Fastener, system and method for connecting elongated members

Abstract

A fastener for fixedly connecting two members in spaced relation to one another includes a substantially cylindrical shaft having two opposed ends and a central collar portion positioned between the ends. At least one outwardly extending cylindrical ridge is positioned adjacent the central collar portion on either side thereof. Each end of the shaft is inserted longitudinally into apertures defined in the members. The at least one ridge assists in retaining the respective shaft in a respective aperture. A connecting system and a method for connecting two elongated members with the fasteners is also provided.

1 .- 9 . (canceled) 
     
     
         10 . A connecting system comprising:
 at least two elongated members, the at least two elongated members each having a top surface, a bottom surface, and at least one side surface, each of the at least two elongated members having an aperture in the respective at least one side surface thereof; and   at least one fastener positioned between the at least one side surface of each of the at least two elongated members for fixedly coupling the elongated members together via the opposing apertures, with the fastener having a substantially cylindrical shaft with two opposed ends and a central collar portion positioned between the two opposed ends, with at least one outwardly extending cylindrical ridge positioned adjacent the central collar portion on either side thereof, wherein the at least one ridge assists in retaining the respective shaft in the respective aperture, wherein the central collar portion maintains the at least two elongated members in spaced apart relation, the central collar portion further comprising a bore that extends therethrough, wherein the bore has a longitudinal axis that runs approximately parallel to a line drawn at a perpendicular between the respective top and bottom surfaces of either of the at least two elongated members, and the longitudinal axis is arranged perpendicular to the substantially cylindrical shaft.   
     
     
         11 . The connecting system of  claim 10 , wherein the ends of the fastener further comprise outwardly flared tabs for assisting in retaining the shaft in the aperture. 
     
     
         12 . The connecting system of  claim 10 , wherein the central collar portion has a height that is less than a height of the elongated members. 
     
     
         13 . The connecting system of  claim 10 , wherein the elongated members are boards. 
     
     
         14 . The connecting system of  claim 13 , wherein the boards are composite boards. 
     
     
         15 . The connecting system of  claim 14 , wherein the composite boards are one of hollow-core or solid-core boards. 
     
     
         16 . The connecting system of  claim 11 , wherein the elongated members are composite boards having a hollow-core, with the boards having at least one internal ridge that is engaged by the tabs in order to lock the fastener in place against the at least one internal ridge. 
     
     
         17 . A method of fixedly connecting two or more elongated members together comprising:
 providing a first elongated member and a second elongated member, each elongated member having a top surface, a bottom surface, and an aperture disposed in a side surface thereof;   inserting a first of two opposed ends of a fastener into the aperture disposed in the side surface of the first elongated member, the fastener having a substantially cylindrical shaft including the two opposed ends and a central collar portion positioned between the two opposed ends, with at least one outwardly extending, cylindrical ridge positioned adjacent the central collar portion on either side thereof, the central collar portion comprising a bore that extends therethrough, wherein the bore has a longitudinal axis that runs approximately parallel to a line drawn at a perpendicular between the respective top and bottom surfaces of either of the first and second elongated members, and the longitudinal axis is arranged perpendicular to the substantially cylindrical shaft;   driving the first end of the fastener into the aperture of the first elongated member until the central collar portion abuts the side surface of the first elongated member, wherein the respective cylindrical ridge assists in retaining the first end of the fastener in the respective aperture;   inserting a second of the two opposed ends of the fastener into the aperture disposed in the side surface of the second elongated member; and   driving the second end of the fastener into the aperture of the second elongated member until the central collar portion abuts the side surface of the second elongated member, wherein the respective cylindrical ridge assists in retaining the second end of the fastener in the respective aperture.   
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 17 , further comprising inserting a portion of the second fastener into and through the bore for coupling the fastener and elongated members to an underlying support member. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 17 , wherein the first and second elongated members comprise a plurality of solid boards and the at least one fastener comprises a plurality of fasteners, with the apertures being defined by drilling holes into the sides of the boards at spaced locations, the method further comprising inserting a fastener into each aperture, with each end of the respective fastener being inserted into adjacent boards in order to form a panel of boards fixedly connected to one another. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 17 , wherein the first and second elongated members comprise hollow-core, composite boards and the at least one fastener includes at least one depressible tab positioned at each end thereof, and each of the boards has an internal ridge for mating with the depressible tab of the fastener, with the method further comprising inserting the end of the fastener into the aperture until the depressible tab snaps behind the internal ridge to fixedly couple the fastener to the board and to fixedly couple the first elongated member to the second elongated member with the fastener. 
     
     
         21 . The system of  claim 10 , further comprising a second fastener, the second fastener being of different type than the at least one fastener, wherein the second fastener is inserted into a top opening of the bore so that a portion of the second fastener extends out of a bottom opening of the bore, the bottom opening opposing the top opening. 
     
     
         22 . The system of  claim 21 , wherein the second fastener is attached to a support member that is located adjacent to the bottom surfaces of the at least two elongated members. 
     
     
         23 . A pre-assembled decking panel, the decking panel comprising:
 a plurality of elongated members, each of the elongated members having a top surface, a bottom surface, and a side surface, the side surface including a plurality of apertures disposed therein;   a plurality of fasteners, each of the fasteners having a shaft including a pair of opposed ends and a central collar portion located therebetween, each of the fasteners being installed in a pair of adjacent elongated members via insertion of a respective one of the pair of opposed ends into a respective aperture located in each of the pair of adjacent elongated members,
 the central collar portion having a width W 1 , a first collar portion side surface, and a second collar portion side surface, the width W 1  being measured between the first collar portion side surface and the second collar portion side surface, the first collar portion side surface being located adjacent the side surface of a first one of the pair of adjacent elongated members and the second collar portion side surface being located adjacent the side surface of a second one of the pair of adjacent elongated members, wherein the central collar portion maintains the pair of adjacent elongated members spaced apart by a distance equal to the width W 1 , 
 the central collar portion further comprising a bore that extends therethrough, wherein the bore has a longitudinal axis that runs approximately parallel to a line drawn at a perpendicular between the respective top and bottom surfaces of either of the pair of adjacent elongated members, and the longitudinal axis is arranged perpendicular to the shaft. 
   
     
     
         24 . The pre-assembled decking panel of  claim 23 , wherein each of the fasteners has an outwardly extending cylindrical ridge positioned adjacent the central collar portion on either side thereof, wherein the at least one ridge assists in retaining a respective opposed end of the shaft in the respective aperture. 
     
     
         25 . The pre-assembled decking panel of  claim 23 , wherein each of the opposed ends of each of the fasteners has outwardly flared portions that assist in holding the respective end in the respective aperture. 
     
     
         26 . The pre-assembled decking panel of  claim 23 , wherein each of the elongated members is a hollow-core board having at least one internal ridge that runs at a perpendicular between the top and bottom surfaces thereof. 
     
     
         27 . The pre-assembled decking panel of  claim 26 , wherein each of the opposed ends of each of the fasteners has outwardly flared portions that engage the at least one internal ridge in order to lock the end of the fastener in place within the aperture. 
     
     
         28 . The pre-assembled decking panel of  claim 23 , wherein the bore is designed so that a second fastener of different type than the plurality of fasteners may be inserted into a top opening of the bore so that a portion of the second fastener extends out of a bottom opening of the bore, the bottom opening opposing the top opening. 
     
     
         29 . The pre-assembled decking panel of  claim 23 , wherein the central collar portion of each of the fasteners is cylindrical and has a diameter that is greater than a diameter of the shaft.