Granted Patent B2

US 8,336,278 · App. 12/717,856 · Granted Dec 25, 2012

Abstract

Claims (55)

1. A method for forming a structural paver deck assembly comprising:

fastening one or more structural decking panels across a frame structure, the one or more structural decking panels include longitudinal panel edges, more than one of the structural decking panels of the one or more structural decking panels including at least one of panel recesses and panel projections on an upper decking panel surface, wherein the at least one of panel recesses or panel projections are between the longitudinal panel edges, and the panel projections on the upper decking panel surface include at least one paver rail, and the at least one paver rail extends in one or more of a width or length of the structural decking panel;

seating a paving decking surface over the one or more of structural decking panels including snap fitting a plurality of paver pieces along the one or more structural decking panels, the plurality of paver pieces including at least one of paver projections or paver recesses, where at least one of the panel projections are received within the paver recesses or the paver projections are received in the panel recesses, wherein the paver recesses of one or more paver pieces of the plurality of paver pieces include tapered rail recesses receiving the at least one paver rail, the tapered rail recesses taper toward a paver lower surface and the at least one paver rail includes a corresponding rail taper, the one or more paver pieces are slidably coupled along the at least one paver rail, and the tapered rail recesses and the rail taper laterally lock the one or more paver pieces on the paver rail, and the one or more structural decking panels are configured to support the weight of the paving decking surface.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein fastening one or more structural decking panels across the frame structure includes fastening the one or more structural decking panels directly to a frame structure of headers and stringers.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising concealing fasteners on the upper decking panel surface with the plurality of paver pieces.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein fastening the one or more structural decking panels across the frame structure includes forming gaps between the one or more structural decking panels at one or more of panel ends and panel sides, and

seating the paving decking surface over the one or more structural decking panels includes concealing the gaps.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein concealing the gaps between structural decking panels includes coupling at least one of the plurality of paver pieces across the structural decking panels.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein seating the paving surface over the one or more structural decking panels to form a paver decking surface includes seating a plurality of paver pieces resistant to ultraviolet light over the one or more structural decking panels including composite material decking panels to protect the composite material decking panels from ultraviolet light.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein seating the paving surface over the one or more structural decking panels to form a paver decking surface includes slidably coupling the one or more of the paver projections and paver recesses of the plurality of paver pieces on one or more of the panel recesses and panel projections of the structural decking panels.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein seating the paving surface over the one or more structural decking panels to form the paver decking surface includes:

sliding a first paver piece into a first position on at least one structural decking panel, and

sliding a second paver piece into a second position on the at least one structural decking panel, and the second paver piece is immediately adjacent to the first paver piece.

9. The method of claim 1 further comprising engaging one or more of the plurality of paver pieces with flanges extending around at least a portion of the frame structure, and retaining the plurality of paver pieces on the upper panel surface with the flanges.

10. A method for forming a structural paver deck assembly comprising:

positioning a plurality of structural decking panels across a bare frame structure, one or more of the decking panels includes an upper panel surface, the upper panel surface on the one or more structural decking panels forms a non-planar contoured decking panel surface, and one or more structural decking panels include at least one paver rail on the non-planar contoured decking panel surface, and the at least one paver rail extends in one or more of a width or length of the structural decking panel;

fastening the plurality of decking panels with the bare frame structure; and

seating a paver decking surface over the plurality of structural decking panels including:

positioning a plurality of paver pieces on at least one of the plurality of structural decking panels including rotatably snap fitting the paver pieces to the non-planar contoured decking panel surface,

aligning the plurality of paver pieces in at least one specified direction, wherein one or more of the paver pieces includes paver contour surfaces along a paver lower surface having a corresponding shape to the non-planar contoured decking panel surface, and interfitting engagement of the paver contour surfaces with the non-planar contoured decking panel surface orients the one or more paver pieces in the at least one specified direction, wherein one or more paver pieces of the plurality of paver pieces include tapered rail recesses receiving the at least one paver rail, the tapered rail recesses tapering toward the paver lower surface and the at least one paver rail includes a corresponding rail taper, and the one or more paver pieces are slidably coupled along the at least one paver rail, and

interlocking and fixing the plurality of paver pieces against displacement relative to each other and the structural decking panels according to the interfitting engagement of the paver pieces to the non-planar contoured decking panel surface, the tapered rail recesses and the rail taper laterally lock the paver plurality of papers pieces on the paver rail.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein positioning the plurality of structural decking panels across the frame structure includes positioning one or more structural decking panels having a paver rail, and the non-planar contoured decking panel surface includes the paver rail.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein positioning the plurality of paver pieces on at least one of the plurality of structural decking panels includes slidably engaging the paver pieces with the paver rail, where the paver pieces include a rail recess configured to receive the paver rail.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein aligning the plurality of paver pieces in at least one specified direction includes aligning the rail recesses of the paver pieces with the paver rail.

14. The method of claim 12 , wherein slidably engaging the paver pieces with the paver rail includes slidably anchoring the paver pieces on the paver rail, and constraining lateral movement of the paver pieces away from structural decking panel including the paver rail.

15. The method of claim 10 further comprising coupling a paver rail to one or more of the structural decking panels to form the non-planar contoured decking panel surface.

