1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a floor plank that can be installed on a floor base without being bonded to the floor base, and more particularly, to a flexible floor plank that is securable to similar adjacent floor planks on a floor base and is conformable to surface contours and surface irregularities of the floor base. The invention also relates to a packaging system for the floor plank.
2. Related Prior Art
U.S. Pat. No. 1,978,075 to Butterworth discloses a wood block flooring with a tongue and groove engagement system for securement of similar blocks in side-by-side relationship. Since the blocks are formed of wood they are generally rigid and inflexible, and do not easily conform to surface contours and surface irregularities of a floor base. The woodblocks are also secured to a floor base using mastic or nailing.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,914,815 to Alexander shows an interlocked flooring system wherein individual blocks have offset base members formed of plywood. The plywood base members are laminated to the blocks and permit securement of similar blocks in side-by-side arrangement. The plywood base members are also generally rigid and inflexible. Thus the blocks do not easily conform to surface contours and surface irregularities of a floor base.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,554,850 to Kuhle shows parquet flooring with projecting parts for side-by-side securement of similar parquet sections. The parquet flooring is generally rigid and inflexible and thus cannot easily conform to surface contours and surface irregularities of a floor base.
In the accompanying drawings,
Corresponding reference numbers indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views of the drawings.
Referring to the drawings, a floor plank incorporating a preferred embodiment of the invention is generally indicated by the reference number 10 in
The floor plank 10 is a laminate of a top layer 14 of flexible plastic sheet material, a middle layer 16 of flexible plastic sheet material and a bottom layer 18 of flexible foam material. All of the layers 14, 16 and 18 are of identical polygonal size and shape, preferably rectangular.
The top layer 14 and the middle layer 16 are preferably formed of a synthetic plastic material, preferably a vinyl plastic material such as polyvinyl chloride sheeting material. An upper surface 24 of the top layer 14 is provided with a design such as a synthetic wood grain design (
The middle plastic layer 16 and bottom foam layer 18 are laminated together such that they are coextensive and have a common periphery. However the top plastic layer 14 is laminated to the middle plastic layer 16 such that the top layer 14 is offset from the middle layer 16.
In the offset layer arrangement a long edge 26 (
Also in the offset layer arrangement a long edge 46 (
The L-shaped marginal section 42 of the top layer 14 and the L-shaped marginal section 58 of the middle layer 16 are of identical size and shape.
A suitable bonding or adhesive composition for laminating the top plastic layer 14 and middle plastic layer 16 together has the following components, the amounts of which are approximate:
a) 35% SIS (styrene-isoprene-styrene elastomer)
b) 54.5% petroleum resin
c) 10% mineral oil
d) 0.05% oxidation resistant BHT (2,6-di-tert-butyl-p-cresol)
The bonding material for the layers 14 and 16 is provided on a lower surface 64 (
The same bonding material applied to the lower surface 64 and the upper surface 66 for laminating top plastic layer 14 and the middle plastic layer 16 can also be used for laminating the bottom foam layer 18 to the middle plastic layer 16.
The L-shaped marginal section 42 has a downwardly directed adhesive surface 72 (
Although the dimensions of the floor plank 10 are a matter of choice, a suitable size for the top layer 14, the middle layer 16 and the bottom layer 18 can be for example, 6 inches by 48 inches. The thickness of the top layer 14 can be, for example, approximately 2.0 mm and the thickness of the middle layer 16 can be, for example, approximately 2.5 mm. The thickness of the bottom foam layer 18 can be, for example, approximately 3 mm. The marginal offset “a” can be, for example, approximately ¾ of an inch. Larger offsets would be provided for larger panels.
The floor plank 10 is sufficiently flexible as schematically indicated in
During installation of the floor planks 10 in side-by-side and end-to-end relationship, the downwardly directed adhesive surface 72 (
The floor plank assembly pattern 80 (
The floor planks 10 can be installed on the floor base 102 (
Preferably the installation of floor planks 10 should start in a corner of a room (not shown) and proceed outwardly therefrom. An expansion gap of ¼ inch for example, from each wall is generally suitable for most installations. The expansion gap is usually covered by molding. It has also been found helpful to provide double faced tape on the first row of floor planks 10 to help maintain the first row in place during the positioning of adjacent floor planks 10.
The top layer 14, the middle layer 16 and the bottom layer 18 of the floor plank 10 are provided with an overall thickness that enables the floor plank 10 to be easily cut with a utility knife, if trimming is needed. Ease of trimming the floor plank 10 and the mastic free placement of the planks 10 on a floor base 102 make it convenient for a do-it-yourselfer to install the floor planks 10.
