Previous techniques In telecommunications systems currently in use (and in particular in current mobile telephony systems), the transceiver equipment that constitutes a repeater of said telecommunications system is normally located inside a closed case (called "shelter"in the technical jargon of the sector) which protects it from probable dam- age due to the often adverse environment in which each repeater has to operate.

Normally, the auxiliary equipment (power supplies, control and/or remote control circuits etc.) necessary for correct operation of the repeater is also positioned in- side the shelter.

A shelter equipped in this way has (or can have) a considerable weight (approxi- mately one ton, for example), which makes advisable (if not necessary) to place a supporting platform between the shelter and the ground to distribute the weight of the shelter over an adequately large surface area.

If, as often happens, the platform is equipped with support means (preferably but not necessarily adjustable feet) which level the platform and keep it raised from the ground, it has been noted that practically the whole weight of the shelter (nor- mally positioned in the middle of the platform) rests on the support means posi- tioned below the shelter (or in its immediate vicinity) while the support means po- sitioned around the perimeter of the platform take (practically) no weight at all.

This non-uniform distribution of the load on the support means makes (or can make) use of the platform critical as concentration of the load on certain support means can involve that the maximum load permitted for the structure below the platform can be exceeded by particularly heavily loaded support means.

The problems and disadvantages described above exist for any supporting plat- form, equipped with a number of support means, that bears a concentrated load, even if said load is not positioned in the middle of the platform.

The supporting platform to which this invention refers overcomes the above prob- lems and/or disadvantages as it is equipped with means which allow a (substan- tially) uniform distribution of a concentrated load (the shelter's weight) among the support means.

Summary of the invention The present invention refers to a supporting platform equipped with a number of support means, comprising means which allow a (substantially) uniform distribu- tion among the support means of a concentrated load placed on the platform, usu- ally in its central area List of figures The invention will now be described in detail with reference to a non-restrictive ex- ample of an embodiment illustrated in the attached figures, where: -Figure 1 shows a top view of a supporting platform, equipped with a number of support means, which bears a concentrated load positioned in the middle of it; -Figures 2 and 3 show the two side views of the supporting platform of figure 1; -Figure 4 shows one of the support means of figure 1 in section, comprising a first embodiment of the load distributing means; -Figure 5 schematically shows a second embodiment of the load distributing means.

In the attached figures, the corresponding elements will be identified by means of the same numerical references.

Detailed description The present invention refers to a supporting platform 1 equipped with a number of support means 2 and comprising load distributing means apt to distribute a con- centrated load 3 (for example a shelter) positioned on the platform itself in a (prac- tically) uniform fashion among the support means 2.

Said platform can be seen in figures 1 to 3, where figure 1 shows a top view of the supporting platform 1, equipped with a number of support means 2, which bears a concentrated load 3 positioned (in the example described here) in the middle of the supporting platform 1, while figures 2 and 3 show the two side views of the supporting platform 1 fitted with the support means 2; in figures 2 and 3 the con- centrated load 3 has been omitted for the sake of graphic simplicity.

In the embodiment illustrated as a non-restrictive example in figures 1 to 3, the

supporting platform 1 consists of a number of elements 4 interconnected by a number of cross members 5 and the support means 2 are inserted in holes made in a cross member 5 and in element 4 positioned above, as can be clearly seen in figures 2 and 3; without departing from the scope of the invention, the support means 2 can be fixed below a cross member 5 and/or below an element 4.

For the sake of graphic simplicity, in figures 1 to 3 one of the support means 2, one of the elements 4 and one of the cross members 5 have been identified by means of numerical references.

The elements 4 and the cross members 5 that constitute the supporting platform 1 are made of a material that has a low modulus of elasticity (for example 25-30 GPa and in any case between 10 and 40 GPa); preferably but not necessarily a plastic material reinforced with fibreglass (PRFV) is used.

The supporting platform 1 has been described assuming that the concentrated load 3 is positioned in the middle of the platform but it can be used to advantage also if the concentrated load 3 is positioned off-centre with respect to the middle of the supporting platform 1.

