Patent Application
20250052087
The present invention relates generally to structures for providing cover. More specifically, the present invention relates to a modular frame system for erecting a cover against a building structure.
Various tradesperson professions suffer from being highly vulnerable to or at least highly dependent on the weather and other environmental conditions in the location of a job.
For example, builders, painters, and many other types of tradesperson often have to cancel scheduled work due to rain, since rainwater on exterior surfaces actively interferes with the quality of their work. This makes it difficult to schedule their projects with certainty and leads to loss of income and frustration for their clients.
Some solutions to this problem have been proposed, such as the practice of house wrapping where scaffolding is erected about an entire building structure, with sheets of wrapping film then being wound around the scaffold structure. This process is expensive, labor and time intensive, however, and due to the unpredictable nature of building structures and their surroundings the scaffolds must be constructed to fit each individual location and there is a risk of damaging gardens. Furthermore, sections cannot be removed to allow for large building materials to be moved through easily. The process also involves one-time use of large amounts of plastic, so is not environmentally friendly.
There are few other available alternatives, since the erected cover structure needs to be sturdy enough to be able to withstand large forces from winds while also accounting for different building structures and surrounding environments.
There is a need for a solution that allows for a time efficient construction of a covering structure against a building structure, with the ability to account for variations in size and shape of a building as well as its surroundings. It is within this context that the present invention is provided.
The present disclosure provides a modular frame system which comprises a number of highly adjustable telescopic rod supports that each have a bracket element at one end for bracing the assembly against a building structure side and an adjustable base plate at the opposing and that anchors the rod support to the ground at a desired angle. The adjustable base plate can then extend a threaded shaft against the telescopic rods so that they are held in place by tension, forming a skeletal structure against the side of a building. The rear of the bracket elements comprise eyelets through which rope or line can be threaded to secure a cover sheet such as tarpaulin. The assembly allows for quick construction and disassembly of a protective cover structure against any building, regardless of the building surroundings.
According to a first aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a modular frame system comprising a plurality of telescopic rod supports, each telescopic rod supports having: a bracket element formed of at least one plate having a first surface configured to support the rod against a surface of a building structure, an opposing surface of the plate having one or more eyelets configured to receive a line or rope.
The frame system further comprises a first portion of a telescopic rod, a first end of the first portion being coupled to the bracket element by a hinged joint and a set of bolts, allowing for freedom of movement in two different axes; a second, wider portion of a telescopic rod, a first end of the second portion being coupled to a second end of the first portion by a lockable coupling configured to lock movement between the first and second portions at a fixed position; an adjustable-length support element installed within and protruding from an opposing second end of the second portion of the telescopic rod; and a base plate coupled to the adjustable-length support element by a swivel joint and configured to be anchored to the ground.
In some embodiments, the plate of the bracket element is L-shaped, the first surface being an inner surface of the L-shape.
A modular frame system according to claim 2, wherein the bracket element further comprises a clamping mechanism for securing the bracket element to a building structure.
In some embodiments, the plate of the bracket element has a plurality of screw holes formed therein.
In some embodiments, the lockable coupling between the first and second portions of the telescopic rod is a quick release friction lock.
In some embodiments, the hinged joint between the bracket element and the first portion of the telescopic rod further comprises a flat plate secured by a locknut, facilitating transverse movement about the locknut to change the angle of the bracket element with respect to the telescopic rod body.
In some embodiments, the adjustable-length support element is a threaded rod fitted within and protruding from the second end of the second portion of the telescopic rod, which has a threaded interior surface, such that rotation of the support element with respect to the telescopic rod causes extension or contraction of the telescopic rod support. The adjustable plate comprises a circulate plate with a pair of handles to allow it to be turned to extend the threaded shaft against the telescopic rod.
In some embodiments, the base plate comprises one or more openings, and wherein the modular frame system support further comprises a corresponding number of anchoring pegs for each telescopic support rod, the pegs configured to thread through the one or more openings to anchor the base plate to the ground.
In some embodiments, the modular frame system further comprises a tarpaulin sheet having a plurality of openings/eyelets arranged about its lengthwise edge of appropriate size and spacing for being tied to the eyelets of the bracket elements, the width wise edge of the sheet having a length corresponding to the length of a fully extended telescopic support rod. This allows the tarpaulin to be raised into place by pulling a rope that has been threaded through the sets of eyelets.
Various embodiments of the invention are disclosed in the following detailed description and accompanying drawings.
Common reference numerals are used throughout the figures and the detailed description to indicate like elements. One skilled in the art will readily recognize that the above figures are examples and that other architectures, modes of operation, orders of operation, and elements/functions can be provided and implemented without departing from the characteristics and features of the invention, as set forth in the claims.
The following is a detailed description of exemplary embodiments to illustrate the principles of the invention. The embodiments are provided to illustrate aspects of the invention, but the invention is not limited to any embodiment. The scope of the invention encompasses numerous alternatives, modifications and equivalent; it is limited only by the claims.
Numerous specific details are set forth in the following description in order to provide a thorough understanding of the invention. However, the invention may be practiced according to the claims without some or all of these specific details. For the purpose of clarity, technical material that is known in the technical fields related to the invention has not been described in detail so that the invention is not unnecessarily obscured.
