EP1306485B1

EP1306485B1 - Modular removable supports for pavements

Info

Publication number: EP1306485B1
Application number: EP20010125110
Authority: EP
Inventors: Andrea Prati
Original assignee: PRATI GROUP SpA
Current assignee: PRATI GROUP SpA
Priority date: 2001-10-23
Filing date: 2001-10-23
Publication date: 2007-12-19
Anticipated expiration: 2021-10-23
Also published as: ES2295097T3; EP1306485A1; DE60131976D1; DE60131976T2; ATE381640T1

Abstract

A removable modular support for pavements comprises a base (1) having a reticular or alveolar structure (2) provided with complementary hooking male/female peripheral means (3,4), a plurality of lower spacing feet (11) and load distribution strips (12). Said modular supports can be restrained into each other in multiple plane assemblies, for an easy and rapid formation of water- and humidity-draining removable pavements to be applied also on not perfectly flat bottoms. <IMAGE>

Description

Field of the invention

The present invention relates to a removable modular support for pavements.
More particularly, the present invention relates to a removable modular support for outside and/or inside environments, suitable to be laid on any type of bottoms, also not perfectly flat and/or in environments particularly exposed to humidity, rain and/or frequent washing.

Prior art

As is known, the present pavements for outside environments such as courts, sidewalks, terraces and the like, or for environments particularly exposed to humidity, rain and/or frequent washing, such as sports-environments, arcades, laboratories, swimming pools, showers, gardens, outdoor fixtures, and the like, may be realized with monolithic systems, such as tamped cement, Venetian tamped floor, or asphalt, or they can be realized with modular elements, such as pressed cement tiles, bricks, cobblestones from cement, gres, quartzite, granite, and the like.
Pavements can also be obtained from ceramic materials, synthetic resins, rubber, porcelain or glass-tessellated mosaic, and the like.
All these pavements, while satisfying the functions for which they are intended, are not devoid of drawbacks.
One such drawback lies in that the raw material, the laying and the specialized personnel necessary for the laying is very expensive. Besides, the so laid works are fixed and without any possibility of variation, and if wear, settlements, breaking, fractures due to natural calamities, cracks and the like should take place, the costs for demolition, rubble transportation and replacements, are as much expensive.
A removable modular support for pavements having the features according to the preamble of claim 1 is known from WO 99/36 638A . Further US-A-5 006 011 discloses a removable base whereon finishing planes are tied, said base having:

a reticular or alveolar configuration and being provided with connection means with corresponding and complementary means for connecting to other like supports, arranged along the peripheral sides,
lower spacing feet, and
bearing and load distributing end strips.

Summary of the invention

The object of the present invention is to provide a modular support for removable pavements suitable for the laying of any bottoms, also not perfectly flat. A further object of the present invention is to provide a modular support for removable pavements suitable for environments particularly exposed to humidity, rain and/or frequent washing, whose laying does not require specialized personnel, and that is not expensive and easily removable in case of wear, breaking, fractures, cracks and the like.
According to the present invention, these and still other objects, which will become clearer thanks to the following description are achieved by the features in the characterizing part of claim 1.
The modular supports of the present invention are connected with each other by means of a restraining coupling of their complementary peripheral hooking means, according to the various mutual matching orientation and their plane geometric configuration.
The hooking and restraining means, preferably of the male/female type, are preferably distributed in a sequential or alternating manner along the peripheral sides of the reticular or alveolar bases, according to the assembly of the modular supports whose position may be either aligned or staggered.
Flat finishing means of various type, such as for instance continuous or stave finishing planes may be fastened on the upper surface of each reticular or alveolar base of the modular support of the present invention.
The alveolar or reticular structure of the base ensures the rapid and natural draining of humidity and water.
Preferably, the modular support of the present invention is obtained by molding or injection of cheap materials, such as for instance plastic material which may be even a recycled material.
The spacing feet that extend downward circumscribe an open lower zone, with partial bearing and load distribution strips.
The modular supports of the present invention allow the formation of removable pavements suitable to be laid on any type of bottom, even if not perfectly flat, such as avenues, or flower-bed edges, gazebos on meadows, swimming pool edges, showers, playing-fields, sports-environments, outdoor and indoor fixture.
The advantages achieved with the modular supports of the present invention lie essentially in that they can be realized with cheap materials and are very economical. The reticular or alveolar structure of the modular support bases allows an easy, rapid and natural humidity and/or water drainage, which also the adoption of finishing planes with stave-configurations add to.
The spacing feet create lower outlets for aeration and rapid water drain, and the strips allow an easy laying of the pavements, with a distribution of the loads. Pavement laying takes place in an rapid, easy and economical manner and, just in the same way, there can be performed also partly or total demolition interventions in case of wear, breaking of some units, settlements and/or breaking in the bearing underlying parts.
A further advantage lies in that the pavements realized with the modular supports of the present invention do not require peripheral containment curbs, as the supports are self-tying with each other, so that the artifacts behave as if they were ground-tied unique planes.

