HK1138054A - Hidden deck fastener - Google Patents

Description

Concealed deck fastener

This is a continuation of U.S. provisional patent application serial No.61/033,217, filed 3/2008, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

Technical Field

The present invention relates to an apparatus for attaching a surface structure, typically a sheet, to an underlying substructure, for example, equipment for mounting adjacent sheets to a large substructure made up of a plurality of girders.

Background

For attaching the panels, structures including, but not limited to, decks, docks, stairways, roof decks, gangways, decks of pool sides, and platforms may use the same substructure method, as they do. The method has many elements including, but not limited to, substructures consisting of columns, beams, joist hangers, trusses, header beams, and pallets. The purpose of the substructure is to provide a base surface for the horizontal surface, which is usually made of sheet material, to be laid down and attached. Typically, sheets having horizontal planes are arranged adjacent to each other and are placed across the girder at an angle sufficient to allow their safe placement and to provide an area for fastening them to the girder.

In the past, nails or screws were used to secure the panels to the trusses. More recently, some panels have been fastened to substructures using concealed fastening devices, sometimes referred to as clips or just concealed fasteners.

It has been demonstrated that several disadvantages arise when using screws and nails as a method of attaching panels to substructures for building decks (deck). Typically, the resulting fastener head is shown to be through the deck surface, and this appearance is undesirable. In addition, many fasteners are painted with a color that is not consistent with the color of the deck panel, creating another unappealing aesthetic effect. In many cases, whichever fastener is used, the result of attempting to drive the fastener through the deck panel and into the substructure is that the head of the fastener is not fully buried or recessed into the wood. Similarly, the inherent shrinkage of wood deck boards due to moisture loss can cause the boards to shrink away from the head, creating the same scenario. Not only is this aesthetically unattractive, etc., but it creates a safety hazard and often results in having to remove the protruding fastener and reinstall it, or replace it with another fastener, requiring additional installation time and cost.

Other aesthetic problems that may arise during installation are damage to the surface when setting up the head, rapid build-up or splitting of displaced material when driving fasteners into the deck board surface, and the creation of large holes when removing installed or partially installed fasteners, the heads of which cannot be set below the board surface, or when it is desired to install fasteners through the deck panel and into knots present in the substructure. Once installed, many fasteners eventually rust, causing discoloration or bleeding to the deck panels.

While some existing concealed fastening arrangements have been designed in an attempt to address some of these driven fastener installation deficiencies, there are other limitations to existing designs whose solutions are not satisfactory to the installer. For example, some of these devices require installation from the underside of the deck, which is not always feasible depending on the space available under the deck. Some devices are two-piece/two-step installations that first attach to the bottom of the deck panel and then require subsequent precision placement, resulting in increased difficulty and slower installation. Some devices are attached to the top of the girder between the boards and to predetermined positions on the sides of the deck panels, thereby limiting the flexibility of using the same device from different and multiple manufacturers' board types. The same limited use flaw lends itself to installation in different thicknesses, e.g., 3/4 inches, 1 inch¹/₄Inch or 1¹/₂The performance was even more pronounced with various pre-grooved sheets of inch. By design, many of these devices affixed to the top of the truss between panels are made of smaller sized components and fasteners that require more effort, precision, and patience to complete the installation. When two deck panels meet end-to-end at a truss, a number of devices attached to the top of the truss between the panels require additional surface area for the trim pieces to be placed. These require additional "nailer blocks" that effectively coincide the truss surfaces to allow the use of multiple devices and/or fasteners, thus increasing project costs and requiring additional installation time. Some blind fasteners have a predetermined "built-in" spacer for imposing spacing between parallel deck panels, and may produce spacing inconsistent with manufacturer specifications or recommendations. This spacer may create a stable (solid) width of the plurality of deck boards that may bend when the deck boards are thermally expanded or when the truss collapses due to moisture loss. Many devices affixed to the top of the truss between the plates limit the size of fasteners that can be used due to the spacing available between the parallel deck panels. The inability to access and remove these clip fastening devices makes it almost impossible to replace deck boards without damage.

