Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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FLOOR STRUCTURES PARTICULARLY SUITABLE
FOR ROOMS WITH DATA PROCESSING EQUIPMENT
The invention encompasses a flooring system
especially designed for facilities which house data
processing equipment such as data processing centers~
co~.puter roo~ls~ offices whereby there is a false floor
raised above the existing floor; this false floor is
comprised of removable panels laid side by side upon
raised support members in order to afford a freè space
where cables, hoses, wires and other computer
interconnections can be routed.
Existing false flooring systems use adjustable
jacks at each panel corner as a means of support.
These existing systems have considerable flaws.
As the supporting jacks are only located at the
corners of the panels which are usually square shaped
with sides of 500 to 600mm, rigidity and mechanical
stability of the floor must be achieved through the use
of very thick panels, usually 30 to 40mm with,
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sometimes, the adjunction of a framework which transfers
the load to the jacks. Due to the loss of usable
height, these types of false flooring require an overall
height of 150 to 200mm, which is incompatible with low
ceilings in existing buildings and requires new
facilities to be built with added height. As an
exa~ple~ if one considers a 200mm false floor at each
level of a 30 storey building, the additional required
height becomes 6 metres, the equivalent of two stor1es.
Installing such a false floor in existing buildings
requires the construction of ramps and steps as well as
fire and soundproofing barriers. Finally such
structures are sometimes noisy and act as resonators.
In any event, installing existing false floors either as
part of a building renovation or in new construction, is
both involved and costly.
The aim of the present invention is to offer a
false flooring system which has none of the above
mentioned drawbacks.
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To achieve this aim, a flooring system according to
the invention is characterized by the inclusion of base
plates laid side by side on the existing floor, with
each base plate having on its top surface a fairly dense
pattern of built-in stand-offs to serve as the load
support for the tiles of the false floor while at the
same time for.ming a network of channels where cables,
hoses and similar connections can be routed.
One of the advantages of the invention, is the fact
that each of the stand-offs has on its top surface the
elements of the interlocking system for the removable
- floor tiles which themselves have complementary elements
built-in on their bottom surface.
In another aspect of the invention, the
interlocking elements of a supporting stand-off are
formed by a cruciform pattern of grooves while those on
the underside of the floor tile are a complementary
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pattern formed by the bottom lip running around its
perimeter; the grooves on the stand-offs are twice the
thickness of the bottom lip of the floor tile in order
to receive two adjacent tiles while also permitting the
corners of four adjacent tiles to be interlocked;
similarly, the built-in stand-offs on the bottom base
plates are so aligned as to allow for the juxtaposition
of both rectangular and square floor tiles with their
underside resting on the inner stand-offs.
Another aspect is the fact that the base plates are
rnade of a rnaterial sufficiently flexible, plastic, sheet
steel, to guarantee full contact with the exicting
substrate, the base plates and their stand-offs can be
made in one piece or as discrete parts.
Still another aspect of the invention is that the
false floor's tiles are to be made of a rigid yet
sufficiently supple material in order to bear fully on
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all the stand-offs even if the substrate is somewhat
uneven.
The invention will be better understood, and its
aims, aspects, details and advantages will appear more
clearly in the following description with reference to
the diagrams appearing in the appendix whose sole
purpose are illustrative, showing two different mode~ of
manufacturing the invention and in which:
- Figure 1 is an exploded perspective of a first
method of installation of a false floor according to the
invention;
- Figure 2 is an exploded perspective in a larger
scale~ showing a detail of Figure l;
- Figure 3 is a top view of part of the flooring
system shown in Figure l;
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- Figure 4 is a cross-section along line IV-IV of
Fig. l;
- Figure 5 shows an alternate construction method
for the base plate in accordance with the invention;
- Figure 6 is a cross-sectional view along line VI-
VI of Figure 7~ of a stand-off for the alternate
construction ~ethod shown in Fig. 5:
- Figure 7 is a top view of the stand-off shown in
Fig. 6;
- Figure 8 is a side view of a web with an
electrical iunction block which can be installed in the
wiring channels as shown in Figs. 5 to 7; and
- Figure 9 is a front view of a web as shown in
Fig. 8, prior to the installation of a junction block.
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Figures 1 through 4, which show one type of
construction for the false flooring system according to
this invention, demonstrate how the system is comprised
of base plates (1) which are laid side by side upon the
substrate or existing floor (2~ and carry the stand-offs
(3) upon their top surface which in turn receive the
floor tiles (4) which must bear the weight of the
rnachines and equipment as well as that of the personnel.
Each bace plate (1) carries a number of built-in
stand-offs (3) regularly spaced on its top surface, thus
forming a network of channels (5) where cables, wire.
hoses, interconnections, compressed air lines, power
lines, phone lines, water pipes can be routed. Locating
the stand-offs ~3) in parallel rows along the edges of
the base plates, which ideally are square, forms a
series of parallel channels, perpendicular to each
other. The arrangement of the stand-offs (3) is
identical for all base plates and is such that the
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rows of stand-offs ~3) and the channels (~) thus for~ed
on the various adjacent base plates are all in axial
align~ent.
As shown in Figure 2, the top plane (6) where the
floor tiles (4) are supported has a configuration of
crucifor~i grooves (7). According to Figures 2 and 4,
the floor tiles (4). also square shaped, have a
continuous lip (5) around their bottol.. peri~:eter. This
lip is perpendicular to the plane of the tile, and is
designed to engage the grooves (7) cut into the stand-
offs.
Each groove (7) is at least slightly wider than
twice the thickness of the floor tile lip (5) and its
depth is at least equal to that of the vertical inner
side of the lip. As shown in the figures. all the
grooves (7~ of a row of stand-offs ~3) are in alignment.
