Support device for a raised floor, particularly for outdoor use

Abstract

Support device for a raised floor, particularly for outdoor use, with a support base (2) on a plane below the raised floor to be constructed, with an externally threaded screw (4.4') that can be screwed into a corresponding internally threaded portion (5) of said base (2), with an extension element (12.12') and with a head (6.6') configured to support components (34.58.58') of said floor and that can be connected to said screw (4.4') or, alternatively, to the extension element, which is in turn connected to said screw (4.4'), characterised in that: - said screw (4,4') is provided at the top with an annular closing disk (48,48') having in its central part a cylindrical central body (50) protruding upwards, from which at least one radial appendage (52) departs in a substantially horizontal direction , - said extension element (12,12') comprises an external cylindrical wall (16), an internal cylindrical wall (18) coaxial with said external wall (16) and an upper annular wall (20,20') connecting said external and internal walls (16,18), said extension element (12,12') being configured at the bottom for bayonet engagement with the cylindrical central body (50) of said screw (4,4') and comprising, similarly to said screw (4,4'), a cylindrical tubular body (30) protruding upwards from said annular wall (20) and from which at least one radial appendage (32) departs in a substantially horizontal direction, - said head (6,6') has a central opening (38) substantially complementary to the protruding portion of the cylindrical central body (30,50) of said extension element (12,12') or of said screw (4,4') for bayonet engagement with the one or the other.

Description

FIELD OF TECHNOLOGY

[0001] The present invention concerns a support device for a raised floor, particularly for outdoor use.STATE OF THE ART

[0002] Raised floors are well-known, particularly for outdoor use, and are often used to create a floor with different types of finishing, raised above an underlying support surface and separated from it by an interspace often used for the drainage of rainwater and also for the passage of pipes and systems of various kinds.

[0003] These well-known raised floors are made by placing a plurality of support devices on the support surface and then placing on these, in a traditional manner, the tiles or support profiles for the floor planks to be formed or other types of structures.

[0004] Known support devices generally comprise a base element, or more simply a base, to be placed on the surface of the support plane, a threaded sleeve, or more simply a "screw," to be screwed into a threaded cylindrical cavity in the support base, and a head that can be removably secured to the upper end of the screw and is designed to support or secure the component elements, depending on the type of raised floor being created. The screw adjusts the height of the head relative to the base of the support device in order to create a horizontal floor.

[0005] EP 3425134 describes one of these well-known support devices, which however is rather complex to manufacture and requires rather laborious adjustment during installation.

[0006] EP 4249703 describes another of these well-known support devices, which is made up of a smaller number of components and is therefore simpler to manufacture and also allows for easier adjustment even in particular situations, in which the reduced distance between the head of the support device and its support base would not allow the installer to make easy adjustments.

[0007] Despite these advantages that the EP 4249703 support device offers compared to previous devices, there are situations, related to the specific technical sector, in which this device also presents limitations. In practice, the situations that the installer must face when creating a raised floor are quite diverse, and in particular the height of the raised floor from the underlying support surface can vary from a few centimeters to a few dozen centimeters. For this reason, the known support devices are generally produced in multiple versions, each configured to cover a predetermined range of performance and, in particular, heights of the head from the base of the device. Thanks to these different versions, the installer can equip himself with those deemed most suitable, based on the project, for the particular raised floor to be created and can then make the necessary adjustments on site to achieve the desired height and the necessary horizontality of the floor.

[0008] However, it often happens that the actual situation that the installer finds on the construction site presents deviations from the project and that although the support devices have been chosen for that particular type of work and also have a certain adjustment range, this range is not sufficient and in particular does not allow the head of the support device to be brought to the height actually required for the creation of that floor, not even at the upper end of the screw adjustment range.

[0009] This obviously requires the replacement of the support devices with others with different characteristics and performance, with organizational and logistical complications, delays in work execution and additional costs.

[0010] To eliminate this inconvenience, the use of extensions has already been proposed, which constitute additional components of the support device, to be placed between the head and its adjustment screw, so as to move upwards the upper end of the adjustment range that the device itself is able to cover.

[0011] A well-known type of extension consists of a simple internally threaded sleeve, which connects the externally threaded screw belonging to the supporting device with a second externally threaded screw, onto which the head of the supporting device can then be mounted.

[0012] This well-known extension is simple in itself but requires two additional components that not only do not ensure the necessary stability of the support device but also do not ensure that a reliable connection between the various parts is maintained during adjustment. Indeed, they often lead to uncontrolled and unwanted disengagement during adjustment between the threaded elements that ensure the adjustable connection between the head and the base of the device.

[0013] To prevent this disengagement, a different type of extension has also been proposed, consisting of a piece to be placed between the screw and the head of the support device and to be interlocked between them. This is a simple solution that requires only one piece, but it doesn't always ensure the necessary stability of the constraint, and if subjected to an unbalanced load, it can disengage from the components to which it is constrained.

[0014] Furthermore, all known extensions are configured to be applied only to the supporting devices for which they were designed, and could not be applied to different supporting devices, and in particular to the supporting device according to EP 4249703, which has proven to be more advantageous than previously known supporting devices.

[0015] AU 2021101806 describes a raised floor support with a base resting on a surface beneath the raised floor to be constructed, with an externally threaded screw that can be screwed into a corresponding internally threaded portion of the base, with an extension element and with a flatness adjuster to support floor components and to be secured to the screw or, alternatively, to the extension element, which in turn is secured to the screw. This solution does not prevent accidental separation of the support components when adjusting the height of the head.PURPOSES OF THE INVENTION

[0016] The aim of the invention is to overcome the drawbacks present in the state of the art and to propose a support device that is based on the principles already defined in EP 4249703, but which also includes a particular extension element and which can be used in all those cases in which the adjustment range of the device without the extension is not sufficient based on the actual situation that the installer is faced with.

