Patent Application
20250215698
This application claims the benefit of GB Provisional Application No. 2320149.4, filed on Dec. 29, 2023 which is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety.
All publications and patent applications mentioned in this specification are herein incorporated by reference in their entirety to the same extent as if each individual publication or patent application was specifically and individually indicated to be incorporated by reference.
The present invention relates to a flooring element drain path device. A flooring element, such as a tile, slab, floorboard, decking board, etc. will have a top surface and a side edge generally perpendicular to the top surface. The device is configured to provide a drain path for water away from the top surface of the flooring element.
External floor surfaces constructed from individual flooring elements, such as roof terraces, patios, decking, balcony floors and the like, may suffer from water pooling on the surface of the flooring elements after rain or after washing. One possible cause of the pooling is believed to be surface tension, which may prevent the water from flowing from the top surface of the flooring element and down the side edge, where it can drain away. This issue may be greater with certain materials, e.g. porcelain tiles, and will depend on the specific surface properties of the flooring element, however pooling can occur with the vast majority of materials or surfaces. Even if the floor surface is constructed with a fall, the problem can still exist. Building regulations may place limits on the depth or area of standing water after a specified time from the rain stopping, and therefore there is a need to address the problem.
In accordance with a first aspect, the invention provides a device for mounting adjacent to a flooring element, the flooring element having a top surface and a side edge generally perpendicular to the top surface, the device being configured to provide a drain path for water away from the top surface of the flooring element and comprising: a substantially planar main body, and at least one finger extending from the main body in an orthogonal direction, wherein, when the device is mounted adjacent to the flooring element in use with the main body substantially parallel to the side edge of the flooring element, the finger is configured to extend parallel to and to contact the top surface of the flooring element such that a drain path is provided from the top surface of the flooring element, via the finger, to the main body.
A flooring element may be a section, component or member of a flooring system. Typical flooring systems include roof terraces, patios, decking, balcony floors and the like. Flooring elements include tiles, slabs, floorboards, decking boards and the like. The flooring elements may be made from any suitable material, including wood, ceramic, porcelain, metal, plastics or composite.
The flooring system preferably has a drainage channel or void underneath into which the water can drain from the main body of the device. The flooring elements may be supported on joist rails, which may include a drainage channel to receive the water from the main body of the device. Alternatively, or in addition, the joist rails may create a void underneath the flooring system to allow drainage water to flow or soak away.
The device of the invention would typically be used with a flooring system laid with gaps in between the flooring elements. However, it is not necessary that the gaps remain open after construction, and it is envisaged that the gaps could for example be grouted or otherwise filled, apart from where the devices are located.
In use, at least in preferred embodiments, the device is inserted in a gap between two adjacent flooring elements or in a gap provided at the edge of the flooring area, adjacent to a single flooring element. As mentioned above, the device is mounted adjacent to the flooring element in use, with the main body substantially parallel to the side edge of the flooring element. The at least one finger extends from the main body such that it contacts the top surface of the flooring element, and therefore contacts any pooling water on the surface.
The function of the finger is to break the surface tension of pooling water on the top surface of the flooring element. The water travels along the finger, believed to be the result of capillary action, and reaches the main body of the device, at which point the drain path turns through 90 degrees and drains down the main body under gravity. Once the initial process has started, the pooling water will continue to be drained from the top surface in a syphon effect, until there is no longer any water in contact with the finger.
The device may be configured to be compatible with flooring elements which have a sharp 90-degree corner or with flooring elements which have a radius or which are bevelled or chamfered at the corner. The corner of the device between the main body and the finger may be provided with a matching profile (i.e. a sharp corner, or a radius, bevel or chamfer) so that the device is in contact with the flooring element around the corner. Alternatively, the device may simply be configured such that the finger is appropriately dimensioned to reach and contact the top surface of the flooring element, the device spanning the corner profile but not being in contact with the corner profile.
In some embodiments, the device comprises a plurality of fingers extending from the main body in an orthogonal direction. For example, the device may comprise about 2-20, 3-10 or 5-10 fingers.
The fingers may extend to the same side of the main body or to different sides. In one embodiment, the plurality of fingers extend in an orthogonal direction to the same side of the main body. This arrangement may be employed where the drainage function is required only to one side of the device, e.g. if the device is located at the edge of a flooring area.
In another embodiment, the plurality of fingers extend in an orthogonal direction to both sides of the main body. The fingers may alternate to each side, or may be arranged in groups which alternate to each side. In a preferred embodiment, the device comprises a first group of at least one finger and a second group of at least one finger, and wherein the at least one finger of the first group extends in an orthogonal direction to a first side of the main body and the at least one finger of the second group extends in an orthogonal direction to a second side of the main body, opposite the first side. In this embodiment, the first and second groups may each comprise a plurality of fingers, and the plurality of fingers of each group extend to the same side of the main body. This arrangement may be employed where the drainage function is required on both sides of the device, e.g. if the device is located between flooring elements within the flooring area.
