Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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EXTENDED KERF CUT AND SPLINE RESTRAINT SYSTEM
FOR ELEVATED FLOORING SURFACES
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. Serial No. 14/264,859,
entitled
"EXTENDED KERF CUT AND SPLINE RESTRAINT SYSTEM FOR ELEVATED
FLOORING SURFACES," and filed on April 29, 2014, the entire contents of which
are
incorporated herein as if set forth in full.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the field of structural systems for restraining
surface tiles
such as for elevated floors, decks and walkways.
Description of Related Art
Elevated building surfaces such as elevated floors, decks, terraces and
walkways
are desirable in many interior and exterior environments. One common system
for
creating such surfaces includes a plurality of surface tiles, such as concrete
tiles (pavers),
stone tiles, clay tiles, ceramic tiles, or wood tiles, and a plurality of
spaced-apart support
pedestals and/or joists or stringers upon which the tiles are placed to be
supported above
a fixed surface. For example, in outdoor applications, the surface may be
elevated above
a fixed surface to promote drainage, to provide a level structural surface for
walking,
and/or to prevent deterioration of or damage to the surface tiles. In indoor
applications,
the surface may be elevated to allow for pipes and the like to be concealed
between the
elevated surface and the fixed surface. The pedestals can have a fixed height,
or can have
an adjustable height such as to accommodate variations in the contour of the
fixed surface
upon which the pedestals are placed, or to create desirable architectural
features.
Although a variety of shapes are possible, in many applications the surface
tiles
are rectangular in shape, having four corners. In the case of a rectangular
shaped tile,
each of the spaced-apart support pedestals can therefore support four adjacent
surface
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tiles at the tile corners. Stated another way, each rectangular surface tile
can be
supported by four pedestals that are disposed under each of the corners of the
tile. Large
or heavy tiles can be supported by additional pedestals at positions other
than at the
corners of the tiles.
One example of a support pedestal is disclosed in U.S. Patent No. 5,588,264 by
Buzon, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. The support
pedestal
disclosed by Buzon can be used in outdoor or indoor environments and is
capable of
supporting heavy loads applied by many types of building surfaces. The
pedestal
includes a threaded base member and a threaded support member that is
threadably
engaged with the base member to enable the height of the support pedestal to
be adjusted
by rotating the support member or the base member relative to the other. The
support
pedestal can also include an extender member (e.g., a coupling or coupler
member)
disposed between the base member and the support member for further increasing
the
height of the pedestal, if necessary.
Support pedestals are also disclosed in U.S. Patent No. 6,363,685 by Kugler,
U.S.
Patent Publication No. 2004/0261329 by Kugler et al., and U.S. Patent No.
8,122,612 by
Knight, III et al., each of which is also incorporated herein by reference in
its entirety.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In some support systems and structural assemblies for supporting (e.g.,
elevating)
surfaces formed with discrete building surface components, the building
surface
components are secured (e.g., mechanically, chemically, etc.) to the
underlying support
structure (e.g., support pedestals, joists, stringers, etc.) to limit adjacent
building surface
components from moving relative to each other during disruptive vibrations or
high wind
events. However, such disruptive vibrations or high wind events can cause
increased
stress on the portions of the building surface components that are secured to
the
underlying support structure. For instance, the corner portions of the
building surface
components are sometimes too weak to safely and securely restrict movement of
the
surface tiles. This problem is particularly significant for surface tiles
fabricated from
brittle materials, such as concrete, clay, stone, ceramic, composites, and the
like.
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In this regard, disclosed herein are systems and methods for limiting relative
movement (e.g., vertical movement) between adjacent building surface
components in a
manner that is free of securing (e.g., mechanically attaching, such as by
threaded
fasteners, clips, etc.) the building surface components to an underlying
support structure.
In one aspect, an elevated building surface assembly includes a support
structure having a
plurality of support members disposed in spaced-apart relation on a fixed
surface, a
plurality of building surface components operatively disposed on the upper
portions of
the support members, and at least one spline disposed in openings of abutting
outer edge
segments of first and second adjacent ones of the plurality of building
surface
components. Each opening extends from a first of a plurality of corner
portions of the
building surface component to an adjacent second of the corner portions of the
building
surface component along an outer edge segment of the building surface
component. The
first corner portions of each of the first and second building surface
components are
disposed over a first of the plurality of support members, the second corner
portions of
each of the first and second building surface components are disposed over a
second of
the plurality of support members that is adjacent the first support member,
the first and
second building surface components are free of connections to the first and
second
support members, and the at least one spline is at least partially disposed
over at least one
of the first and second support members.
