MODULAR PLATFORM AND INTERCONNECTABILITY
The disclosure provides methods systems and apparatuses for modular platforms. In one embodiment at least two congruous modules are provided wherein each of the modules have at least one plank. Further, there is a plurality of routed grooves having routed holes for receiving one or more fasteners to adjoin the modular platforms. Notably, the individual modules may be prefabricated templates available for in-stock selection or custom-ordered. The length and shape of the interconnected modules amount to innumerable permutations. To facilitate horizontal stability, fasteners adjoining adjacent modules are used, but added vertical stability may be achieved through routed pockets and complimentary grooves. For further stability, something desirable possibly for unleveled ground or assured smooth pathways, supporting substrate(s) beneath the modular platforms and additional attachment means may be utilized at every possible junction. As a finishing touch, a platform edging about the perimeter of the desired modular platform is suggested.
Latest Patents:
This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. §119 from U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/441,158 filed on Feb. 9, 2011. The entirety of that provisional patent application is incorporated herein by reference for all purposes.
BACKGROUNDThis disclosure pertains to modular pathways constructed from pre-fabricated modules and/or custom-ordered modules, either of which have any shape and dimensions desired in order to accomplish the desired modular pathway having sufficient integral strength for walking or running on them by people or animals, travelling over them by wheelchairs, Segways®, go-carts, mopeds, and so forth. Furthermore, this disclosure enables the construction or establishment of a pathway having a length and shape left only to the imagination from the modular components, and can be especially beneficial for providing a stable, smooth and easy path whether placed atop a smooth or very uneven terrain.
So that the manner in which the above recited features, advantages and objects of the present disclosure are attained and can be understood in detail, a more particular description of the disclosure, briefly summarized above, may be had by reference to the embodiments thereof which are illustrated in the appended drawings.
It is to be noted, however, that the appended drawings illustrate only typical embodiments of this disclosure and are therefore not to be considered limiting of its scope, for the disclosure may admit to other equally effective embodiments.
The following is a description of example embodiments, which aid this disclosure by the drawings included herewith. The embodiments are examples and are in such detail as to clearly communicate the disclosed subject matter. However, the amount of detail offered is not intended to limit the anticipated variations of embodiments; on the contrary, the intention is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the present disclosure as defined by the appended claims. The descriptions and drawings below are designed to make such embodiments obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art.
This disclosure provides, for example, a description of apparatuses, methods and systems for a modular pathway, such as a walkway, for use on flat or uneven terrain. The modules, themselves, may be made from any natural or synthetic material, such as wood, metal, rubber, plastic, porcelain, concrete, tile, Silestone®, composite or recycled materials optionally having specialized coatings (e.g., galvanized, Teflon®, etc.) that may or may not be molded to create any desired shape(s) of any component parts herein. The chosen material may be based on considerations involving durability, aesthetics, environmental-friendliness, material availability from suppliers, or any other purpose. Furthermore, the modules and/or parts thereof may come assembled, partially assembled, or completely unassembled. Thus, for example, the modules may be available as a kit, with or without suggested assembly and maintenance instructions, for either immediate use by the end-user or require a small or a substantial amount of assembly before use by the end-user.
A more detailed description of the modules now ensues. Although the exact dimensions and shapes are illustrative in this disclosure, this disclosure provides the following examples to facilitate a clearer understanding of the modules. The modules, for instance, may be 34⅞″ squares, a size that fits within most elevators, and, thus, convenient when vertical transportation is an issue. The actual size and shape of the modules, however, could be any size, including, for instance, custom-ordered sizes and shapes. The modules, themselves, may comprise any number of planks of varying widths, lengths, and thickness. In one example, there are six planks forming the top layer's top surface of the module. These planks may be fastened in any fashion to lower members also called “runners,” but are also called supporting substrates herein. In one example embodiment, a module may have two runners. The runners may be made of any natural or synthetic material such as a type of those above-disclosed, and in one example embodiment the runners are made from cedar and/or composite materials. In another example embodiment, the runners may be compatible with rubber roofing materials. The runners, themselves, may provide support for the top surface, e.g., the planks, away from the ground. Additionally or attentively, there may be one or more threaded holes drilled into the bottom of the runners to allow placement of screws, bolts or the like to aid in leveling the platform especially for use in situations of uneven terrain.
At each encountered corner during the interconnection of modules, or other point of possible connection with other modules, the module may have routed grooves and vertical routed holes through at least the top surface, and optionally the underlying runner as well, to accept a fastener, sometimes called a “dog” fastener, in order to facilitate the horizontal interconnection. The routed grooves may permit the “dog” fastener to be completely flush with the top surface of the planks. In alternative example embodiments, the routed grooves may only permit the “dog” fasteners to be partially flush or not flush at all with the top surface of the planks.
