AU650966B2 - Sheet stretcher, attachment and a sheet to be stretched by the stretcher - Google Patents

Description

550966

AUSTRALIA

PATENTS ACT 1990 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION NAME OF APPLICANT(S): SCS Promotion Company Limited ADDRESS FOR SERVICE: DAVIES COLLISON CAVE Patent Attorneys 1 Little Collins Street, Melbourne, 3000.

INVENTION TITLE: Sheet stretcher, attachment and a sheet to be stretched by the stretcher The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to me/us:la This invention relates to, in combination, a sheet stretcher, and a sheet to be stretched for use on a construction site when constructing, taking down, or repairing a building or the like, or on a painting site for the prevention of paint spattering or for advertising displays outdoors. Embodiments also relate to such sheet stretchers having attachment adjusters for attaching the sheet stretcher to a scaffolding frame.

On a construction site, for example, scaffolding is often set up around a building and a sheet is stretched around the scaffolding. Conventionally, in such sheet stretching, unitary sheets or a sheet and scaffolding are connected by rope or wire being passed sequentially through eyelets provided in respective sheets.

The stretching of sheets by way of rope being passed through the eyelets as described above is extremely slow and time consuming. The connection by the rope is not 20 satisfactory because unit sheets with eyelets must be prepared and the sheets themselves are expensive. These problems arise similarly in sheets which are put up at a painting site or oo""e sheets for advertisement displays used for outdoor advertisements and the like.

According to the present invention there is provided in combination, a sheet stretcher comprising a body made of one piece, and a sheet to be stretched, said sheet having an expanded portion, said body having a hole for slidably receiving said expanded portion and a slit communicating with 30 the hole and through which, in use, t-e sheet continuous with the expanded portion xKtends, wherein the slit has such a width that the expanded portion cannot be removed from the hole through the slit, said expanded portion comprising a rope which is disposed in a loop formed at an edge portion of the sheet.

According to an embodiment of the present invention the body further comprises a second hole formed opposite to the 93120,0:Wpercrjrb, 1514ZI25,1 2 slit for slidably receiving an expanded portion of an attachment adjuster having an attachment plate continuous with the expanded portion of the adjuster or a further expanded portion formed at an edge portion of a further sheet, and a second slit communicating with the second hole opposite to the first slit and through which, in use, the attachment plate of the attachment adjuster or the further sheet continuous with the further expanded portion extends.

According to another embodiment of the present invention there is also provided an attachment adjuster for attaching the sheet stretcher to a frame, the body having a second hole formed opposite to the first slit and a second slit communicating with the second hole and formed opposite to the first slit, the adjuster comprising an expanded portion to be slidably received in the second hole and an attachment plate continuous with the expanded portion of the adjuster and which, in use, extends through the second slit.

According to a further embodiment of the present invention, connecting means is also provided for connecting the body with a frame for stretching the sheet, the body further including a second hole for slidably receiving an expanded edge portion of a further sheet and a second slit 25 communicating with the second hole a sd through which, in use, the further sheet continuous with the further expanded portion extends.

o* According to a still further embodiment of the present invention there is further provided an attachment adjuster for attaching a sheet stretcher as herein described to a frame, comprising connecting means for connecting the body with the frame for stretching the sheet, the body furthex .ltluding a second hole for slidably receiving a further expanded portion 35 formed at an edge portion of a further sheet and a second slit C. communicating with the second hole and through which the iS !further sheet continuous with the further expanded portion a 93122M,p:\oper\mab,15142cla298,2 3 extends, and a third hole and a third slit communicating with the third hole, the attachment adjuster having an expanded portion to be slidably received in the third hole and a plate portion integral with the expanded portion which, in use, extends through the third slit.

The sheet stretcher may have therein an aperture disposed between the first and the second holes and through which a string-like member for connecting the sheet stretcher to a frame is insertable.

According to another embodiment of the present invention the expanded portion comprises a sheet removal preventer which is fitted externally of said sheet so as to substantially surround an edge portion of the sheet and which, in use, is disposed in the hole in order to prevent the edge portion of the sheet from being removed from the hole through the slit.

The body may be provided with a second hole formed opposite to the slit for receiving an edge portion of a further sheet, a second slit communicating with the second hole and formed opposite to the first slit and through which, in use, the further sheet continuous with the edge portion of the further sheet extends and a further sheet removal preventer disposed in the second hole so as to surround the edge portion of the 25 further sheet in order to prevent the edge portion of the further sheet from being removed from the second hole through the second slit.

o In addition, according to embodiments of the present invention, the sheet to be stretched by the sheet stretcher has expanded portions at respective opposite edge portions Soo thereof.

