Classifications

• • E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
  • E04—BUILDING
  • E04F—FINISHING WORK ON BUILDINGS, e.g. STAIRS, FLOORS
  • E04F15/00—Flooring
  • E04F15/02—Flooring or floor layers composed of a number of similar elements
  • E04F15/024—Sectional false floors, e.g. computer floors
  • E04F15/02447—Supporting structures
  • E04F15/02452—Details of junctions between the supporting structures and the panels or a panel-supporting framework
• • E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
  • E04—BUILDING
  • E04F—FINISHING WORK ON BUILDINGS, e.g. STAIRS, FLOORS
  • E04F15/00—Flooring
  • E04F15/02—Flooring or floor layers composed of a number of similar elements
  • E04F15/024—Sectional false floors, e.g. computer floors
  • E04F15/02405—Floor panels
  • E04F15/02417—Floor panels made of box-like elements
  • E04F15/02423—Floor panels made of box-like elements filled with core material

Definitions

• This invention relates to an access flooring system of the type comprising a plurality of floor panels and a plurality of support pedestals for supporting the floor panels.
• the pedestals are distributed over a subfloor, such as a floor of a multi-storey building, and the pedestals are arranged to support the floor panels such that floor panels may be individually removed to gain access to the chamber below the floor panels.
• the floor panels When assembled, the floor panels provide a relatively flat and strong floor to support office personnel, furniture and the like.
• a spacer may be placed between the top side edges of adjacent floor panels.
• this has the problems of affecting aesthetic appearance and additionally of being difficult to install on-site.
• a pedestal cap for an access flooring system having a separator extending upwardly for engagement with side walls of adjacent panels on assembly to maintain a gap between adjacent panels, wherein the separator has a height substantially greater than 7 times the thickness of the pedestal cap.
• the invention provides a pedestal cap for an access flooring system, the pedestal cap having a separator extending upwardly for engagement with side walls of adjacent panels on assembly, wherein the separator is formed to avoid contact between the side walls of adjacent panels and the separator at a base portion thereof and to provide contact between the side walls of adjacent panels and the separator at a top portion of the separator to maintain a gap between adjacent panels.
• the invention also provides in another aspect a pedestal cap for an access flooring system, the pedestal cap having a separator extending upwardly for engagement with side walls of adjacent panels on assembly to maintain a gap between adjacent panels, wherein a top portion of the separator comprises a groove.
• the groove facilitates lateral compliance in the system while ensuring that the gap between adjacent panels is maintained.
• the invention provides a pedestal cap for an access flooring system, the pedestal cap having a separator extending upwardly for engagement with side walls of adjacent panels on assembly to maintain a gap between adjacent panels, the separator comprising means to facilitate lateral compliance while maintaining the gap between adjacent panels.
• the separator has a height of between substantially 7 and 20 times the thickness of the pedestal cap.
• the separator comprises a tapered form.
• the separator tapers inwardly from a base portion to a top portion thereof.
• the top of the separator has a width of less than 70% of the width of the base thereof.
• the top of the separator has a width of less than 60% of the width of the base thereof.
• the separator is formed to avoid contact between the side walls of adjacent panels and the separator at a base portion thereof and to provide contact between the side walls of adjacent panels and the separator at a top portion of the separator to maintain a gap between adjacent panels.
• top portion of the separator comprises a groove.
• the groove is configured to enable lateral compliance while maintaining a gap between adjacent panels.
• the groove is located substantially centrally at the top of the separator. In a further embodiment the groove has a width of between 30% and 70% of the width of the top of the separator.
• the top of the separator comprises a plurality of grooves.
• the groove extends the length of the top of the separator.
• the groove has a depth of between 40% and 90% of the width of the top of the separator.
• the groove has substantially a u-shaped form.
• the separator extends radially of the centre of the pedestal cap.
