EXTENDED KERF CUT AND SPLINE RESTRAINT SYSTEM FOR ELEVATED FLOORING SURFACES

Abstract

A system for limiting relative movement (e.g., vertical movement) between adjacent building surface components of an elevated building surface assembly in a manner that is free of securing (e.g., mechanically attaching, such as by threaded fasteners, clips, etc.) the building surface components to an underlying support structure. In one aspect, an elevated building surface assembly includes a plurality of support members disposed in spaced-apart relation on a fixed surface, a plurality of building surface components operatively disposed on the upper portions of the support pedestals, and at least one spline disposed in openings of abutting outer edge segments of first and second adjacent ones of the plurality of building surface components. Each opening extends from a first of a plurality of corner portions of the building surface component to an adjacent second of the corner portions of the building surface component.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. Ser. No. 14/264,859, entitled “EXTENDED KERF CUT AND SPLINE RESTRAINT SYSTEM FOR ELEVATED FLOORING SURFACES,” and filed on Apr. 29, 2014, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein as if set forth in full.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

This invention relates to the field of structural systems for restraining surface tiles such as for elevated floors, decks and walkways.

2. Description of Related Art

Elevated building surfaces such as elevated floors, decks, terraces and walkways are desirable in many interior and exterior environments. One common system for creating such surfaces includes a plurality of surface tiles, such as concrete tiles (pavers), stone tiles, clay tiles, ceramic tiles, or wood tiles, and a plurality of spaced-apart support pedestals and/or joists or stringers upon which the tiles are placed to be supported above a fixed surface. For example, in outdoor applications, the surface may be elevated above a fixed surface to promote drainage, to provide a level structural surface for walking, and/or to prevent deterioration of or damage to the surface tiles. In indoor applications, the surface may be elevated to allow for pipes and the like to be concealed between the elevated surface and the fixed surface. The pedestals can have a fixed height, or can have an adjustable height such as to accommodate variations in the contour of the fixed surface upon which the pedestals are placed, or to create desirable architectural features.

Although a variety of shapes are possible, in many applications the surface tiles are rectangular in shape, having four corners. In the case of a rectangular shaped tile, each of the spaced-apart support pedestals can therefore support four adjacent surface tiles at the tile corners. Stated another way, each rectangular surface tile can be supported by four pedestals that are disposed under each of the corners of the tile. Large or heavy tiles can be supported by additional pedestals at positions other than at the corners of the tiles.

One example of a support pedestal is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,588,264 by Buzon, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. The support pedestal disclosed by Buzon can be used in outdoor or indoor environments and is capable of supporting heavy loads applied by many types of building surfaces. The pedestal includes a threaded base member and a threaded support member that is threadably engaged with the base member to enable the height of the support pedestal to be adjusted by rotating the support member or the base member relative to the other. The support pedestal can also include an extender member (e.g., a coupling or coupler member) disposed between the base member and the support member for further increasing the height of the pedestal, if necessary.

Support pedestals are also disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,363,685 by Kugler, U.S. Patent Publication No. 2004/0261329 by Kugler et al., and U.S. Pat. No. 8,122,612 by Knight, III et al., each of which is also incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In some support systems and structural assemblies for supporting (e.g., elevating) surfaces formed with discrete building surface components, the building surface components are secured (e.g., mechanically, chemically, etc.) to the underlying support structure (e.g., support pedestals, joists, stringers, etc.) to limit adjacent building surface components from moving relative to each other during disruptive vibrations or high wind events. However, such disruptive vibrations or high wind events can cause increased stress on the portions of the building surface components that are secured to the underlying support structure. For instance, the corner portions of the building surface components are sometimes too weak to safely and securely restrict movement of the surface tiles. This problem is particularly significant for surface tiles fabricated from brittle materials, such as concrete, clay, stone, ceramic, composites, and the like.

In this regard, disclosed herein are systems and methods for limiting relative movement (e.g., vertical movement) between adjacent building surface components in a manner that is free of securing (e.g., mechanically attaching, such as by threaded fasteners, clips, etc.) the building surface components to an underlying support structure. In one aspect, an elevated building surface assembly includes a support structure having a plurality of support members disposed in spaced-apart relation on a fixed surface, a plurality of building surface components operatively disposed on the upper portions of the support members, and at least one spline disposed in openings of abutting outer edge segments of first and second adjacent ones of the plurality of building surface components. Each opening extends from a first of a plurality of corner portions of the building surface component to an adjacent second of the corner portions of the building surface component along an outer edge segment of the building surface component. The first corner portions of each of the first and second building surface components are disposed over a first of the plurality of support members, the second corner portions of each of the first and second building surface components are disposed over a second of the plurality of support members that is adjacent the first support member, the first and second building surface components are free of connections to the first and second support members, and the at least one spline is at least partially disposed over at least one of the first and second support members.