The sheet stretcher may be made of wood, metal or a 35 synthetic resin. It is preferably made of hard plastics or aluminum in view of mechanical strength and lightness, and more preferably is made of aluminum. The sheet stretcher may 931220,p:\opermab,15142da2298,3 4 have a cavity therein as far as required strength permits in order to lighten it. While the length of the sheet stretcher may correspond to the length of a long side or a shorter side of the edge of the sheet to which it is applied, it may instead be shorter than the respective lengths of the long and shorter sides of the applied cheet. A plurality of such shorter stretchers may be provided to each of adjacent edge portions of sheets to stretch the sheets. Especially, when the length of the edge of the sheet is more than several meters, the use of a number of sheets whose length is one meter at most to connect adjacent edges of both the sheets facilitates sheet stretching.

The sheet may be obtained by extrusion of a material such as a nylon sheet or a vinyl sheet, or it may be a cloth sheet or a non-woven fabric sheet made of natural fibers, chemical fibers or a combination of these fibers. Besides, the sheet of the present invention is not required to be completely noncellular, and it may be a mesh-like sheet, or net.

S. The loop of the expanded portion of the sheet may be an expansion integral with an edge portion of the sheet itself.

Alternatively, it may be formed by rolling or folding up an edge of the sheet and seaming. The expanded portion of the sheet in the present invention is not required to be formed 0 0 on the overall edge of the sheet. It is preferable that it be formed at least at adjacent edge portions of sheets to be joined in connection with the sheet stretcher used.

Alternatively, the sheets are not required to have 30 corresponding continuous expanded portions along the whole length of the adjacent edge portions of the sheets, but they may have at least discrete expanded portions along the edge.

The sectional shape of the expanded portions may be circular, triangular, rectangular or polygonal.

7 X 931220,p:\oper\nab,15142125,4 *T 4*p, 5 The holes in embodiments of the present invention may be a through hole which opens to the outside at each end.

Alternatively, they may be a hole of which at least one end is open to the outside to receive the corresponding expanded portion, and therefore, it may be a hole closed at the other end. The sectional shape of the holes may be circular, triangular, rectangular or polygonal in connection with the shape of the expanded portion of the sheet or in the connection with the shape of the sheet removal preventer substantially surrounding the edge of the sheet or in connection with the shape of the expanded portion of the attachment adjuster.

The widths of the slits are required to be such that the expanded portion of the sheet cannot be removed through the slit. If the slit is too narrow, the freedom of the sheet will be lost, sheet stretching will be difficult, or the edge portions of the sheet may be damaged. In order to prevent damage to the edge portions of the sheet, that portion of the sheet stretcher which defines the or each slit should be smooth.

;The attachment adjuster in embodiments of the present invention is preferably made of the same material as the sheet stretcher. If the adjuster receives a maximul load, it may be made of a material having a high mechanical strength. The expanded portion of the present adjuster is not required to extend along its overall length. Expanded portions may be disposed discretely along the sheet if its mechanical strength permits One of the connecting means may comprise a plate portion integral with the stretcher. In a preferred embodiment, the plate portion has a slit into which a string-like member is insertable.

According to an embodiment of the present invention there 931220,p:\opcr\mab,15142cla.298,5 6 is provided a connecting means comprising a further hole and a further slit communicating with said further hole and an attachment adjuster for attaching the stretcher to a frame, the adjuster having an expanded portion to be slidably received in said further hole and an integral plate portion which extends through said further slit. The present plate portion may have a slit through which a string-like member is insertable. Alternatively, it may have a gripper which is capable of gripping the frame.

The combination of the sheet stretcher and the sheet to be stretched of embodiments of the present invention is not limited to building construction. It may, for example, be applied to a painting site or to an advertisement display.

The number of slots disposed between the holes may be only one if the sheet stretcher is to be connected to the frame. In order to securely connect a long sheet stretcher to the frame without it tilting and a lowering of its mechanical strength, a plurality of slots are preferably disposed discretely in the stretcher along its length. As to the string-like member to be inserted into the slots, rope, wire, or a belt with a buckle may be exemplified, but other string-like members may be used.

The sheet removal preventer is preferably made of a flexible material such as a synthetic resin. One made of hard .or soft vinyl chloride is illustrated as a preferred example.

When an easily bendable metal plate which can hold its shape after bending is used as a core in the sheet removal preventer, the preventer can be attached to the edge of the sheet in the hole in the sheet stretcher with the edge of the sheet being securely held by the preventer. As a result, workability is greatly improved.

In embodiments of the present invention, the expanded portion of the sheet is inserted and received in one hole in X' 931220,p\opcr\nab,15142da.298,6 7 the sheet stretcher, the expanded portion of a further sheet is inserted and received in another hble in the sheet stretcher. Further sheet stretchers and other sheets can be attached to this to thereby obtainisheet assembly.

When each sheet stretcher is connected to a frame for stretching a sheet through connecting iians, the sheet assembly is held firmly to the frame, and as a result, the center of the sheet assembly is prevented from billowing in the wind and so on.

For example, when the sheet assembly is successively increased in height in accordance with the increasing height of a high rise building under construction by adding sheets sequentially upwards in accordance with the progress of construction of the building, the string-like member inserted into the slots is connected to the frame and the uppermost sheet stretcher is attached temporarily to the frame. After this temporary attachment, when another sheet is put up above the sheet already stretched, the temporary attachment is released and a new sheet is applied above the sheet stretcher.

