Abstract: The present invention 10 discloses an amusement maze. The maze of the present invention 10 can be located indoors and consists of a plurality of pivotal wall panels 16 whereby each panel may pivot to open a passage way or close a passage way creating a new maze pattern. Each wall panel unit consists of two pivotal panels 16 mounted to a pillar 18. Each unit is computer controlled and can flip the panels 16 back and forth by means of a servomotor 40 mounted to each pillar 18. When a plurality of units are joined together, they create cells 22. The cells 22 create the maze. Located within each cell 22 is a motion sensor 51, a voice-activated panic alarm 52, a hand-activated panic button 48 and direction lights 20 that may lead a player 12 to the nearest exit 24. All are safety features linked to the main monitor 62 and computer 60. The main computer 60 is located in a building out side of the maze in the attendant's room 58.

Abstract: Roof insulation applicator (10) for applying blanket insulation or other sheet material to the roof of an industrial building includes a carriage (12) for mounting on adjacent purlins (14 and 15) of a partially completed roof. Support roller (40) is applied by the carriage to the upper surfaces of the purlins (14 and 15) and the carriage is tiltable about the support roller (40). The center of gravity of the carriage (12) is applied rearwardly of the support roller (40), between the support roller (40) and the rear of the carriage. Purlin engager (60) is mounted to the front of the carriage and engages under the upper laterally extending flange (22) of the purlin (14). The purlin engager at the front of the carriage limits the downward pivoting of the rear end of the carriage so that a lever arm effect is applied by the weight of the rear portion of the structure to the support roller (40).

Abstract: In a pillar trim mounting structure, a clip mount is protruded from the center of the back of an upper end of a center pillar trim; locking pieces are provided on both sides thereof; a clip mounted on the clip mount and the locking pieces are fitted in a mounting hole and locking holes of a center pillar panel, respectively, so that the strength of mounting the pillar trim is increased and the center pillar trim become disengaged even when an air bag is activated. Since the conventional bolt is eliminated, the ornamental cap is also eliminated and a simple appearance can be achieved. When the air bag is activated, an upper surface of each of the locking pieces work as a barrier or a guide and prevents the air bag from entering the center pillar trim and the air bag can be guided in a proper direction of expansion.

Abstract: A sub-floor, perimeter, L-shaped water drainage panel for new construction basements having walls and supporting footings for receiving and draining water running down the walls and/or water entering at the wall/footing interface. The plastic drainage panel is molded with a plurality of spaced frustroconical wells on vertical and horizontal sections thereof, to engage the wall and footing, and space the panels therefrom and to be filled with wet concrete composition, when the floor is poured, to support the wall and footing against the basement floor and prevent relative movement therebetween.

Abstract: A door assembly allows one to easily and freely change a hinged side and an opening direction of a door when or after a resident moves into a house. Detachable inner frames having doorstop portions, flat portions, and locking nails are mounted to locking grooves in left and right vertical outer frames around spacers and a door main body is mounted to a heelpost side flat portion through hinges. By dividing a doorframe into the vertical outer frames and the inner frames, in order to change a hinged side of the door, the inner frames are pulled out from the vertical outer frames and inserted into the locking grooves in the vertical outer frames after changing orientation of the inner frames according to the hinged side or exchanging the inner frames for the inner frames suitable for the hinged side and the opening direction to thereby easily change the hinged side of the door main body.

Abstract: A precast composite building system usable for walls, roofs, and floors of buildings, comprising a concrete composite panel element having embedded steel I-beams, wire mesh, embed plates, and steel tension reinforcement bars interconnected vertically, horizontally, and angularly by columnar elements rigidly fixed to the supporting foundation, embedded into the panel elements affixed to a transverse steel beam so as to form a perimeter tie-beam connection structure to which additional floor, roof, and wall elements are attached, forming a unitary, superior, load-bearing structure.

Abstract: An improved corner pad for sealing the bottom corner of a closed door has a sloped upper surface that forms a reservoir between the closed door and the jamb. Rainwater that is blown up the weather strip by wind is collected in the reservoir until the wind subsides, whereupon the water simply drains out. As a result, leakage into a dwelling at the bottom corner of the entryway is managed and contained.

Abstract: An interactive theater for creating a perception on the part of the audience that they are immersed in a boundless environment. The projection surface surrounds the audience platform and the ceiling to form a cavity providing a full or apparent 360° projected environment horizontally and apparent 360° projected environment vertically.

Abstract: A concrete construction block includes a pair of opposing spaced apart concrete side panels, a plurality of fasteners carried by the concrete side panels and arranged in pairs, and a plurality of panel couplers extending between respective opposing pairs of fasteners for holding the concrete side panels in an opposing spaced apart relation. Each panel coupler includes a pair of support plates secured to respective fasteners and an attachment member extends between the support plates. The support plates strengthen the concrete construction block under load conditions.

Abstract: A collapse-resistant frame system (10) for a bridge or building structure includes a plurality of mechanically-interconnected columns (12) and beams (14). At least the lowermost columns are formed of a material (28) that exhibits quasi-elastic behavior in response to seismic excitation, while the beams of the frame system are formed of a material (22) that exhibits elastic/plastic behavior, such that quasi-elastic flexure of the columns under seismic loading will cause plastic hinge formation in the beam ends (26) to thereby dissipate the rotational energy without significant plastic hinge formation in the column bases.

