US3150748A

US3150748A - Elevated sectional floor

Info

Publication number: US3150748A
Application number: US56530A
Authority: US
Inventors: Jr Ernest C Liskey
Original assignee: LISKEY ALUMINUM Inc
Current assignee: LISKEY ALUMINUM Inc
Priority date: 1960-09-16
Filing date: 1960-09-16
Publication date: 1964-09-29
Anticipated expiration: 1981-09-29
Also published as: BE608219A; DE1509606A1; DK105363C; CH409336A

Description

p 29, 1954 E. c. LISKEY, JR 3,

ELEVATED SECTIONAL FLOOR Filed Sept. 16, 1960 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Vi/ IIIIII III I I i .INVENTOR. ERNEST c. LISKEY, JR.

new

ATTORNEY p 29, 1954 E. c. LISKEY, JR 3,150,748

ELEVATED SECTIONAL. FLOOR Filed Sept 16, 1960 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 [III INVENTOR.

F I G. 5

Sept. 2%, 1964 cw usKEY, JR

ELEVATED sac'rrom FLOOR File-cf Sept, 15, 1960 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 ATTORNEY R J n K b L G w E m E United States Patent 3,150,748 ELEVATED SECTIONAL FLOOR Ernest C. Lislrey, Jr., Arnold, Md., assiguor to Inskey Aluminum, Inc., Glen Burnie, Md., a corporation of Maryland Filed Sept. 16, 1960, Ser. No. 56,530 4 Claims. (Cl. 18934) The present invention relates to a false or elevated floor and is an improvement upon such a floor as disclosed in my copending application for Letters Patent, Serial No. 774,002, now Patent No. 2,956,653.

As pointed out in said copending application, the advent of electronic computers, of business machines, of magnetic files and the. like, and their use in large batteries or groups in a single area in business and governmental houses, has made this type of flooring not only desirable but a necessity to provide a clear and unobstructed floor with the maze of electrical cables, wirings, and other accessory equipment for these machines underlying the sectional floor yet quickly accessible through any point in the elevated floor for inspection, cleaning, repair or replacement and, at the same time, provide an air plenum chamber between the elevated floor and the underlying normal floor to supply air at proper temperature to the machines or to certain of them which require it.

One object of the present invention, therefore, is to provide the elevated fioorwhich latter comprises floor panels arranged in close contiguous end-to-end and sideby-side contact upon underlying stringers supported by spaced and adjustable pedestalswith a cushioning-sealing means on the stringers themselves, as a permanent part of the latter, for yieldably supporting and sealing all the marginal edges of the floor panels and for centering or locating the panels in place during the installation of the elevated-floor, and prevent planar shifting of the installed panels without the requirement of fastener meansall in the most economical and facile manner to manufacture.

Another object of the invention is to attach the stringers to the pedestals by means of a novel snap-clip means requiring no bolts or screws (which are difficult and tedious to apply) thus saving time and labor in the installation of the floor or in its removal or dismantling.

Further objects of the invention are to provide a floor panel of extruded aluminum sections held together in a unitary structure by end-bars in a manner imparting great transverse rigidity to the panel; to provide said end-bars of extruded aluminum so as to receive an insert top-strip of material of the same kind as the floor-covering of the panels, thus eliminating a metal bead or rib framing each panel when desired; to provide extruded aluminum stringer supports for the panels having holding grooves formed in their panel supporting surfaces to receive and maintain sealing-cushioning strips, as part thereof, upon which the marginal edges of the panels rest; and to provide improved heads or caps for the adjustable pedestals to cooperate with said improved snap-clips for anchoring said stringer to said caps.

Other objects will be apparent from a consideration of the construction of the elevated floor of this invention illustrated in the accompanying drawings when read in connection with the following detailed specification.