Another embodiment of the floor plank is generally indicated by the reference number 100 in
The floor plank 100 is a laminate of the top layer 14 and the middle layer 16 of the floor plank 10, with the bottom foam layer 18 being omitted. The layers 14 and 16 are laminated together with marginal offsets “a” as previously described with respect to the floor plank 10.
The floor plank 100 thus includes identical L-shaped marginal sections 42 and 58 with identical offsets “a”.
In installing the floor plank 100 on a floor base 102 (
The lower surface 104 (
A packaging system for the floor plank is generally indicated by the reference number 120 in
The packaging system 120 will be described in connection with the floor plank 10 but is equally applicable to the floor plank 100.
The packaging system 120 includes a one-piece packaging device 122 (
The packaging device 122 (
The length of the outer long sides 128 and 130 of the device 122 (
The length of the inner long sides 144 and 146 of the device 122 (
The following reference identifications can be made for the plank 10 and the packaging device 122;
The following relationships between the plank 10 and the packaging device 122 can be expressed in terms of the previous reference identifications as follows,
The packaging device 122 is assembled to the floor plank 10 in the manner shown in
Under this arrangement the inner long side portion 144 of the device 122 is placed against the long edge 32 of the middle layer 16 and the inner short side portion 154 of the device 122 is placed against the short edge 40 of the middle layer 16. The sides 160 and 162 of the device 122 can thus contact and cover the downwardly exposed adhesive surface 72 of the L-shaped marginal portion 42, as shown in
After the sides 160 and 162 of the device 122 have been positioned against the downwardly exposed adhesive surface 72 of the L-shaped marginal section 42 the intersecting sides 168 and 170 of the device 122 are moved forward and against the upwardly exposed adhesive surface 74 of the L-shaped marginal section 58 as shown in
The device 122 can be stretched slightly, if needed, to accomplish the positioning of the sides 160 and 162 of the device 122 against the downwardly exposed adhesive surface 72 and the positioning of the sides 168 and 170 of the device 122 against the upwardly exposed adhesive surface 74.
In this manner the one piece packaging device 122, preferably of closed rectangular periphery, covers all the exposed adhesive surfaces of both L-shaped marginal sections 42 and 58 even though the panel 10 includes one L-shaped marginal section 42 with a downwardly exposed adhesive surface 72 (
Thus all exposed adhesive surfaces of the floor plank 10, even though they face in opposite directions at different peripheral sections of the plank 10 can be covered and protected with a one piece packaging device 122 until such planks are ready for installation. The packaging device 122 when installed on each of the planks 10 before such planks are ready for use permits the floor planks 10 to be stacked one on top of another (not shown) without one plank 10 adhering to another plank 10. The planks 10 can be stacked for packaging or for display purposes.
A further and preferred embodiment of the floor plank is generally indicated by the reference number 180 in
The floor plank 180 includes all components of the floor plank 10, with the same marginal offsets as previously described, plus an underlayer 182 of flexible fibrous sheet material sandwiched between the top layer 14 and the middle layer 16. The underlayer 182 provides enhanced dimensional stability to the floor plank 180.
The top layer 14 and the underlayer 182 are coextensive and have a common periphery. Preferably the underlayer 182 is formed of a non-woven glass fiber material such as fiberglass, having a thickness of approximately 0.2 mm.
The top layer 14 and the underlayer 182 are bonded to the middle layer 16 in offset relationship such that floor plank 180 includes the identical L-shaped marginal sections 42 and 58 with identical offsets “a” as previously described for the floor plank 10. The marginal section 42 has the downwardly exposed adhesive surface 72 on the underlayer 182 and the marginal section 58 has the upwardly exposed adhesive surface 74 on the middle layer 16.
The adhesive on the exposed surfaces 72 and 74 is the same adhesive used in the floor plank 10 to bond the top layer 14 to the middle layer 16. Thus the same adhesive is used to bond the underlayer 182 to the top layer 14 and to the middle layer 16, and to bond the middle layer 16 to the bottom layer 18.
The floor plank 180 is installed on a floor in a manner similar to that previously described for the floor plank 10.
As various changes can be made in the above constructions and methods without departing from the scope of the invention, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.
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Number | Date | Country |
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202 14 720 | Jan 2003 | DE |
203 07 987 | Oct 2004 | DE |