Abstract: A ridge vent for tile roofs. The vent includes first and second sub-flashing portions for spanning air gaps provided between the upper reaches of a roof deck and below a centrally located ridge beam. A plurality of ventilation apertures are provided in each of the sub-flashing portions. A top cap flashing is provided for attachment above the ridge beam. Included in the top cap flashing are a plurality of ventilation apertures defined by edge wall portions. A tile roof is provided, of the flat, low profile undulating, or of the S-tile (undulating) type. Tiles are provided in rows up to the edge of the sub-flashing. The gap between the top of the tiles and the bottom of the top cap flashing is preferably provided with a weathertight seal. Ridge cap tiles are provided in conventional stacked fashion running along above the top cap flashing.

Abstract: A post cap comprising a roof portion, at least one support member, and a wall portion. The roof portion is adapted to extend over a top portion of a post. The support member(s) extend from the roof portion to rest against the top portion of the post such that the roof portion is supported. The wall portion also extends from the roof portion. The wall portion is adapted to fit around the outside of the post. The post can be made by injection molding a synthetic wood composition.

Abstract: A bracket assembly for supporting a gutter and hood includes a gutter support bracket and a mating hood support bracket. The gutter support bracket provides a cantilever support for a K-type gutter by connecting the front and rear lips of the gutter. The hood support bracket fastens to the gutter support bracket such that fastener-receiving apertures defined in both brackets align. The hood is supported by an upper arm of the hood support bracket in a position to define a longitudinal gap between the hood forward lip and the gutter front lip. A fastening tool and fastener are inserted through the gap to secure the hooded gutter assembly to a structure.

Abstract: An improved, lightweight, portable, and self-contained concrete form for fabricating tilt-up concrete walls is provided. The form includes a frame made from metal frame members joined at their ends with the frame members forming the sides of the frame. The frame members may be channel shaped with their channels facing inwardly. A reinforcing mat comprising an array of crisscrossed rebars is disposed within the frame and is held in place with a plurality of brackets on the ends of at least some of the rebars and welded to respective frame members. The rebar mat is sized to be positioned in the mid portion of the frame and the brackets on the ends of the rebars are slid outwardly into and attached to the frame members by spot welding. The brackets are then spot welded to the ends of their rebars to form a rigid, lightweight concrete frame.

Abstract: A space saving system to provide stable and supported movement of an expandable room or other moveable structure relative to a vehicle or other base structure is disclosed. The space saving system provides an inner and outer nested tubular member within a floor of the base structure. Low friction bearings are used to separate and support the nested tubular members relative to one another. The inner member is fixed to the base structure and the outer member is allowed to move telescopically relative to the inner member. The outer member is vertically supported by the base structure through use of a low friction bearing. The expandable room is supported upon the outer member.

Abstract: A connector that is to be partially embedded in a cementitious member is adapted to make a more positive connection to a form board for the cementitious member. The embedded portion of the connector is formed with a opening that can receive and hold the shank of a nail that is partially driven into a form board. Preferably, a double-headed nail is held by a keyhole-shaped opening. The double-headed nail is held by the narrow portion of the keyhole slot at the upper portion of the shank between the end most head and the intermediate flanges or head of the nail. The nail is moved into position by inserting the nail through the wide portion of the keyhole opening so that the intermediate head and the upper portion of the shank is received thereby. Then, the upper portion of the shank of the fastener is slid out of the wide portion and into the narrow portion of the keyhole opening to finish the connection.

Abstract: A framing assembly and associated method of orienting and supporting a plurality of framing studs for constructing a curved wall through the utilization of a base formed of a high strength, flexible and at least partially separable material comprising a plurality of base segments which are disposed in interconnecting relation to spaced apart outwardly extending the sidewalls disposed in substantially parallel relation to one another. The plurality of base segments are removably secured to one another but are separable when the base is disposed in an operative position defined by a curved orientation which substantially corresponds to the curved wall or like structure being formed.

Abstract: A weldless stirrup spacer for manual installation, without a tool, on the concentric or parallel inner and outer reinforcement wire cages of reinforced concrete pipe or other concrete structures so as to position and maintain the cages at the required spaced-apart location. The spacer is formed as a unitary resilient wire member having a pigtail-shaped hook end at one end of a central spanning portion and a fastening end portion at the other end of the spanning portion. When installed, the pigtail-shaped hook end encircles a main reinforcement wire of the inner reinforcement cage, and the fastening end portion resiliently captures an opposed main reinforcement wire of the outer reinforcement cage. The fastening end portion includes a rounded loop portion which extends beyond the outer cage to contact the adjacent mold wall and space the outer reinforcement cage at the appropriate concrete-cover distance from the mold surface.

Abstract: A retaining wall comprising a series of differently sized, pre-formed horizontal and vertical blocks. Each block includes a projection and a recess, with the projection and recess arranged and configured so that each projection effectively engages a recess in an adjacent course to operatively connect adjacent courses together. The horizontal, blocks are formed in incremental thicknesses and may be stacked in various combinations equivalent to the height of the vertical, blocks. The location of the abutment member relative to the block may be varied to enable adjacent courses to be coplanar or tiered in a variety of predetermined offset distances.

Abstract: A device for connecting a beam to pillars, or similar load-bearing structural elements, for constructing buildings, particularly multi-story buildings, by way of prefabricated concrete components. The device comprises a first connection for connecting the two end regions of the beam to the pillars and a second connection for connecting two intermediate regions of the longitudinal extension of the beam to the pillars. The first connection is constituted by connection elements of the interlocking type and the second connection comprises at least two rigid inclined ties, each of which connects an intermediate region of the beam to a region of the respective pillar which lies at a higher level than the region where the tie is coupled to the beam.