This invention relates to a support system for decking, paving, or other, primarily exterior, flooring. More particularly, the invention relates to a spacer for positioning between support tiles and/or flooring tiles, slabs, panels or similar used in an exterior flooring system.
Exterior ground surfaces, such as decking or paving, are popular in a variety of different settings. In general, a plurality of support joists, which may be arranged in a lattice, are secured to pedestals or cradles which directly contact the ground surface. Advantageously, such exterior ground surfaces can be constructed on top of surfaces of uneven height or gradient to create a new, even ground surface using ‘self-levelling’ or manually adjustable pedestals to support a substructure of a joist lattice. Flooring, such as timber slats, can be directly placed on top of the joists, or support grates or tiles can be placed on top of the joists and a floor surface, for example artificial grass, can be laid on top of the support grates or tiles.
Spacer components (‘spacers’) to separate grates, tiles, slats, slabs, panels and other flooring elements (either as top-surface components (decking panels, paving slabs, etc) or intermediate support components (grates, tiles, etc.)) are known. Spacers prevent direct contact between flooring elements and/or support elements to prevent wearing and to ensure a precise fit. The flooring and support elements that are generally used in such support systems are rectangular in longitudinal cross section and therefore have 90 degree angle corners and straight sides. Existing spacers generally slot in between flooring elements and have four arms (i.e. have a cross-shaped cross section). The arms are attached to a base, or central portion, by a frangible region. Each arm can be snapped off, as necessary, to accommodate the meeting of four corners of flooring elements, two corners or one corner (at the edge of a flooring space). The ability to snap off one or more arms of the spacer means that only a single spacer model requires manufacture, greatly reducing manufacturing costs. However, the spacer arms must be connected to the main spacer body in such a way that it is possible to easily snap them off, which compromises the strength and rigidity of the spacer, resulting in the possibility of the spacer arms breaking off whilst in position between flooring components, and therefore allowing flooring components to wear against each other. This may have the compound effect of undesirable mis-alignment across a section of flooring.
Additionally, the support substructure of known systems (i.e. the arrangement of joists above the pedestals) can be compromised as a result of uneven loading.
The present invention aims to mitigate the aforementioned problems.
According to a first aspect of the invention, there is provided a spacer for support elements of a decking or paving support system, comprising a central region; at least two spacer arms extending laterally from the central region; and a retention portion coupled to the central region, wherein the retention portion has a longest lateral axis extending laterally and wherein the longest lateral axis lies at an angle to each of the at least two spacer arms. In use, the retention portion is positioned in a recess of a support joist and is rotatable to align the spacer arms with the edges of flooring elements of the support system.
The retention portion has a shortest axis extending laterally and the length of the shortest axis is configured to be less than the width of an opening of a longitudinal recess of a support joist of the paving or decking support system. This allows the spacer to be inserted into a recess of an upper support joist. Preferably, the longest axis of the retention portion lies between 1 and 45 degrees to at least one of the at least two spacer arms. In this way, the longest axis is typically aligned with the longitudinal recess of a support joist when inserted into the recess, and therefore neither of the spacer arms are aligned with the longitudinal recess. The spacer is rotatable within the longitudinal recess, however, so that at least one of the spacer arms is aligned with the longitudinal recess (and therefore the longest lateral axis will then not be aligned with the longitudinal recess).
The longitudinal recess in a support joist of the paving or decking support system has an overhang on either side of the opening. The longest axis of the retention portion is configured to be longer that the width of the opening of a longitudinal recess, such that the longest axis of the retention portion, after rotation, extends beyond (and underneath) the overhang (on both sides) of the longitudinal recess of the support joist, thereby preventing the spacer from being lifted out from the longitudinal recess. The retention portion preferably abuts a wall of the longitudinal recess of the support joist after rotation in a first direction. Preferably, the extent of rotation in a first direction required to abut the retention portion to the wall is the same as required to align at least one of the spacer arms in the same direction as the length of the support joist/the longitudinal recess of the support joist. This prevents further rotation (in the first direction) and advantageously acts as an indication to a person installing the spacer that it is correctly positioned (i.e. the spacer arms are aligned with the longitudinal recess).
The spacer may comprise four spacer arms separated by 90 degrees, or three spacer arms, wherein first and second arms are separated by 180 degrees and first and third spacer arms are separated by 90 degrees, i.e. in a “T” formation. Alternatively, the spacer comprises two spacer arms separated by 90 degrees, i.e. in an “L” formation.
The retention portion may be any shape, in lateral cross section, whose longest axis exceeds the width of an opening, defined by an overhang of a longitudinal recess of a support joist, and whose shortest axis is less that the width of the overhang. The retention portion is preferably a parallelogram, rectangle, square, hexagon, octagon, oblong or oval.
The spacer preferably further comprises a protrusion extending axially from the retention portion, wherein the protrusion has a width that is less than the shortest lateral axis of the longitudinal portion. This protrusion helps to anchor the spacer within the recess. The protrusion is circular in lateral cross section to facilitate ease of rotation of the spacer within the recess—in other words the protrusion acts as a shaft for supporting the spacer during rotation. The diameter of the protrusion is preferably less than the width of a lower recess portion in a longitudinal recess of a support joist such that the protrusion is configured to be positioned in the lower recess portion.
According to a second aspect of the invention, there is provided an exterior flooring support spacer system comprising at least one support joist having a longitudinal recess, wherein the longitudinal recess has an opening, wherein the opening is defined by an overhang of the longitudinal recess, a spacer for spacing flooring elements, wherein the spacer comprises a central region, at least two spacer arms extending radially from the central region and a retention portion coupled to the central region, wherein the spacer is insertable in the longitudinal recess of the support joist in an insertion position and is rotatable in a first direction from the insertion position by an angle between 1 and 45 degrees to move the retention position to a retaining position, wherein the retention portion extends beyond the width of the opening of the longitudinal recess in the retaining position to prevent removal of the spacer from the longitudinal recess. retention.
Preferably, the retention portion has a shortest lateral axis which is shorter than the width of the opening of the longitudinal recess of the exterior flooring support joist, and the retention portion has a longest lateral axis which is offset from each of the at least two spacer arms.
The length of the longest lateral axis of the retention portion is preferably configured to be greater than the width of the opening of the longitudinal recess of the support joist.
Optionally, the retention portion is configured to abut a wall of the longitudinal recess of the support joist in the retaining position to prevent further rotation of the spacer in the first direction.
According to a third aspect of the invention, there is provided a substructure for a paving or decking support system, comprising at least two upper joists extending in a first direction; at least two lower joists extending in a second direction; wherein the at least two lower joists are positioned below the at least two upper joists.
Preferably, the second direction is perpendicular to the first direction. However, the joists may be arranged to form obtuse and acute angles at the intersection of the joists. Preferably, each of the at least to upper support joists comprise a longitudinal recess having an overhang, wherein the longitudinal recess is configured to receive a spacer as described.
Preferably, each of the at least two upper support joists comprise at least one flange extending laterally from a bottom surface of the joists and along the length of the at least two upper support joists, wherein the upper surface of the at least one flange comprises a depression which extends along the length of the flange, and preferably each of the at least two lower support joists comprise a depression on an upper surface of each of the at least two lower support joists, wherein the depression extends along the length of each of the at least two lower support joists. The depression and flanges allow the support joists to be securely fixed together, such that, preferably, the at least two upper support joists are secured to the at least two lower support joists by screws which extend between the depression on the flange of the at least two upper support joists and the depression on the upper surface of the at least two lower support joists. The width of the depression on the upper surface of the at least two lower support joists may be the same or less than the width of the screw thread. Preferably, the depression on the upper surface of the at least two lower support joists is flexed upwards towards the upper support joist under tension of the screw. This creates a biasing force which further secures the position of the screw, placing the screw in tension.
According to a fourth aspect of the invention, there is provided a spacer for support elements of a decking or paving support system, comprising a central region; at least two spacer arms extending radially from the central region; and a retention portion coupled to the central region, wherein the retention portion has a longest lateral axis extending laterally with respect to the direction in which the central portion extends and which is longer than the width of an opening of a longitudinal recess of an exterior flooring support joist, and wherein the longest lateral axis lies at a non-zero angle to each of the at least two spacer arms.
According to a fifth aspect of the invention, there is provided a substructure for an exterior flooring support system, comprising at least one upper support joist having at least one flange extending along the length of the support joist and from a bottom surface of the upper support joist; at least one lower support joist, wherein the at least one lower support joist has an upper surface; wherein the at least one lower support joist is fixable to the at least one upper support joist by means of at least one screw extending between the at least one flange of the upper support joist and the upper surface of the at least one lower support joist.
Preferably, the flange of the upper support joist and/or the upper surface of the at least one lower support joist is formed such that, when the upper support joist is laid on top of, and cross-wise, to the lower support joist, there is a gap between the flange of the upper support joist and the upper surface of the at least one lower support joist, wherein the height of the gap is defined by the upper surface of the at least one lower support joist and the at least one flange of the at least one upper support joist. The upper surface of the at least one lower support joist may comprise a depression extending along the length of the at least one upper support joist. The at least one upper support joist and the at least one lower support joist are preferably fixable together by at least one screw, wherein tightening of at least one screw reduces the height of the gap.
The invention is described with reference to the following drawings in which:
A retention portion 103 extends downwardly from one end of the central region 101. As can be seen from
It will be understood that an axis of retention portion 103 must be less than the width of the opening defined by overhang 62 in order to fit through the opening and also that the longest or major axis of retention portion 103 must be longer that the width of the opening to prevent vertical movement of the spacer after rotation of the spacer in a first direction. Given that the point of rotation of retention portion 103 is mid-way along the width of the opening (i.e. it is centrally located within the width of the opening), the length of the longest axis of retention portion 103 must, as retention portion 103 rotates, be longer than the width of the opening—i.e. the lengths of the longest axis on either side of the pivot point are greater than half the width of the opening. The side of an equilateral triangle, for example, is a longest axis which must be less than the width of the opening (to be insertable in recess), but therefore cannot extend, on both sides, beyond overhang 62 when rotated. From an insertion position, the spacer may, however, be rotated in a first direction by any angle sufficient to move retention portion 103 in a retained position such that either end of the retention portion (i.e. the ends of the longest lateral axis) lies underneath overhang 62. Preferably, the spacer may be rotated in a first direction until one or both ends of the retention portion abut a wall of the longitudinal recess, thereby preventing further rotation in the first direction.
When intermediate support elements such as support grates, tiles or timber panels or top-surface support elements such as paving slabs or decking panels are to be fitted onto a substructure comprising support joists 60, spacer 100 is rotated in a first direction by 45 degrees such that two spacer arms 102 lie parallel and aligned with longitudinal axis of recess 61 and two spacer arms 102 lie perpendicular to longitudinal axis of recess 61. Rotation of retention portion 103 by +/−45 degrees from an insertion position (i.e. the position at which the spacer 100 is inserted into the longitudinal recess 61) means that the longest axis of retention portion 103, having previously be aligned with the longitudinal axis of recess 61, will be at 45 degrees to the longitudinal axis of recess 61 and will partly extend under overhang 62, thereby retaining the spacer (such that it cannot be moved vertically and lifted out from upper support joist 60). The positioning of the flooring elements will prevent further rotation of spacer 100 about a vertical axis in either the first direction or an opposite, second direction.
It is preferable (although not essential) for retention portion 103 to abut a wall of upper portion of recess 65 when spacer 100 has been rotated (starting from an insertion position) in a first direction to be in the retained position and that the spacer arms are correctly aligned with the longitudinal axis of a support joist, as will be understood from
It will be appreciated that the rotational symmetry of spacers 100, 200 and 300 allows for the spacers to be used for spacing between all possible configurations of flooring elements 50 (having 90 degree corners) by rotating spacers 200 and 300 through 180 degrees about a vertical axis before insertion, in addition to a 45 degree rotation (after insertion) described above (i.e. spacers 200 and 300 are rotated by +45 degrees, −45 degrees, +180+45 degrees and +180-45 degrees to separate flooring elements various configurations).
It will be noted that the spacer 150 and joist 600 are configured such that the spacer arms sit above the upper surface of the joist, and indeed are offset (i.e. a gap is provided) from the seal flange. This allows the spacers to be rotated and moved along the channel without fouling on the seal.
The provision of a crossed-lattice structure provides an extremely stiff and stable base for the overlying decking panels.
A flange 404, 504 extends laterally from the bottom surface of lower support joists 400, 500 along the length of support joists 400, 500. Flange 404, 504 is configured to snap-fit into lugs extending from the upper surface of a pedestal (not shown) which are positioned on a ground surface. In an alternative embodiment, flange 404, 504 rests against brackets located on the top surface of a pedestal.
To secure flooring elements and ensure they maintain a fixed position, it is desirable to secure stop-ends (or caps) to upper support joists along the perimeter of a flooring support system area. Stop ends are securely fixing to the distal ends of each upper support joist. For the two support joists whose longitudinal length defines two edges of the flooring support system area, stop ends are screwed or otherwise securely fixed to the upper support joists at intervals along the length of the upper support joists by screwing through depression 607 of flange 606 on the far side of the two upper support joists.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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1901875.3 | Feb 2019 | GB | national |
Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
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PCT/EP2020/053350 | 2/10/2020 | WO | 00 |