[0001] Object of the invention is a connecting member for combining floor decking elements,
especially terrace decking elements and a modular set of floor decking elements, especially
terrace decking elements.
[0002] Systems of terrace floors composed of wooden or modified plastic elements are known,
which require to be trimmed depending on floor size, and a system of its fixing is
complicated and involves various preliminary works, such as drilling orifices in a
base and/or bearers or ground beams and forming permanent joints based on e.g. screws
and strut pins. Thus, in such cases a time-consuming process of assembling systems
and employing an experienced specialist is inevitable.
[0003] In an up-to-now unpublished description P-388172, the present Authors have disclosed
relatively complex construction of terrace systems, in which drilling orifices in
a base and fixing carrying elements of a terrace by means of screws is necessary.
In that system, trimming of individual floor elements depending on sizes of a terrace
or other base being finished is also necessary. Although the floor elements themselves
are "sticked" in a simple way into connecting members that fix them, yet a simple
and fast disassembly of the connecting members and other elements carrying the terrace
floor is not possible.
[0004] Object of the invention is a connecting member for combining floor decking elements,
especially terrace decking elements, characterized in that it is provided with a base
and two catches connected with a rib, mounted on it symmetrically against each other,
the base being equipped on its bottom surface with protrusions.
[0005] An element base is protruded on both its ends beyond edges of the catches and forms
symmetrically on both edges of the connecting member horizontal shelves, located along
the rib on both its sides. The protrusions on the element base can have a form of
dentils, crimping, waves or a shape of a trapezoid section.
[0006] External side surfaces of the catches are equipped with convex profiling.
[0007] A modular set of floor decking elements, especially terrace decking elements, that
is constituted of main floor decking elements, connecting members and optionally auxiliary
floor decking elements, is characterized in that the main elements have preferably
rectangular shape, whereas the auxiliary elements have a square shape and/or triangular
shape and all the elements are equipped on each of their edges with at least one profiled
orifice, the connecting elements being equipped with a base and two catches connected
with a rib, symmetrically positioned against each other, mounted on a base, the catches
having a shape that maps the shape of orifices and being inserted into these orifices,
the base being optionally equipped on its bottom surface with protrusions, and the
set additionally includes either halves of connecting members inserted into main or
auxiliary floor decking elements that end a surface of the floor being arranged, or
slats finishing the floor surface equipped with orifices, all elements of the set
being in a form ready to be assembled.
[0008] Object of the invention is shown in an embodiment on a drawing, on which fig. 1 shows
a main rectangular element of a set of floor decking elements, fig. 2 shows the element
of fig. 1 in a side view, fig. 3 - the element of fig. 1 from bottom, in fig. 4 a
general view of the connecting member including crimping on its base is shown, on
fig. 5 the element of fig. 4 in a front view is shown, on fig. 6 - a half-connecting
member corresponding to the element of fig. 4, on fig. 7 - a general view of the connecting
member including its profiling on a rib connecting the catches, on fig. 8 - the connecting
member of fig. 7 in a front view, on fig. 9 - the connecting member including convex
profiling on side walls of the catches, on fig. 10 - the element of fig. 9 is shown
in a front view, on fig. 11 - the connecting member including a widened base, edges
of which protrude beyond a line of catches, on fig. 12 - the element of fig. 11 in
a front view, on fig. 13 and 14 - a triangle-shaped floor decking element, on fig.
15 - a square-shaped floor decking element, on fig. 16 - a set of three rectangular
floor decking elements upon partial assembling, on fig. 17 - a finishing slat to a
set of floor decking elements, on fig. 18 - a schematic view of terrace floor arranged
from a set including rectangular and triangular elements of floor decking ended with
finishing slats.
[0009] The connecting member 6 consists of a base 7, on which symmetrically on its opposite
ends identical catches 8, equipped with flat side surfaces 13 or optionally on external
side walls equipped with convex profiling 14, are located and connected from the internal
side with a rib 9, which can be equipped with a convex profiling 9', an edge of the
base 7 that protrudes between the catches 8 forming an internal horizontal shelf 10
or 10' or 10" in various variants of the embodiment. Shelves 10, 10',i 10" are located
along the rib 9. The base 7 of the connecting member 6 is equipped on its bottom surface
with antislip protrusions 11 and can be protruded on both extremities of the connecting
member beyond lines of the catches 8 and can form symmetrically flat external shelves
12. The base of the connecting member can be shaped in such a way, that its side surfaces
are equipped with cavities 7' or 7".
