US 3,555,762 · Granted 1971-01-19
The Interlocking Metal Floor That Rises Under Your Feet
Imagine a floor made of metal puzzle pieces that lock together. When you step on it, the center part pushes down and touches the real floor beneath, while the edges stay connected. It's like a spring-loaded platform that distributes your weight intelligently.
The plain-English version
What it protects
The claim covers a modular flooring system where individual metal sections interlock with each other and rest on an existing floor below. What's protected is the specific mechanical design: each module has outer legs that attach to neighboring pieces, a center leg that only engages when weight is applied, and curved arms between them that flex and compress. The channels with sloped walls connecting these arms are key to the innovation.
Why it matters
This patent represents an early approach to raised flooring—a technique now common in offices, data centers, and industrial spaces where you need to hide electrical wiring, plumbing, or HVAC ducts beneath your feet without major renovation. By using interlocking metal modules that distribute load dynamically, the design allowed buildings to add functional space underneath without requiring permanent structural modification. The patent created a foundation for the modern modular flooring industry.
Real-world use
If you've ever walked on an office floor that felt slightly springy and noticed grid lines between panels, you were likely on a descendant of this interlocking system.
Original USPTO abstract
A FALSE FLOORING INCLUDES A PLURALITY OF INTERLOCKING METAL MODULES, EACH HAVING A PAIR OF OUTER LEGS ADAPTED TO BE CONNECTED TO ENGAGE EXISTING FLOORING AND A CENTER LEG WHICH ENGAGES AN EXISTING FLOORING IN RESPONSE TO A LOAD BEING IMPARTED TO THE UPPER MODULE SURFACE. BETWEEN EACH OF THE OUTER LEGS AND THE CENTER LEGS, THERE ARE PROVIDED FIRST, SECOND AND THIRD ARMS HAVING UPWARDLY DEFLECTED ARCS. THE THIRD ARM IS CONNECTED TO THE FIRST AND SECOND ARMS BY A PAIR OF CHANNELS, HAVING SLOPING SIDE WALLS AND A DOWNWARD EXTENT CONSIDERABLY LESS THAN THE LENGTH OF THE LEGS.
Patent details
- Publication number
- US 3,555,762
- Filing date
- 1968-07-08
- Grant date
- 1971-01-19
- Assignee
- Aluminum Plastic Products Corp
- Inventor(s)
- NICHOLAS JOSEPH COSTANZO JR.
- CPC class
- E04F15/06
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