In embodiments of the present invention with the sheet removal preventer, the edge portion of the sheet is prevented 25 from being removed from the hole through the slit. Therefore, the edge of the sheet is firmly held by the sheet stretcher to thereby maintain the stretched condition of the sheet.

The present invention will be described hereinafter in 30 more detail, by way of example only, with respect to embodiments thereof shown in the drawings.

s* 931220,p\oper\mab,t512ca298,7 -8- It is to be noted that the present invention is not at all limited to these embodiments.

Fig. 1 is a f.ont view of a sheet assembly which Is assembled by using a sheet stretcher of a preferred embodiment of the present Invention; Fig. 2 Is a sectional view taken along the line n n shown In Fig. 1; Fig, 3 is a sectional view taken along the 11ne -III shown in Figs. 1 and 4; Fig. 4 is a front view of a sheet assembly which is assembled by using a sheet stretcher of another preferred embodiment of the present Invention; Fig. 5 is a front view of the essential part of a sheet assembly which is assembled by using an attachment adjuster of a preferred embodiment of the present invention; Fig. 6 is a sectional view taken along the line -VI shown in Fig. Fig. 7 shows an embodiment of another sheet stretcher

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*nO 93113O,,p, operkmab, I5142cla.298,8 -9- Fig. 8 Is a perspective view of the embodiment shown In Fig. 7.

Fig. 9 is a perspective view of a sheet stretcher of another preferred embodiment; Fig. 10 is a perspective view of a gripper applicable to the sheet stretcher of the present invention; Fig. 11 is a perspective view of a sheet stretcher of another preferred embodiment of the present invention; Fig. 12 Is a front view of a sheet assembly which is assembled by using a sheet stretcher of another preferred embodiment of the present invention; Fig. 13 is a sectional view taken along the line X -X lm shown in Fig. 12; Fig, 14 illustrates in sectional view connection to a frame by the use of the sheet stretcher of the preferred embodiment shown in Fig. 13; Fig, 15 is a front view of a sheet of another preferred embodiment of the present invention; Fig. 16 is a front view of a sheet of another preferred embodiment of the present invention; Fig. 17 is a sectional view of a sheet stretcher in which a sheet removal preventer is used; Fig. 18 is a sectional view of another sheet stretcher I in which a sheet removal preventer is used; Fig. 19 is a detailed explanatory view of the sheet removal preventer shown in Figs. 17 and 18; Fig. 20 is a sectional view of a sheet stretcher of another preferred embodiment of the present invention: P:\oper\mab\1542cla.298 10 Referring to Figs. 1-3, a sheet assembly 1 which is put up so as to surround scaffolding at a construction site comprises many unitary sheets 2. Respective sheets 2 of the present embodiment have their upper and lower edges folded and seamed respectively at a position 3, and a rope 4 is inserted into the thus formed respective edge loops to form expanded portions 5. In the sheet assembly 1, first sheet stretchers 6 extending horizontally are located between an upper edge of the uppermost sheet 2 and an associated horizontal member of the scaffolding (not shown) as well as between a lower edge of the lowermost sheet 2 and a respective associated horizontal member of the scaffolding. A second sheet strtcher 7 extending horizontally is located between a lower edge of upper sheet 2 and an upper edge of the lower sheet 2.

The sheet stretcher 6 comprises a semicylindrical portion 8 and an attachment plate 9 integrally formed with the semicylindrical portion 8. The semicylindrical portion 8 has along its length a first through hole 10 which slidably receives the expanded portion 5 formed at the edge of the sheet 2 and has a first slit 12 communicating with the through hole 10 and through which an edge portion 11 of the sheet 2 adjacent the expanded portion 5 of the sheet 2 is insertable.

An attachment plate 9 integrally formed with the side of the 25 semicylindrical portion 8 opposite the slit 12 has slots 13 at a plurality of positions along its length. Wire or rope 14 is wound around the horizontal members of the scaffolding and is inserted into the slots 13, so that the sheet stretcher 6 is attached to the horizontal members of the scaffolding.

The second stretcher 7 comprises two integrally formed semicylindrical portions 15 and 16. The semicylindrical portion 15 has a first through hole 17 extending along its length which slidably receives the expanded portion 5 formed 35 at the lower edge of the upper sheet 2 as well as a first slit 18 through which the edge portion 11 of the sheet 2 adjacent expanded portion 5 of the upper sheet 2 is insertable. The 931220,p:\opr\mnab,142cal.98,10 11 semicylindrical portion 16 also has a through hole 19 formed along its length on the opposite side of the stretcher 7 from the slit 18 to slidably receive the expanded portion 5 formed at an vpper edge of the lower sheet 2 as well as a slit opposite slit 18 and through which the edge portion 11 of the sheet 2 adjacent the expanded portion 5 of the lower sheet 2 is insertable. The sheet stretcher 7 connects the upper and lower sheets 2 at their edges such that the through holes 17 and 19 receive the expanded portions 5 of the upper and lower sheets 2, respectively.

