Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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ANCHORING BISCUIT DEVICE
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed to an
improved biscuit for joining adjacent boaxds.
More specifically, the invention is an anchoring
biscuit device, as well an anchoring half biscuit
device which has the ability for pre-setting
distances between adjacent boards and attaching
to at least one board by means in addition to the
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biscuit itself. The anchoring biscuit device
physically joins two adjacent boards in the same
plane to a third, supporting board. The anchoring
half-biscuit device joins two adjacent boards at
right angles to one another.
2. Information Disclosure Statement-
The following patents are representative of
the state of the art for wood joining devices,
equipment and methods:
U.S. Patent No. 1,184,080 to D'Arcy
describes a structure of the class described, the
combination of frame pieces disposed at an angle
to each other and plate-like corner irons having
angularly disposed flanges, said corner irons
being arranged in opposed pairs on the sides of
and secured to the ends of ineeting frame pieces
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with their flanges engaging the inner edges
thereof in overlapping telescoping relation to
each other, the inner flanges having vertical
nail slots therein and brads on their edges
S driven into the frame pieces, the outer flanges
having nail perforations opposite the nail slots,
there being nails disposed through the said
perforations and slots and driven into the frame.
U.S Patent No. 2,332,081 to G.M. Hunt et al
is directed to a wocden panel. It is described as
a panel comprising wooden strips joined alonc
their edges with glue, each strip having at leasc
one groove in its edge matching groove in the
edge of the adjoining strip, an asbestos
millboard spline fitted in the matching grooves
and bridging the joint between the strips,
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crossbands covering the strips on both sides of
the panel, and veneers covering the crossbands.
U.S. Patent No. 2,362,252 to Ellinwood
describes a wall structure of the character
described comprising a pair of adjacent wallboard
panels having meeting edges, each of said panels
being formed with a groove opening into its
meeting edge, the groove in each panel providing
an outer lip and an inner lip, said outer lips
being in abutting relacion, a joining strip
oermanentlv secured to the under surface of said
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outer lips, said inner lips being spacec, a T
shaped-connecting member movablv positioned in
said groove and having a base in spaced relation
to said inner lips, and means for anchor'-ng said
connecting member to a structural element.
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U.S. Patent No. 2,398,603 to Soderberg
describes a joining staple, comprising a metal
body having at least two portions extending at
right angles to each other and at least two teeth
carried upon each of said portions, each of said
teeth consisting of a flat substantially
rectangular body having a cutting edge extending
substantially parallel to its body portion, the
cutting edges of all of said teeth being locaced
in one plane, each of said portions having
another cutting edge extending between the teeth
of that portion, the second mentioned cu--ting
edges being also locazed in one plane.
U.S. Patent No. 2,406,387 to Lank describes
the method of constructing a plurality o= wooden
posts each of which has a connector element
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incorporated therein adjacent each end thereof
which method comprises forming a plurality of
longitudinally extending grooves in one side of
each of a pair of wooden blanks from which the
S posts are to be formed, forming a transverse
groove adjacent each end of said side of each of
said blanks with the transverse grooves
intersecting the longitudinal grooves, providing
a pair of connector retaining members wi!-h a
plurality of seats for receiving connec--or
elements, the number and spacing of said seats in
each of said connector retaining members
conforming to the number and spacing of tze
longitudinal grooves in each of said blanks,
placing connector elements in each of said seacs,
positioning said blanks with their grooved sides
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together and with said connector retaining
members in said transverse grooves, bonding said
blanks together, and severing the thus bonded
assembly along longitudinal lines intermediate
s4id longitudinal grooves.
TJ.S Patent No. 4,641,988 to Ganner is
directed to a fitting for releasably joining two
structural components. It is illustrated for
releasably joining two structural components
particularly plate-shaped structural components
which extend at a richt angle relative to one
another, a fitting has a preferably cylindrical
lockina element whic: can be inser-~:ed either
directly in a bore in the first structural
component or it can be inserted i^directly in a
housing, and a holding piece with a holding
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projection anchored in the second structural
component. In the assembled position, the holding
projection & abuts against one or two gripping
surfaces of the locking element which gripping
surfaces are of, for example, eccentric shape,
and the holding projection is pulled toward the
locking element when the locking element is
turned. The holding piece is constructed plate-
shaped and is insertable in a slot in the second
structural component.
