US 8,037,648 B2Granted

Interlocking tile

AssigneeSelectech, Ltd.

InventorJohn P Vanderhoef

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Abstract

A polymeric interlocking tile for an adhesive-free assemblage with adjacent tiles having substantially similar, but inverted, edge interlocks thereon. The interlocks on each edge of a tile include a row of first and second sets of male-female types of alternating interlocks. The first interlock set includes a male lug projection having sidewalls forming one sidewall of a channel of U-shaped cross-section. The channel forms a female interlock cavity for the first set. The second interlock set is contiguous to the first set and includes a male projecting rib having two parallel sidewalls, one sidewall faces the edge and forms an opposite sidewall of the channel and an opposite, inwardly facing sidewall forms an enclosure for a second female cavity of the next set. At the opposite ends of each interlock row, the U-shaped channel sidewalls are wider to facilitate an initial interlock meshing between contiguous tiles of the assemblage.

Claims8

Dependent claims

A substantially resilient floor tile for making an adhesive-free interlocking engagement with substantially identical floor tiles, the tile having a flat, central portion with respective upper and lower surfaces and straight edges, said tile comprising:

a least one substantially rectangularly-shaped edging strip of lesser thickness than one edge of said central portion and joined thereto along a longitudinal axis aligned substantially parallel to the one central portion edge to provide corresponding upper and lower cantilevered strip surfaces;
a first set of contiguous male-female interlock elements projecting upwardly from the upper strip surface to a level lower than the plane of said central portion upper surface by a predetermined dimension;
wherein each said set of said contiguous male-female interlock elements is formed by a pair of elongated surfaces comprised of walls spaced laterally apart and extending along the longitudinal axis of the strip,
wherein a first surface of the surfaces provides a first male interlock element having a substantially triangular shape, and a second surface of said surfaces forms an open-ended first female interlock element configured to receive a first male interlock element of a second panel.

1 more element

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 12/720,379Filed 9 Mar 2010 · continuation
Priority: 30 Jan 2004
Published: US 2011/0061330 A117 Mar 2011
Granted: 18 Oct 2011
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification5 codes

E04F 15/105
Of other materials, e.g. fibrous or chipped materials, organic plastics, magnesite tiles, hardboard , or with a top layer of other materials: of…
E04F 15/02194
Flooring or floor layers composed of a number of similar elements: flooring consisting of a number of elements carried by a non-rollable common…
E04F 2201/091
Puzzle-type connections for interlocking male and female panel edge-parts: with the edge-parts forming part of the panel body
E04F 2201/095
Puzzle-type connections for interlocking male and female panel edge-parts: with both connection parts, i.e. male and female connection parts…

Family

Application10/769,364Parent of this continuation · filed 30 Jan 2004
Application12/074,103Parent of this continuation · filed 29 Feb 2008
US 2011/0061330 A1Pre-grant publication · published 17 Mar 2011
US 7,676,995 B2Parent of this continuation
US 7,340,865 B2Parent of this continuation
US 2005/0166513 A1Published application
US 2008/0209840 A1Published application
US 8,037,648 B2This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.