Structure stabilizing system and method

Claim 2

A structure stabilizing system comprising: a length of cabling; and a number of joist and rafter reinforcing cable guides; each of said joist and rafter reinforcing cable guides including an L-shaped joist securing plate assembly, a rafter securing plate, and a cable guide tube assembly; said L-shaped joist securing plate assembly including a vertical joist contact plate and a horizontal joist contact plate integrally formed with and orthogonally oriented with respect to said vertical joist contact plate; said vertical joist contact plate having two fastener apertures provided therethrough; said rafter securing plate being integrally formed with and orthogonally oriented with respect to a side edge of said horizontal joist contact plate and lying in a plane parallel to a plane defined by said vertical joist contact plate; said cable guide tube assembly including a tube support plate and a cable guide tube; said tube support plate having a cable passage aperture formed therethrough and being integrally formed with and extending from a side edge of said rafter securing plate perpendicularly oriented to said horizontal joist contact plate and having a bottom edge collinear with a fold line defining said edge between said horizontal joist contact plate and said rafter securing plate; said cable guide tube having a first open end defined by a tube end rigidly secured to said tube support plate such that a cable passage formed through said cable guide tube is in connection with said cable passage aperture and a longitudinal axis of said cable guide tube is oriented in parallel with a plane defined by said horizontal joist contact plate.

Claim 3

A structure stabilizing method comprising said steps of: a) providing a length of cabling and a number of joist and rafter reinforcing cable guides; each of said joist and rafter reinforcing cable guides including an L-shaped joist securing plate assembly, a rafter securing plate, and a cable guide tube assembly; said L-shaped joist securing plate assembly including a vertical joist contact plate and a horizontal joist contact plate integrally formed with and orthogonally oriented with respect to said vertical joist contact plate; said vertical joist contact plate having two fastener apertures provided therethrough; said rafter securing plate being integrally formed with and orthogonally oriented with respect to a side edge of said horizontal joist contact plate and lying in a plane parallel to a plane defined by said vertical joist contact plate; said cable guide tube assembly including a tube support plate and a cable guide tube; said tube support plate having a cable passage aperture formed therethrough and being integrally formed with and extending from a side edge of said rafter securing plate perpendicularly oriented to said horizontal joist contact plate and having a bottom edge collinear with a fold line defining said edge between said horizontal joist contact plate and said rafter securing plate; said cable guide tube having a first open end defined by a tube end rigidly secured to said tube support plate such that a cable passage formed through said cable guide tube is in connection with said cable passage aperture and a longitudinal axis of said cable guide tube is oriented in parallel with a plane defined by said horizontal joist contact plate; b) attaching one each of said number of joist and rafter reinforcing cable guides to a number of sets of ceiling joists and rafters along each side of a structure to be stabilized; c) threading a length of cabling through each of said cable guide tubes of each of said attached joist and rafter reinforcing cable guides; and d) anchoring ends of said cable to a foundation of said structure to be stabilized.

Claim 4

A structure stabilizing method comprising said steps of: a) providing a length of cabling and a number of joist and rafter reinforcing cable guides; each of said joist and rafter reinforcing cable guides including an L-shaped joist securing plate assembly, a rafter securing plate, and a cable guide tube assembly; said L-shaped joist securing plate assembly including a vertical joist contact plate and a horizontal joist contact plate integrally formed with and orthogonally oriented with respect to said vertical joist contact plate; said vertical joist contact plate having two fastener apertures provided therethrough; said rafter securing plate being integrally formed with and orthogonally oriented with respect to a side edge of said horizontal joist contact plate and lying in a plane parallel to a plane defined by said vertical joist contact plate; said cable guide tube assembly including a tube support plate and a cable guide tube; said tube support plate having a cable passage aperture formed therethrough and being integrally formed with and extending from a side edge of said rafter securing plate perpendicularly oriented to said horizontal joist contact plate and having a bottom edge collinear with a fold line defining said edge between said horizontal joist contact plate and said rafter securing plate; said cable guide tube having a first open end defined by a tube end rigidly secured to said tube support plate such that a cable passage formed through said cable guide tube is in connection with said cable passage aperture and a longitudinal axis of said cable guide tube is oriented in parallel with a plane defined by said horizontal joist contact plate; b) attaching one each of said number of joist and rafter reinforcing cable guides to a number of sets of ceiling joists and rafters along each side of a structure to be stabilized; c) threading a length of cabling through each of said cable guide tubes of each of said attached joist and rafter reinforcing cable guides; and d) anchoring ends of said cable to a foundation of said structure to be stabilized.