Site News  |   Monitor Keywords  |   Monitor Archive  |   Organizer  |   Account Info  |

Deck board fastener with concave prongs

Deck board fastener with concave prongs description/claims

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/922,686, filed Aug. 20, 2004 and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/844,246, filed May 12, 2004, now abandoned.

The invention concerns a deck fastener for securing deck boards together and to a supporting member, and deals more particularly with a deck fastener that does not protrude from the deck surface.

Brackets, clips, and anchors for securing boards to joists without nail or screw heads protruding from the deck surface are known. However, some of these deck-fastening systems require securing devices that are difficult to install or require extensive preparation. For example, some deck fastening systems require pre-installing tracks on joists, pre-drilling slots or holes in boards for fasteners, or gluing the boards to the joists. Other deck fastening systems must be installed from below the deck, a time consuming, expensive, and sometimes impossible procedure.

While these deck-fastening systems are designed to prevent nails or screws from appearing on the deck surface, many of the parts of the systems are quite apparent from beneath the deck. Since a deck is often located over a cellar entrance or off a second floor, the underside of such a deck is also in view. Therefore, the display of protruding fasteners and/or other components is unsightly and possibly dangerous.

Since deck boards are subject to warping, splitting and shrinking, some of the known deck fastener systems do not prevent the deck boards from separating from the support joists over time. The fasteners also can come loose or become out of position on the joists. The separating of the boards from the joists may allow the boards to protrude above the deck surface, making the deck unsightly and less usable.

Some deck-fastening systems include prongs that are inserted into the boards. However, wide prongs have been found to have a tendency to split the deck board material, especially when the deck board material is a composite material. In addition, thermal expansion and contraction of the boards has caused damage to the deck boards, the support member and/or the deck fastener.

The object of the present invention is, therefore, to provide an improved deck fastener which, among other desirable attributes, significantly reduces or overcomes the above-mentioned deficiencies of prior deck fasteners.

According to the present invention, a fastener for securing a first board to an underlying supporting member and to at least one other board running adjacent and parallel to the first board includes a thin, flat body portion, a first prong, a second prong, and a flange. The flat body portion has a front face and a rear face, with the first prong extending outwardly from the front face of the body portion for driving into the first board. The second prong extends outwardly from the rear face of the body portion for penetrating the second board. The second prong runs adjacent, parallel to, and in a direction opposite from that of the first prong. The second prong includes a tab. The tab extends outward from the rear face of the thin flat body portion a distance. The flange also extends outward from the rear face of the thin flat body portion substantially the same distance as the tab. The body portion of the fastener has an opening for receiving a connector. In operation, the first prong is inserted in the first board at a location where the first board traverses the underlying support member. The connector is passed through the opening of the body portion at an angle and inserted into the underlying support member. A head portion of the connector engages the body portion of the fastener around the opening, holding the fastener in place. The second board is then positioned over the support member, parallel and adjacent to the first board. The second board is driven onto the second prongs, which extend outwardly from the rear face of the body portion. Thus, the second board is secured to the body portion and the first board.

A further feature of the invention is that a third prong extends outwardly from a bottom edge of the body portion of the fastener for spacing the body portion of the fastener away from the supporting member so that the fastener and the attached first board can be drawn down to the supporting member during installation of the connector in the event the first board is slightly raised from the supporting member when the fastener is driven into the first board.

Another feature of the invention is the approximately conical shape of the opening so that a head of the connector, such as a screw, can be partially inserted within the opening to reduce the amount of screw head protruding from the opening and thereby permit a close positioning of adjoining boards.

For aiding insertion into the boards, the prongs may have wedge-shaped ends, or they may have concave ends (formed by two short penetration points), depending on the particular board material.

Other features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following detailed description of various preferred embodiments of the invention, and from the accompanying drawings and claims.

The drawings are:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a deck fastener embodying the present invention;

• Provisional Patent
• Utility Patent

• What Is a Patent?
• What Is a Trademark or Servicemark?
• What Is a Copyright?
• Patent Laws