DECKING CLIP AND DECKING ATTACHMENT SYSTEM

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application claims the benefit of Australian Provisional Application No. 2024901798 filed on 13 Jun. 2024 and Australian Application No. 2025202868 filed on 23 Apr. 2025, which are incorporated herein by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to an improved decking clip and decking attachment system for attaching decking boards to decking support members and relates particularly, though not exclusively, to such a decking clip and decking attachment system used for attaching decking boards to joists of an outdoor deck.

BACKGROUND TO THE INVENTION

Outdoor decks are very popular in Australia as they provide a more comfortable area for seating and hosting groups of people outdoors when the weather permits. Some decks are simply designed to provide a place for the family to eat outdoors, for example, next to a gas or electric BBQ or wood-fired pizza oven. Other decks are designed to provide an area beside an outdoor swimming pool and are used for lounging around the pool and enjoying the sunshine. Traditionally, outdoor decks are made with wooden boards on a wooden foundation, and this type of construction is still popular. However, increasingly outdoor decks are made using boards made from various types of composite materials, which are generally more durable.

For example, ModWood® decking boards are an Australian made and owned wood composite product made from a mixture of ground sustainable wood waste and plastic from recycled milk bottles. ModWood® products are environmentally friendly, as they contain no formaldehyde or volatile organic compounds (VOCs). ModWood® wood composite decking has excellent levels of moisture resistance to keep them from swelling, so they stay strong through damp conditions.

One of the advantages of using composite decking boards is that they can be readily extrusion moulded with either a grooved or squared edge profile. The grooved profile has grooves provided in both side edges of the board which allow for attachment to a deck frame using a concealed fixing system. This provides a more aesthetically pleasing finish as no nails or screws are visible on the top of the board. It has the added benefit that any metal screws or nails used for the concealed fixing system are less exposed to the weather and the potential for rust damage is minimised.

A prior art example of a concealed fixing system for decking boards is the decking clip described in AU 2018201248 by Klevaklip Systems Pty Ltd (hereinafter ‘KlevaKlip®’). The KlevaKlip® decking clip has an elongate plastic body strip provided with a number of openings to receive fasteners for attaching the body strip to a support assembly. A plurality of upstands are provided at spaced intervals over the length of the body strip and extend substantially perpendicularly from the body strip. Each upstand has at least two opposed decking board engagement arms, one arm extending at an acute angle from a first lateral side of each upstand and a second arm extending at an acute angle from a second lateral side of each upstand. Each engagement arm and/or the upstand is resiliently deformable to allow a portion of a decking board to pass and to retain the decking board on the support assembly in a spaced apart, non-overlapping configuration.

There are several disadvantages of the prior art KlevaKlip® decking clip and system. The two opposed decking board engagement arms of the KlevaKlip® decking clip are relatively long, and therefore due to the resiliently deformable nature of the material from which the clips are made, and acute angle at which they extend into the grooves, the arms can flex to a small extent even after installation. This means that the attachment of the boards to the deck support assembly is not as firm as it could be and sometimes permits some small movement of the boards when walked on as the arms are alternatively compressed and relaxed. Another disadvantage of the KlevaKlip® decking clip and system is that longitudinal/sliding movement of the decking boards occurs since the decking boards aren't totally secured to the deck support assembly.

The present invention was developed with a view to providing an improved and more effective decking clip and decking attachment system that is less susceptible to the disadvantages of the prior art. Although the invention will be described with particular reference to a decking clip and decking attachment system used for attaching decking boards to joists for an outdoor deck, it will be understood that the same clip and attachment system may be employed in other similar types of structures with only minor modifications.

References to prior art in this specification are provided for illustrative purposes only and are not to be taken as an admission that such prior art is part of the common general knowledge in Australia or elsewhere.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to a first aspect of the invention there is provided an improved decking clip for attaching a decking board to a decking support member, the decking clip comprising:

a substantially planar base portion adapted to be attached to the decking support member by suitable fastening means, the base portion having a clip member, the clip member having an upright portion extending in a substantially perpendicular direction from an upper surface of the base portion; and, the clip member having a protruding portion proximate it's upper extremity which protrudes from one side of the upright portion wherein, in use, the protruding portion on the clip member is adapted to engage with a side edge of the decking board to retain the decking board on the decking support member.

Preferably the protruding portion of the clip member has a planar surface extending substantially perpendicularly from the upright portion wherein, in use, the planar surface of the protruding portion engages with a planar surface of a groove provided in the side edge of the decking board.

