Raised Floor Panel And Assembly

Abstract

Disclosed is a raised floor panel and panel assembly for computer and similar installations. The panels are supported above a subfloor on pedestals and are easily installed and removed for later access to the space beneath the floor. Each panel comprises a core with or without strengthening metal sheets about which is wrapped a flexible and at least partially resilient floor covering, such as carpet or flexible tile material. The floor covering extends over the edges and for a short distance beneath each panel.

Description

This invention relates to raised floor panels and to raised floor panel assemblies, and more particularly to apparatus of this type of simplified and inexpensive construction which reduces the cost of manufacturing and assembling raised or elevated floors.

Modern computer installations employing advanced computer equipment require a carefully planned and completely coordinated environment. Today's sophisticated equipment must be provided with temperature and humidity control, air filtration, traffic and noise restrictions, and a wide variety of other flexible facilities for the machines and their operators. Provision must be made for future expansion, in the form of new or modified equipment.

For these and other reasons, many modern computer installations are provided with what are commonly referred to as raised or elevated floors. These floors generally take the form of removable rectangular floor panels or tiles supported in spaced relation above a suitable subfloor by a metal lattice of criss-crossing grids and supporting columns. Conduits, such as electrical cabling, air conditioning equipment, and the like, pass between the subfloor and the floor to the computer circuits and associated equipment. In some instances, the space between the tow floors may be used as a plenum to supply conditioning air to various parts of the room. In all cases the removability of the panels provides great flexibility in making it possible to add additional cabling or to service the computer equipment as the need arises.

The present invention is directed to an improved panel and panel assembly for raised floors of this general type and is particularly directed to a construction which substantially lessens the cost of manufacturing and installing the floor. In the present invention, the customary floor tile covering for the panels and the accompanying lateral trim edge is replaced by a flexible and preferably at least slightly resilient floor covering material which not only extends over the top surface of the floor panels, but also along the edges and preferably for a short distance along the underside of each panel. In the preferred embodiment, the floor covering takes the form of a carpet with sufficient resiliency that the abutting edges of adjacent panels form an air seal to define a plenum beneath the raised floor. An important feature resulting from the use of a flexible floor covering material extending over the top and side edges of the panels is that the panel cores need not be held to close tolerances and materials such as light weight concrete may be used as the cone. At the same time, the resiliency of the carpet material permits slight adjustment for variations in panel size from panel to panel and further provides for easy installation and removal of the panels due to the resiliency with which they abut. Additional advantages include the fact that the flexible and resilient nature of the carpeting material achieves a sound dampening and cushioning feature for the floor system by eliminating any metal-to-metal contact and the utilization of a continuous cover material eliminates static electricity buildup in the walking surface of each panel by allowing the static electricity buildup to follow a natural path to ground. Since the wraparound floor covering material is in contact with the metal understructure which is conventionally connected at spaced points to a central grounding system, all static electricity is conducted to ground.

It is therefore one object of the present invention to provide an improved panel for raised floors.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an improved raised floor system of simplified and less expensive construction.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an improved panel and raised floor system which substantially reduces the cost of manufacturing and installing the floor.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an improved panel and floor panel assembly permitting the use of a wide variety of panel cores which need not be manufactured to close tolerances.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a raised floor panel and panel assembly in which the top surface and side edges of the panels are each covered by an integral layer of floor carpeting.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a raised floor panel in which a conventional pile carpet extends over the top, along each side edge, and for a short distance along the bottom and round the entire periphery of each panel.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an elevated or raised floor panel system in which each panel comprises a concrete core covered on at least all but one side by a flexible and resilient floor covering material, such as carpeting or the like.

These and further objects and advantages of the invention will be more apparent upon reference to the following specification, claims, and appended drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a portion of a raised floor assembly constructed in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a partial cross section through the raised floor assembly or system of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of a support pedestal, grid, and abutting panel junction in the system of FIGS. 1 and 2;

FIG. 4A is a perspective view showing the top and two side edges of a floor panel;

FIG. 4B is a similar perspective view showing the bottom and other two side edges of the panel of FIG. 4A;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a modified floor panel with parts cut away to show the carpet attached directly to the core;

FIG. 6 is a partial elevational view corresponding to that of FIG. 3 showing a portion of a raised floor assembly in which the metal gridwork is omitted;

FIG. 7 is a partial cross section through a modified floor panel constructed in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 8 is a partial cross section through a further modified floor panel constructed in accordance with this invention; and

FIG. 9 is a view similar to FIGS 3 and 6 showing a still further modified elevated floor assembly.