U.S. Paten: No. 4,682,458 to Sparrow
describes a floor composed of parallel scaced
beams having flanges and blocks of polystyrene
foam which are iaid on the flanges to bridge the
gaps between the beams. Boards are laid on the
polystyrene blocks, and are supported by rhe
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blocks, which form load-bearing members of the
floor. The blocks may have flanged portions
extending over the beams, so as to provide heac
insulation.
U.S Patent No. 5,004,027 to Legler et al
illustrates a biscuit joiner. It is described as
a biscuit joiner for cutting semi-ellipcical
slots in opposing edges of workpieces which are
to be joined along those edges includes a housing
adapted to be mounted upon the quill of a mulci-
purpose woodworking tool, which housing encloses
a rotary saw blade adapted to be attached to a
spindle projeccing from the quill on which the
housing is mounted. A spring loaded guide 15 projects from the front face of
the housing and
has a slot therethrough, so that when the front
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face of the guide is engaged by an edge of a
workpiece to be slotted the guide can be pushed
inwardly against spring pressure, allowing the
rotary saw blade to be exposed and form a slot in
S the edge of the workpiece. Adjustable stops are
provided on the guide so that a desired depth of
cut will automatically be made after adjustment.
An alternative construction of this biscuit
joiner is especially adapted for use in
conjunction with a conventional drill press, with
the arbor which carries the saw blade being
clamped in the chuck on the drive spindle of the
drill motor.
U.S. Patent No. 5,182,891 to Slocum
describes a flooring construction which is
provided having a unitary construction with a cop
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layer providing a finished flooring surface and
an insulation layer adjacent the top layer. The
flooring panel includes an upper portion and a
lower portion. The upper portion has a larger
dimension than the lower portion and extends
outwardly beyond the 'ower portion. A recessed
portion between the upper portion and the lower
pcrtion defines a channel. A plurality of
interlock support elements having a vertical web
and an uppen ccrizontal flange are arranged so
that the horizontal flange extends into the
channel. The vertical web extends below the
lower portion to raise the flooring.
U.S. Patent No. 5,251,996 to Hiller et al
is describes a connecting element for connecting two
parts generally in a connection plane has a first
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portion for connecting the element relative to a
first of the parts and second portion for
connecting the element relative to the second
part. The second portion includes actuation
members which on relative movement of the parts
substantially along the connection plane urge the
parts forcefully towards each other.
U.S Patent No. 5,377,732 to Fujii et al
i'lustrates a wood joining structure and method
thereof. It is described as a tecnnique is
provided for joining wood members. A plurality of
slits are formed on the end portions of wood
pieces desired to be joined, and the end portions
are abutted with corresponding slits in alignment -
to form a common surface. Each of the abutted
wood end portions is fixed by temporary fixing
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means to a desired joining state. Thereafter, an
adhesive agent is applied into the interior
surfaces of the slits. Connecting plates, e.g.,
made of a reinforced plastic material coated with
the adhesive agent, are inserted into the aligned
slits. The adhesive agent is then hardened.
U.S Patent No. 5,458,433 to Stastnv
explicates a biscuit and joint made using same.
It is described as a biscuit having octagonal
outer periphery is used to form a joint between
first and second workpieces. The biscuit fits
within arcuate slots formed in the workzieces,
with glue placed in the slots and/or on the
biscuit before the joint is put together. The
biscuit is made of an anhydrous compressed wcod.
U.S. Patent No. 5,480,117 to Fleming, III
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describes a bracket for mounting a rotary lock
member in the frame of a panel which is provided.
The bracket is a preferably U-shaped body having
a base and two legs extending therefrom. The
inner dimension of the bracket is chosen to allow
insertion of a rotary lock member therein. Panel
engaging steps and protrusions are located on the
outside surface of each leg for engaging the
frame macerial. The legs of the bracket are
biased inwardly towards one another, such that
when a locking member is inserted therein, the
legs are pressed outwardly, driving the
orotrusions into the -frame material. A number of
bores are located in the bracket to allow
supplemental locking members to lock the bracket
to the frame.
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U.S Patent No. 5,529,428 to Bischof is
directed to a metallic structural element for
connecting workpieces consisting of wood,
woodworking material or plastic. It is described
as a metallic structural element for connecting
workpieces consisting of wood, woodworking
material or plastic, consisting of a lamellar
part, which provides the non-positive connection
with the first workpiece provided with a groove
and a transverse hole, and a bolt-like part
which, through screwing or pinning, realizes the
non-positive connection with the second workpiece
provided with a longitudinal hole. The lamellar
part has, in the center, a hole which is at right
angles to the plane of the lamella and is
intended for fixing in the groove of the
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workpiece. Variants having a wing-like long or
rectangular short lamellar part and a bolt-like
part in the form of a conical wood screw,
cylindrical screw, screw having a metal thread,
threaded sleeve or pin. Accessories: screwing
tool and drilling template.
