Static structures (e.g. – buildings) – Facer held by stiffener-type frame – Back-to-back facers spaced by concealed framing
Reissue Patent
1999-03-10
2002-04-02
Stephan, Beth A. (Department: 3635)
Static structures (e.g., buildings)
Facer held by stiffener-type frame
Back-to-back facers spaced by concealed framing
C052S508000, C052S403100, C052S393000
Reissue Patent
active
RE037615
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to hardwood floor systems. More particularly, this invention relates to an anchored and resilient sleeper for a hardwood floor system.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Floor systems, particularly hardwood floor systems, are commonly supported by sleepers. Sleepers are elongated nailing members, often of wood, laid end to end in parallel rows to form a subfloor layer for supporting a layer of floorboards secured thereabove. The sleepers may be relatively narrow and spaced from each other, or the sleepers may be relatively broad with edges of adjacent rows in abutting relationship. If desired, one or more subfloor layers may be used between the wear layer and the sleepers. The sleepers support the other floor components above a base.
One recognized advantage of supporting a floor system with sleepers relates to moisture susceptibility. The components of most floor systems are made of wood. Humidity changes from season to season cause wooden components of floor systems, and particularly an upper layer of floorboards, to expand with moisture intake and contract with moisture expulsion. Because sleepers support these other components above the base, the sleepers limit moisture transfer between the base and these other components. Moreover, if the sleepers are narrow and spaced away from each other, the free space between the supported components and the base enables air to circulate air therebetween to minimize moisture transfer.
Because moisture-caused expansion and contraction of floor system components may result in buckling, it is desirable to securely anchor the floor system, particularly the sleepers, to the base below. Anchoring of the sleepers provides an acceptable level of dimensional stability for the floor system, compared to a floor system wherein the sleepers are unanchored.
It is also desirable for hardwood floor systems to provide a degree of resilience. In the context of this application, resilience generally means the ability of a floor system to absorb shock upon impact and to deflect downwardly upon impact. Particularly for hardwood floors used in athletic contests, the resilience of the floor system may play a major role in reducing the incidence of athletic injury. In short, if a floor provides some degree of give, the stress placed upon the musculoskeletal structure of the athlete is reduced.
It is common practice to provide resiliency for a floor system by locating compressible pads below the sleepers. The compressibility of the pad enables the sleepers and the floorboards thereabove to deflect downwardly. The amount of downward deflection and the shock absorption of the floor system will depend upon a number of factors, including the shape and composition of the pads.
Recent studies indicate that, while resiliency is important to the reduction of susceptibility to athletic injury, uniformity in resiliency is also critical. Thus, it is desirable to provide a floor system with a high degree of resiliency which is also uniform throughout its surface area.
Unfortunately, it has proved difficult to achieve dimensional stability, optimum resiliency and uniformity in resiliency for hardwood floors supported by sleepers. The enhancing of one of these two features commonly adversely affects the other. For instance, when sleepers are supported above the base by a plurality of compressible pads and the sleepers are fastened to the base, direct fastening of the sleeper produces some initial compression, or precompression of the pads which is greater than the normal compression due to gravity from the components located thereabove. The pads remain compressed to this state throughout the life of the floor, even when the floor is unloaded.
Because of this already compressed state, the capability of the pads for further deflection is inhibited, and the overall resiliency of the floor system is greatly reduced. Another disadvantage results from this excess precompression. Because an excessive percentage of the compressibility is “used up”, the floor has a higher chance of “bottoming out” or deflecting to its maximum, upon impact from above. This occurs when the pads compress maximally to a state where the floorboards deflect into contact with the rigid fasteners. On the other hand, if the floor system is free-floating, i.e. the sleepers are not anchored securely to the base, the entire floor system may be dimensionally unstable.
While some commercially available floor systems have achieved some degree of success in addressing one or more of these concerns, such floor systems tend to have a relatively high cost due to an increase in the number or complexity of structural components required for achieving these features and the increased costs associated with shipping and installing these components. As a result, the benefits of these floor systems have been limited unnecessarily to a relatively low number of users.
It is an objective of this invention to achieve optimum dimensional stability and optimum resiliency and uniformity of resiliency for a hardwood floor system.
It is another objective of this invention to substantially improve resiliency and dimensional stability for a relatively low cost hardwood floor system.
It is still another objective of this invention to enhance the dimensional stability of a hardwood floor system without producing a corresponding loss of resiliency, or loss in uniformity of resiliency.
The objectives of this invention are achieved by a sleeper construction which utilizes an attachment or nailing member supported by compressible pads above a base and a fastening arrangement which secures the attachment members directly to the base without interacting with the pads. This fastening arrangement enables the attachment members to deflect downwardly upon impact to upper floor layers but restricts upward raising of the attachment members beyond the initial static position of the pads. More importantly, this fastening arrangement enables the attachment members to be anchored to the base in a manner which does not precompress the pads when the floor system is unloaded. Thus, this anchored/resilient sleeper provides optimum dimensional stability and resiliency.
Because the manner of anchoring the attachment members does not precompress the pads or hold them in a precompressed state, i.e. beyond the normal weight bearing compression due to components located thereabove, an even distribution of the compressible pads along the attachment members will assure a uniformly resilient, yet firmly anchored, floor system.
Additionally, because of its simplicity and relatively few number of parts, the embodiments of this invention provide anchoring, resiliency and uniformity in resiliency for a sleeper-type floor system at a low cost. Fabrication and installation of the attachment members is also simplified. Finally, because the fastening arrangement provides secured anchoring, the lengths of the attachment members may be increased if narrow, spaced attachment members are used. As a result, less waste is produced and shipping, handling and installation costs are reduced.
According to one preferred embodiment of the invention, a fastener construction is utilized which may be of one, two or three piece construction. With this embodiment, each attachment or nailing member has at least one vertical bore extending from an upper surface to a lower surface thereof. At least one compressible pad is secured to the lower surface. The vertical bore includes an enlarged-diameter upper portion and a reduced-diameter lower portion.
The three piece construction includes a sleeve, a washer and the fastener. The sleeve resides within the lower, reduced-diameter portion, with the bottom edge of the sleeve contacting the base and the top edge of the sleeve residing adjacent the upper portion of the bore. The washer resides on top of the sleeve, in alignment therewith, and the fastener extends therethrough.
According to a second variation of this first preferred embodiment of the invention, the sleeve includes an upper flange, and no washer
Robbins, Inc.
Stephan Beth A.
Wood Herron & Evans LLP
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