• the groove may be configured to enable lateral compliance while maintaining a gap between adjacent panels.
• the means may be configured to facilitate local deformation of at least one panel.
• the separator may comprise an engaging portion for engaging a panel and a non- engaging portion to facilitate local deformation of at least one panel.
• the engaging portion may be provided at one end of the separator.
• the non-engaging portion may be provided at the centre of the separator.
• the separator may have a substantially dumb-bell shape in plan.
• the invention provides an access flooring system comprising a plurality of floor panels and a plurality of support pedestals for supporting the floor panels, the pedestal having a separator extending upwardly for engagement with side walls of adjacent panels on assembly to maintain a gap between adjacent panels, wherein the panels have depth D and the separator has a height greater than or equal to D/2.
• the side walls are inclined outwardly from the base to the top thereof.
• the separator tapers inwardly from a base portion to a top portion thereof.
• the top of the separator has a width of less than 70% of the width of the base thereof.
• the separator is formed to avoid contact between the side walls of adjacent panels and the separator at a base portion thereof and to provide contact between the side walls of adjacent panels and the separator at a top portion of the separator to maintain a gap between adjacent panels.
• the groove is configured to enable lateral compliance while maintaining a gap between adjacent panels.
• the groove has a width of between 30% and 70% of the width of the top of the separator.
• the groove extends the length of the top of the separator.
• the groove has a depth of between 40% and 90% of the width of the top of the separator.
• the separator extends radially of the centre of the pedestal.
• the pedestal has a number of separators which are spaced- apart around the top of the pedestal. In one embodiment there are four separators which are equi-spaced apart around the top of the pedestal.
• the side walls are inclined outwardly from the base to the top thereof.
• the separator tapers inwardly from a base portion to a top portion thereof.
• the top of the separator has a width of less than 70% of the width of the base thereof.
• the separator is formed to avoid contact between the side walls and the separator at a base portion thereof and to provide contact between the side walls and the separator at a top portion of the separator to maintain a gap between adjacent panels.
• the top portion of the separator comprises a groove.
• the groove is configured to enable lateral compliance while maintaining a gap between adjacent panels.
• the groove is located substantially centrally at the top of the separator.
• the groove has a width of between 30% and 70% of the width of the top of the separator.
• the top of the separator comprises a plurality of grooves.
• the groove has a depth of between 40% and 90% of the width of the top of the separator.
• the groove has substantially a u-shaped form.
• the groove has substantially a v-shaped form.
• the panels have depth D and the separator has a height greater than or equal to D/2.
• the pedestal has a cap and the separator is provided by the cap.
• the invention also provides in a further aspect an access flooring system comprising:-
• At least one pedestal cap of the invention mounted to at least one of the support pedestals.
• Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the pedestal cap of Fig. 1 ;
• Fig. 3 is a view along line B-B in Fig. 2;
• Fig. 4 is a view along line A-A in Fig. 2;
• Fig. 5 (a) is a top plan view of an alternative pedestal cap according to the invention.
• Fig. 5(b) is a view along line A-A in Fig. 5(a);
• Fig. 5(c) is a view along line B-B in Fig. 5(a);
• Fig. 6 is a perspective view of another pedestal cap according to the invention.
• Fig. 7 is a side view of the pedestal cap of Fig. 6;
• Fig. 8 is a plan view from above of the pedestal cap of Fig. 6;
• Fig. 9 is a plan view from below of the pedestal cap of Fig. 6;
• Fig. 10 is a partially cross-sectional, side view of the pedestal cap of Fig. 6 and two floor panels;
• the system comprises a plurality comprising a plurality of floor panels 10 and a plurality of support pedestals for supporting the floor panels 10.
• Each pedestal has a pedestal cap 1, as illustrated in the drawings, mounted to the pedestal.
• a gap is provided between adjacent panels 10.
• the cap 1 has at least one, and in this case four equi-spaced apart separators 2.
