US 5,182,892 · Granted 1993-02-02
The Drainage Groove That Keeps Decks From Rotting
This patent describes a wooden board with a tongue-and-groove connection (like interlocking Lego pieces) that includes tiny vertical holes in the tongue part. Those holes let water drain straight through instead of pooling and causing rot—a simple but clever fix for outdoor decking and flooring.
The plain-English version
What it protects
The claim covers a tongue-and-groove board design where the protruding tongue (the part that sticks out and locks into an adjacent board) has one or more vertically-drilled openings that run from the top surface to the bottom surface. What's protected is this specific drainage feature built into the tongue itself, not just the basic tongue-and-groove joint that's been around for centuries.
Why it matters
Outdoor decking and flooring have always battled water damage and rot. By adding drainage holes directly into the tongue, this design lets gravity pull water through instead of trapping it between boards where it causes wood to swell, split, and decay. For a lumber company like Louisiana-Pacific, this is a way to differentiate their product and extend the lifespan of decks and outdoor structures in wet climates.
Real-world use
Every time rain collects on an outdoor deck made with these boards, water naturally drains down through the tongue holes instead of sitting between the boards and rotting the wood from the inside out.
Original USPTO abstract
The invention is directed to a tongue and groove product which comprises a first and second major surface and a first and second longitudinal edge. The first longitudinally edge including means defines a longitudinally-extending groove. The second longitudinal edge includes a longitudinally-extending protruding tongue for interlockingly engaging a complimentary grooved longitudinal edge of an adjacent tongue and groove board. The protruding tongue has an upper and a lower longitudinally-extending surface. The major design feature of this invention is that the protruding tongue has at least one substantially vertically-extending opening formed therein. Each of the openings extends through the protruding tongue from said longitudinally-extending upper surface to said longitudinally-extending lower surface for providing at least one drain path for water to drain by gravity from said first major surface downwardly through each said vertically-extending opening. This prevents an accumulation of water on the tongue and groove board. In the preferred case, the opening in the protruding tongue comprises a substantial vertically-extending notch.
Patent details
- Publication number
- US 5,182,892
- Filing date
- 1991-08-15
- Grant date
- 1993-02-02
- Assignee
- Louisiana-Pacific Corporation
- Inventor(s)
- CHASE; PETER D.
- CPC class
- E04F15/04
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