Abstract:
A weight plate for securing portable structures employing a low-profile, planar plate having an aperture formed therethrough. The aperture is configured so as to allow the base of the leg of a structure to pass through. The plate is subsequently transposed so as to lock the base of the leg underneath the plate while the leg of the shelter passes through the plate and an opposite side of the plate extends away form the leg.

Description:
RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 61/298,859 filed Jan. 27, 2010, entitled Weight Plate, the contents of which are incorporated in their entirety herein. 
    
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to portable shelters and advertising displays and, more particularly, to devises and methods for securing such structures. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The evolution of light-weight, easily erected, and economical portable shelters, advertising stands and similar structures has led to the increasing commercial and private use of these structures. However, due to the light-weight construction of such structures, the structures must often be anchored or stabilized so as to prevent movement of the structure caused by physical contact in highly congested areas such as convention centers or by environmental elements such as wind. 
     Various methods and portable devices have thus far been used to stabilize these structures. For example, systems employing guy-lines have been used in which one end of the guy-line is attached to a shelter awning or a leg of the structure and the other end of the guy-line is anchored to the ground or floor. While these guy-line systems may serve to improve stability, they have the disadvantage of effectively increasing the foot-print of the structure due to the guy-lines extending outward away from the perimeter of the structure. Guy-lines also create a hazard for people walking in the area of the shelter. 
     Other methods and devices for stabilizing the shelters are directed towards adding weight to the legs of the shelter or to the bases of the legs of the shelter. One approach has been to place an object such as a relatively thick piece of metal over the base and around a portion of the leg of the structure. Such weights have the disadvantage of being relatively high-profile, effectively decreasing the available space around the leg of the structures, and being awkward or inconvenient to transport due to their relatively heavy compact form. Another approach has been to employ relatively large, usually plastic containers or vessels that, again, rest on top of the base and around the leg of the shelter. Such plastic containers are intended to be deployed about the leg of the structure and then filled with a substance that can later be removed from the container, such as sand or water. An obvious disadvantage of these systems is that the user must not only transport the plastic containers but must also transport or otherwise locate, and then later dispose of, the sand or water used to fill the container. Like the weight systems described above, these systems also effectively decrease the available space around the legs of the structures. 
     The fact that the known solutions for stabilizing portable structures effectively decrease the usable area around the legs of the structure is not trivial. For example, creating unusable areas around the leg of a portable shelter used at a trade convention or other venue in which displays and structures must abut one another not only decreases the usable space under the structure but may also prevents structures from being erected immediately next to one another. 
     What is needed in the art is a low-profile, easily transportable device and method for stabilizing the legs of portable shelters, advertizing stands, and similar structures. 
     OBJECTS AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention provides a weight plate having a mass sufficient to stabilize the leg of a portable shelter or advertizing stand and a profile that is sufficiently low so as avoid occupy space within or outside of the structure. The weight plate of the present invention employs a low-profile, planar plate having an aperture formed therethrough. The aperture is configured so as to allow the base of the leg of a structure to pass through. The plate is subsequently transposed so as to lock the base of the leg underneath the plate while the leg of the shelter passes through the plate and an opposite side of the plate extends away form the leg. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       These and other aspects, features and advantages of which embodiments of the invention are capable of will be apparent and elucidated from the following description of embodiments of the present invention, reference being made to the accompanying drawings, in which 
         FIG. 1  is a plan view of a weight plate according to certain embodiments of the present invention. 
         FIG. 2  is a perspective view of a weight plate in operation according to certain embodiments of the present invention. 
         FIG. 3  is a perspective view of a weight plate in operation according to certain embodiments of the present invention. 
         FIG. 4  is a perspective view of a weight plate in operation according to certain embodiments of the present invention. 
         FIG. 5  is a perspective view of a weight plate in operation according to certain embodiments of the present invention. 
     