In one arrangement, the at least one spline may pass continuously over an entirety of an upper surface of at least one of the first and second support members. In another arrangement, the at least one spline may include first and second opposite ends, where at least one of the first and second ends is not disposed over either of the first and second support members. In a further arrangement, the at least one spline may be at least partially disposed over both of the first and second support members.

In one embodiment, the at least one spline may be disposed in the openings of abutting outer edge segments of third and fourth adjacent ones of the plurality of building surface components, where the outer edge segment of the third building surface component is substantially collinear with outer edge segment of the first building surface component, and where the outer edge segment of the fourth building surface component is substantially collinear with outer edge segment of the second building surface component. For instance, the first corner portions of each of the third and fourth building surface components may be disposed over the second support member, the second corner portions of each of the third and fourth building surface components may be disposed over a third of the support members that is adjacent the second support member, and the third and fourth building surface components may be free of connections to the second and third support members.

In another aspect, a method for use in constructing an elevated building surface assembly locating a plurality of support members upon a fixed surface with a predetermined spacing between the support pedestals, first placing first and second adjacent corner portions of a first of a plurality of building surface components over respective first and second of the plurality of support members, second placing first and second adjacent corner portions of a second of the plurality of building surface components over the first and second support members, and receiving a connecting spline into openings in abutting outer edge segments of the first and second building surface components, where the first and second building surface components are free of connections or attachments to the first and second support members.

In addition to the exemplary aspects and embodiments described above, further aspects and embodiments will become apparent by reference to the drawings and by study of the following descriptions.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an interior or exterior building surface assembly.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a support pedestal.

FIG. 3a is an exploded perspective view of a portion of a building surface assembly and showing a restraint spline for use in restraining adjacent building surface components.

FIG. 3b is an exploded perspective view of a portion of a building surface assembly and showing a restraint spline for use in restraining adjacent building surface components, according to another embodiment.

FIG. 4a is an exploded linear perspective view of a restraint spline for receipt in openings of abutting outer edge segments of first and second adjacent building surface components of a building surface assembly.

FIG. 4b is an exploded plan view of the portion of the building assembly of FIG. 3a.

FIG. 4c is an exploded plan view of the portion of the building assembly of FIG. 3b.

FIG. 5 is a partial cross-sectional view of the restraint spline of FIG. 4 being disposed in the openings of the abutting outer edge segments of the first and second adjacent building surface components.

FIG. 6 is a top perspective view of a building surface component.

FIG. 7 is a side perspective view of a building surface component.

FIG. 8 is a bottom perspective view of a building surface component.

FIG. 9 is a close-up perspective view of a portion of the building surface component of FIGS. 6-8 and illustrating an opening in an outer edge segment of the building surface component.

FIG. 10 is another close-up perspective view of a portion of the building surface component of FIGS. 6-8 and illustrating an opening in an outer edge segment of the building surface component.

FIG. 11 is another close-up perspective view of a portion of the building surface component of FIGS. 6-8 and illustrating an opening in an outer edge segment of the building surface component.

FIG. 12 is another close-up perspective view of a portion of the building surface component of FIGS. 6-8 and illustrating an opening in an outer edge segment of the building surface component.

FIGS. 13a-13b are first and second linear perspective views of a building surface component.

FIG. 14 is a perspective view of an interior or exterior building surface assembly.

FIG. 15 is a perspective view of a building surface component.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

FIG. 1 illustrates a portion of an elevated building surface assembly 100 that includes a building surface 101 formed from a plurality of building surface components 102 (e.g., surface tiles, pavers, flooring units, etc.). The building surface components 102 are elevated above a fixed surface by a support structure 200 comprising a plurality of spaced-apart support members such as support pedestals 201 which, in one embodiment, may be interconnected by a plurality of stabilizing braces (not shown). Each building surface component 102 may broadly include generally opposing top and bottom surfaces 108, 112, one or more corner portions 110, one or more outer edge segments 120 disposed between adjacent corner portions 110, and a thickness 120 between the top and bottom surfaces 108, 112. The building surface components 102 can be comprised of various shapes (e.g., rectangular as shown, square, hexagonal, and/or other shapes) and from virtually any material from which a building surface is to be constructed. Examples include, but are not limited to, slate tiles, natural stone tiles, composite tiles, concrete tiles (e.g., pavers), wooden deck tiles, particularly hardwood deck tiles, tiles of metal or fiberglass grating, porcelain, ceramic, plastic, composites, and the like.

