Abstract: A parking platform for automobiles in which the flooring is supported by cross members secured at each end to struts having vertical walls, the ends of the struts of which the flooring is comprised are turned down into slits in the transverse members. The flooring is held down by a plate which bridges the ends of adjacent flooring strips the plate being secured to a stirrup within the transverse members.

Abstract: A torque fin ground anchor useful as a cable anchor or post anchor, has angled or tilted fins presenting large surface areas to the ground and radiating from a central pile which is preferably a hollow tube, with the fins preferably flat rectangles having tapered leading edges. When used as a torque fin cable anchor, a cable is attached to one of the fins through a hole located rearward of the mid point of the fin and near a lateral edge of the fin. The cable anchor is driven lengthwise into the ground, the cable is tensioned and the anchor tilted to a transverse underground maximum retention position. When used as a torque fin post anchor, it is also driven lengthwise into the ground, a post is telescoped into the tube portion and locked thereto by a clamp.

Abstract: A secondary handhole is placed in a small excavation in the ground to a depth where its cover is at ground level. It is a comparatively lightweight, portable, substantially strong and essentially unitary structure, which is shipped ready for installation at an excavation site. It provides a protective housing for secondary cable connections of underground electrical utlities and assures their prompt location by observing its ground surface level cover. The secondary handhole, in one embodiment made of fiberglass, has a three-sided rectangular body, with two sides being spaced by a reinforcing cross member extending across the bottom. There are vertical notches in the body at its open end, which extend from the top to a point just below the midline of the body to receive a removable gate extending between the two sides at an elevation higher than the location of the reinforcing cross member.

Abstract: Facing structures for buildings simulating brick, stone, shingle and the like consisting of rectangular shaped panels of identical construction that interlock, overlap and abut with each other, each panel having a flange extending along its top and a first side edge that terminates in a wedge shaped edge portion that is received by a mating slot portion formed along the bottom and other side edge. The top and first side flanges are provided with openings for receiving rails that are overlapped by the edges of the adjoining panels along the slotted portions; the portion of these flanges along the tops of the panels not overlapped by the adjoining panels form a continuous mortar line while the portion of the flanges along the sides of the panels not overlapped form interrupted mortar lines.

Abstract: Modular units are disclosed for storing a single bicycle or the like in an individual locker. Each locker provides a volume which is trapezoidal-shaped in cross-section and includes a top wall connected to an end wall and a pair of side walls with the floor, ground, or other substrate forming the bottom wall. A door and door locking post are provided for each locker to enable it to be selectively opened or closed for a fee which may be collected by a coin operated mechanism in the door locking post. These units may be individually arrayed or arranged in linear or arcuate paths with variations in the individual units to interconnect such units in the desired array. According to this invention, a structure is provided for storage of a single bicycle in an individual locker with improved security and protection from the elements using parts which are interchangeable in different units of such structure.

Abstract: Novel aqueous non-hydraulic mortar compositions are disclosed comprising a film-forming, water-dispersible, room temperature cross-linkable polymer and a water-insoluble filler. Setting and grouting of ceramic tile by these compositions are also disclosed.

Abstract: There is disclosed a device for fixedly connecting panels for use in building of structures, in making of furniture or fittings, in which two sheets of panel are clamped by shaped materials for edge frame and pressing frame made of a hard synthetic resin or a metallic material such as aluminium or the like, said shaped material for edge frame being provided with recesses; a plug is fitted in each recess, said plug being made of a resilient synthetic resin or rubber and having a hole; and a wedge is inserted in said plug through said hole, thus two sheets of panel being firmly connected and retained in place.

Abstract: The building construction is an assembly of any desired number of like individual block-like components which are in the main of wood, each externally and/or internally sheathed with a skin, preferably of plyboard or the like; and each unit affords at least one occupancy space, such as a livingroom, bedroom, kitchen, office, etc. Said blocks each have the outline in a transverse upright plane of an equilateral parallelogram, more specifically as shown herein an oblique-angled parallelogram or rhombus which is disposed with its major diagonal in a horizontal plane. Such blocks are rigidly connected or stably pivoted together at their ends and/or sides, as by bolted steel bracket plate units, in end-to-end and/or side-by-side relation at the apices or major or minor diagonals thereof, being in any desired rectilinear end or side array, or in a laterally staggered arrangement.

Abstract: A pre-fabricated unit, usable singly or with others in constructing a building, has a roof section and a floor section interconnected by central end columns, the roof and floor sections both being rectangular, each being formed with transverse beams across its ends and longitudinal corrugations between the beams. When two units are superimposed, the floor section beams of the upper one bear on the roof section beams of the lower, the corrugations of the two sections interfitting with some clearance and forming longitudinal roof and floor ducts for service lines and conduits which communicate with transverse ducts formed between the beams and corrugations of the roof section.

