US 10,343,381 B2Granted

Method of producing a glueless dustless composite flooring material system

OwnerJohn B. Troendle, Mo Qifenginventors

Life of this patent

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Abstract

A glueless dustless composite flooring material system providing PVC-based flooring having layers providing different qualities of hardness, wear-resistance, sound deadening, and decorative patterns, avoiding the use of moisture-susceptible compressed dust filler, with layers fused together, avoiding the manufacturing complexity and delamination risks of using glue or adhesive, with a quickly-cured, UV-cured top coating providing long-lasting high performance and shortening and simplifying the manufacturing, which can be done in a sheet-form, essentially continuous-run manner, with an ability to quickly and simply change the optional design printing and texturing produced, and having an optional underlayment layer.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A method of producing a glueless dustless composite flooring material, comprising:

(i) forming a flooring base layer by:
(a) providing a PVC resin mixture free of compressed cellulose material and adhesive and having compatible materials, by mixing PVC resin and the compatible materials, yielding a PVC-resin mixture;
(b) fusing the PVC-resin mixture by application of heat and continued mixing;
(c) cooling the fused PVC-resin mixture;
(d) delivering the cooled fused PVC-resin mixture to another area for further processing;
(e) extruding the delivered cooled fused PVC-resin mixture at elevated temperature and pressure;
(f) mold forming the extruded PVC-resin mixture into a sheet of said flooring base layer;
and
(g) cooling the sheet of said flooring base layer;
and
(ii) forming a flooring face layer, by:
(a) providing a PVC decorative polymer film and a PVC wear-resistant polymer film;
(b) adding the PVC wear-resistant polymer film to the top face of said PVC decorative polymer film;
(c) hot-melt overlaying of said flooring face layer and said flooring base layer, yielding a sheet-form base-and-face subassembly;
(d) conditioning said sheet-form base-and-face subassembly;
(e) coating said sheet-form base-and-face subassembly with a UV-curing plastic resin, thereby forming a flooring coating layer;
(f) UV curing said coating of UV-curing plastic resin by exposure to UV light, yielding a finished-large-sheet assembly;
(g) profile processing said finished-large-sheet assembly, yielding multiple composite-flooring-material segments of desired size and shape, thereby producing a waterproof floor covering free of water-based materials;
(h) inspecting said composite-flooring-material segments;
and
(i) packing said composite-flooring-material segments;
where forming of said flooring face layer and forming of said flooring base layer can be performed simultaneously, yielding a supply of both to said hot-melt overlaying process;
where said hot-melt overlaying process can accommodate an essentially constant supply of said flooring face layer and said flooring base layer, and produce an essentially constant supply of said sheet-form base-and-face subassembly;
where said conditioning process can be accomplished without slowing or stopping the pace of the essentially constant supply of said sheet-form base-and-face subassembly;
where said coating process can be accomplished at the pace of the essentially constant supply of said sheet-form base-and-face subassembly;
and
where said UV curing process can be accomplished at the pace of the essentially constant supply of said sheet-form base-and-face subassembly.

24 more elements

A method of producing a glueless dustless composite flooring material, comprising:

