Multi-purpose tarpaulin system

• US 6,474,022 B1
• Filed: 10/31/2000
• Issued: 11/05/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 10/31/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Canamer International Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Canamer International Incorporated
• Inventors: Double, Paul B., Dotterwick, Robert E., Davidshofer, Leslie J, Ehlenfeldt, Jerry N.
• Primary Examiner(s): Morris, Terrel
• Assistant Examiner(s): WACHTEL, ALEXIS A
• Application Number:
  US09/702,377
• Time in Patent Office: 735 Days
• Field of Search: 135/115, 428/181, 428/124, 428/125, 428/130, 428/152, 156/304.1
• US Class Current: 52/3
• CPC Class Codes: B60J 7/10 readily detachable, e.g. tarpaulins with frames, or fastenings for tarpaulins covering of loads on vehicles by tarpaulins B60P7/04
• CPC Class Codes: B60P 7/0876 using restraining net or tarpaulin in contact with the load
• CPC Class Codes: E04H 15/54 Covers of tents or canopies
• CPC Class Codes: E04H 4/108 supported by frames
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/24215 Acute or reverse fold of exterior component
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/24223 Embedded in body of web
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/24264 Particular fold structure [e.g., beveled, etc.]
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/24446 Wrinkled, creased, crinkled or creped
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/24686 Pleats or otherwise parallel adjacent folds

Abstract

A weather resistant commodity stockpile and collection pond covering system made up of a plurality of sheets joined together in waterproof seams. A plurality of flexible cords are tightly encapsulated and fixed in each sheet at spaced apart locations within thermally welded prayer seams and utilized for retention of the cover system and the hanging of ballast bags. The peeling stresses on the prayer seams are transferred as shearing stresses to lap seams formed by welding choker strips to the cover sheets on either side of each prayer seam. Side cords encapsulated in edge seams along side edges of adjacent sheets are abutted together and secured by flexible ties to form joints between sheets. Those joints are made waterproof by edge flaps attached to the sheets which are extended over each joint and sealed to the face of an adjoining sheet.

Claims

1. A commodity cover comprising:

a flexible sheet material of a predetermined size having opposed faces and defining a covering;

a plurality of elongated sleeves formed on the sheet material, said sleeves being generally parallel to each other and spaced apart a predetermined distance; and

a flexible rope member tightly encapsulated within each of said sleeves.

2. The cover of claim 1 wherein:

the sleeves are formed by bunching the sheet material together at spaced locations thereon to form two sheet material sections which are joined together face-to-face in a tight seal so as to define an elongated sleeve at one end of said sections within which a rope member is securely contained in outwardly spaced relation from one face of the sheet material.

3. The cover of claim 1 wherein:

the flexible sheet material is thermally reactive and the two sheet material sections are fused together by thermal welding to form a fluid impervious seam.

4. The cover of claim 3 wherein:

the sheet material is coated or laminated, reinforced polyolefin or nylon.

5. The cover of claim 1 wherein:

one or more of said flexible rope members have end segments which extend freely beyond peripheral edges of the cover for use in securing the cover to anchoring devices.

6. The cover of claim 2 and further including:

a plurality of elongated choker strips of flexible material sealingly positioned on the opposite face of the sheet material and sealingly attached thereto on opposite sides of each of the bunched sections, with said choker strips being disposed in opposed relation to the rope members generally parallel thereto.

7. The cover of claim 6 wherein:

the choker strips are heat sealed to the opposite face of the sheet material.

8. A sheet for use in building a flexible, weather barrier system, the sheet comprising:

a flexible, waterproof base having a predetermined width;

a plurality of elongated flexible cords folded into said base and secured therein between adjoining sections of said base, welded together to form a plurality of prayer seams and elongated cavities within which said cords are fixed relative to said base at spaced apart locations thereon; and

a plurality of choker strips welded over said prayer seams on the opposite side of the base from the cords such that lap seams are formed on either side of said prayer seam and run substantially parallel thereto, whereby stresses on the prayer seams are reoriented from a peeling action to a shearing action on the lap seams.

