This invention relates to flooring and more particularly relates to flooring panels with slidable edge joints.
Various types of flooring include rectangular panels. Some flooring panels may have straight edges on all four sides, and may be glued down to a subfloor or underlayment to hold the flooring panels in place. However, gluing down individual floor panels may increase the cost and time of flooring installation, and the difficulty of removal. Other types of floor panels may include interlocking joints on all four sides, so that the joints hold floor panels in place relative to surrounding floor panels. However, the nature of interlocking joints may make installation difficult in confined spaces, such as near walls or cabinets, and may complicate replacement of damaged floor panels.
In order that the advantages of the invention will be readily understood, a more particular description of the invention briefly described above will be rendered by reference to specific embodiments that are illustrated in the appended drawings. Understanding that these drawings depict only typical embodiments of the invention and are not therefore to be considered to be limiting of its scope, the invention will be described and explained with additional specificity and detail through the use of the accompanying drawings, in which:
Reference throughout this specification to “one embodiment,” “an embodiment,” or similar language means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment. Thus, appearances of the phrases “in one embodiment,” “in an embodiment,” and similar language throughout this specification may, but do not necessarily, all refer to the same embodiment, but mean “one or more but not all embodiments” unless expressly specified otherwise. The terms “including,” “comprising,” “having,” and variations thereof mean “including but not limited to” unless expressly specified otherwise. An enumerated listing of items does not imply that any or all of the items are mutually exclusive and/or mutually inclusive, unless expressly specified otherwise. The terms “a,” “an,” and “the” also refer to “one or more” unless expressly specified otherwise.
Furthermore, the described features, structures, or characteristics of the invention may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments. In the following description, numerous specific details are included to provide a thorough understanding of embodiments of the invention. One skilled in the relevant art will recognize, however, that the invention may be practiced without one or more of the specific details, or with other methods, components, materials, and so forth. In other instances, well-known structures, materials, or operations are not shown or described in detail to avoid obscuring aspects of the invention.
The schematic flow chart diagrams included herein are generally set forth as logical flow chart diagrams. As such, the depicted order and labeled steps are indicative of one embodiment of the presented method. Other steps and methods may be conceived that are equivalent in function, logic, or effect to one or more steps, or portions thereof, of the illustrated method. Additionally, the format and symbols employed are provided to explain the logical steps of the method and are understood not to limit the scope of the method. Although various arrow types and line types may be employed in the flow chart diagrams, they are understood not to limit the scope of the corresponding method. Indeed, some arrows or other connectors may be used to indicate only the logical flow of the method. For instance, an arrow may indicate a waiting or monitoring period of unspecified duration between enumerated steps of the depicted method. Additionally, the order in which a particular method occurs may or may not strictly adhere to the order of the corresponding steps shown.
As used herein, a list with a conjunction of “and/or” includes any single item in the list or a combination of items in the list. For example, a list of A, B and/or C includes only A, only B, only C, a combination of A and B, a combination of B and C, a combination of A and C or a combination of A, B and C. As used herein, a list using the terminology “one or more of” includes any single item in the list or a combination of items in the list. For example, one or more of A, B and C includes only A, only B, only C, a combination of A and B, a combination of B and C, a combination of A and C or a combination of A, B and C. As used herein, a list using the terminology “one of includes one and only one of any single item in the list. For example, “one of A, B and C” includes only A, only B or only C and excludes combinations of A, B and C. As used herein, “a member selected from the group consisting of A, B, and C,” includes one and only one of A, B, or C, and excludes combinations of A, B, and C.” As used herein, “a member selected from the group consisting of A, B, and C and combinations thereof” includes only A, only B, only C, a combination of A and B, a combination of B and C, a combination of A and C or a combination of A, B and C.
In general, in various embodiments, flooring panels 104 are installed edge to edge on a sub-floor or underlayment, so that the flooring panels 104 form a unified floor that substantially covers the subfloor. (Small gaps at the perimeter of the space 102 may be covered by baseboards). The flooring panels 104 are rectangular, with two long edges and two short edges, and are installed in rows 106, so that flooring panels 104 are joined short edge to short edge within a row 106, and long edge to long edge between rows 106.
In some embodiments, flooring panels 104 at the perimeter of the space (e.g., in a first row, in first and last rows, at ends of rows, or the like) may be affixed to the subfloor or underlayment by gluing, stapling or the like. In some embodiments, the plurality of flooring panels 104 may be glued or stapled down. In some embodiments, some of the flooring panels 104 may be “floating” flooring panels 104 that are not affixed directly to the subfloor or underlayment, but that are coupled to adjacent flooring panels 104. For example, in some embodiments, flooring panels 104 at the perimeter of the space 102 may be glued or stapled down, and other flooring panels 104 may be “floating.”
However, one problem that may occur with “floating” floors is that flooring panels 104 are subject to significant horizontal forces when people walk on the floor, move furniture, or the like. Under sufficient force, a flooring panel 104 may move out of place. and may move. Anti-slip backing may be provided to reduce the tendency of flooring panels 104 to move out of place, but even with anti-slip backing and perimeter flooring panels 104 glued or stapled down, some flooring panels 104 may move horizontally, causing gaps between adjacent flooring panels 104, and especially between short edges of adjacent flooring panels 104. Such gaps may be unacceptable to users, and may be difficult to repair.
In some flooring systems 100, joints between adjacent panels 104 may couple flooring panels together allowing one or more of the flooring panels 104 to “float” instead of being glued or stapled down. However, some joints such as tongue and groove joints do not prevent flooring panels 104 from separating and causing gaps. By contrast, other types of interlocking joints (e.g., for “click lock” flooring” may resist motion of the joined panels 104 apart from each other, but may be difficult to install. For example, if installation requires inserting a panel 104 at an angle, before lowering the raised side of the panel 104 to the floor, it may be difficult to install panels in tight spaces, such as near cabinets or walls.