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS 
     Specific embodiments of the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. This invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein; rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art. The terminology used in the detailed description of the embodiments illustrated in the accompanying drawings is not intended to be limiting of the invention. In the drawings, like numbers refer to like elements. 
     Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and scientific terms) used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of 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 will not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense unless expressly so defined herein. 
     As shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2 , according to one embodiment of the present invention, a weight plate  5  comprises a plate  10  formed in an elongated shape such as a rectangle. For example, a length of the plate  10  is approximately 355.6 mm and a width of the plate  10  is approximately 127 mm and a thickness of the plate  10  is approximately 2.2 mm to 2.5 mm. The plate  10  has a plate-like form that is approximately planar. The plate is formed of a material such as a metal, alloy, polymer, or a combination thereof. For example, the plate  10  may be formed of an alloy and coated with a different material so as to provide a texture or a protective and/or non-corrosive coating. 
     A first or primary aperture  20  is formed through the plate  10 . The aperture  20  has an irregular shape comprising a proximal portion  22  connected to a distal portion  24  through a central portion  26 . The proximal portion is positioned at or near a mid-point of the plate  10  and has a triangular shape. For example, the proximal portion  22  may be a right triangle having catheti of approximately 82 mm in length. As shown in  FIG. 2 , the proximal portion  22  of aperture  20  is sized so as to receive or pass a base  32  of a leg  34  of a portable shelter (not shown in its entirety) therethrough. For example, the base  32  of the leg  34  of the portable shelter may have a triangular form that is similar to the triangular shape of the proximal portion  22  but smaller than the triangular proximal portion  22  of the aperture  20 . It will be under stood that alternative shapes of the proximal portion  22  of the aperture  20  are contemplated so as to correspond with the assorted shapes of the bases  32  of the legs  34  of portable shelters. 
     The distal portion  24  is positioned or offset towards one side of the plate  10  and has an approximately rectangular shape. The central portion  26  also forms a rectangular shape and connects one side of the proximal portion  22  to one side of the distal portion  24  of the aperture  20 . The central portion  26  and the distal portion  24  of the aperture  20  are sized so as to be slightly larger than the leg  34  of the portable shelter and smaller than the base  32  of the leg  34  of the portable shelter. Stated alternatively, the central portion  26  and the distal portion  24  of the aperture  20  are sized such that the leg  34  of the shelter may move freely therethrough but that the base  32  of the leg  34  of the shelter may not pass or move therethrough. For example, the central portion  26  of the aperture  20  may have a width of 33 mm. The central portion  26  of the aperture  20  connects to the distal portion  24  so as to form a shape similar to that of an L, thereby providing a notch into which the leg  34  of the shelter can be positioned and secured so as to discourage movement of the leg  34  back towards the proximal portion  22 . 
     As shown in  FIGS. 1-5 , the plate  10  may employ one or more secondary apertures  40  in addition to the primary aperture  20 . The secondary aperture  40  may be formed in varying sizes and shapes. For example, the plate  10  may employ secondary apertures  40  at each of the four corners of the plate  10  that are smaller than the secondary apertures  40  employed else where within the plate  10 . As shown in  FIG. 5 , the secondary apertures  40  may serve to receive or otherwise facilitate engagement with stakes so as to further stabilize the plate  10  and the leg  34  of the shelter. For example, a stake can be passed through the secondary aperture  40  such that a head portion of the stake engages the plate  10  and a shaft portion of the stake engages the ground. The secondary apertures  40  may also serve to reduce the weight of the plate  10  and/or provide a handle so as to facilitate transportation of the weight plate  5 . 
     With reference to  FIG. 2 , in use, a portable shelter or similar structure is first erected. Once erected, the base  32  of one of the legs  34  of the portable shelter is passed through the proximal portion  22  of the aperture  20 . The plate  10  is then maneuvered such that the leg  34  of the shelter passes through the central portion  26  and into the distal portion  24  of the aperture  20 . In this manner the base or foot  32  of the leg  34  of the portable shelter is confined beneath the plate  10  and the leg  34  of the shelter passes through the distal portion  24  of the aperture  20 . Since the distal portion  24  of the aperture  20  is positioned so as to be offset to one side of the plate  10 , the remaining portion or opposite side of the plate  10  is cantilevered away from the leg of the shelter. 
     As shown in  FIGS. 3 and 4 , the above-described configuration of the present invention also facilitates further stabilization of the plate  10  and the leg  34  of the shelter by providing a planar surface extending away from the leg  34  upon which objects such as water jugs and coolers can be place to add additional weight and stability to the system. 
     The low-profile, planar form of the weight plate  5  provides the additional benefit of being efficiently stacked so as to facilitate transporting and displaying the weight plate for consumer sales. 
     Although the invention has been described in terms of particular embodiments and applications, one of ordinary skill in the art, in light of this teaching, can generate additional embodiments and modifications without departing from the spirit of or exceeding the scope of the claimed invention. Accordingly, it is to be understood that the drawings and descriptions herein are proffered by way of example to facilitate comprehension of the invention and should not be construed to limit the scope thereof.