Multi-panel activity floor with fixed hinge connections

A portable multi-panel floor assembly capable of being disassembled into a plurality of rectilinear floor panels and reassembled into a unitized continuous performance floor structure;

• the assembly comprising:
• first and second floor panels having respective end edges abutting one another in edge-to-edge alignment in an assembled position;
• and
• a pivot bracket set comprising a first bracket member secured to the first panel and a pivot pin fixed to the first bracket member, the pivot pin defining a fixed pivot axis;
• the pivot bracket set additionally comprising a second bracket member secured to the second panel and an opening disposed in the second bracket member, the opening axially and removably receiving the pivot pin;
• the pivot of the first bracket member being defined by an upwardly extending pivot pin;
• the opening of the second bracket member being defined by a socket, the socket being adapted to receive the pivot pin to define the pivot axis;
• the first and second bracket members having laterally extending shoulders that interface with one another to form a stop that operatively aligns the panels with one another;
• and
• each of said floor panels including a plurality of spaced apart stringers, an underlayment secured to said stringers and an upper floor surface secured to said underlayment.

A portable multi-panel floor assembly capable of being disassembled into a plurality of rectilinear floor panels and reassembled into a unitized performance floor, the assembly comprising:

• first and second numbers of floor panels, each being formed with an underlayment having upper and lower surfaces, each of said panels having a plurality of finishing strips of wood secured in a side-by-side manner to said upper surface of said underlayment so that they extend in a predetermined direction, a first number of said strips extending a predetermined distance across said underlayment, a second number of strips interposed between said first strips and extending beyond the ends of said first strips and cooperating therewith to form spaced finger joints for each of said panels;
• a first hinge secured to said underlayment of each panel of said first number of panels and having an upwardly extending pivot disposed at one corner of each panel of said first number of panels,
• a second hinge secured to said underlayment of each panel of said second number of panels and having a socket receiving said pivot disposed at one corner of each of said second number of panels, said pivots removably fit into said sockets and pivotally connecting said first and second panels to one another, the hinges configured to allow the first and second panels to be disassembled by swinging pivotally connected pairs of the panels away from each other on respective fixed pivot axes to an initial interconnected position from respective installed positions in which said finger joints of said strips of said first and second panels interlock with each other with minimized frictional contact therebetween and said strips of said panels cooperate to form a continuous finish surface of said performance floor, then disconnecting the panels by axially separating the pin from the opening the hinges additionally configured to allow the panels to be assembled by moving the panels to their respective initial positions then pivoting the panels to their respective installed positions.

A portable multi-panel floor assembly capable of being disassembled into a plurality of rectilinear floor panels and reassembled into a unitized structure;

• the assembly comprising:
• a plurality of panels having end edges adapted to abut one another in longitudinally adjacent edge-to-edge alignment;
• a pivot bracket set releasably and pivotally connecting said longitudinally adjacent ones of said floor panels to one another,
• each said bracket set comprising a first bracket member secured to one of said longitudinally adjacent panels having a coupling post defining a fixed, generally vertical pivot axis adjacent a corner of said one panel, and
• each bracket set comprising a second bracket member secured to another of the panels that is disposed longitudinally adjacent the one panel, the second bracket member having a fixed recess adjacent a corner of said other panel, the recess operatively receiving said post of said one panel and thereby connecting said other panel pivotally to said one panel for rotation about said fixed axis between an initial position in which the panels are swung apart from one another and an assembled position in which said panels abut one another in edge-to-edge alignment and cooperate to form a continuous performance floor.

A method of constructing a portable, multi-section activity floor system, comprising:

• preparing a plurality of individual floor panels having opposite side edges and opposite end edges and corners adapted to be assembled in adjacent edge-to-edge relationship to provide a continuous portable, activity surface;
• mounting a first bracket member to one of said panels to be assembled adjacent a corner thereof having a base and a generally vertical mounting post extending from said base to a free end in laterally spaced relation to said one panel;
• mounting a second complimentary bracket member to another of said panels adjacent a corner thereof having a base and a recess sized to accommodate said mounting post therein;
• positioning one of the panels to be assembled on a generally horizontal planar support surface;
• positioning the other of the panels to be assembled on the support surface and extending the mounting post of the first bracket into the recess of the second bracket to establish a pivot connection between the two panels to be joined;
• and
• relatively rotating the panels about the axis of the mounting post to bring adjacent end edges of the panels into abutting relationship with one another.