AU2005202812A1

AU2005202812A1 - Timber Decking System

Info

Publication number: AU2005202812A1
Application number: AU2005202812A
Authority: AU
Inventors: John Robert Penglase
Original assignee: PENGLASE INVEST Pty Ltd
Current assignee: PENGLASE INVESTMENTS Pty Ltd
Priority date: 2004-07-05
Filing date: 2005-06-28
Publication date: 2006-01-19

Description

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ORIGINAL

AUSTRALIA

Patents Act 1990 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION Standard Patent Invention title: "TIMBER DECKING SYSTEM" Applicant: PENGLASE INVESTMENTS PTY LTD The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to me: -2- S"TIMBER DECKING SYSTEM" 00 Field of the Invention

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The present invention relates to a system and method for attaching wooden panels to a framework and relates particularly, though not exclusively, to a system 00 0 and method for assembling a timber deck.

Background to the Invention In Australia timber decking is again becoming popular for front and/or rear patios, sun-decks, pagolas and other outdoor and garden structures. Timber decks typically comprise specially treated timber boards that are nailed or screwed to a wooden or steel supporting framework. The supporting framework includes a series of parallel joists at a spacing prescribed by Australian building regulations.

In view of the expansion and contraction of the timber boards due to weathering, it is necessary to leave an expansion gap between adjacent boards on the deck.

The expansion gaps also permit water runoff during rainy weather and allow sand and soil from footwear to fall through to the ground underneath.

One of the problems with prior art timber decks is that construction is very labour intensive and requires a fair degree of skill. Each of the timber boards must be carefully aligned, with the gaps between the boards kept as uniform as possible, to give it an aesthetically acceptable appearance. Furthermore, each of the boards must be individually fastened to the supporting joists using nails or screws.

This generally involves first drilling holes through the boards to prevent them from splitting when nails or screws are driven through them into the joists. Australian Patent Application No. 200135041 describes a method of assembling timber decking in which T-shaped spacers are inserted at intervals between the timber boards to ensure uniform spacing between the boards. However each timber board in AU 200135041 still needs to be individually nailed or screwed to the underlying joists of the supporting framework.

-3- ;The present invention was developed with a view to providing a system and and 00oo method for assembling a timber deck which is easy to use and requires a minimum of labour. It will be understood that the system and method may also have other applications such as, for example, assembling a picket fence.

00oo References to prior art documents in this specification are provided for illustrative

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O purposes only and are not to be taken as an admission that such prior art is part i of the common general knowledge in Australia or elsewhere.

Summary of the Invention According to one aspect of the present invention there is provided a system for assembling a timber deck on supporting joists, the system comprising: a plurality of elongate timber boards, each board having longitudinally extending recesses provided in opposing side faces thereof; an elongate fastening strip adapted to be fastened to a supporting joist, and comprising a plurality of upright snap elements located at spaced intervals along the length of the strip, the spacing between the elements corresponding to a width dimension of said timber boards, each element comprising a protrusion adapted to be received in one of said longitudinally extending recesses; whereby, in use, when said fastening strip has been fastened to a supporting joist one of each of said plurality of timber boards is pressed into place between respective adjacent snap elements, until said protrusions snap into the recesses to lock the boards into position on the supporting joist.

Preferably all of the upright snap elements are bidirectional, except the snap elements at each end of the strip, which are unidirectional, each bidirectional element having two protrusions, one facing in one direction and the other facing in the opposite direction. Preferably each snap element further comprises a planar member extending substantially perpendicularly from said fastening strip, and wherein the protrusions are provided on opposite side faces of the planar member. Preferably at least said planar members are made of resilient plastics -4material so as to be resiliently movable when one of said plurality of timber boards is pressed into place between respective adjacent snap elements.

00 oo Advantageously said planar members of the snap elements also act as spacers between adjacent timber boards, wherein the thickness of the planar members is oo selected to correspond to the desired spacing between the timber decking boards.

SPreferably said longitudinally extending recesses extend for substantially the full Slength of the timber boards. Typically the recesses have a triangular cross- Ssection. Preferably the protrusions on said snap elements are also of triangular cross-section.

According to another aspect of the present invention there is provided a fastening strip for attaching a plurality of timber boards to supporting joists for a deck, the fastening strip comprising: an elongate web adapted to be fastened to a supporting joist; a plurality of upright snap elements located at spaced intervals along the length of the web, the spacing between the elements corresponding to a width dimension of said timber boards, each element comprising a protrusion adapted to be received in a longitudinally extending recess provided in a side face of said timber boards; whereby, in use, when said web has been fastened to a supporting joist one of each of said plurality of timber boards is pressed into place between respective adjacent snap elements, until said protrusions snap into the recesses to lock the boards into position on the supporting joist.

