Exposed Embedded Element Or Inserted Filler Patents (Class 52/181)
  • Patent number: 5103608
    Abstract: An improved stair nosing device especially useful in temporarily darkened stairways is provided which includes a plate member with an upper surface, at least a portion of which is covered by luminescent material. The stair nosing device includes non-slip material attached to the upper surface to provide increased frictional contact with foot traffic relative to the plate member. The non-slip material is attached as spaced apart strips with an upper surface of the non-slip material being higher relative to the plate member. In this way the luminescent material is protected from damage by foot traffic.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 22, 1991
    Date of Patent: April 14, 1992
    Assignee: Balco, Inc.
    Inventor: Jorge O. Andreo
  • Patent number: 5054253
    Abstract: A grating mat assembly is disclosed, which is of a generally rigid construction, as distinguished from an articulated, roll-up construction. Unlike conventional rigid grating mats, the structure of the present invention comprises a plurality of slot-like section joined edge to edge in a manner providing for sufficiently rigidity for manufacture, handling and installation, while eliminating the customary longitudinally extending locking bars, utilized in more conventional grating mat assemblies, which add significantly to the cost of manufacture thereof. The slot-like mat sections of the new design are of extruded construction, formed with a horizontal upper ball, widely spaced vertical end walls, and one or more intermediate vertical walls. The vertical walls support the upper wall substantially above a base surface. The opposite vertical end walls of the slot-like sections are formed with tongue and groove structures, such that a pair of adjacent section interfit to provide positive horizontal alignment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 18, 1989
    Date of Patent: October 8, 1991
    Assignee: Pawling Corporation
    Inventor: Michael A. Bedics
  • Patent number: 5009045
    Abstract: A plastic plank member, for use with a deck arrangement, having a rigid base portion and a tread portion attached thereto which are integrally extruded of suitable plastics. The rigid portion of the plank member is adapted to be secured to an underlying support structure. The tread portion is formed with protrusions projecting upwardly away from the tread and grooves formed therein. The characteristics of the tread result in a sufficiently high coefficient of friction to reduce the possibility of slipping on the plank member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 6, 1989
    Date of Patent: April 23, 1991
    Assignee: CTB, Inc.
    Inventor: Dennis G. Yoder
  • Patent number: 4998391
    Abstract: Device for mounting on the tread (1) of a step of a staircase which comprises a generally planar member adapted to be mounted upon or adjacent the leading edge of the horizontal portion (the tread) of a step of a staircase and extending rearwardly over part or all of the width of the step, which rearwardly extending portion of the member is provided with a strip (14) of photoluminescent material. The invention also provides a flooring grade sheet plastic containing a photoluminescent material suitable for use in the device of the invention.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 11, 1989
    Date of Patent: March 12, 1991
    Assignee: Shinebuild Limited
    Inventor: Raymond A. Connew
  • Patent number: 4964187
    Abstract: The door mat comprises a plurality of section lengths each of which is provided with a male coupling element and a female coupling element, each female element being suitable for coupling to the male element of an adjoining section length, the section lengths being moreover provided, at their central portions, with respective seats, open at the tops, therein a bristle element can be engaged.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 1989
    Date of Patent: October 23, 1990
    Inventor: Gianni Dell'Orto
  • Patent number: 4907387
    Abstract: A combination of a deck having a plurality of spaced apart wooden deck members on the surface thereof wherein each deck member has a top, sides and a bottom and an apparatus for covering the deck members. The apparatus comprises a plurality of channel shaped members each of which has a flat top portion for covering the entire top of one deck member. The flat top portion has a rough top surface to inhibit persons from slipping on the deck. The channel shaped member also has first and second side portions which extend generally perpendicular to the top portion. The first and second side portions are generally parallel to each other and are spaced apart to receive one deck member therebetween. The side portions of the channel shaped member extend over the sides of the deck member from the top to the bottom thereof.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 22, 1988
    Date of Patent: March 13, 1990
    Inventor: James Turnbull
  • Patent number: 4905431
    Abstract: A flooring edge finisher which is of multi-piece construction. There are at least three components which include a friction insert plus base unit, and two edge pieces. The edge pieces interlock with, and conceal the base part of, the friction insert plus base unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 16, 1987
    Date of Patent: March 6, 1990
    Assignee: Ferodo Limited
    Inventor: Robert J. Davis
  • Patent number: 4879151
    Abstract: This invention relates to insert strips for a floor covering structure for public walking areas such as in foyers of commercial buildings. The floor structure is made up of connected longitudinal sections, each section having a central longitudinal channel, a raised removable strip being disposed into each channel, to provide a walking surface and the strip having a relatively friction free underlying surface for an easy insertion into a channel and the same being arranged to be retained in the channel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 6, 1988
    Date of Patent: November 7, 1989
    Assignee: Reese Enterprises, Inc.
    Inventor: Chester W. Ellingson, Jr.
  • Patent number: 4866808
    Abstract: An improved rollable floor mat comprising a plurality of substantially U-shaped extruded plastic profiles having straps attached to the underside thereof. The profile has a center portion with a cross-sectional area smaller than the cross-sectional area of the bottom portion of the U-shaped profiles. The bottom surface of the bottom portion of the U-shaped profiles are attached to the plastic straps to form the mat into the desired configuration. The plastic profiles, with bristle-like filaments extending from the top thereof, are flexible in two directions about the smaller cross-sectional aread center portion to provide a scraping action in two directions of the bristle-like filaments to the soles of shoes and boots of persons walking on the mat.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 7, 1988
    Date of Patent: September 19, 1989
    Inventors: Evert Zuiddam, B. J. Zuiddam
  • Patent number: 4840824
    Abstract: A stairtread facing consists essentially of a strip of friction material and a location member therefor. The strip of friction material is a co-extrusion with at least a part of the location member which rests on a stair, and both friction material and location member are made of rubber or plastics material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 13, 1987
    Date of Patent: June 20, 1989
    Assignee: Ferodo, Inc.
    Inventor: Robert J. Davis
  • Patent number: 4804570
    Abstract: An articulated floor mat structure is disclosed, in which a series of rigid, slat-like elements are hinged together and locked to prevent lateral movement, to form a mat structure that can be rolled up. The individual structural elements are shaped to provide for slide-in or snap-in assembly of tread strips, along their upper surfaces, and pad strips, along their lower surfaces. Edge strips are secured along the side edges of the mat assembly in an advantageous manner, to retain the tread strips and pad strips in assembled positions. An arrangement of integral loop tabs on the edge strips and integral hook tabs on the structural members greatly expedites the assembly process and correspondingly reduces the cost of manufacture, without compromising performance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 3, 1987
    Date of Patent: February 14, 1989
    Assignee: Pawling Corporation
    Inventor: Michael A. Bedics
  • Patent number: 4715743
    Abstract: A tile for positioning on walkways, crosswalks and other areas of pedestrian traffic for providing direction and warning to visually handicapped persons. The tile comprises a flat plate having a chamfered edge and including raised bumps coupled to a top surface of the plate and projecting upward therefrom to a maximum height of less than 8 millimeters. A flowable adhesive used at the chamfered edge provides for a tapered seal around the tile or for formation of an expansion joint between two contiguous tiles. The bumps are configured as truncated structure having a larger base and tapered to a top surface which bears the foot traffic. A bottom surface of the tile includes a uniform adhesive layer which enables attachment of the tile to a street surface. A system of tiles for assisting visually handicapped persons across the street is also disclosed and includes a combination of dot and bar tiles oriented to give direction to the pedestrian.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 13, 1986
    Date of Patent: December 29, 1987
    Inventor: Donald W. Schmanski
  • Patent number: 4706424
    Abstract: A floor module structure is disclosed comprising a wearing surface such as a cemmentitious compound or a laminate of wood strips attached to a steel plate base that is supported by a plurality of spaced steel bars welded to the underside of the plate for vertical support for sustaining heavy dynamic and static loads.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 1, 1986
    Date of Patent: November 17, 1987
    Inventors: Ronald T. Garapick, Peter J. Garapick
  • Patent number: 4675222
    Abstract: A connecting structure for sections of floor coverings such as of floor covering use in public walking areas, the connecting structure having longitudinal transversely spaced upstanding T members adapted to be retained in accomodating side vertical openings of the adjacent edge portions of floor covering sections for connection of the sections and being sufficiently flexible to bend along a longitudinal axis for a roll up of adjacent sections.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 1986
    Date of Patent: June 23, 1987
    Assignee: Reese Enterprises, Inc.
    Inventor: Fred P. Berndt, Jr.
  • Patent number: 4663903
    Abstract: A floor covering for public areas such as foyers in public buildings, each section of the floor covering being substantially rectangular in plan of a fairly narrow width, having a flexible projecting tongue along one side thereof, said tongue extending to underlie at least a portion of said sections and having the other side thereof adapted to receive and non-rotatively retain the projected tongue of an adjacent such section whereby like sections interconnect to form a floor covering, the tongues being sufficiently flexible to permit the connected sections to be rolled up.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 27, 1986
    Date of Patent: May 12, 1987
    Assignee: Reese Enterprises, Inc.
    Inventor: Chester W. Ellingson, Jr.