In some embodiments, the finger is configured to project orthogonally from the main body by a distance sufficient to just contact the top surface of the flooring element in use. As mentioned above, the device may extend over any corner radius, bevel, etc. to reach the top surface. The finger may also extend in a direction parallel to the main body. In a preferred embodiment, the finger extends in a parallel direction from the main body by only a minimal amount, to minimise the amount the device projects above the flooring element surface. The main body may terminate at or below the height of the flooring element surface, with the finger being angled upwards to extend to the flooring element surface.
In some embodiments, the finger projects at least about 1 mm, 1.5 mm or 2 mm in a direction orthogonally from the main body, or about 1-10 mm, 1-5 mm, 1-3 mm or about 2 mm in a direction orthogonally from the main body.
In some embodiments, the finger is wedge-shaped, terminating in a point at the distal end from the main body.
The finger may include upper and lower surfaces, the lower surface being configured to contact the top surface of the flooring element in use. The upper surface of the finger may be angled upwards relative to the upper edge of the main body. The angle of the upper surface of the finger may be about 1-30, 1-20, 1-10 or about 5 degrees relative to the upper edge of the main body. The lower surface of the finger may alternatively or in addition be angled upwards relative to the upper edge of the main body. The angle of the lower surface of the finger may be about 1-60, 1-45, or 1-30 degrees, or about 10, 20, 30, 40 or 45 degrees relative to the upper edge of the main body.
As mentioned above, the main body is substantially planar, with at least one finger extending from the main body in an orthogonal direction.
In some embodiments, the main body includes at least one finger extension extending parallel to or in the plane of the main body, and wherein the at least one finger extends from the finger extension. In embodiments comprising a plurality of fingers, more than one of the fingers may extend from the same finger extension, but preferably a finger extension is provided for each finger such that there is one finger on each extension. A gap may be provided between adjacent extensions, preferably formed by a V-shaped or U-shaped notch in the main body. A V-shaped notch may have an angle of about 10-70, 20-60, or 30-50 degrees, or about 40 degrees.
In some embodiments, the device includes a retaining projection extending out of the plane of the main body which is configured to retain the device in the mounted position. The projection may be angled relative to the main body to form a barb or barb-like structure which does not significantly affect the insertion resistance but which resists movement of the device from the mounted position in an upward direction relative to the side edge of the flooring element. The projection may be resilient or resiliently joined to the main body, such that the projection is compressed towards or into the plane of the main body when the device is inserted adjacent a flooring member, so that there is minimal increase in the insertion resistance. The retaining projection may extend at an angle relative to the main body of between about 1-20 or 1-10 degrees, or about 5-10 degrees. The angle is relative to the main body in an upward direction and is measured in the absence of any force urging the projection in a direction towards or away from the main body. The projection may be any suitable shape, but preferably the projection comprises a substantially planar section, which may be a cut-out of the main body.
The device may comprise two or more retaining projections, each having any of the features described. The retaining projections may extend to the same side of the main body or to opposite sides.
In another embodiment, the retaining projection comprises a longitudinally-running projection which extends orthogonally from one side of the main body. The projection is configured to engage with a groove provided in a side edge of a flooring element. In this embodiment, a drainage channel may be provided on the other side of the main body to guide water received from the flooring elements to the space below. In order to guide water to this side of the main body, the gap between adjacent extensions mentioned above (preferably formed by V-shaped or U-shaped notches) may be provided with a sloping floor to form a channel which directs water from the fingers on the projection side of the device to the channel side of the device.
The main body may have any suitable shape. In some embodiments, the main body has parallel upper and lower edges, and preferably with the top edge being longer than the lower edge. The shape of the main body may be an isosceles trapezium.
In accordance with a second aspect, the invention provides an insert for mounting between at least two flooring elements, comprising two or more devices as described herein. Preferably, the devices are connected at their bases, and more preferably the devices are resiliently connected at their bases. The devices may be partially connected at their bases with at least one drainage aperture provided where the connection is absent. The fingers may extend outwards from the main bodies of each device.
In some embodiments of the second aspect, the insert comprises two devices. The main bodies of are preferably hinged at the base to form a V-shape, and more preferably resiliently hinged. The V-shape may have an angle of about 0-30, 5-25 or 10-20 degrees, or about 15 degrees, in the absence of a force urging the devices together or apart. The insert of this embodiment may be suitable for mounting between two adjacent flooring elements.
