Abstract:
A raised floor system which includes a plurality of upright support columns, a plurality of floor panels, and a cable tray support assembly. The cable tray support assembly includes a plurality of support pedestals and a platform section. Each support pedestal has an elongated stringer member, a first upright sleeve member, and a second upright sleeve member. Each first and second sleeve member defines a bore extending from a top end through a bottom end. The stringer member is attached to the sleeve members proximate the respective top ends of the first and second sleeve members so that the elongated stringer member is supported above the respective bottom ends of the first and second sleeve members. At least one of the first and second sleeve members of each first support pedestal is removably connected, in overlying registration, to the body portion of one support column of a pair of support columns. One platform section is suspended from the stringer members of a pair of opposing first support pedestals. It is emphasized that this abstract is provided to comply with the rules requiring an abstract which will allow a searcher or other reader to quickly ascertain the subject matter of the technical disclosure. It is submitted with the understanding that it will not be used to interpret or limit the scope or meaning of the claims. 37 C.F.R. §1.72(b).

Description:
[0001]    This application claims priority to the U.S. provisional application 60/208,258, filed May 31, 2000, which is incorporated herein in its entirety. 
     
    
     
       FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
         [0002]    The present invention relates to raised floor systems and more particularly to a cable support assembly for use in connection with a raised floor system.  
         BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0003]    Cable trays in general have been used in power stations and large industrial plants for a number of years to support and route various cables through the plants rather than placing these cables inside a conduit. These cable trays are normally supported from a wall or a ceiling at levels which are above a person&#39;s head in order to avoid obstructing normal floor space. An alternative to the elevated cable tray has been elevated distribution ducts which are also normally mounted from a wall or a ceiling at elevations so as not to interfere with a person standing on the floor and thus, again, conserve floor space.  
           [0004]    In many multi-floor buildings, a current practice is to utilize poured concrete floors. Electrical conductor distribution ducts are normally provided within the poured concrete of these floors in order to provide electrical power distribution to various locations within the building. These electrical power distribution ducts are permanently located within the poured concrete making it impossible to accommodate the rearrangement of equipment as both the use of the floor space changes as well as to accommodate the changes in the equipment due to changes in technology. This has lead to the development of raised floors for certain uses of floor space.  
           [0005]    Computer rooms, data processing rooms and electronic equipment rooms, in general, are examples of room uses wherein the overhead wiring distribution approach and/or the power distribution ducts have been partially or totally replaced by the distribution of wires and cables on top of the concrete subfloor and below a removable panel raised floor on which the electrical equipment is placed. These raised floors are normally supported on column assemblies and the area below the raised floor is designed to be utilized as access for the distribution of the various electrical cables.  
           [0006]    With the increased complexity of electronic equipment and the increasing number of pieces of equipment being placed in a single room due to the equipment continuously becoming smaller, the interconnection of these pieces of electronic equipment by communication cables and power cables has become more complex. The space between the subfloor and the raised panel floor is somewhat restricted and there may be times when there is moisture on the concrete subfloor such as due to condensation. Cables lying on the concrete subfloor have to remain unaffected by the moisture on the subfloor and these cables also need to avoid the problems associated with entanglement. Cables simply lying on a concrete subfloor can become so entangled that it is difficult to remove one particular cable from the mass of cables on the subfloor should the individual cable need to be changed or rerouted for any reason.  
           [0007]    Prior art cable trays have been developed to eliminate some of the problems associated with the routing of cables beneath the raised panel floor. Most prior art cable trays are simply placed on the concrete subfloor. Other cable tray designs are suspended from the structure which supports the removable panels of the raised panel floor. These prior art designs are normally suspended between the raised panel floor and the concrete subfloor and provide an organized route for the various cables to travel in order to interconnect the numerous pieces of electronic equipment placed on the raised panel floor.  
           [0008]    While the introduction of these prior art cable trays has significantly reduced the entanglement and moisture problems associated with the concrete subfloors, they are not without their problems. As the number of pieces of electronic equipment being placed in a single room increases so does the number of electrical cables. Consequently the number of electrical cables which are being placed within the prior art cable trays is also increasing. This increasing number of cables in the prior art cable trays can now lead to an entanglement problem within the tray. In addition, when it is desired to have specific cables kept separate from each other, the prior art cable trays are used to route one, or one set of cables, while the second or other set of cables, which need to be kept separate, are routed across the concrete subfloor encountering the problems explained above.  