  • Patent number: 4662972
    Abstract: The present invention defines methods of forming a non-skid surface on a base member, wherein the base member may consist of a wood, plastic, metal or concrete surface structure. One method includes applying one or more coats or layers of epoxy resin to one surface of a wood base member. After the epoxy resin is set, a first coat of polyurethane is applied thereover at a thickness determined by the size of the grit material that is disseminated in the first coat of polyurethane, whereby the upper portion of the grit is exposed so as to be covered by a second polyurethane coat applied over the first coat of polyurethane, the grit being locked within and between the two coats of polyurethane. An additional method includes the step of affixing a fiber/cement panel to the base member and applying the first polyurethane coat to the surface of the fiber/cement panel, followed thereafter by the grit and the second coat of polyurethane, whereby a non-skid surface is established thereon.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 25, 1985
    Date of Patent: May 5, 1987
    Inventor: Thomas L. Thompson
  • Patent number: 4649679
    Abstract: A retainer for releasable attachment of an insertable bar, strip, or the like to a support comprises a supporting channel mountable on the support, engageable in the supporting channel a retaining rail, in which the insertable bar, strip, or the like is detachably secured, and a first means for releasable attachment of the retaining rail to the supporting channel provided in the supporting channel. The retaining rail has two longitudinal flanges whose free edges have directed inwardly a plurality of protruding members with which the insertable bar, strip, or the like is held in the retaining rail.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 17, 1985
    Date of Patent: March 17, 1987
    Inventor: Erich Arens
  • Patent number: 4590110
    Abstract: A grid designed for use as a runner or a doormat comprises a multiplicity of parallel profiled bars, preferably of plastic, having a generally U-shaped cross-section with two upstanding flanges interconnected at their lower ends by a horizontal web. In certain embodiments each flange has an inverted-Y profile with one arm joined to the web and the other arm diverging therefrom, the two arms defining between them an undercut, downwardly open longitudinal groove which in the case of at least one flange has a cross-section in the shape of an upwardly pointed arrowhead facilitating the introduction, from below, of a substantially complementarily shaped upstanding rib of a connecting member of much shallower U-profile linking a pair of adjoining bars to each other. The underside of the connecting member is either flush with that of the bars or at a slightly lower level.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 14, 1984
    Date of Patent: May 20, 1986
    Inventor: Erich Arens
  • Patent number: 4555292
    Abstract: The present invention defines two methods of forming a non-skid-surfaced wood panel, preferably plywood, which is treated with various coats or layers of epoxy resin, together with a finished surface coat of polyurethane combined with a hard-grit abrasive material evenly spread within the surface coat, so as to provide the non-skid substance that establishes a unique and wear-resistant structure for areas subjected to heavy foot traffic, the invention being particularly suitable for use on decking in marine environments.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 16, 1984
    Date of Patent: November 26, 1985
    Assignee: Thom-McI, Inc.
    Inventor: Thomas L. Thompson
  • Patent number: 4528231
    Abstract: Wear and slip resistant floors are described comprising a suitable substrate and a surface layer comprising a synthetic resin, preferably polyester, as the matrix and containing uniformly distributed therein a mixed waste material derived from a steel grinding operation and being composed of from about 60 to about 85% by weight of coarse metallic particles having a particle size from about 0.2 mm to about 1 mm with a mean particle size of about 0.5 mm and fine primarily oxidic particles, having a particle size from very fine up to about 0.2 mm, with a mean particle size of about 0.07 mm. The surface layer may also contain fiber glass reinforcement and other additives.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 5, 1983
    Date of Patent: July 9, 1985
    Assignee: SKF Steel Engineering AB
    Inventor: Thore Lund
  • Patent number: 4415620
    Abstract: The mat base plate which is intended for use as a substrate for a door mat includes an outer peripheral rim, a plurality of concentric annular steps from the outer peripheral rim inwardly and downwardly and a central well to provide an aesthetic appearance for the plate/plate combination even when a shrunken mat is placed on the plate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 6, 1980
    Date of Patent: November 15, 1983
    Assignee: Duskin Franchise Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Ken Yamazaki, Yosuke Yamamoto, Takehisa Kinoyama, Kinichi Sasagawa
  • Patent number: 4296160
    Abstract: Disclosed is a method for delineating zones on the surface of thermoplastic gratings. The method comprises inserting in the grate openings a removable closure member adapted to interlock with the grating and close the opening. The removable closure member is distinguishable from the grating in color and when a plurality of closure members are so inserted in a pattern, they delineate a given zone.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 7, 1980
    Date of Patent: October 20, 1981
    Assignee: Mateflex/Mele Corporation
    Inventor: Nicholas G. Forlenza
  • Patent number: 4272211
    Abstract: A wear-resistant element, particularly in the form of a slab intended to be used as covering in areas exposed to excessive wear. The slab includes a hard wear metal of a hardness exceeding 400 Brinell, said wear-metal being in the form of granules which are embedded into a bonding agent consisting of synthetic resin, ceramic materials, rubber, or a combination of these materials. Preferably, the granules are arranged to agglomerate adjacent the wear face of the slab, whereas the concentration of wear metal towards the bottom of the slab is essentially nil. The resulting slab thus uses less amounts of the expensive wear-resistant material, and at the same time it is lighter than prior-art slabs and easier to manufacture.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 13, 1979
    Date of Patent: June 9, 1981
    Inventor: Erik A. Sabel
  • Patent number: 4244768
    Abstract: A resin bonded glass fiber grating adhesively bonded together in unitary construction to form a lightweight, high strength industrial grating, which may include a non-skid elastomer surface and the capability to be rolled up for storage and a method of constructing the same.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 23, 1977
    Date of Patent: January 13, 1981
    Inventors: Joseph W. Wiechowski, Delmar S. Miller, Richard C. Kostner
  • Patent number: 4201817
    Abstract: A door mat formed of a flexible, waterproof material comprising a lower section and an upper section hingedly connected to the lower section at one end thereof. In this manner, the upper section may be lifted from the lower section for the placement between the sections of a newspaper or other article. The upper section may then be lowered to cover, protect and retain the newspaper or other article between it and the lower section.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 6, 1976
    Date of Patent: May 6, 1980
    Assignees: Thomas P. Duncan, Jr., Frank Belvin
    Inventor: Thomas P. Duncan, Jr.