Preferably all of the upright snap elements are bidirectional, except the snap elements at each end of the strip, which are unidirectional, each bidirectional element having two protrusions, one facing in one direction and the other facing in the opposite direction. Preferably each snap element further comprises a planar member extending substantially perpendicularly from said web and the protrusions are provided on opposite side faces of the planar member. Preferably at least said planar members are made of resilient plastics material so as to be resiliently movable when one of said plurality of timber boards is pressed into place between respective adjacent snap elements.

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Advantageously said planar members of the snap elements also act as spacers between adjacent timber boards, wherein the thickness of the planar members is oo selected to correspond to the desired spacing between the timber decking boards.

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0 According to a further aspect of the present invention there is provided a method of assembling a timber deck on supporting joists, the method comprising the steps of: providing a plurality of elongate timber boards, each board having longitudinally extending recesses provided in opposing side faces thereof; fastening an elongate fastening strip to a supporting joist, said fastening strip comprising a plurality of upright snap elements located at spaced intervals along the length of the strip, the spacing between the elements corresponding to a width dimension of said timber boards, each element comprising a protrusion adapted to be received in one of said longitudinally extending recesses; fastening the required number of additional fastening strips to other parallel supporting joists, the upright snap elements of each fastening strip being substantially aligned with the corresponding upright snap elements on the other fastening strips; and, pressing one of each of said plurality of timber boards into place between respective adjacent snap elements on each of the fastening strips, until said protrusions snap into the recesses to lock the boards into position on the supporting joists.

Throughout the specification, unless the context requires otherwise, the word "comprise" or variations such as "comprises" or "comprising", will be understood to imply the inclusion of a stated integer or group of integers but not the exclusion of any other integer or group of integers.

-6- Brief Description of the Drawings 00 The nature of the invention will be better understood from the following detailed

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description of a preferred embodiment of the timber decking system and method, c 5 given by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in 00oo which: Figure 1 is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the timber 0 decking system according to the present invention, illustrated in a cl disassembled condition; and, Figure 2 is a perspective view of the timber decking system of Fig. 1, illustrated in an assembled condition.

Detailed Description of Preferred Embodiments A preferred embodiment of the timber decking system 10 for assembling a timber deck on supporting joists is shown in Figures 1 and 2. The system 10 comprises a plurality of elongate timber boards 12, each board having longitudinally extending recesses 14 provided in opposing side faces thereof. The timber boards 12 may be made of a hard wood, such as Jarrah, or a soft wood, such as Pine, and have been finished in the factory ready for installation. Finishing includes cutting or routing the two recesses 14 in the respective side faces, and cutting a ribbed pattern 16 in the upper surface of the boards (see Fig. 2) to improve the grip underfoot, particularly in wet weather. The recesses or grooves 14 preferably extend the full length of the timber boards 12 and in this embodiment have a triangular cross-section. However, this is by no means essential; the recesses 14 could be provided at spaced intervals corresponding to the spacing of the joists in the supporting framework, and they may be any suitable cross-sectional shape.

The recesses 14 create a lip 18 by which the boards 12 are held in place on the timber deck, as will be described in detail below.

The timber decking system 10 further comprises an elongate fastening strip having an elongate web 22 adapted to be fastened to a supporting joist 24 (as shown in Fig.2). A plurality of holes 26 may be provided in the web 22 to permit -7the fastening strip 20 to be nailed to the joist 24. A plurality of upright snap elements 28 are located at spaced intervals along the length of the web 22, the spacing between the elements 28 corresponding to a width dimension of the timber boards 12. Each snap element 28 comprises a protrusion 30 adapted to be received in one of said longitudinally extending recesses 14 on the timber boards oo N 12. Preferably all of the upright snap elements 28 are bidirectional, except the N snap elements 28a at each end of the strip 20, which are unidirectional. Each 0bidirectional element 28 has a pair of protrusions 30, one facing in one direction 0 and the other facing in the opposite direction. By contrast the unidirectional snap elements 28a at each end of the strip 20 have a single protrusion 30 facing inwards. The protrusions 30 on the snap elements 28 are preferably of triangular cross-section to match the triangular shape of the recesses 14 in the boards 12.

Preferably each snap element 28 further comprises a planar member 32 extending substantially perpendicularly from the web 22 with the protrusions provided on opposite side faces of the planar member. Preferably at least each planar member 32, and more preferably the whole of the fastening strip 20, is made of resilient plastics material so as to be resiliently movable when one of said plurality of timber boards is pressed into place between respective adjacent snap elements. Typically the fastening strips 20 are manufactured from a suitable UVresistant, plastics material using an injection moulding process. Several strips can be made from a single mould. Each fastening strip 20 is typically about 1 metre in length, although longer or shorter versions of the strips may also be made.