Drawings

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a trim-style fastener made in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is an edge view of the fastener of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a side view of the trim-style fastener of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is an edge view of an alternative embodiment of the trim-style fastener of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is an edge view of another alternative embodiment of the trim-style fastener of FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is an edge view of another alternative embodiment of the trim-style fastener of FIG. 1;

FIG. 7 is an edge view of another alternative embodiment of the trim-style fastener of FIG. 1;

FIG. 8 is an edge view of another alternative embodiment of the trim-style fastener of FIG. 1;

FIG. 9 is an edge view of another alternative embodiment of the trim-style fastener of FIG. 1;

FIG. 10 is an edge view of another alternative embodiment of the trim-style fastener of FIG. 1;

FIG. 11 is an edge view of another alternative embodiment of the trim-style fastener of FIG. 1;

FIG. 12 is an edge view of another alternative embodiment of the trim-style fastener of FIG. 1;

FIG. 13 is a perspective view of an alternative embodiment of the trim-style fastener of FIG. 1;

FIG. 14 is another perspective view of the trim-style fastener of FIG. 1;

FIG. 15 is a perspective view of an alternative embodiment of the trim-style fastener of FIG. 1;

FIG. 16 is a perspective view of an alternative embodiment of the trim-style fastener of FIG. 1;

FIG. 17 is a perspective view of an alternative embodiment of the trim-style fastener of FIG. 1;

FIG. 18 is a perspective view of an alternative embodiment of the trim-style fastener of FIG. 1;

FIG. 19 is a perspective view of an alternative embodiment of the trim-style fastener of FIG. 1;

FIG. 20 is a perspective view of an alternative embodiment of the trim-style fastener of FIG. 1;

FIG. 21 is a perspective view of an alternative embodiment of the trim-style fastener of FIG. 1;

FIG. 22 is a plan view of a deck in which the present invention may be used;

FIG. 23 illustrates how the trim-style fastener of the present invention is installed;

FIGS. 24A and 24B are elevation and side views, respectively, illustrating how the trim-style fastener of the present invention may be used;

FIG. 25 is another illustration showing how the trim-style fastener of the present invention is installed;

FIG. 26 illustrates the location in the deck where the trim fastener of the present invention may be installed;

FIG. 27 illustrates how a deck is manufactured using the trim-style fastener of the present invention; and

FIG. 28 is another illustration showing the placement of the trim-style fastener of the present invention when used at an end-to-end deck board engagement location.

Detailed Description

As seen in fig. 1, the clip-on fastener 10 includes a top portion 12 having two opposing wings 14, 16, a middle portion 18 having a vertical ridge designed to fit against a vertical surface of a truss element, and a bottom portion 20 with means for attachment, such as a socket (not shown) creating an opening 22 for receiving the fastener. As shown in fig. 3, spikes 24 may be provided in the middle portion 18 and drain holes 23 in the bottom portion 20, if desired.

As seen in fig. 2, the wings 14, 16 may each have a first portion 26 connected at the ends of double mid-ridges 28, 30, and a second portion 32 extending from the ends of the first portion 26. The first and second portions 26, 32 may have the saw-tooth configuration shown in fig. 2, or a variety of other configurations, as will be seen. The first and second portions 26, 32 and the connection therebetween are preferably resilient, providing a spring-loaded fit when installed in the recess of the panel, which may be made of wood or composite materials.

In fig. 2, the first portion 26 extends from the respective ends of the ridges 28, 30 toward the base 20, while the second portion 32 extends distally from the first portion away from the base 20 at an angle to the first portion. In fig. 4, the left wing 34 includes a first portion 36 extending from the distal end of the spine 28 toward the base 20, and a second portion 38 extending from the distal end of the first portion 36 and away from the central portion 20 at an angle to the first portion 36. The second wing 40 on the opposite side of the fastener includes a first portion 42 extending away from the distal end of the spine 30 and away from the base 20, and a second portion 44 extending downwardly away from the first portion 42 (generally toward the base 20) at an angle to the first portion 42 from the distal end of the first portion 42.

Similarly, in FIG. 5, the left wing 46 includes a first portion 48 that extends away from the base 20, and a second portion 50 that extends toward the base 20. The right wing 52 includes a first portion 54 that extends away from the base 20 and a second portion 56 that extends back toward the base 20.