In one arrangement, the at least one spline may pass continuously over an
entirety
of an upper surface of at least one of the first and second support members.
In another
arrangement, the at least one spline may include first and second opposite
ends, where at
least one of the first and second ends is not disposed over either of the
first and second
support members. In a further arrangement, the at least one spline may be at
least
partially disposed over both of the first and second support members.
In one embodiment, the at least one spline may be disposed in the openings of
abutting outer edge segments of third and fourth adjacent ones of the
plurality of building
surface components, where the outer edge segment of the third building surface
component is substantially collinear with outer edge segment of the first
building surface
component, and where the outer edge segment of the fourth building surface
component
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is substantially collinear with outer edge segment of the second building
surface
component. For instance, the first corner portions of each of the third and
fourth building
surface components may be disposed over the second support member, the second
corner
portions of each of the third and fourth building surface components may be
disposed
over a third of the support members that is adjacent the second support
member, and the
third and fourth building surface components may be free of connections to the
second
and third support members.
In another aspect, a method for use in constructing an elevated building
surface
assembly locating a plurality of support members upon a fixed surface with a
predetermined spacing between the support pedestals, first placing first and
second
adjacent corner portions of a first of a plurality of building surface
components over
respective first and second of the plurality of support members, second
placing first and
second adjacent corner portions of a second of the plurality of building
surface
components over the first and second support members, and receiving a
connecting spline
into openings in abutting outer edge segments of the first and second building
surface
components, where the first and second building surface components are free of
connections or attachments to the first and second support members.
In addition to the exemplary aspects and embodiments described above, further
aspects and embodiments will become apparent by reference to the drawings and
by
study of the following descriptions.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Fig. 1 is a perspective view of an interior or exterior building surface
assembly.
Fig. 2 is a perspective view of a support pedestal.
Fig. 3a is an exploded perspective view of a portion of a building surface
assembly and showing a restraint spline for use in restraining adjacent
building surface
components.
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Fig. 3b is an exploded perspective view of a portion of a building surface
assembly and showing a restraint spline for use in restraining adjacent
building surface
components, according to another embodiment.
Fig. 4a is an exploded linear perspective view of a restraint spline for
receipt in
openings of abutting outer edge segments of first and second adjacent building
surface
components of a building surface assembly.
Fig. 4b is an exploded plan view of the portion of the building assembly of
Fig.
3a.
Fig. 4c is an exploded plan view of the portion of the building assembly of
Fig.
3b.
Fig. 5 is a partial cross-sectional view of the restraint spline of Fig. 4
being
disposed in the openings of the abutting outer edge segments of the first and
second
adjacent building surface components.
Fig. 6 is a top perspective view of a building surface component.
Fig. 7 is a side perspective view of a building surface component.
Fig. 8 is a bottom perspective view of a building surface component.
Fig. 9 is a close-up perspective view of a portion of the building surface
component of Figs. 6-8 and illustrating an opening in an outer edge segment of
the
building surface component.
Fig. 10 is another close-up perspective view of a portion of the building
surface
component of Figs. 6-8 and illustrating an opening in an outer edge segment of
the
building surface component.
Fig. 11 is another close-up perspective view of a portion of the building
surface
component of Figs. 6-8 and illustrating an opening in an outer edge segment of
the
building surface component.
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Fig. 12 is another close-up perspective view of a portion of the building
surface
component of Figs. 6-8 and illustrating an opening in an outer edge segment of
the
building surface component.
Figs. 13a-13b are first and second linear perspective views of a building
surface
component.
Fig. 14 is a perspective view of an interior or exterior building surface
assembly.
Fig. 15 is a perspective view of a building surface component.
DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Fig. 1 illustrates a portion of an elevated building surface assembly 100 that
includes a building surface 101 formed from a plurality of building surface
components
102 (e.g., surface tiles, pavers, flooring units, etc.). The building surface
components 102
are elevated above a fixed surface by a support structure 200 comprising a
plurality of
spaced-apart support members such as support pedestals 201 which, in one
embodiment,
may be interconnected by a plurality of stabilizing braces (not shown). Each
building
surface component 102 may broadly include generally opposing top and bottom
surfaces
108, 112, one or more corner portions 110, one or more outer edge segments 120
disposed between adjacent comer portions 110, and a thickness 120 between the
top and
bottom surfaces 108, 112. The building surface components 102 can be comprised
of
various shapes (e.g., rectangular as shown, square, hexagonal, and/or other
shapes) and
from virtually any material from which a building surface is to be
constructed. Examples
include, but are not limited to, slate tiles, natural stone tiles, composite
tiles, concrete tiles
(e.g., pavers), wooden deck tiles, particularly hardwood deck tiles, tiles of
metal or
fiberglass grating, porcelain, ceramic, plastic, composites, and the like.
The support pedestals 201 can be placed in a spaced-apart relation on fixed
surfaces including, but not limited to, rooftops, plazas, over concrete slabs
including
cracked or uneven concrete slabs or sub-floors and can be placed within
fountains and
water features and the like. The elevated building surface assembly 100 can be
used for
both interior and exterior applications. For instance, each of the building
surface
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components 102 may be placed upon several support pedestals 201 to elevate the
building surface component 102 above the fixed surface. As illustrated in Fig.
1, the
building surface components 102 may be square and a support pedestal 201a may
be
disposed beneath four corners portions 110 of adjacent building surface
components 102.
Other support pedestals such as support pedestal 201b may be disposed under
the outer
edge segments 116 of the building surface components 102. That is, support
pedestals
such as support pedestal 201b may be placed between the corner portions 110
and
proximate to a central portion of the outer edge segment 116. Such a
configuration may
be desirable when using very heavy and/or very large building surface
components, such
as large concrete building surface components, when placing heavy objects on
the
elevated building surface, or the like. Although not illustrated, support
pedestals may be
disposed in other locations, such as below a central portion of the building
surface
components 102. The support pedestals 201 may be laid out in various
configurations as
may be dictated by the shape and size of the building surface components, such
as a
rectangular configuration or a triangular configuration to support rectangular
or triangular
building surface components.
The support pedestals 201 forming the support structure 200 may be fixed-
height,
height-adjustable, or any combination and may be constructed of any
appropriate
materials (e.g., plastic). Broadly, each support pedestal 201 may include a
lower portion
that is adapted to be placed upon a fixed surface, an upper portion for
receiving a
building surface component 102, and a central section extending between or
interconnecting (e.g. perpendicularly) the upper and lower portions. As just
one example,
and referring to Fig. 2, a support pedestal 201 may include a lower portion
such as a base
member 212 including a base member extension 214 (e.g., a cylindrical base
member
extension) that extends upwardly from a base member plate 215 (e.g., a base
plate) when
the support pedestal 201 is operatively placed on a fixed surface. The base
member 212
may include base member threads (not visible) on a surface of the base member
extension
214, e.g., internal or external threads.
With continued reference to Fig. 2, the support pedestal 201 may also include
an
upper portion such as a support member 216 that is configured to be
operatively
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connected to the base member 212 and including a support plate 220 and a
support
member extension 219 (e.g., a cylindrical support member extension) that
extends
downwardly from the support plate 220. The support member 216 may include
support
member threads, e.g., external or internal threads, on the support member
extension 219
that are adapted to threadably engage base member threads to connect the
support
member 216 to the base member 212 (e.g., and more specifically, to operatively
attach
the support member extension 219 to the base member extension 214). Thus, the
support
member 216 may be mated directly to base member threads 218 and may be rotated
relative to the base member 212 (or vice versa) to adjust the height of the
support
pedestal 201. The support plate 220 is thereby disposed above the base member
212 to
support a surface tile 102 on an upper surface 222 thereof
Those of skill in the art will appreciate that many other types of support
pedestals
may be utilized in connection with the present invention. Exemplary support
pedestals
are disclosed in U.S. Patent No. 5,588,264 by Buzon, U.S. Patent No. 6,363,685
by
Kugler, U.S. Patent Publication No. 2004/0261329 by Kugler et al.; U.S. Patent
No.