           [0009]    Accordingly, there is a need for a raised floor and cable management system which can accommodate the larger number of cables being routed beneath the raised panel floor as well as providing for the separate routing of specific cables without relying on the subfloor beneath the raised panel floor for routing of cables. Further, there is a continuing need for improved raised floor and cable management systems which require fewer number of components. A need also exists for raised floor and cable management systems which are easier to install than existing systems and which provide increased storage capacity and accessibility.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0010]    The present invention provides a raised floor and cable management system that has lower material and labor costs to install a complete raised floor and cable management system. The present system also encompasses upgrading an existing raised floor system with the presently disclosed cable support assembly.  
           [0011]    In one aspect of the present invention, a raised floor system is provided which includes a plurality of upright support columns, a plurality of floor panels, and a cable tray support assembly. The support columns are disposed on a subfloor in a predetermined grid array and are spaced apart from each other a first predetermined distance. Each support column has a shaped body portion. The plurality of floor panels are supported by the support columns.  
           [0012]    The cable tray support assembly includes a plurality of first support pedestals and a platform section. Each first support pedestal has an elongated stringer member, a first upright sleeve member, and a second upright sleeve member. Each stringer member preferably has a horizontally disposed surface that defines an open channel extending therein. Each first and second sleeve member defines a bore extending from a top end through a bottom end. The first sleeve member is attached to a proximal end of the stringer member and the second sleeve member is attached to a distal end of the stringer member. By attaching the stringer member proximate the respective top ends of the first and second sleeve members, the elongated stringer member is supported above the respective bottom ends of the first and second sleeve members.  
           [0013]    The first and second sleeve members of the first support pedestal may be spaced apart less than or equal to the first predetermined distance. At least one of the first and second sleeve members of each first support pedestal is removably connected, in overlying registration, to the body portion of one support column of a pair of support columns. If the first and second sleeve members of the first support pedestal are spaced apart the first predetermined distance, then the first and second sleeve members of each first support pedestal are removably connected, in overlying registration, to the body portion of two support column of the pair of support columns.  
           [0014]    In a second embodiment of the present invention, the cable tray support assembly may also include a second support pedestal having an elongated stringer member, an upright sleeve member, and a hanger member. The elongated stringer member has a horizontally disposed surface that defines an open channel extending therein. The sleeve member is connected to a proximal end of the stringer member and defines a bore that extends from a top end to a bottom end. The hanger member is connected to a distal end of the stringer member and has a terminal hook portion that is oriented downwardly away from the horizontally disposed surface of the stringer member and generally parallel to the distal end of the stringer member. The hanger member of one second support pedestal may be removably connected to a sleeve member of an adjacent first or second support pedestal. The sleeve member of the second support pedestal may be removably connected, in overlying registration, to the body portion of an adjacent support column.  
           [0015]    In a third embodiment of the present invention, the cable tray support assembly may include a third support pedestal having an elongated stringer member, a first hanger member, and a second hanger member. The elongated stringer member has a horizontally disposed surface that defines a channel extending therein. The first and second hanger members are connected to the respective proximal and distal ends of the elongated stringer member and each have a terminal hook portion that is oriented downwardly away from the horizontally disposed surface of the stringer member. The terminal hook portions are generally parallel to the respective proximal and distal ends of the stringer member. The first and second hanger members of the third support pedestal may be releasably connected to a pair of first or second sleeve members of a pair of opposing first support pedestals.  
           [0016]    Each platform section is configured and dimensioned to support lengths of cable. One platform section is suspended from the stringer members of a pair of opposing support pedestals. The platform section has a proximal edge and an opposed distal edge and at least a portion of the proximal and distal edges of the platform section forms a downwardly extending flange. The flange may be operatively received within the channel of the stringer element. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0017]    [0017]FIG. 1 is a partial perspective view of one embodiment of a raised floor system constructed in accordance with the present disclosure.  
