CONNECTOR
A deck containing joists and decking planks can be assembled quickly and easily without requiring any fasteners and using a “snap lock” type arrangement by providing a connector on top of the joist which contains a number of clips that can be bent out of the plane of the top wall of the connector and which can engage with the decking planks.
This invention is directed to a connector which can be used to allow construction elements to be attached together without requiring any separate fasteners such as nails and screws. The invention is particularly suitable for decking systems to allow decking timber to be attached to joists without using screws and nails. However, the invention may have other applications such as attaching fence palings to rails, attaching screen members to supports, for indoor and outdoor flooring and the like.
The invention will be described with reference to its suitability for decking. However, it is not considered that any particular limitation should be placed on the invention merely by illustrating this one particular suitable use of the connector.
BACKGROUND ARTOutdoor decks and verandas typically comprise an assembly of timber or metal members which are joined together. It is conventional for the deck to comprise a number of vertical post members. Horizontal bearers are attached to the post members. A plurality of joists is then attached to the bearers. Decking planks can then be attached over the top of the joists.
In most cases, the members are made of wood but sometimes some of the members are made of box or tubular steel, aluminium and the like.
The decking planks are usually made of wood or wood substitutes including some types of recycled plastic materials which look like wood, composite materials, laminate materials and the like.
Conventionally, the decking planks are nailed or screwed over the top of the joists. Sometimes, the nails can simply be hammered in or shot into the decking planks. Other times, it is necessary to pre-drill prior to screwing or nailing.
There are some disadvantages with the conventional method of building a deck. One disadvantage is the time-consuming requirement to nail or screw each decking plank to the joists. For a reasonably sized deck, there may be hundreds or even thousands of nails or screws that must be used. Another disadvantage is that the nails and screws should be attached neatly and not in an irregular manner. Another disadvantage is that the decking plank can sometimes split or be damaged when nailed or screwed. This is especially the case when butting two planks together along their ends.
Some wood substitute materials must be predrilled which is extremely time-consuming. However, these wood substitute materials are virtually indestructible and do not rot, twist, warp or split over time, and therefore there would be a great advantage if this material could be used in a manner which does not require pre-drilling.
Another disadvantage is the care required to ensure that the decking planks are evenly spaced apart such that the small spacing (typically between 2-10 mm) between adjacent planks is even.
Another disadvantage is that the joists can be damaged by multiple nailing of the decking planks into the joists. To explain, a joist will typically support between 10-50 decking planks, and each plank is usually nailed into places to the joist. Therefore, the joist will have 100 or more nails nailed into the top face of the joist and along its length. It is found that, over time, these nails can act as small “wedges” and can create a split along the top face of the joist into which water can pass to cause rotting and damage of the joist.
Therefore, there would be an advantage if it were possible to provide a method whereby the decking planks could be attached to the joist in a manner that does not require as much nailing, pre-drilling, screwing etc. If this could be achieved, it is envisaged that the wood substitute materials would find greater acceptability.
Various attempts have been made to allow decking or something similar to be attached without nails. For instance, it is known to provide a decking board having a top surface and a bottom surface. The bottom surface is formed with a pair of spaced apart relatively deep grooves. The joist to which the decking is attached contains a substantially upright U-shaped metal bracket containing turned out downwardly inclined lips. The bracket is nailed transversely across the top of the joist and does not cover the joist. The decking board can then be pressed fitted on to the inclined lips. Glue is used to hold the decking board in place. One disadvantage with this arrangement is that the relatively deep grooves need to be machined into the bottom surface of the decking board. As a decking board can be relatively thin (typically less than 20 mm) the grooves in the bottom wall can weaken the decking board causing splitting. Another disadvantage is that the bracket is nailed or screwed into the top wall of the joist and this can create a split along the top face into which water can pass to cause rotting or damage. Another disadvantage is that the arrangement does not provide any assistance in correct spacing between adjacent decking boards. In fact, if the brackets are not exactly positioned on the joists, it is possible for the spacing between the decking boards to vary which is quite unsightly. A bracket is required for each decking board on each joist and therefore for a relatively large deck containing say 100 lengths of decking board, and extending over 20 joists, it may be necessary to have a large number of brackets each of which needs to be precisely attached to the joists. This is clearly unsatisfactory and does not reduce the cost of decking assembly.
It is also known to provide a decking system comprising joists and hollow plastic “boards” of substantially rectangular cross-section. Each joist is provided with side clips (cleats) which clip into openings on the side wall of each “board”. Again, this arrangement suffers from the disadvantage that the side clips need to be precisely positioned. The clips need to be individually nailed into the top of the joist which has all the disadvantages as described immediately above.
