US20090266022A1

US20090266022A1 - Indoor/outdoor interlocking deck tile device

Info

Publication number: US20090266022A1
Application number: US12/150,469
Authority: US
Inventors: Ling Chen Lin
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2008-04-28
Filing date: 2008-04-28
Publication date: 2009-10-29

Abstract

A deck tile device includes a base support member having one or more barrels each having a hub extended upwardly from a bottom wall and spaced from the barrel for forming an annular space between the barrel and the hub and having one or more slots formed in the hub for forming one or more spring blade, and one or more deck tile members each having one or more stems for engaging with the bores of the hubs and for coupling the deck tile members to the base support member, and the stem includes an enlarged head for engaging with the hub and for easily and quickly securing the deck tile members to the base support member without additional fasteners and tools.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an indoor/outdoor interlocking deck tile device, and more particularly to an indoor/outdoor deck tile device including a number deck tile members that may be easily and quickly assembled together or secured to a base support member to form various kinds of shapes or patterns without additional fasteners and tools.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Typical indoor/outdoor deck tile devices comprise a non-absorbent tile member having a non-slip bottom surface and a channeled bottom surface and a plurality of drain holes through the pad to permit water to drain through the pad to the channels in the bottom surface of the pad and into the drain of the deck.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,512,044 to Clark discloses one of the typical shower and bath mats or deck tile devices comprising a mat member also having a number of drain holes formed through the pad for allowing the water to drain through the pad and then to flow into the shower or bath drain.
However, the single deck tile member may not be changed to different shapes or patterns, and may not be assembled or secured to the other deck tile members.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,014,779 to Lindholm discloses another typical shower and bath mat or deck tile device also comprising a single mat member having a number of suction cups provided in the bottom surface for solidly engaging or anchoring to the floor, and having a number of nodules extended upwardly from the upper portion of the mat member for anti-slipping purposes.
However, similarly, the single deck tile member may not be changed to different shapes or patterns, and may not be assembled or secured to the other deck tile members.
The present invention has arisen to mitigate and/or obviate the afore-described disadvantages of the conventional decks.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The primary objective of the present invention is to provide an indoor/outdoor interlocking deck tile device including a number of deck tile members that may be easily and quickly assembled together or secured to a base support member to form various kinds of shapes or patterns without additional fasteners and tools.
In accordance with one aspect of the invention, there is provided a deck tile device comprising a base support member including at least one barrel having a hub extended upwardly from a bottom wall and spaced from the barrel for forming an annular space between the barrel and the hub and for forming a bore in the hub, and including at least one slot formed in the hub for forming at least one spring blade in the hub, and at least one deck tile member including at least one stem extended therefrom for engaging with the bore of the hub and for coupling the deck tile member to the base support member, and the stem including an enlarged head for engaging with the hub and for securing the deck tile member to the base support member without additional fasteners and tools.
The deck tile member includes at least one fin extended from the stem of the deck tile member for engaging with the slot of the hub and for positioning the spring blade of the hub and for preventing the spring blade from being moved.
The barrel includes a narrower neck portion formed in the hub for forming a peripheral shoulder in the hub and for engaging with the enlarged head of the stem and for anchoring the deck tile member to the base support member.
The hub includes an inclined peripheral surface formed in an upper portion of the hub for engaging with the enlarged head of the stem and for guiding the enlarged head of the stem into the bore of the hub.
One or more side members are further provided for securing to the base support member, the side members each include at least one protrusion extended therefrom and having a peg extended from the protrusion for engaging with the base support member and for anchoring or latching or securing the side member to the base support member.
The base support member includes at least one positioning hole formed therein for engaging with the protrusion of the side member. The side member includes an ear extended from one side portion thereof and having a pin extended from the ear for engaging with a second side member and for coupling the side member and the second side member together.
One or more corner members may further be provided for engaging with the pin of the side member and for securing the corner members to the side member. The corner member includes a flap extended from one side portion thereof and having a shank extended from the flap for engaging with the side member and for securing to the side member.
The base support member includes at least one pin extended therefrom for engaging with a second base support member and for coupling the base support member and the second base support member together.
The second base support member includes at least one stud extended therefrom and having an orifice formed in the stud for engaging with the pin of the base support member and for securing the base support members together.
The base support member includes a number of longitudinal ribs and a number of lateral ribs coupled together for forming a number of joint portions, the barrel is attached to one of the joint portions of the base support member.
The base support member includes at least one passage formed in one of the longitudinal ribs, and/or the base support member includes at least one passage formed in one of the lateral ribs for water draining purposes. The deck tile member includes a number of grooves and a number of beams formed therein for anti-slipping purposes.
Further objectives and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from a careful reading of the detailed description provided hereinbelow, with appropriate reference to the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a partial exploded view of the indoor/outdoor interlocking deck tile device in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a top plan schematic view of the indoor/outdoor interlocking deck tile device;

