Abstract:
A system for providing information to construction personnel directly on the building components is described. In one aspect, this system includes a tape providing preprinted sets of information. Some of the sets of information provide accurate positioning information for construction elements, while other sets of information specify the exact construction element to be placed at a specific location. The tape may be placed along a bearing face or top plate of framing for the building structure under construction. The tape may have an adherent surface which enables the tape to be immovably placed upon the bearing face.

Description:
[0001]    This application claims priority from provisional application serial No. 60/236,745, filed Oct. 2, 2000, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. 
     
    
     
       FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
         [0002]    The invention generally relates to an apparatus and a methodology for providing accurate and easily recognizable information useful in the construction of buildings. In particular, the invention relates to an apparatus and method for providing positioning information, and other data, for proper positioning of trusses, beams, joists, girders and conventional framing.  
         BACKGROUND  
         [0003]    Conventional methods for construction of a building structure include utilizing a blueprint plan, which shows overall dimensions for the structure as well as a start point for positioning various construction components, at the construction site. There are numerous disadvantages to this conventional approach. One disadvantage is that the construction personnel must measure to determine where various construction elements should be positioned along the building framing. In addition to being a time consuming task, there is a possibility that the measurements made may be inaccurate.  
           [0004]    A further disadvantage is that the blueprint plan has small scale numbers which may be hard to read or confusing. Further, the plan may have a portion or portions which are not completely legible, leaving the construction personnel at the construction site to guess at what such portions indicate or to halt work and communicate with the architect. Guessing at what some portions of a blueprint indicate may lead to error in the construction of the structure, and halting work until the architect advises what the portion indicates leads to a longer construction time and greater expense.  
           [0005]    In addition, the blueprint plan is generally kept with the construction foreman in a trailer or other building on the construction site, and so is not readily accessible to the construction personnel actually constructing the structure. Since the blueprint plan is remote to the actual construction, error in the construction may occur due to the construction personnel misinterpreting the foreman&#39;s instructions or incorrectly remembering what the blueprint plan indicates.  
           [0006]    Therefore, a need exists for an improved method for erecting a building structure which diminishes the possibility of the occurrence of one or more of the above-noted disadvantages of the conventional methods.  
         SUMMARY  
         [0007]    The disadvantages of the prior art are alleviated to a great extent by the invention which provides a system for positioning construction elements. The system includes a first set of information which has a start indicator that indicates a position of a first construction element with which the start indicator is to be aligned and at least one marker that indicates a position and alignment of at least one other construction element. In one aspect, the system includes a tape.  
           [0008]    In a preferred embodiment, the invention provides a tape for positioning construction elements that includes a set of information having at least one marker that indicates a position and alignment of at least one construction element and identification data that identifies the construction element, and at least one adherent surface for adhering the tape to at least one construction element.  
           [0009]    The invention further provides an apparatus for positioning construction elements including a tape. The tape includes a start indicator corresponding to a starting location on a first construction element, a plurality of markers each indicating a position and alignment of one of a respective plurality of construction elements, measurement data that indicates a distance of each of the plurality of markers from the start indicator, identification data that identifies each of the plurality of construction elements, and at least one adherent surface that causes at least the tape to adhere to at least one of the plurality of construction elements.  
           [0010]    The invention further provides a construction method that includes the steps of:  
           [0011]    a) providing at least first and second positional indicators on a tape, the first positional indicator corresponding to a first location on a first construction element from which at least the second positional indicator corresponding to at least a second construction element is measured, and the second positional indicator corresponding to a second location at which at least the second construction element is to be positioned and aligned; and  
           [0012]    b) attaching the tape to at least one construction element.  
           [0013]    These and other advantages and features of the invention will be more readily understood from the following detailed description which is provided in connection with the accompanying drawings. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0014]    [0014]FIG. 1 is a top view of a building under construction utilizing a tape constructed in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.  
         [0015]    [0015]FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a tape used in the erection of building components.  
         [0016]    [0016]FIG. 3 is a top view of a tape. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0017]    Referring now to FIGS.  1 - 3 , a structural layout  20  is shown which indicates the placement and positioning of first construction elements  22 , second construction elements  24 , and third construction elements  26 . The first construction elements  22  may be the top plates or bearing faces of the building framing supported by studs  44  (FIG. 2). The second construction elements  24  may be trusses, beams, joists, girders or other forms of conventional framing. The third construction elements  26  may be trusses, beams, joists, girders or other forms of conventional framing formed of two or more plies of such framing. For example, a two-ply truss  26  includes truss plies  26 (A),  26 (B), and a three-ply truss  26 , includes truss plies  26 (A),  26 (B), and  26 (C) (FIG. 2).  
         [0018]    Positioned on the bearing face of the framing  22  is an information system. In a preferred embodiment, the system is in the form of a tape  28 . Although the system shall be described with reference to the tape  28 , the system can take other forms suitable for conveying information accurately and easily to the construction personnel directly at the construction site.  