In the drawings, which show the improved embodiment of this invention as now manufactured and used FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of the false floor, in accordance with the present invention, illustrating the meeting end of two adjacent panel members supported upon a stringer, which in turn is supported by two or more adjustable pedestals, certain parts being broken away and shown in section to illustrate details of construction;

FIGURE la is a perspective view of the improved snap-clip and the arrow shows where the clip is attached to the pedestal cap;

FIGURE lb is a fragmentary perspective View of the sealing-cushioning strip before being inserted in the stringer shown in FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 10 is a similar view as FIGURE 1b but showing a modified form of the sealing-cushioning strip as employed in FIGURE 4;

FIGURE 2 is a fragmentary plan view of the elevated floor of this invention with two floor panels in place on the underlying frame or stringers;

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged cross-section taken substantially on the line 33 in FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 4 is an enlarged cross-section taken substantially on line 4-4 in FIGURE 2 and illustrating the manner of supporting said floor panel at or against a vertical wall or surface;

FIGURE 5 is a plan view of the cap of the pedestal shown in FIGURES l and 3 with two snap-clips in place thereon;

FIGURE 6 is a sectional view taken substantially on the line 66 in FIGURE 3 to illustrate the manner in which the snap-clip is mounted on the cap of a pedestal;

FIGURE 7 is an end View of the snap-clip on the pedestal-cap and illustrates the manner in which the stringer is applied to said clip;

FIGURE 8 is an enlarged end view of the floor panel supporting surface of a stringer having the sealing-cushioning strip, shown in FIGURES lb or 10, anchored in a longitudinal groove formed in the surface of the stringer.

FIGURE 9 is a sectional view taken substantially on the line 99 in FIGURE 1 illustrating the detailed construction of the floor panels; and

FIGURE 10 is a fragmentary perspective view of a floor panel, on substantially the actual scale, with portions' broken away to show details of construction.

The present invention is employed with a false or elevated floor comprising a plurality of pedestals P of sufiicient number and suitably spaced apart to support a plurality of spaced and parallel elongated stringers S, and a plurality of brace-stringers B interposed between the stringers S and extending substantially at right-angles thereto, and a plurality of floor panels F laid in checkboard fashion-Le, in contiguous side-by-side and endto-end contact-end having their opposite marginal end portions resting upon and supported by two adjacent 50 stringers S and their opposite side marginal portions resting upon and supported by two adjacent brace stringers B.

Each of the pedestals P comprises a base plate 10 from the central portion of which extends upwardly a column 11 threaded at its upper portion 12 to receive a pair of nuts 13 and A header or cap 14, formed with a vertical passage 15 therethrough, is supported upon the nut 13 with the portion 12 of the column 11, above the nut, extending into said passage 15 with a close fit. Thus, the cap 14 is vertically adjustable by rotating the nut 13 and the upper end of the column 11 maintains the cap in centered and aligned position. The cap 14 is, preferably, an integral aluminum casting substantially in the as a jam-nut, to lock the nut 13 in adjusted position.

The stringers S and B are essentially identical channels of extruded lengths of aluminum and are cut transversely to required lengths for their respective uses. The chaunels are placed upon the caps 14 in inverted position, as shown, that is with their channel faces downward; and the inner face of the bottom wall 16 of each channel stringer S and B is formed (during the extrusion of the channel) with thickened portions 17 disposed along the length of its longitudinal center and is grooved, as at 17a, for a substantial portion of its depth and its entire length through the outer surface of the bottom Wall 16, as shown more particularly in FIGS. 1, 3, 4 and 8 for the purpose of anchoring a sealing and cushioning strip 30 to the upper or floor-bearing surfaces of the stringers. The free edge portions of the side walls or legs 13 of each stringer S and B are provided with inwardly directed lateral flanges 19 which cooperate with snap-over clips 20 to clamp the stringers in position on the pedestal caps 14.

The floorpanels F may be of any convenient size but it has been found that, in most cases, panels of approxi mately 2 feet by 2 feet (square) better fill the requirements in most installations. Hence, the pedestals P should be arranged on the normal or sub-floor in rows two feet apart (center to center) and the pedestals in each row should be two feet apart (center to center) as indicated in FIGURE 2, in order that the pedestal caps 14 may properly receive and support the stringers S and the bracestringers B on the four horizontally projecting arms a formed by the two triangle portions of the caps as above explained. The ends of these arms a are each slotted inwardly with a vertical slot 21, which is wider at its outer end portion than at its inner end portion (see FIGS. 1 and and has camming ribs 22 formed on its upper face and On each side of said slot 21. The outer portions of these ribs 22 are bevelled, as at c, and their inner portions form flat lands c. The arms a are also formed on their under and bottom faces and on each side of said slot 21 with similar camming grooves 23, the bottom walls of which are bevelled at their front or outer portions and are flat at their inner portions, as shown more particularly in FIGS. 1, 5, 6 and 7. The snap-clips are received in said slots 21 and are sprung into tight gripping engagement with said arms by the camming ribs 22 and grooves 23.