[0017] Another aim of the invention is to propose a support device that can be used both with and without the extension element.

[0018] Another aim of the invention is to propose a support device which, when used with the extension element, can be equipped with both a head which is free to rotate with respect to the underlying extension element and a head which is prevented from rotating with respect to it and can be used in particular in cases where the adjustment screw is not easily accessible to the installer.

[0019] Another aim of the invention is to propose a support device that can be used to create raised floors with tiles or planks and which requires for these different uses only the change of the head of the device itself.

[0020] Another aim of the invention is to propose a support device that, in the case of raised floors with tiles, can be used both to support internal tiles and to support perimeter and corner tiles.

[0021] Another aim of the invention is to propose a support device in which the accidental separation of the components during adjustment of the head height is prevented.

[0022] Another aim of the invention is to propose a support device that can be equipped to create perfectly horizontal raised floors even if the underlying support surface is not.SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0023] All these aims and others that will result from the following description are achieved according to the invention with a support device for a raised floor, particularly for outdoor use, as defined in claim 1.DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

[0024] The present invention is further clarified below in some of its preferred forms of practical embodiment reported for purely illustrative and non-limiting purpose with reference to the attached tables of drawings, in which: figure 1shows in perspective view, for reference, a support device according to the prior patent EP 4249703, figure 2shows in the same perspective view a support device according to the invention, figure 3shows it in the same partially exploded perspective view, with the head separated from the extension, figure 4shows a vertical section of the device of fig. 2, figure 5shows a perspective view of the device according to the invention without head and with the extension separated from the screw, which instead is constrained to the base of the device itself and like the screw is configured to receive a fixed head, figure 6shows it in the same view as fig. 5 but with the screw and extension configured to receive an oscillating head, figure 7shows the extension alone in perspective view from below, figure 8shows a plan view of the device according to the invention with two tiles placed on it, figure 9shows the device of fig. 6 with the self-leveling head separated from the extension, figure 10shows a perspective view from below and on a larger scale of its self-leveling head only, figure 11shows in the same view as fig. 9 the support device according to the invention in a different embodiment, which prevents rotations of the head with respect to the underlying extension, to which it must be coupled, figure 12shows a schematic horizontal section seen from above of only the central part of the extension in this different embodiment, figure 13shows it in the same view as fig. 2 but in this different embodiment and with a different head configured to accommodate a support profile of a different raised floor with slats, figure 14shows it in the same view as fig. 13 with the head snapping into place on the profile supporting the slats, figure 15shows it in the same view as fig. 14 but with a different head configured to engage the slat support profile with screws, and figure 16shows in a view similar to the view of fig. 11 a support device according to the invention with two extensions placed between the base and the head of the device itself. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION AND OF SOME PREFERRED FORMS OF EMBODIMENT

[0025] As can be seen from the figures, the support device according to the invention can be considered an advantageous implementation of the support device according to EP 4249703, which is hereby incorporated by reference and which comprises a support device with a base 2 that rests on an underlying structure (not shown) on which the raised floor is to be constructed. The support device has a screw 4, which can be screwed into an internally threaded cylindrical collar 5, obtained in the base 2, and a head 6, which can be removably secured to the screw 4 and is configured to support elements of the raised floor to be constructed.

[0026] While the support device according to EP 4249703 (fig. 1) provides that its head 6 is applied directly to the screw 4, the device according to the invention integrates that device with the presence of an extension element 12 or, more briefly, an extension 12, which in the lower part can be applied, with a coupling and rotation maneuver, and therefore with a constraint defined as "bayonet", to the underlying screw 4, and in the upper part is arranged for its constraint by coupling and rotation to the head 6.

[0027] The base 2 comprises a preferably circular plate for placing on the surface, on which the raised floor is to be built, and a cylindrical collar 5, internally threaded, made as a single body with the base plate and also joined to it with a plurality of radial partitions 14, which ensure substantial non-deformability of the entire base 2. The internal thread of the collar 5 is complementary to the external thread of the screw 4, which in this way allows their engagement and with their mutual rotation allows the axial adjustment of the screw 4 with respect to the base 2.

[0028] The extension 12 (fig. 7) comprises an external cylindrical wall 16 with a diameter preferably equal to or close to that of the screw 4, so as to create a substantial surface continuity between the two when these are coupled together, and also comprises an internal cylindrical wall 18, connected to the external cylindrical wall 16 by radial ribs 19 and by an upper annular wall 20.

[0029] The external wall 16 can be advantageously equipped with a plurality of external ribs parallel to the axis of the wall itself, to facilitate the grip by the installer when the extension 12 and the screw 4 coupled together need to be rotated, as will be seen better later.

[0030] The internal cylindrical wall 18 of the extension 12 is preferably closed at the bottom by a flat disk 22, in which a circular opening 24 is obtained extending into radial branches 26, which in the example illustrated are four, but which could also be in a different number, as will be seen better later.

[0031] From the internal cylindrical wall 18 of the extension 12, four radial ribs 28 (fig. 12) branch out inwards, connecting the wall itself to a central tubular body 30, which has at its upper end four radial appendages 32 arranged at 90° to each other.

[0032] Fig. 3 shows an extension 12 intended to receive a fixed head 6: the upper annular wall 20 of the extension 12 is flat and the end of the central tubular body 30 extends above the flat annular wall 20 to such an extent that the four horizontal appendages 32, which branch off radially from it, are completely above the annular wall 20 itself.

