Verco Decking, Inc. has secured a major milestone in architecture, building, and construction with a newly patented structural panel system. This innovation focuses on the patent titled ‘Dovetail decking system with a full top flange sidelap and method of securing’. The patent describes a structural dovetail decking panel system designed to control sidelap dimensions and improve overall connection strength.
Outstanding Invention: Patent of the Month
This system has been recognized as Swanson Reed’s Patent of the Month for February 2026 because it represents an outstanding invention in the architecture, building, and construction industry.
Patent Abstract
Structural dovetail decking panel systems that utilize dovetail decking panels with a proximal edge having a proximal arm extending outwardly away from the dovetail decking panel, and a distal edge having a distal arm extending inwardly towards the dovetail decking panel. When adjacent dovetail decking panels are joined, the proximal edge having the proximal arm of a panel is placed over the distal end having the distal arm of the adjacent panel to create a dovetail sidelap. The proximal arm and/or the distal arm aid in restricting movement of the proximal edge and the distal edge of adjacent panels in order control the dimensions of a sidelap cavity and opening in the dovetail sidelap, which improves the strength of the dovetail decking panel systems, allows for the reduction of the thickness of the panels or number of couplings used, and/or allows for anchors to be utilized within the sidelap cavity.
Meeting the U.S. R&D Tax Credit Rules
To qualify for the U.S. Research and Development (R&D) Tax Credit, an innovation must satisfy the IRS Four-Part Test. Here is how Verco Decking’s invention aligns with these criteria:
- Permitted Purpose: The invention focuses on improving function, performance, and reliability. By engineering a new proximal and distal arm connection to control the sidelap cavity dimensions, the system increases the overall strength of the decking, enables the use of thinner panels, and reduces the required number of couplings.
- Elimination of Uncertainty: At the outset of development, the engineering team would have faced technical uncertainties regarding the optimal geometric angles, arm lengths, and load-bearing capabilities required to ensure the dovetail sidelap engaged securely without failing under stress.
- Process of Experimentation: Overcoming these design uncertainties required an iterative process. This likely involved 3D structural modeling, Finite Element Analysis (FEA), creating physical prototypes, and conducting destructive load testing to evaluate and refine alternative edge geometries.
- Technological in Nature: The system’s development fundamentally relies on principles of the hard sciences, specifically structural engineering, physics, and material science.
3 Practical Applications Qualifying for R&D Tax Credits
- Optimizing Panel Gauge for High-Rise Construction: Conducting structural load and shear testing to determine the absolute minimum thickness (gauge) of the steel panels that can safely utilize this new dovetail sidelap while still satisfying stringent seismic and wind-load building codes for commercial structures.
- Manufacturing Process Development: Designing and experimenting with new roll-forming dies and automated fabrication machinery to accurately and consistently bend the precise geometries of the inward-extending distal arms and outward-extending proximal arms without causing micro-fractures or structural fatigue in the metal during production.
- Custom Anchor Integration Testing: Designing, prototyping, and load-testing specialized suspension anchors tailored explicitly to fit within the newly controlled dimensions of this specific dovetail sidelap cavity. Testing would be required to ensure these anchors can safely hold the dynamic weight of heavy commercial HVAC systems or industrial piping without warping the decking.