         [0018]    [0018]FIG. 2 is a side view of multiple levels of first support pedestals and platform sections installed between the floor panels and a subfloor taken along section  2 - 2  of FIG. 1.  
         [0019]    [0019]FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a first embodiment of a support pedestal, showing a first support pedestal having a first sleeve member, a second sleeve member, and an elongated stringer member connected to and extending between the first and second sleeve members and showing a cross-sectional view of the stringer member.  
         [0020]    [0020]FIG. 4 is a perspective view of an alternative embodiment of a support pedestal, showing a second support pedestal having a sleeve member, a hanger member, and an elongated stringer member connected to and extending between the sleeve member and the hanger member and showing a cross-sectional view of the stringer member.  
         [0021]    [0021]FIG. 5 is a perspective view of an alternative embodiment of a support pedestal, showing a third support pedestal having a first hanger member, a second hanger member, and an elongated stringer member connected to and extending between the first and second hanger members and showing a cross-sectional view of the stringer member.  
         [0022]    [0022]FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a first embodiment of a platform section.  
         [0023]    [0023]FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a second embodiment of a platform section.  
         [0024]    [0024]FIG. 8 is a partial top view of a portion of two adjacent platform sections secured to a channel extending therein the stringer member of a support pedestal.  
         [0025]    [0025]FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional side view taken along section line  9 - 9  of FIG. 8. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0026]    The present invention is more particularly described in the following examples that are intended to be illustrative only since numerous modifications and variations therein will be apparent to those skilled in the art. As used in the specification and in the claims, the singular form “a,” “an,” and “the” may include plural referents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.  
         [0027]    The present invention provides the art with a raised floor and cable management system which requires many fewer components to assemble thereby resulting in greatly reduced material and labor costs to install a complete raised floor and cable management system. The present invention also encompasses upgrading an existing raised floor system with the presently disclosed cable support assembly.  
         [0028]    Referring now in specific detail to the drawings in which like reference numerals designate like or equivalent elements throughout the several views, and initially to FIG. 1, one embodiment of a raised floor system incorporating a cable tray support assembly of the present invention is designated generally by the reference number  10 . The raised floor system  10  is especially adaptable to be used in an electronic equipment room, such as a room containing computer or data processing equipment. The room has a permanent floor or subfloor  12  which may be the usual concrete floor of a typical building. Raised floor assembly  10  is supported above the subfloor  12  at a height which is typically about 12 inches, although this height can be varied.  
         [0029]    Generally, the raised floor system  10  includes a plurality of upright support columns  20 , a plurality of floor panels  24 , and a cable tray support assembly  26 . The support columns  20  are disposed in a predetermined grid array on a base such as the subfloor  12 . The support columns  20  support the raised floor surface formed from the plurality of floor panels  24 . Each support column  20  has a shaped body portion  22 . Typically, the support columns  20  are supported by and are usually secured to subfloor  12  in a regular grid pattern of columns and rows. As one will appreciate, when disposed on the subfloor  12 , any two adjacent support columns in a row or column of the predetermined grid array forms a pair of support columns that are separated and spaced apart from each other a first predetermined distance D 1 . Preferably, the first predetermined distance D 1  corresponds with the size of the floor panels. However, other grid patterns can be used if desired.  
         [0030]    In one embodiment, the cable tray support assembly  26  includes, as shown in FIGS.  1 - 3 , a plurality of first support pedestals  52  and a platform section  40 . By installing a plurality of first support pedestals  52  over a series of columns  20 , a pattern of first support pedestals  52  can be assembled to support one or more platform sections  40  along a specific route between subfloor  12  and the upper surface of raised floor assembly  10 . Generally, the height of the first support pedestals  52  can be varied to position platform sections  40  at a more convenient level. Further, the width of the first support pedestals  52  can be varied to accommodate platform sections  40  of variable width. In addition, if the need arises to have multiple routes for cables between subfloor  12  and the upper surface of raised floor system  10 , a multiple number of first support pedestals  52  can be removably connected on the respective pairs of columns  20  to provide support for a multiple number of platform sections  40  to form multiple levels of platform sections  40  between the subfloor  12  and the floor panels  24 . As one will also appreciate, the connection that occurs between the support pedestals  50  and the support columns  20  provides an excellent electrical ground for the cable tray assembly.  