In the sheet assembly 1 of the present embodiment, a sheet 2 with eyelets 21 in its right and left edges is useu, adjacent right and left sheets 2 being connected to each other at their edges with wire or rope 22 inserted into adjacent eyelets 21. The left and right edges of the leftmost and rightmost sheets 2 are connected to vertical members of the scaffolding by rope 22.

The sheet assembly 1 thus constructed is framed around the scaffolding at the construction site as described above, thereby preventing building materials from falling onto a road, for example, duling construction.

25 The sheet stretchers 6 and 7 enable many sheets 2 to be :put up very easily in a short time, the sheet assembly 1 being assembled by inserting the expanded portions 5 of the sheets 2 into the through holes 10, 17, and 19 successively from lengthwise ends of the stretchers.

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r While adjacen: right and left sheets 2 with eyelets 21 in their right and left edges are connected by rope 22 to each other, and the leftmost and rightmost sheets 2 are connected to the respective associated vertical members of the 35 scaffolding in the sheet assembly 1, rectangular sheets 2 which have cutouts at their four corners as well as expanded portions at their right and left edges as shown in Fig. 4 may 93122,p:opek lmab, 15142d%298,11 I 12 be provided. Each adjacent right and left sheets is connected by sheets stretcher 7, and the leftmost and rightmost sheets 2 are connected to respective associated vertical members of the scaffolding by the sheet stretcher 6 and rope 14 to provide a sheet assembly 31. Such a constructions n, !eds neither eyelets in 4---he sheets 2 nor the need to connect the sheets 2 to each other by rope or wire. In this case, either an additional expanded portion 32 is required to be formed on the sheet 2 or the above-mentioned sheet stretcher 7 with through holes 17 and 19 closed at one end is required to be used in order to prevent the sheet stretcher 7 that connects adjacent right and left sheets from falling.

In the sheet assembly 31 of the present embodiment, separate sheet stretchers 6 and 7 are used for each shoet 2.

The uge of the separate respective sheet stretchers 6 and 7 can improve workability.

While the sheets 2 are attached to the horizontal and vertical members of the scaffolding through the sheet stretcher 6 by the slots la in the sheet assemblies 1 and 31, two attachment adjusters 44 each comprising an expanded portion 41 and an attachment plate 43 continuous with the expanded portion 41 and having a slot 42 may be provided and the respective expanded portions 41 of the attachment adjusters 44 may be inserted into the through holes 17 in thra sheet stretchers 7 from one end of the sheet stretchers 7 to make the attachment plates 43 extend through the slits 18 so as to make the expanded portions 41 of the attachment adjusters 44 slidably received in the through holes 17. The uppermost, lowermost, rightmost and leftniost sheets 2 may be attached to the scaffolding by inserting rope 14 into the slot 42 and winding the rope 14 around the horizontal or the vertical member of the scaffolding. The use of such an attachment adjuster 44 is preferable as the case may be because the position of attachment of the sheets to the scaffolding through the rope 14 can be adjusted since the off* &4 X 931220,pAoper\mab, 15142cLiZ8,12 13 adjuster is slidable relative to the sheet stretcher 7, that is, in the direction A, as shown in Figs. 5 and 6. Besides, a slit 45 and a cavity 46 communicating with the slit 45 may be formed in the expanded portion 41 of the attachment adjuster 44 in order to lighten the adjuster. While two attachment adjusters 44 are used for the connection of the sheet to the scaffolding in the present embodiment, one or more than three adjusters may instead be used for connection to the scaffolding.

Furthermore, the sheet stretcher 7 may be formed as shown in Figs. 7 and 8. The sheet stretcher 7 shown in Figs. 7 and 8 comprises a base 7a including two semicylindrical portions and 16 formed integrally with each other and a plate portion 7b formed integrally with the base 7a.

A slit 23 is formed in the plate portion 7b of the sheet stretcher. A belt 24 with a buckle is inserted into the slit 23, and the plate portion 7b is connected to a horizontal member 25 of the scaffolding as the frame member for sheet stretching by the belt 24. In the present embodiment, the connecting means is composed of the plate portion 7b with the slit 23. When the sheet assembly 1 is held to the scaffolding also through the sheet stretcher 7 as described above, 25 swelling or blowing of the center of the sheet assembly 1 by the wind and so on is avoided.

While the connecting means is composed of the plate portion 7b with the slit 23 and formed integral with the base 30 7a in the above embodiment, connecting means may instead be provided as shown in Fig. 9. Referring to Fig. 9, the connecting means of the present embodiment has a third through hole 51 formed in the base 7a through the overall length thereof; a third slit 52 formed in the base 7a through the 35 overall length thereof and communicating with the through hole 51; an attachment adjuster 55 having an expanded portion 53 S received slidably in the through hole 51 and a plate portion 931220,p-\opernamb,142cla.298,13 I 14 54 formed integral with the expanded portion 53 and insertable into the slit 52. A slot 56 into which a belt 24 (see Fig.

