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US 7,748,176 B2Granted
Flooring systems
AssigneeFloor 2 Wall Limited
InventorsMiceal John Peter Harding, Oliver Charles Harding, Iain Mackenzie Macleod
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AssigneeFloor 2 Wall Limited
InventorsMiceal John Peter Harding, Oliver Charles Harding, Iain Mackenzie Macleod
Estimating the term…
A flooring system comprising a plurality of elongate members (1) secured together along adjacent longitudinal side edges by means of co-operating male and female formations (2, 3). The female formation (3) is a channel with relatively convergent sidewalls and the male formation comprises a hollow rail of complementary shape. An outer sidewall of the channel is resilient to allow the rail to be snapped into the channel in a direction transverse to the length of the members (1) and to return to its original shape to resist removal of the rail. The formations (2, 3) are arranged so that upper surfaces of adjacent members (1) form a panel having a planar support surface (21) and relative rotation of the members (1) about an axis parallel to the longitudinal side edges is resisted. Two panels may be joined together to provide upper and lower planar support surfaces (21, 22).
A flooring system comprising a plurality of elongate members releasably attached together by co-operating male and female connector formations extending along side edges of adjacent members, upper surfaces of the members co-operating to provide a support surface, wherein the female connector formations comprise a channel having a base and two side walls opening to the upper surface for receiving the male connector formation, the male connector formation having a base and two side walls of complementary shape to the channel, wherein said two side walls of said male connector formation are relatively convergent from said base and said two side walls of said channel are relatively convergent from said base to define a mouth of reduced cross-section relative to said base of the male connector formation, a side wall of the channel is capable of elastically deflecting so that said base and two side walls of the male connector formation can be inserted into the channel through said mouth, and the side wall returning to its original position so that the male connector formation is retained in the channel by the co-operating complementary shape of the base and side walls of said connector formations.
A method of assembling a flooring system comprising the steps of releasably attaching two or more members by male and female connector formations provided along adjoining side edges of adjacent members whereby upper surfaces of the members cooperate to provide support surface defining a plane including the upper surfaces, wherein the female connector formations comprise a channel having a base and two sidewalls that are relatively convergent from the base to define a mouth of reduced cross-section opening to the upper surface for receiving the male connector formation, the male connector formation being of complementary shape to the channel with a base and two side walls that are relatively convergent from the base, said mouth of the channel being of reduced cross-section relative to said base of the male connector formation, and, inserting the base and side walls of the male connector of one of said members into the channel of the female connector of another of said members, the direction of insertion being substantially perpendicular to the plane of the upper surface of the another member wherein a side wall of the channel is capable of elastically deflecting as the base of the male connector formation is being inserted into the channel through the mouth, and the side wall returning to its original position so that the base and side walls of the male connector formation are retained in the channel by the co-operating complementary shape of the connector formations.
A method of assembling a flooring system comprising the steps of releasably attaching two or more members by male and female connector formations provided along adjoining side edges of adjacent members whereby upper surfaces of the members co-operate to provide a support surface defining a plane including the upper surfaces, wherein the female connector formations comprise a channel opening to the upper surface for receiving the male connector formation, the male connector formation being of complementary shape to the channel, the channel having a base and two relatively converging side walls that define an opening of reduced cross-section relative to a base of the male connector formation, and, inserting the male connector of one of said members into the channel of the female connector of another of said members, the direction of insertion being substantially perpendicular to the plane of the upper surface of the another member wherein a side wall of the channel is capable of elastically deflecting as the male connector formation is being inserted into the channel through the opening, and the side wall returning to its original position so that the male connector formation is retained in the channel by the c-operating complementary shape of the connector formations wherein, a first plurality of members are assembled to have upwardly facing planar surfaces and a second plurality of members are reversed to have downwardly facing planar surfaces, the first and second plurality of members being releasably attached.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.