Referring to the drawings, a portion of a raised floor system constructed in accordance with the present invention is generally indicated at 10 in FIG. 1. The system is illustrated as under construction in a room including walls 12 and 14 and a subfloor 16. Adhesively secured or otherwise suitably attached to the subfloor are a plurality of pedestals 18 in the form of adjustable metal column supports for a plurality of identical rectangular floor panels 20. Some of the panels 20 in FIG. 1 are omitted to show the underlying support pedestals 18 and the overall metal grid generally indicated at 22. The grid 22 comprises longitudinal and transverse grid members or stringers 24 and 26 supported by and preferably attached to the heads or caps of each of the pedestals 18. Various pedestal and grid constructions are presently available and any of the well known structures may be used in the present invention. In the preferred embodiment, pedestals 18 are placed on 24 inch centers and the panels 20 are preferably square and approximately 2 feet on each side.

Referring in particular to FIGS. 2 and 3, pedestals 18 each comprise a base 28 welded, brazed, or otherwise suitably secured as indicated at 30 in FIG. 3 to one end of a threaded metal stud 32. The upper end of stud 32 is received in the hollow lower end of metal tube 34. The upper end of this tube is again welded, brazed, or otherwise suitably attached as at 36 to the underside of a pedestal cap or head 38. The telescoping relationship between stud 32 and tube 34 may be adjusted by a pair of metal leveling nuts 40 and 42 to vary and adjust the height of the pedestal 18. Base 28 of the pedestal is preferably attached to subfloor 16 with adhesive but may be secured in any desired manner. Likewise, cap 38 of the pedestal may be attached to the stringers 24 and 26 in any conventional manner. In some systems, the pedestal head includes projections over which the stringers are slidably received to secure and lock the stringers to the pedestal. In other constructions, the stringers are attached by bolts and nuts to the head of the pedestal. In the embodiment shown, the stringers 24 and 26 are preferably all of equal length, i.e., nominally 2 feet, and are slid over suitable projections on the head of pedestal. It is understood that the present invention is equally applicable to other grid assemblies in which the stringers are bolted to the pedestals and in which individual integral stringer elements may span more than two adjacent pedestals, i.e., may be 4 feet or more in length.

Resting on the stringers 24 and 26 nd forming made important part of the present invention are the novel floor panels 20. Each panel is identical in construction and preferably each is 24 inches on a side to have a square configuration on the order of 1 to 2 inches thick. As best seen in FIG. 3, each of the panels comprises a core 50 approximately 1 inch thick and made of suitable material, such as a high density particle board, i.e., compressed wood particles. Overlying the upper and lower surfaces of core 50 are flat rectangular sheets 52 and 54 preferably made of galvanized steel. Steel sheets 42 and 54 are preferably secured to the opposite surfaces of panel 50 by a suitable adhesive layer (not shown). Finally, the top or walking surface of the panels 20 is formed by a layer 56 of flexible and preferably somewhat resilient material, which by way of example only may take the form of a conventional all wool looped pile floor carpeting. The carpet extends integrally with the layer 56 over the edge of the panel as indicated at 58 and for a short distance along the panel bottom as indicated at 60. It is understood that the carpet 56 extends integrally over all four edges of the panel and includes a bottom portion 60 along each of these four edges, in all instance integral as illustrated in FIGS 4A and 4B. The carpet is preferably secured to the metal plates and to the edges of the core by suitable adhesive (not shown).