7) is insertable is formed in the plate portion 54. The connecting means shown in Fig. 9 has the same function as the connecting means described above. According to the present connecting means, the position where the attachment adjuster is connected to the horizontal member 25 of the scaffolding can be adjusted freely by sliding the attachment adjuster in the direction A relative to the sheet stretcher 7. If a through hole 51a and a slit 52a corresponding to the through hole 51 and the slit 52 are formed symmetrically in the sheet stretcher 7, the convenience of using the stretcher is improved greatly since its directionality is not required to be considered during assembly. While the attachment adjuster 55 may be almost as long as the sheet stretcher 7, it may be much shorter than the sheet stretcher 7. One or more such sufficiently short adjusters 55 may be connected to the horizontal member 25 of the scaffolding by applying one or more such adjusters 55 to the sheet stretchers 7.

While the sheet stretcher 7 is illustrated as being connected to the horizontal member 25 of the scaffolding through the string-like member such as the belt with a buckle 24 in the embodiment shown in Fig. 9, the sheet stretcher 7 ,01; 25 may be connected to the horizontal member 25 of the scaffolding through a gripper 61 capable of gripping the horizontal member 25 of the scaffolding, freely as shown in Fig. 10. The gripper 61 comprises a gripping element 62 to which the plate portion 54 of the attachment adjuster 55 is attached fixedly by welding, a holding plate 64 being onnected to the gripping element 62 through a shaft 63 so that it may turn in the directions of arrow B, a threaded bar *66 is connected to the member 62 through a shaft 65 so that it may turn in the directions of arrow C, and a nut 67 is screwed on the threaded bar 66. Since the gripper 61 is capable of gripping the horizontal member 25 firmly by TR tightening the nut 67, the sheet stretcher 7 is connected 931220,p:\opcr\knab15142cla.298,14 15 positively to the scaffolding horizontal member 25 and can be released easily by loosening the nut 67 to make the threaded bar 66 and the holding plate 64 turn about member 25 freely.

In the sheet stretcher 7 described above, the slit 18, through holes 17, 19 and slit 20 are disposed in a line.

According to this composition, the base 7a of the sheet stretcher 7 is exposed and the upper and lower sheets 2 are in this state separated by the sheet stretcher 7 and vieweu from outside the sheet assembly 1. Thus, there can be an unattractive appearance, especially for example, when parts of an advertisement comprising a photograph or the like are required to be printed on respective surfaces of sheets 2 because the advertisement is separated by the sheet stretchers 7. A sheet stretcher 71 shown in Fig. 11 comprises a base 72; a first through hole 73 formed in the base 72 to slidably receive an expanded portion 5 formed at the edge portion of the upper sheet 2; a first slit 74 communicating with the first hole 73 and formed in the base 72 so that the edge portion 11 formed continuous with the expanded portion 5 of the upper sheet 2 is inserted therethrough; a second through hole 75 formed in the base 72 to slidably receive the expanded portion 5 formed in the edge portion of the lower sheet 2; a second slit 76 formed in the base 72 so that the edge portion 25 11 formed continuous with the expanded portion 5 of the lower sheet 2 is inserted therethrough; a plate portion 77 formed at the base 72 as means for connecting the base 72 with the horizontal member 25; and a common slit 78 through which both edge portions 11 of the upper and the lower sheets 2 are inserted. In such a sheet stretcher 71, the hole 73, slits 74, 76 and hole 75 are disposed in this way to make the slit 74 and 76 face each other, and the common slit 78 is formed, so that the sheet stretcher 71 itself is covered by the sheets 2 and the upper and lower sheets are stretched as if they were continuous with each other. As a result, such composition will be extremely preferable for the advertisement displays 931220 p:\oper\mab,15142ca.298,15 -16and the like. Furthermore, In the sheet adjuster a separnt- Ing protuberance 79 is preferably formed between the slits 74 and 76 such that the respective expanded portions 5 are held positively In the hole 73 and 75. The sheet stretchers 7 and 71 shown in Figs. 7. 9 and 11 are also applicable to the sheet assembly 31 shown in Fig. 4.

As mentioned above, the uppermost part of each of the sheet assemblies 1 and 31 Is connected to the scaffolding horizontal member through the sheet stretcher 6 in embodiments shown in Figs. 1 and 4. In such sheet assemblies 1 and 31, when a higher sheet assembly is to be assembled by putting up another sheet 2 above the assembly, the sheet stretcher 6 must be removed and a new sheet stretcher 7 must be used instead. Therefore, a sheet stretcher 7 such as Is shown in Figs. 12 and 13 may be used. In the sheet stretcher 7 shown in Figs. 12 and 13, a plurality of slots 125 through which the string-like member connecting the sheet stretcher 7 to the frame is insertable are discretely formed between the through holes 17 and 19 in and along the longitudinally extending sheet stretcher 7 as well as a plurality of circular holes 126 are formed in correspondence to the eyelets 21. Such sheet stretcher 7 is used beforehand on top of each of the sheet assemblies 1 and 31 instead of the sheet stretcher 6. As shown in fig. 14, a lashing belt 150 with a ft: buckle 151 is then wound around a scaffolding horizontal member 152 and Inserted into the slot 125 to thereby connect the uppermost sheet stretcher 7 to the scaffolding horizontal member 152.

