Floor covering with interlocking design
AssigneeVälinge Innovation AB
InventorsJohn M. WHISPELL, Hao A. CHEN
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
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.
Claims16
(canceled)
A plank comprising:
- a resilient composite sheet having four sides, an upper surface, a lower surface, and an overall thickness, and said resilient 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 resilient composite sheet comprise a first tongue on a first side and a first groove on a second side which is opposite to the first side, wherein the first tongue and first groove have a complementary shape to each other to be interlockingly engageable with a corresponding groove or tongue on an adjacent floor plank, and having at least one of the following features:
- (a) wherein said first tongue having a first tongue length (TL) measured between the first side of the resilient composite sheet and a distal end of the first tongue, wherein the ratio of the first tongue length (TL) to the resilient composite sheet overall thickness (CSt) is at least about 1.5, and/or
- (b) wherein said first groove on said second side is defined between a first flange extending along a first edge of the resilient composite sheet and protruding from said second side of the resilient composite sheet and a second flange extending along an opposite second edge of the resilient composite sheet and protruding from said second side of the resilient composite sheet, wherein said first groove includes a groove bottom portion and a minimum groove thickness (Tg) is defined between said groove bottom portion and a horizontal plane of the lower surface of the resilient composite sheet, and the second flange comprises an interference having a first height (H) that projects in a direction toward a horizontal plane of the upper surface of the resilient composite sheet, and said first tongue comprises a member having a minimum thickness (Tt) extending from the first side, and a distal end of said tongue includes a downward extending projection comprising a tongue underside and having a second height (H′) from the member, wherein Tg and Tt are within +24% of each other and H and H′ are within +7% of each other, and wherein a tongue tip thickness (Tt′) is defined as a shortest vertical distance between the horizontal plane of the upper surface of the resilient composite sheet and the tongue underside, wherein Tg/Tt′ is from about 0.35 to about 0.82.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.