The support pedestals 201 can be placed in a spaced-apart relation on fixed surfaces including, but not limited to, rooftops, plazas, over concrete slabs including cracked or uneven concrete slabs or sub-floors and can be placed within fountains and water features and the like. The elevated building surface assembly 100 can be used for both interior and exterior applications. For instance, each of the building surface components 102 may be placed upon several support pedestals 201 to elevate the building surface component 102 above the fixed surface. As illustrated in FIG. 1, the building surface components 102 may be square and a support pedestal 201a may be disposed beneath four corners portions 110 of adjacent building surface components 102. Other support pedestals such as support pedestal 201b may be disposed under the outer edge segments 116 of the building surface components 102. That is, support pedestals such as support pedestal 201b may be placed between the corner portions 110 and proximate to a central portion of the outer edge segment 116. Such a configuration may be desirable when using very heavy and/or very large building surface components, such as large concrete building surface components, when placing heavy objects on the elevated building surface, or the like. Although not illustrated, support pedestals may be disposed in other locations, such as below a central portion of the building surface components 102. The support pedestals 201 may be laid out in various configurations as may be dictated by the shape and size of the building surface components, such as a rectangular configuration or a triangular configuration to support rectangular or triangular building surface components.

The support pedestals 201 forming the support structure 200 may be fixed-height, height-adjustable, or any combination and may be constructed of any appropriate materials (e.g., plastic). Broadly, each support pedestal 201 may include a lower portion that is adapted to be placed upon a fixed surface, an upper portion for receiving a building surface component 102, and a central section extending between or interconnecting (e.g. perpendicularly) the upper and lower portions. As just one example, and referring to FIG. 2, a support pedestal 201 may include a lower portion such as a base member 212 including a base member extension 214 (e.g., a cylindrical base member extension) that extends upwardly from a base member plate 215 (e.g., a base plate) when the support pedestal 201 is operatively placed on a fixed surface. The base member 212 may include base member threads (not visible) on a surface of the base member extension 214, e.g., internal or external threads.

With continued reference to FIG. 2, the support pedestal 201 may also include an upper portion such as a support member 216 that is configured to be operatively connected to the base member 212 and including a support plate 220 and a support member extension 219 (e.g., a cylindrical support member extension) that extends downwardly from the support plate 220. The support member 216 may include support member threads, e.g., external or internal threads, on the support member extension 219 that are adapted to threadably engage base member threads to connect the support member 216 to the base member 212 (e.g., and more specifically, to operatively attach the support member extension 219 to the base member extension 214). Thus, the support member 216 may be mated directly to base member threads 218 and may be rotated relative to the base member 212 (or vice versa) to adjust the height of the support pedestal 201. The support plate 220 is thereby disposed above the base member 212 to support a surface tile 102 on an upper surface 222 thereof.

Those of skill in the art will appreciate that many other types of support pedestals may be utilized in connection with the present invention. Exemplary support pedestals are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,588,264 by Buzon, U.S. Pat. No. 6,363,685 by Kugler, U.S. Patent Publication No. 2004/0261329 by Kugler et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 7,921,612 by Knight, III et al.; and U.S. Patent Publication No. 2011/0023385 by Knight, III et al. Further, the support pedestals may be interconnected such as in the manner disclosed in U.S. Patent Publication No. 2011/0011012 by Knight, III et al. Each of the foregoing U.S. Patents and Patent Publications is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. Also, as is noted above, the building surface components may be supported by other means, such as by structural beams, joists, stringers, etc (e.g., see FIG. 14, discussed below).

As discussed previously, it may be desirable or even necessary restrain or limit relative movement between adjacent building surface components 102 in a manner that is free of securing (e.g., affixing, attaching, adhering, etc.) the building surface components 102 to the underlying support structure 200 on or over which the building surface components 102 are supported. In this regard, and turning now to FIG. 3a, an exploded perspective view of a portion of a building surface assembly (e.g., building surface assembly 100 of FIG. 1) is illustrated which shows a restraint spline 300 for use in restraining one or more pairs of adjacent building surface components 102 (e.g., see FIG. 15) free of any attachments or connections (e.g., mechanical, chemical, etc.) between the building surface components 102 and underlying support pedestals 201 that support the building surface components 102 (e.g., or other support structure such as support structure 200′ of FIG. 14, discussed below). The restraint spline 300 may be constructed from any appropriate material(s) such as at least one of metal, plastics, wood, dense microfiber composites, reinforced composites, and/or the like. In one embodiment, the restraint spline may be in the form of a single, unitary structure such as any appropriate gauge, length and width of sheet metal, plastic, or the like.