The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. As used herein, the term “and/or” includes any combinations of one or more of the associated listed items. As used herein, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well as the singular forms, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “comprises” and/or “comprising,” when used in this specification, specify the presence of stated features, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof.
The terms “about” and “approximately” shall generally mean an acceptable degree of error or variation for the quantity measured given the nature or precision of the measurements. Typical, exemplary degrees of error or variation are within 20 percent (%), preferably within 10%, and more preferably within 5% of a given value or range of values. Numerical quantities given in this description are approximate unless stated otherwise, meaning that the term “about” or “approximately” can be inferred when not expressly stated.
It will be understood that when a feature or element is referred to as being “on” another feature or element, it can be directly on the other feature or element or intervening features and/or elements may also be present. In contrast, when a feature or element is referred to as being “directly on” another feature or element, there are no intervening features or elements present. It will also be understood that, when a feature or element is referred to as being “connected”, “attached” or “coupled” to another feature or element, it can be directly connected, attached or coupled to the other feature or element or intervening features or elements may be present. In contrast, when a feature or element is referred to as being “directly connected”, “directly attached” or “directly coupled” to another feature or element, there are no intervening features or elements present. Although described or shown with respect to one embodiment, the features and elements so described or shown can apply to other embodiments.
The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting. As used herein, the singular forms “a,” “an” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise.
Spatially relative terms, such as “under,” “below,” “lower,” “over,” “upper” and the like, may be used herein for ease of description to describe one element or feature's relationship to another when the apparatus is right side up.
The terms “first,” “second,” and the like are used herein to describe various features or elements, but these features or elements should not be limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one feature or element from another feature or element. Thus, a first feature or element discussed below could be termed a second feature or element, and similarly, a second feature or element discussed below could be termed a first feature or element without departing from the teachings of the present disclosure.
Referring to
As can be seen, each of the support rods has a bracket element 102 that consists of a pair of plates at a 90 degree angle to interface with the underside of an overhang/drainage pipe 202 of a house structure. On the rear surface of the bracket elements 102 are a set of eyelets 104 through which line or rope can be threaded to secure cover sheets such as tarpaulin (see
The bracket elements 102 are each coupled to a first portion 108 of the telescopic rods by a hinged joint 106. The joint should ideally have multiple degrees of freedom of movement, and in the present example comprises a flat portion with a locknut that can be used to secure multiple telescopic rods to the same bracket element 102 as shown (also see
The first telescopic portion 108 is coupled to and concentrically arranged with a second telescopic portion 110 via a quick release lock coupling 112 that can lock or release the movement of the two rod portions with respect to one another, allowing for the adjustment of the support rod length.
The lower end of the support rods 100 are coupled to another length adjustment mechanism 114. This is a threaded rod that is inserted into the lower end of the second portion 110 that will have a corresponding threaded inner surface. The length of the support rod 100 can thus be adjusted easily from the bottom by turning a handle 116 that causes the rod portion 110 to rotate with respect to the threaded portion 114. This is useful once the support rods 100 are already in place against the building structure 200, as the user does not have to reach up and adjust the quick release coupling 112 with their own strength, but can simply “crank” the length adjustment mechanism 114 until the rod the correct length for the location.
The opposing end of the adjustment mechanism 114 is coupled to a base plate 118 by a hinged joint 120 which can be anchored to an appropriate space on the ground by various means.
With the angle of both the base plate 118 and the bracket element 102 being adjustable with respect to the rod length, and the length of the rod also being adjustable, the rod 100 can be positioned with the base plate in any suitable position and still accommodate the shape and height of the building structure 200.
Referring to
Referring to
The plate of the bracket element 102 also has a number of openings 105 in it, allowing for screws to be inserted and provide an even more secure fit to a building structure if required.
Referring to
Referring to
The coversheet 300 is secured by ropes 304 that are threaded through the openings 306 of the coversheet edges and looped through the eyelets 104 on the back of the bracket elements 102, allowing the coversheet to be hoisted up and into place.
The top edge of the cover sheet 300 has a rigid bar support 302 which makes this process easier by preventing deformation of the coversheet as it is being hoisted into place, and which forms an additional layer of structural integrity at the top of the frame to prevent rain getting into inside the cover structure. The openings 306 also run about the other edges of the coversheet 300, allowing it to be tied in place on all sides.
Referring to
Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical terms) used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one having ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs. It will be further understood that terms, such as those defined in commonly used dictionaries, should be interpreted as having a meaning that is consistent with their meaning in the context of the relevant art and the present disclosure and will not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense unless expressly so defined herein.
The disclosed embodiments are illustrative, not restrictive. While specific configurations of the modular system have been described in a specific manner referring to the illustrated embodiments, it is understood that the present invention can be applied to a wide variety of solutions which fit within the scope and spirit of the claims. There are many alternative ways of implementing the invention.
It is to be understood that the embodiments of the invention herein described are merely illustrative of the application of the principles of the invention. Reference herein to details of the illustrated embodiments is not intended to limit the scope of the claims, which themselves recite those features regarded as essential to the invention.