P: \oper\mab\1 5142cla.298 17 When the sheet assembly is gradually raised in correspondence to the increasing height of a high-rise building during construction by using sheet stretchers 7 and sequentially stretching the sheets 2 upward gradually in accordance with the progress of construction, for example, the lashing belts 150 inserted into the slots 125 are connected to the frame to temporarily attach the uppermost sheet stretcher 7. When the sheet 2 is to be stretched further upward after that temporary attachment, the temporary attachment can be removed and a new sheet 2 added. In a similar way, the uppermost sheet stretcher 7 can be connected to the scaffolding horizontal member without using an attachment adjuster 44 such as is shown in Fig Alternatively, a sheet stretcher 7 with a slot 125 may be used instead of the lowermost sheet stretcher 6 In each of the sheet assemblies 1 and 31. In that case, a lashing belt 150 with a buckle 151 may be inserted into the slot 125 In the sheet stretcher 7 as described above, and the present lowermost sheet stretcher 7 may be connected to the scaffolding horizontal member to assemble the sheet assembly.

While the corners of the sheet 2 are cut out in the form of a square in the embodiment shown in Fig. 4 the corners 81 of the sheet 2 may be cut out in the form of a triangle only to the degree that the sheet stretcher 7 and the like can be at- 30 tached to it to form the sheet 2, as shown in Fig. 15. By this construction, the members not covered with the sheet 2 are minimized in area. The sheet 2 may be the one in which many eyelets 21 are formed at equal intervals without expanded portions along 35 the vertical sides thereof, as shown in Fig. 16.

When the sheet stretcher 7 with circular holes 126 as 0.

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a a a...B ~3 'VT' 0 i 931220.p:\opr\nub,!5 42L98,17 18 shown in Fig. 12 is used, the sheets 2 and the sheet stretcher 7 is preferably connected beforehand by inserting binding lashings such as wire or rope into the eyelets 21 in the sheet 2 and the hole 126 in order to prevent the occurrence of a situation where the sheets 2 will flap in wind while the sheet assembly is being assembled resulting in the expanded portion being removed from the sheet stretcher 7 and the sheet stretcher 7 falling. As described above, the holes 126 ere applicable for the temporary attachment of the sheets 2 to the sheet stretchers 7.

When a sheet 202 is used whose thickness of the loop-like edge portion 5 is almost the same as the total thickness of the sheets overlapped at the position 3, as shown in Figs. 17 and 18, a sheet removal preventer 251 is preferably disposed closely in each of the through holes 10, 17 and 19 in the sheet stretchers 6 and 7 around the edge 5 of the sheet 202.

The sheet removal preventer 251 comprises a flexible body 252 made of hard or soft vinyl chloride and a bendable metal plate-like core 253 which is embedded in the body 252. In the body 252, a plurality of protuberances or teeth 254 are formed at positions where the body 252 touches the surfaces of the sheet 202, especially at positions in the vicinity of the slits 12, 18 and 20 where it touches the sheet 202. The sheet *e removal preventer 251 prevents the edge portions 5 of the 25 sheets 202 from being removed from the through holes 10, 17 Sand 19 through the slits 12, 18 and 20 due to tension exerted on the sheets 202 in the direction of A or B.

The section of the sheet removal preventer 251 is almost 30 trapezoidal, as shown in Fig. 19, before it is applied to the edge portion 5 of the sheet 202.

Therefore, the shape of both sides 255 and 256 of the preventer placed at the position of each of the slits 12, 18 and 20 is wedge-like after it is attached to each of the O* 35 through holes 10, 17 and 19 in the sheet stretchers 6 and 7.

The sheet removal preventer 251 is bent in the opposite directions C to hold and wrap the edge portion 5 of the sheet 931220,p:-opcr\xnab,15142dL298,18 19 202, as shown in Fig. 19. It is attached to each of the through holes 10, 17 and 19 in the sheet stretchers 6 and 7 with its gripped state being maintained. A semicircular groove 257 as well as a V-like groove 258 may be formed on the body 252 in order to facilitate its bending in the direction C as well as the insertion of the preventer into the through holes 10, 17 and 19 by forming the shape of the preventer after bending so as to correspond to the shape of each of the through holes 10, 17 and 19 in the sheet stretchers 6 and 7.

The core member 253 buiried in the body 252 holds the shape of the bent preventer 251, so that the holding of the edge 5 of the sheet 202 by the preventer 251 is thereby maintained positively.

