US1334222A - Interlocked flooring - Google Patents

Description

J. D. BUTLER.

INTERLOCKED FLOORING.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. 2S. 191B.

2 SHEEIShSHEET 2.

A TTHNEYS JACOB ID. BUTLER, 0F NORTHAMPTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

INTERLOCKED FLOORING.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 16, 1920.

Application led ecember 23, 1918. Serial No. 267,971.

To all whom 'it may concern:

Be it known that I, JACOB D. BUTLER, a citizen. of the United States, and a resident of Northampton,` in the county of Hampshire and State of Massachusetts, have invented a new and Improved Interlocked Flooring, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This `invention relates to carpentry and has particular reference to flooring of the block, mosaic, or parquet type.

.Among the objects of the invention is t0 provide a high class parquet iooring that may be made and laid at much less expense for material and labor than analogous floorings now being laid..

Another object of the invention is to provide flooring material made in uniform blocks or sections from small bits or scraps of material which commonly `are discarded or wasted.

Another object of the invention is to provide a. sectional flooring that may belaid rapidly and with exactitude by anyone even an unskilled workman.

A still further object of the invention is to provide interlocking iiooring so designed and constructed as to enable a fioor to be laid on any ordinary level surface, such as a bed of concrete, without requiring nails or other hardware for holding or locking the parts or sections thereof in place.

'With the foregoing and other objects in view the invention consists in the arrangement and combination of parts hereinafter described and claimed7 and while the invention is not restricted. to the exact details of construction disclosed or suggested herein, still for the purpose of illustratingv a practical embodiirnent thereof reference is had to the accompanying drawings, in which like reference characters designate the same parts in the several views and in which-- Figure 1 is a fragmentary plan View showing a partially laid floor 1n accordance with my inventlon.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged detail plan view,`

partly in horizontal section showing more particularly the interlocking action of the several blocks.

Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional detail on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a broken longitudinal section on the line 44 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 5 is vertical sectional detail aprrormatey on ,the .line 5:5 ef Fis. 2,1m@

prior to the final adjusted position and showing especially the two'diferent forms of grooves and the relation of the dovetailed tongue thereto.

Figs 6 and 7 are respectively front and rear perspective views of the uniform blocks; and

Fig. 8 is a fragmentary detail View indieating the manner in which a block is put into place.

For the purpose of the present illustrations and description it may be assumed that each of the standard blocks as a face area of exactly four by eight inches and with tongues projecting from one end and one side a quarter of an inch requiring that the block from which the finished block is made must be four and a quarter by eight and a quarter inches. Also the half length blocks must have a surface area of four by four with the original length or width of four and one quarter inches. I have found in my practice that the thickness of the finished block should be thirteen sixteenths of an inch. I wish it to be distinctly understood, however,` that while I have found the foregoing dimensions as entirely suitable for rapid and satisfactory work, any other suitable forms or dimensions within the scope of my invention may be utilized. y

Referring now more specifically to the illustrations each standard block indicated as a whole at l0,of perfectly rectangular form, is provided along one end which may be regarded in this description as the left hand end with a groove 11 rectangular in. cross section and having a depth of a quar ter of an inch to receive the strong unbroken tongue 12 rojected therein from the next adjacent endwise disposed block, the length of which tongue is one quarter of an inch. Along the front side or edge 13 of the block are formed three dovetailed tongues 14:, 15 and 16, the first having its `than the length of the tongue 15. The rear side or edge 17 of the block is defined by a vdimensions above indicated.

plane perpendicular to the smooth finishedV Vtise is .another dovetailed groove. one at 9:2

merging into the end groove 11, and the other at 23 leading directly through the rear end of the end tongue 12. These dovetailed grooves 21, 22, and 23 are all in perfect 'alinement with one another along the longitudinal center of the rear edge 1T. lt will be appreciated from the foregoing description that' any tongue of a blocl: has in the same block itsA counterpart, the tongue 12 being opposite the groove 11, and the tongues 14;, 15, and 16 being opposite the grooves 22, 21, and 23 respectively whereby in the assemblage of the blocks any groove will receive the counterpart tongue of the adjacent block andsueh twoV features will .exactly fit each other.

In Ythe practice of this invention after the fioor support is laid Whether it be of concrete or other material, the first operation of the Workman is to scribe the floor in Which operation he calculates the nearest true rectangle which includes multiples of eight inches inlength and multiples of four inches in width, using for illustration the The surplus floor space over this calculated Vrectangle is Y*filled b means of scribinff strips 24 and Q5 fitted against the end and rear Wall respectively of the room. These strips are provided respectively with tongues 12l and 15a,

,corresponding respectively ivith the tongues 12 Vand. 1510f the blocks.