         [0019]    The tape  28  preferably is to be attached on a bearing face of the frame  22 . A preferred method of attaching the tape  28  to the framing  22  is through adhesives. Specifically, the tape  28  may include an adherent surface  50  which enables the tape  28  to be placed on the framing  22  and held there. Alternatively, the tape  28  may be a strip of material attached to the framing  22  via other attachment mechanisms, such as, for example, staples, nails, brads, screws, cable, wire, string, or other like attachment mechanisms. The tape  28  preferably is formed of a material which is weather resistant, such as, for example, a synthetic or polycarbon fiber reinforced tape which is resistant to the effects of temperature and/or moisture. The tape  28  may further be formed of a material which provides the tape  28  a surface which has a high coefficient of friction, thereby rendering the tape  28  generally non-slip. The tape  28  may take any dimensions, but it is preferably about three inches in width, thereby ensuring a proper fit on the face of a two by four.  
         [0020]    The tape  28  includes a variety of information and/or instructions relating to., among other things, positioning data. As shown in FIG. 1, the framing  22  extends in the north to south direction and in the east to west direction, and so consequently does the tape  28 . The tape  28  which extends in a north to south direction has a start point  30 . Since the framing  22  does not extend solely in a north to south direction along the entire extent of the right hand side of the structural layout  20 , the tape  28  includes a first rest art point  32 . The start point  30  corresponds to and is meant to be aligned with a start indicator  72  (FIG. 2) on the framing  22 .  
         [0021]    Similarly, the tape  28  extending in an east to west direction has a start point  34 . As with the framing  22  extending in a north to south direction, the framing  22  extending in the east to west direction does so discontinuously, and so the tape  28  includes a first restart point  36  and a second restart point  38 . The restart points  32 ,  36 ,  38  provide easy reference points for construction personnel, as do the start points  30 ,  34 . Additionally, the restart points  32 ,  36 ,  38  and the start points  30 ,  34  ensure that accurate spacing and positioning of the various construction elements  24  is maintained for the building structure under construction.  
         [0022]    It will be noted with reference to FIG. 1 that not all of the construction elements  24  end flush with the framing  22 , but instead overhang the framing  22 . The tape may include pertinent instructions and/or information on any individual construction element  24  such as, for example, “Field cut overhang as required” or “Refer to structural details”.  
         [0023]    The tape  28  includes a variety of sets of information and/or data which can be used by personnel erecting the building structure to quickly and accurately match up aid position specific construction elements on the framing  22 , as well as provide other useful information. The information provided in the sets of information on the tape  28  is preprinted for each specific construction job, and thus all that is necessary to begin erecting the structure is putting up the framing  22  and attaching the tape  28  to the framing.  
         [0024]    Spaced along the tape  28  is a set of information providing the aggregate distance between the start point  30  and a construction element positional indicator  58 . Preferably, the aggregate distance information is separated into a feet component  52 , an inches component  54 , and a sixteenths component  56 . For example, the construction element positional indicator  58  on the left hand side of FIG. 3 is shown to be six feet, ten inches and two-sixteenths from the start point  30  through the distance information  6 - 10 - 02  which correspond to the three components  52 ,  54 ,  56 .  
         [0025]    The construction element positional indicator  58  indicates the proposed position and alignment of a particular construction element. The specific construction element  24  is determined through a construction element identifier module  66 . Each construction element  24  may be marked with a corresponding identifier. Furthermore, adjacent the construction element identifier module  66  on the tape  28  is a construction element type module  62  and a construction element number module  64 . According to FIG. 3, the construction element to be positioned at the construction element positional indicator  58  on the left hand side of the figure is a truss labeled  01 , while the construction element to be positioned at the construction element positional indicator  58  on the right hand side is a truss labeled 05. Thus, from the modules  62 ,  64 ,  66 , it is a simple matter for construction personnel to locate the appropriate construction element  24  for alignment with the appropriate construction element positional indicator  58 .  
         [0026]    Other sets of information positioned on the tape  28  include a job information set  82 , which provides the name and/or logo of the manufacturer, fabricator, and/or distributor of the construction elements  24 , and a loading information set  84 , which provides the loading requirements of the construction element  24  to be positioned adjacent to the module  84 . Additional information is contained in a USP information set  86 , a construction element requirements set  88 , a ply information set  90 , a framing information set  92 , and a miscellaneous information set  94 . As shown in FIG. 3, the information set  86  shows the USP number to be HTW16 which provides construction personnel with the instruction that, while there are a variety of options for attaching the particular construction element  24 , a specific piece of hardware (in this case part number HTW16) is to be used. The information set  88  indicates that a hanger is required for positioning the construction element  24  (in this instance Truss 01) on the framing  22 . Also, the information set  90  shows that a two-ply construction element (in this instance Truss 05) is to be used, and the information set  94  provides the information that a two by six framing construction is required at that position.  
         [0027]    The above description and drawings are only illustrative of certain preferred versions which achieve the objects, features and advantages of the present invention. It is not intended that the present invention be limited to these versions. For example, while the tape  28  is shown on the bearing face of the framing  22 , there may be instances where the tape  28  can be placed in another location on the framing  22 , such as on a side face or a back face of the framing  22 . Additionally, while the information provided on the tape  28  in the various sets of information is represented either alphabetically or numerically, numerical information may instead be represented alphabetically, and alphabetically represented information may be represented numerically. Further, all such information provided may instead be represented symbolically. Also, while the system has been described in terms of the tape  28 , the system may take other forms. For example, information sets can be added directly to the framing, or the sets of information can be included on other media, such as, for example, cloth strips, thin metallic plates or sheets, or thin wood layers. Accordingly, the invention is not to be seen as limited by the foregoing description, but is only limited by the scope of the appended claims.