• the separators 2 comprise a base portion 3 and a top separator portion 4.
• the separators 2 are connected to the pedestal cap 1 at the base portion 3 and extend upwardly from the pedestal cap 1.
• the separators 2 taper inwardly from the base portion 3 to the top separator portion 4 thereof.
• the top portion 4 of the separator 2 typically has a width of between 30 and 50 per cent of the width of the base 3 thereof.
• the angle of the taper is essentially determined by the angle of the sides of the panels 10 being separated.
• the form of the separator 2 is such as to avoid contact between the panels 10 and the separator 2 at the base 3 and to bias the contact between them to the upper edge or top portion 4 of the separator 2, as illustrated in Fig. 1.
• the separator 2 on engaging the side walls of adjacent panels 10 acts to control the gap between adjacent panels 10 so as to prevent contact between adjacent panels 10.
• the separator 2 is robust and of a material which has sufficient mechanical strength to maintain a gap between adjacent panels 10. Taking account of the form of the side walls of the panel 10, the separator 2 is formed, so as to provide adequate positive contact between the top portion 4 and the side walls, and having sufficient mechanical strength to maintain that gap.
• the panel 10 in this case, comprises a central core or substrate 13 which may be of chipboard or the like, and an envelope comprising a top 15 and a base 14 enclosing the core 13.
• Side walls 17 of the panel 10 are typically inclined at an angle of between 3 and 10 degrees, preferably between 5 and 7 degrees. As shown in Fig. 1, the side walls 17 are inclined outwardly from the base 14 to the top 15 of the panel 10.
• the separator 2 of the invention has a height of between 7 and 20 times the thickness of the pedestal cap 1, preferably between 10 and 15 times the thickness of the pedestal cap 1.
• FIG. 5 (a), 5(b) and 5(c) a pedestal cap 1 according to the invention is shown.
• the separator 2 in this case has a height 15 times the thickness of the pedestal cap 1 and substantially 9 times the thickness of the pedestal cap 1 at the platform portion 9 thereof.
• the separator 2 has a width of 5mm and tapers inwardly to a width of 2.05mm at the top thereof. Overall the width decreases by 2.95mm from the base to the top, i.e. the width at the top is 41% of the width at the base. Taking the decrease in width of the separator 2 as a percentage of the height of the separator 2, the overall taper from base to top is between 12 and 14 per cent.
• the separator 2 Taking the longitudinal cross-section of the separator 2.
• the separator 2 has a length of 18mm which tapers inwardly to a length of 16 mm at the top thereof, an overall decrease in length by 2mm, i.e. the length at the top is 88% of the length at the base.
• the width of the top portion of the separator 2 is 2.05mm, and in this case the groove 5 has a width of 1.05mm and a depth of 1.5mm.
• the separator 2 has a height of 23mm which is suitable for use with a panel 10 having a depth of 30 to 33mm.
• FIGs. 6 to 10 there is illustrated another pedestal cap 30 according to the invention, which is similar to the pedestal cap 1 of Figs. 1 to 4, and similar elements in Figs. 6 to 10 are assigned the same reference numerals.
• the plate 31 acts as an electrical conductor.
• FIG. 11 there is illustrated another pedestal cap 40 according to the invention, which is similar to the pedestal cap 30 of Figs. 6 to 10, and similar elements in Fig. 11 are assigned the same reference numerals.
• the engaging portions 43 engage the adjacent floor panels 10.
• the non- engaging portion 44 does not engage the floor panels 10. Because the non-engaging portion 44 does not engage the floor panels 10, this facilitates local deformation of the panels 10. In this manner the pedestal cap 40 facilitates lateral compliance while maintaining the gap between adjacent floor panels 10.

Landscapes

• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Architecture (AREA)
• General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Civil Engineering (AREA)
• Structural Engineering (AREA)
• Floor Finish (AREA)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (1)

Family

ID=36926745

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (3)

Families Citing this family (4)

Family Cites Families (4)

• 2006
  • 2006-07-11 EP EP06756168A patent/EP1904697A2/de not_active Withdrawn
  • 2006-07-11 WO PCT/IE2006/000072 patent/WO2007007306A2/en not_active Ceased
  • 2006-07-11 GB GB0613657A patent/GB2428257B/en active Active

Non-Patent Citations (1)

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