While the covering material is preferably conventional floor carpet, it is apparent that other flexible and at least slightly resilient materials may be used, such as certain tiles and at least partially resilient vinyl materials possessing sufficient flexibility to be wrapped around the side edges and the bottom of the panels. Adhesives which may be used to bond the steel sheets to the cores and to bond the carpet or other floor covering material to the remainder of the panels include conventional two-part epoxy adhesive and conventional rubber-base, two surface adhesives with contact bonding at both surfaces. In certain instances, where load requirements permit, the steel sheet 52 and 54 may be omitted and the carpet 56 bonded directly to the core 50.

An important feature of the present invention includes the fact that the resiliency of the covering material 56 wrapped around the edges and the underside of the panels makes it possible to utilize a variety of core materials which were unsuited to prior raised floor panels due to the close panel tolerances which had to be maintained. That is, the resiliency of the covering material at the abutting edges of adjacent panels 58 automatically compensates for variations in core sections 50 from panel to panel such that a variety of core materials may be used, some of which while having exceptional strength are difficult to manufacture in quantity within the tolerances previously necessitated by the metal edge and vinyl trim strip constructions of previous raised floor panels. For example, FIG. 6 shows a construction in which the floor panels 70 are of identical construction to the panels 20 previously described but with the exception that the cores 72 are made of lightweight and preferably expanded concrete. Because of the increased strength afforded by the concrete cores and where loading requirements permit, the grid assembly 22 can be omitted and the pedestals 18, which in this case are provided with a flat cap or head 74, directly support abutting panels 70. The result is a substantial savings in the cost of manufacturing and assembling the raised or elevated floor.

FIG. 7 shows a modified panel 80 in partial cross section in all respects identical to the panels 70 of FIG. 6 with the exception that the concrete core 82 has embedded in it interconnected longitudinal and transverse strands 84 and 86 of metal reinforcing rods to provide added strength to the core and overall panel. FIG. 8 shows a still further modification and illustrates in partial cross section a panel 90 identical to the panels previously described but in which the core 92 is formed of several interconnected wood plies to form a plywood core of increased strength.

FIG. 9 shows a further modified panel and panel assembly with like parts again bearing like reference numerals. In the embodiment of FIG. 9, the panels 20' are in all respects identical to the panels 20 previously described with the exception that each of the edges has a very noticeable taper, as indicated at 94, from the top to the bottom surface of the panel. The panels previously describe are all preferably made with a slight taper from top to bottom to reduce the friction encountered when the panels are inserted and particularly when they are removed from adjacent panels. This taper has not been described in connection with the previous embodiments since it is fairly slight and in any event is obscured by the resilient nature of the floor covering material when the edges of two panels are in abutment. The slight taper is indicated generally at 88 in FIGS. 7 and 8. In the embodiment of FIG. 9, the taper 94 is much more pronounced to provide clearance for a rib 96 formed along the top edge of the stringers, such as the stringer 26' illustrated. In this embodiment, the pedestal 18' is also modified to include an outwardly flaring head 98 suitably apertured to pass four screws (only one of which is indicated at 100) for securing a bracket or nut 102 to the end of the stringer 26'. To attach the stringer to the head, the stringer is slipped into position with its lower flanges resting on head 98 but beneath nut 102. Screw 100 is then tightened to clamp the stringer by the nut to the top of the pedestal head. It is understood that the other three stringers forming a corner junction for the assembly of FIG. 9 are similarly secured to he pedestal 18'. A ground wire 104 is provided with a conductive eyelet 106 electrically connected to the metal stringer 26' by a second screw 108 and nut 110, screw 108 passing through a suitable aperture provided in the stringer. The other end of ground wire 104 is connected to the central building ground system and one such wire 104 is preferably provided for each 1,000 square feet of elevated floor area.