As shown, the corner portions 110 of the various building surface components 102 may be supported on upper surfaces 222 of a plurality of support pedestals 201, such as, for purposes of illustration, linearly arranged first, second, third and fourth support pedestals 201a, 201b, 201c and 201d (although it is to be understood that more or fewer than four support pedestals 201 could be included in one or more linear rows of the building surface assembly). For instance, first corner portions 110₁ of first and second adjacent building surface components 102₁, 102₂ may be disposed over and supported on the upper surface 222 of the first support pedestal 201a and second corner portions 110₂ of the first and second adjacent building surface components 102₁, 102₂ may be disposed over and supported on the upper surface 222 of the second support pedestal 201b.

As another example, first corner portions 110₁ of third and fourth adjacent building surface components 102₃, 102₄ may be disposed over and supported on the upper surface 222 of the second support pedestal 201b and second corner portions 110₂ of the third and fourth adjacent building surface components 102₃, 102₄ may be disposed over and supported on the upper surface 222 of the third support pedestal 201c, where the outer edge segments 116 of the first and third building surface components 102₁, 102₃ are substantially collinear and the outer edge segments 116 of the second and fourth building surface components 102₂, 102₄ are substantially collinear. As a further example, first corner portions 110₁ of fifth and sixth adjacent building surface components 102₅, 102₆ may be disposed over and supported on the upper surface 222 of the third support pedestal 201c and second corner portions 110₂ of the fifth and sixth adjacent building surface components 102₅, 102₆ may be disposed over and supported on the upper surface 222 of the fourth support pedestal 201d, where the outer edge segments 116 of the first, third, and fifth building surface components 102₁, 102₃, 102₅, are substantially collinear and the outer edge segments 116 of the second, fourth and sixth building surface components 102₂, 102₄, 102₆ are substantially collinear.

Furthermore, each of the plurality of building surface components 102 includes an elongated opening 124 (e.g., slot, slit, groove, track, kerf, etc.) in at least one outer edge segment 116 thereof that extends from a first corner portion 110₁ to an adjacent second corner portion 110₂, where each opening 124 is configured (e.g., sized, shaped, etc.) to receive a portion of the restraint spline 300. With additional reference now to FIG. 4a, an exploded linear perspective view of the first and second building surface components 102₁, 102₂ and the restraint spline 300 of FIG. 3a is illustrated. As shown, each opening 124 may generally include opposite upper and lower surfaces 128, 132 that are respectively configured to abut and/or face top and bottom surfaces 304, 308 of the restraint spline 300. In one arrangement, each opening 124 may also include a back surface 136 between the upper and lower surfaces 128, 132 that is respectively configured to abut and/or face a side surface of the restraint spline 300. For instance, first and second opposite side surfaces 312, 316 of the restraint spline 300 may be respectively received in the openings 124 of the first and second building surface components 102₁, 102₂ so that the back surfaces 136 face or abut the first and second side surfaces 312, 316.

In use, and with combined reference to FIGS. 3, 4a and 4b, a plurality of support pedestals 201 (e.g., including first, second, third and fourth support pedestals 201a, 201b, 201c and 201d) may be located or placed upon a fixed surface with a predetermined spacing between the support pedestals. The first and second corner portions 110₁, 110₂ of the first and second building surface components 102₁, 102₂ may be respectively received on and over the upper surfaces 222 of the first and second support pedestals 201a, 201b so that the outer edge segments 116 in which openings 124 are disposed abut or face each other. Additionally, the first and second side surfaces 312, 316 of the spline may be respectively received in the openings 124 of the first and second building surface components 102₁, 102₂ and the first and second building surface components 102₁, 102₂ may be free of any connections or attachments (e.g. mechanical, chemical) to the first and second support pedestals 201a, 201b. See FIG. 5. For instance, and with reference to FIG. 4a, a height 138 of the openings 124 may be substantially the same as (e.g., slightly greater than) a thickness 320 of the restraint spline 300.

