Abstract: A light-weight, integrated enclosure and fully-adjustable mounting and support system for transport and use of mobile electronic equipment in the field. A curved upper shell and flat base of sandwich panel construction are connected by reinforced plastic members to form a lightweight enclosure which can be mounted on a truck for transport. The fully adjustable mounting and support system includes rails mounted within the enclosure on which a series of frame elements are horizontally movable to accomodate electronic equipment of varying widths between the frame elements. The frame elements are also lightweight extrusions and include an elastomeric pad engaged in a vertical channel to provide infinite vertical adjustability in mounting the equipment to the frames. The enclosure is shaped for efficiently housing the equipment, reducing aerodynamic drag, and providing superior structural strength and stiffness.

Abstract: A cross-brace for connection to a pair of parallel conventional joists comprises elongate brace members assembled to form a X-shaped array, with a pair of vertical reinforcement members extending between outer ends of the brace members. The brace members and reinforcement members are connected to one another and, when the cross-brace is assembled with the joists, the reinforcement members abut mutually opposed sides of the joists. When I-beams are employed, the outer ends of the brace members and the opposite ends of the reinforcement members cooperate to form right-angled notches for snugly receiving longitudinal beam members, which are interconnected in pairs by web members against which the reinforcement members abut. The web members are connected by dovetail joints to the beam members instead of simply being inserted in a conventional manner into slots in the beam members.

Abstract: A one-piece footing/pier foundation element (10) comprises a round concrete disc-shaped footing (24) with an elongated pier (18) extending from one side thereof. An elongated embedded pier bolt (36) extending from a top surface of the pier is used for carrying the footing/pier element and for holding a girder (72) mounted on top of the pier. The footing includes on a bottom surface thereof a stabilizing element (16,64) for preventing the footing/pier from moving laterally when in position and to prevent undue settling. The footing includes elongated footing voids (40,58) parallel with the elongated pier positioned about the pier for receiving footing bolts (14) for holding angle irons (76) extending between two footings. A system and method for using these footings/pier foundation elements involves boring appropriately positioned holes in the earth, placing the footing/pier elements in those holes and supporting a building from beams extending between top surfaces of the piers and the footings.

Abstract: A building system includes prefabricated wall panels formed from steel studs, the panels being provided with supporting runners on their inner and outer sides, which runners have a first web lying along a side of the panel and a second web forming an extension of the side of the panel and cooperating with a shoe constructed to be secured to a supporting surface and having a body received between the second webs of the runners. Corner and intermediate columns are provided and the ends of the wall panels are constructed to mate with the corner and intermediate column to ensure a unified construction.

Abstract: A seismic isolation structure for use in conjunction with a foundation of a building which has a plurality of footings and a building which has a plurality of columns. At least one high damping elastomeric bearing is mounted on the footing and supports the column. At least one ultimate restraint device is connected between the footing and the support column. The ultimate restraint device is spaced apart and separate from the bearing.

Abstract: Staging particularly for use in group photography comprises spaced support assemblies 1, 2. Each support assembly comprises a rearwardly inclined truss member 3, 4 supported by a respective pair of legs 5, 6 arranged in an inverted-V configuration. Each truss carries a series of support brackets 14 to which decking members 15 are connected for pivotal movement in vertical and horizontal planes enabling the support assemblies to adopt different attitudes. The feet of the legs 5, 6 and the lower ends of the trusses swivellably stand on ground plates 13. The lower ends of the legs 5, 6 are pivotally coupled to a bracing bar 9 and their upper ends are pivoted together enabling the legs to be adjusted in length for coarse levelling of the support assemblies. A tie rod 11 joins the bracing bar 9 to the lower end of the respective truss 3, 4.

Abstract: A building cladding system comprising an infill panel mounted on frame members wherein at least one frame member has an outwardly facing abutment part against which an inwardly facing part of the infill panel is clamped by a clamping member, operating means to move the clamping member into clamping engagement with the infill panel and said means being accessible from a driving position inwardly of the panel.

Abstract: A drive-through shopping establishment having multiple buildings for ordering and purchasing goods. The shopping establishment may contain vendors of related goods, such as ready-to-eat food products, which permit the motorist to purchase one or more food products from different vendors from the comfort of his vehicle.

Abstract: The subject structure comprises at least one assembly of premanufactured components. Each component comprises at least one beam with a fixture attached at each end. The fixtures are box shaped, having tops, bottoms, ends and side faces. The fixtures are longer (from end to end) than they are high (top to bottom) or thick (face to face) and the faces are perpendicular to the length of the beam. The fixtures are generally symmetrical about a plane perpendicular to and bisecting the faces. Each fixture has a flange extending from one end and a groove in the other. The components are pivotally connected to form an assembly, the pivotal connections being pins inserted through holes to hold the flange of one fixture in the groove of the next, the pin locations being near the tops of the fixtures. The fixtures are frusto-triangular in plan view, the tops being the bases of the triangles. Cables are threaded endwise through the fixtures near their bottoms.

Abstract: A building kit is provided for the assembly of a building structure. The kit includes a plurality of building members having selected lengths and configurations. Each building member occupies a designated position in a mating engagement with at least one other companion building member to form the building structure. The building members include coded sections to provide a visual indication of which building members are to be coupled in the mating engagement, thereby facilitating assembly of the building structure. A door frame assembly can be included with the building kit. The door frame assembly includes a plurality of building members having integral connector portions to couple adjacent building members to form the door frame.

