Building construction

Claim 2

A STRUCTURAL MEMBER FOR A COLUMN OF A RIGID PORTAL FRAME COMPRISING AN ELONGATED WEB PORTION INCLUDING A FIRST LONGITUDINAL EDGE AND A SECOND LONGITUDINAL EDGE INCLUDING A PORTION INCLINED AT AN ANGLE WITH RESPECT TO THE FIRST LONGITUDINAL EDGE, THE LONGITUDINAL EDGES AT ONE END OF THE WEB PORTION TERMINATING IN SPACED RELATION AND THE LONGITUDINAL EDGES AT THE OTHER END OF THE WEB PORTION TERMINATING IN A PLANE DISPOSED AT AN OBTUSE ANGLE WITH RESPECT TO THE FIRST LONGITUDINAL EDGE, A FIRST ELONGATED FLANGE PORTION JOINED TO THE FIRST LONGITUDINAL EDGE OF THE WEB PORTION, A SECOND ELONGATED FLANGE PORTION JOINED TO THE SECOND LONGITUDINAL EDGE OF THE WEB PORTION, THE FIRST AND SECOND FLANGE PORTIONS LYING IN PLANES PERPENDICULAR TO THE PLANE OF THE WEB PORTION AND EXTENDING OUTWARDLY FROM BOTH SIDES OF THE WEB PORTION, A FLAT PLATE MEMBER OVERLYING THE ENDS OF THE FIRST AND SECOND FLANGE PORTIONS AT THE OTHER END OF THE WEB PORTION AND DISPOSED AT AN OBTUSE ANGLE WITH RESPECT TO THE FIRST LONGITUDINAL EDGE OF THE WEB PORTION AND BEING JOINED TO THE ENDS OF THE WEB PORTION AND THE FIRST AND SECOND FLANGE PORTIONS, THE FLAT PLATE MEMBER INCLUDING A COPLANAR PORTION EXTENDING OUTWARDLY BEYOND THE SECOND FLANGE PORTION, THE COPLANAR PORTION OF THE FLAT PLATE MEMBER INCLUDING CONNECTING MEANS AND PLATE MEMBERS CONNECTED BETWEEN THE FIRST AND SECOND FLANGE PORTIONS ON BOTH SIDES OF THE WEB PORTION AND JOINED TO THE WEB PORTION IN A REGION OF THE WEB PORTION DISPLACED FROM CONNECTING PLATE.

Claim 3

A RIGID PORTAL FRAME COMPRISING A COLUMN INCLUDING A WEB AND INNER AND OUTER FLANGES JOINED TO THE LONGITUDINAL EDGES OF THE WEB AND LYING IN PLANES PERPENDICULAR TO THE WEB AND EXTENDING OUTWARDLY FROM OPPOSITE SIDES OF THE WEB, THE ENDS OF THE WEB AND AT LEAST ONE OF THE FLANGES OF THE COLUMN AT ONE END OF THE COLUMN LYING IN A HORIZONTAL PLANE, A FLAT CAP PLATE SECURED TO THE WEB AND TO AT LEAST ONE OF THE FLANGES AT THE ONE END OF THE COLUMN, A RAFTER MEMBER INCLUDING A WEB AND UPPER AND LOWER FLANGES JOINED TO THE LONGITUDINAL EDGES OF THE WEB AND LYING IN PLANES PERPENDICULAR TO THE WEB AND EXTENDING OUTWARDLY FROM OPPOSITE SIDES OF THE WEB, THE WEB OF THE RAFTER AT ONE END OF THE RAFTER INCLUDING A TERMINATING EDGE DISPOSED IN A SUBSTANTIALLY VERTICAL PLANE, AN END PLATE SECURED TO THE TERMINATING EDGE OF THE WEB OF THE RAFTER AND EXTENDING OUTWARDLY FROM OPPOSITE SIDES OF THE WEB, THE END PLATE EXTENDING FROM THE UPPER FLANGE OF THE RAFTER AT LEAST SUBSTANTIALLY THROUGHOUT THE TERMINATING EDGE OF THE WEB OF THE RAFTER, THE LOWER FLANGE OF THE RAFTER INCLUDING A HORIZONTALLY DISPOSED PORTION SPACED FROM THE TERMINATING EDGE OF THE WEB OF THE RAFTER AND ADAPTED TO OVERLIE THE FLAT CAP PLATE ADJACENT THE INNER FLANGE OF THE COLUMN, MEANS INCLUDING BOLT AND NUT CONNECTING MEANS FOR JOINING THE HORIZONTALLY DISPOSED PORTION OF THE LOWER FLANGE OF THE RAFTER TO THE FLAT CAP PLATE AND MEANS INCLUDING BOLT AND NUT CONNECTING MEANS JOINING THE END PLATE TO THE OUTER FLANGE OF THE COLUMN.