Preferably the upright portion of the clip member is a resiliently movable upright portion extending in a substantially perpendicular direction from an upper surface of the base portion when in the rest position. Advantageously, the base portion is provided with a rounded channel extending along a side of the upright portion where it is joined to the base portion to improve its flexibility during installation of a decking board. Preferably the base portion is also provided with another rounded channel extending along the opposite of the upright portion where it is joined to the base portion.

According to a second aspect of the invention there is provided an improved decking clip for attaching first and second adjacent decking boards to a decking support member, the decking clip comprising:

• • a substantially planar base portion adapted to be attached to the decking support member by suitable fastening means, the base portion having a pair of opposing first and second clip members, each clip member having a resiliently movable upright portion extending in a substantially perpendicular direction from an upper surface of the base portion in a rest position;
  • each clip member having a protruding portion proximate it's upper extremity which protrudes from the upright portion wherein, in use, the protruding portion on the first clip member is adapted to engage with a side edge of the first decking board and the protruding portion on the second clip member is adapted to engage with a side edge of the second decking board to retain the first and second decking boards on the decking support member.

Preferably the protruding portion of each clip member has a planar surface extending substantially perpendicularly from the upright portion wherein, in use, the respective planar surfaces of the protruding portions on the first and second clip members engage with a planar surface of a respective groove provided in the side edges of the respective first and second decking boards respectively.

Advantageously, the base portion is provided with a rounded channel extending along a respective side of each upright portion where it is joined to the base portion to improve its flexibility during installation of a decking board. Preferably the base portion is also provided with a central rounded channel extending between the respective upright portions of the first and second clip members where they are joined to the base portion.

Preferably the base portion is provided with a second pair of opposing clip members, identical to and adjacent to the first pair of opposing clip members.

According to third aspect of the present invention there is provided an improved decking attachment system for attaching a plurality of decking boards to a decking support member, the decking attachment system comprising:

• • a plurality of decking clips, each decking clip comprising a substantially planar base portion with at least one clip member having an upright portion and a protruding portion proximate it's upper extremity which protrudes from the upright portion wherein, in use, the protruding portion is adapted to engage with a side edge of a decking board; and, an elongate spacing strip having a plurality of apertures at predefined uniform spacings throughout its length, a first set of apertures being adapted to receive one each of the plurality of decking clips therein.

Advantageously the decking attachment system further comprises:

• • a plurality of spike plates, each spike plate having at least one spike protruding upwards and adapted to penetrate an undersurface of a decking board; and,
  • the elongate spacing strip has a second set of apertures being adapted to receive one each of the plurality of spike plates therein.

Preferably each one of the second set of apertures in the elongate spacing strip has a central boss, and each spike plate is provided with a connection aperture provided centrally of the base plate, which is designed to align with the boss.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention there is provided an improved spike plate for a decking attachment system for attaching a plurality of decking boards to a decking support member, the spike plate comprising:

• • at least one spike protruding upwards from a base plate and adapted to penetrate an undersurface of a decking board whereby, in use, the spike plate is designed to prevent the decking board from sliding longitudinally (perpendicular to the decking support member).

In a preferred embodiment four spikes are formed on the base plate.

Throughout the specification, unless the context requires otherwise, the word “comprise” or variations such as “comprises” or “comprising”, will be understood to imply the inclusion of a stated integer or group of integers but not the exclusion of any other integer or group of integers. Likewise the word “preferably” or variations such as “preferred”, will be understood to imply that a stated integer or group of integers is desirable but not essential to the working of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The nature of the invention will be better understood from the following detailed description of a specific embodiment of the decking clip and system, given by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a top perspective view of a first embodiment of a decking clip in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a bottom perspective view the decking clip of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a side elevation view of the decking clip of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a top rear perspective view of a second embodiment of a decking clip in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a top front perspective view of the decking clip of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a bottom rear perspective view of the decking clip of FIG. 4;

FIG. 7 (a) is a top perspective view of a preferred embodiment of a spacing strip employed in a decking system according to the present invention;

FIG. 7 (b) is a bottom perspective view of the spacing strip of FIG. 7 (a);

FIG. 8 (a) is a top plan view of the spacing strip of FIG. 7 (a);

FIG. 8 (b) is a side elevation view of the spacing strip of FIG. 7 (a);