The snap-clips 20 are cut from an extruded aluminum bar and each is about of an inch long and substantially H-shaped in cross-section (FIG. 1a) with the web w insertable in the slot 21 of an arm a of one of the caps 14. The longitudinal edges of its side walls of this H-shaped clip are laterally flanged in the same direction, as at f and f, the flanges f having their longitudinal edges formed with outwardly directed and oppositely extending bevelled detents d to engage with the flanges 19 of the elongated stringers S and those of the brace-stringers B. The snapclips 20 are so dimensioned that, when they are forcibly inserted onto the arms a of the pedestal caps 14- by means of a blow with a hammer or the like, the inner faces of their upper walls ride over and upon the camming ribs 22 and the edges of flanges f on its lower wall move along the camming grooves 23 and are flex-sprung to draw the upper wall down upon the land-portions c of the ribs 22 and the flanges 1 onto the land-portions c of the grooves 23, thereby exerting sufficient force as will cause the clips to be firmly anchored with a binding grip to the arms of cap 14. The flanges f, being confined in the grooves 23, retain the clip 20 in proper position so that, when a stringer S or B is to be set and anchored in position on the underlying pedestals, it is only necessary to align the edges of the flanges 19 of the stringers over the detents d and force the stringer downwardly, with sufiicient pressure. past the detents d of the anchored clips 20. As indicated in FIG. 7, by such operation, the legs 18 of the stringers are flexed outwardly as their flanges 19 pass over the bevelled faces of the detents d and then spring back to normal position under the noses or shoulders 11 of said detents, thus securely anchoring the stringers in fixed position.

Each floor panel F is fabricated of several sections of extruded aluminum and each section comprises a plurality of substantially equi-spaced beams b arranged in the same horizontal plane with at least their upper edges being connected by laterally extending webs to join adjacent beams and form a smooth upper tread surface t. The lower edge of said beams may be similarly joined, particularly should it be desired to fill the voids between said beams with a material, such as insulation for example. Since it is desirable for these sections 25 to be in modules of 2 inches, it is most practical for extrusion purposes that these sections be 6 inches in width and approximately 24 inches in length, that is in the direction of the beams b. Adjacent side beams b of adjacent sections of the floor panel F are formed respectively with complemental ribs and grooves g extending along a longitudinally medial portion thereof to interlock one with the other, as shown particularly in FIGS. 9.

When the required number of sections 25 are arranged in contiguous side-by-side relation to form a floor panel F, they are connected and held together in this relationship at each end by an end-bar 26 extending transversely across each end of a panel F. The end-bars 26 are preferably extruded lengths of aluminum and are formed, on what is their inner face, with two outwardly projecting spaced and substantially

parallel flanges

26a and 26b of substantial width and extending longitudinally of the length of the bar 26. The upper 26a of these flanges is spaced from the upper edge 1' of the end-bar 26 and is received in slots 27 in the web portions of the beams b immediately underlying the tread surface 1 of the assembled sections 25. The lower flange 26b is spaced from the lower longitudinal edge e of the end-bar 26 and is received in similar slots 27a in the lower portions of the beams of the assembled sections 25, forming the panel, in overlapping engagement with the upper surfaces of the lower flanges of the beams b of the panel, as shown more particularly in FIGS. 1, 3 and 10. The ends of the sections abut against the end-bar 26 and the

flanges

26a and 26b extend inwardly of the beams b of the panel sections 25 for a substantial distance from the ends of the beams b.

Weldments

28 and 29 secure the end-bar 26 and its

flanges

26a and 26b to adjacent parts of the beams thus holding the tongues and grooves of the adjacent sections 25 in interlocking position and providing a very rigid floor panel F in the directions of its beams b and transversely of its beams b.