16. A structural deck assembly comprising:

one or more structural decking panels configured for fastening across a frame structure, the one or more of the structural decking panels include at least one of panel recesses and panel projections on an upper decking panel surface, and the at least one of panel recesses or panel projections are between longitudinal panel edges of the structural decking panels; and

a paving surface coupled with the one or more structural decking panels to form a paver decking surface, the paving surface includes a plurality of paver pieces, one or more of the paver pieces including:

paver recesses having a snap fit feature sized and shaped for snap fitting with the structural decking panels, the paver recesses are configured to receive the panel projections, and the snap fit feature includes an L-shaped paver recess and the structural decking panels include sa correspondingly shaped panel projection, and

the one or more structural decking panels are configured to support the weight of the paving decking surface.

17. The structural deck assembly of claim 16 , wherein the structural decking panels are fastened directly to a frame structure of headers and stringers.

18. The structural deck assembly of claim 16 , wherein the paving surface conceals fasteners on the upper decking panel surface.

19. The structural deck assembly of claim 16 , wherein the one or more structural decking panels includes a plurality of structural decking panels fastened to the bare frame structure with gaps between the structural decking panels at one or more of the panel ends and panel sides, and the paving surface conceals the gaps.

20. The structural deck assembly of claim 16 , wherein one or more of the plurality of paver pieces extends over the gaps.

21. The structural deck assembly of claim 16 , wherein the one or more structural decking panels include composite material decking panels, and the plurality of paver pieces are resistant to ultraviolet light and protect the composite material decking panels from ultraviolet light where the paver decking surface extends over the one or more structural decking panels.

22. The structural deck assembly of claim 16 , wherein one or more of the paver projections and paver recesses of the plurality of paver pieces are slidably coupled along one or more of the panel recesses and the panel projections of the structural decking panels.

23. The structural deck assembly of claim 16 further comprising a flange extending around at least a portion of the upper decking panel surface.

24. The structural deck assembly of claim 16 further comprising:

a plurality of fasteners configured to fasten the one or more structural decking panels with the frame structure, the fasteners are configured to extend through one or more of the one or more structural decking panels and are visible on the upper decking panel surface when extending through the structural decking panels; and

wherein the plurality of paver pieces are configured to conceal the plurality of fasteners when coupled with the structural decking panels.

25. A structural paver deck assembly comprising:

a one or more structural decking panels coupled across a frame structure, one or more of the structural decking panels includes an upper panel surface, the upper panel surface forms a non-planar contoured decking panel surface, and one or more structural decking panels include at least one paver rail on the non-planar contoured decking panel surface, and the at least one paver rail extends in one or more of a width or length of the structural decking panel; and

a paving surface coupled over the one or more structural decking panels including:

a plurality of paver pieces each including non-planar paver contour surfaces on paver bottoms interfit and complementary to the non-planar contoured decking panel surface, wherein one or more paver pieces of the plurality of paver pieces include tapered rail recesses receiving the at least one paver rail, the tapered rail recesses taper toward a paver lower surface and the paver rail includes a corresponding rail taper, and the one or more paver pieces are slidably coupled along the at least one paver rail, whereby the non-planar paver contour surfaces and contoured decking panel surface permit the orientation of a first set of paver pieces of the plurality of paver pieces in a first specified direction according to the interfitting, and further permit the orientation of a second set of paver pieces of the plurality of paver pieces in a second specified direction different from the first specified direction according to the interfitting,

wherein interfitting of the non-planar paver contour surfaces on the paver bottoms to the non-planar contoured decking panel interlocks and fixes the first and second sets of the paver pieces both in the respective first and second specified directions and against displacement relative to each other and the one or more structural decking panels, the tapered rail recesses and the rail taper laterally lock the plurality of paver pieces on the paver rail.

26. The structural paver deck assembly of claim 25 , wherein the non-planar contoured decking panel surface is formed by the at least one paver rail and the remainder of the contoured decking panel surface is recessed relative to the at least one paver rail.

27. The structural paver deck assembly of claim 25 , wherein the paver rail is coupled with the one or more structural decking panels.

28. The structural paver deck assembly of claim 25 , wherein a first structural decking panel includes a first paver rail a second structural decking panel includes a second paver rail, and a first paver piece is slidably coupled along the first paver rail and a second paver piece is slidably coupled along the second paver rail.

29. The structural paver deck assembly of claim 28 , wherein the first paver rail and the second paver rail extend in the same direction.

30. The method of claim 1 , wherein fastening one or more structural decking panels includes fastening one or more structural decking panels including at least one of panel recesses and panel projections that are integral to the structural decking panel.

31. The method of claim 16 , wherein the at least one of panel recesses or panel projections are integral to the one or more structural decking panels.

32. The structural paver deck assembly of claim 25 , wherein the non-planar paver contour surfaces include at least one of paver projections and paver recesses along the paver bottoms.

33. The structural paver deck assembly of claim 32 , wherein at least one of the paver projections and paver recesses are sized and shaped to interfit with the non-planar contoured decking panel surface and orient the plurality of paver pieces in only the first and second specified directions.

34. The structural paver deck assembly of claim 32 , wherein the non-planar paver contour surfaces include snap fitting features configured for snap fitting with corresponding features included with the non-planar contoured decking panel surface.

Assignments (15)