Deck system

Information

  • Patent Grant
  • 6170212
  • Patent Number
    6,170,212
  • Date Filed
    Thursday, January 21, 1999
    25 years ago
  • Date Issued
    Tuesday, January 9, 2001
    23 years ago
Abstract
A deck system including cooperating plastic planks, fastener covers and end caps. Each of the plastic planks has at least one channel in the upper surfaces which extends the length of the plank. Each channel includes at least one pair of opposed ledges. Each fastener cover is configured for insertion into one of the channels. The fastener cover is an elongate member having an upper face portion and a pair of legs downwardly depending from the upper face portion and extending substantially the entire length thereof. The fastener cover includes a pair of upper laterally projecting flanges and a pair of lower laterally projecting flanges. When a fastener cover is inserted into a channel, the pairs of upper and lower flanges receive the at least one pair of ledges with a gap sufficient to accommodate displacement of the fastener cover arising from ice expansion in the channel. Such a gap minimizes the likelihood of damage to the fastener cover and/or its expulsion from the channel as a consequence of ice expansion in the channel.
Description




FIELD OF THE INVENTION




The present invention relates in general to a deck system and in particular to an improved deck system comprising cooperating plastic planks, fastener covers and end caps.




BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION




In both new building constructions and renovation projects, there is an increasing demand in the residential, commercial and public building construction industries to provide private homes, businesses such as shops and restaurants, and public park facilities with deck structures. These structures typically comprise joists overlain with planks or floor boards and bound by a plurality of posts. Because of its natural beauty, comparatively low cost and abundant supply, wood has historically been the predominant material of choice in the construction of decks and similar structures, e.g., walkways, steps, and boat decks and piers. However, the lumber used in the construction of such structures requires considerable and costly maintenance to slow its inevitable deterioration caused by continual exposure to the sun, rain, snow and other natural elements. Moreover, wooden decks and related structures are subject to splintering which can be a hazard to individuals in bare feet. And, wooden structures are highly flammable.




For these and other reasons, rigid plastics such as polyvinyl chloride (PVC) have become an increasingly popular alternative to wood in the construction of decks and similar structures. Examples of deck systems fabricated in whole or in part from rigid plastic include those disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,048,448, 5,009,045 and Des. 329,914 (which are all expressly incorporated by reference herein), as well as certain systems marketed by PVC Design of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., Thermal Industries, Inc. of Pittsburgh, Pa., Royal Group Technologies Limited of Ontario, Canada, L.B. Plastics, Inc. of Mooresville, N.C., Brock Manufacturing of Milford, Ind., Heritage Vinyl Products of Macon, Miss., Alside, Inc. of Akron, Ohio, PVC Lumber System of Montreal, Canada and Vecor Enterprises Inc. of Chomedey Laval, Canada. Most of these systems comprise extruded plastic, e.g., PVC, decking planks and end caps. According to some of these designs the flooring planks are secured to fastener strips which in turn are secured to the joists. In others, such as the PVC Lumber System and Vecor Enterprises Inc. designs, the decking planks are secured directly to the joists via screws or similar fastening means.




The profiles of the PVC Lumber System and Vecor Enterprises Inc. decking planks include at least one deep channel in the upper surface of and extending longitudinally along the planks. The screws are inserted into the channel and driven therethrough and into the joists to anchor the plank to the joists. Once the screws have been installed, an elongated plastic cover, typically formed from PVC, is inserted into the channel to cover the screw heads and give a finished appearance to the plank. On its substantially vertical side walls the channel is provided with at least one pair of opposed ledges extending the length of the recess. The PVC screw cover has upper and lower flanges which project from both of its longitudinal side edges. The flanges are spaced apart a distance sufficient to closely receive one pair of the opposed ledges, i.e., with a gap of about 0.010 to about 0.020 inch. With such a tight gap the screw cover has little room to move outwardly with respect to the ledges under the influence of expanding ice that may form in the channel. Consequently, the lower flanges of the screw cover are especially susceptible to shear failure. That is, the lower flanges may snap under the potentially great compressive contact force that can arise between the lower flanges and the lower surfaces of the captured ledges as a result of ice expansion in the channel. Such failure may entail costly and time consuming replacement of the screw cover depending upon the extent of the damage. And, even if the screw cover flanges do not break, the screw cover may nevertheless be expelled from the channel and may not be reinserted therein until the channel ice is sufficiently thawed.




SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION




A desire exists, therefore, for a plastic decking system including cooperating plastic planks, fastener covers and end caps wherein the fastener covers are easy to install and resistant to expulsion or damage caused by ice expansion.




Other details and advantages of the present invention will become apparent as the following description of the presently preferred embodiments and presently preferred methods of practicing the invention proceeds.











BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS




The invention will become more readily apparent from the following description of preferred embodiments thereof shown, by way of example only, in the accompanying drawings wherein:





FIG. 1

is an end elevation view of a conventional plastic decking plank having a longitudinal channel in its upper surface for receiving a fastener cover;





FIG. 2

is an end elevation view of a conventional plastic fastener cover adapted for insertion into the longitudinal channel provided therefor in the plank of

FIG. 1

;





FIG. 3

is an end elevation view of the conventional plastic decking plank and cooperating fastener cover of

FIGS. 1 and 2

in assembled condition and attached to a joist member;





FIG. 4

is a perspective view of the plastic decking plank constructed in accordance with the present invention;





FIG. 5

is an end elevation view of the decking plank of

FIG. 4

;





FIG. 6

is a perspective view of the plastic fastener cover constructed according to the present invention and suitable for use with the decking plank of

FIG. 4

;





FIG. 7

is an end elevation view of the fastener cover of

FIG. 6

;





FIG. 8

is an end elevation view of the decking plank and fastener cover according to the present invention in assembled condition; and





FIG. 9

is a perspective view of a plastic end cap suitable for use with the decking plank of the present invention.











DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION




Referring to the drawings wherein like references indicate like or similar elements throughout the several figures, there is shown in

FIGS. 1

,


2


and


3


a conventional plastic flooring or decking plank


10


and fastener cover


12


corresponding generally in structure to those marketed by PVC Lumber System of Montreal, Canada. Both plank


10


and fastener cover


12


may be molded, drawn or extruded from any suitable thermosetting or thermoplastic materials. Typically, however, plank


10


and fastener cover


12


are extruded thermoplastic articles usually fabricated from PVC whose composition may include pigments, thermal stabilizers, impact modifiers, ultra-violet (UV) radiation screening agents and other performance and/or aesthetics enhancing additives.




The plank


10


is a substantially rigid hollow member and includes an upper face portion


14


, a lower face portion


16


, side walls


18


and


20


and reinforcement braces


22


and


24


. The reinforcement braces


22


,


24


are joined at their upper and lower ends to the upper and lower face portions


14


,


16


and extend the length of the plank


10


to bolster the plank's resistance to compression bending, torsion and other forces encountered during installation and use. At least the upper surface of the upper face portion


14


may be a tread surface normally provided with ridges, grooves or other friction enhancing means to promote sure footing when walking on the plank, especially when the plank is wet. Additionally, at least the upper face portion


14


(or, as illustrated, both the upper and lower face portions) may be interrupted by a deep channel or similar formation


26


which extends the entire length of plank


10


. Each channel


26


comprises substantially vertical opposed side walls


28


,


30


joined to one another by a base


32


. If both an upper and lower channel


26


are present, then the channels are typically joined to one another via at least one web


34


to further stiffen the plank.




The opposed side walls


28


,


30


of each channel


26


are provided are, two pairs of opposed ledges


36


,


38


. When the fastener cover


12


is inserted in the channel


26


, as shown in

FIG. 3

, the deeper pair of ledges


38


functions as support means for the fastener cover


12


.