(i) forming a flooring base layer by:
(a) providing a PVC resin mixture having compatible materials, by mixing PVC resin and the compatible materials, yielding a PVC-resin mixture;
(b) fusing the PVC-resin mixture by application of heat and continued mixing,
(c) cooling the fused PVC-resin mixture;
(d) delivering the cooled fused PVC-resin mixture to another area for further processing;
(e) extruding the delivered cooled fused PVC-resin mixture at elevated temperature and pressure, where extrusion of said flooring base layer further comprises extrusion using an 80 mm-diameter screw at a speed not exceeding 40 RPM, an extrusion pressure of 20-35 mpa, and a temperature of 160-186° C.;
(f) mold forming the extruded PVC-resin mixture into a sheet of said flooring base layer;
and
(g) cooling the sheet of said flooring base layer;
and
(ii) forming a flooring face layer, by:
(a) providing a PVC decorative polymer film and a PVC wear-resistant polymer film;
(b) adding the PVC wear-resistant polymer film to the top face of said PVC decorative polymer film;
(c) hot-melt overlaying of said flooring face layer and said flooring base layer, yielding a sheet-form base-and-face subassembly;
(d) conditioning said sheet-form base-and-face subassembly;
(e) coating said sheet-form base-and-face subassembly with a UV-curing plastic resin, thereby forming a flooring coating layer;
(f) UV curing said coating of UV-curing plastic resin by exposure to UV light, yielding a finished-large-sheet assembly;
(g) profile processing said finished-large-sheet assembly, yielding multiple composite-flooring-material segments of desired size and shape, thereby producing a waterproof floor covering;
(h) inspecting said composite-flooring-material segments;
and
(i) packing said composite-flooring-material segments;
where forming of said flooring face layer and forming of said flooring base layer can be performed simultaneously, yielding a supply of both to said hot-melt overlaying process;
where said hot-melt overlaying process can accommodate an essentially constant supply of said flooring face layer and said flooring base layer, and produce an essentially constant supply of said sheet-form base-and-face subassembly;
where said conditioning process can be accomplished without slowing or stopping the pace of the essentially constant supply of said sheet-form base-and-face subassembly;
where said coating process can be accomplished at the pace of the essentially constant supply of said sheet-form base-and-face subassembly;
and
where said UV curing process can be accomplished at the pace of the essentially constant supply of said sheet-form base-and-face subassembly.

24 more elements

A method of producing a glueless dustless composite flooring material, comprising:

(i) forming a flooring base layer comprising a PVC resin mixture free of compressed cellulose material and/or adhesive and having compatible materials, the flooring base layer being produced by:
(a) mixing a first PVC-resin mixture comprising, by weight:
(1) 36.93% polyvinylchloride;
(2) between 55.04% and 73.86% 800-1000 mesh calcium carbonate;
(3) between 2.81% and 3.69% calcium/zinc heat stabilizer;
(4) between 1.85% and 2.95% chlorinated polyethylene elastomer;
(5) between 2.22% and 2.95% acrylic modifier;
(6) between 0.15% and 0.22% polyethylene oxide;
(7) between 0.30% and 0.44% internal lubricant;
and
(8) between 0.37% and 0.52% high melting point PE-wax;
(b) mixing a second PVC-resin mixture comprising, by weight:
(1) 59.92% polyvinylchloride;
(2) between 29.96% and 59.92% 800-1000 mesh calcium carbonate;
(3) between 3.59% and 4.79% calcium/zinc heat stabilizer;
(4) between 2.40% and 4.79% chlorinated polyethylene elastomer;
(5) between 2.40% and 4.19% acrylic modifier;
(6) between 0.12% and 0.24% polyethylene oxide;
(7) between 0.24% and 0.48% internal lubricant;
(8) between 0.18% and 0.42% high melting point PE-wax;
and
(9) between 1.20% and 2.40% epoxidized soybean oil;
(c) separately fusing each PVC-resin mixture by application of heat and continued mixing;
(d) separately cooling the fused PVC-resin mixtures;
(e) separately delivering the cooled fused PVC-resin mixtures to another area for further processing;
(f) co-extruding the delivered cooled fused PVC-resin mixtures at elevated temperature and pressure;
(g) mold forming the co-extruded PVC-resin mixtures into a sheet of said flooring base layer;
and
(h) cooling the sheet of said flooring base layer;
(ii) forming a flooring face layer, by:
(a) providing a PVC decorative polymer film;
(b) printing a decorative pattern upon the top face of said PVC decorative polymer film;
(c) adding a PVC wear-resistant polymer film to the top face of said PVC decorative polymer film;
(iii) hot-melt overlaying of said flooring face layer and said flooring base layer, yielding a sheet-form base-and-face subassembly;
(iv) conditioning said sheet-form base-and-face subassembly;
(v) coating said sheet-form base-and-face subassembly with a UV-curing plastic resin;
(vi) UV curing said coating of UV-curing plastic resin by exposure to UV light, yielding a finished-large-sheet assembly;
(vii) profile processing said finished-large-sheet assembly, yielding multiple composite-flooring-material segments of desired size and shape, thereby producing a waterproof floor covering free of water-based materials;
(viii) inspecting said composite-flooring-material segments;
and
(ix) packing said composite-flooring-material segments;
where forming of said flooring face layer and forming of said flooring base layer can be performed simultaneously, yielding a supply of both to said hot-melt overlaying process;
where said hot-melt overlaying process can accommodate an essentially constant supply of said flooring face layer and said flooring base layer, and produce an essentially constant supply of said sheet-form base-and-face subassembly;
where said conditioning process can be accomplished without slowing or stopping the pace of the essentially constant supply of said sheet-form base-and-face subassembly;
where said coating process can be accomplished at the pace of the essentially constant supply of said sheet-form base-and-face subassembly;
and
where said UV curing process can be accomplished at the pace of the essentially constant supply of said sheet-form base-and-face subassembly.