Claim 4

A RIGID PORTAL FRAME COMPRISING A COLUMN INCLUDING A WEB AND INNER AND OUTER FLANGES JOINED TO THE LONGITUDINAL EDGES OF THE WEB AND LYING IN PLANES PERPENDICULAR TO THE WEB AND EXTENDING OUTWARDLY FROM OPPOSITE SIDES OF THE WEB, THE ENDS OF THE WEB AND AT LEAST ONE OF THE FLANGES OF THE COLUMN AT ONE END OF THE COLUMN LYING IN A HORIZONTAL PLANE, A FLAT CAP PLATE SECURED TO THE WEB AND TO AT LEAST ONE OF THE FLANGES AT THE ONE END OF THE COLUMN, A RAFTER MEMBER INCLUDING A WEB AND UPPER AND LOWER FLANGES JOINED TO THE LONGITUDINAL EDGES OF THE WEB AND LYING IN PLANES PERPENDICULAR TO THE WEB AND EXTENDING OUTWARDLY FROM OPPOSITE SIDES OF THE WEB, THE WEB OF THE RAFTER AT ONE END OF THE RAFTER INCLUDING A TERMINATING EDGE DISPOSED IN A SUBSTANTIALLY VERTICAL PLANE, AN END PLATE SECURED TO THE TERMINATING EDGE OF THE WEB OF THE RAFTER AND EXTENDING OUTWARDLY FROM OPPOSITE SIDES OF THE WEB, THE END PLATE EXTENDING FROM THE UPPER FLANGE OF THE RAFTER AT LEAST SUBSTANTIALLY THROUGHOUT THE TERMINATING EDGE OF THE WEB OF THE RAFTER, THE LOWER FLANGE OF THE RAFTER INCLUDING A HORIZONTALLY DISPOSED PORTION SPACED FROM THE TERMINATING EDGE OF THE WEB OF THE RAFTER AND ADAPTED TO OVERLIE THE FLAT CAP PLATE ADJACENT THE INNER FLANGE OF THE COLUMN, MEANS INCLUDING BOLT AND NUT CONNECTING MEANS FOR JOINING THE HORIZONTALLY DISPOSED PORTION OF THE LOWER FLANGE OF THE RAFTER TO THE FLAT CAP PLATE AND MEANS INCLUDING BOLT AND NUT CONNECTING MEANS JOINING THE END PLATE TO THE OUTER FLANGE OF THE COLUMN.

Claim 5

A RIGID PORTAL FRAME AS DEFINED IN CLAIM 19 IN WHICH THE FLANGES OF THE COLUMN AT THE ONE END OF THE COLUMN ARE CONNECTED TO THE FLAT CAP PLATE AND IN WHICH THE MEANS JOINING THE END PLATE TO THE OUTER FLANGE OF THE COLUMN COMPRISES A CONNECTING PLATE OVERLYING AND JOINED TO THE OUTER FLANGE OF THE COLUMN AND INCLUDING A PORTION OVERLYING THE END PLATE, AND CONNECTING MEANS JOINING THE END PLATE TO THE OVERLYING PORTION OF THE CONNECTING PLATE, THE CONNECTING MEANS INCLUDING MEMBERS PASSING THROUGH OPENINGS IN THE END PLATE AND THE OVERLYING PORTION OF THE CONNECTING PLATE.