US 5,052,161 A · Tile application structure

Abstract

The flooring structure herein comprises a rigid base or substrate (typically wood or concrete), an outer course of ceramic tile or other fracturable material, a high impact strength crack isolation sheet interposed between the base and the tiles. The crack isolation sheet is a thin rectangular sheet, typically of plastic material such as high impact polystyrene, having a flat base portion and a plurality of dimples arranged in a regular geometric pattern and projections extending in one direction (i.e., upwardly) from the base portion. Both the base portion and the projections have holes. The base portion of the crack isolation sheet is adhesively bonded to the base or substrate. A substantially incompressible compression bed material, e.g., mortar or concrete, fills the space between the crack isolation sheet and the tiles but not the space beneath the projections of the crack isolation sheet. The latter space is essentially an unfilled air space. More than one crack isolation sheet may be required for an installation, in which case sheets are overlapped along their edges so that such sheets cover substantially the entire area of the installation.

Claims17

Dependent claims

A building structure comprising

(a) an essentially rigid coherent base;
(b) an outer course comprising hard coherent fracturable material spaced from and generally parallel to said base;
(c) a crack isolation sheet interposed between said base and said outer course, said sheet being made of an impact resistant material and comprising a thin flat base sheet portion having opposite surfaces, a plurality of regularly spaced hollow projections arranged in a regular geometric pattern which includes a plurality of rows and a plurality of spaced projections in each row, said projections extending from one of said surfaces, being of substantially equal height, the other surface of said base sheet being adhesively bonded to said base, said projections extending toward said outer course, and annular recesses surrounding said projections;
(d) means for bonding said outer course to said crack isolation sheet and said base to form a unitary structure;
and
(e) a layer of flexible adhesive material applied to said base and bonding said crack isolation sheet to said base, said adhesive material permitting lateral movement between said base and said crack isolation sheet.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Tile application structure

Life of this patent

Tile application structure

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims17