System for installation of decking tiles

[0001] The present invention relates to a system for installation of decking tiles for a deck or walkway including a plurality of decking tiles and a plurality of decking tile connectors having fasteners to affix to the decking tiles. Wooden decking tiles have been installed with the use of adjustable height plastic support pieces. The pedestals are adjustable for height to make the decking tile level, and four pedestals are generally required to install one wooden decking tile. These pedestals come in a variety of sizes and shapes. There are some pedestals that are not height adjustable. Examples of both are Bison screwjacks available from Bison Screwjack Company, Shoshone Drive, Denver, Colo. 80204. Bison screwjacks merely hold corners of tiles by gravity, without any positive engagement of the tile and connector.

[0002] Decking tiles may also be installed on joists, which are appropriately spaced in order to receive the decking tiles. In the joist type installation, the joists need to be spaced apart to receive the edges of two decking tiles. The use of joists requires that the tiles be affixed by driving nails or screws through the tiles into the joist. There is an aesthetic problem with the utilization of screws or nails, because the heads of the screws or nails show on the decking tile after installation. Nails can work up, so that the nail head becomes raised above the deck surface. The exposed nail head can permit water in the nail hole and cause rotting of the wooden tile material. The exposed nail head could be a hazard, causing an individual to trip.

[0003] When using screws to attach the tiles, one method to improve the aesthetic problem is to countersink the screws into the decking tile and plug the hole with a material that provides an aesthetic appearance. But this process is expensive and time consuming.

[0004] Furthermore, the prior art approach that uses screws or nails to affix decking tiles to joists generally only work well with softwood and not hardwood tiles. Hardwood tiles are difficult to drive screws into, to be held in place on the decking structure. There is a need therefore to provide a system of deck tile installation that permits hardwood decking material to be easily and quickly secured on a base, without the need of nails or screws.

[0005] The present invention fulfills one or more of these needs in the art by providing a system for installing decking tiles including a plurality of decking tiles and a plurality of tile connectors, having fasteners to affix the decking tiles in place. A preferred decking tile material is IPE wood made up of fluted wood slats. The decking material may also be a bankirai (yellow balau) a far eastern hard wood, as well as softwood or composites of plastic, wood, cellulose, and paper fiber.

[0006] The decking tile may be constructed of fluted wood slats fastened to support slats with screws. The decking tiles may be square or rectangular, and they are typically fastened in a manner to provide equal spacing between each slat which forms the decking tile. The decking tile has right-angled corners that include a drilled hole at a predetermined distance from the apex of the corner. The decking tile may also include a diagonal support slat. The use of the diagonal support slat provides greater strength to the decking tile.

[0007] The decking tile connector is typically made of a molded plastic and includes a flat plate. The decking tile may be circular, rectangular, or square. The decking tile typically includes spacer flanges arranged at 90° to each other. These spacer flanges provide predetermined spacing between the decking tiles after the tiles have been installed on the decking tile connector. The decking tile connector includes Christmas tree fasteners which are upstanding in the corners of the quadrants formed by the spacer flanges. The Christmas tree fasteners are preferably made of molded plastic.

[0008] Before installing the decking tiles on the decking tile connector, the specific area where the deck installation is designated needs to be prepared. The surface of the area is preferably flat and level. Once the area is leveled, the decking tile connectors may be placed on the surface and decking tiles may be installed. If some irregularities in the surface levelness remain, height adjustable connectors may be used and adjusted to create a plane for the tiles. The decking tiles are installed by placing the corners with the holes over the Christmas tree fasteners which are in each of the quadrants formed by the spacer flanges in the decking tile connector. In this manner, one decking tile connector retains a corner of up to four decking tiles. Additional decking tile connectors may be placed on the surface of the area and connected to already-laid tiles and additional decking tiles may be put in place. This process is repeated until the installed decking tiles cover the desired area for the deck installation.

[0009] The decking tile connectors may have weakened slotted lines in the quadrants. These lines permit the decking tile connector to be broken easily so as not to protrude from the underside of the edges of the deck.

[0010] Once installed in this manner, the decking tiles are solidly supported by the surface below the decking tile connector. The weight of the decking tiles and the engagement of the Christmas tree fasteners in the tiles keep the decking tiles in place.

[0011] These and other aspects of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art after reading the following description of the preferred embodiments when considered with the drawings.

[0021] In the following description like reference characters designate like or corresponding parts throughout the several figures. It should be understood that the illustrations are for the purpose of describing preferred embodiments of the invention and are not intended to limit the invention thereto.

[0022] FIG. 1 shows a decking tile 10 embodiment of the invention. The decking tile 10 is constructed of fluted wooden slats 12. Each slat 12 may be made of IPE wood and is approximately 15 mm thick×65 mm wide, and of variable length. As shown in FIG. 1, the slats 12 are mounted at a diagonal and secured to support slats at the deck tile edges 9, 11 with screws or other fasteners (not shown). The decking tile 10 is typically square or rectangular. Other materials besides IPE may be used, but the invention is particularly advantageous for hard, difficult to penetrate materials, like hardwoods.

[0023] FIG. 2 depicts the bottom of an alternate decking tile 10. The decking tile 10 comprises a plurality of fluted IPE slats 12. In this embodiment, fluted slats 12 are fastened to perpendicular support slats 14. The slats 12 are equally spaced apart as they are placed on and secured to the parallel support slats 14. The slats 12 are affixed to the support slats 14 with fasteners 16. The fasteners 16 are generally stainless steel screws, but other fasteners or fastening means may be used.

[0024] In another embodiment, the decking tile 10 may include a diagonal support slat (not shown) adjoining the parallel support slats 14. The addition of the diagonal support slat gives the decking tile 10 additional strength.