In one arrangement, the first and second corner portions 110₁, 110₂ of the first building surface component 102₁ may be placed over the upper surfaces 222 of the first and second support pedestals 201a, 201b and then the first side surface 312 of the restraint spline 300 may be inserted into the opening 124 of the first building surface component 102₁. Thereafter, the first and second corner portions 110₁, 110₂ of the second building surface component 102₂ may be placed over the upper surfaces 222 of the first and second support pedestals 201a, 201b so that the second side surface 316 of the restraint spline 300 is received in the opening 124 of the second building surface component 102₂. See FIG. 5. In another arrangement, both of the first and second building surface components 102₁, 102₂ may be placed over the first and second support pedestals 201a, 201b and then the restraint spline 300 may be simultaneously longitudinally slid through and along the openings 124 of the first and second building surface components 102₁, 102₂ from the first corner portions 110₁ to the second corner portions 110₂. As shown in FIGS. 3a and 4b, the restraint spline 300 may be configured to at least extend from the first corner portions 110₁ of the first and second building surface components 102₁, 102₂ to the second corner portions 110₂ of the first and second building surface components 102₁, 102₂. That is, the restraint spline 300 may be configured to pass over the upper surfaces 222 of at least the first and second support pedestals 201a, 201b.

The restraint spline 300 may also be configured to extend through the openings 124 of abutting outer edge segments 116 of additional pairs of adjacent building surface components 102 (e.g., the third and fourth building surface components 102₃, 102₄, the fifth and sixth building surface components 102₅, 102₆, etc.) as well as over additional support pedestals 201 (e.g., the third support pedestal 201c, the fourth support pedestal 201d, etc.). For instance, the second, fourth and sixth building surface components 102₂, 102₄, 102₆ may be placed over the upper surfaces 222 of the first, second, third and fourth support pedestals 201a, 201b, 201c and 201d (e.g., as shown in FIG. 3) and then the second side surface 316 of the restraint spline 300 may be inserted into the openings 124 of the second, fourth and sixth building surface components 102₂, 102₄, 102₆.

Thereafter, the first, third and fifth building surface components 102₁, 102₃, 102₅ may be placed over the upper surfaces 222 of the first, second, third and fourth support pedestals 201a, 201b, 201c and 201d so that the first side surface 312 of the restraint spline 300 is received in the openings 124 of the first, third and fifth building surface components 102₁, 102₃, 102₅. At this point, the restraint spline 300 may extend at least from the first corner portions 110₁ of the first and second building surface components 102₁, 102₂ to the second corner portions 110₂ of the fifth and sixth building surface components 102₅, 102₆ (e.g., as well as over the first, second, third and fourth support pedestals 201a, 201b, 201c and 201d). That is, a first end 324 of the restraint spline 300 may be disposed over the upper surface 222 of the first support pedestal 201a and an opposite second end 328 of the restraint spline 300 may be disposed over the upper surface of the fourth support pedestal 201d. Alternatively, all of the first, second, third, fourth, fifth and sixth building surface components 102₁, 102₂, 102₃, 102₄, 102₅, 102₅ may be placed over the first, second, third and fourth support pedestals 201a, 201b, 201c and 201d and then the restraint spline 300 maybe longitudinally inserted through the openings 124 so as to extend from the first corner portions 110₁ of the first and second building surface components 102₁, 102₂.

While FIGS. 3a and 4b illustrate the restraint spline 300 as being supported by at least two support pedestals 201, where the first and second ends 324, 328 of the restraint spline 300 are disposed over respective support pedestals, other arrangements are envisioned and encompassed herein. For instance, and as shown in FIGS. 3b and 4c, the restraint spline 300 may be configured to pass continuously over only a single support pedestal 201 (e.g., support pedestal 201b), where the first and second ends 324, 328 are not disposed over the upper surfaces 222 of any of the support pedestals 201. Of course, the restraint spline 300 may pass continuously over one or more additional support pedestals 201 (e.g., support pedestal 201c, etc.), where the first and second ends 324, 328 are not disposed over the upper surfaces 222 of any of the support pedestals 201. In some arrangements, one of the first and second ends 324, 328 of the restraint spline 300 may be disposed over the upper surface 222 of one of the support pedestals 201 (e.g., support pedestal 201a) while the other of the first and second ends 324, 328 may not be disposed over the upper surface 222 of any of the support pedestals 201.

FIGS. 6-12 illustrate another embodiment of a building surface component 102′ that may be used with the restraint spline 300 of FIGS. 3a-5. For instance, the building surface component 102′ may be constructed from a plurality of wooden or composite boards or tiles, slate tiles, natural stone tiles, composite tiles, concrete tiles (e.g., pavers), tiles of metal or fiberglass grating, porcelain, ceramic, plastic, composites, and the like and may include an opening 124 (e.g., slot, slit, groove, track, kerf, etc.) in at least one outer edge segment 116 thereof that extends between adjacent corner portions 110 and that is configured (e.g., sized, shaped, etc.) to receive a portion of a restraint spline 300.

