Regulation 3.2 AUSTRALIA Patents Act 1990 INNOVATION PATENT SPECIFICATION (ORIGINAL) Name of Applicant: Illinois Tool Works Inc. of 3600 West Lake Avenue, Glenview, Illinois 60026, United States of America Actual Inventor: Nicholas Jolly Address for Service: DAVIES COLLISON CAVE, Patent Attorneys, 1 Nicholson Street, Melbourne 3000, Victoria, Australia Innovation Patent specification for the invention entitled: "Expansion joint system" The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to us: r-\NRPORTRI.\ncC\PI.W\1941795 i DOC - 20/10/11 C NRPonbDCCPLW 192 7 LDOC- lyIviW2111 EXPANSION JOINT SYSTEM The present invention relates to an expansion joint system for use in building construction. 5 In the construction of large areas of suspended concrete deck sections such as multistorey shopping or exhibition spaces and hospitals it is necessary to incorporate expansion joints between adjacent sections of the deck structure principally to absorb movement of the structure primarily arising from temperature variation within the structure and in some cases wind loading under high wind forces which causes the structure to sway, and seismic 10 loading. The movement between the sections of the deck structure can be a combination of horizontal, vertical, and sideways movement and the expansion joint which is designed to accommodate the anticipated range of movement is installed in a gap between two adjacent sections. 15 Expansion joints for this purpose typically comprise space parallel rails which move together and a part while maintaining a substantially parallel relationship, and a cover plate system comprising one or more cover plates extending across and closing the gap between the two rails throughout the range of anticipated movement. 20 In some building situations where deck or floor sections are associated with wall sections, a similar expansion joint may be incorporated between the adjacent wall sections. Although in many building situations of this type the gaps between adjacent deck sections are aligned with the gaps between associated wall sections whereby the expansion joints for the deck sections and wall sections are also aligned, the two expansion joints 25 themselves are independent and in the corner zone where the end of the deck expansion joint meets the lower end of the wall expansion joint, a gap exists between the two joints. Dirt and debris can accumulate within that gap and also it can provide a passage for vermin. In pathogen-sensitive areas such as hospitals and other health facilities, an open zone such as that, unless thoroughly cleaned, can increase the risk of pathogen growth. 30 C:\NRPortblDCCPLW392I537_ .DOC-IW/2011 -2 According to the present invention there is provided an expansion joint system for use in building construction comprising an expansion joint for installation at adjacent edges of adjacent deck or floor sections and an expansion joint for installation at adjacent edges of adjacent wall sections, each joint comprising opposed rails mountable to the respective 5 sections and a cover plate system linked to the rails for spanning the gap between the rails, the two joints being in alignment, and the cover plates of the two joints being connected by an interconnection plate which spans a corner zone defined between the two joints. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the interconnection plate comprises two 10 sections one substantially at right angles to the other, each section being slidingly connected with a respective one of the cover plates. Embodiments of the invention will now be described by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: 15 Figure 1 is a section showing schematically an expansion joint for installation between adjacent deck sections; Figure 2 shows schematically an expansion joint system consisting of a deck section expansion joint as shown in Figure 1, a similar wall section expansion joint, and an interconnection plate coupling the cover plates of the two joints; 20 Figure 3 shows the expansion joint system in greater detail; Figure 4 is a top view corresponding to Figure 3; Figure 5 is a front view corresponding to Figure 3; and Figure 6 is a rear view corresponding to Figure 3. 25 The expansion joint system of the preferred embodiment consists of separate, but interconnected, expansion joints between deck sections and related wall sections. Figure 1 shows the expansion joint for installation between two adjacent edge portions of the concrete deck sections. The joint comprises a pair of parallel longitudinal rails 2, 4 in 30 the form of extrusions, for example of aluminium. In the installed condition, the rails 2, 4 are mounted within rebates formed at the edge portions of the concrete sections. The rails C:WRPorbl\DCC\PLW\192007_ LDOC.iYIW2011 -3 2, 4 are coupled by pivotal links spaced along the length of the rails. Each link comprises a bar 6 (referred to in the art as a centre bar) having a ball at each end. The balls are pivotally and slidably mounted in part-cylindrical passages in the two rails, and the bar 6 is inclined at approximately 450 to the axis of the two rails whereby the two balls of the link 5 are laterally offset. The series of links spaced along the length of the joint maintain the two rails in substantially parallel relationship while allowing the rails to move towards and away from each other upon contraction and expansion of the joint. The gap between the two rails 2, 4 is spanned by a cover plate 8 which engages the upper surface of the two rails and which is connected to the bars 10 at their centre points whereby upon contraction 10 and expansion of the joint by movement of the rails 2, 4, the cover plate 8 will remain centrally located between the two rails. The cover plate itself is also formed as an extrusion, preferably of aluminium. The joint for installation in the gap between the wall sections is of similar construction. Figure 2 shows schematically, deck and wall sections D, W respectively, the expansion joint E between the deck sections, and the expansion 15 joint F between the wall slabs. With reference to Figure 3, in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the invention, the cover plates 8 of the deck and wall joints E, F are linked by an interconnection plate 30 having sections 30a, 30b which slidingly engage with the cover plates 8 for the two joints 20 and which span the otherwise open corner zone between the adjacent ends of the two joints. The adjacent ends of the two cover plates 8 are formed with a rebate into which the corresponding section of the interconnection plate fits so as to provide a smooth transition between the external surface of the respective sections 30a, 30b of the interconnection plate and the external surfaces of the two cover plates. The sections 30a and 30b are 25 respectively connected to the undersurface of the cover plate of the deck joint and rear surface of the cover plate of the wall joint by a keyway which permits longitudinal, but not lateral, movement of the cover plate relative to the associated section of the intersection plate. Accordingly, the interconnection plate 30 couples the two cover plates so that they remain in lateral alignment while still permitting sliding movement of the cover plates. As 30 a result, the cover plate of the deck joint is permitted to move longitudinally towards and away from the wall joint consequent on relative movement of the two rails of the deck C:\NRPonbl\DCC\PLW\92037_1 DOC- 1i/lv2011 -4 joint, and the cover plate of the wall joint is able to move vertically towards and away from the deck joint consequent on relative movement of the two rails of the wall joint. This movement of the cover plates is accommodated by the permitted sliding between the cover plates and the adjacent sections of the interconnection plate due to the presence of the 5 rebates while the longitudinal keyed connections between the sections of the interconnection plate and the two cover plates ensure that they are maintained in lateral alignment. The depth of the rebates in the external surfaces of the two cover plates is such that the 10 external surface of the cover plate is substantially flush with the external surface of the adjacent section of the interconnection plate. It is also preferred that the surface finish of the adjacent section of the interconnection plate corresponds to that of the associated cover plate; in the examples shown the cover plate of the deck joint is formed with a grooved finish which is matched by the adjacent section of the interconnection plate. Although as 15 shown in Figures 3 to 6, the two sections 30a, 30b of the interconnection plate meet at a sharp angled corner, the junction between the two sections can be of radiused form as shown in Figure 2; the shape and configuration of that radiused connection can be matched to that of shapes of coving available for covering the intersection between the floor and wall slabs beyond the expansion joints. 20 The interconnection plate particularly described spans and shields from the outside the substantial part of the open area formed at the intersection of the two expansion joints. The interconnection plate is robust and easily cleaned in pathogen-sensitive areas.