Panelled deck construction for building

Claim 2

In a building structure which includes posts, a deck which includes four quadrants surrounding a post, each quadrant comprising: a. a single beam panel having first and second oppositely disposed long margins of lengths substantially equal to a side of said quadrant positioned with the first margin at an outer edge of the quadrant which bounds said side and extending away from the post and shorter transverse margins, the beam panels in successive quadrants being oriented progressively 90* from the orientation of the beam panel in the quadrant adjacent thereto, each beam panel including: 1. beam means extending substantially along said first margin thereof through the full length thereof, and 2. panel means attached to said beam means, b. at least one other single panel in each quadrant having a first margin of equal length as and positioned adjacently to the second margin of the beam panel and having shorter transverse margins, each said other panel having 1. frame means extending substantially along said first margin thereof and 2. panel means attached to said frame means, and c. means connecting a shorter margin of each of the panels of each quadrant to the same beam means of the beam panel of the adjacent quadrant.

Claim 3

panel means attached to said beam means, b. at least one other single panel in each quadrant having a first margin of equal length as and positioned adjacently to the second margin of the beam panel and having shorter transverse margins, each said other panel having

Claim 4

panel means attached to said beam means, b. at least one other single panel in each quadrant having a first margin of equal length as and positioned adjacently to the second margin of the beam panel and having shorter transverse margins, each said other panel having

Claim 5

panel means attached to said frame means, and c. means connecting a shorter margin of each of the panels of each quadrant to the same beam means of the beam panel of the adjacent quadrant.

Claim 6

panel means attached to said frame means, and c. means connecting a shorter margin of each of the panels of each quadrant to the same beam means of the beam panel of the adjacent quadrant.

Claim 7

The deck defined in claim 1 wherein: a. said building structure has at least nine posts of which four are situated at the corners of a rectangle which corresponds in area to the four deck quadrants, one intermediate post is situated at each side at the junction of deck quadrants, and the said first-mentioned post is situated approximately at the center of the rectangle, b. each beam means of a beam panel is supportedly attached to the center post at its near end and to one of the intermediate posts at its outer end, c. the building structure includes support means at the periphery of said rectangle, and d. the portions of said beam panels and the other panels which are adjacent to said support means are supported thereby.

Claim 8

The deck defined in claim 1 which includes: a. in addition to the four deck quadrants, at least four additional deck sections shaped like and including panels as specified for one quadrant, two of the additional sections being situated along one outer edge of two adjacent quadrants and other two additional sections being situated along an outer edge formed by one of said two and by a third quadrant which is adjacent to the common quadrant, b. the building structure providing a post at each corner of each quadrant and each corner of each additional section which is remote from said quadrants, c. the panels of the additional sections being oriented at right angles to the panels of the respectively adjoining quadrants, d. the panels of each quadrant and of each additional section which is remote from the beam panel thereof having auxiliary beam means along the margin thereof which is parallel to and remote from the first margin of said beam panel, e. means supportedly attaching the two ends of each beam means and of each auxiliary beam means to different posts, and f. means supportedly connecting the margins of the panels which lie adjacently to a beam means or to an auxiliary beam means of an adjacent quadrant or section to said adjacent beam means or auxiliary beam means, respectively.

Claim 9

The deck defined in claim 1 wherein: a. each of said beam panels has connector means at the second margin thereof, and b. the deck includes mEans connecting the frame of the other panel of the same quadrant to the connecting means of the beam panel.

Claim 10

In a building structure which includes a base which affords support over an area extending over said four quadrants, a floor constructed as defined for the deck of claim 1, each of said panels being supported by said base.

Claim 11

The deck defined in claim 1 wherein: a. each of said panels is rectangular in outline and all panels have substantially the same length measured parallel to the first margins thereof, each panel having a width less than said length, and b. the aggregate of the widths of one beam panel and the one or more other panels in the same quadrant is substantially equal to said length.