The length of one side of the floor tile (4) is a
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multiple of the center to center distance (a) of the two
axis of the grooves (7~ of the two adjacent stand-offs
(3). Offset (b) of the median long axis of the groove
(7) of a stand-off belonging to a row adjacent to the
edge of a base plate is exactly half of distance (a).
This permits a floor tile (4) to fit into the stand-offs
(3) of adjacent base plates (1) and to still interlock
via its bottom lip (9! and grooves (7`) while its under
surface (10) rests upon the plane (6) of the stand-offs.
Given their aforementioned dimensions, each groove (7)
can receive the lips (9) of the two coinciding floor
tiles (4).
The cruciform configuration of the grooves (7)
enables four adjacent floor tiles to be engaged~ thus
positively interlocking the four tiles at their corners.
Alternatively, the width of the grooves (7) could have a
sli~ht downward taper or even an undercut with a
corresponding swell of the lip (9) of the floor tile and
thus afford a friction or ~nap action fit.
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1~ -- .
In the first fabrication mode, the base plates (1)
and their stand-offs (3~ are a one piece construction,
formed by heat forming or injection moulding of a
plastic compound such as polystvrene, polyethylene,
polypropylene or ABS. Alternatively they could easily
be stamped from sheet metal.
Generally, the base plates can be ~ade of anv
material which. without being soft~ can conform to the
possible irregularities of the subctrate (2). It would
be advantageous to build the base plates in such a way
as to obtain hollow stand-offs.
As regards the floor tiles (4), they must be made
of a rigid material and yet allow for possible
variations in the plane (6) formed by the tops of the
stand-offs while yielding~ when butted, a rigid and
strong floor. The floor tiles (4) could to advantage be
made of sheet metal, perhaps galvanized steel, or any
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other appropriate material. As shown in Figure 4, these
tiles could be finished, on their top surface, with
carpeting (12) while their underside (10) could be lined
with fireproofing and soundproofing layers (13~.
Figures 5 through 7 show a second r,ode of
construction whereby the base plates (1) and stand-offs
(3) are separate modular pieceC. In this version. the
plates (1) are replaced bv an overlay made of PV~ thin
galvanized sheet or any other suitable material, where
the stand-offs (3) of the first version are replaced by
a matrix of circular holes 115) with diaretricall~
opposed keywavs (15). As shown in Figures 6 and 7, the
stand-offs 13) are truncated cones, sir.ilar to those of
the first r.ode. They retain the cruciforr. groove (7) of
the former. However, the base diameter of the cone is
slightly smaller than the holes (15) of the matrix.
This base has two pairs of axially offset and
diametrically opposed tabs (17) and (18). The lower
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tabs (18~ or lock tabs, contrary to the upper tabs (17)
are so dimensioned as to fit through the keyways (1~) of
the base plate.
The stand-offs (3~ can thus be mounted to a base
plate bY placing them so that the lock tabs (18~ fit
through the keywavs (1~) while the upper tabs (17) keep
the~. from falling through. The distance between the
upper and lower tabs is more than the thickness of the
plate and thus the stand-offs can be locked into
position by givinO them a 90 degree twist.
It must be noted that the stand-offs are equipped
with radial projections (21~ and (22) along the vertical
axis of the cone. These provide a vertical axial slot
(23) in which partitions and jambs can be inserted for
closing off sections of the false floor.
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As shown on Figures 8 and 9, the axial slots (23)
can also be used to receive a web (25) which bears an
electrical outlet. As such, the web (25) is pierced by
a hole (26) to allow the installation of an electrical
junction block (27). On one side, the plate (25) is
provided with wire connectors, while on the other side
the junction block (27) terminates in a standard
electrical outlet (29~. The junction block (27~ can be
attached to the web (25) with a nut (30) on each side or
be any other available means.
The flooring structure according to the invention
also allows for the fitting of separators anywhere in
the wiring channel matrix. These separators are formed
by a series of filler-blocks (32) fitted in rows between
lS the stand-offs as shown in Figure 1. These filler-
blocks (32) should ideally be made of an acoustically
and thermally insulating material. Each corner of these
filler-blocks is indented (33) to complement the profile
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of four diagonally opposed stand-offs (3). So
configured, these filler-blocks can be installed in the
channels in such a way as to form a continuous wall.
Such walls can be used with the system represented by
Figures 1 to 4 as well as with that shown in Figures 5
to 7. Such partitioning can yield a high degree of
thermal as well as acoustic insulation.
The stand-offs can be made of any material but
injection moulded ABS would be advantageous.
As an example, a base plate built according to the
invention would ideally be square, 500mm on a side with
a matrix of 16 stand-offs. Each stand-off has a base
diameter of 50mm and an upper diameter of 40mm. Groove
(7) width is 10mm with a depth of 7mm. The height of
the stand-offs varies with the application.
Obviously, the number of stand-offs and the base
plate size can vary as a function of the application.
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In general. many modifications can be brought to
the above-described structure. Thus the shape of the
stand-offs can be different from the description and the
means of interlocking the floor tiles can vary widely
without leaving the scope of this invention.
It is, however. essential that each base plate~
through its nu.iber of ctand-offs and their
configuration, provide multiple load bearillg areas for
each floor tile in such a way that the said floor tile
can be made of thin material. Therefore, and contrary
to existing false floor syste~s, there is practically no
loss in usable ceiling height due to the thickness of
the structure. The false floor system described in this
invention has the further advantage of easy installation
while maintaining easy access to any part of the under
floor equipment. Moreover, due to the multitude of
bearing areas, it is easy to accommodate inspection
hatches where necessary.
