Free access floor

Static structures (e.g. – buildings) – Wall – ceiling – or floor designed for utilities – Load-bearing – prefabricated – abutting units with aligned...

Reexamination Certificate

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Details

C052S220300, C052S220500, C052S220800, C052S263000, C174S0450TD

Reexamination Certificate

active

06330770

ABSTRACT:

FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to a free access floor which is built on a concrete surface of a building or other structure, and more particularly to a free access floor where floor panels are supported on panel support structures with a predetermined space between the surface of the concrete floor.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Today, in office rooms in a building or the like, various types of information tools such as personal computers, word processors, copy machines, printers and the like are used. In such a situation, various lines and accessories connected to such information tools tend to be disorderly laid on the floors of office rooms. To prevent this, free access floor panels are used on the surface of the concrete floor in a building or other structure with a space therebetween so that the lines and accessories are orderly stored in the space created beneath the free access floor.
An example of such a free access floor which is laid on the base floor with a certain space is shown in FIG.
19
. In the conventional free access floor shown in
FIG. 19
, support members
50
are positioned on a concrete surface
20
in a building or other structure. As shown in
FIG. 20
, four corners of each free access floor panel
25
are placed on the four support members
50
, thereby creating an overall free access floor.
Thus, by storing the various lines and accessories connected to such information tools in the space between the concrete floor
20
and the free access floor panels
25
, the office room is cleanly organized without showing the wires and accessories associated with the information tools.
In order to establish the free access floor in the conventional technology, first, a process for determining the positions of the support members
50
is performed on the concrete floor
20
as shown in FIG.
20
. In this process, for example, an inked string is extended on the surface of the concrete floor
20
and plunked thereon to draw a line L. By repeating this process, a large number of positioning lines L are illustrated on the concrete surface like a checker pattern, thereby determining the positions of the support members.
Each of the support members
50
is positioned in such a way that center thereof is adjusted to a crossing point of the positioning lines L. Then the bottom surfaces of the support members
50
are attached to the concrete floor
20
through adhesives. The four corners of each of the free access floor panel
25
are placed on the support members
50
, thereby creating an overall free access floor.
In the foregoing conventional technology, however, it requires the process of determining the positions of the support members
50
on the concrete floor
20
by using the inked string. Further, the support members
50
have to be glued on the surface of the concrete floor
20
. Because the conventional technology requires such processes of positioning and gluing the support members, there is a problem that a relatively long overall construction time is required. Further, an overall cost tends to be increased because of the labor costs involved in such processes.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Therefore, this invention has been made to solve such a problem involved in the conventional technology. It is an object of the present invention to provide a free access floor in which the conventional processes of positioning and gluing the support members are eliminated, and thus, the construction process is simplified by automatically positioning the support members.
To attain the above object, the free access floor of the present invention is comprised of a plurality of panel support structures,
each of the panel support structure is formed of a square shaped frame where at least two adjacent sides of the frame is integrally formed of a plate like member.
support units fixedly and integrally provided at two corners of the square shaped frame for supporting a free access floor panel, and
grooves provided on a bottom surface of the support unit where each of the grooves has thickness and width which are substantially the same as that of the plate like members of the square shaped frame so that corners of another panel support structure is able to fit in the grooves,
wherein the plurality of panel support structures are aligned by engaging the grooves of the panel support structure with the corners of other panel support structure at a side without having the support units, thereby positioning the support units to support the free access floor panels thereon.
According to the free access floor of the present invention, the panel support structures are aligned in the vertical and horizontal directions at every other line alternately with the next row. Thus, the panel support structures are connected at the corners of the panel support structure diagonally adjacent with each other by fitting the corners of the frame without having the support units in the grooves of the support unit of the other panel support structure.


REFERENCES:
patent: 4901490 (1990-02-01), Zinniel et al.
patent: 5434355 (1995-07-01), Sho
patent: 5628157 (1997-05-01), Chen
patent: 5630300 (1997-05-01), Chen
patent: 5791096 (1998-08-01), Chen
patent: 5901515 (1999-05-01), Chen
patent: 5904015 (1999-05-01), Chen

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