US3694983A - Pile or plastic tiles for flooring and like applications - Google Patents

Abstract

Tiles adapted to constitute by juxtaposition a continuous, plain or diversified carpet or revetment of textile, plastic or other material, characterized in that each tile is secured to a backing of same dimensions but projecting along two adjacent edges of the tile to form an embedded strip provided with means permitting the mutual engagement of fastening means provided in embedded condition under the edges of two sides of the adjacent tile, said fastening means having a thickness inferior to that of said backing so that in the assembled condition no extra thickness is produced in relation to the normal backing thickness.

Description

United States Patent Couquet [54] PILE OR PLASTIC TILES FOR FLOORING AND LIKE APPLICATIONS [72] Inventor: Pierre Jean Couquet, 09-Levelanet,

France [22] Filed: May 19, 1970 [21] Appl. No.: 38,774

[52] US. Cl. ..52/384, 52/592, 94/7,

94/13 [51] Int. Cl. ..E04f 15/10 [58] Field of Search ..24/201 C, 213, 216; 52/384-387, 506, 509, 589, 592; 94/13, 7, 384

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,247,638 4/1966 Gay ..52/392 2,166,837 7/1939 Ash ..24/213 R 2,914,936 12/1959 Reinold ..52/522 2,119,921 6/1938 Levy ..52/591 3,029,486 4/1962 Raymond ..24/213 R 3,054,223 9/1962 OBrien ..52/391 [451 Oct. 3, 1972 3,120,083 2/ 1964 Dahlberg et a1. ..52/591 3,176,364 4/1965 Dritz ..24/213 R FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 812,671 4/1959 Great Britain ..52/392 Primary Examiner-Henry C. Sutherland Att0rneyBemard Olcott [57] ABSTRACT Tiles adapted to constitute by juxtaposition a continuous, plain or diversified carpet or revetment of textile, plastic or other material, characterized in that each tile is secured to a backing of same dimensions but projecting along two adjacent edges of the tile to form an embedded strip provided with means permitting the mutual engagement of fastening means provided in embedded condition under .the edges of two sides of the adjacent tile, said fastening means having a thickness inferior to that of said backing so that in the assembled condition no extra thickness is produced in relation to the normal backing thickness.

1 Claim, 12 Drawing Figures PATENTEDnms 1912 3,694,983

sum 1 {IF 3 PILE OR PLASTIC TILES FOR FLOORING AND LIKE APPLICATIONS BACKGROUND of the INVENTION The present invention is concerned with tiles of natural or synthetic pile tuft or moquette, or plastic tiles, or wooden floorings, or tiles or any other materials, which are provided with mutually-engaging assembling means designed to constitute an easy-to-instal and economical continuous flooring or wall revetment.

Ceramic tiles or the like squares are usually applied in edge to edge relationship to constitute a flooring or wall revetment with the assistance of a suitable adhesive; wooden flooring and panels elements are usually fixed by gluing to their supporting surface; on the other hand, tiles currently used nowadays and consisting mainly of plastic material such as polyester, polyethylene, etc...are secured by using resin-containing glues or by heat-welding or melting; finally, carpeting tiles consisting of pile, moquette or like products are generally assembled by sewing and secured in position by stapling, nailing or even gluing.

The laying operation requires skilled hands and is more or less time-robbing.

To avoid these inconveniences it has already been proposed to use flooring or wall tilesof resilient plastic material, possibly covered with carpet material such as pile or tuft, either secured to the surface of an underpadding or backing, or forming an intergal part of this backing or bottom layer, and formed along two adjacent sides with eyelets and along the other two sides with studs corresponding to said eyelets for assembling the tiles edge through the engagement of the studs carried by one edge of a tile into the corresponding eyelets formed in the edge of the adjacent tile (cf. British Pat. No. 875,327 to Huskisson.

Another proposition consisted in producing tenon and mortise engagements along alternate edges of adjacent tiles (French Pat. No. 1,175,582 to Piodi).

These means are not fully satisfactory as far as the edge to edge anchoring of adjacent tiles is concerned for these tile tend to separate from each other and thus breaks are frequently observed, and in addition these systems introduce an unsightly excess thickness along the tiles edges.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION lt is the essential object of the present invention to provide tiles or like elements for flooring and wall revetment purposes, which comprise a carpet loop tuft, pile or moquette, or like structure, applied to a backing underpadding or bottom layer consisting of a sheet of flexible plastic material formed with integral means permitting a stable and lasting edge to edge assembling of a plurality of these tiles, without any break nor any extra thickness.

