EP3908720A1

EP3908720A1 - Support system for floorboards

Info

Publication number: EP3908720A1
Application number: EP20701369.9A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Olivier Dejans
Original assignee: Solidor bvba
Current assignee: Solidor bvba
Priority date: 2019-01-10
Filing date: 2020-01-10
Publication date: 2021-11-17
Also published as: BE1026964B1; WO2020144628A1; BE1026964A1

Abstract

The present invention relates to a support system for floorboards, comprising: - one or several supporting sections (1) for supporting one or several floorboards (2); - a number of decking pedestals (3) provided for supporting one or several supporting sections (1); - one or several accessories (4) suitable for positioning the floorboards (2) or for connecting adjacent supporting sections (1), wherein the supporting section (1) comprises a guide groove (5) which extends in the length direction and in which an accessory (4) is displaceable, and wherein at least one of the accessories (4) comprises a securing eyelet suitable for securing the accessory (4) in the guide groove (5) by means of a blind rivet connection.

Description

SUPPORT SYSTEM FOR FLOORBOARDS

The present invention relates to a support system for floorboards, in particular a decking pedestal system. The floorboards are preferably tile elements made of plastic, natural stone or rubber or the floorboards are boards made of solid wood, a wood-based material or made of plastic, or the floorboards are lattice-like elements made of metal or plastic.

Such support systems are widely known and are often used in cases where, for example, a flat roof is to be turned into a satisfactory outside space or decking is to be laid on an uneven surface or even surface, e.g. balcony decking of apartments, hotels or restaurants.

With the known support systems for floors or decks, tile support pads are used on which floorboards (tile elements) can be placed at a suitable distance apart and at a distance from a surface located underneath. As a result thereof, screed and tile adhesive are no longer necessary, the rainwater can be drained off by means of the open joints and lines can easily be laid in the free space under the floor surface. In order to be able to maintain the same joint width everywhere, the upper surface of the tile support pad is provided with a number of tile holders extending transversely on the upper surface. The floorboards should be placed abutting the tile holders.

Because the above-described system is limited with regard to the number of laying patterns which can be formed, in more recent support systems, the floorboards are no longer placed directly on the tile support pads, but bar-shaped supporting sections are firstly provided on the tile support pads on which the various floorboards are then placed subsequently. In their upper surface, the known supporting sections have a guide groove which extends in a length direction and in which an accessory suitable for either positioning the floorboards, such as a tile holder (joint holder), or end piece or for connecting adjacent supporting sections, such as a coupling piece, is displaceable. Due to the fact that the accessories are displaceable in the guide groove, it is possible to produce several laying patterns using such support systems. The accessories are positioned in the guide groove based on the desired laying pattern and based on the selected floorboard. Once the accessories are correctly positioned, they can be fixedly secured in the guide groove, if desired by means of screws. However, fixedly securing the accessories may cause problems as the floorboards may start to warp over time, e.g. due to variations in temperature. If the accessories, in particular the tile holders and consequently the floorboards as well, are fixedly secured, warping may cause damage to the accessories or the floorboards may be pushed upwards, resulting in an uneven top surface.

German Utility model DE 20 2013 010 349 U1 shows a fitting system for decking boards which used a connecting clamp which is positioned in a groove of a supporting section. The connecting clamp is provided to securely clamp the decking boards and comprises a base part for installation in the groove of the supporting section and a head part. The head part consists of two clamping lips placed one above the other and is also provided with a screw channel. By screwing a screw in the screw channel of the connecting clamp, a force which is directed to the ground is applied to the top clamping lip. Due to the fact that the top clamping lip engages in the groove-shaped longitudinal edges of the decking board, this decking board is pushed downwards against the supporting section when the top clamping lip moves downwards. Due to the specific embodiment of the connecting clamp, this fitting system is only suitable for securing decking boards whose longitudinal edges are provided with groove-shaped recesses. Other floorboards, such as tile elements with flat lateral edges cannot be secured by means thereof.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a support system which will compensate for any deformation of the floorboards.

