Patent ID: 6941715

Claim:
A deck structure comprising: an underlying deck structure including a plurality of joists; a plurality of modular building panels, each of said plurality of building panels including a first element being relatively inflexible and of a material selected from among the group consisting of: stone, mineral, tile, and concrete product, and further including a second element of a fiber-reinforced composite material, said second element being disposed beneath the first element and coupled thereto, said second element supporting the building panel upon two of the plurality of joists, each of said building panels further including at least one groove; and a spline engaging a pair of grooves of an adjacent pair of building panels, said spline being secured by threaded fasteners passing through the spline and into at least two of the plurality of joists, and said spline having a length substantially greater than a distance between an adjacent pair of joists, whereby the spline spans across more than two joists of the deck structure.