Portable deck

Claim 1

A PORTABLE DECK COMPRISING A PLURALITY OF CONNECTED RECTANGULAR MATS ADAPTED FOR RAPID ATTACHMENT AND DETACHMENT, EACH OF SAID MATS COMPRISING A PLURALITY OF PARALLEL STEEL PLATES HAVING TOP AND BOTTOM LONGITUDINAL FLANGES AND A SLOT EXTENDING FROM THE TOP TO THE CENTER THEREOF, A PLURALITY OF PARALLEL STEEL PLATES ARRANGED AT RIGHT ANGLES TO THE FIRST NAMED STEEL PLATES, SAID SECOND NAMED PLATES HAVING TOP AND BOTTOM LONGITUDINAL FLANGES AND A SLOT EXTENDING FROM THE BOTTOM TO THE CENTER THEREOF SAID FIRST NAMED PLATES INTERSECTING SAID SECOND NAMED PLATES AT THE SLOTS, A PROJECTION AT ONE END OF SAID FIRST AND SECOND NAMED PLATES, SAID FIRST AND SECOND NAMED PLATES HAVING A CUT OUT PORTION AT THE OTHER END, SAID PROJECTIONS BEING ARRANGED ALONG TWO ADJACENT SIDES OF SAID MAT, SAID CUT OUT PORTIONS BEING ALIGNED ALONG THE OTHER TWO SIDES OF SAID MAT, A STEEL PLATE EXTENDING BETWEEN AND OVER SAID ALIGNED PROJECTIONS ON EACH OF SAID ADJACENT SIDES TO FORM A TONGUE ALONG EACH OF SAID ADJACENT SIDES, A STEEL PLATE EXTENDING BETWEEN SAID ALIGNED CUT OUT PORTIONS ON EACH OF SAID OTHER SIDES TO FORM A GROOVE ALONG EACH OF SAID OTHER SIDES, A TOP STEEL COVER SHEET SECURED TO THE TOP FLANGES OF SAID FIRST AND SECOND NAMED STEEL PLATES, A BOTTOM STEEL COVER SHEET SECURED TO THE BOTTOM FLANGES OF SAID FIRST AND SECOND NAMED STEEL PLATES, THE TONGUES OF EACH MAT EXTENDING INTO THE GROOVES OF ADJACENT MATS AND THE GROOVES OF EACH MAT RECEIVING THE TONGUES OF ADJACENT MATS, AND MEANS HOLDING THE MATS IN ASSEMBLED RELATIONSHIP.