Clip for securing planar members

Claim 1

A structural joint comprising: a wooden support member; a first planar member to be secured to said wooden support member and having a grooved section extending along one edge thereof; a clip securing said first planar member to said wooden support members, said clip being formed by a metal plate having struck out therefrom a first portion extending outwardly from one face of said plate and being angularly bent so as to form a generally L-shaped gripping member, said first portion being arranged in engagement with a lower portion of said grooved section of said first planar member, said L-shaped gripping member having a first leg attached to said plate and extending approximately perpendicularly to said plate and a second leg connected to said first leg and extending at an angle of approximately 15° to the plane of said plate; and said metal plate further having struck out therefrom a second portion initially extending outwardly from the same face of said plate as said first portion and in a direction substantially parallel with but opposite to said first portion, said second portion having a free pointed end and initially being angularly bent such that said pointed end points toward a plane in which said metal plate lies and said point end being driven into said wooden support member; a second planar member having a tongue section protruding along one peripheral edge thereof, said tongue section being inserted into said grooved section of said first planar member so that the outer planar surfaces of said first and second planar members are substantially coplanar; and the length of the section of said metal plate from which said second portion is struck out being approximately 2/3 of the length of said metal plate and the width of said second portion being approximately 1/3 of the width of said metal plate.

Claim 3

A method for securing planar members to wooden support members, where each of the planar members has tongue and groove portions extending along two opposing edges thereof, by using a fastener formed from a metal plate having struck out therefrom a first portion extending outwardly from one face of the plate and being angularly bent so as to form a generally L-shaped gripping member for engaging a portion of the lower edge of the grooved section of a planar member and the metal plate also having struck out therefrom a second portion extending outwardly from the same face of the plate as the first portion and extending in a direction substantially parallel with but opposite to the first portion, said L-shaped gripping member having a first leg attached to said plate and extending approximately perpendicularly to said plate and a second leg connected to said first leg and extending at an angle of approximately 15° to the plane of said plate, the second portion forming a prong having a free pointed end and being angularly bent such that the pointed end points toward a plane in which the metal plate lies, and the length of the section of said metal plate from which said second portion is struck out being approximately 2/3 of the length of said metal plate and the width of said second portion being approximately 1/3 of the width of said metal plate, the method comprising the steps of: placing a first planar member over the wood support member to which the planar member is to be secured; arranging at least one fastener along the lower edge of the grooved section of the planar member such that the first portion grips the upper surface of such lower edge and the second portion of the fastener is positioned over a wooden support member; driving the pointed end of the second portion of the fastener into the wooden support member so as to secure the fastener and the planar member to the wooden support member and such driving action forces the first portion of the plate into tighter engagement with the planar member; inserting a tongue section of another planar member into the grooved section of the secured planar member thereby clamping the first portion of the fastener used to secure the prior planar member between the top of the lower edge of the grooved section of such prior planar member and the bottom of the tongue section of the next planar member; and securing this next planar member to an appropriate wooden support member by using at least one of the fasteners in the same manner as the prior planar member was secured.

Claim 4

A method for securing planar members to wooden support members, where each of the planar members has tongue and groove portions extending along two opposing edges thereof, by using a fastener formed from a metal plate having struck out therefrom a first portion extending outwardly from one face of the plate and being angularly bent so as to form a generally L-shaped gripping member for engaging a portion of the lower edge of the grooved section of a planar member and the metal plate also having struck out therefrom a second portion extending outwardly from the same face of the plate as the first portion and extending in a direction substantially parallel with but opposite to the first portion, said L-shaped gripping member having a first leg attached to said plate and extending approximately perpendicularly to said plate and a second leg connected to said first leg and extending at an angle of approximately 15° to the plane of said plate, the second portion forming a prong having a free pointed end and being angularly bent such that the pointed end points toward a plane in which the metal plate lies, and the length of the section of said metal plate from which said second portion is struck out being approximately 2/3 of the length of said metal plate and the width of said second portion being approximately 1/3 of the width of said metal plate, the method comprising the steps of: placing a first planar member over the wood support member to which the planar member is to be secured; arranging at least one fastener along the lower edge of the grooved section of the planar member such that the first portion grips the upper surface of such lower edge and the second portion of the fastener is positioned over a wooden support member; driving the pointed end of the second portion of the fastener into the wooden support member so as to secure the fastener and the planar member to the wooden support member and such driving action forces the first portion of the plate into tighter engagement with the planar member; inserting a tongue section of another planar member into the grooved section of the secured planar member thereby clamping the first portion of the fastener used to secure the prior planar member between the top of the lower edge of the grooved section of such prior planar member and the bottom of the tongue section of the next planar member; and securing this next planar member to an appropriate wooden support member by using at least one of the fasteners in the same manner as the prior planar member was secured.