[0033] The head 6, which is intended to couple with the extension 12 and to support a floor made of square or rectangular tiles 34, consists of a flat disk, which in the central part shows a depression, in which a circular opening 38 is obtained with four radial branches 40 arranged at 90° to each other and having a shape and dimensions globally complementary to the shape and dimensions of the radial appendages 32 of the central tubular body 30 of the extension 12, so that these radial appendages 32 can be inserted within the radial branches 40 of the opening 38 and that with the subsequent rotation of the extension 12 they engage the head 6 in a bayonet fashion.

[0034] From the flat annular upper surface of the head 6, four raised sections or spacers 42 protrude upwards. These spacers 42 are arranged on two orthogonal planes and preferably joined to the annular surface of the head 6 along easy-break lines, allowing for easy removal of the spacer 42 if it is not intended for use. In fact, if the support device according to the invention is placed within the perimeter of the floor to be formed, four tiles 34 are provided to rest on it at respective corner portions, and each spacer 42, together with an adjacent spacer, constitutes a positioning element for the corner portion of a tile 34, and with its thickness defines the width of the joint that must be created between tiles. For perimeter tiles, however, i.e. for the tiles that form the edge of the floor, heads 6 with only three spacers 42 must be used, i.e., heads in which one spacer must be removed. For corner tiles, heads 6 with only two adjacent spacers 42 must be used, in which case the other two spacers must be removed. In all cases, however, the removal of unused spacers 42 is facilitated by their attachment to head 6 along the easy-break lines.

[0035] The invention also includes a different type of extension 12', designed to receive a self-leveling head 6' (fig. 9). In this case, the annular upper wall 20' of the extension 12' is not flat but is affected by an annular relief 44, the convex surface of which is constituted by a segment of spherical surface, which leaves a free space in the center that surrounds, as in the previous embodiment, the protruding upper end of the central tubular body 30 with the four radial appendages 32 protruding horizontally outward.

[0036] The self-leveling head 6' to be used with this extension 12' for supporting square or rectangular tiles 34 has an upper part similar to that of a flat head 6, while the lower part has a concave portion 46 (fig. 10), complementary to the convex annular relief 44 present in the upper annular wall 20' closing the extension 12'. This provides an adjustable or articulated support for the head 6' on the extension 12'.

[0037] The central part of the self-levelling head 6' is also similar to that of the fixed head 6, previously described, in the sense that it is configured for the bayonet engagement of the upper end of the central tubular body 30 of the extension 12', affected by the horizontal radial appendages 32.

[0038] The same bayonet connection methods for the 6.6' head to the 12,12' extension can be advantageously used to connect both the 12,12' extension to the underlying 4,4' screw and the 6,6' head directly to the 4,4' screw. For this purpose, two different types of 4,4' screw are provided, and more specifically a 4 screw with a flat annular locking disc 48 (fig. 5) or a 4' screw with a 48' locking disc featuring a convex annular relief 44' (fig. 6).

[0039] In both cases, however, from the central portion of the annular closing disk 48,48' of the screw 4,4' a tubular body 50 extends upwards, similar to the tubular body 30 of the extension 12,12' and provided, like the latter, with four radial appendages 52 for its engagement by insertion and rotation in the opening 24 of the extension 12,12' similarly to the engagement of the extension 12 with the head 6. In turn, the lower opening of the tubular body 50 can be advantageously closed at the bottom by a circular wall 54 (fig. 4), in which a notch 56 can be advantageously obtained which can be engaged by a suitable tool introduced from above and which can be operated in rotation to cause the rotation of the screw 4,4' and possibly of the extension 12,12' if coupled to it, to adjust the height of the head 6,6'.

[0040] Regardless of the type of screw 4.4' and extension 12,12' depending on the different type of head 6,6', it should be reiterated that the two fixed heads 6 and self-levelling heads 6' now described have four spacers 42 arranged at 90° to each other, since the head 6,6' is designed to support square or rectangular tiles 34, but the invention also provides heads for supporting tiles having different shapes, for example regular hexagonal shapes, and in this case each head will be equipped with three spacers arranged at 120° to each other.

[0041] It should also be reiterated that the system now illustrated for the coupling and rotation constraint of the head 6,6' to the extension 12,12', as well as the system for constraining the extension 12,12' to the screw 4.4', uses four horizontal radial appendages 32, but the invention should not be considered limited to this number, as theoretically a single radial appendage would be sufficient, even if reasons of safety and stability of the constraint suggest using at least two appendages.

[0042] Similarly to what is envisaged in the device according to the previous patent EP 4249703, in cases where it is not possible or in any case difficult to adjust the height of the head 6,6 ' by acting directly on the screw 4,4' with a tool that engages from above the notch 56 provided in the circular wall 54 closing the lower part of its tubular body 50, the invention provides for the possibility of carrying out the adjustment of the height of the head 6,6' by directly causing the rotation of the base 2 and at the same time preventing the screw 4,4' from rotating.

[0043] To prevent these rotations of the screw 4,4' when the base 2 is rotated, it is necessary to block the rotations of the head 6,6' with respect to the extension 12,12' and the rotations of the extension 12,12' with respect to the screw 4,4'. This can be advantageously achieved by realizing the coupling between the head 6,6' and the extension 12,12' and the coupling between the extension 12,12' and the screw 4,4' similarly to that described in EP 4249703.