[0025] The fluted wooden slats 12 and the parallel support slats 14 may be made of hardwood, softwood, composites of plastic, wood, cellulose and paper fiber. In the preferred embodiment, the decking tile 10 is constructed of IPE or bankirai (yellow balau) a far eastern hardwood. The decking tiles 10 include four right-angled corners. A hole 20 is drilled at a predetermined distance from the apex of each of the corners of the decking tiles 10, as seen in FIG. 2. Similar holes are provided in the tile of FIG. 1. All of the foregoing assembly and machining can take place in a factory, where power equipment is readily available to work on the hardwoods.

[0026] A top view of an embodiment of the decking tile connector 22 is depicted in FIG. 3. The decking tile connector 22 is made of molded plastic and includes a flat plate 21. The plate 21 may be circular, rectangular, square, or other shape. The decking tile connector has spacer flanges 24 arranged at 90° to each other. The spacer flanges 24 provide spacing between the decking tiles after the decking tiles 10 have been installed on the decking tile connector 22. The spacing is defined by the thickness of the flanges. The decking tile connector 22 further includes “Christmas tree” fasteners 26 which are located in holes in each of the 90° sectors or quadrants formed by the spacer flanges 24. These Christmas tree fasteners 26 are made of molded plastic and include a rigid stem with a plurality of ribs of some rigidity but able to flex when stressed. Such “Christmas tree” fasteners are known in automobile construction, but to Applicant's knowledge, have not been used in working with deck tiles. The preferred fastener 26 has an outside diameter of 0.375 inch and an “inside” diameter of 0.3438 inch and height of 0.75 inch. The hole 20 in the tile is preferably of a diameter between the inside and outside diameters of the Christmas tree fastener. The locations of the fasteners in the quadrants match the locations of the holes 20 in the tiles. That is, their location in the quadrant of the connectors with respect to the 90° angle formed by the flanges matches the hole location with respect to the tile edges.

[0027] Preferably the hole 20 and fastener 26 are positioned to be aligned when the edges of the tile abut the flanges 24 at both edges of the tile. The hole 20 and fastener 26 are typically on a diagonal line that bisects the angle between the flanges 26. However, other placements may be used. The distance from the apex of the corner is preferably such as to avoid being so close to the edge as to risk splintering or a break-out of the wood, and to be within the plate 21, so as to be securely mounted.

[0028] Referring to FIG. 4, a bottom view of the decking tile connector 22 is depicted. FIG. 4 shows the heads of Christmas tree fasteners 26 located within the four quadrants of the decking tile connector 22.

[0029] FIG. 5 shows a partial decking tile installation. The decking tile 10 is placed upon the decking tile connector 22. The hole 20 (not shown in FIG. 5) which has been drilled in the corner of the decking tile 10 receives one of the Christmas tree fasteners 26 on the decking tile connector 22. The decking tile connector 22 can accommodate four decking tiles 10 in the installation process. Additional connectors are placed at the corners of the installed tiles, in like fashion, and additional tiles are installed, in repetitive fashion to complete the deck. The decking tile connector 22 may further include weakened slotted lines (shown in FIG. 5a) adjacent the flanges in each of the 90° quadrants. The weakened slotted lines permit the decking tile connector 22 to be evenly broken off to avoid the connectors extending past the edge of the deck.

[0030] FIGS. 6 and 7 depict alternate embodiments of decking tile connectors which may be used. Height adjustable pedestals 30 and joist-mounting pedestals 32 are indicated in the figures. As seen in FIG. 6, the joist-mounting pedestal 32 has a channel on its underside to permit placement on a joist or the like. Holes 34 in the pedestal 32 allow the pedestal to be screwed or nailed to the joist. The top of the pedestal 32 has flanges and Christmas tree fasteners 26, like those described previously.

[0031] The adjustable pedestals 30 are shown in FIG. 7, one assembled and one disassembled. The pedestal 30 has a base 36 with a male threaded post 38 onto which a female threaded cap 40 is fitted. The rotation of the male cap on the female determines the height. As seen in FIG. 3 the top of the female cap has a plate 42 with flanges 44 and Christmas tree fasteners 46 like those discussed above. These pedestals 30, 32 can be used to support the decking tiles 10 and represent alternate embodiments for the installation of the decking tiles 10. These alternate embodiment pedestals can be modifications or products made by Bison Screwjack, which come in a variety of heights in both the fixed and adjustable models and are constructed of polypropylene, with the added Christmas tree fasteners.

[0032] Those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that a wide variety of embodiments for the decking tile connector 22 can be envisioned: only a few of which are disclosed here and for the sake of simplicity.

[0033] During installation of a deck utilizing decking tiles 10, the area where the installation will take place is preferably level. Where minor discrepancies occur, the adjustable pedestals 30 can be used. Decking tile connectors 22 may then be placed on the ground of the designated deck area for installation of the decking tiles 10. Decking tiles 10 may then be attached to the decking tile connectors 22 using the Christmas tree fastener 26 to hold the decking tile 10 in place. The Christmas tree fasteners 26 are inserted into the predrilled holes 20 of the decking tile 10. Additional decking tile connectors 22 may be placed on the ground and receive additional decking tiles 10. This process continues until the desired dimensions of the deck have been completed. When a joist-supported deck is contemplated, connectors 32 may be used.

[0034] While the most prevalent usage of the invention is likely to involve four square or rectangular tiles per interior connector, other configurations may also be used within the scope of the invention. For example, hexagonal tiles can be used with connectors having 120° pie shaped sectors to receive the tile corners, as seen in FIG. 8.

[0035] Certain modifications and improvements will occur to those skilled in the art of reading the foregoing description, it should be understood that all such modifications and improvements have been omitted for the sake of conciseness and readability and are properly within the scope of the following claims.