FIG. 3 is another top plan schematic view of the indoor/outdoor interlocking deck tile device having the side strips removed;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged partial exploded view of indoor/outdoor interlocking deck tile device;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged partial cross sectional view of the indoor/outdoor interlocking deck tile device as shown in FIG. 4;

FIGS. 6, 7, 8 are partial cross sectional views illustrating the assembling operation of the indoor/outdoor interlocking deck tile device;

FIGS. 9, 10, 11 are partial cross sectional views taken along lines 9-9, 10-10, and 11-11 of FIG. 2 respectively;

FIG. 12 is a partial cross sectional view illustrating the dissembling operation of the indoor/outdoor interlocking deck tile device;

FIG. 13 is a top plan schematic view similar to FIG. 3 illustrating the other arrangement of the indoor/outdoor interlocking deck tile device

FIG. 14 is a partial exploded view of indoor/outdoor interlocking deck tile device as shown in FIG. 13;

FIG. 15 is a partial cross sectional view taken along lines 15-15 of FIG. 13;

FIG. 16 is a further top plan schematic view similar to FIGS. 3 and 13 illustrating the further arrangement of the indoor/outdoor interlocking deck tile device;

FIG. 17 is a still further top plan schematic view similar to FIGS. 3, 13 and 16 illustrating the still further arrangement of the indoor/outdoor interlocking deck tile device; and

