Interlocking rubber tiles, mats, blocks and pavers for athletic and recreational surfaces, playgrounds and rooftops

A tile for covering an area and which interlocks with an adjacent tile, which comprises:

• a main body having a top surface and a bottom surface disposed opposite the top surface, the main body having at least a first lateral side and a second lateral side;
• at least one male connector situated on at least one of the first lateral side and the second lateral side of the main body and extending outwardly therefrom;
• and
• at least one female receptacle situated on at least one of the first lateral side and the second lateral side of the main body;
• wherein the at least one male connector of the tile is engageable with a female receptacle of an adjacent tile so that the tile may interlock with the adjacent tile;
• wherein the main body of the tile resides generally in a plane;
• wherein the at least one male connector includes a first segment extending outwardly from the main body and co-planarly with the main body, and a second segment joined to the first segment and extending perpendicularly from the first segment, the second segment having an exterior surface and a free end;
• and
• wherein the female receptacle includes an inner wall, an outer wall disposed opposite the inner wall, side walls interposed between the inner wall and the outer wall, and a recessed bottom wall, the inner wall, outer wall, side walls and bottom wall of the female receptacle defining a recess for at least partially receiving the second segment of the male connector of an adjacent tile to interlock the tile with the adjacent tile;
• wherein the second segment of the at least one male connector includes at least one lip extending outwardly from the exterior surface of the second segment;
• and
• wherein the at least one female receptacle includes at least one corresponding slot which is dimensioned to receive the at least one lip of the second segment of a male connector of an adjacent tile when the male connector of one tile is received by a corresponding female receptable of an adjacent tile to help interlock the two tiles together, the at least one slot being complementary in shape to that of the at least one lip of the male connector.