Resilient floor

A floor (1) with built-in resilience which makes it suitable for use in different sports both indoors and outdoors. The resilient floor is built up of mutually parallel studs (3) with recesses extending in the transverse direction. In the recesses, fillets (5) are arranged which extend beyond the upper side of the studs (3) and support surface planks (6). The recesses which are mirror-symmetrically arranged about a center axis transversely of the respective stud (3) have at least one inclined wall, the walls of the recesses intended for the same fillet (5) and positioned in adjoining studs (3) being inclined in the opposite direction. The fillets (5) are clamped in a wave-like manner in the associated recesses, in that they engage the inclined walls.

TITLE OF THE INVENTION 
1. Field of the Invention 
The present invention relates to a floor with built-in resilience which 
makes it suitable as a base for different sports both indoors and 
outdoors. 
2. Discussion of the Background 
When a person walks, jumps, runs or falls, the body is subjected to shocks 
of different strength which go through the entire skeleton up to the head. 
These shocks are absorbed to some extent by built-in shock absorbers, such 
as the two arches of the foot, the angle between foot and calf, the 
slightly bent knee-joint, the S-shaped spine as well as cartilage and 
discs as shock absorbers between all joints from the foot up to the head. 
Precisely this variety of shock-absorbing organs confirms how essential it 
is to the body that the detrimental effect of the different shocks is 
reduced. 
One way of helping the body in this shock absorption is to make the base 
softer. Streets, yards, roads and floors thus are not particularly 
body-friendly bases, especially in different sports which demand more of 
the base as compared to other everyday occupations. However, a lawn or, 
most preferably, a forest path well satisfies the demands that should be 
made on a base intended for sports. 
On the other hand, such bases which are convenient for sports are 
disadvantageous since they are neither particularly durable nor seasonally 
independent. Besides it is an expensive business to maintain bases such as 
lawns and they cannot be used indoors. 
Although there are different resilient floors for indoor use, they are not 
capable of satisfying all the demands that should be placed upon them. In 
many cases, the mass of the floor, which is to be set in motion to produce 
resilience, is too big, the speed at which the floor reacts is too low, 
the amplitude of the resilience is too low, for example when one tries to 
make a hard floor softer by laying a soft thin carpet thereon, and 
frequently the resilient mass responds to the pressure such that the 
return motion of the surface is short and gives a heavier shock in return 
as compared to the resilience of the downwardly moving surface. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
The object of the present invention is to provide a resilient floor which 
is useful both indoors and outdoors and in which the amplitude and the 
frequency of oscillation of the resilience are adapted to the contact time 
of the running or jumping foot with the surface. 
According to the invention, this object is achieved by means of a floor 
having the characteristic features stated in the appended claim 1. 
By disposing, according to the invention, the fillet in an inclined manner 
in the recesses of the studs, only an edge portion of the fillet engages 
the recess bottom. Under a load, this edge portion is deformed and thus 
provides a first component of the desired resilience. 
Since also the upper side of the fillet is inclined in the areas where the 
fillets are inserted in the recesses of the studs, surface planks resting 
on the fillets will in these areas also engage but an edge portion of the 
fillet, said edge portion being deformed when loaded and thus providing a 
second component of the desired resilience. In the portions between the 
studs, the upper sides of the fillets are however substantially planar and 
therefore not particularly inclined to be deformed. This is compensated 
for by the fact that under load, these portions of the fillets are instead 
subjected to a limited downward bending. 
Both walls of the recesses can be inclined, the walls of the recesses in 
adjoining studs being inclined in opposite directions and being 
positionable directly opposite each other. 
To increase the resilience, the bottom of the recesses can be 
pitched-roof-shaped, the roof ridge extending in the longitudinal 
direction of the studs and substantially in parallel with the upper side 
thereof, such that under load also this bottom portion is deformed, 
thereby providing a third component of the resilience. 
Moreover, the lower side of the studs can be bevelled, so that, for the 
purpose of providing a further, fourth component of the resilience, only a 
longitudinal edge of the studs engages a support which preferably is 
formed of protective fillets extending in the transverse direction of the 
studs. 
By wave-like bending and turning of the fillets of the floor structure in a 
mirror-symmetrical manner about a center axis transversely of the studs, 
and thus biassing said fillets and besides owing to the high built-in 
tensions, a relatively thin material can be used for the fillets and 
studs, which makes the mass of the floor small and consequently saves 
wood. The mirror-symmetrical structure serves to balance the forces which 
the fillets impart to the inclined walls of the recesses in each stud.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
The floor 1 illustrated in the drawings can be designed as one of a number 
of identical, rectangular elements in a module system and is largely made 
of wood such as spruce or pine which is impregnated in some suitable 
manner for outdoor use. 
