Flexible sectional mat structure

Claim 1

A FLEXIBLE SECTIONAL MAT STRUCTURE ADAPTED TO BE LAID ON THE GROUND FOR THE PASSAGE OF EQUIPMENT AND THE LIKE THEREOVER COMPRISING A PLURALITY OF INDIVIDUALLY RIGID GRATING PANELS HAVING OPPOSITE PARALLEL RIGID LONGITUDINAL EDGE BARS, HINGE MEANS PIVOTALLY CONNECTING ADJACENT PANELS COMPRISING A PLURALITY OF HINGE PINS RIGIDLY SECURED UPON THE OUTER SIDE OF ONE EDGE BAR OF EACH PANEL, EACH HINGE PIN HAVING AN OFFSET INTEGRAL CYLINDRICAL SECTION EXTENDING SUBSTANTIALLY PARALLEL TO AND IN OUTWARDLY SPACED RELATION TO ITS OSSOCIATED EDGE BAR AND ALL OF SAID CYLINDRICAL HINGE PIN SECTIONS BEING AXIALLY ALIGNED AND PROJECTING IN THE SAME DIRECTION, AND A PLURALITY OF OPENENDED CYLINDRICAL BORE SOCKET MEMBERS RIGIDLY PROJECTING LATERALLY FROM THE OUTER SIDE OF THE OTHER EDGE BAR OF EACH SAID PANEL WITH THEIR AXES IN ALIGNMENT AND RECEIVING SAID OFFSET CYLINDRICAL PIN SECTIONS, SO THAT ADJACENT PANELS MAY BE ASSEMBLED INTO HINGED CONNECTION BY RELATIVE LATERAL MOTION IN ONE DIRECTION WITH SAID SOCKET MEMBERS AND OFFSET HINGE PIN SECTIONS IN ALIGNMENT, AND MEANS IN THE ASSEMBLY MAINTAINING ASSEMBLED PANELS FROM SUCH RELATIVE LATERAL SHIFT AS TO DISENGAGE SAID HINGE PINS AND SOCKET MEMBERS WHILE PERMITTING FREE PIVOTING AT SAID HINGE MEANS, SAID HINGE MEANS BEING DISPOSED SUBSTANTIALLY WHOLLY IN THE SPACE BETWEEN THE ADJACENT OUTER SIDES OF THE EDGE BARS OF THE RESPECTIVE PANELS.