FIGS. 2 and 3

depict the construction of the fastener cover


12


and its interrelationship with plank


10


. Fastener cover


12


may be an elongate, low profile “double I-beam-shaped” member having upper and lower face portions


40


,


42


joined to one another by webs


44


. The widths of the upper and lower face portions


40


,


42


are greater than the spacing of the webs


44


such that the upper and lower face portions define upper and lower pairs of laterally projecting flanges


46


,


48


.




As shown in

FIG. 3

, to install a plank


10


onto a plastic, metal or, as shown, wood joist


50


, a screw


52


is first inserted into the upper channel


26


. The screw


52


is then driven through the basc


32


of the upper channel


26


as well as the base


26


of the lower channel


26


, if present, and into the joist


50


until the screw head


54


comes into abutting contact with the upper channel base


32


to anchor the plank


10


to the joist


50


. Once the desired number of screws have been inserted into the parallel joists


50


along the length of plank


10


, the fastener cover


12


is inserted into the upper channel


26


. Because of its compact and relatively rigid double I-beam-type construction, the fastener cover


12


is more easily inserted into the upper channel


26


by sliding the fastener cover


12


through an end of the plank


10


. If space prohibits this mode of insertion, however, the fastener cover


12


may be pounded downwardly into the upper channel


26


via a rubber mallet or similar tool, although such manner of insertion may cause damage to either or both of the plank


10


and fastener cover


12


. Once the fastener cover


12


is in place, the upper and lower flanges


46


,


48


of the fastener cover straddle the shallower pair of ledges


36


formed in the sidewalls


28


and


30


of upper channel


26


.




Upper and lower flanges


46


,


48


of the fastener cover


12


are spaced from one another so as to closely receive the ledges


36


with a gap of about 0.010 to about 0.020 inch. With such a tight gap the fastener cover


12


has little room to move outwardly with respect to the ledges


36


under the influence of expanding ice that may form in the upper channel


26


. So constructed, the lower flanges


48


of the fastener cover


21


are especially susceptible to shear failure. That is, the lower flanges


48


may snap under the potentially great compressive contact force that can arise between the lower flanges


48


and the lower surfaces of the captured ledges


36


as a result of ice expansion in the upper channel


26


. Such failure may entail costly and time consuming replacement of the damaged fastener cover


12


. And, even if the lower fastener cover flanges


48


do not break, the fastener cover may nevertheless be expelled from the channel and may not be reinserted therein until the ice in the upper channel


26


is sufficiently thawed.





FIGS. 4 and 5

reveal a preferred embodiment of a plastic flooring plank constructed in accordance with the present invention. The plank, identified generally by reference numeral


110


, comprises a substantially rigid elongate member that is generally rectangular in cross-section. Plank


110


and later described fastener cover


112


(

FIGS. 6 and 7

) may be molded, drawn or extruded from any suitable thermosetting or thermoplastic materials. Preferably, however, plank


110


and fastener cover


112


are extruded thermoplastic articles fabricated from PVC whose composition may include pigments, thermal stabilizers, impact modifiers, UV radiation screening agents and other performance and/or aesthetics enhancing additives.




To reduce weight and attain the manufacturing, handling and other advantages resulting therefrom, plank


110


is preferably a hollow member and includes an upper face portion


114


, a lower face portion


116


and side walls


118


and


120


. The upper surface of the upper face portion


114


may be a tread surface provided with ridges, grooves or other friction enhancing means to promote sure footing when walking on the plank, especially when the plank is wet. The upper face portion


114


may be interrupted by at least one or, as illustrated, a plurality of channels


126


which extend the entire length of plank


11


. Indeed, according to a presently preferred arrangement, plank


110


may include a pair of channels


126


spaced laterally outwardly from the longitudinal center line of the plank. Such additional channels and their positioning fosters especially secure attachment of the plank to the underlying joist (not shown) via screws or similar fasteners (also not shown).