The object of the invention is achieved by providing a support system for floorboards, comprising:

- one or several supporting sections for supporting one or several floorboards; - a number of decking pedestals provided for supporting one or several supporting sections;

- one or several accessories suitable for positioning the floorboards or for connecting adjacent supporting sections;

wherein the supporting section comprises a guide groove which extends in the length direction and in which an accessory is displaceable, and wherein at least one of the accessories comprises a securing element suitable for securing the accessory in the guide groove by means of a blind rivet connection. The securing element is preferably provided on the outer side or outer edge of the accessory. Preferably, the securing element is a securing eyelet provided with a passage opening suitable for accommodating a blind rivet. A blind rivet connection has the advantage that the respective accessory is still very slightly movable after the securing operation, so that there is a small tolerance which can compensate for any deformations of, for example, the floorboards, e.g. due to variations in temperatures. An additional advantage is that there is still the possibility of making adjustments during installation.

A blind rivet connection makes use of a blind rivet or so-called pop rivet. A blind rivet comprises a hollow nail sleeve which is provided with a collar inside which there is a pulling pin with a rounded head at the end. Directly above the head of the pin, there is a constriction (narrowing). The blind rivet used in the present invention is preferably made of aluminium, stainless steel or monel.

In order to secure the accessory in the guide groove, the blind rivet is pushed through the opening of the securing eyelet. By means of blind riveting tongs, the pulling pin is securely clamped and pulled into the nail sleeve. By pinching the tongs several times, the pulling pin is subjected to an increasingly greater load. During this process, the nail sleeve deforms and the projecting part is stretched. Following a sufficient amount of stretching, the pin will break at the constriction. The deformed nail sleeve under the collar will ensure that the accessory is tightly secured in the guide groove. In a preferred embodiment of the support system according to the invention, the supporting section comprises a first receiving groove which extends in the length direction and in which a supporting body made of a shock-absorbing or vibration damping material is provided which, in use, serves as a support for the floorboards. Materials having anti-slip properties are also taken into account as a base material for producing the supporting body. In particular, the supporting section furthermore comprises a second receiving groove which extends in the length direction and in which a supporting body made of a shock-absorbing or vibration-damping material is provided which, in use, serves as a support for the floorboards. Preferably, the guide groove is provided between the first and second receiving groove. The guide groove preferably extends in the centre of the supporting section.

In a more preferred embodiment of the support system according to the invention, the supporting body comprises a base part and a removable levelling strip, wherein the removable levelling strip is connected to the base part by means of a weakened connection (connection zone), preferably a tear or notch line or an adhesive connection, as a result of which the levelling strip can be detached in order to reduce the height of the supporting body. Such a supporting body makes it possible, if necessary, for example if two adjacent floorboards are not perfectly level due to a difference in height, to remove the levelling strip under one floorboard, so that the difference in height is compensated for and the floorboards come to lie perfectly level.

According to a specific embodiment of the support system according to the invention, the accessory is a tile holder (joint holder), preferably of cruciform or T- shaped design, crosspiece, coupling piece or end piece.

In a more specific embodiment of the support system according to the invention, the decking pedestal is a height-adjustable decking pedestal. There now follows a more detailed description of the support system according to the invention in order to further explain the properties of the present invention and to indicate additional advantages and features thereof. It will be clear that nothing in the following description may be interpreted as limiting the scope of protection defined in the claims.

In this description, reference numerals are used to refer to the attached drawings, in which:

Fig. 1: shows an embodiment of a support system according to the invention; - Fig. 2: shows a detail view of area A circled in Fig. 1, in which an accessory, in particular a tile holder, is secured in the guide groove by means of a blind rivet connection;

Fig. 3: shows a view of an accessory, in particular a tile holder which will be secured by means of a blind rivet and on which the pulling pin is still visible; - Fig. 4: shows a cross section of the view from Fig. 3;

Fig. 5: shows a view of an accessory which is secured in the guide groove of a supporting section by means of a blind rivet;

Figs. 6 to 8: show a number of possible embodiments of accessories. The support system according to the present invention and as illustrated in the attached figures is suitable for supporting floorboards (2). The floorboards are preferably tile elements made of plastic, natural stone or rubber. However, the floorboards may also be board-shaped elements which are made, for example, of: solid wood, a wood-based material or plastic. The floorboards may also be lattice- like elements made of metal, plastic, etc.

The support system is illustrated in Fig. 1 and comprises:

- one or several supporting sections (1) for supporting one or several floorboards

(2);

- a number of decking pedestals (3) provided for supporting one or several supporting sections (1), - one or several accessories (4) suitable for positioning the floorboards (2), such as e.g. a tile holder (cruciform, T-shaped or of another design) and an end piece, or suitable for connecting adjacent supporting sections (1), such as e.g. a coupling piece. Figs. 6 to 8 show a number of possible embodiments of accessories.