[0044] More specifically, as regards the coupling between the head 6,6' and the extension 12,12', it can be advantageously envisaged that in the depressed annular band that delimits the central opening 38 of the head 6,6', on both sides of each radial branch 40 of the opening itself, i.e. of each passage branch of a radial appendage 32 of the tubular body 30 of the extension 12,12', two teeth 60 are provided, having an inclined ramp facing the radial branch 40 and the opposite side substantially vertical.

[0045] In this way, if the appendages 32 have a certain flexural elasticity on the vertical plane, the rotation of the central tubular body 30, from which they depart, causes them to slide along the inclined ramp of one of the two teeth 60 associated with each radial branch 40, the consequent upward bending of the appendage 32 and the subsequent snap-back to its initial configuration, upon passing the end of the inclined ramp. The vertical flank of each tooth 60 then prevents the rotation of the central tubular body 30 in the opposite direction and therefore prevents any possibility of rotation of the head 6,6' with respect to the extension 12,12'.

[0046] The same coupling methods can advantageously be adopted between the extension 12,12' and the screw 4,4'. In this case, the two reliefs 60 are positioned on both sides of each radial branch 26 of the circular opening 24 obtained in the annular disk 22 closing the lower part of the internal wall 18 of the extension 12,12'. In this way, the bayonet connection between the extension 12,12' and the screw 4,4' prevents any disengagement between the two, due to the impediment to their mutual rotation in opposite directions.

[0047] Since the internal cylindrical wall 18 of the extension 12,12' is joined to the tubular body 30 of the same by the radial ribs 28, only one tooth 60 can be provided in correspondence with each radial branch 26, given that the function of limiting the rotation of the extension 12,12' with respect to the screw 4,4' in one of the two directions can be performed by one of the radial ribs 28. In this case, however, the rotation of the extension 12,12' with respect to the screw 4,4' after the bayonet engagement phase can only occur in one direction and not in both directions. Fig. 12 shows a schematic horizontal section of an extension 12 of the type just described.

[0048] What has now been described in relation to the coupling methods between the head 6,6' and the screw 4.4', between the head 6.6' and the extension 12.12' and between the extension 12.12' and the screw 4.4' also applies to the coupling between overlapping extensions 12,12' without the need for further explanation.

[0049] All the embodiments illustrated now use support heads 6,6' intended for the construction of raised floors with tiles 34. However, if the support is intended for the construction of a raised floor with a beam substructure and a slatted finish, the head 6 is different and is of the type illustrated in figures 13 and 14 and already described in EP 4249703. Also in this case the head 6,6' can be fixed or self-levelling and that is, it can be flat underneath or have a concave portion 46 depending on whether the upper end of the screw 4,4' or the extension 12,12 ' is configured to engage with a fixed head 6 or with a self-levelling head 6'. The upper part of the head of one or the other type can also be affected by reliefs 36 for the bilateral snap-on engagement of a profile 58 to support and constrain the slats (fig. 14), or it can be affected by a relief 39 for the unilateral fixing of a profile 58' by means of screws 62 (fig. 15).

[0050] In order to standardize production and at the same time have a wide range of adjustment, the invention can advantageously provide for the production of extensions 12,12' of the type previously described but having a single height or at most a limited number of heights and to form the support device with multiple extensions 12,12', to be connected to each other based on the overall height that the support device must have for the particular work to be performed. The lower extension 12,12' is connected to the screw 4,4', while the head 6,6' is connected to the upper extension 12,12' which can be configured to constrain tiles 34 or slat support profiles 58,58'.

[0051] Fig. 16 shows a perspective view of a support device with two identical, overlapping 12' extensions, designed for tiling. The extensions and the head that can be attached to them can be any of those described above.

Examples

Embodiment Construction

[0025]As can be seen from the figures, the support device according to the invention can be considered an advantageous implementation of the support device according to EP 4249703, which is hereby incorporated by reference and which comprises a support device with a base 2 that rests on an underlying structure (not shown) on which the raised floor is to be constructed. The support device has a screw 4, which can be screwed into an internally threaded cylindrical collar 5, obtained in the base 2, and a head 6, which can be removably secured to the screw 4 and is configured to support elements of the raised floor to be constructed.

[0026]While the support device according to EP 4249703 (fig. 1) provides that its head 6 is applied directly to the screw 4, the device according to the invention integrates that device with the presence of an extension element 12 or, more briefly, an extension 12, which in the lower part can be applied, with a coupling and rotation maneuver, and therefore w...

FIELD OF TECHNOLOGY

[0001] The present invention concerns a support device for a raised floor, particularly for outdoor use.STATE OF THE ART

[0002] Raised floors are well-known, particularly for outdoor use, and are often used to create a floor with different types of finishing, raised above an underlying support surface and separated from it by an interspace often used for the drainage of rainwater and also for the passage of pipes and systems of various kinds.

[0003] These well-known raised floors are made by placing a plurality of support devices on the support surface and then placing on these, in a traditional manner, the tiles or support profiles for the floor planks to be formed or other types of structures.

[0004] Known support devices generally comprise a base element, or more simply a base, to be placed on the surface of the support plane, a threaded sleeve, or more simply a "screw," to be screwed into a threaded cylindrical cavity in the support base, and a head that can be removably secured to the upper end of the screw and is designed to support or secure the component elements, depending on the type of raised floor being created. The screw adjusts the height of the head relative to the base of the support device in order to create a horizontal floor.

[0005] EP 3425134 describes one of these well-known support devices, which however is rather complex to manufacture and requires rather laborious adjustment during installation.

[0006] EP 4249703 describes another of these well-known support devices, which is made up of a smaller number of components and is therefore simpler to manufacture and also allows for easier adjustment even in particular situations, in which the reduced distance between the head of the support device and its support base would not allow the installer to make easy adjustments.

