Patent ID: 7631468

Claim:
A seam plate for securing a membrane sheet to an underlying substructure, comprising: a plate having the form of a disk; an aperture defined within a central portion of said disk for receiving a fastener for securing said plate to an underlying substructure; a plurality of projections having first predetermined profile dimensions, formed from said disk as a result of material being partially severed from said disk, and extending downwardly from an undersurface portion of said disk for engaging a membrane sheet so as to effectively secure the membrane sheet to the underlying substructure when said disk is fixedly secured to the underlying substructure by the fastener; a plurality of residual apertures, having second predetermined profile dimensions substantially matching said first predetermined profile dimensions of said plurality of projections, being defined within said disk at those locations at which the material, used to form said plurality of projections, was partially severed from said disk; and means for altering said second predetermined profile dimensions of said plurality of residual apertures such that a plurality of projections, which are disposed upon an other seam plate, which is similar to said seam plate, and which have profile dimensions corresponding to said first predetermined profile dimensions of said plurality of projections disposed upon said seam plate, cannot respectively enter, and become interlocked with, said plurality of residual apertures defined upon said seam plate.