According to the sheet stretchers 6 and 7 applied to the present sheet assembly 1, only by inserting the sheet removal preventers 251 holding the edge portions 5 of the sheets 202 gradually into the through holes 10, 17 and 19 at one end to cause the edge portion 5 of the sheets 202 to be received in the through holes 10, 17 and 19, many sheets 202 are stretched very easily in a short time to assemble a sheet assembly.

Even if tension is exerted on tfh sheet 202 in the directions A and B in this assembly, the undesirable removal of the edge portions 5 of the sheets 202 from the through holes 10, 17 and 25 19 through the slits 12, 18 and 20 is avoided and as a result, the stretched state of the sheets 202 is maintained positively because the edge portions 5 of the sheets 202 are held firmly by the preventers 251 used in the respective sheet stretchers 6 and 7.

eas Especially, in the case of sheet removal preventer 251 having both wedge-like sides 255, 256 and teeth 254 of the present embodiment, even if the edge portions 5 of the sheets 1 202 tend to move away from the through holes 10, 17 and 29 35 through the slits 12, 18 and 20 by the tension exerted on the sheet 202 in the directions A and B, they are pressed strongly ,I R by the sheet stretchers 6 and 7 so that both the wedge-like 93122D,poper\mab,15142cla.298.19 20 sides 255 and 256 may be closer to each other at the positions of the slits 12, 18 and 20 with the edges 11 of the sheets 202 being bitten firmly by the teeth 254. As a result, the edge portions 5 of the sheets 202 are surely prevented from being removed from the through holes 10, 17 and 19 through the slits 12, 18 and While in the above embodiment the edge portion 5 of the sheet 202 is prevented from being removed from the through hole 10 and so on only by the sheet removal preventer 251, a staple extending through both the sides 255, 256 and the edge portion 11 of the sheet 202 may be provided. Such use of the staple serves to securely prevent the sheet from removal.

While the rope 14 is inserted into the holes 13 and 42 to attach the sheet to the scaffolding in the above embodiments, instead of this, hook, or the like provided on a belt with a buckle may be hooked in the holes 13 and 42 to attach the sheet to the scaffolding. Alternatively, a given tension may be added to the sheet 2 so that the sheet 2 may be put up in a tense state by using a belt with a buckle 24 as shown in Fig. 7.

A sheet stretcher 301 having semicircular grooves 302 on 25 each side of the central portion thereof is well as a Srectangular cavity 303 at the center thereof thr'ugh the overall length thereof, as shown in Fig. 20, may be used to assemble the sheets. The sheet stretcher 301 in the present embodiment is lightened, is excellent in appearance as well as being easy to deal with.

According to embodiments of the present invention as described above, the sheet stretcher has a hole which slidably receives an expanded edge portion of the sheet and a slit 35 communicating with the hole and through which the edge portion of the sheet continuous to the expanded portion is insertable, ,I 'so that the sheet assembly is obtained in a short time just 931220,p.\opcr\mab,I3l42da29820 f 21 by inserting the expanded portion of the sheet into the hole.

Since each sheet stretcher is connected to a sheet stretching frame through the connecting means, the sheet assembly is held firmly to the frame. As a result, possible swelling in the center of the sheet assembly due to wind and so on is prevented.

According to embodiments of the sheet stretcher wherein a slot through which a string-like member which connects the sheet stretcher to the frame is insertable is disposed between the two holes, and, for example, if the sheet assembly is raised in correspondence with the increasing height of a highrise building during construction by gradually stretching the sheets upwards in accordance with the progress of construction of a high-rise building, its temporary attachment is released and an upper sheet stretcher inserted can considerably reduce the working time.

In embodiments of the sheet assembly including the sheet removal preventer disposed in a hole so as to surround the edge of the sheet in order to prevent the edge of the sheet from being removed from the hole through the first slit, even if a sheet with no expanded portion at one end is used, the stretched state of the sheet is maintained securely, and the proper function of the sheet assembly is fulfilled securely without the appearance of the sheets being impaired.

Embodiments of the present invention seek to provide a sheet stretcher which is capable of stretching a sheet very easily, a sheet to be stretched by the sheet stretcher, as well as an attachment adjuster which is capable of adjusting the position of connection of the sheet stretcher to a scaffolding or the like.

93122O,p:\ovpr.mb,1S142c298,21

Claims (19)

1. In combination, a sheet stretcher comprising a body made of one piece, and a sheet to be stretched, said sheet having an expanded portion, said body having a hole for slidably receiving said expanded portion and a slit communicating with the hole and through which, in use, the sheet continuous with the expanded portion extends, wherein the slit has such a width that the expanded portion cannot be removed from the hole through the slit, said expanded portion comprising a rope which is disposed in a loop formed at an edge portion of the sheet.

