Paving Apparatus, System and Method

This disclosure relates generally to construction, and more particularly to providing a paved surface.

The following is not an admission that anything discussed below is part of the prior art or part of the common general knowledge of a person skilled in the art.

Various types of outdoor surfaces for handling traffic are known, including surfaces for handling vehicular and pedestrian traffic. Many of these surfaces are hard surfaces. For example, many walkways and driveways are paved with asphalt or cement.

Outdoor paved surfaces may be formed of a plurality of individual pavers, such as ceramic tiles arranged next to one another to form a paved surface. A paved surface formed of a plurality of individual pavers may be used to support, e.g., vehicular or pedestrian traffic.

Such paved surface may have desirable traits, such as wear and/or aesthetic traits. However, in some cases, the pavers are susceptible to breakage (e.g., tile breakage), particularly when subjected to heavy traffic such as heavy vehicles. In some cases, the pavers are susceptible to tile shifting. Accordingly, there remains a need for improved paving apparatus, systems, and methods.

The following summary is intended to introduce the reader to various aspects of the applicant's teaching, but not to define any invention.

According to some aspects, there is provided a paving system comprising: a base layer, the base layer including a compacted aggregate; a sand layer of coarse angular sand above the base layer; a tile layer of ceramic tiles above the sand layer, the tile layer forming a paved surface; and a metal edge restraint staked down along an edge of the paved surface.

In some embodiments, the tiles of the tile layer rest on the coarse angular sand of the sand layer.

The base layer may include a reinforcement grid.

The reinforcement grid may be a polymeric grid filled with a grid aggregate.

The coarse angular sand may be a washed sand.

The paving system may further comprise tile spacers installed between the tiles.

The tiles may be adhered to the tile spacers.

The edge restraint may include tile supports extending under adjacent ones of the tiles.

The adjacent ones of the tiles may be adhered to the tile supports of the edge restraint.

The metal edge restraint may be made of aluminum.

The paving system may further comprise polymeric sand filling joints between the tiles.

The ceramic tiles may be porcelain tiles.

According to some aspects, there is provided a method of paving, comprising: installing a base layer, the base layer including a compacted aggregate; installing a sand layer of coarse angular sand above the base layer; laying ceramic tiles above the sand layer to form a paved surface; and staking a metal edge restraint along an edge of the paved surface.

The method may further comprise excavating an excavated area, and installing a base layer may include installing the base layer in the excavated area.

Laying the tiles may include installing tile spacers between the tiles.

The method may include adding adhesive to the tile spacers to adhere the tiles to the tile spacers.

Staking a metal edge restraint along the edge of the paved surface may include positioning a tile support of the metal edge restraint under a tile of the tiles.

The method may include adding adhesive to the tile support to adhere the tile to the tile support.

The method may include filling joints between the tiles with polymeric sand.

According to some aspects, there is disclosed a tile edging apparatus, comprising: an elongated tile edge restraint strip having a longitudinal axis extending between a first end and a second end and a vertical axis extending perpendicular to the longitudinal axis and between an upper end and a lower end; a fastener support extending out from a first lateral side of the edge restraint strip, the fastener support including an aperture extending generally vertically therethrough for receiving a fastener for fixing the tile edging apparatus in place; and a tile support extending out from a second lateral side of the edge restraint strip opposite the first lateral side, the tile support including a tile support surface extending generally perpendicular to the vertical axis.

In some embodiments, the edge restraint strip includes a tile restraint surface extending generally parallel to the longitudinal axis and to the vertical axis, and the tile support surface is generally perpendicular to the tile restraint surface.

An angle between the fastener support and the tile support surface may be generally fixed.

The edge restraint strip and the fastener support may be a single integral body.

An angle between the tile support surface and the tile restraint surface may be generally fixed. The tile support may be removeable.

The tile support may be formed by a first leg of a generally L-shaped plate and the tile edge restraint strip may include a pocket to receive a second leg of the plate.

The tile support may be repositionable along the longitudinal axis.

The apparatus may include a plurality of the tile supports, wherein the tile supports are independent from one another.

The tile support may be repositionable along the longitudinal axis by sliding the first leg along the pocket.

The pocket may extend between the first end and the second end, the tile edging apparatus may further comprise a plurality of the tile supports, wherein the tile supports are independent from one another and all the tile supports are received in the pocket.