The lower edges e of each end-bar 26 extends below the flange 26b to be flush with the bottoms of the beams b while its upper edge r extends upwardly for a distance to be substantially flush with the tread surface I of the floor panels F. This upper edge r of the end-bars 26 is formed, during its extrusion, With a holding slot 260 to receive the stem of an extruded edging-strip 31, of plastic or rubber material T-shaped in cross-section, and anchor said strip therein with its head portion resting upon and coextensive with the top edge r of the end-bar, as shown in FIGURES 1, 3, 4 and 10. The walls of the slot 260 and of the stem of the T-shaped strip 31 may be serrated, as shown, to increase the anchoring contact between the said parts. The material of the strip 31 is preferably of the same kind, and if desired, of the same color as the floor covering 32 carried on and bonded to the upper tread surface I of each floor. This floor covering 32 may be rubber or plastic tile and other suitable material. When it is desired to have a metal edge of the end-bars 26 visible, their upper edges will not be grooved, as at 26c, and their top edges r will extend flush with the floor covering 32.

The outer face of each end-bar 26 and of the outerside beams b of each panel F are smooth with their upper portion normal to the tread surface I and their major lower portion declined inwardly as at 34 (see FIGS. 1, 3 and 9), so that the adjacent ends and/or sides of the two floor panels may be laid with the said upper portions of their outer ends and side faces in close proximity to one another, but not necessarily in abutting contact, and with said lower portions of said faces diverging downwardly, thus providing the necessary clearance to permit the ready and easy insertion or removal (the latter by means of a suction cup applied to the tread surface) of any one panel from the laid floor with respect to its adjacent panels F. Further, this clearance between adjacent panels affords a means for centering each panel exactly in place during the installation of the elevated floor and for preventing slippage or creeping in any direction of its plane, when so installed, as will now be explained.

A relatively stiff cushion strip 30 (FIG. lb) about of an inch wide is laid horizontally along the longitudinal center of the panel supporting surfaces 16 of said stringers S and B and is anchored thereto. This strip 30 is formed by extruding a resinous plastic material, which, in its finished state, has a degree of cushioning yieldability, yet stiff enough to perform the functions described for it. For example, the strip 30 may be of a rubber composition, of nylon or of a vinyl plastic material. At present nylon is being used with satisfactory results.

The strip 30 is, generally, cruci-form in cross-section, thus providing on its top surface an upstanding relatively thick rib' 30a extending along its longitudinal center and a narrower rib 30b, depending from its bottom surface and underlying the rib 30a, formed and dimensioned to be received in the grbove 17a' of a stringer with a binding fit. The'rib 30b may have one or more relatively short flexible flanges 30c projecting laterally from its opposite sides, while the side walls of the rib 30a are dimensioned to substantially fill the space between the declining surfaces 34 of two abutting panels F and to extend for a distance upwardly therebetween to provide a centering abutment-curb with which the lower portions of the surfaces 34 engage.

As shown clearly in FIG. 8, the side walls of the grooves 17a in the stringers S and B are, preferably, formed with inwardly projecting ribs 17b (which are produced during the extrusion of said stringers). The depending rib 3012 is forced, under pressure, into the groove 17a, which causes the flanges 300 on said rib to assume the position shown in FIG. 8 to cooperatively lock against the rib 17b in the groove 17a and bind the strips 30 in place on their stringers as shown. The strips 30 extend the full length of the stringers and do not pull out of place from the groove 17a although they may be removed by a tool moved along the groove 17a, should it be necessary to renew the strips 30.

When so arranged on the stringers and because of its yieldability, the strip 30 cushions the floor panels which rest upon it and seals the four marginal edge portions of the panels against leakage of air therebetween as well as against the seepage of dust. The ribs 30a center or properly locate each panel on its supporting stringers S and B so as to be in proper position with its adjacent panels and, thus, prevent creeping of the panels in any planar direction.

When the elevated floor is brought to a vertical wall or a column or the like, or extends into a corner formed by walls, the pedestal caps 14 are provided with only the required number of arms a for supporting the required stringers S or B, as shown in FIG. 4. Also, the panels F for such locations are dimensioned to extend entirely over, and perhaps beyond, the stringer adjacent and substantially parallel with such wall or walls to abut said wall, or substantially so, and finished with a base-board cover strip 35 as shown in FIG. 4. In such an arrangement, the stringers S or B adjacent to and parallel with said wall are equipped with sealing-cushioning strips 30' devoid of the curb ribs 30a, as shown in FIGS. and 4, but otherwise, the construction and arrangement of parts of the flooring is the same as described above.

To install the false-flooring of this invention, it is only necessary to place a plurality of pedestals P in a row and space them according to the size of the floor panels F being employed so that there will be one pedestal under '6 the meeting corners of adjacent panels, there being as many of these rows of pedestals as there are panel corners to be supported for the elevated floor area desired. The caps 14 of the pedestals will have been adjusted to the approximate height required for the installation and the required snap-clips 2% will have been set in place on the arms a of said caps. The elongated stringers S are then placed upon the caps 14 to determine exact level and, where required, the caps 14 are readjusted to the proper level and position. Next, the stringers S are snapped in position on the clips 20; and, the brace-stringers B, having been cut to proper length, are then similarly arranged in position and snapped onto their clips 20, thus providing a rigid checker-board frame structure for the reception of the floor panels F. The floor panels F are, then,

laid in place in the areas defined by the central ribs 30a on the stringers S and B so that their four. bottom edges will abut the ribs 3% and rest upon those horizontal portions of the sealing-cushioning strips 30 that underlie the marginal bottom edges of the panels F. When so laid, the panel F will be in side-by-side and end-tto-end abutting arrangement, as indicated in FIGURES 1 and 2, with all of their marginal edge portions positively supported by underlying stringers S and B and sealed by the cushion strips 30. Any one of the panels may be removed with facility and celerity by the application of a suction-cup to its tread surface.

From the above, it will be clear that the present invention affords a false or elevated floor having improved novel features of construction and that all of the objects, above stated, are attained thereby.

Having thus described the invention and the manner in which it is to be performed, it is to be understood that certain changes and variations may be made in the exact details shown and described herein, as an example, without departing from the spirit of the invention; and that all changes or modifications as fall within the scope of the appended claims are contemplated as part of this invention.

That which is claimed, as new and to be secured by Letters Patent, is:

1. In an elevated removable sectional-panel floor for use over a sub-flooring or the like and for forming a plenum chamber therebetween including a supporting frame having a plurality of spaced and substantially parallel stringers, some of which being disposed at substantially right-angles to other stringers to form a grid-type structure with an upper planar surface, and pedestal means supporting the stringers and which includes means connecting said stringer into a unitary structure in an elevated position; the improvement comprising a sealing strip of yieldable material disposed fiat along and fixedly anchored to the upper planar surfaces of said stringers and having an upstanding rib thereon extending along its longitudinal center and forming a relatively stiff curbing; and a plurality of floor panels dimensioned to cover the areas between and defined by said ribs with one such panel removably disposed within each of said areas respectively in check-board planar arrangement, the bottom marginal edge portions of each panel resting on the marginal edge portions of said strips inboard of each area defined by said upstanding ribs to close said area and to form a seal be tween the panel and the underlying stringers, the sideedge surfaces of the panels at their tread surfaces being in opposing substantial juxta-position, and the upstanding ribs on the sealing strips extending upwardly between the perimetrical edges of adjacent panels and terminating substantially below the tread surfaces to be obscured by the laid panels and assisting in locating said panels in position, when inserted into said areas, and preventing edgewise shifting of individual panels, when in position, where by the panels are positioned, sealed and held in place without fasteners and are removable individually at will.

2. In a sectional elevated floor, wherein there is a plurality of floor-panels arranged and laid in rows side-byside to be removable at will, a supporting structure for each row of said panels comprising spaced and substantially parallel stringers each having a floor-panel supporting surface disposed longitudinally therealong; the combination of a gasket strip of yieldable material on the floor supporting surface of each stringer and arranged longitudinally thereof; means anchoring the underface of said strip of said surface of its stringer .as a fixed part of the stringer; and an upstanding rib formed on and along the longitudinal center of said gasket strips and substantially coextensive therewith, adjacent rows of said floor-panels being laid to span said stringers with the adjacent marginal edges of each row of said panels resting upon said strips and on opposite sides of said upstanding ribs, which 10- cate the panels in correct position, while being laid, and which prevent horizontal shifting of said laid panels, and the gasket strips forming an air-seal between the stringers and the panels whereby the panels are positioned and held in place without fasteners and may be removed individually at will under the weight of the panels.