Brief description of drawings

The constructive and functional characteristics of the present invention will be better understood thanks to the following description wherein reference is made to the attached drawings, and wherein:

Figure 1 shows a schematic view of a partial section of two modular supports being coupled,
Figure 2 shows the same schematic view of Figure 1 with the two modular supports already coupled,
Figure 3 shows the cross-section of a load distribution strip,
Figure 4 shows the schematic plan view and the schematic side views of an example of realization of a support having a quadrangular configuration, and
Figures 5a, 5b, 5c, 5d show the schematic views from the top down of examples of possible compositions of square supports, with the upper finishing planes made from parallel staves.

Figures 1 and 2 do not show an embodiment of the invention, but are usefull for understanding the invention.

Description of preferred embodiments

With reference to the figures, each removable modular support for pavements of the present invention is substantially constituted of a base (1) having a reticular or alveolar configuration (2). Male (3) and female (4) hooking means either alternating or sequential are arranged along the peripheral (5) sides of the bases. Said hooking means can be restrainingly coupled in a simple and rapid manner with the complementary female (4) and male (3) hooking means of other equal modular supports. The hooking means allow the hooking of said supports with each other, according to the mutual approaching orientation, possibly also staggered, according to their plane geometric configuration. Figure 4 shows the various possible manners for the coupling of square supports. On the upper surface (6) of each support a finishing plane (7) is tied to, which may be obtained in one only piece or with several staves for each support.
The choice of the finishing planes (7) with parallel staves, either smooth or embossed, while being not limiting, is preferred, as the interspaces (8) that create between the coupled staves facilitate the passage of water and/or humidity, which discharge afterwards through the reticulations or the alveoles (2). However, the possibility is not excluded of adopting integral finishing planes, as the discharge of water and/or humidity takes place also through interspaces (9) that are constituted by the peripheral zone of the restrained coupling of the complementary hooking means (3, 4), arranged in such a way as to protrude with respect to the overall dimensions of said finishing planes. The choice of the configuration type may depend on the specific application of the pavement. For the same reasons, staves (7) are realized from wood, rubber, plastic, synthetic resin or other suitable material, and tied to bases (1) by means of screws (10), glues, restraining, or the like. The adoption of the solution with staves (7) on square supports as are represented in the figures, besides the aforesaid advantages, is particularly preferred as it realizes a "tile" flexible in the direction opposite to the orientation of the finishing staves, adapting thereby better to soils or meadows or any bottom that is not perfectly flat, such as for instance pavements for gardens, flower-bed edges, gazebos on meadows and the like. It is however evident that the above refers to specific solutions reported by way of examples, and that therefore the square layout extension of the supports is non limiting. A rectangular extension or and extension of any other polygonal shape may be equally effective, in relation with the complementary coupling modularity of the male (3) and female (4) hooking means arranged along the peripheral sides either in a sequential or an alternating manner, for the assembly of the supports with an aligned or a staggered arrangement. In the same way and according to the particulars and/or specific applications of the pavements, the finishing planes may be also realized with materials other than the previously indicated ones, such as ceramic tiles from stone, granite, and the like.
From the lower part and in the inside of the peripheral edge (2) along which the male (3) and female (4) complementary hooking means are located, there extend downwards spacing feet (11) and strips (12).