In fig. 6, the left wing 58 includes a first portion 60 that extends toward the base 20 and a second portion 62 that extends generally away from the base 20. The right wing 64 has a first portion 66 that projects toward the base 20 and a second portion 68 that projects away from the base 20.

In fig. 7, the left wing 70 has a first portion 72 that extends perpendicularly away from the end of the central portion 18 opposite the base 20, and a second portion 74 that extends toward the base 20, bends, and then extends toward the first portion 72. The right wing 76 includes a first portion 78 that extends away from the end of the central portion 18 in a generally perpendicular direction, and a second portion 80 that extends distally away from the first portion 78 at an oblique angle to the central portion 18, curves and then extends back toward the first portion 78.

In fig. 8, the left wing 82 extends outwardly from the central portion 18 and away from the bottom portion 20, and curves downwardly away from the central portion 18, but generally toward the bottom portion 20. The right wing 84 is a mirror image of the left wing 82.

In FIG. 9, the left wing 86 extends away from the distal end of the central portion 18, generally downward toward the base 20, then curves upward away from the base 20, and also extends away from the central portion 18. Right wing 88 is a mirror image of left wing 86.

In FIG. 10, the left wing 90 includes a first portion 92 that extends in a generally perpendicular direction away from the distal end of the central portion 18. The second portion 94 extends generally perpendicular to the first portion 92, and the third portion 96 extends generally perpendicular to the second portion 94, toward the central axis of the central portion 18. Right wing 98 is a mirror image of left wing 90 and includes a first portion 100, a second portion 102, and a third portion 104.

In fig. 11, the central portion 18A has a single ridge, rather than the double ridge of the central portion 18 in the other figures. The end portion 106 has a continuous member extending from the end of the central portion 18A remote from the base 20. End portion 106 includes a first wing 108, and first wing 108 has a first portion 110, a second portion 112, and a third portion 114 extending perpendicularly leftward from the distal end of central portion 18A, which form left wing 108. The fourth portion 116, the fifth portion 118, the sixth portion 120, and the seventh portion 122 form a right wing. As shown, the seventh portion 122 is curved. The left and right wings are continuous with each other.

In fig. 12, the left wing 124 has a first portion 126 extending from the distal end of the spine 28 away from the central portion, generally perpendicular to the central portion. The second portion 128 extends back from the distal end of the first portion 126 toward the ridge 28. A third portion 130 extends from the distal end of the second portion 128. The second wing 132 includes a first portion 134, a second portion 136, and a third portion 138, and the right wing is a mirror image of the left wing 124.

As seen in fig. 13-21, the trim-style fastener of the present invention can be manufactured in several ways.

The trim fastener of fig. 13 is similar to the trim fastener of fig. 1 and 6. The fastener is formed of a single piece of metal or other suitable material, with the central portion 18 having two parallel ridges 28, 30 and a substantial width W. The opening 22 is oriented in the direction of the width W of the central portion 18 and is generally perpendicular to the outer edges 12A and 12B of the wings. The wings extend generally perpendicular to the center of the mouth 22 and generally outwardly in a direction B (fig. 2) perpendicular to the central axis a of the central portion. The trim fastener of fig. 14 is similar to the trim fastener of fig. 13, but has a spike in the middle. In fig. 15, the base 20 and a portion of the middle 18 are formed of molded plastic, while metal wings or wings made of other materials are placed in the plastic.

In fig. 16, the trim fastener is made of wire rather than sheet metal as in the other figures. In FIG. 17, the trim-style fastener is made of wire, but the wings have a thickness similar to the wings of FIG. 13, for example. In addition, the trim-style fastener of FIG. 17 has spikes or nails 140 that can be hammered into the stringer during installation. In fig. 18, the fastener is similar to the fastener of fig. 15, but the wings are made of wire and a portion of the middle section is solid.

In fig. 19, the middle portion is made of sheet metal and is of one-piece construction with a single ridge in the middle portion. The central portion is generally perpendicular to the wing span. In fig. 20, spikes 142 are provided in place of the fastener openings seen in fig. 19. In fig. 21, the bottom and middle portions are made of plastic or other suitable material with sheet metal wings inserted at the sides of the plastic.