  • Patent number: 4111585
    Abstract: A modular structure for supporting weight loads and traffic in extensively used turfgrass areas comprising a plurality of identical modules having open cells defined by vertical wall portions and a bottom wall. The modules are disposed in laterally adjacent interengaging interlocked relation to form the modular structure which is imbedded in the turfgrass area to a depth slightly less than the height of the module cells so that the upper edge portions of the cell side walls extend into the turfgrass to support and bear the weight and wear of traffic passing over the area.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 27, 1977
    Date of Patent: September 5, 1978
    Inventor: Thomas C. Mascaro
  • Patent number: 4087948
    Abstract: A flooring element having a moulded body and a partially raised surface which is of a material having a relatively high coefficient of friction, preferably the elements are provided with interlocking lugs so that a floor covering can be built up from a number of them.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 13, 1977
    Date of Patent: May 9, 1978
    Assignee: Ferodo Limited
    Inventor: Peter G. Mellor
  • Patent number: 4058942
    Abstract: A flexible non-skid strip is constituted by a main body portion extending along the length of the strip and adapted to be secured to the tread of a stair, a forward edge anchoring portion coextending with the main body portion parallel to and spaced from the main body and adapted to be secured to the riser of the stair, an arcuate cross-section connection portion integrally connected to the upper surfaces of the main body portion and the anchoring portion and projecting above the upper surfaces of the main body portion and the anchoring portion and so as to integrally connect the main body portion and anchoring portion together and adapted to bend about the stair edge of the stair so as to cover the stair edge, and at least one fluorescent material layer being embedded in the upper surface of at least one of the portions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 1, 1976
    Date of Patent: November 22, 1977
    Inventor: Hiromitsu Naka
  • Patent number: 4029834
    Abstract: A floor mat comprises substantially rigid, elongated rails disposed generally parallel to each other in closely spaced relation. Each rail has a base portion for supporting the mat and a top portion with a tread surface such as a strip of carpet, abrasive or vinyl thereon. Cooperative ball and socket structures along opposite sides of the rails fixedly space the rails from each other but permit rotational movement of the rails relative to each other whereby the floor mat may be rolled up or adjust itself to irregular floor surfaces.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 1975
    Date of Patent: June 14, 1977
    Assignee: Construction Specialties, Inc.
    Inventor: Gary F. Bartlett
  • Patent number: 4018944
    Abstract: A method of on-the-job installation of a coating having high resistance to wear caused by impact, abrasion, erosion and corrosion and a composition for use in performing the method. The method includes the preparation of a trowelable composition containing high alumina ceramic particles and a co-abrasive filler of smaller particles of inorganic and/or metallic origin in a polymer matrix and the application of this material to the surface to be repaired or protected.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 21, 1975
    Date of Patent: April 19, 1977
    Assignee: Rexnord Inc.
    Inventors: James R. Hallstrom, Raymond J. Hoffman, Ronald L. Walling
  • Patent number: RE30691
    Abstract: A method of on-the-job installation of a coating having high resistance to wear caused by impact, abrasion, erosion and corrosion and a composition for use in performing the method. The method includes the preparation of a trowelable composition containing high alumina ceramic particles and a co-abrasive filler of smaller particles of inorganic and/or metallic origin in a polymer matrix and the application of this material to the surface to be repaired or protected.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 28, 1980
    Date of Patent: July 28, 1981
    Inventors: James R. Hallstrom, Raymond J. Hoffman, Ronald L. Walling