Patent Application
20050172567
This invention relates to an adjustable thickness air flow panel and particularly relates to a method of levelling the height of a perforated floor panel relative an adjacent panel and the method comprised therein.
Elevated floors or access floor panels have gained widespread acceptance in the marketplace with the advent of the computer age. In particular, elevated floors are comprised of a plurality of access floor panels which are arranged in side by side relation in an array generally supported at the corners by a plurality of pedestals. Furthermore, stringers which are generally horizontal support members that span between the pedestals may also be utilized to support the edges of the floor panels in a manner well known to those persons skilled in the art.
Moreover some of the access floor panels may include perforations between the spaced upper and lower surfaces for a variety of reasons including the passage of ventilated, air conditioned or heated air. However, when utilizing perforated air flow floor panels such panels will generally have different depths relative adjacent solid floor panels, which causes the uppermost surface of the perforated panel to be higher than the uppermost surface of the abutting solid panels causing a tripping hazard or dirt collection area or uneven wear area.
Generally speaking prior art air flow panel systems present a problem as the steel thickness in perforated panels is generally thicker than the regular solid panels. The steel in the perforated floor panels is generally thicker to make up for the structural deficiency caused by all of the perforations which allow for air flow. In order to attempt to level the uppermost surface of perforated panels relative the solid panels prior art solutions include increasing the thickness of the high-pressure laminate (HPL) tile laminated to the upper surface of the floor panel to accommodate the extra steel thickness. However, historically the HPL tile is available in only two thicknesses, namely, 1/16 and ⅛ of an inch. Therefore prior art methods generally provide the placement of the ⅛ HPL tile on all of the solid panels and the 1/16 HPL tile on the air flow panels. Since the solid panels make up 90% of the floor space, such prior art solution increases the costs of the floor system. Also such prior art solution does not allow for surface alignment to tight tolerances such as for example 0.005 inches.
Furthermore U.S. Pat. No. 5,228,252 relates to an elevated flooring system which includes a plurality of panels supported above the base floor. Each panel is constructed of a substantially flat upper member and lower member which includes a plurality of interconnected hemispherical domes.
Moreover U.S. Pat. No. 3,938,295 teaches an access floor system with deep pile carpet covered panels.
Moreover U.S. Pat. No. 4,825,603 relates to a square die-cast elevated floor plate having a top contiguous or perforated panel reinforced underneath by a polygonal grid of ribs.
Other arrangements are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,901,490, 4,689,870 and 4,426,824. Yet other arrangements are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,142,341 and 4,067,156.
Accordingly it is an object of this invention to provide an improved perforated air flow panel and method comprised therein.
It is an aspect of this invention to provide a method of levelling the upper surface of a perforated floor panel relative the upper surface of another panel, each said panel having spaced upper and lower surfaces having different depths, said lower surfaces of said panels supported by pedestal means; the method comprising the steps of selecting different thicknesses of said upper and lower surfaces of said perforated floor panel relative said other panel; selecting a first layer of a first thickness on said upper surface of said perforated floor panel and a second layer of a second thickness on said upper surface of said upper panel so as to level said layers of said perforated floor panel relative said other panel when said panels are supported by said pedestal means.
It is another aspect of this invention to provide a method of levelling an air flow panel with a solid floor panel, each panel supported by pedestal means, said panels having spaced upper and lower surfaces with said perforated floor panel wherein the space between said upper and lower surfaces of said perforated floor panel is less than the space between the upper and lower surfaces of said solid panel, comprising the steps of selecting a thinner material for said upper and lower surfaces of said perforated floor panel than said solid panel; rigidifying the strength of said upper and lower surfaces of said perforated floor panel with rigidifying means; securing a thinner high-pressure laminate tile on said upper surface of said perforated floor panel than said solid floor panel and providing an edge on said upper surface of each said perforated and solid panels; painting said edge of each of said panels to present a trim; placing said lower surface of each of said perforated and solid panels on said pedestal means; placing a shim between said lower surface of one of said perforated or solid panels and said pedestal means to level said tiles.
It is yet another aspect of this invention to provide a perforated air flow panel for use with an adjacent solid floor panel in an access floor system, each panel having spaced upper and lower surfaces, said perforated air flow panel having a thinner material for said upper and lower surface than said solid panel; spaced vertical members disposed between said upper and lower surfaces to reinforce said perforated air flow panel; a high-pressure laminate tile secured to said upper surface of said perforated air flow panel; a shim secured to said lower surface of said perforated air flow panel.
In the description that follows, like parts are marked throughout the specification and the drawings with the same respective reference numerals. The drawings are not necessarily to scale and in some instances proportions may have been exaggerated in order to more clearly depict certain features of the invention.
The upper and lower surfaces 4 and 6 of the air flow panel 2 are generally comprised of a high thicker material T1 to make up for the structural deficiency caused by the perforations (not shown). An HPL tile 7 is secured to the supper surface 4 and 22 of floor panel 2 and 20 respectively. Accordingly the height H of the upper surface 4 in the prior art greater than the height h of the upper surface 22 of the solid panel which creates a tripping hazard. Generally speaking the upper surface 4 and 22 accommodates a HPL floor tile which can be ⅛ or 1/16 of an inch in thickness.
The solid panel 70 also comprises a spaced upper and lower surface 72 and 74 as shown. The upper and lower surfaces 72 and 74 are generally spaced as shown but do converge and then expand from one another in a manner well known to those persons skilled in the art so as to provide a contacting surface 76 which rests on top of a pedestal 30 as previously described. The outer edges of the upper and lower surfaces 72 and 74 present a lip 78 adapted to rest on a pedestal 30 or alternatively a stringer 40 as shown in
The invention described herein and shown in
In order words by using thinner steel and ultra thin laminate HPL floor tile and black paint as opposed to trim the perforated air flow panel total thickness can be reduced to substantially the same thickness as the lighter weight solid panel.
In the embodiment shown in
In these instances a shim 80 as shown in
The shim can comprise of plastic or other metal having pressure sensitive material such as an adhesive so as to apply the shim 80 to the bottom of the panel lip as shown, so that the top surface is level with the top of the abutting solid panel.
Furthermore the lower surface 54 can comprise in another embodiment of perforated cups or apertures 92 which accommodate fans 94 so as to provide circulation from below the perforated floor panel 50 to above the perforated floor panel 50.
Furthermore the shims 80 can comprise of various engineered thicknesses applied to the underside of the panel edge to raise the panel level with the top surface of abutting air flow panels making the joint flush level within tolerance and visually pleasing. The shims 80 may be sized to be disposed either at each corner of the panels or along the entire perimeter or partial perimeter.
Various embodiments of the invention have now been described in detail. Since changes in and/or additions to the above-described best mode may be made without departing from the nature, spirit or scope of the invention, the invention is not to be limited to said details.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2,454,233 | Dec 2003 | CA | national |
