The present invention relates to an abrading device for abrading a substantially planar wood structure, such as a solid hardwood or engineered hardwood floor structure, and a method of abrading the same.
It is known to hand scrape a top surface of a floor structure, such as a solid hardwood or engineered hardwood floor structure, to create a distressed visible pattern on the top surface thereof. This process is both time consuming and costly, because each of the floor structures must be hand-sculpted one at a time. It is therefore desirable to develop an abrading device that can quickly and cost effectively abrade the top surface of the floor structure while still providing an authentic distressed appearance on the top surface thereof.
The invention relates to a floor panel having a machine-imparted distressed visible pattern, the floor panel comprising a body extending along a longitudinal axis. The body comprises a bottom surface and a top surface, and the top surface has the machine imparted distressed visible pattern. The machine-imparted distressed visible pattern comprises a plurality of raised portion sets. Each of the plurality of raised portion sets comprising a plurality of elongated longitudinal raised portions that extend substantially parallel to one another and a plurality of elongated longitudinal recessed portions. The plurality of elongated longitudinal raised portions and the plurality of elongated longitudinal recessed portions are arranged in an alternating manner transverse to the longitudinal axis. Each of the plurality of raised portion sets are separated from an adjacent one of the plurality of raised portion sets by a transverse recessed portion.
The invention further related to a floor panel having a machine-imparted distressed visible pattern, the floor panel comprising a body extending along a longitudinal axis. The body comprises a bottom surface and a top surface, the top surface having the machine-imparted distressed visible pattern. The machine-imparted distressed visible pattern comprises a plurality of elongated longitudinal raised portions that extend substantially parallel to one another in a spaced apart manner. Each of the plurality of elongated longitudinal raised portions is completely surrounded by a continuous recessed area.
The invention further relates to a floor panel having a machine-imparted distressed visible pattern, the floor panel comprising a body extending along a longitudinal axis. The body comprises a bottom surface and a top surface, the top surface having the machine-imparted distressed visible pattern. The machine-imparted distressed visible pattern comprises a plurality of elongated raised portions that extend substantially parallel to one another in a spaced apart manner. Each of the plurality of elongated longitudinal raised portions is completely surrounded by a continuous recessed area.
The machine-imparted distressed visible pattern 4 comprises a plurality of raised portion sets 74, 76, 78. Each of the plurality of raised portion sets 74, 76, 78 comprises a plurality of raised portions 10 and a plurality of recessed portions 11, which are intermittent at varying locations 12. The plurality of raised portions 10 are elongated longitudinally—i.e. elongated longitudinal raised portions 10. The plurality of recessed portions 11 are elongated longitudinally—i.e. elongated longitudinal recessed portions 11. The plurality of elongated longitudinal raised portions 10 extend substantially parallel to one another. In some embodiments, each of the plurality of elongated raised portions 10 may extend substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis A-A. In other embodiments, each of the plurality of elongated raised portions 10 may extend substantially oblique to the longitudinal axis A-A.
The plurality of raised portion sets 74, 76, 78 comprises a first raised portion set 74, a second raised portion set 76, and a third raised portion set 78. A plurality of elongated longitudinal raised portions 10a of the first raised portion set 74 are aligned with a plurality of the elongated longitudinal raised portions 10b of the second raised portion set 76, as well as a longitudinal raised portions 10c of the third raised portion set 78.
The plurality of elongated longitudinal raised portions 10 and the plurality of elongated longitudinal recessed portions 11 are arranged in an alternating manner transverse to the longitudinal axis A-A. Each of the plurality of raised portion sets 74, 76, 78 is separated from an adjacent plurality of raised portion sets 74, 76, 78 by a transverse recessed portion 73, 75. The transverse recessed portions 73, 75 extend substantially parallel to one or more transverse axis B-B, C-C. The transverse recessed portions 73, 75 may optionally extend at an oblique angle to the transverse axis B-B, C-C. The transverse recessed portions comprise a first one of the transverse recessed portion 73 and a second one of the transverse recessed portions 75.
Each one of the raised portions sets 74, 76, 78 comprise a first end 70 and a second end 71. The second end 71 is opposite the first end 70. Each of the plurality of elongated longitudinal recessed portions 11 intersect the first one of the transverse recessed portions 73 located on the first end 70 of the at least one of the plurality of raised portion sets 74. Each of the plurality of elongated longitudinal recessed portions 11 intersect the second one of the transverse recessed portions 75 located on the second end 71 of the at least one of the plurality of raised portion sets 74. At least one of the transverse recessed portions 73, 75 extend across the entire width W of the floor panel.
For each of the plurality of raised portions sets 74, 76, 78, each of the plurality of elongated longitudinal raised portions 10 are isolated from all other of the elongated longitudinal raised portions 10 on the top surface 2. For each of the plurality of raised portions sets 74, 76, 78 each of the plurality of elongated longitudinal raised portions 10 have substantially the same length.
Each of the plurality of elongated longitudinal raised portions 10 has an elongated oval shape when viewed perpendicular to the top surface 2. Each of the plurality of elongated longitudinal raised portions 10 has a convex transverse cross-section. Each of the plurality of elongated longitudinal raised portions 10 has a concave transverse cross-section.
The machine-imparted distressed visible pattern 4 may also comprise the plurality of elongated longitudinal raised portions 10 that extend substantially parallel to one another in a spaced apart manner. Each of the plurality of elongated longitudinal raised portions 10 are completely surrounded by a continuous recessed area 11. The continuous recessed area 11 comprises a plurality of elongated longitudinal recessed portions 11a, 11b, 11c as well as a first transverse recessed portion 73 and second transverse recessed portion 75.
The plurality of elongated longitudinal recessed portions 11a, 11b, 11c may extend substantially parallel to each other. The plurality of elongated longitudinal recessed portions 11a, 11b, 11c may extend substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis A-A. The first and second transverse portions 73, 75 may extend substantially parallel to each other. The first transverse recessed portion 73 is substantially parallel to a first transverse axis B-B, and the second transverse recessed portion 75 substantially parallel to a second transverse axis C-C. In an alternative embodiment, the first and second transverse portions 73, 75 may extend at an oblique angle to the first and second transverse axis B-B, C-C.
The plurality of elongated longitudinal recessed portions 11 and the plurality of elongated longitudinal raised portions 10 are arranged in an alternating manner transverse to the longitudinal axis A-A. At least one of the plurality of elongated longitudinal raised portions 10 is located between the first and the second recessed portions 73, 75. The first, second, and third plurality of elongated longitudinal raised portion sets 74, 76, 78 are separated by the first and second recessed portions 73, 75. The first and second transverse recessed portions 73, 75 extend across the top surface 2 of the floor panel 1 for the entire width W of the floor panel.
The body 1 comprises a first pair of opposing side surfaces 5 and second pair of opposing side surfaces 6. Each of the first pair and second pair of opposing side surfaces 5, 6 extend substantially perpendicular to the top surface 2 and the bottom surface 3. Each of the first pair and second pair of opposing side surfaces 5, 6 optionally comprise a mechanical locking member a locking member 7. The locking member 7 may comprise, for example, a tongue 8 and a groove 9. The tongue 8 and the groove 9 may optionally be provided with locking projections (not shown) and locking recesses (not shown). Because locking members for floor structures are well known in the art, further description thereof has been omitted. Further, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that although the floor structure 1 is shown and described herein as having a substantially rectangular or plank shape, that the floor structure 1 could be square or any other geometrical configuration.
The body 1 is formed by a singly ply of wood or multiple plies of wood laminated together.
The floor panel 1 of the present invention comprises a scoop radius of 18 inches—which impacts the topography of the machine-imparted distressed visible pattern 4. The floor panel 1 of the present invention further comprises a target of 5 scoops for a floor panel 1 having a width W of 5 inches, when there is a minimum of 4 scoops made on the floor panel 1. The floor panel 1 of the present invention has a depth of scoop ranging from about 0.005 inches to about 0.010 inches—with a +/−margin of about 0.003 inches.
As shown in
As shown in
In the illustrated embodiment, the cutouts 31 of the contact rolls 24 of the first abrading assembly 22 and the second abrading assembly 23 have a depth of about 0.015-0.020 inches. The cutouts 31 of the contact roll 24 of the first abrading assembly 22 have a width 32 smaller than a width 32 of the cutouts 31 of the second abrading assembly 23. For example, the width 32 of the cutouts 31 of the contact roll 24 of the first abrading assembly 22 is about 1.0 inch, and the width of the cutouts 31 of the contact roll 24 of the second abrading assembly 23 is about 1.5 inches. It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the length of the contact rolls 24, the radius of the contact rolls 24, the shape of the cutouts 31, the depth of the cutouts 31 and/or the width 32 of the cutouts 31 may be varied depending on the desired appearance of the distressed visible pattern 4 formed on the top surface 2 of the floor structure 1.
As shown in
As shown in
As shown in
The second abrading assembly 23 is oscillated in the second direction 42 via the second oscillation assembly 40, which comprises a variable frequency drive 47 coupled to a cam shaft 48 via sprockets 49 and a cam chain 50. The contact roll 24 is driven in the second direction 42 by the eccentric about 0.007-0.012 inches. The programmable logic controller 46 is connected to the variable frequency drive 47 of the second oscillation assembly 40. The programmable logic controller 46 controls the timing sequence (whether variable or deliberate) and the speed at which the second abrading assembly 23 is oscillated in the second direction 42.
As shown in
A method for providing the distressed visible pattern 4 on the top surface 2 of the floor structure 1 utilizing the abrading device 20 will now be described in greater detail. As shown in
Next, the floor structure 1 is advanced by the conveyor belt 60 toward and underneath the contact roll 24 of the second abrading assembly 23 such that the top surface 2 of the floor structure 1 is in alignment with the contact roll 24. As the floor structure 1 is advanced, the contact roll 24 is oscillated in the second direction 42 by the second oscillation assembly 40 in response to a signal from the programmable logic controller 46. In the illustrated embodiment, the contact roll 24 is oscillated in a direction substantially perpendicular to the top surface 2 of the floor structure 1. As a result, the abrading belt 33 comes into and out of contact with the top surface 2 of the floor structure 1. When the abrading belt 33 contacts the top surface 2 of the floor structure 1, the abrading belt 33 deflects into the cutouts 31. As a result, as the contact roll 24 rotates, the abrading belt 33 removes material on the top surface 2 of the floor structure 1 in a pattern corresponding to the pattern formed on the sleeve 29 by the cutouts 31. For example, in the embodiment shown and described herein, because the top surface 2 of the floor structure 1 already has the raised portions 10 and the recessed portions 11 formed therein, the abrading belt 33 mainly removes material from the raised portions 10 to cause the raised portions 10 to be intermittent at the varying locations 12 with respect to a longitudinal direction of the floor structure 1. The amount and timing of the contact of the abrading belt 33 with the top surface 2 of the floor structure 1 corresponds to the signal from the variable frequency drive 43.
As shown in
The foregoing illustrates some of the possibilities for practicing the invention. Many other embodiments are possible within the scope and spirit of the invention. For example, the teachings herein with respect to the abrading device 20 are not solely limited to floor structures. It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the abrading device 20 could also be used to provide the distressed visible pattern 4 on other wood or wood-like structures, such as wall or furniture structures. It is, therefore, intended that the foregoing description be regarded as illustrative rather than limiting, and that the scope of the invention is given by the appended claims together with their full range of equivalents.
The present application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/825,448, filed Jun. 29, 2010, the entirety of which is incorporated herein by reference.
Number | Date | Country | |
---|---|---|---|
Parent | 12825448 | Jun 2010 | US |
Child | 14458103 | US |