[0007] Despite these advantages that the EP 4249703 support device offers compared to previous devices, there are situations, related to the specific technical sector, in which this device also presents limitations. In practice, the situations that the installer must face when creating a raised floor are quite diverse, and in particular the height of the raised floor from the underlying support surface can vary from a few centimeters to a few dozen centimeters. For this reason, the known support devices are generally produced in multiple versions, each configured to cover a predetermined range of performance and, in particular, heights of the head from the base of the device. Thanks to these different versions, the installer can equip himself with those deemed most suitable, based on the project, for the particular raised floor to be created and can then make the necessary adjustments on site to achieve the desired height and the necessary horizontality of the floor.

[0008] However, it often happens that the actual situation that the installer finds on the construction site presents deviations from the project and that although the support devices have been chosen for that particular type of work and also have a certain adjustment range, this range is not sufficient and in particular does not allow the head of the support device to be brought to the height actually required for the creation of that floor, not even at the upper end of the screw adjustment range.

[0009] This obviously requires the replacement of the support devices with others with different characteristics and performance, with organizational and logistical complications, delays in work execution and additional costs.

[0010] To eliminate this inconvenience, the use of extensions has already been proposed, which constitute additional components of the support device, to be placed between the head and its adjustment screw, so as to move upwards the upper end of the adjustment range that the device itself is able to cover.

[0011] A well-known type of extension consists of a simple internally threaded sleeve, which connects the externally threaded screw belonging to the supporting device with a second externally threaded screw, onto which the head of the supporting device can then be mounted.

[0012] This well-known extension is simple in itself but requires two additional components that not only do not ensure the necessary stability of the support device but also do not ensure that a reliable connection between the various parts is maintained during adjustment. Indeed, they often lead to uncontrolled and unwanted disengagement during adjustment between the threaded elements that ensure the adjustable connection between the head and the base of the device.

[0013] To prevent this disengagement, a different type of extension has also been proposed, consisting of a piece to be placed between the screw and the head of the support device and to be interlocked between them. This is a simple solution that requires only one piece, but it doesn't always ensure the necessary stability of the constraint, and if subjected to an unbalanced load, it can disengage from the components to which it is constrained.

[0014] Furthermore, all known extensions are configured to be applied only to the supporting devices for which they were designed, and could not be applied to different supporting devices, and in particular to the supporting device according to EP 4249703, which has proven to be more advantageous than previously known supporting devices.

[0015] AU 2021101806 describes a raised floor support with a base resting on a surface beneath the raised floor to be constructed, with an externally threaded screw that can be screwed into a corresponding internally threaded portion of the base, with an extension element and with a flatness adjuster to support floor components and to be secured to the screw or, alternatively, to the extension element, which in turn is secured to the screw. This solution does not prevent accidental separation of the support components when adjusting the height of the head.PURPOSES OF THE INVENTION

[0016] The aim of the invention is to overcome the drawbacks present in the state of the art and to propose a support device that is based on the principles already defined in EP 4249703, but which also includes a particular extension element and which can be used in all those cases in which the adjustment range of the device without the extension is not sufficient based on the actual situation that the installer is faced with.

[0017] Another aim of the invention is to propose a support device that can be used both with and without the extension element.

[0018] Another aim of the invention is to propose a support device which, when used with the extension element, can be equipped with both a head which is free to rotate with respect to the underlying extension element and a head which is prevented from rotating with respect to it and can be used in particular in cases where the adjustment screw is not easily accessible to the installer.

[0019] Another aim of the invention is to propose a support device that can be used to create raised floors with tiles or planks and which requires for these different uses only the change of the head of the device itself.

[0020] Another aim of the invention is to propose a support device that, in the case of raised floors with tiles, can be used both to support internal tiles and to support perimeter and corner tiles.

[0021] Another aim of the invention is to propose a support device in which the accidental separation of the components during adjustment of the head height is prevented.

[0022] Another aim of the invention is to propose a support device that can be equipped to create perfectly horizontal raised floors even if the underlying support surface is not.SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0023] All these aims and others that will result from the following description are achieved according to the invention with a support device for a raised floor, particularly for outdoor use, as defined in claim 1.DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

[0024] The present invention is further clarified below in some of its preferred forms of practical embodiment reported for purely illustrative and non-limiting purpose with reference to the attached tables of drawings, in which: figure 1shows in perspective view, for reference, a support device according to the prior patent EP 4249703, figure 2shows in the same perspective view a support device according to the invention, figure 3shows it in the same partially exploded perspective view, with the head separated from the extension, figure 4shows a vertical section of the device of fig. 2, figure 5shows a perspective view of the device according to the invention without head and with the extension separated from the screw, which instead is constrained to the base of the device itself and like the screw is configured to receive a fixed head, figure 6shows it in the same view as fig. 5 but with the screw and extension configured to receive an oscillating head, figure 7shows the extension alone in perspective view from below, figure 8shows a plan view of the device according to the invention with two tiles placed on it, figure 9shows the device of fig. 6 with the self-leveling head separated from the extension, figure 10shows a perspective view from below and on a larger scale of its self-leveling head only, figure 11shows in the same view as fig. 9 the support device according to the invention in a different embodiment, which prevents rotations of the head with respect to the underlying extension, to which it must be coupled, figure 12shows a schematic horizontal section seen from above of only the central part of the extension in this different embodiment, figure 13shows it in the same view as fig. 2 but in this different embodiment and with a different head configured to accommodate a support profile of a different raised floor with slats, figure 14shows it in the same view as fig. 13 with the head snapping into place on the profile supporting the slats, figure 15shows it in the same view as fig. 14 but with a different head configured to engage the slat support profile with screws, and figure 16shows in a view similar to the view of fig. 11 a support device according to the invention with two extensions placed between the base and the head of the device itself. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION AND OF SOME PREFERRED FORMS OF EMBODIMENT

[0025] As can be seen from the figures, the support device according to the invention can be considered an advantageous implementation of the support device according to EP 4249703, which is hereby incorporated by reference and which comprises a support device with a base 2 that rests on an underlying structure (not shown) on which the raised floor is to be constructed. The support device has a screw 4, which can be screwed into an internally threaded cylindrical collar 5, obtained in the base 2, and a head 6, which can be removably secured to the screw 4 and is configured to support elements of the raised floor to be constructed.

