Building structures

Claim 1

A portable building structure for use in tents, awnings, canopies and the like, the building structure comprising an assembly of collapsible framework modules, each module comprising a plurality of elongate frame members and means for assembling the frame members to form two inverted V-frames, a pair of legs for supporting said inverted V-frames thereon, the inverted V-frames lying in planes oppositely inclined to the vertical, each frame member having angularly spaced longitudinal grooves, and a connecting strip for interconnecting adjacent modules and having beaded edges and a flexible covering also having beaded edges, said longitudinal grooves slidably receiving respective beaded edges of said flexible covering and respective beaded edges of said connecting strip, said means for assembling the frame members including a first pair of joints each providing an apex junction for joining the frame members at apices of respective inverted V-frames, and a second pair of joints each forming a Y-junction for joining ends of the two inverted V-frames facing away from said apices to one another and to a respective leg, each of said joints comprising at least two hinge members pivotable between open and closed positions such that the building structure is erectable from a collapsed configuration in which the frame members lie substantially parallel with one another.