U.S. Patent No. 5,660,016 to Erwin et al
describes an extruded plastic decking plank for
mounting to an underlying support structure, the
plank having a rigid foam core, a resilient outer
plastic shell, and a clamping portion for
securing the plank to the support structure. The
top suriace of the plank can be provided with a
non-slio surface. The invention also includes an -
attachment system for securing such decking
planks to a support structure by engaging the
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clamping portions of the decking planks onto
clamps or hold down blocks which are secured onto
the supnort structure, and which permit relative
motion between the planks and the structure in
the planks' lengthwise direction to prevent
stress and buckling caused by uneven expansion.
Notwithstanding the prior a=, the present
invention is neither taught nor rendered obvious
thereby.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is an anchor=ng
biscuit device for joining three boards. It
includes, (a) a first substantially f1az
horizontal top element having a generally
biscuit-shaped top view configuration, (b) at
least one substantially vertical support member
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attached to the underside of the top element and
extending downwardly therefrom for a
predetermined length for joinder of two adjacent
boards which have been pre-cut with biscuit
receiving slots, and, (c) an attachment orifice
located at least on the top element for
attachment of the anchoring biscuit device to a
support board for anchoring and support of the
two adjacent boards. In one preferred
embodiment, a top bevel is included at the
orifice to permit angied screwing at pcsitions
other than vertical positions. In other
embodiinents, the screw ori-fice will have an oval
or elongated shape co likewise enable screwing at -
angles other than vertical. In yet another
preferred embodiment, the orifice will both be
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beveled and elongated.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The present invention should be more fully
understood when the specification herein is taken
in conjunction with the drawings appended hereto
wherein:
Figure 1 illustrates a top view of one
preferred embodiment of the present invention
anchoring biscuit device, Figure 2 illustrates a
front view, and Figure 3 illustrates a side view
thereof;
Figure 4 shows a side view of the present
invention device shcwn in Figures 1 through 3 but
being attached to a joist and a first deck board
and about to be attached to a second deck board
where both deck boards are supported by that
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joist;
Figure 5 shows a front view of an
alternative ecnbodiment present invention
anchoring biscuit device;
Figures 6 and 7 show top views of
alternative present invention anchorinc biscuit
devices;
Figure 8 shows a partial side cut view of
the device shown in Figure 7 to illustrate the
beveled cut of the screw hole;
Figure 9 shows a side view of the oresent
invention device shown in Figure 7, but being
attached to a joist and a first deck bcard and
about to be attached to a second deck board where -
boch deck boards are supported by that joist;
and,
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Figure 10 and Figure 11 show front views of
alternative embodiment present invention
anchoring biscuit devices having single vertical
extended members.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PRESENT INVENTION
In Figure 1, there is shown a top view of
present invention anchor biscuit device 1.
Device 1 includes a top element 3 having a flat
top surface as shown, and a top view shape of a
biscuit. Thus, it _ncludes walls 5 and 7 in the
shape of arcs havinc predetermined radius and
predetermined arc lengths. In tzis case, they
are perfectly symmetrical and have flat endwa=ls
9 and li. Without exceeding the scope of the
present invention, these biscuit shapes could be
slightly modified, such as having slightly non-
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circular arcs or linear segments at angles
approximating arcs.
Top element 3 also includes an attachment
means, in this case, screw hole 13 located on
center. This enables the user to nail or screw
device 1 into a joist, as more fully described in
conjunction with Figure 4 below.
Figures 2 and 3 show front and end (right
side) views, respectively of device 1 shown in
Figure 1. Thus, device 1 includes vertical
support members 15 and 17 with a space
therebetween to permit a screw or nail to pass
thrcugh screw hole 13 into a joist or support
board. Vertical support me*.nbers 15 and 17 have a-
predetermined height so as to rest on a joist in
such a way as to establish biscuit top e=ement 3
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at a predetermined height from the joist for
attachment of two adjacent boards thereto which
have pre-cut biscuit slots corresponding thereto.
Figure 4 shows present invention device 1
with identical parts identically numbered.