The supporting section (1) is made from aluminium, wood, stainless steel, metal or plastic and comprises a guide groove (5) which extends in the length direction and in which an accessory (4) is displaceable. In order to secure the accessories in the guide groove (5) in a satisfactory and relatively simple and time-saving way, the accessories are provided with a securing element on their edges. The securing element is a securing eyelet (6) and is consequently provided with a passage opening which is suitable for accommodating a blind rivet (7).

Securing the accessory (4) by means of a blind rivet connection has the advantage that the respective accessory is still movable to some degree after it has been secured. As a result thereof, any deformations of, for example, the floorboards, e.g. due to variations in temperatures, can be compensated for. This connection technique makes adjustments during installation of the support system possible.

The way to secure the accessory (4) in the guide groove (5) is explained in Figs. 3 to 5, here the blind rivet (7) is pushed through the opening of the securing eyelet (6). By means of blind riveting tongs (not shown), the pulling pin (8) will be securely clamped and pulled into the nail sleeve. By pinching the tongs several times, the pulling pin is subjected to an increasingly greater load and the pin will break off at the constriction. Together with the collar and the design of the guide groove (5), the thickened nail sleeve will ensure that the accessory (4) is tightly secured in the guide groove (5).

The supporting section (1) furthermore comprises a first (9) and second (10) receiving groove extending in the length direction, in which a supporting body (11) made of a shock-absorbing or vibration-damping material is provided which, in use, serves as a support for the floorboards (2). As can be seen from Fig. 5, the guide groove (5) is provided between the first (9) and second (10) receiving groove.

The installed supporting body (11) comprises a base part and a removable levelling strip, wherein the removable levelling strip is connected to the base part by means of a weakened connection, preferably a tear or notch line or an adhesive connection, as a result of which the levelling strip can be detached in order to reduce the height of the supporting body (11). Such a supporting body (11) makes it possible, if necessary, for example if two adjacent floorboards (2) are not perfectly level due to a difference in height, to remove the levelling strip under one floorboard, so that the difference in height is compensated for and the floorboards come to lie perfectly level. Due to the fact that the supporting body (11) is made of a shock-absorbing or vibration-damping material, the supporting body (11) will have a shock-absorbing or vibration-damping and noise-attenuating effect. The supporting body (11) will also ensure that the floorboards, once installed, are less easily displaced, in other words, the supporting body also has an anti-slip effect. Materials which may be considered for manufacturing the supporting body from are: PTE, PVE, rubber, vulcanised rubber, or another suitable shock-absorbing, vibration-damping material or material with anti-slip properties.

Claims

C L A I M S

1. Support system for floorboards, comprising:

- one or several supporting sections (1) for supporting one or several floorboards (2);

- a number of decking pedestals (3) provided for supporting one or several supporting sections (1);

- one or several accessories (4) suitable for positioning the floorboards (2) or for connecting adjacent supporting sections (1);

wherein the supporting section (1) comprises a guide groove (5) which extends in the length direction and in which an accessory (4) is displaceable,

characterized in that at least one of the accessories (4) comprises a securing element suitable for securing the accessory (4) in the guide groove (5) by means of a blind rivet (7) connection.

2. Support system according to Claim 1, characterized in that the securing element is a securing eyelet (6) provided with a passage opening suitable for accommodating a blind rivet (7).

3. Support system according to Claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the supporting section (1) comprises a first receiving groove (9) which extends in the length direction and in which a supporting body (11) made of a shock-absorbing or vibration-damping material is provided which, in use, serves as a support for the floorboards (2).

4. Support system according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the supporting section (1) furthermore comprises a second receiving groove (10) which extends in the length direction and in which a supporting body (11) made of a shock-absorbing or vibration-damping material is provided which, in use, serves as a support for the floorboards (2).

5. Support system according to one of Claims 3 or 4, characterized in that the supporting body (11) comprises a base part and a removable levelling strip, wherein the removable levelling strip is connected to the base part by means of a weakened connection zone, as a result of which the levelling strip can be detached in order to reduce the height of the supporting body (11).

6. Support system according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the accessory (4) is a tile holder, coupling piece or end piece.

7. Support system according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the decking pedestal (3) is a height-adjustable decking pedestal.