There would be an advantage if it were possible to provide a decking system or something similar where decking boards can be attached to joists without the use of nails or screws, or at least with reduced use of nails, and where the attachment is done in such a manner that it is not necessary to punch as many multiple nails through the top wall of the joist (which can cause splitting and rotting) and where there is no need or a reduced need to precisely position and attach a large number of clips or cleats or brackets or something similar which can increase the time and therefore the cost of the assembly of the deck, the fence, partition etc.
It will be clearly understood that, if a prior art publication is referred to herein, this reference does not constitute an admission that the publication forms part of the common general knowledge in the art in Australia or in any other country.
OBJECT OF THE INVENTIONIt is an object of the invention to provide a connector which may overcome at least some of the above-mentioned disadvantages or provide a useful or commercial choice.
In one form, the invention resides in a connector to allow a first member to be attached to a second member, the connector comprising an elongate member adapted for attachment to one of the members, the elongate member being provided with at least one clip, the clip having a laterally extending portion adapted to engage to the other of the members to attach the two members together.
The clips may be part of the elongate member which means that they are fixed thereto in the sense that they cannot slide or move along the elongate member.
In a more particular form, the invention resides in a connector to allow a plurality of first members to be attached to a second member, the connector comprising an elongate member adapted for attachment to the second member, the elongate member being provided with a plurality of clips, to facilitate attachment of the plurality of first members to the second member.
In a particular embodiment, the first members may comprise decking planks and the second member may comprise a joist and the connector can be attached to the joist with the plurality of clips enabling the decking planks to be attached to the joist without requiring screws or nails.
Of course, the first members need not comprise decking planks and may comprise other members such as fence palings, screens, flooring members, wall members, ceiling members and the like.
Of course, the second member need not comprise a joist and may comprise a post, or any other type of support.
The connector is preferably adapted to extend over at least part of the second member (for instance a joist). It is preferred that the connector is substantially U/C/L-shaped such that it can extend over the top of the first member and at least partially down one (for an L-shaped member) or each opposed side of the first member (for an U shaped member—see for instance at least
Thus, the connector may be substantially channel shaped and may comprise a pair of opposed sidewalls and an interconnecting front wall/top wall etc.
It is also envisaged that the connector may be L shaped (see for instance
The length of the connector may vary but it is envisaged that the connector will extend between the first member and the second member and the length of the connector will depend on the number of first members that are to be attached to the second member. Thus, the length of the connector may be between 1-6 m although no particular limitation should be placed on the length of the connector merely by exemplification of these lengths. It is envisaged that, for ease of transportation, storage and use, the connector will be made of lengths of between 1-3 m which may be placed end to end if a longer length is required.
It is also envisaged that the connector can be cut to length if required.
If two or more connectors are placed end to end, they may overlap if required and be attached to each other by any suitable means if required, or they may be attached by an intermediate strap or similar type member and the like.
It is envisaged that each side wall (if present) will have a height to allow the side wall to pass at least partially along the side wall of the first member. It is not envisaged that the height of the side wall should be excessive as this may increase cost, weight and the like. Also, it is envisaged that the connector will be attached to the first member by fasteners (such as nails or screws) passing through the, or each, side wall and therefore it is envisaged that the side wall should be sufficient for this purpose.
If the connector is used over the top of a joist, it is envisaged that the height of the side wall will be between 10-16 mm, and typically between 30-50 mm and the most typically about 38 mm.
The side wall may be provided with openings to allow fasteners to pass through the side wall, or have indentations or weakened areas for the same reason. Alternatively, the side wall can be plain and self drilling fasteners can be used.
The interconnecting wall between the sidewalls typically extends over the top of a joist or similar. As a typical joist will have a thickness of between 40-100 mm, the width of the interconnecting wall will be such that it can extend over the joist without too much gap between each side wall and the side wall of the joist.
The connector may also comprise a strip or plate member (which may be called a “top plate”) without side walls or with no appreciable sidewalls, and in this variation, the top plate may be glued to the joist or other member, or nailed/screwed with or without gluing.
The elongate member can be made of any suitable material and it is envisaged that suitable material will include metal. The metal may be galvanised or otherwise treated to reduce corrosion, or may comprise stainless steel. Alternatively, the elongate member may be made of other material such as some plastics, laminate materials and the like.
The elongate member may be provided with a plurality of clips to attach one or more members (e.g. decking slats or planks) to the elongate member. The clips may be formed separately and attached to the elongate member if desired. However, it is envisaged that it will be more convenient if the clips can be “punched out” from a wall of the elongate member
It is preferred that the clips are attached to or relative to the interconnecting wall of the channel shaped elongate member, and therefore in a particular embodiment, the clips can be punched out from the interconnecting wall.