7,921,612 by Knight, III et al.; and U.S. Patent Publication No. 2011/0023385
by Knight,
III et al. Further, the support pedestals may be interconnected such as in the
manner
disclosed in U.S. Patent Publication No. 2011/0011012 by Knight, III et al.
Each of the
foregoing U.S. Patents and Patent Publications is incorporated herein by
reference in its
entirety. Also, as is noted above, the building surface components may be
supported by
other means, such as by structural beams, joists, stringers, etc (e.g., see
Fig. 14, discussed
below).
As discussed previously, it may be desirable or even necessary restrain or
limit
relative movement between adjacent building surface components 102 in a manner
that is
free of securing (e.g., affixing, attaching, adhering, etc.) the building
surface components
102 to the underlying support structure 200 on or over which the building
surface
components 102 are supported. In this regard, and turning now to Fig. 3a, an
exploded
perspective view of a portion of a building surface assembly (e.g., building
surface
assembly 100 of Fig. 1) is illustrated which shows a restraint spline 300 for
use in
restraining one or more pairs of adjacent building surface components 102
(e.g., see Fig.
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15) free of any attachments or connections (e.g., mechanical, chemical, etc.)
between the
building surface components 102 and underlying support pedestals 201 that
support the
building surface components 102 (e.g., or other support structure such as
support
structure 200' of Fig. 14, discussed below). The restraint spline 300 may be
constructed
from any appropriate material(s) such as at least one of metal, plastics,
wood, dense
microfiber composites, reinforced composites, and/or the like. In one
embodiment, the
restraint spline may be in the form of a single, unitary structure such as any
appropriate
gauge, length and width of sheet metal, plastic, or the like.
As shown, the corner portions 110 of the various building surface components
102 may be supported on upper surfaces 222 of a plurality of support pedestals
201, such
as, for purposes of illustration, linearly arranged first, second, third and
fourth support
pedestals 201a, 201b, 201c and 201d (although it is to be understood that more
or fewer
than four support pedestals 201 could be included in one or more linear rows
of the
building surface assembly). For instance, first corner portions 1101 of first
and second
adjacent building surface components 1021, 1022 may be disposed over and
supported on
the upper surface 222 of the first support pedestal 201a and second corner
portions 1102
of the first and second adjacent building surface components 1021, 1022 may be
disposed
over and supported on the upper surface 222 of the second support pedestal
201b.
As another example, first corner portions 1101 of third and fourth adjacent
building surface components 1023, 1024 may be disposed over and supported on
the
upper surface 222 of the second support pedestal 201b and second corner
portions 1102
of the third and fourth adjacent building surface components 1023, 1024 may be
disposed
over and supported on the upper surface 222 of the third support pedestal
201c, where the
outer edge segments 116 of the first and third building surface components
1021, 1023 are
substantially collinear and the outer edge segments 116 of the second and
fourth building
surface components 1022, 1024 are substantially collinear. As a further
example, first
corner portions 1101 of fifth and sixth adjacent building surface components
1025, 1026
may be disposed over and supported on the upper surface 222 of the third
support
pedestal 201c and second corner portions 1102 of the fifth and sixth adjacent
building
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surface components 1025, 1026 may be disposed over and supported on the upper
surface
222 of the fourth support pedestal 201d, where the outer edge segments 116 of
the first,
third, and fifth building surface components 1021, 1023, 1025, are
substantially collinear
and the outer edge segments 116 of the second, fourth and sixth building
surface
components 1022, 1024, 1026 are substantially collinear.