[0026] While the support device according to EP 4249703 (fig. 1) provides that its head 6 is applied directly to the screw 4, the device according to the invention integrates that device with the presence of an extension element 12 or, more briefly, an extension 12, which in the lower part can be applied, with a coupling and rotation maneuver, and therefore with a constraint defined as "bayonet", to the underlying screw 4, and in the upper part is arranged for its constraint by coupling and rotation to the head 6.

[0027] The base 2 comprises a preferably circular plate for placing on the surface, on which the raised floor is to be built, and a cylindrical collar 5, internally threaded, made as a single body with the base plate and also joined to it with a plurality of radial partitions 14, which ensure substantial non-deformability of the entire base 2. The internal thread of the collar 5 is complementary to the external thread of the screw 4, which in this way allows their engagement and with their mutual rotation allows the axial adjustment of the screw 4 with respect to the base 2.

[0028] The extension 12 (fig. 7) comprises an external cylindrical wall 16 with a diameter preferably equal to or close to that of the screw 4, so as to create a substantial surface continuity between the two when these are coupled together, and also comprises an internal cylindrical wall 18, connected to the external cylindrical wall 16 by radial ribs 19 and by an upper annular wall 20.

[0029] The external wall 16 can be advantageously equipped with a plurality of external ribs parallel to the axis of the wall itself, to facilitate the grip by the installer when the extension 12 and the screw 4 coupled together need to be rotated, as will be seen better later.

[0030] The internal cylindrical wall 18 of the extension 12 is preferably closed at the bottom by a flat disk 22, in which a circular opening 24 is obtained extending into radial branches 26, which in the example illustrated are four, but which could also be in a different number, as will be seen better later.

[0031] From the internal cylindrical wall 18 of the extension 12, four radial ribs 28 (fig. 12) branch out inwards, connecting the wall itself to a central tubular body 30, which has at its upper end four radial appendages 32 arranged at 90° to each other.

[0032] Fig. 3 shows an extension 12 intended to receive a fixed head 6: the upper annular wall 20 of the extension 12 is flat and the end of the central tubular body 30 extends above the flat annular wall 20 to such an extent that the four horizontal appendages 32, which branch off radially from it, are completely above the annular wall 20 itself.

[0033] The head 6, which is intended to couple with the extension 12 and to support a floor made of square or rectangular tiles 34, consists of a flat disk, which in the central part shows a depression, in which a circular opening 38 is obtained with four radial branches 40 arranged at 90° to each other and having a shape and dimensions globally complementary to the shape and dimensions of the radial appendages 32 of the central tubular body 30 of the extension 12, so that these radial appendages 32 can be inserted within the radial branches 40 of the opening 38 and that with the subsequent rotation of the extension 12 they engage the head 6 in a bayonet fashion.

[0034] From the flat annular upper surface of the head 6, four raised sections or spacers 42 protrude upwards. These spacers 42 are arranged on two orthogonal planes and preferably joined to the annular surface of the head 6 along easy-break lines, allowing for easy removal of the spacer 42 if it is not intended for use. In fact, if the support device according to the invention is placed within the perimeter of the floor to be formed, four tiles 34 are provided to rest on it at respective corner portions, and each spacer 42, together with an adjacent spacer, constitutes a positioning element for the corner portion of a tile 34, and with its thickness defines the width of the joint that must be created between tiles. For perimeter tiles, however, i.e. for the tiles that form the edge of the floor, heads 6 with only three spacers 42 must be used, i.e., heads in which one spacer must be removed. For corner tiles, heads 6 with only two adjacent spacers 42 must be used, in which case the other two spacers must be removed. In all cases, however, the removal of unused spacers 42 is facilitated by their attachment to head 6 along the easy-break lines.

[0035] The invention also includes a different type of extension 12', designed to receive a self-leveling head 6' (fig. 9). In this case, the annular upper wall 20' of the extension 12' is not flat but is affected by an annular relief 44, the convex surface of which is constituted by a segment of spherical surface, which leaves a free space in the center that surrounds, as in the previous embodiment, the protruding upper end of the central tubular body 30 with the four radial appendages 32 protruding horizontally outward.

[0036] The self-leveling head 6' to be used with this extension 12' for supporting square or rectangular tiles 34 has an upper part similar to that of a flat head 6, while the lower part has a concave portion 46 (fig. 10), complementary to the convex annular relief 44 present in the upper annular wall 20' closing the extension 12'. This provides an adjustable or articulated support for the head 6' on the extension 12'.

[0037] The central part of the self-levelling head 6' is also similar to that of the fixed head 6, previously described, in the sense that it is configured for the bayonet engagement of the upper end of the central tubular body 30 of the extension 12', affected by the horizontal radial appendages 32.