9. A weather barrier covering system for protecting large quantities of solids or liquids, the system comprising:

a plurality of sheets secured together to form a cover over material to be protected, each of said sheets comprising;

a flexible base material having two side edges and a predetermined width;

a plurality of flexible cords of predetermined length folded into said base material and thermally welded therein, thereby forming prayer seams on one side of the base material, and such that said cords are encapsulated and fixed relative to said base material;

a plurality of choker strips welded over said prayer seams onto the opposite side of the base material such that lap seams are formed on either side of said prayer seam and run substantially parallel thereto; and

a plurality of weighted ballast bags secured to said flexible cords and hung therefrom to restrain the covering system.

10. The weather barrier system of claim 9 wherein:

the ballast bags are secured to the cords by flexible ties extended around the cords through holes formed in the folded sheet material of the prayer seams.

11. The weather barrier system of claim 9 wherein:

one or more of the flexible cords have end segments extendingly freely beyond perimeter edges of the cover for attachment to anchoring devices to retain the cover in place.

12. A weather barrier cover system for protecting large quantities of solids or liquids, the system comprising:

a plurality of sheets, each of said sheets comprising;

a flexible base material having two side edges and a predetermined width;

a side cord folded into the base material, proximate each of said side edges, and welded therein to form edge seams;

sheet joints joining each of said sheets together to form said cover system, the sheet joints comprising;

a substantially parallel arrangement of two side cords from adjacent sheets in relatively close juxtaposition; and

a plurality of ties passing around both of said juxtaposed cords and through the respective edge seams fixing said cords to their respective sheets, the ties binding said cords together and the ties spaced a predetermined distance from each other to provide binding support along the length of said cords.

13. The weather barrier cover system of claim 12, wherein each of said sheets further comprise:

an edge flap proximate at least one of said side cords and thermally welded to the base material adjacent to one of the edge seams to form a lap seam extending parallel to said edge seam, the edge flap having a free edge which is extended over the sheet joint of the sheet material of an adjoining sheet and secured thereto in a waterproof seal with the edge flap disposed over the sheet joint in weather protective, covering relation thereto.

14. The weather barrier cover system of claim 13 wherein:

the edge flaps are secured to adjoining sheet material by adhesive.

15. The weather barrier cover system of claim 12, and each of said sheets further comprising:

an edge flap thermally welded to the base material adjacent to one of the edge seams to form a lap seam extending parallel to said edge seam, the edge flap having a free edge; and

the free edges of the edge flaps of adjacent sheets being sealed together over the sheet joints in weatherproof, covering relation to the sheet joints.

16. The weather barrier cover system of claim 15 wherein:

the edge flaps of adjacent sheets are joined together by adhesive.

17. The weather barrier cover system of claim 12, and each of said sheets further including:

a plurality of flexible cords of predetermined length folded in to the base material and tightly secured therein between adjoining sections of the base material thermally welded together to form a plurality of prayer seams within which the cords are encapsulated and fixed relative to the base material at parallel, spaced apart locations thereon; and

a plurality of choker strips thermally welded to the base material such that lap seams are formed on either side of the prayer seams and extend substantially parallel thereto, whereby peeling stresses on the prayer seams are transferred to shearing stresses on the lap seams.

18. The weather barrier system of claim 17, and further including:

a plurality of weighted ballast bags secured to said flexible cords and hung therefrom to restrain the covering system against air forces.

19. A method of making a multipurpose, flexible weather barrier system comprising:

placing a flexible, rope-like cord on a sheet of synthetic, waterproof material, thereby dividing said sheet into a first sheet section and a second sheet section;

folding said sheet around said cord so that said first sheet section meets and faces said second sheet section, forming a junction of said sections

joining said first sheet section to said second sheet section, proximate said cord, thereby forming a prayer seam parallel to said cord and defining a cavity which tightly encapsulates said cord within said material;

separating said first section from said second section, so that said cord and said seam are located on a first side of said material and said junction of said sheet sections is located on a second side of said material, opposite said first side;

covering the junction of said sections with an elongate choker, having a predetermined width, so that said choker runs parallel with said junction;

sealingly securing said choker to said second side of said material on opposite sides of said junction, thereby forming lap seams between said choker and said material on both sheet sections.