The connector may be initially formed with the clips in a retracted position, and it is preferred that the retracted position is where the clips are substantially in-line with a wall of the elongate member. This may allow the connectors to be stacked or nested more efficiently.
Alternatively, the clips can be formed separately and then attached to the elongate member (and preferably the interconnecting wall) prior to use. The attachment may be by spot welding, the use of fasteners, some form of press locking arrangement or twist locking arrangement and the like.
If the clips are formed integrally with the elongate member it is preferred that the clips comprise finger members or tongue members which are formed in the interconnecting wall and which can then be bent prior to use, or bent during the manufacturing process.
In one embodiment of the invention illustrated in
The connector may also be formed with the clips already extending from the elongate member.
In another embodiment of the invention illustrated in at least
In another embodiment of the invention illustrated at least in
The size of the clip can vary depending on the size and configuration of the members which will be attached by the clip. As an example, the clip may be substantially planar and may have a length of between 10-30 mm and typically between 10-20 mm and most typically about 14 mm. The width of the clip may be between 5-30 mm and more typically between 10-20 mm and most typically about 15 mm. The thickness of the clip material may be between 0.5-4 mm and typically about 0.9 mm.
The length of the lower portion may be between 5-20 mm and typically about 8 mm and the length of the upper “turned in” portion may be between 10-20 mm and typically about 6 mm (according to the first embodiment of the invention).
If desired, the channel shaped elongate member may be provided with some form of projections or “barbs” to facilitate location of the channel member over the joist prior to fastening of the channel member to the joist (these are different to the barbs that may be provided on the clip itself).
The first member (for instance a decking plank or slat) will typically have a configuration which may contain a recess to accommodate the turned in portion of the clip (e.g the first embodiment of the invention).
However, the clip can also be manufactured such that it can “bite” into the edges of the plank/slat etc, in which case a recess need not be required. (e.g the second and third embodiments) The clip can be made of tensile steel.
A combination of a recess (possibly a shallower recess together with the “biting” action of the clip) is also envisaged.
The first member may contain an edge containing a longitudinal channel shaped recess into which the turned in portion of the clip can pass to lock the first member to the second member (e.g the first embodiment of the invention).
If the first member comprises a decking plank, the plank may have a width of between 50-200 mm and more typically between 60-150 mm, and most typically between 68-142 mm. The thickness of the decking plank may be between 10-50 mm and more typically between 20-35 mm.
To reduce any “rattle” or free play between the clip and the recess of the decking plank, it may be desirable to provide a resilient member between the decking plank and the interconnecting wall of the elongate member. The resilient member may comprise a small pad which may be made of compressible/resilient material such as rubber, plastics and the like. The pad may have a thickness of between 2-5 mm.
The connector may sometimes be referred to as a “top hat”.
The clips are suitably biased such that they can be initially deflected away prior to being biased back into the recess. In a simple manner, the “top hat” may be formed from spring steel such that if the clips are punched out from the steel, the clips will also have a degree of “spring”.
If the clip is provided with barbs, the barbs may be punched from the side wall of the clip and, as an example, the barbs may be punched entirely out of the sidewall of the clip to form a small tab or finger member (see for instance
A liner may be positioned underneath the elongate member and between the elongate member and the bearer/joist etc. to which the elongate member is fastened. The liner may be made of somewhat flexible waterproof plastic material.
The connector may also comprise a substantially flat elongate member (that is, the elongate member is not U-shaped or L-shaped etc.) containing one or more clips, and this type of connector may be called a “top fix” type connector. The “top fix” type connector may be suited for attachment to metal purlins or sections etc. as opposed to wooden joist etc. an example of a “top fix” type connector is illustrated in
Therefore, the connector can have various shapes including a U-shape (
In another form, the invention resides in a connector to connect a first member (e.g. a decking board) to a second member, the connector forming part of the second member. An example of this version of the invention is illustrated in
The connector may be attached to one of the members in such a manner that it also traps a liner. An example of this is illustrated in
The decking boards (example only) which are attached to the clips can also be glued to the top of the elongate member that forms part of the connector. An example of this is illustrated in
The dimples can also function to slightly raise the boards from the elongate member to reduce rotting.