FIGS. 13a-13b illustrate another embodiment of a building surface component 102″ that may be used with the restraint spline 300 of FIGS. 3a-5. For instance, the building surface component 102″ may include a number of stacked layers (e.g., slabs, boards, etc.) such as first, second and third layers 140, 144, 148 interconnected in any appropriate manner, where an outer side edge (not labeled) of the third layer 148 is set back with respective to the outer side edges (not labeled) of the first and second layers 140, 144 to create openings 124 in outer edge segments 116 of the surface tile 102″ as shown in FIGS. 13a-13b (e.g., such as openings 124 in each of a plurality of outer edge segments of the building surface component 102″) For instance, a height 138 of each opening 124 (e.g., and a thickness of the third layer 148) may be substantially the same as (e.g., slightly greater than) a thickness 320 of a restraint spline 300 (see FIG. 4). The arrangement of FIGS. 13a-13b may be useful with materials (e.g., concrete, ceramic, porcelain, etc.) into which it is difficult to cut or otherwise form openings (e.g., grooves, slots) in outer edge segments thereof. For instance, the first and second layers 140, 144 may each be respective slabs of concrete while the third layer 148 may be a material to bind the first and second layers 140, 144 together (e.g., any appropriate adhesive, tape, etc.).

FIG. 14 illustrates a portion of another embodiment of an elevated building surface assembly 100′ that includes a building surface 101′ formed from a plurality of building surface components 102 (e.g., surface tiles, pavers, flooring units, etc. of any appropriate material(s) such as concrete, ceramics, porcelain, etc.). In this embodiment, the building surface components 102 are elevated above a fixed surface by a support structure 200′ comprising a plurality of elongated horizontal supporting members 400 (e.g., joists, stringers, and/or the like) constructed of any appropriate material (e.g., wood, composites, etc.) and interconnected in any appropriate manner (e.g., via brackets 404), either in the manner shown in FIG. 14 or in various other manners. As shown, the horizontal supporting members 400 may be spaced apart by any appropriate distance(s). The horizontal supporting members 400 may be disposed directly over a fixed surface (as shown) or may be disposed over a plurality of support pedestals (e.g., support pedestals 201 of FIG. 1).

Each building surface component 102 may be placed upon a plurality of horizontal support members 400 to elevate the building surface 101′ above the fixed surface. For instance, a first pair of corner portions 110 of a building surface component 102 may be placed over a top of a first horizontal support member 401₁ (e.g., free of any connections or attachments between the building surface component 102 and the first horizontal support member 401₁) and a second pair of corner portions 110 of the building surface component 102 may be placed over a top of a second horizontal support member 401₂ (e.g., free of any connections or attachments between the building surface component 102 and the second horizontal support member 401₁). Additional building surface components 102 may be similarly disposed over the horizontal support members 400. While only four building surface components 102 are shown on the support structure 200′, various additional building surface components 102 may be similarly disposed over the support structure 200′. Additionally, one or more of the outer edge segments 116 of the building surface components 102 may include openings 124 (not shown in FIG. 14) as discussed previously for receiving restraint splines 300 (e.g., see FIGS. 3a-5). For instance, a restraint spline 300 may be disposed in the abutting openings 124 of one or more pairs of building surface components 102 of the elevated building surface assembly 100′. Each restraint spline 300 may span two or more horizontal support members 400.

The foregoing description has been presented for purposes of illustration and description. Furthermore, the description is not intended to limit the invention to the form disclosed herein. Consequently, variations and modifications commensurate with the above teachings, and skill and knowledge of the relevant art, are within the scope of the present invention. For instance, while the drawings illustrate only a single restraint spline 300 for use with a single linear row of support pedestals, it is to be understood that numerous additional parallel and/or perpendicular restraint splines 300 could be used to restrain additional pairs of adjacent surface tiles 102 over additional rows of support pedestals as part of an elevated building surface assembly in any appropriate configuration. Furthermore, at least some of the building surface components 102 may include openings 124 in more than one outer edge segment 116 (e.g., two or more outer edge segments 116, all outer edge segments 116, etc.) for receipt of a plurality of restraint splines 300 in any appropriate manner. Still further, at least some of the outer edge segments 116 may include a plurality of openings 124 therein for receipt of multiple restraint splines 300 therein. In one arrangement, one or more of the restraint splines 300 may extend between adjacent support pedestals 201 but not to or even over the adjacent support pedestals.