`'."Ifhe strips 251 and 25 having been fitted and locked'in place against'the left end and rear Wall by any suitable means in permanent position, the Workof 'laying the blocks 10 Yis ready to proceed which may be done any Workman skilled or unskilled` and no mistakeor fault can 'be made or result in yso doing. The'irstY block 10in the rear left end corner is placed With its rear edge 17' directly against the strip 25 with its inortises 20 receiving the tongues 15n of the strip. rlhe block is then shoved or driven by Ya hammer 0r mallet to the left bringing the strip tongue 12a into. theend groove 11 of ,theV block. The next block 10 Vmay then be l putY place in a similar manner against l, the stripi and forced tothe left making interloc ng engagement with the strip tongues and the tongue 12 of the first laid block. The half blocks or fillers 10L are constructed with counterpart tongues and grooves which correspond precisely with the tongues and grooves of the standard or inaster blocks 10 .for the obvious purpose of making a complete floor as shown in Fig. l. the several blocks of the floor br aiking joints in a well-known manner.

The purpose of the mortises 2O will no\v be appreciated in that through them the edge tongues 14, 15, and 16 of any longitudinal series or combination of blocks will be received casi-ly without forcing into such mortises. For example as shown in Fig. 8 one mortise 2O receives the adjacent tongues 16 and 1li, and the other niortise 2O receives the tongue 15 of the saine block that has the tongue 14 just mentioned. The block being set at this time is then moved to the left to interlock with the end tongue 12 at the left and to bring` the tongue .15 at the lel't into the groove 22 and the contiguous tongues l1- and 16 into the central groove 21, and so on. The rounded ends of the niortises Q0 facilitate the mating together of these interlocking counterpart tongues and grooves. lhe interlocking features, however, are so constructed that they possess a fairlyv snug or moderate driving fit.

I Wish to call at this time particular attention to the combined tongues 15.). and 1i; at one corner of the block. rlhrough this feature of construction the interlocking blocks poss ss wonderful strength and holding poiver and thereby there is no possibility for any roughness or uneveness of the floor to result either at the time it is laid or at any subsequent time.

Thilo I have practised this invention extensively and satisfactorily, laying the blocks on. concrete or other fouiulatirms Without the use of nails or other hardware, except for the scribing strips, it is obvious that nails may be used if desired if the sub-Hoor is suitable, and for this purpose'I manufacture the blocks with nail holes 26 through which nails may be driven if desired. After all the blocks are laid as above described, finishing scribing strips having grooves to receive the exposed tongues along the right hand end and 'front edge vof the flooring are set into place and fastened by any suitable means and thereby it is impossible for any portion of the floor passage 19a. Besides providing for the use- Ell ful air space the blocks more readily adapt themselves automatically to any slight roughness that may exist in the floor sup port. The strength or necessary stiffness oi. the floor, however, is not materially impaired. by this reduction in thickness oi? the central part of each block.

While I rei-'er specifically herein to interlocked flooring it is to be distinctly understood that my interlocking blocks as structural units may be employed in various other relations, and hence I do not propose to be limited unnecessarily in the scope of the claims to any specific art in the practice of the invention.

I claim:

l. The herein described floor block having straight ends and edges, one end having an unbroken tongue, While the other end has a groove adapted to receive a tongue of the endivise adjacent block, the front edge of the block having a plurality of spaced dovetailed tongues, one of the tongues constituting an integral extension of the aforesaid end tongue, and the rear edge of the block being provided with dovetailed grooves that are the counterpart of the front edge tongues and between the dovetailed grooves said rear edge is provided With a plurality of mortises the cross section of which is larger than the cross section of the tongues and grooves.

2, "file herein described floor block having straight ends and edges, one end having an unbroken tongue, While the other end has a groove adapted to receive a tongue of the endvvise adjacent block, the front edge of the block having a plurality of spaced dovetailed tongues, one of the tongues constituting an integral extension of the aforesaid end tongue, Aand the rear edge of the block being provided With dovetailed grooves that are the counterpart of the front edge tongues, one of Which grooves is midway oi the length of said block, and between the 1f dovetailed grooves said rear edge is provided With a plurality of mortises the cross section of which is larger than the cross seotion of the tongues and grooves.

3. The herein described floor block having straight ends and edges, one end having an unbroken tongue, While the other end has a groove adapted to receive a tongue of the endWise adjacent block, the front edge of the blockhaving a plurality of spaced dovetailed tongues, one or' the tongues constituting an integral extension of the aforesaid end tongue, and the rea-1' edge of the block being provided with dovetailed grooves that are the counterpart. of the 4trent edge tongues and between the dovetailed grooves said rear edge is provided with a plurality of `mortises the cross section of Which larger than the cross section of the tongues and grooves, said mortises having rounded ends.

4. The herein described interlocking block for a building unit, the same having a smooth iiat upper surface and straight parallel edges, one oi the edges of the block being provided with a pair of spaced mortises on opposite sides ofthe center of the edge, the mortises having rounded ends and otherwise `Hat bounding Walls, the same edge having a plurality of alined dovetailed grooves leading from the ends of the inortises, and the opposite edge of the block hav ing a plurality of dovetailed tongues constituting the counterparts of the dovetailed grooves.

JACOB D. BUTLER.

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