Important features of the present invention include the provision of elevated floor panels in which a flexible and at least partially resilient floor covering material extends over the top of the panel and over the side edges and around the outer portion of the panel bottom. This makes possible the use of a variety of panel core materials since the resiliency and flexibility of the covering material, particularly about the abutting edges of adjacent floor panels, automatically compensates for variation in size of the core and makes possible the use of core materials which could not previously be economically manufactured to the required tolerances. In addition to the more conventional fiberboard and pressed wood particle board panels, the present invention makes possible the use of other core material, such as gypsum board core, lightweight and preferably expanded concrete, either reinforced or not reinforced, and laminated wood paneling cores or plywood cores may also be used. In the preferred embodiment, the panel covering material takes the form of a conventional pile carpet made of wool, Nylon, or any of the other conventional carpet materials. Since stronger core materials, such as the newer lightweight concrete, may be employed, the floor panels of the present invention may be provided with increased strength in certain instances permitting the elimination of the conventional metal gridwork so that the panels are directly supported on pedestals as illustrated in FIG. 6. The panels are preferably of square configuration approximately 24 inches on a side and may vary in thickness from approximately 1 to 2 inches or more, depending upon the panel size, panel material, and the loads to be supported. In certain instances, the covering material may be applied directly to the cores but where additional strength is required, the panels may be provided with the upper and lower preferably galvanized metal sheets 52 and 54.

The resilient nature of the covering makes it possible to readily insert and remove a panel in spite of small variations in size from panel to panel since the cushioning outer cover material along the panel edges tends to give as the panel is inserted and removed. In addition, the cushioning action of the covering material extending along the four edges at 60 on the under side of the panel provides a cushioning effect when the panel rests on the head 74 of FIG. 6 or on the stringers, such as the stringer 26 of FIG. 3, so that there is no direct metal-to-metal contact between the stringer or head and the metal sheet 54. At the same time, the resilient engagement of this lower edge 60 of the panel with the support member and the similar engagement of the side edge 58 with an adjacent panel provides a multiple seal acting to seal the air space between the panels forming the elevated floor and the subfloor 16 so that this space, which may vary from a few to several inches in height, may be used as a plenum for supplying air to various locations in the room. Finally, the integral nature of the wraparound floor material provides a natural path to ground through the floor carpet itself to eliminate static electricity buildup in the walking surface of each panel. By virtue of the wraparound floor covering in contact with the metal understructure, through lower edge 60 and the metal understructure being connected at appropriate points to a central grounding system as illustrated at 104 in FIG. 9, all static electricity tends to go to ground. This is an important consideration for many computer installations since static discharge is considered harmful to the low voltage equipment employed in these installations. If desired, the carpet material may be of the well known anti-static type so as to further reduce the likelihood of static buildup and discharge which might otherwise result from the motion of people, carts, furniture, etc., in contact with the floor covering material. Abrupt discharges of the static charges to metallic surfaces or other people can cause discomfort to personnel and may cause malfunction of the low voltage electronic equipment.

This invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics thereof. The present embodiments are therefore to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, the scope of the invention being indicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description, and all changes which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are therefore intended to be embraced therein.

Claims

What is claimed and desired to be secured by United States Letters Patent is:

1. An elevated floor assembly comprising a subfloor, a plurality of pedestals spaced about said subfloor, and a plurality of floor panels supported by said pedestals in spaced relation above said subfloor, each panel comprising a rectangular core having top and bottom surfaces joined by four edges, a flexible and at least partially resilient floor carpet integrally overlying said tip surface and said edges of said core, portions of said carpet on adjacent panels overlying said edges being in abutting contact with each other, said carpet also extending integrally along said bottom surface of each of said cores adjacent each of said edges, said panel having a thickness on the order of 1 to 2 inches with sufficient strength for use as a flooring in said elevated floor assembly, and static electricity discharge means engaging the portions of said carpet extending along the bottom surface of the core of at least some of said panels whereby static electricity in the carpet of said panels may be discharged through both said discharge mans and the abutting carpet surface of adjacent panels.

2. An assembly according to claim 1 including a grid of metal stringers spacing said panels from said pedestals.

3. An assembly according to claim 1 wherein said pedestals directly support said panels above said subfloor.

4. An assembly according to claim 1 wherein each of said cores is of square cross section.

5. An assembly according to claim 1 wherein each of said cores is made of non-metallic material, each panel including a metal sheet overlying each of said top and bottom core surfaces, said sheets extending between said carpet and the respective surfaces of said cores.

6. An assembly according to claim 1 wherein each said core is made from material selected from the group consisting of wood particle board, gypsum board, plywood, light-weight concrete, and light-weight concrete including metal reinforcing.