[0010] A modular set of floor decking elements consists of main elements 1, preferably having
rectangular shape (a shape of boards) and, optionally, of auxiliary floor decking
elements of square shape 2 and triangular shape 3. All the mentioned elements of the
set are equipped on each of their edges with assembling orifice or orifices 5. The
set can also include finishing slats 4. The set includes connecting members 6 and,
optionally, half-connecting members 6'.
[0011] The connecting member and the set of the invention provide easy and fast assembling
of floor decking elements e.g. floor boards, especially terrace floor boards, through
direct laying of the elements on a base. All the elements of the system are preferably
made of materials resistant to weather conditions. As they are made of plastic, rubber,
natural rubber or their blends, the connecting members insulate floor elements from
subfloor, absorb shocks and prevent from inward capillary transport of moisture e.g.
to wooden floor elements. They also are not subject to deformation.
[0012] The set of the invention makes it possible to assemble floor elements without damaging
the subfloor while drilling orifices or during other type of mechanical treatment.
Thanks to this, there is no risk e.g. of damaging insulating coats in terrace subfloors
or other surfaces, onto which elements of the set are placed.
[0013] The modular set of floor decking elements makes it possible to make floor in a floating
system (the floor freely lies on a base, i.e. it is by no means connected to the subfloor).
This makes it possible to lay floor terrace also in a place where there is a ready
floor of another type e.g. ceramic tiles permanently fastened with a glue. The set
can be repeatedly assembled and disassembled e.g. for a winter period. Disassembling
of the assembled set does not damage its individual elements.
[0014] Elements of floor decking (floor elements) can be easily replaced, in case they are
damaged. The same set of elements can be used e.g. in another building, upon its disassembling,
renewed arranging and, optionally, purchasing lacking elements.
[0015] The principal advantage of the set of the invention is that it is easy to be assembled,
which can be made on one's own, without a use of specialized tools. All the elements
of the set are ready to be assembled.
[0016] Under the term "elements are ready to be assembled" it is to be understood that these
elements do not require any mechanical working or chemical treatment, neither in a
target place of their use nor at intermediate distribution stages, by a contractor
of a given floor terrace at any stage between purchase of the elements and its assembling.
Thus, floor elements do not require trimming to a specified dimension, sanding, protecting
with chemical agents or painting. The whole process of treatment of elements of the
set is made by a manufacturer. The set of the invention provides a possibility of
assembling the whole floor by a purchaser in a target place without subjecting it
to any treatment. The set works like "building blocks for children", which can be
selected as one wishes at purchasing, and setting-up of them involves only repeated
insertion of connecting members into elements of floor decking.
[0017] The terms "floor" or "flooring" in the meaning of the present invention are terms
to be used interchangeably and refer to the set of floor decking elements. Upon combining
its individual elements, the set of the invention constitutes ,floor", e.g. terrace
deck.
[0018] The set of the invention is at least composed of connecting members and main floor
decking elements, these preferably being rectangular wooden terrace boards. They can
be of different length. Edges at the end of surface of floor assembled of the set
of the invention are made in such a way, that either half-connecting members are inserted
into orifices of extreme floor elements or finishing slats are inserted into a free
end of common connecting members.
[0019] The set can also include auxiliary triangular-shaped or square-shaped elements of
floor decking. These elements make it possible to assemble floor of more complex,
e.g. trapezoidal shapes, on a subfloor. Example of such arrangement of the set is
shown on fig. 18. Auxiliary triangular-shaped elements make it possible to cover the
subfloor with a floor from a side of a skew edge.
[0020] Main and auxiliary elements of floor decking are mutually fit to each other with
dimensions, to enable easy assembling. A predetermined width of main floor rectangular
elements determines dimensions of the remaining elements of the set, which makes it
possible to arrange floor having any esthetic mosaic forms. Dimensions of auxiliary
elements are strictly connected with dimensions of main elements, and it is also necessary
to maintain equal dilatation distances between individual elements. Accordingly, dimensions
of e.g. triangular auxiliary elements can slightly (e.g. 3 to 5 mm) differ from the
width of rectangular main elements. The rectangular floor elements have preferably
arbitrary length being a multiplicity of their width including allowance resulting
from adding width of expansion gaps, so that it could be possible to arrange it for
example perpendicularly to each other, e.g. elements having length three times greater
than its width (plus width of two dilatation gaps) can be located alternately perpendicularly
to similar three elements located in parallel. Depending on their length, elements
of floor decking can have 2, 3, 4 or more assembling orifices 5 on their edges.
[0021] Preferably elements of floor decking are wooden boards or elements of plastic and/or
wooden-like and/or wooden-derived materials, e.g. blends of plastics with sawdust
or wooden dust. Preferably floor elements can be made of high-grade wood designed
to be used outdoors. It can origin from exotic or European trees. The elements can
be subject to any treatment during production to improve their quality and to enhance
their resistance to weather conditions they can be e.g. oiled, impregnated or thermally
modified.