In another form, the invention resides in a system to attach a plurality of first members to a second member, the first members including decking planks, fence palings, boards etc., the second member including a joist, a bearer, etc., the system including a connector which comprises an elongate member adapted for attachment to the second member and preferably in such a manner that the top wall of the second member does not accommodate a plurality of fasteners to attach the elongate member to the second member, the elongate member containing a plurality of clips which are spaced apart along one wall of the elongate member, the construction and arrangement being such that placement of the first members on the elongate member will cause the clips to engage with each side wall to attach the first members relative to the second member.
Embodiments of the invention will be described with reference to the following drawings in which:
Referring to the illustrations and initially to the first embodiment illustrated in
The connector 10 comprises an elongate member made of metal. The elongate member is substantially channel shaped and comprises a pair of sidewalls 11, 12 and an interconnecting top wall 13. The elongate member can be formed from steel having a thickness of about 0.9 mm.
The elongate member can have a length of between 1-6 m.
The side wall, in the particular embodiment, has a height of 38 mm and contains a plurality of openings 13 to allow the connector to be placed over the top of a joist and then nailed or screwed to each side wall of the joist through openings 13.
An advantage of having the side wall of this height is that if the joist is partially damaged or decayed in the upper portion, it is considered that the joist will still be substantially solid where openings 13 are positioned such that a screw can screw into an undamaged part of the joist.
Top wall 13 has a width depending on the width of the joist. As a typical joist will have a width of 45-68 mm, the width of the top wall will be substantially the same.
If desired (see
Top wall 13 contains a number of clips which are initially substantially flat and comprise finger members 15 which are best illustrated in
In the particular embodiment illustrated, finger member has a lower portion which is substantially straight, and an upper tip portion 20 (see
The reason for this is that one clip can be used to attach one decking plank and the other clip can be used to attach to an adjacent decking plank. This particular arrangement is then carried over through every pair of clips along top wall 13.
The turned in tip portion of each clip passes into a particular recess to attach the decking plank ultimately to the joist (via the connector 10).
A small resilient pad 26 is positioned below decking plank 25 and functions to provide a small upward “push” to the decking plank such that the turned in portions of clips 21, 22 properly engage in the recesses of the decking plank and any “looseness” or “rattle” is reduced.
In use, once connector 10 is in the position illustrated in
The planks can then be assembled without requiring any nails or screws.
The gap between the planks is uniform.
Referring now to the second embodiment illustrated in
The joist 31 can be a conventional wooden joist (if desired). Attached over the top of joist 31 is a plastic liner 33. Plastic liner 33 is U-shaped in cross-section and extends over the top wall and partially along each side wall of joist 31. Although not illustrated, the top wall of plastic liner 33 is slightly domed such that any water that may pass onto plastic liner 33 will drain away from the top wall. This can be achieved by making the top wall slightly thicker in the centre portion to create the domed effect.
Once the plastic liner 33 is in place, the connector 34 can then be pushed over the top of plastic liner. Connector 34 can be somewhat as described above and comprises a U-shaped elongate metal member which may be galvanised or otherwise protected against corrosion or which may be made of stainless steel or something else.
Connector 34 in the particular embodiment comprises galvanised steel which has been bent to form the U-shaped cross-section. The length of connector 34 can vary but for convenience, it is expected that the connector will have a length of between 0.5-3 m and typically between 1-1.5 m. Of course, it is possible to make the connector longer and then cut the connector to size.
Once connector 34 has been placed over the top of joist (and over the top of plastic liner 33), nails 35 can be driven through each side wall of connector 34 to attach the connector to the joist. Importantly, the arrangement does not require any nails to be driven into the top wall of the joist.
Connector 34 contains a plurality of upright clips 36. These clips extend along the top wall of the connector and precisely spaced in such a manner that the planks 30 when attached to the clips, will provide a neat appearance with a uniform spacing between the planks (see for instance
Clips 36 are initially punched out of the top wall of connector 34 and then bent upwardly into the position illustrated in at least
Another advantage of clip 36 is that it can also act as a spacer between adjacent planks 30.
To secure the decking planks 30 in place, adhesive 38 is applied over the top of connector 34 and between adjacent clips 36. Thus, the placement of adhesive 38 (typically by some form of a gun), is extremely simple as it merely needs to be placed between the adjacent clips 36. Then, when the planks 30 are placed over the top of joists 31, the planks will initially push and associated clip to one side and when the tabs 37 contact the recess 32, the clips will spring back into position. At the same time, the planks 30 will be pressed on top of the adhesive.
When the adhesive is cured, the planks will be strongly bonded to the top of each joist 31 and will be held by clips 36.
As the clips are punched out of the metal of the connector, an opening will be formed in the top wall of the connector. The plastic liner 33 protects the joist against any water that would otherwise contact the joist through this opening.
In a further embodiment of the invention, the clips may be substantially as described and illustrated above and can be made of tensile steel. In this embodiment, the planks/slats do not need to have recesses. Instead, the clips can bite to into the edges of the planks/slats. This further embodiment is illustrated with reference to
A decking plank 44 (see
An advantage of this arrangement is that a pair of planks can be end butted together with the butt join being somewhere on the top wall of the elongate member.
Previously, it has been necessary to use nails very close to the butt end of each plank and this usually causes the end of the plank to split. This is no longer a problem with the system of the invention.
As further planks 44 are pushed into position, the second plank will push the clip 41 which is already engaged in the first plank even harder into engagement with the first plank creating an even better plank locking arrangement.
Another embodiment of the invention is illustrated in
Referring now in to
Another useful feature on clip 62 is that the top of the clip is provided with a notch 65 to accommodate a string line.
Referring now to
Referring now to
Throughout the specification and the claims (if present), unless the context requires otherwise, the term “comprise”, or variations such as “comprises” or “comprising”, will be understood to apply the inclusion of the stated integer or group of integers but not the exclusion of any other integer or group of integers.
Throughout the specification and claims (if present), unless the context requires otherwise, the term “substantially” or “about” will be understood to not be limited to the value for the range qualified by the terms.
Any embodiment of the invention is meant to be illustrative only and is not meant to be limiting to the invention. Therefore, it should be appreciated that various other changes and modifications can be made to any embodiment described without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.
Claims
1. A connector to allow a plurality of first members to be attached to a second member, the connector comprising an elongate member adapted for attachment to the second member, the elongate member being provided with a plurality of clips which are immovable fixed to the elongate member, to facilitate attachment of the plurality of first members to the second member.
2. The connector as claimed in claim 1, wherein the elongate member comprises a top wall and at least one side wall.
3. The connector as claimed in claim 2, wherein fasteners are used in the at least one side wall to connect the elongate member to the second member.
4. The connector as claimed in claim 1, wherein the clips are provided with extending barbs to engage with the first members, the barbs extending outwardly from each side wall of the clips.
5. The connector as claimed in claim 4, wherein the barbs are adapted to pass into a recess on a side wall of the first members or the barbs are adapted to bite into the side wall of the first members.
6. The connector as claimed in claim 4, wherein the barbs are shaped in the form of a nose having a downwardly extending surface and a lower abrupt edge to facilitate the first member pushing past the barb but making it difficult for the first member to be lifted off the connector, as the barb will bite more strongly into the side wall of the first member.
7. The connector as claimed in claim 1, wherein the elongate member has a top wall, the clips adapted to extend upwardly or outwardly from the top wall, and an adhesive locator being provided between adjacent pairs of clips to identify correct placement of adhesive.
8. The connector as claimed in claim 7, wherein the adhesive locator comprises dimples that extend upwardly from the top wall of the elongate member.
9. The connector as claimed in claim 1, wherein the connector is in the form of a strip which is sufficiently flexible to enable it to be coiled, the clips initially being substantially coplanar and able to be bent out into the upright configuration prior to use.
10. An assembly comprising a plurality of spaced apart second members, a connector attached to each, or a majority of the second members, the connector comprising an elongate member adapted for attachment to the second member, the elongate member being provided with a plurality of clips, to facilitate attachment of the plurality of first members to the second member, and a plurality of first members being attached to the connector by the clips at least, and in most cases also using an adhesive.
11. The assembly of claim 10, wherein the assembly is substantially horizontal and further includes a waterproof membrane extending over and between the spaced apart second members and underneath each connector.
12. The assembly of claim 10 wherein the assembly is substantially vertical, and may comprise a wall or fence.
13. A connector to allow a plurality of first members to be attached to a second member, the connector comprising a plurality of clips which are attached to the second member and which facilitate attachment of the plurality of first members to the second member.
14. The connector as claimed in claim 13 wherein the second member comprises a purlin such as a C-purlin.
15. A connector to allow a plurality first members to be attached to a second member, the connector comprising an elongate member adapted for attachment to the second member, the elongate member being provided with a plurality of clips to facilitate attachment of the plurality of first members to the second member, each clip, or a majority of clips, having a free end which is bent relative to the remainder of the clip and which is adapted to pass into a groove in the side wall of the first members to facilitate attachment of the first members to the second member.
Type: Application
Filed: Jul 27, 2007
Publication Date: Jun 17, 2010
Inventor: Allan Holland (Wynnum, Qld)
Application Number: 12/375,360
International Classification: E04B 1/38 (20060101); E04B 5/02 (20060101); E04F 15/02 (20060101);