Additionally, by disposing the channels


126


laterally outwardly from the longitudinal center line of the plank, the plank is less prone to upward curling at its side walls


118


,


120


than, for example, a plank constructed in accordance with plank


10


, above, which has fastener-receiving channels


26


disposed along the longitudinal center line of the plank. As previously mentioned, screws


52


may be driven through channel


26


of plank


10


to anchor the plank to an underlying joist


50


. If screws


52


are over-tightened their heads


54


may exert considerable downward pressure on the upper channel base


30


causing the channel base to be depressed while the lateral sides of the boards become lifted, which lifting is most pronounced at side walls


18


and


20


. Spacing the channels


126


of plank


110


of the present invention laterally outwardly from the longitudinal center line of the plank minimizes this problem. Each channel


126


comprises substantially vertical opposed side walls


128


,


130


joined to one another by a base


132


. At least one or, more preferably, two or more webs


134


join the bases


132


of channels


126


to lower face portion


116


to support the channels and rigidify the plank


110


.




The opposed side walls


128


,


130


of each channel


26


are preferably provided with at least one or, more preferably, two pairs of opposed ledges


136


,


138


the functions of which are described hereinafter.





FIGS. 6 and 7

show a presently preferred embodiment of fastener cover


112


suitable for use with plank


110


. The fastener cover


112


may be an elongate, inverted substantially “U-shape” member having an upper face portion


140


and a pair of spaced-apart legs


156


downwardly depending from the upper face portion and preferably extending substantially the entire length thereof. Upper face portion


140


may be a tread surface, desirably including ridges, grooves or other traction enhancing means. The width of the upper face portion


140


may be greater than the spacing of the legs


156


such that the upper face portion defines a pair of upper laterally projecting flanges


146


. Substantially at or near the lower distal or ends of legs


156


is a pair of laterally, and preferably upwardly, projecting lower flanges


148


. An upward slope may be preferred for at least the lower surface of the lower flanges


148


to facilitate insertion of the fastener cover


112


past the ledges


136


,


138


of channel


126


.




To install a plank


110


onto a plastic, metal or wood joist (not shown), unillustrated screws similar to screw


50


are first inserted into the channels


126


. The screws are then driven through the bases


132


of the channels


126


as well as the lower face portion


116


and into the joist until the screws' heads come into abutting contact with the channel bases


132


to anchor the plank


110


to the joist. Once the desired number of screws have been inserted into the parallel joists along the length of plank


11


, fastener covers


112


are inserted into the channels


126


. Because lower or distal ends of legs


156


are not connected to one another, they are capable of yielding inwardly toward one another during insertion of the fastener covers


112


into the channels


126


. Consequently, fastener covers


112


may be easily inserted into channels


126


with moderate finger pressure. They do not need to be slid into the ends of the plank


110


or pounded therein in the manner of fastener cover


12


with respect to plank


10


discussed above. Upon seating of fastener cover


112


in channel


126


, legs


156


return to their relaxed state whereby lower flanges


148


are disposed beneath lower ledges


138


.




As shown in

FIG. 8

, when the fastener covers


112


are engaged with plank


110


, the upper and lower flanges


146


,


148


of the fastener covers straddle both the upper and lower pairs of ledges


136


,


138


of the channels


126


with the lower surfaces of the upper flanges


146


resting atop the upper surfaces of the upper ledges


136


. Unlike the flanges


46


,


48


of fastener cover


12


, which, when installed in plank


10


closely receive ledges


36


with a gap of about 0.010 to about 0.020 inch, the upper and lower flanges


146


,


148


loosely receive ledges


136


,


138


with a gap “T” of preferably at least about {fraction (1/16)}(0.0625) inch. The present inventors have determined that such a gap affords the fastener cover


112


ample room to move outwardly with respect to the ledges


136


,


138


under the influence of expanding ice that may form in the channels


126


. Consequently, the likelihood of damage to fastener cover


112


or its expulsion from channel


126


as a result of ice expansion is minimal, thereby correspondingly minimizing the cost and labor associated with maintaining the deck system. It will be appreciated that the upper and lower pairs of ledges


136


,


138


of channel


126


may also be formed as a single pair of opposed ledges so long as an appropriate gap “T” is maintained between the edges and the upper and lower flanges


146


,


148


of the fastener cover


112


.