Figure 4 shows a section view of one of the support means 2, which comprises, in combination each other: -a hollow body 6, basically cylindrical-shaped, the upper part of which is provided with a fast coupling 9 (or with other functionally equivalent means) for connection to a pipe connected to a compressed air (or other pressurised fluid) source; the pipe and the pressurised fluid source have been omitted in figure 4 for the sake of graphic simplicity ; -a piston 7, designed to run inside the hollow body 6, which is fitted at one end with a seal 8: the piston 7 can be a hydraulic piston or a pneumatic piston; -means for locking the piston 7 against the hollow body 6, which (in the embodi- ment example described here) comprises a lock nut 11 designed to be screwed onto a threaded area 10 on the outer surface of the terminal part of piston 7 oppo- site the one fitted with the seal 8; -a terminal with ball joint 12, comprising a distribution plate 13, which will not be further described as it is already known: the threaded stem of the terminal 12 screws into a threaded cylindrical cavity inside the terminal part of the piston 7, the outer surface of which features the threaded area 10.

The terminals with ball joint 12 belonging to the support means 2 can be height- adjusted and are advantageously used, as is known, to provide initial levelling of the supporting platform 1; without departing from the scope of the invention it is possible, however, to omit at least part of the terminals with ball joint 12 and/or re- place them with non height-adjustable terminals.

The hollow body 6 provided with the fast coupling 9, piston 7 and blocking means of piston 7 to the hollow body 6 represents a first embodiment of the load distrib- uting means.

A second embodiment of the load distributing means is schematically shown in fig- ure 5 and it comprises a supporting element 14 on whose crossbar it is placed a hollow body 6, having a substantially cylindrical shape, provided with a fast cou- pling 9 (or other equivalent means) inside which it is provided a piston 7 having on one of its ends a seal 8; piston 7 can be a hydraulic or a pneumatic piston.

To piston 7 it is connected an end of a rod 15 having on the other end means 16 apt to engage, close to support means 2 (already known and comprising, prefera- bly but not necessarily, a terminals with a ball joint 12), at the end of an element (4, 5) belonging to the platform 1.

Said embodiment of the load distributing means turns out to be economically ad- vantageous because said load distributing means (6,7,8,9,14,16) can be re- moved and used again to distribute the load on another platform 1 and said sup- port means 2 are cheaper than those shown in figure 4, wherein the load distribut- ing means are a part of support means 2, from which they cannot be removed in order to be used again.

To render the supporting platform 1 operative, after performing (as is known) initial levelling of the platform (if necessary) via the terminals with ball joint 12 belonging to the support means 2, the compressed air (or other pressurised fluid) source is connected to the fast coupling 9 of all the hollow bodies 6 wherein it is supplied the compressed air; as a reaction to the injection of compressed air into the hollow bodies 6, pistons 7 slide in the hollow bodies 6 in order to keep an even pressure inside all hollow bodies 6.

When each piston 7 has completed its stroke in the hollow body 6, it is locked in the position reached by tightening the nut 11 on the threaded area 10 of the piston 7 until it is locked against the hollow body 6 (figure 4) or the fixing means 2 of fig-

ure 5 are blocked (in a known way) and the source of compressed air (or another fluid under pressure) is detached from the fast coupling 9 of all hollow bodies 6; if fast couplings 9 do not comprise seal valves, the compressed air can leak out and piston 7 is kept at its place by the lock nut 11 (figure 4) or by the blocking means of fixing means 2 (figure 5).

Compressed air is supplied in all hollow bodies 6 with the same pressure; the length of the stroke that single piston 7 performs in order to keep the same pres- sure inside all hollow bodies 6 varies for each piston and depends on the load placed on each support means 2 before supplying the compressed air.

As all the support means 2 are subject to the same pressure and the load 3 is therefore uniformly distributed on all the support means 2, by appropriately choosing the number of support means 2 (according to the concentrated load 3 and the weight of the platform 1), it is possible to maintain the pressure on each support 2 at a pre-set value, which can be (relatively) low (for example: 2-3 at- mospheres) and in any case below the maximum pressure corresponding to the maximum design load (on the single support means 2) to which the support means 2 can be subjected.

Without departing from scope of the invention, it is possible for a skilled person to make to the above described supporting platform all the modifications and im- provements suggested by normal experience and natural technical evolution.