Said spacing feet (11) and strips (12') together with bottoms (13, 14) of said hooking means (3, 4) constitute stabilizing means for the bases (1) and unified bearing means for an equal distribution of loads, suitable to ensure a correct laying of the supports on any type of ground with an equal distribution of loads, and to prevent said supports from adhering to the ground, especially when the ground is a meadow, sand, incoherent soil, and the like. Spacing feet (11) have also the function of creating aeration and water rapid drain lower outlets.
Figures 1 and 2 do not show an embodiment of the invention, since the strips (12) are integral with the support. According to the present invention, the strips (12') are tied to the bottom of spacers (11') by means of integral pins (17) that fits in the central holes (16) of said spacers (Fig. 3). In any case, strips (12, 12') may be more or less extended and variously distributed in the angle, central or checkered zones of the supports (1).
The positioning of pavements comprising the supports of the present invention can be made on simple water-tight floors on concrete floor roughs, gravel and sand block, concrete block, existing pavements, soil, meadow, and so on.
As has been stressed, the assembly of the modular supports of the present invention can be realized in a simple, rapid and economical manner by whomever, without any problems, without the presence of experts and without a particular equipment; in the same way there can be carried out the dismounting, stacking and storing for a possible later reassembly, even on a different place.
The supports are suitable for the realization of pavements for balconies, terraces, edges, gazebo floors, sheds and pergolas, working spaces, exhibitions and zones for special events, markets, laboratories, paths, and the like.
Although the invention has been described in conjunction with specific embodiments, offered for illustrative purpose only, it is evident that many alternatives and variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art in the light of the foregoing description.
Accordingly, the Invention encompasses all of the alternatives and variations that fall within the scope of the appended claims.

Claims

A removable modular support for pavements comprising a base (1) adapted for supporting finishing planes (7), said base (1) having a reticular or alveolar configuration (2) and being provided with:
a) restraining hooking means (3,4) with corresponding and complementary forms for hooking to other like supports, arranged along the peripheral sides (5) of the base (1),

b) lower spacing feet (11),and

c) bearing and load distributing end strips (12');
characterized in that the bearing and load distributing end strips (12') are provided with pins or pegs (17) and are associatable to the base (1) by means of said pins or pegs (17) that restrainingly engage in complementary holes (16) obtained in spacers (11') of the base (1); said bearing and load distributing end strips (12') being more or less extended and variously distributed in angular, central and chequered zones of the support.
The modular support according to claim 1, characterized in that it has a square layout extension.
The modular support according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the spacing feet (11) and the bearing and load supporting end strips (12') together with bottoms (13, 14) of said hooking means (3, 4) constitute the stabilizing and bearing means for an equal distribution of loads and laying.
The modular support according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the spacing feet (11) together with the bearing and load supporting end strips (12') and the base (1) constitute lower aeration and rapid water discharge outlets (15).
The modular support according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that it is made from recycled plastic material.
Combination of a removable modular support according to any of the preceding claims and finishing planes (7) tied to said support, characterized in that the peripheral hooking means (3,4) are protruding with respect to the finishing planes (7) and constitute interspaces (9) for draining rain water and/or humidity.
The combination according to claim 6, characterized in that the finishing planes (7) are adjoining parallel staves forming with each other interspaces (8) for draining rain water and/or humidity.
The combination according to claim 6 or 7, characterized in that the finishing planes (7) are realized from wood, rubber, plastic material, synthetic resin, ceramic, stone or granite and are tied to the base (1) by means of screws (10), glues or fitting.