Furthermore, each of the plurality of building surface components 102 includes
an
elongated opening 124 (e.g., slot, slit, groove, track, kerf, etc.) in at
least one outer edge
segment 116 thereof that extends from a first corner portion 1101 to an
adjacent second
corner portion 1102, where each opening 124 is configured (e.g., sized,
shaped, etc.) to
receive a portion of the restraint spline 300. With additional reference now
to Fig. 4a, an
exploded linear perspective view of the first and second building surface
components
1021, 1022 and the restraint spline 300 of Fig. 3a is illustrated. As shown,
each opening
124 may generally include opposite upper and lower surfaces 128, 132 that are
respectively configured to abut and/or face top and bottom surfaces 304, 308
of the
restraint spline 300. In one arrangement, each opening 124 may also include a
back
surface 136 between the upper and lower surfaces 128, 132 that is respectively
configured to abut and/or face a side surface of the restraint spline 300. For
instance, first
and second opposite side surfaces 312, 316 of the restraint spline 300 may be
respectively
received in the openings 124 of the first and second building surface
components 1021,
1022 so that the back surfaces 136 face or abut the first and second side
surfaces 312,
316.
In use, and with combined reference to Figs. 3, 4a and 4b, a plurality of
support
pedestals 201 (e.g., including first, second, third and fourth support
pedestals 201a, 201b,
201c and 201d) may be located or placed upon a fixed surface with a
predetermined
spacing between the support pedestals. The first and second corner portions
1101, 1102 of
the first and second building surface components 1021, 1022 may be
respectively received
on and over the upper surfaces 222 of the first and second support pedestals
201a, 201b
so that the outer edge segments 116 in which openings 124 are disposed abut or
face each
other. Additionally, the first and second side surfaces 312, 316 of the spline
may be
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respectively received in the openings 124 of the first and second building
surface
components 1021, 1022 and the first and second building surface components
1021, 1022
may be free of any connections or attachments (e.g. mechanical, chemical) to
the first and
second support pedestals 201a, 201b. See Fig. 5. For instance, and with
reference to
Fig. 4a, a height 138 of the openings 124 may be substantially the same as
(e.g., slightly
greater than) a thickness 320 of the restraint spline 300.
In one arrangement, the first and second corner portions 1101, 1102 of the
first
building surface component 1021 may be placed over the upper surfaces 222 of
the first
and second support pedestals 201a, 201b and then the first side surface 312 of
the
restraint spline 300 may be inserted into the opening 124 of the first
building surface
component 1021. Thereafter, the first and second corner portions 1101, 1102 of
the
second building surface component 1022 may be placed over the upper surfaces
222 of
the first and second support pedestals 201a, 201b so that the second side
surface 316 of
the restraint spline 300 is received in the opening 124 of the second building
surface
component 1022. See Fig. 5. In another arrangement, both of the first and
second
building surface components 1021, 1022 may be placed over the first and second
support
pedestals 201a, 201b and then the restraint spline 300 may be simultaneously
longitudinally slid through and along the openings 124 of the first and second
building
surface components 1021, 1022 from the first corner portions 1101 to the
second corner
portions 1102. As shown in Figs. 3a and 4b, the restraint spline 300 may be
configured
to at least extend from the first corner portions 1101 of the first and second
building
surface components 1021, 1022 to the second corner portions 1102 of the first
and second
building surface components 1021, 1022. That is, the restraint spline 300 may
be
configured to pass over the upper surfaces 222 of at least the first and
second support
pedestals 201a, 201b.
The restraint spline 300 may also be configured to extend through the openings
124 of abutting outer edge segments 116 of additional pairs of adjacent
building surface
components 102 (e.g., the third and fourth building surface components 1023,
1024, the
fifth and sixth building surface components 1025, 1026, etc.) as well as over
additional
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support pedestals 201 (e.g., the third support pedestal 201c, the fourth
support pedestal
201d, etc.). For instance, the second, fourth and sixth building surface
components 1022,
1024, 1026 may be placed over the upper surfaces 222 of the first, second,
third and fourth
support pedestals 201a, 201b, 201c and 201d (e.g., as shown in Fig. 3) and
then the
second side surface 316 of the restraint spline 300 may be inserted into the
openings 124
of the second, fourth and sixth building surface components 1022, 1024, 1026.