An upper rim of the aperture may be recessed below a top surface of the fastener support.

The fastener support may include a spaced-apart pair of parallel ridges flanking the aperture and spaced from the aperture to receive a head of the fastener between the ridges.

Each ridge may include a groove facing the other ridge.

The apparatus may include a body slidably received in the grooves between the ridges, the body overlying the aperture.

The apparatus may include a blocking body moveable between a secured position over the aperture and a removed position spaced from the aperture such that a fastener can be passed through the aperture.

According to some aspects, there is provided a tile edging apparatus, comprising: an elongated tile edge restraint strip having a longitudinal axis extending between a first end and a second end and a vertical axis extending perpendicular to the longitudinal axis and between an upper end and a lower end; a fastener support extending out from a first lateral side of the edge restraint strip, the fastener support including an aperture extending generally vertically therethrough for receiving a fastener for fixing the tile edging apparatus in place, an upper rim of the aperture recessed below a top surface of the fastener support; and a blocking body moveable between a first position overlying the aperture to prevent vertical movement of the fastener above the aperture and a second position spaced from the aperture such that the fastener can be vertically inserted down through the aperture.

In some embodiments, the fastener support includes a spaced-apart pair of parallel ridges flanking the aperture and spaced from the aperture to receive a head of the fastener between the ridges.

Each ridge may include a groove facing the other ridge.

The blocking body may be slidably received in the grooves between the ridges in the first position.

Various apparatuses, methods and compositions are described below to provide an example of an embodiment of each claimed invention. No embodiment described below limits any claimed invention and any claimed invention may cover apparatuses and methods that differ from those described below. The claimed inventions are not limited to apparatuses, methods and compositions having all of the features of any one apparatus, method or composition described below or to features common to multiple or all of the apparatuses, methods or compositions described below. It is possible that an apparatus, method or composition described below is not an embodiment of any claimed invention. Any invention disclosed in an apparatus, method or composition described below that is not claimed in this document may be the subject matter of another protective instrument, for example, a continuing patent application, and the applicant(s), inventor(s) and/or owner(s) do not intend to abandon, disclaim, or dedicate to the public any such invention by its disclosure in this document.

The terms “an embodiment,” “embodiment,” “embodiments,” “the embodiment,” “the embodiments,” “one or more embodiments,” “some embodiments,” and “one embodiment” mean “one or more (but not all) embodiments of the present invention(s),” unless expressly specified otherwise.

The terms “including,” “comprising” and variations thereof mean “including but not limited to,” unless expressly specified otherwise. A listing of items does not imply that any or all of the items are mutually exclusive, unless expressly specified otherwise. The terms “a,” “an” and “the” mean “one or more,” unless expressly specified otherwise.

As used herein and in the claims, two or more parts are said to be “coupled”, “connected”, “attached”, or “fastened” where the parts are joined or operate together either directly or indirectly (i.e., through one or more intermediate parts), so long as a link occurs. As used herein and in the claims, two or more parts are said to be “directly coupled”, “directly connected”, “directly attached”, or “directly fastened” where the parts are connected in physical contact with each other. None of the terms “coupled”, “connected”, “attached”, and “fastened” distinguish the manner in which two or more parts are joined together.

Furthermore, it will be appreciated that for simplicity and clarity of illustration, where considered appropriate, reference numerals may be repeated among the figures to indicate corresponding or analogous elements. In addition, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the example embodiments described herein. However, it will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that the example embodiments described herein may be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well-known methods, procedures, and components have not been described in detail so as not to obscure the example embodiments described herein. Also, the description is not to be considered as limiting the scope of the example embodiments described herein.

Referring now to, illustrated is an exemplary paving system. The paving systemforms a paved surface for, e.g., a walkway or driveway (supporting pedestrians and vehicles). In some embodiments, the paving systemforms a paved surface for heavy vehicular traffic, such as heavy trucks (e.g., semi trucks), as described further below. The paving systemforms a generally horizontal paving surfaceextending generally parallel to a longitudinal axisand a transverse axisperpendicular to the longitudinal axis. It will be appreciated that the paving surfacemay be at a small angle to the horizontal to allow for surface drainage, to follow a rise in the ground (e.g., a driveway with one end elevated higher than the other), etc.