44 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 15/194,891Filed 28 Jun 2016
Published: US 2017/0368760 A128 Dec 2017
Granted: 9 Jul 2019
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification62 codes

B32B 27/20
Characterised by the use of special additives: using fillers, pigments, thixotroping agents
B29C 48/154
Incorporating preformed parts or layers, e.g. extrusion moulding around inserts: coating solid articles, i.e. non-hollow articles
B29C 48/21
The components being layers: the layers being joined at their surfaces
B29D 99/0057
Subject matter not provided for in other groups of this subclass: producing floor coverings

Family

US 2017/0368760 A1Pre-grant publication · published 28 Dec 2017
US 10,343,381 B2This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.

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Abstract

A method of producing a glueless dustless composite flooring material, comprising:

(i) forming a flooring base layer by:
(a) providing a PVC resin mixture free of compressed cellulose material and adhesive and having compatible materials, by mixing PVC resin and the compatible materials, yielding a PVC-resin mixture;
(b) fusing the PVC-resin mixture by application of heat and continued mixing;
(c) cooling the fused PVC-resin mixture;
(d) delivering the cooled fused PVC-resin mixture to another area for further processing;
(e) extruding the delivered cooled fused PVC-resin mixture at elevated temperature and pressure;
(f) mold forming the extruded PVC-resin mixture into a sheet of said flooring base layer;
and
(g) cooling the sheet of said flooring base layer;
and
(ii) forming a flooring face layer, by:
(a) providing a PVC decorative polymer film and a PVC wear-resistant polymer film;
(b) adding the PVC wear-resistant polymer film to the top face of said PVC decorative polymer film;
(c) hot-melt overlaying of said flooring face layer and said flooring base layer, yielding a sheet-form base-and-face subassembly;
(d) conditioning said sheet-form base-and-face subassembly;
(e) coating said sheet-form base-and-face subassembly with a UV-curing plastic resin, thereby forming a flooring coating layer;
(f) UV curing said coating of UV-curing plastic resin by exposure to UV light, yielding a finished-large-sheet assembly;
(g) profile processing said finished-large-sheet assembly, yielding multiple composite-flooring-material segments of desired size and shape, thereby producing a waterproof floor covering free of water-based materials;
(h) inspecting said composite-flooring-material segments;
and
(i) packing said composite-flooring-material segments;
where forming of said flooring face layer and forming of said flooring base layer can be performed simultaneously, yielding a supply of both to said hot-melt overlaying process;
where said hot-melt overlaying process can accommodate an essentially constant supply of said flooring face layer and said flooring base layer, and produce an essentially constant supply of said sheet-form base-and-face subassembly;
where said conditioning process can be accomplished without slowing or stopping the pace of the essentially constant supply of said sheet-form base-and-face subassembly;
where said coating process can be accomplished at the pace of the essentially constant supply of said sheet-form base-and-face subassembly;
and
where said UV curing process can be accomplished at the pace of the essentially constant supply of said sheet-form base-and-face subassembly.

24 more elements

Facts

Application

15/194,891Filed 28 Jun 2016

Published

US 2017/0368760 A128 Dec 2017

Granted

9 Jul 2019

Term ends

Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification62 codes

B32B 27/20
Characterised by the use of special additives: using fillers, pigments, thixotroping agents
B29C 48/154
Incorporating preformed parts or layers, e.g. extrusion moulding around inserts: coating solid articles, i.e. non-hollow articles
B29C 48/21
The components being layers: the layers being joined at their surfaces
B29D 99/0057
Subject matter not provided for in other groups of this subclass: producing floor coverings