         [0031]    Each first support pedestal  52  has an elongated stringer member  60 , a first upright sleeve member  70 ′, and a second upright sleeve member  70 ″. The stringer member  60  has a proximal end  62  and an opposed distal end  64 . Each stringer member  60  has a horizontally disposed surface  66  that defines an open channel  68  (in cross-section) extending therein. Each sleeve member  70  has a top end  72 , a bottom end  74 , and defines a bore  76  extending from the top end  72  through the bottom end  74 . The first sleeve member  70 ′ is attached to the proximal end  62  of the stringer member  60  and the second sleeve member  70 ″ is attached to the distal end  64  of the stringer member  60 .  
         [0032]    By attaching the stringer member  60  proximate the respective top ends  72  of the first and second sleeve members  70 ′,  70 ″, the elongated stringer member  60  is supported above the respective bottom ends  74  of the first and second sleeve members  70 ′,  70 ″ at a predetermined height H. As one skilled in the art will appreciate, by varying the length of the first and second sleeve members  70 ′,  70 ″ between the top and bottom ends  72 ,  74 , the predetermined height H of the stringer member  60  relative to the bottom ends  74  of the first support pedestal  52  may be varied. It is contemplated that first support pedestals  52  having varied predetermined heights H may be used in the raised floor system  10 . For example, a platform section  40  supported by a first support pedestal  52  having a predetermined height H of, for example, 6 inches, may be operatively connected to a platform section  40  supported by a pair of stacked first support pedestals  50  which each have a predetermined height H of, for example, 3 inches (for a combined height of approximately 6 inches). Further, to accommodate platform sections  40  of variable width, the first and second sleeve members  70 ′,  70 ″ of the first support pedestal  52  may be spaced apart less then or equal to the first predetermined distance D 1 .  
         [0033]    At least one of the first and second sleeve members  70 ′,  70 ″ of each first support pedestal  52  is removably connected, in overlying registration, to the body portion  22  of one support column  20  of a pair of support columns to form one pair of opposing first support pedestals  52 . If the first and second sleeve members  70 ′,  70 ″ of the first support pedestal  52  are spaced apart the first predetermined distance D 1 , then the first and second sleeve members  70 ′,  70 ″ of each first support pedestal  52  are removably connected, in overlying registration, to the body portion  22  of the two support columns  20  forming the pair of support columns.  
         [0034]    For example, to assemble a portion of the cable tray assembly  26  of the raised floor system  10 , the first and second sleeve members  70 ′,  70 ″ of one first support pedestal  52  may be removably connected to the respective body portions  22  of a first pair of support columns  20  and the first and second sleeve members  70 ′,  70 ″ of an opposing first support pedestal  52  may be removably connected to the respective body portions  22  of a second pair of support columns  20  to form a pair of opposing first support pedestals  52 . Alternatively, it is contemplated that, if the width of the first support pedestal  52  is less than the first predetermined distance D 1 , one of either the first or the second sleeve members  70 ′,  70 ″ of each of the opposing first support pedestals  52  will be removably connected to the body portions  22  of two adjacent support columns  20  to form the pair of opposing first support pedestals. The sleeve member  70  of the first support pedestal  52  that is not connected to the support column  20  may be disposed on and supported by the subfloor  12  or, if multiple levels of the cable tray assembly  26  are being constructed, by the sleeve member  70  of an underlying first support pedestal  52 .  
