US 2008/0289277 A1 · FLOOR MEMBER

Abstract

The floor member is a laminated structure in the form a floor tile or a floor plank. A bottom portion of the floor member is formed with a plurality of moisture dispersal pathways that lead toward peripheral side edges of the bottom portion. The moisture dispersal pathways permit any moisture that develops between a floor base and the bottom portion of the floor member that is installed on the floor base to flow in the moisture dispersal pathways toward at least one of the peripheral side edges of the bottom portion, for passage beyond the one peripheral side edge of the bottom portion. Adjacent tiles of a floor tile installation have communicable moisture dispersal pathways such that moisture is not entrapped below the floor member and can migrate through the communicable pathways to an outermost peripheral side edge of the floor tile installation for dissipation of moisture into the ambient air.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A laminated floor member for installation on a floor base without bonding or adhering the floor member to the floor base, the floor member comprising a first floor member portion of closed periphery including a top surface for walking upon, and a second floor member portion of closed periphery laminated to the first floor member portion, said second floor member portion having a bottom portion with peripheral side edges, said bottom portion being formed with a plurality of moisture dispersal pathways that lead toward the peripheral side edges of the bottom portion to permit any moisture that develops between the floor base and the bottom portion of a floor member that is installed on a floor base to flow in said moisture dispersal pathways toward at least one of the peripheral side edges of the bottom portion for passage beyond the at least one peripheral side edge of the bottom portion.

A method of enabling moisture that develops between a floor base and a floor member that is installed on the floor base to migrate to an outermost edge of the floor member for passage beyond the outermost edge of the floor member comprising,

a) providing the floor member with a first floor member portion having a top surface for walking upon,
b) laminating the first floor member portion to a second floor member portion having a water resistant plastic bottom portion with peripheral side edges, and
c) forming the bottom portion with moisture dispersal pathways that extend along the bottom portion to the peripheral side edges of the bottom portion to enable moisture that develops between the floor base and the bottom portion of the floor member, when installed on the floor base without being bonded or adhered to the floor base, to migrate through the moisture dispersal pathways toward at least one of the peripheral edges of the bottom portion for passage beyond the at least one peripheral side edge of the bottom portion.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Floor member

Life of this patent

Floor member

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims20