US3611655A - Portable floor - Google Patents

Abstract

A PORTABLE FLOOR USABLE AS A DANCE FLOOR MADE OF A PLURALITY OF PLASTIC, ELONGATED SLATS ASSEMBLED IN LENGTHWISE JUXTAPOSITIONED RELATIONSHIP BY A TONGUE-AND-GROOVE JOINT OR A BALL-AND-GROOVE JOINT BETWEEN SLATS.

Description

Oct. 12, 1971 w. LOEBNER 3,611,655

PORTABLE FLOOR Filed Nov. 10. 1969 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Oct. 12, 1971 w, LQEBNER 3,611,655

PORTABLE FLOOR Filed Nov. 10, 1969 2 Sheets-Sheet a y I! II II United States Pate 3,611,655 PORTABLE FLUOR William Loebner, 220 W. 98th St, New York, N.Y. 10025 Filed Nov. 10, 1969, Ser. No. 875,023 Int. Cl. E04f 15/02, 15/16 US. Cl. 52-588 3 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE This invention relates to portable floors and to assemblies of said portable floors which assemblies constitute larger portable floors.

Frequently, a floor surface is not suitable for the purpose desired. Thus, for example, a floor surface may not be suitable for dancing because it is carpeted or because it is susceptible to scufiing. Similarly, when camping, the floor surface of a tent which normally would be the bare ground is not found desirable. Many other occasions may arise where it is desired to create a new floor surface. Thus, the need arises for portable floors.

It is the object of the invention to provide portable floors, which may, if desired, be assembled in different sizes and which portable floors may be placed into compact configuration for storage or transportation.

, The invention will now be described by reference to the drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a portable floor according to the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a section of the portable floor of FIG. 1 taken through plane 2--2;

FIG. 3 is another section of the portable floor of FIG. 1 taken through plane 3-3 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view of the floor taken on the same plane as in FIG. 3 but showing the portable fioor rolled on a drum;

FIG. 5 and FIG. 6 illustrate a mode of portable floor assembly according to the invention, FIG. 5 showing the portable floor before assembly and FIG. 6 after assembly; and

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary section view of another embodiment of a portable floor according to the invention.

FIG. 1 will now be described in detail. A portable floor is shown constituting an assembly of portable floor A with portable floor B. Each of portable floors A and B consists essentially of a set of slats 10 and 10 respectively. The slats are arranged along side each other with their longitudinal edges in contact. Broken lines 11a and 11b indicate the longitudinal edges of adhesive strip 11 (not shown in FIG. 1), broken lines 12a and 1211 indicate the longitudinal edges of adhesive strip 12 (not shown in FIG. 1), broken lines 13a and 13b indicate the longitudinal edges of adhesive strip 13 (not shown in FIG. 1) and broken lines 14a and 14b indicate the longitudinal edges of adhesive strip 14 (not shown in FIG. 1). The adhesive strips do not appear in FIG. 1 because they extend along the underside of the slats. Parting line 15 defines the boundary between floor A and floor B. Binder means 16 and 17 extend along the lateral edges of the slats. Screws 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24 and 25, by means of which binder means 16 and 17 are fastened to the slats are located at intervals in appropriate screws holes along binder means 16 and 17. The details of the construction of the binder means and fastening thereof to the slats will be described with reference to FIG. 2. Some or all of the slats may 3,611,655 Patented Uct. 12, 1971 have a channel running through them. Thus, as shown in detail in the upper portion of FIG. 1, channel 26 runs through the length of the slat and is defined by side Walls 30 and 31 of the slat. Member 27, which is in the configuration of a spring through most of its length and has hooks 27a and 27b at its ends extends through the length of channel 26. It will be appreciated that channel 26 actually consists of two channels in registry with one another, specifically a channel in a slat of floor A in registry with a channel in a slat of floor B. Channel 26 is open at its ends and thereby are defined end openings 26a and 26b. Furthermore, the side walls 16' and 17 of binder means 16 and 17 respectively, each contain an opening in rigistry with end openings 26a and 26b respectively. Hooks 27a and 2717 at the ends of spring member 27 extend through the opening in side wall 16' and the opening in side wall 17' respectively and there are hooked about clips 28 and 29 respectively which are braced against side walls 16 and 17' respectively. The tension in spring member 27 is brought to bear inwardly against side walls 16' and 17 by means of clips 28 and 29 and holds floors A and B together at parting line 15 as shown in FIG. 1 This construction may be repeated several times along the length of portable floors A and B as shown in FIG. 1, thereby providing a number of places at which floors A and B are fastened together.