FIG. 9

illustrates a presently preferred construction of an end cap


158


of the plastic deck system of the present invention. Like plank


110


and fastener cover


112


, end cap


158


may be made from any suitable thermosetting or thermoplastic materials although extruded PVC, desirably including performance and/or aesthetics enhancing additives, it preferred. End cap


158


may be a generally “C-shaped” channel member having an upper face portion


160


and a lower face portion


162


joined by a web


164


. The upper face portion


160


preferably includes grooves, ridges or other traction enhancing means.




The length of end cap


158


is preferably substantially the same as the width of plank


110


(shown in dashed line in FIG.


9


). And, the spacing of the upper and lower face portions


160


,


162


is such that, when the end cap


158


is slid over the end of the plank


110


, the upper and lower face portions


160


,


162


grippingly engage the upper and lower surfaces of the plank


110


. End cap


158


thus provides a clean, finished appearance to the ends of plank


110


and fastener covers


112


.




Although the invention has been described in terms of exemplary embodiments, it is not limited thereto. Rather, the appended claim should be construed broadly, to include other variants and embodiments of the invention which may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope and range of equivalents of the invention.



Claims
  • 1. A deck system comprising:an elongate, substantially rigid plank having an upper face portion, a lower face portion and side walls connecting said upper and lower face portions; a pair of channels provided in said upper face portion and extending the length of said plank, said channels having opposed side walls joined by a base, said channel side walls being provided with at least one pair of opposed ledges; and at least one elongate fastener cover configured for insertion into at least one of said pair of channels, said fastener cover including a pair of laterally projecting upper flanges and a pair of laterally projecting lower flanges, whereby, when said at least one fastener cover is inserted into said pair of channels, said pairs of upper and lower flanges loosely receive said pair of ledges with a gap sufficient to accommodate displacement of said fastener cover arising from ice expansion in said channels.
  • 2. The deck system of claim 1 wherein said gap is at least about {fraction (1/16)} inch.
  • 3. The deck system of claim 1 wherein said at least one fastener cover comprises a pair of fastener covers.
  • 4. The deck system of claim 1 wherein said at least one pair of opposed ledges comprise a pair of upper ledges and a pair of lower ledges.
  • 5. The deck system of claim 4 wherein said pair of upper flanges is configured for disposition above said pair of upper ledges and said pair of lower flanges is configured for disposition beneath said pair of lower ledges.
  • 6. The deck system of claim 1 wherein said fastener cover comprises an upper face portion and a pair of spaced-apart legs, said legs downwardly depending from said upper face portion of said fastener cover and extending substantially the entire length thereof.
  • 7. The deck system of claim 6 wherein said pair of upper flanges comprise lateral extensions of said upper face portion of said fastener cover, and wherein one of said pair of lower flanges projects laterally outwardly from each of said legs substantially near the distal end thereof.
  • 8. The deck system of claim 7 wherein said pair of lower flanges have upwardly sloped lower surfaces to facilitate insertion of said at least one fastener cover into said at least one channel.
  • 9. The deck system of claim 1 wherein said plank is hollow.
  • 10. The deck system of claim 1 wherein said plank and said fastener cover are fabricated from plastic material.
  • 11. The deck system of claim 10 wherein said plastic material comprises polyvinyl chloride.
Parent Case Info

This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 29/084,031 filed Feb. 23, 1998.

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Entry
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Brock Dock, The Ultimate Decking Solution, 8 pages.
The Royal Deck, 4 pages.
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Continuation in Parts (1)
Number Date Country
Parent 29/084031 Feb 1998 US
Child 09/234596 US