FIGS. 18, 19, 20 are still further top plan schematic views similar to FIGS. 3, 13 and 16-17 illustrating the still further arrangement of the indoor/outdoor interlocking deck tile device.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring to the drawings, and initially to FIGS. 1-3, an indoor/outdoor interlocking deck tile device in accordance with the present invention comprises a base support member 10 including a number of longitudinal ribs 11 and a number of lateral ribs 12 that are coupled together and that may be tilted or inclined relative to each other or that may be perpendicular to each other for forming a number of intersecting or joint portions 13, one or more deck tile members 40 to be supported and secured on top of the base support member 10 and to be arranged to various shapes or patterns, one or more side members 60 to be arranged and attached or secured to the side portions of the base support member 10, and one or more corner members 70 to be arranged and attached to the corner areas or portions of the base support member 10 and secured to the base support member 10 and/or the side members 60 respectively.
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 4-6, the base support member 10 includes a number of drain passages 14 formed through one or more of the ribs 11, 12 for water draining purposes, and includes one or more positioning holes 15 formed in one or more of the joint portions 13 of the base support member 10 for positioning or anchoring the deck tile members 40 to the base support member 10, and includes one or more extensions or studs 16 laterally and outwardly extended therefrom and each having an orifice 17 formed therein, such as formed in two of the side portions of the base support member 10 for attaching or securing to the other base support members 10, and includes one or more pins 18 extended downwardly therefrom for engaging with the orifices 17 of the studs 16 and for coupling or securing two or more of the base support members 10 together (FIG. 12).
The base support member 10 further includes one or more barrels 20 attached or secured to one or more of the joint portions 13 of the base support member 10, the barrels 20 each include a hub 21 extended upwardly from a bottom wall 22 and spaced from the barrel 20 for forming an annular space 23 between the barrel 20 and the hub 21 and for forming a bore 24 in the hub 21, and each include a diameter-reduced or narrower neck portion 25 formed in the upper portion of the respective hub 21 for forming an annular or peripheral shoulder 26 in the middle portion of the respective hub 21, and each include a tilted or inclined peripheral surface 27 formed in the upper portion of the respective hub 21, and each include one or more (such as two) slots 28 (FIG. 4) formed in the respective hub 21 for forming one or more spring blades 29 in each of the respective hubs 21.
The deck tile members 40 each include one or more pins 41 extended downwardly therefrom for engaging with the positioning holes 15 of the base support member 10 (FIGS. 6-8) and for anchoring or positioning the deck tile members 40 to the base support member 10, and each include one or more stems 42 also extended downwardly therefrom for engaging with the bores 24 of the respective hubs 21 and for coupling or securing the deck tile members 40 to the base support member 10, and the stems 42 each include an enlarged head 43 for being forced to engage with the tilted or inclined peripheral surface 27 of the hub 21, and to engage through the narrower neck portion 25 of the hub 21 and for engaging with the peripheral shoulder 26 of the hub 21 and thus for easily and quickly and solidly securing or anchoring the deck tile members 40 to the base support member 10.
The formation or the provision of the tilted or inclined peripheral surface 27 and/or the slots 28 and/or the spring blades 29 of the hub 21 allows the enlarged head 43 of the stem 42 to be easily and quickly engaged through the narrower neck portion 25 of the hub 21 and to be easily and quickly engaged with the peripheral shoulder 26 of the hub 21 without additional fasteners and/or tools. The formation or the provision of the annular space 23 between the barrel 20 and the hub 21 allows the spring blades 29 of the hub 21 to be suitably tilted or inclined outwardly. It is preferable, but not necessarily that the deck tile members 40 each include one or more fins 44 extended outwardly from the stem 42 of the deck tile members 40 for engaging with the slots 28 of the respective hubs 21 after the enlarged head 43 of the stem 42 has been engaged through the narrower neck portion 25 of the hub 21, and for positioning the spring blades 29 of the hub 21.
As shown in FIGS. 1, 6-8, and 12, the deck tile members 40 each further include one or more notches or depressions 45 formed therein for increasing the resilience of the deck tile members 40 and for allowing the deck tile members 40 to be slightly bent or deformed and thus for allowing the deck tile members 40 to be suitably pried and separated or disengaged from the base support member 10 by a prying tool 80 (FIG. 12). As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, after two or more of the base support members 10 have been coupled or secured together, the deck tile members 40 on the respective base support members 10 may be arranged in different directions from each other for forming various kinds of shapes or patterns. Alternatively, as shown in FIGS. 18-20, the deck tile members 40 may be formed into the other shapes or contours, such as the trapezoidal shape 401, the triangular shape 402, or the like.
As shown in FIGS. 1, and 9-11, the side members 60 each may include one or more protrusions 61 laterally and outwardly extended from the back portion thereof and each having a peg 62 extended upwardly from the respective protrusion 61 for engaging with the orifices 17 of the studs 16 of the base support members 10 and/or for engaging with the positioning holes 15 of the base support member 10 (FIG. 9) and thus for anchoring or positioning the side members 60 to the base support member 10, and each side member 60 may include an ear 63 laterally and outwardly extended from one side portion thereof and each having a pin 64 extended upwardly from the respective ear 63 for engaging with the cavities 65 of the other side members 60 (FIG. 10) and for coupling two or more side members 60 together.
The corner members 70 each also include a flap 71 laterally and outwardly extended from one side portion thereof and each having a shank 72 extended upwardly from the respective flap 71 for engaging with the cavities 65 of the other side members 60 (FIG. 11) and for coupling the corner members 70 to the side members 60, and each may include an aperture 73 formed therein (FIG. 1) for receiving or engaging with the pin 64 of the ear 63 of the side members 60 and for coupling or securing the corner members 70 to the side members 60 and thus to the deck tile members 40, and thus for forming the indoor/outdoor interlocking deck tile device as shown in FIG. 2. It is to be noted that the drain passages 14 of the base support members 10 are preferably arranged or located between the deck tile members 40 for water draining purposes. The deck tile members 40 each may include one or more grooves 46 and one or more beams 47 formed in the upper portion thereof for anti-slipping purposes.
As shown in FIGS. 13-15, some of the deck tile members 40 each may further include one or more notches 48 formed therein for receiving or engaging with the other corner members 50, and each include one or more openings 49 formed therein and communicating with the notches 48 of the deck tile members 40, and the corner members 50 each include one or more projections or latches 51 extended downwardly therefrom for engaging with the openings 49 of the deck tile members 40 and for securing the corner members 50 to the deck tile members 40. The deck tile members 40 each further include a channel 52 formed therein and communicating with each of the notches 48 of the deck tile members 40 (FIGS. 14, 15), and the corner members 50 each include one or more compartments 53 formed therein for aligning or communicating with the channel 52 of the deck tile members 40 and for water draining purposes.
Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 16, the deck tile members 403 and the corner members 501 may be formed into the other shapes or contours, such as the arrow-head shaped structure or the like for such as decorative purposes. Further alternatively, as shown in FIG. 17, the deck tile members 403 and the base support members 10 may also be formed into the other shapes or contours, such as the tilted or inclined or cubical-shaped structure or the like for such as decorative purposes.
Accordingly, the indoor/outdoor interlocking deck tile device in accordance with the present invention includes a number of deck tile members that may be easily and quickly assembled together or secured to the base support member to form various kinds of shapes or patterns without additional fasteners and tools.
Although this invention has been described with a certain degree of particularity, it is to be understood that the present disclosure has been made by way of example only and that numerous changes in the detailed construction and the combination and arrangement of parts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as hereinafter claimed.