In other embodiments of the second aspect, the insert comprises a plurality of devices arranged in a cross configuration. The insert of this embodiment may be suitable for mounting between four adjacent flooring elements, at their corners. The insert of this embodiment may be formed from four devices (or device sections) arranged in a cross configuration or from eight devices (or device sections) arranged in pairs in a cross configuration, each pair being connected at the base in a V-shape configuration.
The present invention may extend to the combination of a device or an insert as described herein and a flooring element. The present invention may extend to a flooring system comprising at least one flooring element and a device or an insert as described herein.
In its various embodiments, the present invention may provide a push-in device or insert which can be used to retrofit to existing flooring installations. The present invention may provide a lockable version which can be locked into the channel of a support joist. This version may be suitable for new installations.
Embodiments of the invention will now be described by way of example only and with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
Each device 101 has a substantially planar main body 110. A plurality of fingers 120 extend in an orthogonal direction from the main body. The fingers of each device extend to the same side of the main body, and as the devices are mirrored, the fingers extend outwards, to opposite sides of the insert 100.
Each finger 120 is mounted on a main body finger extension 111 and a V-shaped notch 112 is provided between adjacent extensions to form a gap between each finger.
With reference to
In this embodiment, the angle of the lower surface 122 of the finger is about 29 degrees relative to the upper edge of the main body. The angle of the upper surface 121 relative to the top surface of the main body is about 5 degrees. Therefore, the angle of the wedge is about 24 degrees.
With reference to
The fingers 120 extend orthogonally from each main body such that they contact the top surfaces of the flooring elements, and therefore contact any pooling water on the surface. A drain path is provided from the top surface of the flooring element, via the finger, to the main body. At this point, the drain path turns through 90 degrees and the water drains down the main body under gravity, through drainage aperture 103 in the base of the insert where it is able to drain away. As mentioned above, the provision of a gap/notch between each finger extension facilitates drainage of the water by forming a plurality of drain paths from the top surface of the flooring element.
With reference to
All other features of this embodiment are the same as the first embodiment, including the resilient hinge connection 602, drainage aperture 603 and retaining projections 630.
This embodiment is designed for systems in which the flooring elements are spaced with a uniform gap, and therefore the insert is formed of a single body rather than two bodies which are resiliently hinged. Although the insert could in theory be retro-fitted to an existing installation, it is envisaged that its primary use will be during installation of the flooring system since it will be easier to fit at this time.
With reference to
A longitudinally-running projection 714 is provided in the main body 710 which extends orthogonally from one side of the main body. The projection is configured to engage with the groove 33 of a flooring element. In this embodiment, the projection is formed by a substantially U-shaped section in the main body, but the projection could be solid.
On the other side of the main body, a drainage channel 715 is provided to guide water received from the flooring elements to the space below. In order to guide water to this side of the main body, the U-shaped notches are provided with sloping floors (
It should be appreciated that all combinations of the foregoing concepts and additional concepts discussed in greater detail below (provided such concepts are not mutually inconsistent) are contemplated as being part of the inventive subject matter disclosed herein and may be used to achieve the benefits described herein.
The process parameters and sequence of steps described and/or illustrated herein are given by way of example only and can be varied as desired. For example, while the steps illustrated and/or described herein may be shown or discussed in a particular order, these steps do not necessarily need to be performed in the order illustrated or discussed. The various example methods described and/or illustrated herein may also omit one or more of the steps described or illustrated herein or include additional steps in addition to those disclosed.
When a feature or element is herein referred to as being “on” another feature or element, it can be directly on the other feature or element or intervening features and/or elements may also be present. In contrast, when a feature or element is referred to as being “directly on” another feature or element, there are no intervening features or elements present. It will also be understood that, when a feature or element is referred to as being “connected”, “attached” or “coupled” to another feature or element, it can be directly connected, attached or coupled to the other feature or element or intervening features or elements may be present. In contrast, when a feature or element is referred to as being “directly connected”, “directly attached” or “directly coupled” to another feature or element, there are no intervening features or elements present. Although described or shown with respect to one embodiment, the features and elements so described or shown can apply to other embodiments. It will also be appreciated by those of skill in the art that references to a structure or feature that is disposed “adjacent” another feature may have portions that overlap or underlie the adjacent feature.
Terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. For example, as used herein, the singular forms “a”, “an” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “comprises” and/or “comprising,” when used in this specification, specify the presence of stated features, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof. As used herein, the term “and/or” includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items and may be abbreviated as “/”.