Too element rear biscuit wall 5 is inserted into
pre-cut biscuit slot 27 of horizontal beam 21, as
shown. Screw 31 is inserted into screw hole 13
and into joist beam 25. This anchors device 1 to
joist beam 25 and establishes the elevation of
too element 3 so as to match with biscuit slot
27. Beam 23 will be olaced atop joist 25 and
aajacent to beam 21 by being slid into position
with wall 7 fitting into slot 29 and the bottom
of beam 23 resting or. joist 25. By this method,
device 1 attaches all three boards to one another
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as the biscuit aspects are typically tight-
fitting. Thus, for example, decking boards may
be attached without the need for nails or screws
entering the beams from the top.
Figure 5 shows an alternative embodiment
present invention device 51 which has multiple
screw holes 43, S3 and 55 located in a straight
line on center of too element 47. It includes
ends 41 and 49, and it has a plurality of
vertical support members such as vertical support
members 45 and 57, with spaces therebetween for
screw or nail insertions. Device 51 is used in
the same manner as device 1 described above wich
respect to Figure 4.
Figures 6 and 7 show top views of
alternative embodiment present invention
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anchoring biscuit devices 61 and 91 respectively.
In Figure 6, there is shown a top view of present
invention anchor biscuit device 61. Device 61
includes a top element 63 having a flat top
surface as shown, and a top view shape of a
biscuit. Thus, it includes walls 65' and 67 in
the shape of arcs having predetermined radius and
predetermined arc lengths. In this case, they
are perfectly symmetrical and have flat endwalls
69 and 71. Top element 63 also includes an
attachment means, in this case, screw hole 73
located on center. Screw hole 73 has a bevel cut
75 at its ton. This enables the user to nail or
screw device 61 into a joist with the screw or
is nail being installed vertically, or, more
preferably, at an angle.
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In Figure 7, there is shown a top view of
present invention anchor biscuit device 91.
Device 91 includes a top element 93 having a flat
top surface as shown, and a top view shape of a
b~scuit. Thus, it includes walls 95 and 97 in
the shape of arcs having predetermined radius and
predetermined arc lengths. In this case, they
are perfectly symmetrical and have flat endwalls
99 and 101. Top element 93 also includes an
attachment means, screw hole 103 located on
center. Note that screw hole 103 is elongated
and has a beveled top 105. This enables the user
to nail or screw device 91 into a joist, either
vertically or at an angle, as more fully
described in conjunction with Figure 8 below.
Figure 8 shows a partial side cut view of
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device 91 of Figure 7 to illustrate the beveled
cut 105 of screw hole 203.
Figure 9 shows present invention device 91
of Figure 7 and the boards shown in Figure 4,
with identical parts identically numbered.
Top element 93 at rear biscuit wall 95 is
inserted into pre-cut biscuit slot 27 of
horizontal beam 21, as shown. Screw 131 is
inserted at about a 30 angle from vertical into
beveled screw hole 103 and into horizontal beam
21 and joist beam 25. This anchors device 91 and
horizontal beam 21 to joist beam 25 and support
member 117 (and 115 not shown) maintains top
element 93 in a horizontl position durinc
screwing and to maintain its position with
biscuit slot 27. Beam 23 will be placed atop
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joist 25 and adjacent to beam 21 by being slid
into position with wall 97 fitting into slot 29
and the bottom of beam 23 resting on joist 25.
By this method, device 91 attaches all three
boards to one another as the biscuit aspects are
typically tight-fitting. The steps are repaeated
along each joint beam in a deck and thev are
repeated for each next horizontal beam to
assemble, e.g., a deck, platform, porch, etc.
Fi gure 10 shows a front view of device 141 .
Thus, device 141 includes a single vertical
support member 145 with a space cut out 143 to
permit"a screw or nail to pass through beveled
screw hole 153 and through support membe-- 145
into a joist or support board. Vertical supoort
member 145 has a predetermined height so as to
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rest on the side of a beam into which device 141
may be inserted and, optionally, so as to rest on
a joist in such a way as to establish biscuit top
element 147 at a predetermined height from the
joist for attachment of two adjacent boards
thereto which have pre-cut biscuit slots
corresponding thereto.
Figure 11 shows a front view presenz
invention of device 161, which includes a single
off-center vertical support member 165 with a
soace underneath beveled screw hole 163 to permit
a screw or nail to pass through screw hc'.e 163
into a beam and/or joist or support board. Top
167 has opposite ends 169 and 171 as shcwn, with
support member 165 biased to the left toward end
169, as shown. Top 163 may have a topography
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which would be the same as that shown ;n Figures
1, 6 or 7 above.
Obviously, numerous modifications and
variations of the present invention are possible
S in light of the above teachings. It is therefore
understood that within the scope of the appended
claims, the invention may be practiced otherwise
than as specifically described herein.
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