Trussed joist structure

Claim 1

A trussed joist frame structure comprising a. a longitudinally elongated wooden upper chord member, b. a longitudinally elongated wooden lower chord member substantially equal in length to said upper chord member, c. means connecting said upper and lower chord members so that said upper chord member is spaced for support, when in use, above said lower chord member in the same vertical plane, said means including multiple upright wooden block members which are longitudinally spaced apart along the lengths of said chord members and located therebetween, the laterally horizontal widths of said chord and block members being substantially less than the maximum vertical dimension between said chord members, two of said block members being respectively located at opposite ends of said structure and being longitudinally elongated, d. said means including multiple discrete metallic straps interconnecting said chord members at spaced locations therealong, said straps extending diagonally relative to said block members and having upper and lower flat end terminals confined flatly adjacent the inner sides of said wooden chord members and flatly adjacent the ends of said block members, each strap having one flat end terminal which is closest to the nearest end of the frame structure and which is also confined flatly adjacent the upper end of a block member, and each strap having an opposite flat end terminal which is furthest from the nearest end of the frame structure and which is also confined flatly adjacent the lower end of a next in sequence block member, the laterally horizontal widths of the straps also being substantially less than said dimension, each strap having an angled cross section at locations intermediate its end terminals, e. there being nail type fasteners driven into said chord members from the exteriors thereof and blindly through said confined metallic end terminals which are ruptured immediately adjacent and about puncture openings formed by the fasteners, the thicknesses of said end terminals being substantially less than the vertical dimensions of the chord members, and the end terminals of the straps closest to the two elongated block members at opposite ends of the structure being confined and extending adjacent the inner side of the upper chord member, and f. the upper chord member being concave toward the lower chord member of said joist structure so that the maximum vertical dimensions of said two end block members are each less than the maximum vertical dimension of each remaining block member.