It is also to be understood that the various components disclosed herein have not necessarily been drawn to scale. For instance, the restraint spline 300 may actually be much thinner than depicted in the figures (e.g., in the event the restraint spline 300 is constructed of sheet metal, plastic, and/or other material or the like). Also, many components have been labeled as “first,” “second,” “third,” etc. merely to assist the reader in understanding the relationships between the components should not imply that an elevated building surface assembly encompassed herein need have the specific arrangement shown and described herein. Furthermore, while small gaps have been shown between some of the components in the figures (e.g., between the restraint spline 300 and the inside surfaces of the openings of the surface tiles 102₁, 102₂ in FIG. 5), it is to be understood that in reality, these gaps may not exist and that such components may be in direct contact. In other words, at least some of such gaps have merely been provided to assist the reader in understanding the various components of the disclosed systems.

While various embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail, it is apparent that modifications and adaptation of those embodiments will occur to those skilled in the art. However, it is to be expressly understood that such modifications and adaptations are within the scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. An elevated building surface assembly, comprising:

a support structure including a plurality of support pedestals disposed in spaced-apart relation on a fixed surface, the support pedestals including: a base member; a support member including a support plate; and a central section between the base member and the support member;

a plurality of building surface components disposed on upper portions of the support plates, the building surface components comprising: a top surface; a bottom surface; a plurality of corner portions; and an outer edge segment disposed between adjacent corner portions, wherein at least one of the outer edge segments includes an opening therein that extends from a first of the corner portions to an adjacent second of the corner portions; and

a spline disposed in the openings of collinear outer edge segments of first and second adjacent ones of the plurality of building surface components, wherein the first corner portions of each of the first and second building surface components are disposed over a first of the plurality of support pedestals, wherein the second corner portion of the first building surface component is disposed over a second of the plurality of support pedestals that is adjacent the first support pedestal, wherein the second corner portion of the second building surface component is disposed over a third of the plurality of support pedestals that is adjacent the first support pedestal, wherein the first and second building surface components are free of connections to the first, second and third support pedestals, and wherein the spline passes continuously over an entirety of an upper surface of the support plate of the first support pedestal.

2. (canceled)

3. The elevated building surface assembly of claim 1, wherein the spline includes first and second opposite ends, wherein at least one of the first and second ends is not disposed over either of the first and third support pedestals.

4. (canceled)

5. The elevated building surface assembly of claim 1, wherein the spline is disposed in the openings of collinear outer edge segments of third and fourth adjacent ones of the plurality of building surface components, wherein the outer edge segment of the third building surface component abuts the outer edge segment of the first building surface component, and wherein the outer edge segment of the fourth building surface component abuts the outer edge segment of the second building surface component.

6. The elevated building surface assembly of claim 5, wherein the first corner portions of each of the third and fourth building surface components are disposed over the first support pedestal, wherein the second corner portion of the third building surface component is disposed over the second support pedestal, wherein the second corner portion of the fourth building surface component is disposed over the third support pedestal, and wherein the third and fourth building surface components are free of connections to the first, second and third support pedestals.

7. (canceled)

8. (canceled)

9. The elevated building surface assembly of claim 1, wherein the spline is a first spline, wherein the opening of the first building surface component is a first opening in a first outer edge segment of the first building surface component, and further including:

a second spline disposed in a second opening in a second outer edge segment of the first building surface component.

10. The elevated building surface assembly of claim 9, wherein the second spline is parallel to the first spline.

11. The elevated building surface assembly of claim 9, wherein the second spline is non-parallel to the first spline.

12. (canceled)

13. The elevated building surface assembly of claim 1, wherein the spline is a first spline, and further including:

a second spline disposed in the openings of abutting outer edge segments of third and fourth adjacent ones of the plurality of building surface components.

14. The elevated building surface assembly of claim 13, wherein the first corner portions of each of the third and fourth building surface components are disposed over a third of the plurality of support pedestals, wherein the second corner portions of each of the third and fourth building surface components are disposed over a fourth of the plurality of support pedestals that is adjacent the third support pedestal, wherein the third and fourth building surface components are free of connections to the third and fourth support pedestals, and wherein the second spline is at least partially disposed over at least one of the third and fourth support pedestals.

15. The elevated building surface assembly of claim 14, wherein the second spline is parallel to the first spline.

16. The elevated building surface assembly of claim 14, wherein the second spline is non-parallel to the first spline.

17. (canceled)

18. The elevated building surface assembly of claim 13, wherein the first corner portions of each of the third and fourth building surface components are disposed over the first support pedestal, wherein the second corner portion of the third building surface component is disposed over the second support pedestal, wherein the second corner portion of the fourth building surface component is disposed over the third support pedestal, wherein the first and second building surface components are free of connections to the first, second and third support pedestals, and wherein the second spline is partially disposed over the first support pedestals.

19-21. (canceled)

22. The elevated building surface assembly of claim 1, wherein the opening comprises a slot.

23. (canceled)

24. (canceled)

25. The elevated building surface assembly of claim 1, wherein the spline comprises a single, unitary structure.

26-28. (canceled)

29. A method for use in constructing an elevated building surface assembly, comprising:

locating a plurality of support members over a fixed surface with a predetermined spacing between the support members;

first placing first and second adjacent corner portions of a first of a plurality of building surface components over respective first and second of the plurality of support members;

second placing first and second adjacent corner portions of a second of the plurality of building surface components over the first and second support members; and

receiving a spline into openings in abutting outer edge segments of the first and second building surface components, wherein the first and second building surface components are free of connections to the first and second support members.

30. The method of claim 29, wherein the receiving includes:

inserting the spline into the opening of the first building surface component after the first placing and before the second placing, wherein the second placing includes receiving the spline in the opening of the second building surface component.

31. The method of claim 29, wherein the receiving occurs after the first placing and second placing.

32. The method of claim 31, wherein the receiving includes inserting the spline into the openings in first and second building surface components simultaneously.

33. The method of claim 29, further including:

third placing first and second adjacent corner portions of a third of the plurality of building surface components over the second and an adjacent third of the plurality of support members;

fourth placing first and second adjacent corner portions of a fourth of the plurality of building surface components over the second and third support members; and

receiving the spline into openings in abutting outer edge segments of the third and fourth building surface components.

34. The method of claim 33, wherein the third and fourth building surface components are free of connections to the second and third support members.

35. The method of claim 33, wherein the outer edge segment of the third building surface component is substantially collinear with outer edge segment of the first building surface component, and wherein the outer edge segment of the fourth building surface component is substantially collinear with outer edge segment of the second building surface component.

36. The method of claim 33, wherein the spline passes continuously over an entirety of the second support member.

37. The method of claim 36, wherein the spline includes first and second opposite ends, wherein at least one of the first and second ends is not disposed over either of the first and third support members.

38. The method of claim 36, wherein neither of the first and second ends of the spline is disposed over either of the first and third support members.

39. The method of claim 33, wherein the spline extends at least from the first corner portions of the first and second building surface components to the second corner portions of the third and fourth building surface components.

40. The method of claim 29, wherein the spline extends at least from the first corner portions of the first and second building surface components to the second corner portions of the first and second building surface components.

41. The method of claim 29, wherein the spline is a first spline, wherein the opening of the first building surface component is a first opening in a first outer edge segment of the first building surface component, and further including:

receiving a second spline into second opening in a second outer edge segment of the first building surface component.

42. The method of claim 41, wherein the second spline is parallel to the first spline.

43. The method of claim 41, wherein the second spline is non-parallel to the first spline.

44. (canceled)

45. The method of claim 29, wherein the spline is a first spline, and further including:

receiving a second spline into openings in abutting outer edge segments of third and fourth of the building surface components, wherein the third and fourth building surface components are free of connections to the plurality of support members.

46. The method of claim 45, wherein the second spline is parallel to the first spline.

47. (canceled)

48. (canceled)

49. The elevated building surface assembly of claim 1, wherein the central section adjustably interconnects the base member to the support member.

50. The elevated building surface assembly of claim 1, wherein the central section rigidly interconnects the base member to the support member.

51. An elevated building surface assembly, comprising:

a support structure including a plurality of support pedestals disposed in spaced-apart relation on a fixed surface, the support pedestals including: a base member; a support member including a support plate; and a central section interconnecting the base member and the support member;

a plurality of building surface components disposed on the support plates of the support pedestals, the building surface components including: a top surface; a bottom surface; a plurality of corner portions; and an outer edge segment disposed between adjacent corner portions, wherein at least one of the outer edge segments includes an opening therein that extends from a first of the corner portions to an adjacent second of the corner portions; and

a spline disposed in the openings of abutting outer edge segments of first and second adjacent ones of the plurality of building surface components, wherein the first corner portions of each of the first and second building surface components are disposed over a first of the plurality of support pedestals, wherein the second corner portions of each of the first and second building surface components are disposed over a second of the plurality of support pedestals that is adjacent the first support pedestal, wherein the first and second building surface components are free of connections to the first and second support pedestals, and wherein the spline is at least partially disposed over at least one of the first and second support pedestals.

52. The elevated building surface assembly of claim 51, where the support pedestals further include:

a threaded central section that threadably interconnects the threaded base extension to the threaded support extension.