Abstract: A support for flat building elements comprising a plate for engaging the element, having on one side four retaining members at the corners of a square. Each retaining member is divided along part of a diagonal of the square. The plate may be disc-shaped or in the form of portions of uniformly graduated thicknesses and the same cross-sectional shape. The plate may be apertured symmetrically between each pair of adjacent retaining members, the internal width of the or each aperture being slightly greater than the cross-sectional width of the respective members. Between each aperture and each adjacent retaining member, the plate may be formed with a hole for securing it or a segment thereof by a nail or screw.

Abstract: A dome structure is provided which is constructed of identical ring-shaped elements of arbitrary size relative to the radius of the dome, the ring elements extending along four or five meridian lines that pass through the zenith of the dome and with additional elements positioned in curved rows lying progressively further from the zenith and with each element attached at its periphery to four other elements. The elements are constructed with tapered peripheries to lie solidly against one another, and with radially extending ribs that prevent deformation of the ring members into an oval shape.

Abstract: At least two sections are arranged one behind another on a common integral substructure which is mounted on wheels, said sections being generally rectangular in plan and having vertical sides. Each of said sections is mounted on a pivot located in the central longitudinal plane of said common integral substructure, at least one of said pivots being longitudinally slidable in said substructure. Two sections are hinged together at one corner of each section, and are movable on their pivots, from a transport position in which they are longitudinally aligned with one another and with said substructure, to a transverse position of use in which a side of one section and a side of the other section, formerly in alignment, are folded together on said hinge.

Abstract: A hyperbolic paraboloid roof shell section made in prefabricated portions each of which has a joining edge parallel to the joining edge of another prefabricated portion and is adapted to extend between two beams of the roof frame. The joining edges of the adjacent portions have fastener means adjacent to the joining edges which provide tensile and shear strength.

Abstract: An improved, helix appliance for linear bodies has a locking means disposed at one end thereof to impede removal of the appliance from the linear body by unauthorized persons. The locking means includes a strap which encircles the appliance at the end adjacent to the dead end or other anchoring device. When the appliance is slid on the linear body over the dead end attached to the anchoring device, it expands and engages the encircling locking means thereby requiring tools to effect its removal.

Abstract: In a foundation of a heated building without a cellar, including prefabricated heat and damp insulating blocks following the contour of the outer walls of the building the blocks are structurally connected with a bottom layer of structural concrete with longitudinal reinforcement bars and on top of the blocks there is provided and connected therewith a longitudinally reinforced strand of structural concrete. The blocks form together with the strand and the bottom layer a longitudinally reinforced edge beam in the foundation, the blocks forming the web of the beam.

Abstract: Tanks and containers and apparatus for constructing same wherein said apparatus comprises a plurality of bolt-together panels each of which comprises a curved panel portion bounded by flanges. The flanges are so formed as to enable a very large number of different configurations of tanks and containers to be constructed.

Abstract: The modular building system of this invention relates generally, but not exclusively, to habitations. The system comprises at least two individual room or space modules which are individually secured to their foundations and at least one additional individual room or space module which structurally spans between and interconnects at least two of the aforementioned foundation secured modules.In the preferred embodiment of this invention, the enclosing shells of the modules are comprised of a plurality of prefabricated sections, the shapes of which are derived from the geometry of a spherical square. A great variety of floor plan arrangements can be realized within the scope of the invention by interconnecting individual room or space modules, either laterally or vertically into various groupings, any one of which comprises one particular building.

Abstract: Homohedral construction is a building and truss system based on the regular icosahedron. It is analogous to the standard building or truss system based on the cube, which is characterized by 90.degree. corners and edges on its struts and planar surfaces.

Abstract: A prefabricated building structure of teepee form is constructed of prefabricated, cored panels and assembled on the site through the use of interlocking connections at the peripheral extremities of a floor panel assembly. The building structure may be set up by assembling the floor, placing side panels thereon and inclined thereto, connecting the sides of the side panels by corner beams and affixing a monolithic cap to the base assembly by a rod threadedly coupled at opposed ends to the cap and base assembly respectively.

Abstract: A support structure for a flexible cover such as is utilized on a portable enclosure wherein the tip of the supporting ribs or tubes engages the cover to maintain the same in position. The tip which is disclosed in this specification includes a shank section which is telescopically received by the tubular rib and a retaining section passable through a grommet in the cover. The tube is provided with a plurality of apertures and a resilient detent, forming a part of the tip, passes selectively thereinto to restrain telescopic movement of the tip with respect to the tube. The effective length of the rib can be altered by selectively positioning the detent in one of the apertures.