Abstract: An acoustical wall panel assembly in which each wall panel includes a rectangular metallic frame member, an acoustical core panel fixedly secured within the frame, and a decorative panel. The decorative panel is removably secured to the frame by a plurality of adhesive strip members. The wall panel assembly further includes an upper track having a downwardly extending flange portion and a cover panel secured adjacent the vertical edges of adjacent panels. The cover panel has flange portions overlying the vertical side edges of the decorative panels. The adhesive strip members, the upper and lower tracks, and the flange portions of the cover panels coact to firmly maintain the decorative panels in position relative to the frame members.

Abstract: A beam of the type used in the building industry comprising a top and bottom plate (1, 2) secured in a fixed spaced relationship from each other by corrugated sheet metal (3); the metal (3) being dispersed such that its planar surfaces span the distance between the top and bottom plates (1, 2) with the corrugations configured substantially as a rectangular wave having surfaces (4) parallel to the longitudinal axis of the plates and additionally surfaces (8) substantially transverse to such axis; the arrangement being such that the substantially transverse surfaces (8) act as spacers between the top and bottom plates (1, 2) whereas the surfaces (4) of the corrugated metal (3) lying parallel to the longitudinal axis of the top and bottom plates (1, 2) extend part way up the sides of the top and bottom plates (1, 2) to facilitate fixing thereto.

Abstract: A louvered skylight enclosure and method of manufacture therefor employ a plurality of louvered panels each made of at least two sections. Each such section is made from a cut planar member having aligned angled louvers which are placed in aligned contiguous engagement to form elongated louvers which prevent precipitation from entering the enclosure by precluding direct horizontal paths between the louvers. Use of planar members in the initial step of the method enables more efficient and lower cost fabrication.

Abstract: An anti-earthquake structure insulating the kinetic energy of earthquake from buildings, which is constructed between a building and the construction site thereof, including a plurality of supporting layers having multiple ball seats, plural ball members correspondingly disposed on and pressed between said ball seats with extremely small rolling friction thereagainst, and a plurality of sliding block linkages disposed between the building and the supporting layers, whereby horizontal displacement of the construction site can apply no horizontal force to the supporting layers, and consequently, the building will remain stable and rigid, the sliding block linkages further converting vertical wobbling force into horizontal force, permitting the horizontal force to be absorbed by multiple buffer springs via lever devices.

Abstract: A security grille is disclosed in which corresponding ends of rods, preferably of square cross-sectional shape, are clamped by initially-separate halves of clamps. The halves of each clamp become connected permanently to one another by a nub/bolt combination, wherein the nut has a drive head which shears off when the connection has been properly made. In one embodiment, the clamp halves are made by drop-stamping and the rods are made from hot-rolled steel bars. Alternatively, the clamp halves may be made as pressings and the rods may be made from cold-drawn steel bars. The clamp halves are provided with decorative covers.

Abstract: Self-supporting unit element staircase consisting of linking elements of steel tube shaped by bending into a U-form and which lie at right angles to the line of the stairs. These linking elements are connected together at their upper, open ends by means of handrail parts, which are also of steel tube and have been shaped by bending and which have a coupling sleeve welded on transversely at one end. At their lower ends, the linking elements are connected together by means of the steps, which have pipe clamp fittings at their four corners. Two different step shapes permit every desired form of flight of stairs to be constructed.

Abstract: A wall panelling for altering the acoustic properties of a wall, comprising wall elements adapted to have their orientation altered with respect to the wall. The wall panelling comprises a plurality of hinged frames mounted on the wall panelling or the wall itself and adapted to be swung away from the wall panelling or wall, respectively. The frames contain wall elements mounted therein for rotation by 180.degree. with respect to the associated frame. The front and rear faces of the wall elements have different acoustic absorption or reflection properties.

Abstract: A covering includes a cover and a frame into which the cover is inserted. A supporting surface of the cover and a cooperating bearing surface of the frame each have a surface inclined with respect to the cover plane. These surfaces are partial peripheral surfaces of a sloping cylinder and/or a sloping cone bounded by sections. As a result the partial surfaces have along their circumferences a different inclination with respect to the cover plane. Therefore the cover can only be inserted in the frame in a specific position. Since as a result of this the same surface positions of the cover and the frame always rest on one another, in the case of such coverings a tight closure can be achieved with a circular or oval opening.

Abstract: A method of fabricating polymer-coated, fabric corner members for the integrated enclosures provided for projecting products such as air conditioners on unitary roof membranes. The corners have vertical walls forming a corner, comprising forming a first generally rectangular membrane segment with a side split part way, forming a second segment with a triangular-shaped corner portion, spreading the split edges of the first segment with an elongate male die part, placing the second segment over the male die part, and utilizing an elongate female die part having flat welding edges to retain the marginal edges of the second segment in engagement with the edges of the first segment contiguous to the split, and applying energy to heat-weld the lapped edges of the first and second segments.

Abstract: A drywall sheet is marked on the reverse side thereof with a plurality of bands; the bands are of two different types according to two modular dimensions of the sheet to form two grids, which aid in positioning drywall studs prior to the sheet being secured thereto. The obverse face is marked with two complementary marked grids to assist in positioning screws or other securing means. Preferably the obverse face has screws positioning intervals marked around the bounding edge thereof.