Thereafter, the first, third and fifth building surface components 1021, 1023,
1025
may be placed over the upper surfaces 222 of the first, second, third and
fourth support
pedestals 201a, 201b, 201c and 201d so that the first side surface 312 of the
restraint
spline 300 is received in the openings 124 of the first, third and fifth
building surface
components 1021, 1023, 1025. At this point, the restraint spline 300 may
extend at least
from the first corner portions 1101 of the first and second building surface
components
1021, 1022 to the second corner portions 1102 of the fifth and sixth building
surface
components 1025, 1026 (e.g., as well as over the first, second, third and
fourth support
pedestals 201a, 201b, 201c and 201d). That is, a first end 324 of the
restraint spline 300
may be disposed over the upper surface 222 of the first support pedestal 201a
and an
opposite second end 328 of the restraint spline 300 may be disposed over the
upper
surface of the fourth support pedestal 201d. Alternatively, all of the first,
second, third,
fourth, fifth and sixth building surface components 1021, 1022, 1023, 1024,
1025, 1025
may be placed over the first, second, third and fourth support pedestals 201a,
201b, 201c
and 201d and then the restraint spline 300 maybe longitudinally inserted
through the
openings 124 so as to extend from the first corner portions 1101 of the first
and second
building surface components 1021, 1022.
While Figs. 3a and 4b illustrate the restraint spline 300 as being supported
by at
least two support pedestals 201, where the first and second ends 324, 328 of
the restraint
spline 300 are disposed over respective support pedestals, other arrangements
are
envisioned and encompassed herein. For instance, and as shown in Figs. 3b and
4c, the
restraint spline 300 may be configured to pass continuously over only a single
support
pedestal 201 (e.g., support pedestal 201b), where the first and second ends
324, 328 are
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not disposed over the upper surfaces 222 of any of the support pedestals 201.
Of course,
the restraint spline 300 may pass continuously over one or more additional
support
pedestals 201 (e.g., support pedestal 201c, etc.), where the first and second
ends 324, 328
are not disposed over the upper surfaces 222 of any of the support pedestals
201. In some
arrangements, one of the first and second ends 324, 328 of the restraint
spline 300 may be
disposed over the upper surface 222 of one of the support pedestals 201 (e.g.,
support
pedestal 201a) while the other of the first and second ends 324, 328 may not
be disposed
over the upper surface 222 of any of the support pedestals 201.
Figs. 6-12 illustrate another embodiment of a building surface component 102'
that may be used with the restraint spline 300 of Figs. 3a-5. For instance,
the building
surface component 102 may be constructed from a plurality of wooden or
composite
boards or tiles, slate tiles, natural stone tiles, composite tiles, concrete
tiles (e.g., pavers),
tiles of metal or fiberglass grating, porcelain, ceramic, plastic, composites,
and the like
and may include an opening 124 (e.g., slot, slit, groove, track, kerf, etc.)
in at least one
outer edge segment 116 thereof that extends between adjacent corner portions
110 and
that is configured (e.g., sized, shaped, etc.) to receive a portion of a
restraint spline 300.
Figs. 13a-13b illustrate another embodiment of a building surface component
102" that may be used with the restraint spline 300 of Figs. 3a-5. For
instance, the
building surface component 102" may include a number of stacked layers (e.g.,
slabs,
boards, etc.) such as first, second and third layers 140, 144, 148
interconnected in any
appropriate manner, where an outer side edge (not labeled) of the third layer
148 is set
back with respective to the outer side edges (not labeled) of the first and
second layers
140, 144 to create openings 124 in outer edge segments 116 of the surface tile
102" as
shown in Figs. 13a-13b (e.g., such as openings 124 in each of a plurality of
outer edge
segments of the building surface component 102") For instance, a height 138 of
each
opening 124 (e.g., and a thickness of the third layer 148) may be
substantially the same as
(e.g., slightly greater than) a thickness 320 of a restraint spline 300 (see
Fig. 4). The
arrangement of Figs. 13a-13b may be useful with materials (e.g., concrete,
ceramic,
porcelain, etc.) into which it is difficult to cut or otherwise form openings
(e.g., grooves,
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slots) in outer edge segments thereof. For instance, the first and second
layers 140, 144
may each be respective slabs of concrete while the third layer 148 may be a
material to
bind the first and second layers 140, 144 together (e.g., any appropriate
adhesive, tape,
etc.).