[0038] The same bayonet connection methods for the 6.6' head to the 12,12' extension can be advantageously used to connect both the 12,12' extension to the underlying 4,4' screw and the 6,6' head directly to the 4,4' screw. For this purpose, two different types of 4,4' screw are provided, and more specifically a 4 screw with a flat annular locking disc 48 (fig. 5) or a 4' screw with a 48' locking disc featuring a convex annular relief 44' (fig. 6).

[0039] In both cases, however, from the central portion of the annular closing disk 48,48' of the screw 4,4' a tubular body 50 extends upwards, similar to the tubular body 30 of the extension 12,12' and provided, like the latter, with four radial appendages 52 for its engagement by insertion and rotation in the opening 24 of the extension 12,12' similarly to the engagement of the extension 12 with the head 6. In turn, the lower opening of the tubular body 50 can be advantageously closed at the bottom by a circular wall 54 (fig. 4), in which a notch 56 can be advantageously obtained which can be engaged by a suitable tool introduced from above and which can be operated in rotation to cause the rotation of the screw 4,4' and possibly of the extension 12,12' if coupled to it, to adjust the height of the head 6,6'.

[0040] Regardless of the type of screw 4.4' and extension 12,12' depending on the different type of head 6,6', it should be reiterated that the two fixed heads 6 and self-levelling heads 6' now described have four spacers 42 arranged at 90° to each other, since the head 6,6' is designed to support square or rectangular tiles 34, but the invention also provides heads for supporting tiles having different shapes, for example regular hexagonal shapes, and in this case each head will be equipped with three spacers arranged at 120° to each other.

[0041] It should also be reiterated that the system now illustrated for the coupling and rotation constraint of the head 6,6' to the extension 12,12', as well as the system for constraining the extension 12,12' to the screw 4.4', uses four horizontal radial appendages 32, but the invention should not be considered limited to this number, as theoretically a single radial appendage would be sufficient, even if reasons of safety and stability of the constraint suggest using at least two appendages.

[0042] Similarly to what is envisaged in the device according to the previous patent EP 4249703, in cases where it is not possible or in any case difficult to adjust the height of the head 6,6 ' by acting directly on the screw 4,4' with a tool that engages from above the notch 56 provided in the circular wall 54 closing the lower part of its tubular body 50, the invention provides for the possibility of carrying out the adjustment of the height of the head 6,6' by directly causing the rotation of the base 2 and at the same time preventing the screw 4,4' from rotating.

[0043] To prevent these rotations of the screw 4,4' when the base 2 is rotated, it is necessary to block the rotations of the head 6,6' with respect to the extension 12,12' and the rotations of the extension 12,12' with respect to the screw 4,4'. This can be advantageously achieved by realizing the coupling between the head 6,6' and the extension 12,12' and the coupling between the extension 12,12' and the screw 4,4' similarly to that described in EP 4249703.

[0044] More specifically, as regards the coupling between the head 6,6' and the extension 12,12', it can be advantageously envisaged that in the depressed annular band that delimits the central opening 38 of the head 6,6', on both sides of each radial branch 40 of the opening itself, i.e. of each passage branch of a radial appendage 32 of the tubular body 30 of the extension 12,12', two teeth 60 are provided, having an inclined ramp facing the radial branch 40 and the opposite side substantially vertical.

[0045] In this way, if the appendages 32 have a certain flexural elasticity on the vertical plane, the rotation of the central tubular body 30, from which they depart, causes them to slide along the inclined ramp of one of the two teeth 60 associated with each radial branch 40, the consequent upward bending of the appendage 32 and the subsequent snap-back to its initial configuration, upon passing the end of the inclined ramp. The vertical flank of each tooth 60 then prevents the rotation of the central tubular body 30 in the opposite direction and therefore prevents any possibility of rotation of the head 6,6' with respect to the extension 12,12'.

[0046] The same coupling methods can advantageously be adopted between the extension 12,12' and the screw 4,4'. In this case, the two reliefs 60 are positioned on both sides of each radial branch 26 of the circular opening 24 obtained in the annular disk 22 closing the lower part of the internal wall 18 of the extension 12,12'. In this way, the bayonet connection between the extension 12,12' and the screw 4,4' prevents any disengagement between the two, due to the impediment to their mutual rotation in opposite directions.

[0047] Since the internal cylindrical wall 18 of the extension 12,12' is joined to the tubular body 30 of the same by the radial ribs 28, only one tooth 60 can be provided in correspondence with each radial branch 26, given that the function of limiting the rotation of the extension 12,12' with respect to the screw 4,4' in one of the two directions can be performed by one of the radial ribs 28. In this case, however, the rotation of the extension 12,12' with respect to the screw 4,4' after the bayonet engagement phase can only occur in one direction and not in both directions. Fig. 12 shows a schematic horizontal section of an extension 12 of the type just described.

[0048] What has now been described in relation to the coupling methods between the head 6,6' and the screw 4.4', between the head 6.6' and the extension 12.12' and between the extension 12.12' and the screw 4.4' also applies to the coupling between overlapping extensions 12,12' without the need for further explanation.

[0049] All the embodiments illustrated now use support heads 6,6' intended for the construction of raised floors with tiles 34. However, if the support is intended for the construction of a raised floor with a beam substructure and a slatted finish, the head 6 is different and is of the type illustrated in figures 13 and 14 and already described in EP 4249703. Also in this case the head 6,6' can be fixed or self-levelling and that is, it can be flat underneath or have a concave portion 46 depending on whether the upper end of the screw 4,4' or the extension 12,12 ' is configured to engage with a fixed head 6 or with a self-levelling head 6'. The upper part of the head of one or the other type can also be affected by reliefs 36 for the bilateral snap-on engagement of a profile 58 to support and constrain the slats (fig. 14), or it can be affected by a relief 39 for the unilateral fixing of a profile 58' by means of screws 62 (fig. 15).

