Floor covering with interlocking design
AssigneeVälinge Innovation AB
InventorsJohn M. Whispell, Hao A. Chen
Life of this patent
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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.
Claims28
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.
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.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.