The lowermost part of the structure comprises protective fillets 2 resting 
on a base which may consist of any flat surface or of e.g. studs, if the 
surface is not flat or drained. The protective fillets 2 which are of 
rectangular cross-section, are arranged lying on one of their flat sides 
in the transverse direction of the floor element, in parallel with each 
other and in a predetermined spaced-apart relationship and extend in one 
piece from one side of the floor element to the other. 
On these protective fillets 2 and in the longitudinal direction of the 
floor element, studs 3 are positioned in a predetermined spaced-apart 
relationship and extend in one piece from one end of the floor element to 
the other, said studs also being of rectangular cross-section, except the 
lower narrow side 3a facing the protective fillets, which is bevelled such 
that only a longitudinal edge thereof engages the intersecting protective 
fillets 2. In the points of intersection, the studs 3 and the protective 
fillets 2 are joined together by some suitable fastening means, e.g. 
nails. 
The upper side of the studs is formed with identical recesses extending 
transversely through the studs 3 and having a depth which approximately 
corresponds to one quarter of the height of the studs 3. They are arranged 
in a predetermined spaced-apart relationship over the entire length of the 
studs 3. The bottom 4a of each recess is formed as a pitched roof whose 
ridge extends in the longitudinal direction of the studs 3 and 
substantially in parallel with the upper side of the studs 3. The walls 
4b, c of the recess 4 are flat, one wall, 4b extending at right angles to 
the upper side of the stud 3, while the other, 4c, is inclined, i.e. makes 
a smaller angle therewith, in such manner that the recess 4 widens 
upwardly. All studs 3 have the same number of recesses 4, and the recesses 
4 of every second stud 3 are aligned with each other and have the inclined 
wall 4c on the same side, while the recesses 4 in adjoining studs 3 are 
mutually offset in the longitudinal direction of the stud 3 and have the 
inclined wall 4c on the opposite side. 
Moreover, the recesses 4 are mirror-symmetrically arranged about a center 
axis transversely of the respective stud 3, all inclined walls 4c on one 
side of the centre axis being inclined in one direction and all inclined 
walls 4c on the other side of the centre axis being inclined in the 
opposite direction. 
In the recesses 4, fillets 5 are mounted in the transverse direction of the 
floor and extend in one piece from one side edge of the floor element to 
the other. The fillets 5 which are of substantially rectangular 
cross-section are positioned on their edge and have a width corresponding 
to the bottom 4a of the recesses 4, the mutual displacement of the 
recesses 4 and their inclined walls 4c causing the fillets 5 which to 
approximately half their height are inserted in the recesses 4 of the 
studs 3 and which before being mounted are straight, to be on the one hand 
bent in a wave-like manner and turned and, on the other hand, to be 
inclined, at the portions inserted in the recesses 4, in the same 
direction as the inclined wall 4c of the respective recess 4 and to engage 
said wall, such that only an edge portion of the fillets engages the 
bottom 4a of the respective recess 4. The fillets 5 and the studs 3 are 
joined together by fastening means, e.g. nails, arranged at the recesses 
4. 
Surface planks 6 are disposed on the fillets 5 in the longitudinal 
direction of the floor, said planks having between themselves a small gap 
7, thereby avoiding tensions if the planks 6 become wet. Owing to the 
inclined position of the fillets 5 in the recesses 4, the upper side 5a of 
the fillets 5 is inclined in an area above the recesses 4. As a result, 
the planks 6 rest in these areas on edges of said fillets. The planks 6 
which extend in one piece from one end of the floor element to the other, 
are by suitable fastening means such as nails attached to the subjacent 
fillets 5. To protect the wood, the planks 6 are coated with suitable thin 
panels 8, e.g. fiberboard, whose surface can be treated so as to be 
non-slip also when it is wet. 
Finally the floor element has along its outer edges a peripheral marginal 
portion for joining together a plurality of floor elements. At both ends 
of the floor element, the marginal portion is formed of a through stud 9 
which is of substantially square cross-section and attached to the lower 
side of the surface planks 6. On the sides of the floor element, short 
members 10 of a similar stud are arranged in every second space between 
the fillets 5 extending up to the side edges of the floor element. The 
stud members 10 are attached to the lower side of the surface planks 6 and 
also to the end portions of the fillets 5. Both in the ends of the floor 
element and in its sides, the marginal portion has an outwardly facing 
groove 11 of e.g. semicircular cross-section. To connect two adjoining 
floor elements, a suitable rod is positioned in the groove 11, whereupon 
the floor elements are pressed together by a clamping means. 
Obviously, numerous modifications and variations of the present invention 
are possible in light of the above teachings. It is therefore to be 
understood that within the scope of the appended claims, the invention may 
be practiced otherwise than as specifically described herein.