Fig. 14 illustrates a portion of another embodiment of an elevated building
surface assembly 100' that includes a building surface 101' formed from a
plurality of
building surface components 102 (e.g., surface tiles, pavers, flooring units,
etc. of any
appropriate material(s) such as concrete, ceramics, porcelain, etc.). In this
embodiment,
the building surface components 102 are elevated above a fixed surface by a
support
structure 200' comprising a plurality of elongated horizontal supporting
members 400
(e.g., joists, stringers, and/or the like) constructed of any appropriate
material (e.g., wood,
composites, etc.) and interconnected in any appropriate manner (e.g., via
brackets 404),
either in the manner shown in Fig. 14 or in various other manners. As shown,
the
horizontal supporting members 400 may be spaced apart by any appropriate
distance(s).
The horizontal supporting members 400 may be disposed directly over a fixed
surface (as
shown) or may be disposed over a plurality of support pedestals (e.g., support
pedestals
201 of Fig. 1).
Each building surface component 102 may be placed upon a plurality of
horizontal support members 400 to elevate the building surface 101' above the
fixed
surface. For instance, a first pair of corner portions 110 of a building
surface component
102 may be placed over a top of a first horizontal support member 4011 (e.g.,
free of any
connections or attachments between the building surface component 102 and the
first
horizontal support member 4010 and a second pair of corner portions 110 of the
building
surface component 102 may be placed over a top of a second horizontal support
member
4012 (e.g., free of any connections or attachments between the building
surface
component 102 and the second horizontal support member 4011). Additional
building
surface components 102 may be similarly disposed over the horizontal support
members
400. While only four building surface components 102 are shown on the support
structure 200', various additional building surface components 102 may be
similarly
14
CA 02865147 2014-09-25
disposed over the support structure 200'. Additionally, one or more of the
outer edge
segments 116 of the building surface components 102 may include openings 124
(not
shown in Fig. 14) as discussed previously for receiving restraint splines 300
(e.g., see
Figs. 3a-5). For instance, a restraint spline 300 may be disposed in the
abutting openings
124 of one or more pairs of building surface components 102 of the elevated
building
surface assembly 100'. Each restraint spline 300 may span two or more
horizontal
support members 400.
The foregoing description has been presented for purposes of illustration and
description. Furthermore, the description is not intended to limit the
invention to the
form disclosed herein. Consequently, variations and modifications commensurate
with
the above teachings, and skill and knowledge of the relevant art, are within
the scope of
the present invention. For instance, while the drawings illustrate only a
single restraint
spline 300 for use with a single linear row of support pedestals, it is to be
understood that
numerous additional parallel and/or perpendicular restraint splines 300 could
be used to
restrain additional pairs of adjacent surface tiles 102 over additional rows
of support
pedestals as part of an elevated building surface assembly in any appropriate
configuration. Furthermore, at least some of the building surface components
102 may
include openings 124 in more than one outer edge segment 116 (e.g., two or
more outer
edge segments 116, all outer edge segments 116, etc.) for receipt of a
plurality of restraint
splines 300 in any appropriate manner. Still further, at least some of the
outer edge
segments 116 may include a plurality of openings 124 therein for receipt of
multiple
restraint splines 300 therein. In one arrangement, one or more of the
restraint splines 300
may extend between adjacent support pedestals 201 but not to or even over the
adjacent
support pedestals.
It is also to be understood that the various components disclosed herein have
not
necessarily been drawn to scale. For instance, the restraint spline 300 may
actually be
much thinner than depicted in the figures (e.g., in the event the restraint
spline 300 is
constructed of sheet metal, plastic, and/or other material or the like). Also,
many
components have been labeled as "first," "second," "third," etc. merely to
assist the reader
CA 02865147 2014-09-25
in understanding the relationships between the components should not imply
that an
elevated building surface assembly encompassed herein need have the specific
arrangement shown and described herein. Furthermore, while small gaps have
been
shown between some of the components in the figures (e.g., between the
restraint spline
300 and the inside surfaces of the openings of the surface tiles 1021, 1022 in
Fig. 5), it is
to be understood that in reality, these gaps may not exist and that such
components may
be in direct contact. In other words, at least some of such gaps have merely
been
provided to assist the reader in understanding the various components of the
disclosed
systems.
While various embodiments of the present invention have been described in
detail, it is apparent that modifications and adaptation of those embodiments
will occur to
those skilled in the art. However, it is to be expressly understood that such
modifications
and adaptations are within the scope of the present invention.
16