Claims

1. A deck tile device comprising:

a base support member including at least one barrel having a hub extended upwardly from a bottom wall and spaced from said at least one barrel for forming an annular space between said at least one barrel and said hub and for forming a bore in said hub, and including at least one slot formed in said hub for forming at least one spring blade in said hub, and

at least one deck tile member including at least one stem extended therefrom for engaging with said bore of said hub and for coupling said at least one deck tile member to said base support member, and said at least one stem including an enlarged head for engaging with said hub and for securing said at least one deck tile member to said base support member.

2. The deck tile device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said at least one deck tile member includes at least one fin extended from said at least one stem of said at least one deck tile member for engaging with said at least one slot of said hub and for positioning said at least one spring blade of said hub.

3. The deck tile device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said at least one barrel includes a narrower neck portion formed in said hub for forming a peripheral shoulder in said hub and for engaging with said enlarged head of said at least one stem and for anchoring said at least one deck tile member to said base support member.

4. The deck tile device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said hub includes an inclined peripheral surface formed in an upper portion of said hub for engaging with said enlarged head of said at least one stem.

5. The deck tile device as claimed in claim 1 further comprising at least one side member for securing to said base support member.

6. The deck tile device as claimed in claim 5, wherein said at least one side member includes at least one protrusion extended therefrom and having a peg extended from said at least one protrusion for engaging with said base support member and for anchoring said at least one side member to said base support member.

7. The deck tile device as claimed in claim 6, wherein said base support member includes at least one positioning hole formed therein for engaging with said at least one protrusion of said at least one side member.

8. The deck tile device as claimed in claim 5, wherein said at least one side member includes an ear extended from one side portion thereof and having a pin extended from said ear for engaging with a second side member and for coupling said at least one side member and said second side member together.

9. The deck tile device as claimed in claim 8 further comprising at least one corner member for engaging with said pin of said at least one side member and for securing to said at least one side member.

10. The deck tile device as claimed in claim 9, wherein said at least one corner member includes a flap extended from one side portion thereof and having a shank extended from said flap for engaging with said at least one side member and for securing to said at least one side member.

11. The deck tile device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said base support member includes at least one pin extended therefrom for engaging with a second base support member and for coupling said base support member and said second base support member together.

12. The deck tile device as claimed in claim 11, wherein said second base support member includes at least one stud extended therefrom and having an orifice formed in said at least one stud for engaging with said at least one pin of said base support member.

13. The deck tile device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said base support member includes a plurality of longitudinal ribs and a plurality of lateral ribs coupled together for forming a plurality of joint portions, said at least one barrel is attached to one of said joint portions of said base support member.

14. The deck tile device as claimed in claim 13, wherein said base support member includes at least one passage formed in one of said longitudinal ribs.

15. The deck tile device as claimed in claim 13, wherein said base support member includes at least one passage formed in one of said lateral ribs.

16. The deck tile device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said at least one deck tile member includes a plurality of grooves and a plurality of beams formed therein for anti-slipping purposes.