The manner in which the fastener of the invention is installed in the deck and used to secure the deck boards to the truss will now be described.

As shown in fig. 22, the snap fastener of the present invention can be used on outdoor decks. In fig. 22, a deck 200 positioned adjacent a house 202 has a plurality of spaced girders 204. The deck boards 206 (2 are shown in fig. 22) run generally parallel to the long dimension of the deck, and preferably begin at the long edge 208. Other sheets 206 are installed adjacent to each other through the truss 204, typically using a device that does not make intimate contact.

As can be seen in fig. 23, the sheet material has grooves 210 spaced along its inner edge. The groove 210 may be made at the factory or at the job site. Any suitable vertical groove location may be used, but a groove having a thickness of 1/8 inches to 3/16 inches and a minimum groove depth of about 3/8 inches is preferred to ensure proper installation.

As shown in fig. 23, the first plate 206 is mounted on one side with screws 207 (fig. 22) and the wings 212 of the fastener 214 are placed in the grooves 210. If the fastener has a spike, the spike side of the trim piece should face the truss. The trim member is then pushed downwardly and toward the deck plate in the direction of arrow 215 until the trim member middle lines up in a generally vertical position adjacent vertical surface 217, as can be seen in fig. 24A and 24B.

The wings of the fastener are shaped to ensure a snug fit between the top and bottom of the panel groove. However, some bending of the trim piece at the wing or carcass structure is normal.

After inserting the right wing 212 of fig. 23 into the recess of fig. 24A, the trim member is rotated in the direction of arrow 218 until the trim member 214 is aligned generally perpendicular to the top surface of the truss 204. A suitable screw 216 or other fastening device is then driven through the opening of the trim piece, as seen in fig. 24B and 25. The spike side of the fastener should embed itself slightly into the side of the truss 204 after the screw is set.

As seen in fig. 26, a fastener 214 is then secured to either side of the girder at selected (preferably all) internal girder groove locations to ensure that the maximum fastener span is not exceeded for building codes. After installation of the fastener, a tool (not shown) that does not make intimate contact between the installed sheet 206 and the next sheet 206 to be installed may be used. As shown in fig. 27, the next sheet 206 may be held at a slight upward angle with its recessed side positioned over the left wing from which the installed trim piece protrudes. The deck boards are pushed onto the truss structure towards (arrow 218) the cleats and downwards (arrow 220). This process is repeated until the entire deck is planar. Just as with the first sheet, the last sheet is mounted with screws, passing through the surface at the outer edge of the sheet. As seen in fig. 26, screws 207 may also be used at the ends of the sheet.

As can be seen in fig. 28, the panels 222, 224 that do not project across the entire surface of the deck, two deck panels overlapping over the girder 204, can be butted together by placing trim pieces 214 on either side of the girder 204. If desired, the deck boards may be placed at an angle of 45 ° to the frame structure, with the recessed sides providing the desired angle by cutting the trim into small triangular pieces to fit into the corners of the deck frame structure.

While the principles of the invention have been described above in connection with specific equipment and applications, it is to be understood that this description is made only by way of example and not as a limitation on the scope of the invention.

Claims (21)

1. A fastener of the fastener type for fastening mutually adjacent and parallel surface structure sheets to a transverse, underlying substructure, comprising:

a top portion having two opposing wings, the top portion being inserted into the groove at the side portion of the surface structure sheet, the top portion extending from a distal end of the middle portion, the middle portion having at least one vertical ridge mounted against a vertical face of the sub-structure element, and

a base portion extending from an opposite distal end of the central portion, the base portion having or for insertion of an accessory device.

2. The trim-style fastener of claim 1, wherein the central portion has a pair of ridges, and each wing has a first portion extending from an end of a respective central ridge and a second portion extending from a distal end of the first portion at an angle to the first portion.

3. The fastener of claim 2, wherein said first portion also extends toward the base and said second portion extends away from the base.