FIG. 2 will now be described in detail. In FIG. 2, the construction of binder means 16 and 17 can best be appreciated. Binder means 16 and 17 have side walls 16 and 17' respectively, top walls 16" and 17" respectively and bottom walls 16" and 17" respectively. Inserted at each end of channel 26 are anchor blocks 16a and 17a. Top walls 16" and 17 of binder means 16 and 17 respectively, each are provided with a hole therethrough in which screws 18 and 19 respectively fit. In registry with these holes are provided holes in anchor blocks 16a and 17a. Thus, the screws extend through the hole in the top wall of the binder means and into the hole in the anchor block whereby the binder means top wall and anchor block are all screwed together. The anchor block serves to provide a stronger base for the screw than would be provided by the top wall of the binder means and wall of the slat alone. To the bottom of the slats are adhered adhesive strips 11, 12, 13 and 1 4.

FIG. 3 will now be described in detail. FIG. 3 shows the manner in which the slats are joined together at their longitudinal edges. The slats are essentially rectangular in cross-section, having side walls 30 and 31, top wall 32 and bottom wall 33. Side wall 31 has a tongue extension 35 which mates with the curvature of side wall 30, which curvature defines 'groove 34 along the length of the slat. In cross-section, each juncture of the slats thus defined resembles a ball and socket joint and in fact, functions in this manner. Bottom wall 33 is set in somewhat so that space 36 is provided between slats. Space 36 permits the slats to rotate about the axis defined by the longitudinal dimension of tongue extension 35 and in this manner in effect a ball and socket joint is provided between each pair of slats.

In FIG. 4, the utility of the tongue extension feature is illustrated. In FIG. 4 the floor is shown in rolled configuration on drum 37. This is particularly convenient for storage or for transportation of the portable floor.

FIGS. 5 and 6 show another manner of fastening together portable floors A and B. The broken lines indicate grooves in the slats like groove 34 in FIG. 3. Slot 10a has tongue extension 35a, slat 10b has groove 34b, slat has groove 34c and tongue extension 35c, slat 10d has groove 34d and salt 10e has groove 342. Though not all the tongue extensions and grooves are thus indicated, it is to be understood that the slats each have a tongue extension and a groove as indicated in FIG. 3 and are joined as indicated in FIG. 3. Slat 100 extends beyond its neighboring slats and slat 102 is displaced inwards of its neighboring slat, thus creating a space into which slat c fits as indicated in FIG. 6. In this manner, floors A and B are fastened together.

It will be appreciated that strips '11, 12, 13 and 14 adhered to the bottom of the slats and binder means 16 and 17 each function to keep the slats from sliding longitudinally with respect to one another. Thus, the binder means or strips may be used alone rather than jointly. Similarly, any other equivalent means which restrain the slats from sliding longitudinally with respect to one another may be used. Also, rather than using either of the two modes illustrated for fastening the portable floors together, an adhesive strip, like strips 11, 12, 13 and 14, may be placed so as to extend laterally across parting line and thus bind floors A and .B together as well as restraining the slats thereof from sliding longitudinally with respect to one another.

