Granted Patent B2

US 7,621,099 · App. 10/938,909 · Granted Nov 24, 2009

Abstract

Claims (29)

1. A method for deploy-attaching beam-mount structure to the outside of an elongate column at plural, defined attachment sites that are distributed and spaced along the length of the column comprising

preparing an elongate column to act as a directly-supporting travel way for a carriage, which carriage is movable on the column, and which carriage is designed to transport and deploy beam-mount structure,

mounting such a carriage for translation on and along the prepared column, the carriage being mounted directly on the column for movement therealong,

shifting the carriage progressively along and on the column from defined attachment site to defined attachment site,

arming the carriage with deployable beam-mount structure,

at each such site, stabilizing the carriage positionally with respect to the column, and

at that site, and from the thus stabilized carriage, deploy-attaching to the column the carriage-armed beam-mount structure.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein said preparing additionally includes supporting the column for rotation substantially about its own long axis, said mounting step further includes establishing a relationship between the carriage and the prepared column whereby the carriage and column will rotate as a unit when the column is rotated substantially about its long axis, and said deploying and attaching activity involves such rotating.

3. The method of claim 2 which is designed for use with a four-sided, generally square cross section column, and wherein said arming involves supplying the carriage with four orthogonally related beam mounts, one for each different side of such a column, and said rotating takes place at times interspersed with the individual deploy-attachment of a single beam mount to a side in the column, with said rotating, with respect to the overall deploy-attachment of all four of the mentioned beam mounts to sides in the beam, including three successive rotations, the first of which is a 180° rotation, the second of which is a 90° rotation, and the third of which is another 180° rotation.

4. The method of claim 3 which is designed for use with a tubular column, and which further comprises flowing a gas through the hollow interior of the column during said deploy-attaching activity.

5. A method for deploy-attaching beam mounts to a selected, outside face of an elongate column at plural defined attaching sites that are distributed and spaced along the length of that face, said method comprising

supporting such a column with its long axis disposed in a generally horizontal condition,

mounting a beam-mount-transporting carriage in a removably captured condition on the supported column for travel along the column,

utilizing the column as a travel, way, shifting the carriage along the column to a position which is appropriately adjacent a selected one of such defined attachment sites,

equipping the carriage with a least one carryable and deployable column-face-specific beam mount which is appropriately disposed in a condition of proximity relative to the mentioned, selected column face adjacent the location of the selected one attachment side, and

with the carriage and the at least one beam mount so positioned, deploy-attaching the at least one beam mount to the mentioned, selected column face at the selected one attaching site.

6. A method for deploy-attaching plural, successive beam mounts to a selected, outside face of an elongate column at plural, defined attachment sites that are distributed and spaced along the length of that face, said method comprising

supporting such a column with its long axis disposed in a generally horizontal condition, and defining one end of the column as an upstream end, and the other end as a downstream end,

mounting a beam-mount transporting carnage in a removably captured condition on the supported column for low-resistance, progressive, guided travel along the column in an upstream toward downstream fashion, and from one defined attachment site to a next-adjacent defined attachment site along the selected column face, and

with the carriage disposed operatively adjacent each such defined attachment site, and with respect to a beam mount which has previously been placed on the carriage, deploy-attaching that beam mount to the mentioned, selected column face at the then adjacent, associated, defined attachment site.

7. A method for deploy-attaching a cluster of plural beam mounts to a related cluster of selected attaching sites located at like longitudinal positions disposed on and along the outside faces of an elongate, plural-face structural column, with such positions being distributed angularly about the column's long axis, said method comprising

preparing the column to act as a directly-supporting travel way for a carriage which is designed to support/transport and deploy such a cluster of beam mounts,

mounting such a carriage for translation on and along the prepared column,

shifting the carriage on and along the column to a defined position of operative adjacency relative to the mentioned selected attaching sites,

providing the carriage with a cluster of appropriately angularly arrayed beam mounts to form a deployable, attachable cluster of such mounts,

stabilizing the carriage positionally with respect to the column at the location therealong to which the column has been shifted in said shifting step, and

at that location, and from the thus stabilized carriage, deploy-attaching the supported cluster of beam mounts to the column appropriately to the mentioned related cluster of selected column-face attaching sites.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein said preparing step additionally includes supporting the column for rotation substantially about its own long axis, said mounting step further includes establishing a relationship between the carriage and the prepared column whereby the carnage and column will rotate as a unit when the column is rotated substantially about its own long axis, and said deploying and attaching activity involves such rotating.

9. The method of claim 8 which is designed for use with a four-sided, generally square cross section column, said arming involves supplying the carriage with four orthogonally related beam mounts, one for each different side of such a column, and said rotating takes place at times interspersed with the individual deploy-attachment of a single beam mount to a single side in the column, with said rotating, with respect to the overall deploy-attachment of all four of the mentioned beam mounts in the cluster thereof to sides in the beam, including three successive rotations, the first of which is a 180° rotation, the second of which is a 90° rotation, and the third of which is another 180° rotation.

Assignments (12)