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US 5,487,242 AGranted
Method and apparatus for uniformly tensioning fabric panels of portable buildings
OwnerRobert M. Staffordinventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A building structure has a plurality of arches having supporting base plates with J-brackets at lower ends of the arches, a plurality of horizontally extending purlins rigidly connected between adjacent arches for cross-bracing adjacent arches, a plurality of panels connected between corresponding arches. The panels have reinforced lower corners and a first line secured to opposite reinforced corners and extending generally arcuately therebetween and a second line secured by the J-bracket to opposite reinforced corners and extending generally linearly therebetween.
Claims16
A building structure, comprising:
- a plurality of arches, each arch spanning a transverse distance and being longitudinally spaced apart from adjacent arches, each arch having lower ends attached to base plates, the base plates having at least one J-bracket with a flat center and a curled end located near each respective arch, the base plates for securing the lower ends of the arches in the longitudinally spaced, transversely extending, vertical positions;
- and
- a panel coupled to the adjacent arches, the panel having a width corresponding to the longitudinal distance between adjacent arches, a length corresponding to the transverse distance spanned by the arches, reinforced lower corners located near the lower ends of the arches, means for connecting the panel to corresponding arches, and a first line secured to longitudinally opposite corners and extending generally arcuately therebetween and a second line secured by the J-bracket to longitudinally opposite corners and extending generally linearly therebetween, both first and second lines being spaced a predetermined distance apart in the transverse direction to thereby longitudinally and transversely tension the panel.
A portable building structure, comprising:
- a plurality of arches, each arch spanning a transverse distance and being longitudinally spaced apart from adjacent arches, each arch having lower ends attached to base plates, the base plates having at least one J-bracket with a flat center and a curled end located near each respective arch, the base plates securing the lower ends of the arches in the longitudinally spaced, transversely extending, vertical positions;
- a plurality of horizontally extending purlins rigidly connected between the adjacent arches at opposite ends of the purlins;
- a plurality of lines connected to base plates and opposite ends of the purlins to form cross-braces between the adjacent arches;
- and
- one or more panels attached to the adjacent arches, each panel having a width corresponding to the longitudinal distance between adjacent arches, a length corresponding to the transverse distance spanned by the arches, means for connecting the panels to corresponding arches, and reinforced lower corners located near the lower ends of the arches, wherein each panel has a first line secured to longitudinally opposite reinforced corners and extending generally arcuately therebetween and a second line secured by the J-bracket to longitudinally opposite reinforced corners and extending generally linearly therebetween, both first and second lines being spaced a predetermined distance apart in the transverse direction to thereby longitudinally and transversely tension each respective panel.
2 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.