Spatially relative terms, such as “under”, “below”, “lower”, “over”, “upper” and the like, may be used herein for ease of description to describe one element or feature's relationship to another element(s) or feature(s) as illustrated in the figures. It will be understood that the spatially relative terms are intended to encompass different orientations of the device in use or operation in addition to the orientation depicted in the figures. For example, if a device in the figures is inverted, elements described as “under” or “beneath” other elements or features would then be oriented “over” the other elements or features. Thus, the exemplary term “under” can encompass both an orientation of over and under. The device may be otherwise oriented (rotated 90 degrees or at other orientations) and the spatially relative descriptors used herein interpreted accordingly. Similarly, the terms “upwardly”, “downwardly”, “vertical”, “horizontal” and the like are used herein for the purpose of explanation only unless specifically indicated otherwise.
Although the terms “first” and “second” may be used herein to describe various features/elements (including steps), these features/elements should not be limited by these terms, unless the context indicates otherwise. These terms may be used to distinguish one feature/element from another feature/element. Thus, a first feature/element discussed below could be termed a second feature/element, and similarly, a second feature/element discussed below could be termed a first feature/element without departing from the teachings of the present invention.
Throughout this specification and the claims which follow, unless the context requires otherwise, the word “comprise”, and variations such as “comprises” and “comprising” means various components can be co-jointly employed in the methods and articles (e.g., compositions and apparatuses including device and methods). For example, the term “comprising” will be understood to imply the inclusion of any stated elements or steps but not the exclusion of any other elements or steps.
In general, any of the apparatuses and methods described herein should be understood to be inclusive, but all or a sub-set of the components and/or steps may alternatively be exclusive, and may be expressed as “consisting of” or alternatively “consisting essentially of” the various components, steps, sub-components or sub-steps.
As used herein in the specification and claims, including as used in the examples and unless otherwise expressly specified, all numbers may be read as if prefaced by the word “about” or “approximately,” even if the term does not expressly appear. The phrase “about” or “approximately” may be used when describing magnitude and/or position to indicate that the value and/or position described is within a reasonable expected range of values and/or positions. For example, a numeric value may have a value that is +/−0.1% of the stated value (or range of values), +/−1% of the stated value (or range of values), +/−2% of the stated value (or range of values), +/−5% of the stated value (or range of values), +/−10% of the stated value (or range of values), etc. Any numerical values given herein should also be understood to include about or approximately that value, unless the context indicates otherwise. For example, if the value “10” is disclosed, then “about 10” is also disclosed. Any numerical range recited herein is intended to include all sub-ranges subsumed therein. It is also understood that when a value is disclosed that “less than or equal to” the value, “greater than or equal to the value” and possible ranges between values are also disclosed, as appropriately understood by the skilled artisan. For example, if the value “X” is disclosed the “less than or equal to X” as well as “greater than or equal to X” (e.g., where X is a numerical value) is also disclosed. It is also understood that the throughout the application, data is provided in a number of different formats, and that this data, represents endpoints and starting points, and ranges for any combination of the data points. For example, if a particular data point “10” and a particular data point “15” are disclosed, it is understood that greater than, greater than or equal to, less than, less than or equal to, and equal to 10 and 15 are considered disclosed as well as between 10 and 15. It is also understood that each unit between two particular units are also disclosed. For example, if 10 and 15 are disclosed, then 11, 12, 13, and 14 are also disclosed.
Although various illustrative embodiments are described above, any of a number of changes may be made to various embodiments without departing from the scope of the invention as described by the claims. For example, the order in which various described method steps are performed may often be changed in alternative embodiments, and in other alternative embodiments one or more method steps may be skipped altogether. Optional features of various device and system embodiments may be included in some embodiments and not in others. Therefore, the foregoing description is provided primarily for exemplary purposes and should not be interpreted to limit the scope of the invention as it is set forth in the claims.
The examples and illustrations included herein show, by way of illustration and not of limitation, specific embodiments in which the subject matter may be practiced. As mentioned, other embodiments may be utilized and derived there from, such that structural and logical substitutions and changes may be made without departing from the scope of this disclosure. Such embodiments of the inventive subject matter may be referred to herein individually or collectively by the term “invention” merely for convenience and without intending to voluntarily limit the scope of this application to any single invention or inventive concept, if more than one is, in fact, disclosed. Thus, although specific embodiments have been illustrated and described herein, any arrangement calculated to achieve the same purpose may be substituted for the specific embodiments shown. This disclosure is intended to cover any and all adaptations or variations of various embodiments. Combinations of the above embodiments, and other embodiments not specifically described herein, will be apparent to those of skill in the art upon reviewing the above description.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2320149.4 | Dec 2023 | GB | national |