Furthermore, the one or more lower member(s) (also known as “runners” or “supporting substrates”) are removably or irremovably secured to and below the planks, wherein together the foregoing may be viewed as comprising the module. To horizontally connect modules, the modules have one or more slots (also called “routed holes”) to receive one or more “dog” fasteners. These routed holes may be of any suitable shape (e.g., circle, square, polyhedron, etc.) to receive the one or more “dog” fasteners in each routed hole, wherein the “dog” fastener's legs may or may not have a complementary shape (e.g., circle, square, polyhedron, etc.) as compared to each routed hole in which the leg(s) are received. In one example, although not depicted in the drawings which are disclosed later herein, the so-termed legs of two “dog” fasteners may fit into each routed hole. In another example, only one leg may fit into each routed hole. As a result of placing the legs of the “dog” fasteners into the routed holes drilled through the top surface of each of one or more plank(s), two modules may be interconnected. The foregoing interconnectivity may result in any number of modules being connected in a similar fashion. Only one's imagination can limit the length or route for creating a pathway from the modular system enabled herein.
As just discussed, the routed holes provide the vertical support in stabilizing the constructed platform from the modules. As shown in example embodiments depicted by
As previously discussed, the modules, themselves, may have any shape, such as squares, polyhedrons, quadrilaterals, polygons, rhombuses, and so forth so as to allow for interconnectability and/or a module designed solely to serve as a terminus. One possible shape is a specialized corner module. The corner module, such the example embodiments shown in
Turning now to vertical interconnection, and in yet another example embodiment, the modules may include one or more routed pockets, such as those shown in
In yet another example embodiment, the modules, whether ideal for straight, corner or other angled interconnectivity may have sloped edges that are ideal for providing improved loading onto the one or more connected module(s). In this example embodiment, improved loading is realized for wheelchair access, wheeling furniture on a dolly, and so forth.
The “dog” fasteners, themselves, may comprise large staple-shaped metal “dogs” in one example embodiment. Of course, as with the module material, any material of suitable strength and any suitable shape permitting interconnectability may be used for the “dogs.” As a specific example embodiment, staple-shaped metal “dogs” may be three inches long by three-eighths of an inch in diameter that fit into the routed holes in the routed grooves with one of dog's two legs traversing a routed hole, which may be into a runner/supporting substrate also, of one module and the other one of the dog's two legs traversing a routed hole located in an adjacent module so as to interconnect two modules by placement of the dog fastener therein.
The modules and components necessary for connecting the same, may be sized for easy transportation as well as for the end-user desiring a customized, do-it-yourself project. As can be easily envisaged, the modules provide for a permanent or temporary platform having an interconnected size left only to the imagination of the end-user. Just as the interconnected design may be assembled easily to the desired purpose and size, disassembling and optionally reconfiguring a new interconnected design is equally easy.
Accordingly, the present disclosure permits a platform customized to the end-user's desired application. For instance, the present disclosure permits the construction of a walkway, optionally having skid-proof planks, to safely traverse an uneven terrain by means of a modular pathway designed by the end-user. Suggested illustrative uses for the apparatuses, methods and systems made possible by the disclosure herein comprise temporary or permanent construction areas platforms, landscaping platforms, handicapped access paths, basement platforms, garage platforms, rooftop gardens paths, balcony platforms, outdoor patios, and beach access paths.
Now a discussion of the figures ensures although much, if not all, of the following has been enablingly disclosed by the foregoing.
Turning now to
Moving on to
Moving onward,
Another aspect of the disclosure is found at
While the foregoing and accompanying drawings are directed to example embodiments of the disclosure herein, other and further embodiments of the disclosure may be devised without departing from the basic scope thereof, and the scope thereof is determined by the claims.
Claims
1. A method for a modular platform, the method comprising:
- providing at least two congruous modules, wherein each of the at least two modules have at least one plank;
- routing a plurality of grooves from a periphery of a top surface of a top layer of each of the at least two modules, wherein the grooves have both a predetermined depth near a bottom surface of the top layer and a predetermined length extending from the periphery towards an inner portion of the top surface;
- routing a plurality of holes substantially near a terminus for each of the plurality of grooves, wherein the holes have a predetermined width and length, and further wherein the terminus is sufficiently far away from the periphery to maintain integrity of the modular platform; and
- inserting a plurality of fasteners in the two congruous modules, wherein each of the fasteners comprise two legs integrally joined by a bar, and further wherein one of the two legs resides in one of the plurality of holes in one of the two congruous modules and another of the two legs resides in another of the plurality of holes in another of the two congruous modules so as to create a substantially flush embedding of each of the fasteners in order to provide improved horizontal stability to a resulting modular platform.
2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:
- routing one or more routed pockets within a middle portion of the top surface and located on at least one side of at least one of the at least two modules;
- providing one or more pocket inserts within the middle portion of the top surface and located on at least one side of at least another of the at least two modules; and
- inserting the one or more routed pockets into the one or more pocket inserts so as to complimentary connect opposing sides of the at least two modules in order to provide improved vertical stability to the resulting modular platform.
3. The method of claim 2, further comprising providing an attachment means between the one or more routed pockets and the one or more pocket inserts to provide greater vertical stability and integrity.
4. The method of claim 1, further comprising adjoining a supporting substrate to the bottom surface.
5. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing an attachment means between the grooves and the holes that are in complimentary connection.
6. The method of claim 1, further comprising repeating the method to achieve a desired length and pattern.
7. The method of claim 1, further comprising framing the modular platform with a platform edging after achieving a desired length and pattern.
8. The method of claim 1, further comprising expansion cracks between each of a plurality of planks on each of the at least two modules having more than the at least one plank thereon.
9. The method of claim 1, wherein the routing of the grooves comprises routing the grooves through the bottom surface.
10. A modular platform system comprising:
- at least two congruous modules, wherein each of the at least two modules have at least one plank;
- a plurality of grooves from a periphery of a top surface of a top layer of each of the at least two modules, wherein the grooves have both a predetermined depth near a bottom surface of the top layer and a predetermined length that extends from the periphery towards an inner portion of the top surface;
- a plurality of routed holes substantially near a terminus for each of the plurality of routed grooves, wherein the routed holes have a predetermined width and length, and further wherein the terminus is sufficiently far away from the periphery to maintain integrity of the modular platform; and
- a plurality of fasteners in the two congruous modules, wherein each of the fasteners comprise two legs integrally joined by a bar, and further wherein one of the two legs resides in one of the plurality of routed holes in one of the two congruous modules and another of the two legs resides in another of the plurality of routed holes in another of the two congruous modules so as to create a substantially flush embedding of each of the fasteners in order to provide improved horizontal stability for the modular platform system.
11. The system of claim 10, further comprising:
- one or more routed pockets within a middle portion of the top surface and located on at least one side of at least one of the at least two modules;
- one or more pocket inserts within the middle portion of the top surface and located on at least one side of at least another of the at least two modules; and
- the one or more routed pockets inserted into the one or more pocket inserts so as to complimentary connect opposing sides of the at least two modules in order to provide improved vertical stability for the modular platform system.
12. The system of claim 11, further comprising an attachment means placed between the one or more routed pockets and the one or more pocket inserts to provide greater vertical stability and integrity.
13. The system of claim 10, further comprising a supporting substrate adjoined to the bottom surface.
14. The system of claim 10, further comprising an attachment means placed between the routed grooves and the routed holes that are in complimentary connection.
15. The system of claim 10, further comprising repetition of the modular platform system to achieve a desired length and pattern.
16. The system of claim 10, further comprising a platform edging framing a perimeter of the modular platform system after achieving a desired length and pattern.
17. The system of claim 10, further comprising expansion cracks located between each of a plurality of planks on each of the at least two modules having more than the at least one plank thereon.
18. The system of claim 10, wherein the routed grooves extend through the bottom surface.
19. The system of claim 10, wherein a shape of each of the at least two modules comprises any shape capable of modularly adjoining to create the modular platform system regardless whether each of the any shape are identical or different shapes.
20. A method for creating a modular platform, the method comprising:
- receiving at least two congruous modules, wherein each of the at least two modules have at least one plank;
- receiving at least one fastener, wherein the at least one fastener comprises two legs integrally joined by a bar;
- inserting one of the two legs into one hole and another of the two legs into another hole, wherein the one hole and the another hole are located on a different one of the at least two congruous modules, and the bar spans a distance for the creating of the modular platform resulting from the at least two congruous modules now connected with a substantially flush embedding of the fastener used to provide improved horizontal stability.
Type: Application
Filed: Feb 8, 2012
Publication Date: Aug 9, 2012
Applicant:
Inventors: Michael D. Collins (Rockport, ME), Eliza Burch Collins-Leavitt (Hope, ME)
Application Number: 13/369,271
International Classification: E04B 5/02 (20060101); E04B 1/38 (20060101); E04B 5/00 (20060101);