3. A sectional floor, as set forth in claim 2, wherein there are spaced brace-stringers extending between and planar to and at substantially right angles to said first mentioned stringers and arranged to underlie the edge portions of adjacent panels of, at least, one of said rows of panels, each of said brace-stringers being equipped with a yieldable gasket strip the same as are said first mentioned stringers to underlie the marginal edges of adjacent panels and upon which rest said marginal edges of adjacent panel on opposite sides of said upstanding ribs, thereby sealing the perimeters of said panels upon said stringers, and the upstanding ribs of the gasket strips on the first mentioned stringers and on said brace-stringers forming defined areas into which each floor-panel is removably received.

4. A sectional elevated floor, as set forth in claim 2,

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,159,039 11/15 Johnson 189-36 1,646,725 10/27 Davidson 189-42 1,723,306 8/29 Sipe 94-18 1,739,102 12/29 Strauss 346 1,890,954 12/32 Snyder 94-18 2,031,684 2/36 Berger 50346 2,114,710 4/38 Holcomb 50-340 2,305,685 12/42 Foster 50-346 2,309,451 1/43 Hasenburger et a1 189-1 2,363,429 11/44 Lowry 50346 2,692,033 10/54 Jaynes 189-36 2,933,782 4/60 Cornell 20-69 2,956,652 10/60 Liskey 189-34 2,956,653 10/60 Liskey 189-34 2,960,195 11/60 Toth 189-34 2,985,263 5/61 Maciunas 189-34 3,011,222 12/61 Spiselman 20-6 3,025,934 3/62 Spiselman et al. 189-34 FOREIGN PATENTS Addition 71,453 1959 France.

JACOB L. NACKENOFF, Primary Examiner.

JOEL REZNEK, WILLIAM I. MUSHAKE, Examiners.

Claims

2. IN A SECTIONAL ELEVATED FLOOR, WHEREIN THERE IS A PLURALITY OF FLOOR-PANELS ARRANGED AND LAID IN ROWS SIDE-BYSIDE TO BE REMOVABLE AT WILL, A SUPPORTING STRUCTURE FOR EACH ROW OF SAID PANELS COMPRISING SPACED AND SUBSTANTIALLY PARALLEL STRINGERS EACH HAVING A FLOOR-PANEL SUPPORTING SURFACE DISPOSED LONGITUDINALLY THEREALONG; THE COMBINATION OF A GASKET STRIP OF YIELDABLE MATERIAL ON THE FLOOR SUPPORTING SURFACE OF EACH STRINGER AND ARRANGED LONGITUDINALLY THEREOF; MEANS ANCHORING THE UNDERFACE OF SAID STRIP OF SAID SURFACE OF ITS STRINGER AS A FIXED PART OF THE STRINGER; AND AN UPSTANDING RIB FORMED ON AND ALONG THE LONGITUDINAL CENTER OF SAID GASKET STRIPS AND SUBSTANTIALLY COEXTENSIVE THEREWITH, ADJACENT ROWS OF SAID FLOOR-PANELS BEING LAID TO SPAN SAID STRINGERS WITH THE ADJACENT MARGINAL EDGES OF EACH ROW OF SAID PANELS RESTING UPON SAID STRIPS AND ON OPPOSITE SIDES OF SAID UPSTANDING RIBS, WHICH LOCATE THE PANELS IN CORRECT POSITION, WHILE BEING LAID, AND WHICH PREVENT HORIZONTAL SHIFTING OF SAID LAID PANELS, AND THE GASKET STRIPS FORMING AN AIR-SEAL BETWEEN THE STRINGERS AND THE PANELS WHEREBY THE PANELS ARE POSITIONED AND HELD IN PLACE WITHOUT FASTENERS AND MAY BE REMOVED INDIVIDUALLY AT WILL UNDER THE WEIGHT OF THE PANELS.