Embedment tile with replaceable top plate

• US 8,261,497 B2
• Filed: 08/03/2009
• Issued: 09/11/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 09/27/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: MetaDome, LLC
• Original Assignee: MetaDome, LLC
• Inventors: Sippola, Duane F.
• Primary Examiner(s): KATCHEVES, BASIL S
• Application Number:
  US12/462,398
• Publication Number:
  US 20100129150A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,135 Days
• Field of Search: 521/771, 521/81, 527/901, 527/831.1, 527/831.4, 527/831.6, 523/92, 521/77
• US Class Current: 52/177
• CPC Class Codes: A61H 3/066 Installations on the floor, e.g. special surfaces, to guide blind persons
• CPC Class Codes: E01C 5/16 made of metallic units with a filling or ground plate of other material E01C5/22; for temporary pavings E01C9/083; steel gratings E01C9/10
• CPC Class Codes: E01C 5/22 made of units composed of a mixture of materials covered by two or more of groups E01C5/008 , E01C5/02 - E01C5/20 except embedded reinforcing materials
• CPC Class Codes: E04F 15/02 Flooring or floor layers composed of a number of similar elements of webs E04F15/16

Abstract

An embedment tile with a replaceable upper plate and a lower plate joined by fasteners in a manner that permits replacement of the upper plate when desired. The embedment tile upper plate comprises a plate having a pattern of upwardly extending projections on its upper surface forming a tactilely detectable pattern.

Claims

1. An embedment tile assembly comprising:

a plurality of embedment tiles, each tile having;

a lower plate;

a moldable material anchor fixed to the lower plate; and

an upper plate releasably joined to the lower plate, and the upper plate includes a tactile surface,

wherein the upper plate of each embedment tile includes a downwardly extending flange around at least a portion of a perimeter of the embedment tile, and

the flange extends downwardly to an elevation below the surface of an associated lower plate, and

wherein one of the embedment tiles is substantially rectangular in shape and one of the embedment tiles is substantially wedge-shaped and disposed adjacent to the rectangular embedment tiled to form a substantially continuous and arcuate tactile surface.

2. The embedment tile assembly of claim 1, wherein the lower plate of each embedment tile includes a tactile surface of substantially the same shape as the tactile surface on the upper plate.

3. The embedment tile assembly of claim 1, wherein the upper plate of each embedment tile is releasably joined to the lower plate with a plurality of nuts and bolts.

4. The embedment tile assembly of claim 1, wherein the upper plate of each embedment tile is releasably joined to the lower plate with a plurality of nuts fixed to the lower plate, and a plurality of bolts, each bolt extending through a hole in the upper plate and threaded into a nut.

5. The embedment plate assembly of claim 1, wherein the lower plate of each embedment tile defines air vents to release air from under the embedment tile during installation.

6. The embedment tile assembly of claim 1, wherein the lower plate of each embedment tile includes a plurality of upwardly extending conical domes, and at least one of the conical domes defines an air vent to release air from under the upwardly extending conical domes during installation of the embedment tile.

7. The embedment tile assembly of claim 1, and each embedment tile further comprises:

a downwardly extending flange joined to the upper plate and extending down into a groove formed in existing and cured moldable material.

8. The embedment tile assembly of claim 1, wherein the tactile projections on each of the embedment tile upper plates substantially match tactile projections on a corresponding lower plate in shape, size, and spacing.