Modular area rug and process of manufacture
AssigneeMilliken & Company
InventorsSeiin Kobayashi, Thomas D. Nord
Life of this patent
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Abstract
There is provided a modular area rug having a plurality of individual floor covering elements positioned in an aesthetically pleasing tiled configuration. The modular area rug may include a plurality of similar repeating sub-units, each of which may comprise multiple floor covering elements. The modular area rug is free-standing, requiring no contact with a wall to maintain its monolithic nature. Further, the individual floor covering elements may be easily repositioned to satisfy user needs or whims. Each floor covering element has a textile upper surface and a skid-resistant backing of either a sheet material or a fabric-elastomer composite.
Claims20
A modular area rug comprising a plurality of individual floor covering elements positioned in a tiled configuration, each floor covering element having a textile upper surface and a backing surface affixed to said textile upper surface, said textile upper surface having a construction selected from group consisting of a tufted cut-pile, a tufted loop-pile, a tufted multi-level pile, a tufted combination of loop and cut pile, a needle-punched surface, a bonded pile, a woven fabric, a knit fabric, a nonwoven fabric, and combinations thereof, and wherein said backing surface is selected from the group consisting of a simple sheet backing and a fabric-elastomer composite backing.
A process for forming a modular area rug having a plurality of individual floor covering elements, said process comprising:
- (a) positioning a textile upper surface material over a backing surface, said backing surface selected from the group consisting of a simple sheet backing and a fabric-elastomer composite;
- (b) subjecting said textile upper surface and said backing surface to heat and pressure, as would be found in a vulcanizing oven to produce a floor covering element;
- and
- (c) arranging said floor covering elements in a tiled configuration to produce said modular area rug.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.