Patent ID: 8051624
Filing Date: 2011-11-08
Classification: E04F,H01R

Abstract:
1. A method of grounding a floor panel in a grid defined by a plurality of raised floor panels in side by side relation supported at their corners by a pedestal, said method comprising: providing a plurality of floor panels having a protective coating and a countersunk hole; providing a fastener having a fastener head and a shank extending from the head, the fastener head having a frusto-conical side wall and the fastener head having surface penetrating projections extending only from the frusto-conical side wall, each of the surface penetrating projections having a leading edge, a trailing edge and a thickness defined by a first major side wall and second major side wall, and a free end of the projections terminating in a flat surface, a point on at least one of the leading and trailing edges extending in a first plane through a longitudinal centerline of the fastener, at least one of said first and second major side walls of one of said surface penetrating projections being coplanar with a second plane, said second plane intersecting said first plane at a line of intersection parallel to said longitudinal centerline; and rotating said fastener in said countersunk hole to remove a portion of the protective coating and thereby making electrical contact with said panels and said pedestal to produce a continuous ground of less than 1 ohm resistance.