FIG. 8 (c) is a bottom plan view of the spacing strip of FIG. 7 (a);

FIG. 9 is a top perspective view of a preferred embodiment of a spike plate employed in a decking system according to the present invention;

FIG. 10 is a top plan view of the spike plate of FIG. 9;

FIG. 11 is a side elevation view of the spike plate of FIG. 9;

FIGS. 12 (a) and (b) illustrate the manner in which a decking clip of FIG. 1 is positioned in the spacing strip of FIG. 7 (a);

FIGS. 13 (a) and (b) illustrate the manner in which the decking clips of FIGS. 1 and 4 and the spike plate of FIG. 9 are positioned in the spacing strip of FIG. 7 (a);

FIG. 14 illustrates the manner in which the decking clips, spike plates, and spacing strip as shown in FIG. 13 (a) are fastened to a deck joist;

FIG. 15 (a) is a side elevation view of a deck during installation illustrating the manner in which the decking boards are attached to the deck joists using the decking system in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 15 (b) is an enlargement of part of FIG. 15 (a) showing how adjacent decking boards are attached to the deck joist;

FIG. 15 (c) is an enlargement of part of FIG. 15 (a) showing how the decking boards are installed on the deck joist;

FIG. 15 (d) is a top perspective view of the deck of FIG. 15 (a) during installation;

FIG. 16 is a side elevation view of a third embodiment of a decking clip in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 17 is a top perspective view of the decking clip of FIG. 16;

FIG. 18 illustrates the manner in which the decking clip of FIG. 16 is positioned in a modified version of the spacing strip of FIG. 7 (a);

FIG. 19 illustrates the decking clip of FIG. 16 positioned in the modified version of the spacing strip of FIG. 7 (a);

FIG. 20 is a top perspective view of a fourth embodiment of a decking clip in accordance with the present invention; and,

FIG. 21 illustrates how the spike plate of FIG. 9 is positioned in the modified version of the spacing strip of FIG. 7 (a).

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

A first embodiment of the improved decking clip 10 in accordance with the invention, as illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 3, is designed for attaching first and second adjacent decking boards 12a, 12b to a decking support member 14 (see FIGS. 15 (a) and (b)). The decking clip 10 comprises a substantially planar base portion 16 adapted to be attached to the decking support member 14 by suitable fastening means. The base portion 16 is of substantially rectangular configuration and is provided with first and second fixing apertures 18a and 18b for receiving suitable fasteners therethrough.

The base portion 16 is provided with a pair of opposing first and second clip members 20a and 20b, each clip member 20 having a respective resiliently movable upright portion 22a, 22b extending in a substantially perpendicular direction from an upper surface 24 of the base portion 16 when in their rest position. In the present embodiment, as can be seen most clearly in FIG. 1, the base portion 16 is provided with a second pair of opposing clip members, identical to and adjacent the first pair of opposing clip members 20a and 20b.

One advantage of having two adjacent pairs of opposing first and second clip members 20 on each decking clip 10 is that should one of the clip members get damaged or fail, the adjacent clip member will continue to function to retain the decking board 12 on the decking support member 14. Another advantage is that the decking boards 12 can be joined end to end with the join on the centre line of the joist. In that case, one clip member 20a attaches one board and the second clip member 20a attaches the new adjoining board. By having a separate clip member 20 for each board, variations between the board widths can be catered for and it ensures that each board is held by the clip 10.

Each clip member 20 has a protruding portion 26 proximate it's upper extremity which protrudes from the upright portion 22. In use, the protruding portion 26a on the first clip member 20a is adapted to engage with a side edge of the first decking board 12a, and the protruding portion 26b on the second clip member 20b is adapted to engage with a side edge of the second decking board 12b to retain the first and second decking boards 12a, 12b on the decking support member 14.

As can be seen most clearly in FIG. 15 (b) the decking boards 12a and 12b are provided with a groove 28 in each side edge. Preferably the protruding portion 26 of each clip member 20 has a planar surface 30 extending substantially perpendicularly from the upright portion 22. In use, the respective planar surfaces 30a and 30b of the protruding portions 26a and 26b on the first and second clip members 20a and 20b respectively engage with a planar surface 32a, 32b of the respective grooves 28a, 28b provided in the side edges of the respective first and second decking boards 12a, 12b respectively. Each of the protruding portions 26a, 26b is also formed with a respective upwardly facing inclined surface 34a, 34b, as can be seen most clearly in FIG. 3. The inclined surfaces 34a, 34b allow the edges of decking boards 12 to ride over and move the protruding portions 26a, 26b more easily during installation. A method of installing and attaching the decking boards 12 to the decking support member 14 will be described in more detail below with reference to FIGS. 12 to 15.

A second embodiment of the improved decking clip 40 in accordance with the invention, as illustrated in FIGS. 4 to 6, is designed for attaching a decking board 12 to a decking support member 14. Typically, the decking clip 40 is used for attaching a decking board 12 to the end of a decking support member 14 at the edge of a deck. The decking clip 40 is effectively a half-clip version of the decking clip 10, and therefore the like parts will be identified using the same reference numerals as in the decking clip 10. The decking clip 40 also has a substantially planar base portion 16 adapted to be attached to the decking support member 14 by suitable fastening means. The base portion 16 is of substantially rectangular configuration and is provided with a fixing aperture 18 for receiving a suitable fastener therethrough.

The base portion 16 in this embodiment is provided with a single clip member 20, (instead of a pair of opposing first and second clip members). The clip member 20 has an upright portion 22 extending in a substantially perpendicular direction from an upper surface 24 of the base portion 16. The clip member 20 has a protruding portion 26 proximate it's upper extremity which protrudes from one side of the upright portion 22. In use, the protruding portion 26 on the clip member 20 is adapted to engage with a side edge of the decking board 12 to retain the decking board on the decking support member 14. In the present embodiment, as can be seen most clearly in FIG. 5, the base portion 16 is provided with a second clip member 20, substantially identical to and adjacent to the first clip member 20.

Because the decking clip 40 is designed to attach a decking board 12 to a decking support member 14 at the edge of a deck, the upright portion 22 preferably remains substantially stationary after installation, in use, acting as a stop for the decking board 12 at the edge of the deck. For this reason, the upright portion 22 is provided with a plurality of reinforcing ribs 42 on the opposite side of the upright portion 22 to that of the protruding portion 26. As with the first embodiment, the protruding portion 26 of the clip member 20 has a planar surface 30 extending substantially perpendicularly from the upright portion 22. In use, the planar surface 30 of the protruding portion 26 engages with a planar surface 32 of a groove provided in the side edge of the decking board 12 at the edge of the deck.

The decking clips 10, 40 are preferably manufactured from a suitable plastics material, for example, UV stabilized polyamide.

Whilst the decking clips can be attached directly to a supporting member 14 with suitable fasteners received through the openings 18, in this embodiment the clips are designed to be connected to a spacing strip 50 prior to fastening to the supporting member 14. For this purpose, the base portion 16 of the clip 10 is formed with two connector portions 36a, 36b at each end of a main body of the base portion 16, each connector portion 36 having a rectangular aperture provided therein for connection to the spacing strip 50.

A preferred embodiment of an improved decking attachment system 70 for attaching a plurality of decking boards 12 to a decking support member 14 will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. The decking attachment system 70 comprises a plurality of decking clips 10, 40 as described above, and an elongate spacing strip 50 as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8. The spacing strip 50 has a plurality of apertures 52, 54 at predefined uniform spacings throughout its length.

A first set of clip apertures 52 in the spacing strip 50 are adapted to receive one each of the plurality of decking clips 10 or 40 therein. The clip apertures 52 are designed to provide a guide or template for positioning and fixing the decking clips 10 or 40 at the predefined spacings. The clip apertures 52 in this embodiment are uniformly spaced 143 mm apart, which will ensure a 4.8 to 6.0 mm gap between the decking boards 12 after installation (each board in this example has a width of between 137.0 to 138.2 mm). In this embodiment the spacing strips 50 each have four full-size clip apertures 52b, 52c, 52d and 52e, for receiving the decking clips 10 therein, and two half-size clip apertures 52a and 52f for receiving the decking clips 40 therein. When two spacing strips 50 are abutted end to end, as shown in FIG. 14, the two half-size clip apertures together form a full-size clip aperture.

The clip apertures 52 extend through the whole thickness of the spacing strip 50 to form rectangular cut-outs 52 of a size and shape to receive the main body of the base portion 16 of the decking clips 10, 40 therein. The spacing strip 50 is of the same thickness (4.0 mm) as the main body of the base portion 16. On each side of the rectangular cut-out 52 are side recesses formed in the spacing strip with a pair of parallel elongate clip members 56 provided therein, which are designed to engage with the rectangular aperture of each connector portion 36 of the decking clip to form a clip-on connection. The side recesses are 2.0 mm deep, and the thickness of the connector portions 36 is also 2.0 mm. The manner in which a decking clip 10 is inserted and connected to the spacing strip 50 is illustrated in FIGS. 12 (a) and (b). The base portion of the clip 10 is simply aligned with one of the apertures 52 and pressed down into the aperture until the clip members 56a and 56b engage with the rectangular apertures of the connector portions 36a and 36b respectively to form the clip-on connection.

Advantageously the decking attachment system 70 further comprises a plurality of spike plates 60, as illustrated in FIGS. 9 to 11. Each spike plate 60 has at least one spike 62 protruding upwards from a base plate 64 and adapted to penetrate an undersurface of a decking board 14. In this embodiment the spike plates 60 are manufactured from 0.6 mm thick stamped stainless steel, and four spikes 62a, 62b, 62c and 62d are formed on the base plate 64. A central connection aperture 66 is also provided centrally of the base plate 64, which is designed to align with a boss 58 provided in the spacing strip 50.

As can be seen in FIGS. 7 and 8 the elongate spacing strip 50 has a second set of apertures 54 adapted to receive one each of the plurality of spike plates 60 therein. The apertures 54 are in the form of five rectangular recesses or pockets 54a, 54b, 54c, 54d and 54e in the top surface of the spacing strip 50. Centrally of each pocket 54 is a boss 58 on which the central connection aperture 66 of a spike plate 60 is received. The number and spacing of spike plates 60 on a spacing strip 50 will vary depending on the application. The spike plates 60 are designed to be wedged in the pockets 54 of the spacing strip 50 via a tight friction-fit connection. When a decking board is installed, the spike plates are designed to penetrate into the boards to prevent them from sliding longitudinally (perpendicular to the deck joists).

A preferred method of attaching decking boards 12 to decking support members 14 using the decking attachment system 70 will now be described with reference to FIGS. 13, 14 and 15. Advantageously, as shown in FIG. 13, four full-clip decking clips 10 and one half-clip decking clip 40 are clipped onto a spacing strip 50 for easier preassembly prior to fastening to a decking support member. The four full-clip decking clips 10 are clipped into the respective clip apertures 52b, 52c, 52d, and 52e, and a half-clip decking clip 40 is clipped into either one of the half-size apertures 52a or 52f. If the preassembled spacing strip 50 is to be located between two other spacing strips 50 (rather than at the start of end of the decking support member 14), then no half-clip decking clip 40 is used. Instead, a full-clip decking clip 10 is used where two spacing strips abut, as shown in FIG. 14.

In this embodiment the decking support members are timber joists 14. The decking attachment system 70 can be used on timber, aluminium and steel joists. The half-clip decking clips 10 are used at the start or end of the joist. Different fasteners will used for attaching the decking clips to the joists depending on the material of the joists.

In this embodiment five spike plates 60 are also wedged into position in each of the five rectangular recesses or pockets 54a, 54b, 54c, 54d and 54e during preassembly of the spacing strip 50, as shown in FIGS. 13 (a) and (b). The preassembled spacing strip 50 is then placed on the joist 14, with one end abutting as adjacent strip 50, as shown in FIG. 14 (the preassembled spacing strip 50 is shown in exploded view in FIG. 14 for clarity). Two screw fasteners are used to attach the decking clips 10 on the preassembled spacing strip 50 to the joist 14. In this embodiment 8g (4.2 mm)×25 mm button wafer head or countersunk timber screws 14 are used.

The installation of the decking boards 12 starts from a half-clip decking clip 40 at one end of each the joists, once all the joists have the preassembled spacing strips 50 fixed in place. It is recommended that each decking board 12 is first angled into one side of a decking clip, as shown in FIG. 15 (a), so that the planar surface 30b of the protruding portion 26b on the upright portion 22b of a clip member 20b engages with the planar surface 32b of the groove 28b provided in the side edge of the decking board 12. The decking board 12 is then positioned in the direction of arrow A, as shown in FIGS. 15 (a) and (c), so that a bevelled edge of the decking board 12 engages with the inclined surface 34a of the protruding portion 26a of a clip member 20a of an adjacent decking clip 10 in the spacing strip 50. The decking board 12 can then be stepped on or ‘walked in’ from above, forcing the upright portion 22a of the clip member 20a to resiliently move in the direction of arrow B, as shown in FIG. 15 (c).

As the decking board 12 is located in the direction of arrow A into the space between adjacent decking clips 10, the protruding portion 26a of the upright portion 22a will ride over the edge of the decking board until it engages with the groove 28a in the side edge of the decking board 12. When the planar surface 30a of the protruding portion 26a of the clip member 20a engages with the planar surface 30b of the groove 28a provided in the side edge of the decking board 12, as shown in FIG. 15 (b) the decking board 12 is effectively locked into position on the joist 14. At the same time as the decking board 12 is being stepped on or ‘walked in’ from above, the spike plates 60 are forced down into the pockets 54 and the spikes 62 penetrate into the underside of the board 12. The spikes 62 penetrate about 1.5 mm into the decking board as the board is installed and also during use of the deck. The pockets or recesses 54 allow the spike plates 60 to only move laterally one or two millimetres with the decking board as the board self-centres between the decking clips during installation. Lateral movement of a spike plate 60 is allowed because the spike plate begins engaging with the decking board on an angle as it is pressed in at Point A. If the spike plate is locked in position it does not allow the board to move along the axis of the joist, which results in uneven gaps depending on which edge was angled into the clip. The sliding/moving spike plate allows the board to centre itself based on a balancing of force provided by the opposing clip forces. This helps to ensure the gaps between the decking boards are kept as consistent as possible. Each of the decking boards 12a, 12b, 12c, etc is stepped on or ‘walked in’ consecutively, from one end of the deck to the other, in the direction of arrow C as shown in FIG. 15 (d).

A third embodiment of the improved decking clip 80 in accordance with the invention, as illustrated in FIGS. 16 to 19, is designed for attaching first and second adjacent decking boards 12a, 12b to a decking support member 14 (see FIGS. 15 (a) and (b)). The decking clip 80 is similar in many respects to the first embodiment of the decking clip 10, shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, and therefore the like parts will be identified with the same reference numerals as in the decking clip 10. The decking clip 80 comprises a substantially planar base portion 16 adapted to be attached to the decking support member 14 by suitable fastening means. The base portion 16 is of substantially rectangular configuration and is provided with first and second fixing apertures 18a and 18b for receiving suitable fasteners therethrough.

The base portion 16 of decking clip 80 is provided with a pair of opposing first and second clip members 20a and 20b, each clip member 20 having a respective resiliently movable upright portion 22a, 22b extending in a substantially perpendicular direction from an upper surface 24 of the base portion 16 when in their rest position. In the present embodiment, as can be seen most clearly in FIG. 17, the base portion 16 is provided with a second pair of opposing clip members, identical to and adjacent the first pair of opposing clip members 20a and 20b.

Each clip member 20 of the decking clip 80 has a protruding portion 26 proximate it's upper extremity which protrudes from the upright portion 22. In use, the protruding portion 26a on the first clip member 20a is adapted to engage with a side edge of the first decking board 12a, and the protruding portion 26b on the second clip member 20b is adapted to engage with a side edge of the second decking board 12b to retain the first and second decking boards 12a, 12b on the decking support member 14.

The main differences between the decking clip 80 and the decking clip 10 is in the arrangement of the clip members 20 in connection with the base portion 16. Each resiliently movable upright portion 22a, 22b in the design of the decking clip 10 has a somewhat limited degree of pivoting movement in relation to the base portion 16. During trials of the clip 10, some fractures and breakages were observed at the base of the clip upright portions 22a, 22b due to over-stressing of the clip upright during board installation. A number of different types of materials/grades were trialed to combat the problem before any design changes were made. Design changes were then undertaken to reduce the stress at the base of the clip upright portions 22a, 22b during board installation.

In the design of the decking clip 80, the length of the upright portions 22a, 22b has been extended by creating a gap 82 between the upright portions 22a, 22b that extends down into the base portion 16, terminating in rounded centre channel 84, as can be seen most clearly in FIG. 16. Respective rounded side channels 86a and 86b have also been formed in the base portion 16 on the outside of the respective upright portions 22a, 22b. The thickness of the base portion 16 of the decking clip 80 was increased from 4 mm to 5 mm to accommodate the respective rounded channels 84, 86a and 86b. The extra room created on either side at the base of the upright portion 22a, 22b allowed greater flexing and for the pivot point of the clip upright portions to be lowered, effectively increasing the length of the upright portions while reducing the stress on the clip during board installation. In other respects the decking clip 80 is substantially identical to the decking clip 10 and the like parts will not be described again in detail.

FIGS. 18 and 19 illustrate the manner in which the decking clip 80 is positioned in the spacing strip 50. This is similar to the way in which the decking clip 10 is positioned in the spacing strip 50 as described above with reference to FIG. 12 and therefore will not be described again in detail here. However, the spacing strip 50 has also been slightly thicker to accommodate the increased thickness of the base portion 16. In addition, two rectangular recesses 88a, 88b have been formed on either side of the first set of clip apertures 52 to receive the external profiles of the side channels 86a and 86b.

A further modification to the spacing strip 50 can be seen most clearly in FIG. 21. The second set of clip apertures 54 in the spacing strip 50, designed to receive the spike plates 60 therein, have also been slightly modified. At the centre of each aperture 54 is a boss 58 on which the central connection aperture 66 of a spike plate 60 is received. In the modified design of the spacing strip 50, shown in FIGS. 19 and 21, a plurality of thin crush ribs 59 are provided on the circumference of the boss 58 to help locate and secure the spike plate in the spacing strip 50 prior to installation. The crush ribs 59 help to ensure the spike plates 60 do not fall out of the apertures 54 or become dislodged prior to or during installation. The crush ribs 54 do not prevent the spike plates 60 from moving laterally one or two millimetres with the decking board as the board self-centres between the decking clips during installation.

FIG. 20 illustrates a fourth embodiment of the improved decking clip 90 in accordance with the invention for attaching a decking board 12 to a decking support member 14. Typically, the decking clip 90 is used for attaching a decking board 12 to the end of a decking support member 14 at the edge of a deck. The decking clip 90 is effectively a half-clip version of the decking clip 80, and therefore the like parts will be identified using the same reference numerals as in the decking clip 80 and will not be described again here.

The decking clip 90 has a single clip member 20, (instead of a pair of opposing first and second clip members). Advantageously the base portion 16 is provided with a second clip member 20, identical to and adjacent to the first clip member 20. In order to provide the same improved flexibility of the upright portions 22, and for the pivot point of the upright portions to be lowered, rounded channels 84 and 86 are formed in the base portion 16 on either side of the upright portions 22. A separate end plate 92 is provided, which extends perpendicular to the base portion 16, with the channel 84 provided between the end plate 92 and upright portions 22. The operation and installation of the decking clip 90 is otherwise substantially the same as that of the second embodiment of the decking clip 40 described above with reference to FIGS. 4 to 6 and will not be described again here.

Now that preferred embodiments of the ModWood® decking clips and decking attachment system have been described in detail, it will be apparent that the described embodiments provide a number of advantages over the prior art, including the following:

• • (i) The decking clips provide a secure connection between the decking boards and deck joists.
  • (ii) The ability to preassemble the decking clips and spike plates on the spacing strips greatly simplifies the method of attaching decking clips to the deck joists.
  • (iii) The provision of the half-clip decking clips provides a simple and effective way of securely connecting the decking boards to the joists at each end of the deck.
  • (iv) The use of spike plates in the spacing strips ensures improved safety by securing and preventing longitudinal movement of the decking boards (perpendicular to the deck joists).
  • (v) The use of spike plates also avoids the use of adhesive which some prior art systems stipulate. There is a reluctance by installers who tend to avoid the use of adhesive in some instances.
  • (vi) The KlevaKlip® decking clip and system does not have a means for starting the first board on a joist.
  • (vii) The body strip of the KlevaKlip® system must be cut to make the starting point. There is thus an issue with cutting it accurately. Also, having to cut each body strip to start creates waste.
  • (viii) The ModWood® spacing strip provides a weather covering for the top of the joist and shields the top of the joist from rain moisture. The body strip of the KlevaKlip® system has exposed areas due to holes in the strip. ModWood® design does not have openings.
  • (ix) The ModWood® spacing strip is matched to the board widths so that the gaps between the boards are consistently even. Uneven gaps and gaps of 6 mm width or more create traps for high heels.

It will be readily apparent to persons skilled in the relevant arts that various modifications and improvements may be made to the foregoing embodiments, in addition to those already described, without departing from the basic inventive concepts of the present invention. For example, the spacing strips may be of any desired length and can be readily trimmed during installation if needed. Therefore, it will be appreciated that the scope of the invention is not limited to the specific embodiments described.