2. A combination as claimed in claim 1, wherein the body further comprises a second hole formed opposite to the slit for slidably receiving an expanded portion of an attachment adjuster having an attachment plate continuous with the expanded portion of the adjuster or a further expanded portion formed at an edge portion of a further sheet, and a second slit communicating with the second hole opposite to the first S.slit and through which, in use, the attachment plate of the attachment adjuster or the further sheet continuous with the further expanded portion extends.

3. A combination as claimed in claim 1, wherein the body further comprises an attachment plate integral therewith and opposite to the slit.

4. A combination as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the sheet has an expanded portion at respective opposite edge portions thereof.

A combination as claimed in claim 1, the body further comprising a second hole formed npposite to the slit and a second slit communicating with the second hole and formed opposite to the first slit, and an attachment adjuster for attaching the sheet stretcher to a frame, the adjuster 931220,p:\opcr\mtb,15142125,22 ,i, 23 comprising an expanded portion to be slidably received in the second hole and an attac iment plate continuous with the expanded portion of the ad, Aster and which, in use, extends through the second slit.

6. A combination as claimed in claim 1, further comprising connecting means for connecting the body with a frame for stretching the sheet, the body further including a second hole for slidably receiving an expanded edge portion of a further sheet and a second slit communicating with the second hole and through which, in use, the further sheet continuous with the further expanded portion extends.

7. A combination as claimed in claim 6, wherein the connecting means comprises a plate portion integral with the body, the plate portion having an aperture into which a string-like member is insertable.

8. A combination as claimed in claim 6, wherein the connecting means comprises a third hole formed in the body and a third slit formed in the body so as to communicate with the third hole, an attachmont adjuster having an expanded portion to be slidably received in the third hole and a plate portion integral with the expanded portion and which, in use, extends through the third slit.

9. A combination as claimed in claim 8, wherein the plate portion has an aperture into which a string-like member is insertable.

A combination as claimed in claim 8, wherein the plate portion comprises further a gripper for releasably gripping the frame.

11. A combination as claimed in any one of claims 6 to wherein the sheet has an expanded portion at respective opposite edge portions thereof. 93220,p:\opr\mab,151425.23 (S 24

12. A combination as claimed in claim 1, the stretcher further comprising connecting means for connecting the body with a frame for stretching the sheet, the body further including a second hole for slidably receiving a further expanded portion formed at an edge portion of a further sheet and a second slit communicating with th@ second hole and through which, in use, the further sheet continuous with the furthir expanded portion extends, and a third hole and a third slit communicating with the third hole, and an attachment adjuster for attaching the sheet stretcher to the frame, the attachment adjuster having an expanded portion to be slidably received in the third hole and a plate portion integral with the expanded portion which, in use, extends through the third slit.

13. A combination as claimed in claim 1, wherein the body further comprises a second hole for slidably receiving a further expanded portion formed at an edge portion of a further sheet, a second slit communicating with the second hole and through which, in use, the further sheet continuous with the further expanded portion extends, and an aperture into which a string-like member for connecting the sheet stretcher with a frame is insertable, the aperture being disposed between the first and the second holes. *e

14. A combination as claimed in claim 13, wherein the sheet 44 S.has an expanded portion at respective opposite edge portions thereof.

15. A combination as claimed in claim 1, wherein said expanded portion comprises a sheet removal preventer which is fitted externally of said sheet so as to substantially surround an edge portion of the sheet and which, in use, is disposed in the hole in order to prevent the edge portion of the sheet from being removed from the hole through the slit.

16. A combination as claimed in claim 15, wherein the body 93122,p:\opcr\m b.,15142.125,24 25 has a second hole formed opposite to the slit for receiving an edge portion of a further sheet, a second slit communicating with the second hole and formed opposite to the first slit and through which, in use, the further sheet continuous with the edge portion of the further sheet extends, and further comprising a further sheet removal preventer disposed in the second hole so as to substantially surround the edge portion of the further sheet in order to prevent the edge portion of the further sheet from bsing removed from the second hole through the second slit.

17. A combination as claimed in claim 15, wherein the body further comprises a second hole formed opposite to the slit for receiving an expanded portion of an attachment adjuster including an attachment plate continuous with the expanded portion, and a second slit communicating with the second hole and opposite to the first slit and through whgih, in use, the attachment plate of the attachment adjuster extends.

18. A combination as claimed in any one of claims 15 to 17, wherein the sheet stretcher includes an attachment plate integral therewith.

19. A combination substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the drawings. Dated this FIFTH day of MAY, 1994. SCS PROMOTION COMPANY LIMITED By Its Patent Attorneys DAVIES COLLISON CAVE Nt 931220,p:\opr\mab,15142125,25 t ABSTRACT A sheet stretcher comprises a base which has a hole (17) for slidably receiving an expanded portion formed at an edge of a sheet a slit (18) communicating with the hole (17) and through which the end portion (11) of the sheet (2) continuous to its expanded portion is insertable, a hole (19) for slidably receiving a further expanded portion formed at an edge of a further sheet a slit (20) communicating with the hole (19) through which the end portion (11) of the further sheet continuous to the further expanded portion is insertable. e* S *oft o S