Typically, a condition in a lease contract between a commercial building owner and a tenant is that at the end of the lease the tenant must return the leased premises in the same condition that it was in at the time the tenant took possession, save for normal wear and tear. During the course of a tenancy, a lessee will typically cause numerous holes to be drilled into the concrete floor and/or ceiling of his suite to accommodate the routing of electrical wires, plumbing pipes, voice cables, and other such items that run through the floors. In the great majority of mid and high rise office buildings, these floors are constructed of a lightweight aggregate poured on a metal underlayment or pan. This flooring assembly provides a fire break between floors. When the tenant vacates the premises, the drilled holes during the tenancy are left wide open as a result of the removal of the wiring, plumbing, etc. that had been previously installed. This is potentially a breach of the fire control properties of the flooring assembly. These holes are typically three to four inches in diameter, but can range up to twelve inches or larger. Until recently, most property owners did not recognize this as a problem, and as a result did not require the vacating tenant to repair and restore these holes. More recently, it has been recognized, however, as an issue that must be remedied before a new tenant can take possession of the property.
There are several products on the market that can be used to restore the fire break properties of the flooring assembly. Most utilize a mechanical closure of the hole by installing an expandable metal plug or cap, and require that they be installed through the bottom of the hole. This solution often requires that access to the underside of the floor be granted by another tenant or the owner. Such access may be disruptive, cause security and liability issues, necessitate that the repair work be performed after normal working hours, and cause possible damage to another tenant's property. The parts and labor associated with these products tend to be rather expensive as well.
Another problem with other products is that the final repair results in a protruding floor surface. This is a design flaw that complicates future use of the floor where the protrusion is located.
Yet another problem related to repairing holes after a lease has expired is shoddy repair work. To honor the lease, a tenant may merely stuff a rag or other such material in the hole and then fill it with a plaster, such as FIX-IT-ALL™. Such a repair is insufficient, as there is nothing to keep the rag and plaster from falling through the floor into the suite below. Moreover, such a repair may be prone to water leaks and likely does not conform to the fire code, and testing these properties would be overly burdensome, defeating the purpose of the repair in the first place.
It is to these ends that the present apparatus and method has been developed.
USPTO Backgrounds
USPTO Backgrounds