Advantageously the planar members 32 of the snap elements 28 also act as spacers between adjacent timber boards 14, wherein the thickness of the planar members 32 is selected to correspond to the desired spacing between the timber decking boards. As can be seen most clearly in Fig.1, the thickness of the planar members 32 of the unidirectional snap elements 28a at each end of the strip 20 is half that of the bidirectional snap elements 28, so that two unidirectional snap elements back to back are equivalent in thickness to a single bidirectional snap element. In an alternative embodiment, (not illustrated) each of the snap elements 28 is unidirectional, and except for the two end elements 28a, has another -8unidirectional snap element 28 located in close proximity with its protrusion facing in the opposite direction. In this embodiment, a pair of immediately (0 N adjacent snap elements 28 performs the same function as a bidirectional element 28 in the above-described embodiment. One advantage of this alternative embodiment is that the spacing between adjacent timber boards 12 can be 00 N increased without having to make the thickness of the planar member 32 of each N element 28 unduly large, and thereby compromising the resilient properties of the O snap elements. In this alternative embodiment, the gap between adjacent boards S 10 14 is set by the spacing between immediately adjacent snap elements.

A preferred method of assembling a timber deck on supporting joists 24, in accordance with the present invention, will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. The method firstly comprises the step of providing a plurality of elongate, factory finished, timber boards 14 as described above. Each of the timber boards may be treated to make it weather and termite resistant, and may be stained and/or varnished as required. The method further comprises the step of fastening one of the elongate fastening strips 20 to a supporting joist 24, for example, by nailing the fastening strip to the joist using a nail gun. Next, the required number of additional fastening strips 20 are fastened to other parallel supporting joists, the upright snap elements 28 of each fastening strip being substantially aligned with the corresponding upright snap elements 28 on the other fastening strips. This is readily done by starting at one end of each joist, and positioning the unidirectional snap element 28a at one end of the first strip flush with the edge of the joist. The next strip 20 is positioned end to end to the first strip, with one of its unidirectional snap elements 28a at one end, abutting against the unidirectional snap element 28a at the other end of the first strip. This process is continued until the whole length of the joist has been covered, and then is repeated for the next joist starting at the same end. If necessary, the strips can be trimmed to the required length by cutting through the web 22 using a knife or pair of scissors. It is not necessary to provide fastening strips on all of the joists, just as it is not necessary to nail all the timber boards to every joist in a conventional timber deck. So, for example, placing fastening strips on every second joist may be sufficient in some applications.

-9- Once all the fastening strips have been fastened to the joists, the next step simply involves pressing each of the timber boards 12, one by one, into place between 00 N respective adjacent snap elements 28 on each of the fastening strips 20, until the protrusions 30 snap into the recesses 14 to lock the boards into position on the supporting joists 24. This step is performed by placing a board 12, with the lips 18 00 0 facing downwards, between adjacent planar members 32. If a board has already N been positioned between the adjacent pair of snap elements, one of the lips 18 of athe board may be placed under the edge of the protrusion 30 of the snap element N 10 closest to the already positioned board. A downwards pressure is then applied to the top of the board, for example by pressing downwards with the knee, so that the other lip 18 slides downwards over the triangular protrusion 30 of the other snap element, forcing the planar member 32 of the other snap element 28 to bend outwards until the protrusion 30 snaps into the matching recess 14 of the board.

One edge 34 of the lip 18 adjacent to recess 14, is preferably bevelled to facilitate sliding movement of the lip over the sharp edge of the protrusion 30, and to permit a snug fit of the protrusion 30 in the recess 14 in the locked-down position. In this way, the boards 12 may be quickly and easily positioned, and are self-aligning, on the timber decking without the use of nails or other fasteners.

Now that a preferred embodiment of the timber decking system and method have been described in detail it will be apparent that it provides a number of advantages over prior art timber decking systems, including the following: The timber boards can be quickly and easily assembled without the use of nails or other fasteners.

The fastener strips facilitate self-alignment of the timber boards, ensuring that the gaps between the boards are uniform and constant.

The system and method lends itself very well to the DIY market as it can be assembled with a minimum of labour and skill.

The components of the system can be mass-produced relatively inexpensively using injection moulding and conventional timber finishing techniques.

