fibrous body (30, 32 and 33).
Claims24
A tarpaulin system for a vehicle, comprising:
- a main tarpaulin mountable to the vehicle, the main tarpaulin including first and second sections spaced apart from each other and a junction section extending therebetween, wherein the first and second sections include respectively first and second fibrous bodies, the first and second fibrous bodies being at least in part covered by or embedded in respectively first and second polymer layers, the main tarpaulin defining a tarpaulin peripheral edge including longitudinally opposed tarpaulin first and second end edges and laterally opposed tarpaulin side edges extending therebetween;
- and
- a replacement tarpaulin including a replacement section configured for replacing one of the first and second sections, the replacement section including a replacement fibrous body, the replacement fibrous body being at least in part covered by or embedded in a replacement polymer layer, the replacement tarpaulin also including an attachment section extending from the replacement section;
- wherein the junction section is cuttable to separate the first and second sections from each other while maintaining integrity of the first and second fibrous bodies so that the main tarpaulin is restored after the one of the first and second sections is removed and replaced by the replacement section with a remaining portion of the junction section and the attachment section joined to each other,
- further wherein
- the junction section includes a junction fibrous body, the first, second and junction fibrous bodies extend integrally as a single piece of material from each other, the junction fibrous body being secured to a junction woven reinforcement belt extending therealong between the tarpaulin side edges;
- and
- the attachment section includes attachment straps protruding from a remainder of the replacement tarpaulin;
- and
- the main tarpaulin is cuttable along the junction woven reinforcement belt to remove a damaged portion of the tarpaulin and replace the damaged section by the replacement section by securing the attachment straps and junction woven reinforcement belt to each other.
A method for repairing a main tarpaulin using a replacement tarpaulin, the main tarpaulin being mounted to a tarpaulin handling system usable to deploy and retract the main tarpaulin relative to a vehicle, the main tarpaulin including a fibrous core, the method comprising:
- deploying the main tarpaulin using the tarpaulin handling system;
- with the main tarpaulin remaining mounted to the tarpaulin handing system, cutting the main tarpaulin thereacross in a junction section provided between damaged and remaining sections of the main tarpaulin to separate the damaged and remaining sections from each other;
- removing the damaged section from the tarpaulin handling system while keeping the remaining section mounted to the tarpaulin handling system;
- mounting the replacement tarpaulin to the tarpaulin handling system and positioning the replacement tarpaulin adjacent to or overlapping with part of the remaining section;
- and
- securing the replacement and remaining sections to each other.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.