Claim 12

The deck defined in claim 6 wherein each quadrant contains at least two of said other panels disposed on the side of the beam panel which is remote from said beam means and parallel thereto, the frame means of each said other panels being connected to the beam means of a beam panel of the adjacent quadrant.

Claim 13

The deck defined in claim 1 which includes: a. means at said post supportedly connecting the near ends of said beam means to the post, and b. means in the building structure for supporting the ends of said beam means which are remote from said post and the margins of the panels which are at the edges of the quadrants lying outwardly from other quadrants of the deck.

Claim 14

The deck defined in claim 8 wherein each quadrant contains at least two other panels disposed on the side of the beam panel which is remote from said first edge and in parallel relation, the frame means of each other panel being connected to the beam means of a beam panel of the adjacent quadrant, and the other panel in each quadrant which is farthest from the beam panel having auxiliary beam means at the margin thereof which is parallel to and remote from the first margin of said beam panel.

Claim 15

The deck defined in claim 8 wherein said near ends of the beam means are connected to the post by: a. an attachment block which is fast on the post, and b. a connector member interconnecting the block to and which is a permanent part of the beam means.

Claim 16

The deck defined in claim 10 wherein said connector member is a spacer fixed to an end of the beam means and of stiffer construction than the beam means, said attachment block and connector member having juxtaposed attachment walls joined together by means extending through aligned holes in said walls.

Claim 17

A post-cap which includes: a. a supporting part adapted to be supportedly attached to the top of a building post, b. four vertical walls extending upwards from said supporting part and forming, in plan, a cross defining four quadrants, c. a plurality of vertically spaced, horizontal walls within each quadrant and integral with the vertical walls which bound the respective quadrant, and d. a vertical attachment wall for each of said quadrants oriented with its outer face 90* from the outer faces of the attachment walls of adjacent quadrants, each attachment wall being spaced outwardly from the vertical wall which is in rear thereof and being integral with the adjacent horizontal walls, each said attachment wall having at least one bolting hole extending therethrough at a level between horizontal walls and each cell defined by an attachment wall and adjacent horizontal walls which has a bolting hole being laterally open.

Claim 18

A post-cap which includes: a. a supporting part adapted to be supportedly attached to the top of a building post, b. four vertical walls extending upwards from said supporting part and forming, in plan, a cross defining four quadrants, c. a plurality of vertically spaced, horizontal walls within each quadrant and integral with the vertical walls which bound the respective quadrant, and d. a vertical attachment wall for each of said quadrants oriented with its outer face 90* from the outer faces of the attachment walls of adjacent quadrants, each attachment wall being spaced outwardly from the vertical wall which is in rear thereof and being integral with the adjacent horizontal walls, each said attachment wall having at least one bolting hole extending therethrough at a level between horizontal walls and each cell defined by an attachment wall and adjacent horizontal walls which has a bolting hole being laterally open.

Claim 19

A post-cap according to claim 12 wherein said four vertical walls are integral with said supporting part and with each other.

Claim 20

A post-cap according to claim 13 wherein each attachment wall has a width approximately one-half of the width of the post-cap, is situated to the same corresponding side of the nearest vertical wall, and is integral with said nearest vertical wall.

Claim 21

A post-cap according to claim 13 which includes a plurality of more than two vertically spaced, horizontal walls in each quadrant, said attachment walls having a Plurality of vertically spaced bolting holes situated at levels between different pairs of adjacent horizontal walls, all of said parts being a unitary casting wherein said four vertical walls are integral with said supporting part and with each other and the attachment walls are integral with the nearest vertical wall.

Claim 22

In combination with the post-cap according to claim 12, a spacer and connecting member adapted to be permanently attached to the end of a beam means, said member haVing integral therewith a connecting wall which lies against one of said attachment walls and one or more holes aligned with the holes in the adjacent attachment wall, and tension members extending through said aligned holes fastening the connecting wall to the adjacent attachment wall.