4. The fastener-style fastener of claim 2 wherein:

the first wing includes a first portion extending from a distal end of the first ridge of the central portion toward the base, and a second portion extending from the first portion distal end and away from the base at an angle to the first portion, and

the second wing on the opposite side of the trim-style fastener includes a third portion extending away from the distal end of the second ridge in the middle portion and a fourth portion extending distally from the third portion and toward the bottom portion at an angle to the third portion.

5. The trim fastener of claim 1, including at least one spike in the central portion.

6. The fastener-style fastener of claim 1 including at least one aperture in the base.

7. The fastener-style fastener of claim 1, including:

a first wing having a first portion extending away from the base, and a second portion extending back toward the base, and

a second wing including a first portion extending away from the central portion and a second portion extending back toward the bottom portion.

8. The fastener-style fastener of claim 1, including:

a first wing having a first portion projecting perpendicularly away from the central portion, and a second portion projecting toward the bottom portion and bent and then projecting toward the first portion, and

a second wing including a first portion extending away from the central portion in a generally perpendicular direction and a second portion extending toward the bottom portion and bent and then extending back toward the first portion.

9. The fastener-style fastener of claim 1, including:

a first wing projecting outwardly from the middle portion and away from the first wing and the bottom portion and curving downwardly away from the middle portion but generally toward the bottom portion, and

a second wing projecting outwardly from the middle portion and away from the bottom portion, and curving downwardly away from the middle portion and generally toward the bottom portion.

10. The fastener-style fastener of claim 1, including:

a first wing projecting from the distal end of the middle portion and generally downwardly toward the bottom portion, then curving upwardly away from the bottom portion while also projecting away from the middle portion, and

a second wing spaced from the distal end of the central portion and the first wing and projecting generally downwardly toward the base portion and then curving upwardly away from the base portion while also projecting away from the central portion.

11. The fastener-style fastener of claim 1, including:

a first wing having a first portion extending in a generally perpendicular direction away from the distal end of the central portion, a second portion extending generally perpendicular to the first portion, and a third portion extending generally perpendicular to the second portion toward the central axis of the central portion, and

a second wing having a fourth portion extending away from the distal end of the central portion in a generally perpendicular direction and the first wing, a fifth portion extending generally perpendicular to the fourth portion, and a sixth portion extending generally perpendicular to the fifth portion toward the central axis of the central portion.

12. The fastener-style fastener of claim 1 wherein:

the middle portion has a single ridge, while the top portion is a continuous piece formed by two wings,

the first wing has a first portion extending perpendicularly from the distal end of the central portion in a first direction, a second portion and a third portion extending back toward the spine, a fourth portion extending away from the spine in a second direction opposite the first direction, a sixth portion extending further away from the spine, and a seventh portion extending back toward the spine.

13. The fastener-style fastener of claim 1 wherein:

the middle portion includes first and second ridges,

the card firmware includes:

a first wing having a first portion extending away from the central portion from the distal end of the first ridge generally perpendicular to the central portion, a second portion extending back from the distal end of the first portion toward the first ridge, and a third portion extending from the distal end of the second portion toward the first ridge at an angle to the second portion, and

a second wing having a fourth portion extending away from the first wing from the distal end of the second ridge and the central portion generally perpendicular to the central portion, a fifth portion extending from the distal end of the fourth portion toward the second ridge at an angle to the second portion, and a sixth portion extending from the distal end of the fifth portion toward the second ridge at an angle to the fifth portion.

14. The fastener-style fastener of claim 1, wherein the fastener is formed from a single piece of material.

15. The fastener-style fastener of claim 1 wherein the fastener is formed of wire.

16. The fastener of claim 1, wherein the fastener is made of sheet metal.

17. The fastener-style fastener of claim 1 wherein the wings are made of wire and at least a portion of the middle portion and the bottom portion are made of sheet metal.

18. The fastener-style fastener of claim 1 wherein the central portion is formed from sheet metal that runs generally perpendicular to the wings.

19. The fastener-style fastener of claim 1 including an opening in the base.

20. The fastener of claim 1 including a spike in the base.

21. The fastener of claim 1 wherein the base and the middle portion are made of plastic and the wings are made of sheet metal and are inserted into the plastic.