US 6,659,097 B1 · Custom manufacture of tiles for use with preexisting mass-manufactured tiles

Abstract

A decorative tile set of nonuniformly-shaped tiles (tiles with non-parallel sides and/or non-perpendicular comers) is manufactured for interlocking installation adjacent uniformly-shaped tiles, i.e., adjacent to tiles having parallel sides and/or perpendicular corners, as in standard flooring tiles such as laminate flooring planks. A sacrificial bed having a planar upper bed surface is provided, and trenches are cut in the sacrificial bed to define areas on the upper bed surface which at least substantially correspond to tile boundaries. At least one workpiece from which the tiles are to be cut is then provided atop the sacrificial bed with its finished face closely held against the sacrificial bed. The workpiece is then cut to produce tile blanks bounded by tile blank boundaries, with the tile blank boundaries being outwardly spaced from the desired tile boundaries by an offset distance. The tile blanks are then cut to produce the tiles by forming either male or female interlocking structure on selected tile blanks. Any male interlocking structure (such as a tongue) is defined in the offset regions of the tile blanks, while any female interlocking structure (such as a groove) is defined in portions of the tile blanks within their tile boundaries and their offset regions. The tiles within the tile set may then be installed simultaneously with the installation of the uniformly-shaped tiles, or may instead be installed as an insert within preinstalled uniformly-shaped tiles, as by removing selected uniformly-shaped tiles and inserting the tile set within the space previously occupied by the selected uniformly-shaped tiles.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A method of manufacturing a decorative tile set of nonuniformly-shaped tiles for installation adjacent uniformly-shaped tiles, the tiles having opposing upper and lower surfaces bounded by interlocking edges, the method comprising:

a. for each tile within the tile set, defining a tile boundary at the upper surface of the tile, wherein the tiles within the tile set are adjacently situated at the tile boundaries;
b. providing a sacrificial bed having a planar upper bed surface;
C. cutting trenches in the sacrificial bed, the trenches defining areas on the upper bed surface which at least substantially correspond to the tile boundaries;
d. providing atop the sacrificial bed a workpiece from which the tiles within the tile set are to be cut;
e. cutting the workpiece along tile blank boundaries which are coincident with or outside the tile boundaries, thereby producing tile blanks;
f. cutting:
i. male interlocking structure on selected tile blanks, the male interlocking structure being defined in portions of these tile blanks within the tile blank boundaries and outside the tile boundaries, and
ii. female interlocking structure on selected tile blanks, the female interlocking structure being defined in portions of these tile blanks within their tile blank boundaries and their tile boundaries;
wherein the cutting of the interlocking structure on each tile blank conforms the tile blank's upper surface to correspond to the tile boundaries therein.

6 more elements

a. for each tile within the tile set:
i. defining a tile boundary at the upper surface of the tile, wherein the tiles within the tile set are adjacently situated at the tile boundaries;
ii. for each tile within the tile set, adding an offset region to the tile boundary at the upper surface of the tile in one or more directions parallel to the upper surface of the tile, thereby defining a tile blank boundary for each tile;
b. providing a sacrificial bed having a planar upper bed surface;
c. cutting trenches in the sacrificial bed, the trenches defining areas on the upper bed surface which at least substantially correspond to the tile boundaries;
d. providing atop the sacrificial bed a workpiece from which the tiles within the tile set are to be cut;
e. cutting the workpiece along paths corresponding to the tile blank boundaries, thereby producing tile blanks;
f. cutting:
i. male interlocking structure on selected tile blanks, the male interlocking structure being defined in portions of these tile blanks beneath their offset regions, and
ii. female interlocking structure on selected tile blanks, the female interlocking structure being defined in portions of these tile blanks beneath their tile boundaries and their offset regions;
wherein the cutting of the interlocking structure on each tile blank removes the tile's offset region, thereby cutting the tile blank's upper surface to correspond to the tile boundaries therein.

8 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Custom manufacture of tiles for use with preexisting mass-manufactured tiles

Life of this patent

Custom manufacture of tiles for use with preexisting mass-manufactured tiles

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims20