Floor covering with interlocking design

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10704269-B2
Application number	US-201615072829-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 17, 2016
Priority date	Jan 11, 2010
Publication date	Jul 7, 2020
Grant date	Jul 7, 2020

Abstract

Surface coverings, such as floor coverings, with an interlocking design are described. Methods of making the surface coverings are further described. A plank including a resilient composite sheet having four sides, an upper surface, a lower surface, and an overall thickness, and said composite sheet comprising at least one base layer, wherein said at least one base layer comprising at least one polymeric material and at least one filler, wherein opposite sides of the composite sheet comprise a first tongue on a first side and a first groove on the opposite second side, wherein the first tongue and first groove have complementary shape to each other to be interlockingly engageable with a corresponding groove or tongue on an adjacent floor plank.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A carpet tile or plank, comprising
a carpet layer as a surface layer,
a substrate to which the carpet layer is attached, wherein the substrate comprises a composite sheet comprising at least one base layer,
the at least one base layer comprising a homogenous blend of at least one polymeric material and at least one filler, in resilient sheet form, the at least one base layer being flexible,
wherein the at least one base layer comprises a locking tongue and groove joint, the at least one base layer extending to the surface layer, the locking tongue extending outwardly from the carpet tile or plank beyond a vertical line intersecting a lowermost edge of the groove, wherein the locking tongue includes a tongue tip extending outwardly from the carpet tile or plank beyond an upper-most part of the carpet tile or plank, and wherein, in a cross-sectional area of the carpet tile or plank, a total area of the tongue tip comprises between 8% and 20% of a total area of the locking tongue,
wherein the polymeric material is a thermoplastic polymer,
wherein the thermoplastic polymer is selected from the group consisting of: vinyl containing thermoplastics and copolymers thereof.

2. The carpet tile or plank according to claim 1 , wherein the substrate has a cellular foam structure.

3. The carpet tile or plank according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one base layer comprises foaming agents and/or blowing agents.

4. The carpet tile or plank according to claim 1 , wherein the composite sheet structure comprises a luxury vinyl tile (LVT) material, a vinyl composition tile (VCT) material, or rubber material.

5. The carpet tile or plank according to claim 1 , wherein said at least one base layer is extruded.

6. The carpet tile or plank according to claim 2 , wherein the thermoplastic polymer is a rigid polyvinyl chloride and or semi-rigid or flexible polyvinyl chloride.

7. The carpet tile or plank according to claim 1 , wherein the filler is an inorganic filler, wherein the inorganic filler is selected from the group consisting of: hydrated alumina, magnesium carbonate, calcium sulfate, silica, precipitated silica, fumed silica, fly ash, cement dust, glass, clay, talc, calcium carbonate, barium sulfate, silicates, aluminum trihydrate, talc, clay, kaolin, wollastonite, gypsum, solid or hollow glass microspheres.

8. The carpet tile or plank according to claim 1 , wherein the filler is an organic filler, wherein the organic filler is selected from the group consisting of: carbon black, wood flour, cellulose-derived materials, ground rice hulls, solid or hollow temperature resistant polymer microspheres or microbeads.

9. The carpet tile or plank according to claim 1 , wherein the carpet layer is attached to the substrate with an intervening bonding layer.

10. The carpet tile or plank according to claim 1 , wherein the carpet layer is permanently attached to the substrate.

11. The carpet tile or plank according to claim 9 , wherein the intervening bonding layer is a separate layer or coating from the carpet layer.

12. The carpet tile or plank according to claim 9 , wherein the intervening bonding layer is an adhesive or tackifiable constituent or layer of the carpet layer.

13. The carpet tile or plank according to claim 9 , wherein the intervening bonding layer comprises an adhesive.

14. The carpet tile or plank according to claim 9 , wherein the intervening bonding layer comprises a thermoplastic adhesive, thermosetting adhesive, or rubber adhesive, or any combinations thereof.

15. The carpet tile or plank according to claim 1 , wherein the carpet layer is thermally bonded to the substrate.

16. The carpet tile or plank according to claim 1 , wherein the carpet layer is mechanically attached to the substrate.

17. The carpet tile or plank according to claim 1 , wherein the carpet layer comprises a textile substrate.

18. The carpet tile or plank according to claim 17 , wherein the textile substrate include a hard backed or cushion backed textile substrate.

19. The carpet tile or plank according to claim 17 , wherein the textile substrate comprises textile fibers defining a fibrous face, a primary backing to which the textile fibers are secured, and a secondary backing secured to the primary backing.

20. The carpet tile or plank according to claim 17 , wherein the textile substrate is a woven fabric, a knitted fabric, a nonwoven fabric, an upholstery fabric, a tufted carpet, or a piled carpet, a cut pile, a loop tile, a pile and loop carpet.

21. The carpet tile or plank according to claim 17 , wherein the textile substrate is formed from natural fibers.

22. The carpet tile or plank according to claim 1 , wherein the composite sheet has an overall thickness of 5 mm or less.

23. The carpet tile or plank according to claim 1 , wherein opposite sides of the composite sheet comprise a first tongue on a first side and a first groove on the opposite second side, wherein the first tongue and first groove have complementary shape to each other to be interlockingly engageable with a corresponding groove or tongue on an adjacent tile or plank.

24. The carpet tile or plank according to claim 1 , wherein the carpet layer is removeably attached to the substrate.

25. The carpet tile or plank according to claim 17 , wherein the textile substrate is formed from synthetic fibers.

26. The carpet tile or plank according to claim 1 , wherein the substrate comprises a locking tongue and groove joint.

27. The carpet tile or plank according to claim 1 , wherein the entire at least one base layer is in resilient sheet form.

28. A carpet tile or plank, comprising
a carpet layer as a surface layer,
a substrate to which the carpet layer is attached, wherein the substrate comprises a composite sheet comprising at least one base layer comprising a homogenous blend of at least one polymeric material and at least one filler, in resilient sheet form, and having a cellular foam structure, the at least one base layer being flexible,
wherein the at least one base layer, at opposite sides of the composite sheet, comprises a first tongue on a first side and a first groove on the opposite second side, wherein the first tongue and first groove have complementary shape to each other to be interlockingly engageable with a corresponding groove or tongue on an adjacent tile or plank, the at least one base layer extending to the surface layer, the locking tongue extending outwardly from the carpet tile of plank beyond a vertical line intersecting a lowermost edge of the groove, wherein the locking tongue includes a tongue tip extending outwardly from the carpet tile or plank beyond an upper-most part of the carpet tile or plank, and wherein, in a cross-sectional area of the carpet tile or plank, a total area of the tongue tip comprises between 8% and 20% of a total area of the locking tongue.

Assignees

• Vaelinge Innovation Ab
• Valinge Innovation Ab

Inventors

• Whispell John M
• Chen Hao A

Classifications

• B32B5/245

  another layer next to it being a foam layer · CPC title

• B32B3/06

  for securing layers together; for attaching the product to another member, e.g. to a support {, or to another product, e.g. groove/tongue, interlocking} · CPC title

• E04F15/02016

  with sealing elements between flooring elements (sealings of joints between building constructions in general E04B1/68) · CPC title

• E04F15/02038

  characterised by tongue and groove connections between neighbouring flooring elements · CPC title

• E04F15/02033

  Joints with beveled or recessed upper edges · CPC title