It will be readily apparent to persons skilled in the relevant arts that various ;Zmodifications and improvements may be made to the foregoing embodiments, in 00 addition to those already described, without departing from the basic inventive concepts of the present invention. For example, the system can be readily modified for use in fencing, with the fastening strips being fixed vertically to the 00oo fence rails and the snap elements being designed to receive fence pickets there between. In the illustrated embodiment, the protrusions 30 on the snap elements Sare of uniform cross-section throughout their length. However, this is not essential 0 10 and the protrusions 30 may in fact comprise a series of projecting fingers designed to hold down the lip 18 of the timber board, once the latter has been pressed down flush against the web 22. The timber boards 12 may take various forms and are not necessarily provided with a ribbed pattern 16 on the upper surface but may have such a pattern on the lower surface. Therefore, it will be appreciated that the scope of the invention is not limited to the specific embodiments described.

Claims

2. A system according to claim 1 wherein all of the upright snap elements are bidirectional.
3. A system according to claim 1 wherein all of the upright snap elements are bidirectional, except the snap elements at each end of the strip, which are unidirectional.
4. A system according to claim 2 or claim 3 wherein each bidirectional element has two protrusions, one facing in one direction and the other facing in the opposite direction. A system according to any one of the preceding claims wherein each snap element further comprises a planar member extending substantially perpendicularly from said fastening strip.
6. A system according to claim 5 wherein the protrusions are provided on opposite side faces of the planar member. -12-
7. A system according to claim 5 wherein at least said planar members are made of resilient plastics material so as to be resiliently movable when one of said 00 oo c plurality of timber boards is pressed into place between respective adjacent snap elements.
8. A system according any one of claims 5 to 7 wherein said planar members (of the snap elements also act as spacers between adjacent timber boards, wherein the thickness of the planar members is selected to correspond to the 0desired spacing between the timber decking boards.
9. A system according to any one of the preceding claims wherein said longitudinally extending recesses extend for substantially the full length of the timber boards. A system according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the recesses have a triangular cross-section.
11. A system according to any one of claims 4 to 10 wherein the protrusions on said snap elements are of triangular cross-section.
12. A fastening strip for attaching a plurality of timber boards to supporting joists for a deck, the fastening strip comprising: an elongate web adapted to be fastened to a supporting joist; a plurality of upright snap elements located at spaced intervals along the length of the web, the spacing between the elements corresponding to a width dimension of said timber boards, each element comprising a protrusion adapted to be received in a longitudinally extending recess provided in a side face of said timber boards; whereby, in use, when said web has been fastened to a supporting joist one of each of said plurality of timber boards is pressed into place between respective adjacent snap elements, until said protrusions snap into the recesses to lock the boards into position on the supporting joist. -13-
13. A fastening strip according to claim 12 wherein all of the upright snap elements are bidirectional. 00 (N
14. A fastening strip according to claim 12 wherein all of the upright snap elements are bidirectional, except the snap elements at each end of the strip, 00oo which are unidirectional. N 0
15. A fastening strip according to claim 13 or claim 14 wherein each Obidirectional element has two protrusions, one facing in one direction and the other facing in the opposite direction.
16. A fastening strip according to any one of claims 12 to 15 wherein each snap element further comprises a planar member extending substantially perpendicularly from said web.
17. A fastening element according to claim 16 wherein the protrusions are provided on opposite side faces of the planar member.
18. A fastening strip according to claim 16 or claim 17 wherein at least said planar members are made of resilient plastics material so as to be resiliently movable when one of said plurality of timber boards is pressed into place between respective adjacent snap elements.
19. A fastening strip according to any one of claims 16 to 18 wherein said planar members of the snap elements also act as spacers between adjacent timber boards, wherein the thickness of the planar members is selected to correspond to the desired spacing between the timber decking boards. A method of assembling a timber deck on supporting joists, the method comprising the steps of: providing a plurality of elongate timber boards, each board having longitudinally extending recesses provided in opposing side faces thereof; fastening an elongate fastening strip to a supporting joist, said fastening strip comprising a plurality of upright snap elements located at spaced intervals along the length of the strip, the spacing between the elements corresponding to a width I -14- Sdimension of said timber boards, each element comprising a protrusion adapted to be received in one of said longitudinally extending recesses; 00 CN fastening the required number of additional fastening strips to other parallel c 5 supporting joists, the upright snap elements of each fastening strip being 00 substantially aligned with the corresponding upright snap elements on the other fastening strips; and, 0pressing one of each of said plurality of timber boards into place between Srespective adjacent snap elements on each of the fastening strips, until said protrusions snap into the recesses to lock the boards into position on the supporting joists.
21. A system substantially as herein described with reference to and as illustrated in any one or more of the accompanying drawings.
22. A fastening strip substantially as herein described with reference to and as illustrated in any one or more of the accompanying drawings.
23. A method substantially as herein described with reference to and as illustrated in any one or more of the accompanying drawings. Dated this 28th day of June 2005 Penglase Investments Pty Ltd By its Patent Attorney Janet Stead