         [0035]    Preferably the bore  76  of the sleeve members  70  has a shape that is complementary to the exterior surface shape of the body portion  22  of the support column  20 . For example, as shown in FIG. 1, both the body portion  22  of the support column  20  and the bore  76  of the sleeve members  70  are generally rectangular or square in cross-section. It is contemplated that any complementary cross-sectional shape made be used for the bore  76  and the body portion  22 , such as, for example, a rectangular shape, a circular shape, a triangular shape, a keyed shape, and the like. As one will appreciate, having complementary shapes for the bore  76  of the sleeve members  70  and the body portion  22  of the support columns  20  allows for quick and orderly orientation of the individual support pedestals  50  relative to the connected support columns  20  which decreases labor costs because the installation may be completed in less time. However, there is no requirement that the bore  76  of the sleeve members  70  and the body portion  22  of the support columns  20  have a complementary shape, i.e., for example the body portion  22  could have a circular cross-section and the bore  76  could have a square cross-section. It is only necessary for the bore  76  of the sleeve member  70  to be able to be placed into removable overlying registration with the body portion  22  of the support column  20 .  
         [0036]    Alternatively, the cable tray support assembly  26  may also include a second embodiment of a support pedestal  50  which is shown in FIGS. 1 and 4. The construction of the second support pedestal  54  is similar to the first support pedestal  52  and, accordingly, the figures use the same reference number for similar components. Furthermore, the components in FIGS.  1 - 4  that use the same reference numbers are substantially equivalent and the description thereof is omitted for the second embodiment.  
         [0037]    In the second embodiment, the cable tray assembly may include a second support pedestal  54  having an elongated stringer member  60 , an upright sleeve member  70 , and a hanger member  80 . The sleeve member  70  is connected to a proximal end  62  of the stringer member  60  and defines a bore  76  that extends from a top end  72  to a bottom end  74  of the sleeve member  70 . The hanger member  80  is connected to a distal end  64  of the stringer member  60  and has a terminal hook portion  82  that is oriented downwardly away from the horizontally disposed surface  66  of the stringer member  60  and generally parallel to the distal end  64  of the stringer member  60 . In cross-section, the terminal hook portion  82  has an inverted “U” shape when inserted for engagement with a sleeve member  70  as discussed below.  
         [0038]    In use, the hanger member  80  of one second support pedestal  54  may be removably connected to a sleeve member  70  of an adjacent first or second support pedestal  52 ,  54 . As one will appreciate, when the terminal hook portion  82  of the hanger member  80  is connected to the sleeve member  70  of the respective first or second support pedestal  52 ,  54 , the elongated stringer members  60  of the joined support pedestals  50  are substantially co-planar. Similar to the first support pedestal  52 , the height of the second support pedestal  54  relative to the bottom end  74  of the sleeve member  70  can be varied by varying the longitudinal length of the sleeve member  70  to position platform sections  40  at a more convenient level. Further, the width of the second support pedestal  54  can be varied to accommodate platform sections  40  of variable width.  
         [0039]    For example, if the hanger member  80  and the sleeve member  70  of the second support pedestal  54  are spaced apart the first predetermined distance D 1 , then the sleeve member  70  of the second support pedestal  54  is removably connected, in overlying registration, to the body portion  22  of one of two support columns  20  forming a pair of support columns and the terminal hook portion  82  of the hanger member  80  is removably connected to the sleeve member  70  of the other support column  20  of the pair of support columns. Alternatively, it is contemplated that, if the width of the second support pedestal  54  is less than the first predetermined distance D 1 , the sleeve member  70  of the second support pedestal  54  will be disposed on and supported by the subfloor  12  or, if multiple levels of the cable tray assembly  26  are being constructed and the predetermined height of the second support pedestal  54  is not sufficient to place the stringer members  60  of the connected support pedestals in co-planar relationship, by the sleeve member  70  of an underlying second support pedestal  54 .  
         [0040]    Alternatively, the cable tray support assembly  26  may also include a third embodiment of a support pedestal  50  which is shown in FIGS. 1 and 5. The construction of the third support pedestal  56  is similar to the first and second support pedestals  52 ,  54  and, accordingly, the figures use the same reference number for similar components. Furthermore, the components in FIGS.  1 - 5  that use the same reference numbers are substantially equivalent and the description thereof is omitted for the third embodiment.  