To this end, each sheet comprises along two adjacent sides a narrow and continuous strip thinned from the under face upwards, to which a layer of hard or semihard thermoplastic material is applied, said strip being perforated to provide female assembling elements, and along the other two sides, a strip similar to the preceding ones but thinned from the top face downwards and formed with upwardly projecting male assembling elements adapted to penetrate under the action of pressure the female elements formed along the strip of an adjacent tile.

These tiles are assembled with one another in series by presenting to each edge carrying said male elements the edge formed with said female elements and pertaining to the adjacent tile.

In order to cause the male elements to thoroughly penetrate the female elements the latters consist of holes extending through one fraction or the whole of the thickness of the marginal strips of the sheet, said holes having a greater diameter than those formed in the hard layer, and the male elements consist of snapfasteners moulded, integrally in the softer plastic material of the support lined with said harder layer.

The flexible plastic supporting sheets may be formed with stria or the like for improving their adherence to the underlying floor surface, or alternately they may be coated with a self-adherent layer duly protected before the actual installing operation, but these sheets may also be glued to the support, or provided with an expanded backing layer, or a foam-rubber backing layer, in order to enhance the comfort deriving from the use of these tiles.

The male fastening elements have preferably a snapfastener configuration with their heads or swollen portions formed with stria or splines to permit the egress of air during their penetration into the female elements of the adjacent tile which may consist of blind holes, although through holes may also be contemplated.

The layers of thermoplastic material may consist of p.v.c. and are moulded integrally with the supporting sheet in a two-section mould formed on two adjacent sides with the shoulders or steps necessary for obtaining the thinner marginal strips mentioned hereinabove and also, on the other two sides, with the impressions or cavities adapted to mould the studs. However, this method of assembling adjacent tiles edge to edge without resorting to any external fastening means is attended by certain manufacturing difficulties, notably in connection with the proper moulding of the male elements.

According to a modified form of embodiment of this invention, these difficulties may be overcome.

To this end, strips of plastic material of the type known under the name of Flexico fasteners are welded along the sides of each tile backing or support; these strips are continuous and lined with two parallel marginal grooves of substantially hook-shaped crosssectional configuration, with the fastening grooves of one side opposed to those formed along the marginal portion of the support of the adjacent tile.

However, the simple hooking engagement of these fastening strips would introduce an undesired extra thickness along the junction or marginal portions of the tiles.

To avoid this inconvenience and according to this invention, each strip of plastic material is welded under pressure to a tile supporting edge so as to be embedded therein and simultaneously the longitudinal grooves formed in said strips are slightly shifted so as to be displaced vertically to an extent corresponding to less than the support thickness, so that after the hooking engagement or fastening with the oppositely directed means of the adjacent support the mutually engaging grooves of the two adjacent joined strips are free of any break and also of any extra thickness along said support.

Thus, by the simple application of pressure, spotless tile supports free of any defect likely to interfere with the fastening of the relevant tile to its support are obtained.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING Carpeting, tuft, pile or like moquette tiles adapted to be assembled for constituting a continuous flooring or wall-revetment according to this invention will now be described in detail by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawing, in which:

FIG. 1 is a plane view from above of a tile;

FIG. 2 is a corresponding side view thereof;

FIG. 3 is a plane view with parts broken away, showing the assembling of four tiles;

FIG. 4 is a section showing on a larger scale the backing structure and the lateral assembling means;

FIG. 5 is a similar view showing the mutual engagement of a pair of adjacent tiles;

FIG. 6 is a sectional view of a mould designed for manufacturing the backing sheet;

FIG. 7 is a sectional view showing the marginal portion of a tile according to a modified form of embodiment of the support before fixing a fastening strip thereto;

FIG. 8 is a similar view, showing the assembly after welding the strip to said support and distorting the fastening grooves;

FIG. 9 is a fragmentary section showing the mutual engagement or anchorage of a pair of joint-forming supports; i

FIG. 10 is a more extensive view showing the fixing of a carpet zing or moquette pile or tuft to a backing consisting of interengaging support means, and,

