Modular Raised Floor System for Cable Routing
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Solution Overview
Problem
The installation of flooring and routing of power and data cables in architectural spaces often results in unsightly effects and requires complex structural modifications, particularly when ceiling installations are impractical or costly.
Innovation Solution
A modular floor system with vertically extending support members and webbing that creates a utility space beneath the floor for housing cables, allowing for aesthetic and functional benefits such as hiding cables and reducing tripping hazards, while enabling custom installation and reducing the need for ceiling-based infrastructure routing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If infrastructure cables are routed over the installed flooring, then cable routing is achieved, but aesthetic appearance deteriorates and tripping hazards increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions cable routing from a two-dimensional surface placement (over the flooring) to a three-dimensional subsurface routing (through the raised floor structure). The flooring system creates a raised structure with internal void spaces, allowing cables to be positioned within the floor thickness rather than on its surface, thereby eliminating visual exposure and tripping hazards while maintaining routing functionality.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent embeds cable routing infrastructure within the internal structure of the flooring system itself. The raised floor panels contain internal channels and void spaces that accommodate cables, effectively nesting the cable management function within the flooring structure. This integrates two separate functions (flooring and cable routing) into a single unified system.
2Ease of manufacture
If infrastructure cables are routed through the ceiling, then cable routing is achieved, but installation difficulty and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent inverts the conventional approach to cable routing by routing cables through the floor structure rather than through the ceiling. Instead of descending cables from above, the system provides upward-facing cable access through the raised floor panels, allowing cables to be routed from the ground level up through the floor structure. This inversion simplifies installation by eliminating the need for ceiling penetration and complex overhead routing.
3Adaptability or versatility
If custom flooring installation is performed for each architectural space, then functional and aesthetic requirements are met, but installation time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the flooring system into modular, interchangeable panels that can be independently installed and configured. Each panel is a self-contained unit with standardized dimensions and features, allowing the floor to be assembled like a puzzle to fit various room layouts. This segmentation enables customization of the overall floor configuration while maintaining consistent, rapid installation of individual panel units.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent designs the raised floor panels as universal modules that can be configured for multiple different architectural applications. The standardized panels with integrated cable routing capabilities can serve various functional requirements (office spaces, data centers, retail environments) without requiring custom manufacturing, achieving adaptability through modular reconfiguration rather than custom fabrication.
Data Source
AI summary
A modular floor system including webbing formed by a plurality of interconnected web sections. The web sections include attachment portions that are aligned in the grid layout. The support members are attachable to attachment sections of the web sections so that attached support members are properly aligned and positioned with respect to one another along the grid layout. The modular floor system includes tiles positioned upon and secured to the support members to be supported above the ground surface by the support members. A utility space is defined by and disposed between the ground surface and the supported tiles. Utility cables can be routed through the utility space.