         [0041]    In the third embodiment, the cable tray assembly  26  may include third support pedestal  56  having an elongated stringer member  60 , a first hanger member  80 ′, and a second hanger member  80 ″. The first hanger member  80 ′ is connected to a proximal end  62  of the stringer member  60  and the second hanger member  80 ″ is connected to a distal end  64  of the stringer member  60 . As noted above, each hanger member  80 ′,  80 ″ has a terminal hook portion  82  that is oriented downwardly away from the horizontally disposed surface  66  of the stringer member  60  and generally parallel to the respective proximal and distal ends  62 ,  64  of the stringer member  60 .  20   
         [0042]    In use, the first and second hanger members  80 ′,  80 ″ of one third support pedestal  56  may be removably connected to an opposing pair of sleeve members  70  of a pair of opposing support pedestals  50 , such as a pair of opposing first support pedestals  52 , a pair of opposing second support pedestals  54 , or a pair formed from an opposing first and a second support pedestals  52 ,  54 . For example, the first and second hanger members  80 ′,  80 ″ of one third support pedestal  56  may be removably connected to an opposing pair of first sleeve members  70 ′ of a pair of opposing first support pedestals  52 , an opposing pair of second sleeve members  70 ″ of a pair of opposing first support pedestals  52 , an opposing pair of sleeve members  70  of a pair of opposing second support pedestals  54 , or an opposing pair of sleeve members  70  formed from either a first or second sleeve member  70 ′,  70 ″ of a first support pedestal  52  and a sleeve member  70  of a second support pedestal  54 . When connected to the respective opposing sleeve members  70 , the elongated stringer member  60  of the third support pedestal  56  is substantially co-planar with the stringer members  60  of the two adjoining support pedestals  50 .  
         [0043]    It will be appreciated that the described system provides significant savings in material costs and installation labor costs in comparison with prior art cable tray systems which require the cable tray assembly to be mechanically fastened to the every “connected” column.  
         [0044]    Referring to FIGS. 1, 6, and  7 , each platform section  40  is configured and dimensioned to support lengths of cable. One of the platform sections  40  is suspended from the stringer members  60  of a pair of opposing support pedestals  50 , such as, for example, an opposing pair of first support pedestals  52 , an opposing pair of first and second support pedestals  52 ,  54 , and/or an opposing pair of first and third support pedestals  52 ,  56 . The platform section  40  has a proximal edge  42  and an opposed distal edge  44  and at least a portion of the proximal and distal edges  42 ,  44  of the platform section  40  forms a downwardly extending flange  46 . At least a portion of the flange  46  may be operatively received within the open channel  68  of the stringer element  60 . The platform sections  40  may also have a upwardly extending lip  48  extending along each longitudinal edge to provide for retention of the cable bundles supported by the platform section  40 .  
         [0045]    Although the illustrated platform sections  40  are formed of a wire stock material, it is within the scope of the present disclosure to use other materials as well. For example, the platform section  40  may be formed of solid or woven fabrications of various metals, polymers, or any other material suitable for support cable bundles and runs thereon.  
         [0046]    Referring now to FIGS. 1, 8, and  9 , the open channel  68  of the stringer member  60  of a support pedestal  50  may be in operative receipt of portions of the downwardly extending flanges  46  of two adjoining platform sections  40 . For securing portions of the two adjoining platform sections  40  to the stringer element  60 , the cable tray support assembly may include a securing means. For example, the securing means may comprise a bolt  90 , a nut  92 , a washer  93 , and an elongated clamp bar  94 . The bolt  90  and the nut  92  are conventional and have complementary threaded surfaces so that they may be removably secured to each other. The clamp bar  94  has a first end  95 , a opposing second end  96 , and a mating surface  97  extending between the first end  95  and the second end  96 . The clamp bar  94  further defines a hole  98  generally intermediate the first and second ends  95 ,  96  that extends traversally through the clamp bar  94 . The clamp bar  94  may extend downwardly away as it approaches the first and second ends  95 ,  96  of the bar  94  so that the mating surface  97  has a bent portion  99  proximate each of the first and second ends  95 ,  96  (the clamp bar  94  thus having a slight U-shape in cross-section). The nut  92  and washer  93  are sized to fit within the interior of the stringer element  60  and at least the washer  93  is larger than the width of the open channel  68  of the stringer element  60 . In use, the clamp bar  94  is placed over portions of the upper surface of the two adjoining platform sections  40 , the bolt  90  is inserted through the hole  98  of clamp bar  94  and into operative connection with the complementary washer  93  and nut  92  to draw the mating surface  97  of the clamp bar  94  into operative connection with the two platform sections  40 . If the platform sections  40  are made from wire stock, the clamp bar  94  is sized so that the bent portions  99  of the clamp bar  94  may grasp individual strands of wire stock in the adjoining platform sections  40 .  