Other alternatives may be obvious to those skilled in the art and it is intended that the invention not be construed as being limited to the foregoing exemplary description but that all obvious equivalents be deemed to be within the scope of the appended claims. Thus, the top wall of the scope of the appended claims. Thus, the top wall of of the slats is curved in order to impart additional strength thereto and also in order that the main weight of one walking on the floor be exerted on the central portion of the top wall and not be exerted in the area of the tonguelike extension mating with the groove, thus protecting the joints between the slats from excessive wear; however, changes in this configuration may be made without departing from the general spirit of the invention.

A preferred embodiment of a portable floor according to the invention is illustrated in FIG. 7 in which a plurality of longitudinally extending, parallel, hollow slats 50 each has four walls 51-54 joined to a top wall 55. A lower wall 57 joins only three of the vertical walls. An outermost wall 51 has a ball 58. The other outermost wall has a longitudinal groove 60 defined by a curved portion of the lower wall 57 so that next adjacent strips or slats 50' are joined by a ball-and-groove joint.

The ba'll-and-groove joint allows the slats to be rolled when assembled into a portable floor. Moreover, the joint is constructed so that the assembly of the slats in a floor is by positioning the ball of a slat over the groove of another slat to which it is to be assembled and snapping them together. There is no need of sliding the slats longitudinally relative to each other, for assembly and disassembly, as in the other joints in assembling the floor.

The individual slats are made of a suitable plastic such as PVC and are made of a suitable color. A flexible fabric sheet 65 may be provided on the assembled slats bonded to the lower walls thereof to hold the assembly together. This fabric is readily cut with a sharp edge from the underside of the slats for separating a given member of slats from a roll, when selecting a given width of flooring from a number of assembled slats. The fabric in no way impedes rolling up the portable flooring.

While preferred embodiments of the portable floor according to the invention have been shown and described,

it will be understood that many modifiactions and changes can be made within the true spirit and scope of the invention.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A portable dance floor comprising, a set of elongated hollow slats having a generally rectangular crosssection disposed assembled in lengthwise juxtaposition, each slat comprising a top wall and side walls, each slat having means defining a ball interiorly of said hollow slat and along one edge of a side Wall edge remote from said top wall, and means defining a groove at an opposite side wall edge remote from said top wall of the slat, said groove being disposed exteriorly of said hollow slat and open at the top and along the full length thereof and the means defining the groove comprising a flexible curved portion extending the full length of the slat configured in crosssection to define an opening of lesser width than the crosssection of said ball and releasably hold a ball of a next adjacent slat, each ball being received in a groove of a next adajcent slat defining pivotal ball-and-groove joints between next adjacent slats, whereby the slats can be assembled by placing the ball of a slat on said opening of a groove of a next adjacent slat and snapping the ball of said slat thereinto, and the assembled slats are rollable into a roll and assembled and disassembled Without moving the slats relative to each other axially.

2. A portable dance floor according to claim 1, including a flexible fabric bonded to the underside of the assembled slats.

3. A portable dance floor according to claim 1, in which each of said slats comprises walls intermediate the side walls, and a lower wall intermediate the side walls and not extending to one outermost side wall, said means defining said ball comprising an extension of said one side wall, and the other outermost wall having said curved portion externally thereof and integral therewith defining said groove extending along said other side wall externally thereof.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,351,546 8/1920 Warmoth 94-13 1,737,621 12/1929 Taylor 52-627 1,178,756 4/1916 Scott 94-4 1,829,366 10/1931 Mittleburg 52-593 2,253,489 8/1941 Smith 52-594 3,102,367 9/1963 Pedersen 52-245 3,121,977 2/1964 Bersudsky 52-417 3,377,931 4/1968 Hilton 94-13 3,386,221 6/1968 Giovannucci 52-586 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,066,479 1954 France 52-245 510,833 1955 Italy 52-627 291,256 1928 Great Britain 52-388 54,838 1935 Norway 52-388 77,011 1950 Norway 52-245 JOHN E. MURTAGH, Primary Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 52-3 88, 594; -133

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