[0022] Elements of floor decking can be either without hollow spaces /ducts inside or can
include such spaces inside. The only limitation here is a necessity of making assembling
orifices and stable fixing of connecting members.
[0023] The connecting member of the invention constitutes a repeatable element of the modular
set, which does not involve any additional fixing. Stability of connecting members
combined with floor elements is secured through ideal matching of sizes and a shape
of the connecting member to a shape of assembling orifices present in floor elements.
More precisely, two catches of each connecting member along with a part of a rib that
joins them are located in connecting orifices and just these parts of the connecting
members must ideally fit to orifices. To reinforce such a connection, side walls of
the catches can be equipped with convex profiling 14 (in other words: longitudinal
crimping) shown on fig. 7 and fig. 9. Pulling out of connecting members from assembling
orifices is then slightly more difficult, and the connection is more permanent. Connecting
members are equipped with a base that is widened as compared to a size of the catches.
In a space between the catches on both sides of the rib that connects them, which
is more narrow than the catches, there are internal horizontal shelves 10, on which
elements of floor decking upon assembling the set floor are mounted. Yet a part of
that space is not used, because between elements of floor decking upon their assembling,
louvers always remain.
[0024] To reinforce the floor construction, connecting members can be equipped with additional
horizontal external shelves 12 formed by pulling out of the base beyond external edges
of catches 8. Such variant of embodiment of connecting member is shown on fig. 11.
Such additional protruding external shelves on connecting members prevent from their
deformation and deflection with time. That causes also that catches are not "squeezed"
more deeply into assembling orifices under the influence of stress, which in turn
provides permanent leveling out of terrace floor. Then, disassembly of terrace floor
is more easy, because connecting members can be easily levered at a place of protruding
external shelf 12. Connecting members shown on fig. 4 or fig. 11 have cavities 7'
or 7", which on the one hand, prevent from depositing of moisture on shelf 10 through
dilatation gaps, and on the other hand - make it easier to assemble the set, as cavities
7', 7" in a natural way are fitted to a shape of fingers.
[0025] Thanks to the connecting members of the invention, elements of floor decking are
placed on a base, ideally equal-spaced, and form a very esthetic and even surface.
The connecting members of the invention make it possible to combine fast: terrace
floors, summerhouses, garden parts, bathrooms, or recreational elements of edges of
swimming pools or other pools.
[0026] The connecting member is made of plastic, rubber, natural rubber or their blends,
which exhibit slight elasticity, and - at the same time - the member is hard and elastic
to a such extent that it is not deformed while loaded. The connecting member is symmetrical
as a whole, which additionally makes more easy its inserting into identical assembling
orifices.
[0027] The set of the invention can be additionally reinforced by applying glue at places,
where the connecting members are inserted into assembling orifices. The glues can
be typical glues used in such cases, e.g. silicone-based glues. Such additional gluing
elements of the set seals microfissures and prevents from accessing of moisture to
them.
1. Connecting member for combining floor decking elements, especially terrace decking
elements, characterized in that it is equipped with a base (7), mounted symmetrically against each other on it there
are two catches (8) connected with a rib (9), the base (7) being equipped on its bottom
surface with protrusions (11).
2. Connecting member according to Claim 1, characterized in that its base (7) is protruded on its both ends beyond edges of catches (8) and forms
symmetrically on both edges of the connecting member horizontal shelves (10) or (10')
or (10") located along the rib (9) on both its sides.
3. Connecting member according to Claim 1, characterized in that protrusions (11) can have a form of dentils, crimping, waves or a shape of trapezoid
section.
4. Connecting member according to Claim 1, characterized in that the external side surfaces of catches (8) are equipped with convex profiling (14).
5. Modular set of floor decking elements, especially terrace decking elements, consisting
of main floor decking elements, connecting members and, optionally, auxiliary floor
decking elements, characterized in that the main elements (1) have preferably rectangular shape, auxiliary elements have
square shape (2) and/or triangular shape (3) and all the elements are equipped on
each of their edges with at least one profiled orifice (5), the connecting members
(6) having a base (7) and being symmetrically positioned against each other, two catches
(8) connected with a rib (9) mounted on a base (7), the catches (8) having a shape
that maps a shape of orifices (5) and being inserted into the orifices, the base (7)
is optionally equipped on its bottom surface with protrusions (11), and set includes
additionally either half connecting members (6') inserted into main or auxiliary floor
decking elements ending surface of the floor being arranged, or includes slats (4),
equipped with orifices (5), ending the surface of the floor, all the elements of the
set being in a form ready for assembling.