[0050] In order to standardize production and at the same time have a wide range of adjustment, the invention can advantageously provide for the production of extensions 12,12' of the type previously described but having a single height or at most a limited number of heights and to form the support device with multiple extensions 12,12', to be connected to each other based on the overall height that the support device must have for the particular work to be performed. The lower extension 12,12' is connected to the screw 4,4', while the head 6,6' is connected to the upper extension 12,12' which can be configured to constrain tiles 34 or slat support profiles 58,58'.

[0051] Fig. 16 shows a perspective view of a support device with two identical, overlapping 12' extensions, designed for tiling. The extensions and the head that can be attached to them can be any of those described above.

Examples

Embodiment Construction

[0025]As can be seen from the figures, the support device according to the invention can be considered an advantageous implementation of the support device according to EP 4249703, which is hereby incorporated by reference and which comprises a support device with a base 2 that rests on an underlying structure (not shown) on which the raised floor is to be constructed. The support device has a screw 4, which can be screwed into an internally threaded cylindrical collar 5, obtained in the base 2, and a head 6, which can be removably secured to the screw 4 and is configured to support elements of the raised floor to be constructed.

[0026]While the support device according to EP 4249703 (fig. 1) provides that its head 6 is applied directly to the screw 4, the device according to the invention integrates that device with the presence of an extension element 12 or, more briefly, an extension 12, which in the lower part can be applied, with a coupling and rotation maneuver, and therefore w...

Claims

1. Support device for a raised floor, particularly for outdoor use, with a support base (2) on a plane below the raised floor to be constructed, with an externally threaded screw (4.4') that can be screwed into a corresponding internally threaded portion (5) of said base (2), with an extension element (12.12') and with a head (6.6') configured to support components (34.58.58') of said floor and that can be connected to said screw (4.4') or, alternatively, to the extension element, which is in turn connected to said screw (4.4'), characterised in that: - said screw (4,4') is provided at the top with an annular closing disk (48,48') having in its central part a cylindrical central body (50) protruding upwards, from which at least one radial appendage (52) departs in a substantially horizontal direction , - said extension element (12,12') comprises an external cylindrical wall (16), an internal cylindrical wall (18) coaxial with said external wall (16) and an upper annular wall (20,20') connecting said external and internal walls (16,18), said extension element (12,12') being configured at the bottom for bayonet engagement with the cylindrical central body (50) of said screw (4,4') and comprising, similarly to said screw (4,4'), a cylindrical tubular body (30) protruding upwards from said annular wall (20) and from which at least one radial appendage (32) departs in a substantially horizontal direction, - said head (6,6') has a central opening (38) substantially complementary to the protruding portion of the cylindrical central body (30,50) of said extension element (12,12') or of said screw (4,4') for bayonet engagement with the one or the other.

2. Device according to claim 1 characterised in that said cylindrical central body (30,50) of said extension element (12,12') and / or of said screw (4,4') is tubular.

3. Device according to claim 2 characterised in that the cylindrical tubular body (50) of said screw (4,4') is affected by at least one notch (56) which can be engaged by a tool configured to pass through said head (6,6') and said extension element (12,12') and to rotate said screw (4,4').

4. Device according to one or more of the preceding claims characterised in that the portions protruding upwards of said cylindrical central body (30,50) of said extension element (12,12 ') and of said screw (4,4') are substantially equal.

5. Device according to one or more of the preceding claims characterised in that the upper annular wall (20 ') of said extension element (12'), which surrounds said tubular cylindrical central body (30), is affected by a spherical surface segment (44), and the lower surface of said head (6') has a concave annular portion (46) complementary to said spherical surface segment and cooperating with it.

6. Device according to one or more of the preceding claims characterised in that said head (6,6') is provided on its annular surface with a plurality of spacers (42) arranged on two diametrical planes orthogonal to each other and defining with their thickness the width of the joints of the floor made up of square or rectangular tiles (34) resting on said head (6,6') with one of their edges adhering to said spacers.

7. Device according to claim 6 characterised in that each spacer (42) is constrained to said head (6,6') along easy-break lines.

8. Device according to one or more of the preceding claims characterised in that said internal cylindrical wall (18) of said extension element (12,12') is configured at the bottom to be inserted into a corresponding cylindrical cavity provided in said screw (4,4').

9. Device according to claim 8 characterised in that the cylindrical cavity of said screw (4'), in which the cylindrical wall (18) of the lower part of said extension element (12') can be fitted, is delimited by a convex annular relief (44') similar to the convex annular relief (44) of said extension element (12').

10. Device according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterised in that the central opening (24,38) of said extension element (12,12') and / or of said head (6,6') is delimited by an annular band affected by said radial branch (26,40), which is laterally delimited by at least one tooth (60) having an inclined side facing said radial branch (26,40) and the opposite side substantially orthogonal to said annular band, and the appendix (32,52) protruding radially from the cylindrical central body (30,50) of said extension element (12,12') and / or of said screw (4,4') is equipped with flexibility suitable to allow its elastic yielding during its sliding along the inclined side of said tooth (60), following the rotation of said head (6,6') with respect to said extension element (12,12') or with respect to said screw (4.4').

11. Device according to one or more of the preceding claims characterised in that it comprises a plurality of extension elements (12,12') superimposed and constrained to each other, the lower extension element (12,12') being constrainable to said screw (4,4') and the upper extension element (12,12') being constrainable to said head (6,6').

12. Device according to claim 11 characterised in that said extension elements (12,12 ') have the same height.

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