Deck plank
AssigneeCrane Plastics Company Limited Partnership
InventorsA. Anthony Groh, Philip H. Stobart
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A deck plank comprising a substantially flat top surface made preferably from a wood replacement material having a first edge and a second edge, and may also have a tongue attached to the first edge and a groove attached to the second edge, the tongue and the groove each extending in a plane below the top surface downward from the top, the tongue being adapted to fit with a groove of an adjacent plank. The tongue and the groove are shaped so that a space is maintained between a portion of the tongue and a portion of the groove of the adjacent plank when the tongue is placed adjacent to the groove of the adjacent plank. A number of the deck planks can be used to make a deck.
Claims29
A deck plank comprising:
- a substantially flat top surface having a first edge and a second edge;
- a tongue attached to the first edge, the tongue having an expansion gap and an angled portion of a first angle;
- a groove attached to the second edge, the groove having an angled portion of a second angles the tongue being adapted to fit with a groove of an adjacent plank;
- and
- at least two support legs extending from said top surface forming at least one open area beneath said top surface;
- wherein said plank is extruded from a wood replacement material;
- and
- wherein the first angle is sufficiently different from the second angle so that a space is maintained between the first angle and the second angle when the tongue is fit with the groove of the adjacent plank.
A deck plank comprising:
- a substantially flat top surface made from a wood replacement material having a first edge and a second edge;
- a tongue attached to the first edge, the tongue having an expansion gap, the tongue extending in a plane below the top surface, the tongue having a first portion and an angled portion of a first angle;
- and
- a groove attached to the second edge, the groove extending in a plane below the top surface, the groove having a first portion and an angled portion of a second angle, the tongue being adapted to fit with a groove of an adjacent plank;
- wherein the first angle is sufficiently different from the second angle so that a space is maintained between the first angle and the second angle when the first portion of the tongue is placed adjacent to the first portion of the groove of the adjacent plank.
A deck comprising:
- a support;
- and
- at least a first and a second deck plank made from a wood replacement material and attached to the support, each of the deck planks comprising:
- a substantially flat top surface made from a wood replacement material having a first edge, a second edge, and an open area beneath said top surface;
- a tongue attached to the first edge, the tongue having an expansion gap, the tongue extending in a plane below the top surface the tongue having an angled portion of a first angle;
- and
- a groove attached to the second edge, the groove extending in a plane below the top surface, the groove having an angled portion of a second angle, the tongue of the first deck plank positioned in the groove of the second deck plank;
- wherein the first angle is sufficiently different from the second angle so that a space is maintained between the first angle and the second angle.
A method of making a deck comprising:
- providing a support structure;
- providing a first and a second deck plank, each including a substantially flat top surface made from a wood replacement material having a first edge, a second edge, and an open area beneath said top surface, a tongue being attached to the first edge, the tongue having an expansion gap and an angled portion of a first angle, a groove being attached to the second edge, the groove having an angled portion of a second angle, the tongue being adapted to fit with a groove of an adjacent plank;
- attaching said first deck plank to the support structure;
- and
- attaching said second deck plank to said support structure adjacent said first deck plank;
- wherein the tongue of the first deck plank is adjacent to the groove of the second deck plank, and the first angle is sufficiently different from the second angle so that a space is maintained between the first angle and the second angle.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.