FIGS. 11 and 12 are plane views from above of a single tile and four-tile assembly, respectively.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Each tile of the example illustrated consists of a square 1 of carpeting or the like welded to a flexible undercushion or backing sheet 2 of thermoplastic material, either directly or through an intermediate plastic layer 12 and constituting a bottom of same dimensions adapted to be secured to a floor or wall surface. This backing sheet 2 projects laterally on two adjacent sides 4 and 5 of the tile so as to form a continuous free strip 3 thinned from the top downwards about one-half the thickness of sheet 2; this projecting strip a layer 16 of hard thermoplastic material is applied; this strip 3 and its hard lining 16 are press-moulded and during the moulding operation male fastening elements such as studs 8 are formed integrally therewith. Along the other two sides 9 and 10 of this tile the sheet is thinned from its lower face upwards by about one-half of its thickness in order to form a continuous thin strip also receiving on its top surface a continuous strip 17 of hard thermoplastic material; the latter has formed through its a plurality of holes 18 having a diameter d somewhat smaller than that D of the holes 11 formed through one fraction or the whole of the strip thickness (see FIG. 4).

FIG. 5 shows the mutual engagement of a pair of adjacent tiles with the strips 3 of one tile disposed under the strip 15 of the adjacent tile 13, and the studs 8 of one tile 13, and the studs 8 of one tile resiliently sunk into the holes 18-11 of the other tile; thus, a firm assembly is obtained, due notably to the presence of reinforcing strips 16 and 17, and the resulting the joint is free of any breaks or extra thickness.

These tiles have a square, rectangular or even curved configuration.

The backing or support-forming sheets may be adapted to be secured to the floor or wall surfaces by gluing, nailing, or other method.

The underface of these backing sheets may be striated or honeycombed, to increase their adherence and flexibility.

Preferably, the male fastening elements (as shown in FIG. 4) may consist of headed projections 8 corresponding substantially to the cross-sectional contour of snap-fasteners, with or without splines, and the female fastening elements may be of elongated configuration. Of course, the dimensions of the tiles and lateral strips, the number and nature of the fastening members may be modified according to the specific use contemplated for the product, and also of the type of flooring or wall-revetment contemplated. By using tiles of different types, shapes, colors and/or materials, any desired decorative effects may be obtained.

The backing sheet consists preferably of a thermoplastic weldable material and is formed in a two- section mould 20, 21; the upper section 20 of this mould is formed on two adjacent sides with a projecting portion 22 adapted to form the lateral strips 3 with their reinforcing lining 16, as well as the male fastening elements 8; the other, lower portion 21 of the mould comprises on the two other sides steps or thresholds adapted to produce the desired thinning of the strips 15 lined with a hard reinforcing layer 17.

The tile 1 of the modified form of embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 7 to 12 of the drawing is secured through any known and suitable method to a backing consisting of supports 2 of resilient flexible material, notably plastic, having substantially the same dimensions.

This result may be obtained, for example, during the operation consisting in welding the strips 25, 25a to the edges of the support or backing; a set of paired parallel blades 30, 31 carried by a member 29 responsive to the force of a spring 32 or a piston (not shown), and preferably rigid with a welding electrode 28, penetrates into the grooves 26, 27 so as to exert a pressure thereagainst while the electrode 28 impresses and welds the strip 2 to or under the marginal portion of said backing 2 (FIG. 8).

Thus, the thermoplastic strips 25 are embedded by welding into the backing 2 and the longitudinal grooves 26 and 27 of the fastening or assembling means are distorted as a consequence of the pressure exerted by the paired blades 30 and 31, until said groove bear on the underlying work bed 33.

It is thus clear (see FIG. 9) that when the two fastening strips of a pair of adjacent supports or backings 2 and 2a are brought into mutual engagement since the grooves 26, 27 of one strip is inverted in relation to those 26a 27a of the other strip, in the manner well known in fastening means of this type, so that a perfect hooking engagement is obtained and therefore a proper jointing of the adjacent backings, without causing breaks nor forming extra-thickness in relation to the normal thickness e of the backing, since the anchoring means comprise two grooved strips 26,27 and 260 which in their assembled condition have the same thickness e as the backing 2.

Under these conditions, it is an easy operation to fix to this underlayer a carpet, tufted or pile moquette, or the like, denoted l in the drawings, or any other tile surface element, without showing any beak of continuity between the adjacent backings 2 and without producing any extra thickness.

This arrangement is attended by a shifting of the tiles 1 in relation to their supports or backings 2, as clearly shown in FIGS. 11 and 12, the grooves 26, 27 uncovered for receiving the corresponding grooves 26a and 27a concealed beneath the adjacent tile.

This method of making a flooring or wall-revetment should be construed as being strictly limited to the few forms of embodiments shown and described herein; thus, the dimensional proportions of its component elements may also vary, notably as far as the fastening marginal strips are concerned.

What I claim is: V

l. A carpet tile adapted by assembling a plurality thereof to constitute a decorative floor covering of uniform thickness, which comprises a carpet member; a substratum member attached to the underside of said carpet member, said substratum member being flush with the carpet member along a first pair of adjacent edges thereof and being recessed in respect to the carpet member along a second pair of adjacent edges thereof; a first Z-shaped flexible thermoplastic strip member extending substantially entirely along said second pair of adjacent edges of said substratum member, one outside leg of said first Z-shaped strip member being attached to and in the same plane as the underside of said substratum member, the middle leg of said first Z-shaped strip member being disposed along one vertical edge of said substratum member, and the other outside edge of said first Z-shaped strip member extending outwardly along the underside of said carpet member to the juxtapositioned edge of said carpet member; a second Z-shaped flexible thermoplastic strip member extending substantially entirely along said first pair of adjacent edges of said substratum member, one outside leg of said second Z-shaped strip member being attached to and in the same plane as the top side of said substratum member, the middle leg of said second Z- shaped strip member being disposed along one vertical edge of said substratum member, and the other outside edge of said second Z-shaped strip member extending outwardly from the plane of the underside of said substratum member for a distance substantially equal to the distance said other leg of said first Z-shaped member extends outwardly of said second pair of adjacent edges of said substratum member, said other selectively dimensioned so that two adjacent tiles can be interlocked: (A) with the ad acent edges of the two tiles in abutting relationship to conceal said first and second strip members from the top surface of two adjacent carpet tiles, and (B) with the top and bottom surfaces of two adjacent carpet tiles in coplanar rela tionship to provide a uniform thickness across two adjacent carpet tiles.

Claims (1)

1. A carpet tile adapted by assembling a plurality thereof to constitute a decorative floor covering of uniform thickness, which comprises a carpet member; a substratum member attached to the underside of said carpet member, said substratum member being flush with the carpet member along a first pair of adjacent edges thereof and being recessed in respect to the carpet member along a second pair of adjacent edges thereof; a first Z-shaped flexible thermoplastic strip member extending substantially entirely along said second pair of adjacent edges of said substratum member, one outside leg of said first Z-shaped strip member being attached to and in the same plane As the underside of said substratum member, the middle leg of said first Z-shaped strip member being disposed along one vertical edge of said substratum member, and the other outside edge of said first Zshaped strip member extending outwardly along the underside of said carpet member to the juxtapositioned edge of said carpet member; a second Z-shaped flexible thermoplastic strip member extending substantially entirely along said first pair of adjacent edges of said substratum member, one outside leg of said second Z-shaped strip member being attached to and in the same plane as the top side of said substratum member, the middle leg of said second Z-shaped strip member being disposed along one vertical edge of said substratum member, and the other outside edge of said second Z-shaped strip member extending outwardly from the plane of the underside of said substratum member for a distance substantially equal to the distance said other leg of said first Z-shaped member extends outwardly of said second pair of adjacent edges of said substratum member, said other outer leg of said first strip member having a plurality of longitudinal grooves to define downwardly directed hooked-shaped elastic projections and said other outer leg of said second strip member having a plurality of longitudinal grooves defining upwardly directed hook-shaped cavities with elastic walls which resiliently are engageable with said projection of said first strip member, said first and second strip members being selectively dimensioned so that two adjacent tiles can be interlocked: (A) with the adjacent edges of the two tiles in abutting relationship to conceal said first and second strip members from the top surface of two adjacent carpet tiles, and (B) with the top and bottom surfaces of two adjacent carpet tiles in coplanar relationship to provide a uniform thickness across two adjacent carpet tiles.

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