Patent ID: 7618572

Claim:
A method for manufacturing a load bearing fabric structure comprising the steps of: stretching a load bearing fabric with a stretching assembly; engaging the stretched load bearing fabric with a fabric retaining assembly after said stretching step, the stretching assembly being separate from the fabric retaining assembly; releasing the load bearing fabric from the stretching assembly after said engaging step wherein at least a portion of the fabric is retained in the stretched condition by the fabric retaining assembly; closing a mold about the load bearing fabric after said releasing step with at least a portion of the peripheral edge of the load bearing fabric disposed within a mold cavity while retaining at least a portion of the fabric in the stretched condition by the fabric retaining assembly, the mold being separate from the fabric retaining assembly wherein said engaging step occurs prior to said closing step; injecting molten material into the mold cavity after said closing step to form a frame directly onto the peripheral edge of the load bearing fabric; and selecting the size and shape of the fabric so that at least a portion of the peripheral edge of the fabric is disposed in the mold cavity during the injecting step.