         [0047]    In certain installations it may be desirable or necessary to install the cable support assembly  26  as a stand-alone modular assembly. It is within the scope of the present disclosure that in such an installation invention that the support columns  20  are independent stanchions or other suitable supports which are not also used to support the floor system (i.e., are not used to support the floor panels  24 ).  
         [0048]    Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, multiple levels of platform sections  40  may be constructed using the cable support assembly  26  outlined above. The multiple levels are placed between the subfloor  12  and the floor panels  24 . While it is understood that various combinations of first, second, and third support pedestals  52 ,  54 ,  56  may be used depending upon the orientation of the desired pattern of the platform sections  40 .  
         [0049]    In the following example, a plurality of support pedestals  50  are provided for an exemplary construction of multiple levels of the present invention, in which each support pedestal  50  has a first upright sleeve member  70 ′, a second upright sleeve member  70 ″, and an elongated stringer member  60  (i.e., the support pedestal  50  for this example has the structure of the first support pedestal  52  as described above). Initially, the first sleeve member  70 ′ and the second sleeve member  70 ″ of a first support pedestal  50  are placed in overlying registration with the body portions  22  of a first pair of support columns  20  and the first sleeve member  70 ′ and the second sleeve member  70 ″ of a second support pedestal  50  in overlying registration with the body portions  22  of a second pair of support columns  20 . Here, the second pair of support columns  20  are opposed to the first pair of support columns  20  to form a first pair of opposing support pedestals  50 . Next, a first platform section  40  is suspended from the stringer members  60  of the first pair of opposing support pedestals  50 .  
         [0050]    The first sleeve member  70 ′ and the second sleeve member  70 ″ of a third support pedestal  50  may be placed in overlying registration with the body portions  22  of a third pair of support columns  20 , the third pair of support columns  20  opposed to the second pair of support columns  20 , to form a second pair of opposing support pedestals  50 . A second platform section  40  may be suspended from the stringer members  60  of the second pair of opposing support pedestals  50  so that a portion of the first and second platform sections  40  are adjoined. If desired, a portion of the adjoined first and second platform sections  40  may be secured to the stringer element  60  of one support pedestal  50 .  
         [0051]    To form a level above the first platform section  40 , the first sleeve member  70 ′ and the second sleeve member  70 ″ of a fourth support pedestal  50  are placed in overlying registration with the body portions  22  of the first pair of support columns  20  so that the bottom ends  74  of the first and second sleeve members  70 ′,  70 ″ of the fourth support pedestal  50  are in contact with the top ends  72  of the first and second sleeve members  70 ′,  70 ″ of the first support pedestal  50 . Similarly, the first sleeve member  70 ′ and the second sleeve member  70 ″ of a fifth support pedestal  50  are placed in overlying registration with the body portions  22  of the second pair of support columns  20  so that the bottom ends  74  of the first and second sleeve members  70 ′,  70 ″ of the fifth support pedestal  50  are in contact with the top ends  72  of the first and second sleeve members  70 ′,  70 ″ of the second support pedestal  50 . Thus, the fourth and fifth support pedestals  50  form a third pair of opposing support pedestals  50  from which a third platform section  40  may be suspended. In this fashion, the third platform section  40  is spaced apart from and suspended above the first platform section  40  to form a second level intermediate the subfloor  12  and the floor panels  24 .  
         [0052]    Although the illustrative embodiments of the present disclosure have been described herein with reference to the accompanying drawings, it is to be understood that the disclosure is not limited to those precise embodiment, and the various other changes and modifications may be affected therein by one skilled in the art without departing from the scope of spirt of the disclosure. All such changes and modifications are intended to be included within the scope of the disclosure as defined by the appended claims.