Accordingly, as described below, various embodiments of a flooring system 100 may include panels 104 with interlocking joints formed at the short edges, to prevent panels 104 from moving apart, but where the long edges of the panels 104 do not include interlocking joints.
The term “joint” as used herein, can refer to a coupling between adjacent panels 104, or to the features or structures on either of the adjacent panels that are involved in the coupling. Thus, connecting two panels together may be referred to as forming a joint between two panels 104, but an individual panel 104 may also be described as having a joint, where that panel 104 includes features or structures for coupling that panel 104 to another panel 104. For example, in a tongue and groove joint, the term “joint” may be used with reference to the tongue on one panel 104, the groove on another panel 104, or the assembly of a tongue coupled to a groove.
Directional terms, as used herein, such as “vertical,” “horizontal,” “upper,” “lower,” and the like, refer to the orientation of flooring panels 104 as installed in a floor. For example, a “vertical” direction is perpendicular to the plane of the floor, a “horizontal direction” is parallel to the plane of the floor, and an “upper” surface of a flooring panel is visible when the panel is installed in the floor. However, such terms are not used to imply absolute positions. For example, prior to installation in a floor, a flooring panel may be transported, stored, or the like in any orientation, such as with the upper surface facing down, but the same surface may still be referred to as the “upper” surface.
In some embodiments, a flooring system 100 may include flooring panels 104 with interlocking joints on short edges, and with non-interlocking joints on long edges. For example, non-interlocking joints may include butt joints (straight edges), rabbet joints, tongue and groove joints, or the like. In various embodiments, providing interlocking joints on short edges instead of on all four edges may prevent gaps between short edges while facilitating installation.
A core 304, in one embodiment, is a layer that either forms the flooring panel 300 for single-layer panels 300, or that acts as a substrate for other layers for multi-layer panels 300. A core 304, in various embodiments, may include vinyl material, stone plastic composite material, magnesium oxide material, engineered hardwood material (e.g., layers of wood), wood polymer composite material, or the like.
In some embodiments, one or more upper layers 302 may be disposed above the core. For example, upper layers 302 may include a design layer with a visible design, a wear-resistant layer, and/or an ultraviolet-resistant layer. Various other or further upper layers 302 may be included in a floor panel 304.
In some embodiments, one or more lower layers 306 may be disposed below the core. For example, lower layers 306 may include a sound-absorbing layer. Various other or further lower layers 306 may be included in a floor panel 304. In the depicted embodiment, an anti-slip layer 308 is disposed beneath the core 304 (and any other lower layer 306). Providing an anti-slip layer 308 may prevent or mitigate formation of gaps between adjacent panels 300. Various types of anti-slip material used for various types of flooring may be used as an anti-slip layer 308 for a flooring panel 300.
The core 304, in various embodiment, may support other layers, and may have substantially the same rectangular shape as the overall floor panel 300, with two long edges and two short edges. As described above, interlocking edges may be formed at the short edges, while the long edges do not include interlocking joints. Interlocking and non-interlocking joints are described in further detail below with reference to
The depicted embodiment of an interlocking joint 400 is provided as one example. Various other or further interlocking joints may be consistent with this disclosure. Additionally, dimensions in millimeters (mm) and angles in degrees are provided in
In some embodiments, an interlocking joint 400 may be any joint shaped to prevent flooring panels that are joined at an interlocking joint from sliding apart. For example, referring to
A flooring panel may be laid in a row with a lower half 404 of a joint 400 at the end where the row will be continued. The next flooring panel in the row may be laid so that the upper half 402 of the joint 400, in that flooring panel, overlaps the lower half 404 of the joint 400, in the previously-laid panel. After lowering the short edge of the new panel (with the upper half 402 of the joint 400) in a vertical direction onto the short edge of the previously-laid panel in the same row (with the lower half 404 of the joint 400), the joint 400 is engaged. The new panel may then be slid horizontally so that a long edge of the new panel contacts a previously laid row of panels.
Alternatively, a new panel to be added to a row may be put in place with a long edge of the new panel contacting the previously laid row of panels, and the panel may then be slid horizontally until the short edge of the new panel (with the upper half 402 of the joint 400) couples to the short edge of a previously-laid panel in the same row (with the lower half 404 of the joint 400).
In the depicted embodiment, the interlocking joint 400 is shaped to permit up to 0.1 millimeter (mm) of movement between floor panels that are joined at short edges. A gap 406 in the joint 400, between the upper half 402 and the lower half 404, permits a small amount of movement. Such a gap 406 may provide a small amount of tolerance to changing conditions such as heat or humidity. A gap 406 may also facilitate sliding of flooring panels into place, either by engaging the joint 400 at the short edges first and sliding the long edge into place (as in
Referring to
Referring to
In the depicted embodiment, the gap 406 and the shallow undercut allow the joint to be engaged by moving the upper half 402 straight down onto the lower half 404, without additional vertical force beyond the weight of a flooring panel. The interlocking joint 400 engages without vertical force or with no more vertical force than the weight of the panels, and thus does not require additional vertical force, such as tapping with a mallet, to engage two panels together. One panel may be lowered onto another panel in the same row with short ends overlapping at the joint 400, then slid horizontally along the interlocking joint 400 until the tongue and groove joint along the long edge engages with panel(s) in an adjacent row. Alternatively, a panel may be installed by first engaging the tongue and groove joint along the long edge with panel(s) in an adjacent row, then sliding the panel along the tongue and groove joint to interlocking joint 400 with a panel in the same row (with a small vertical motion as the interlocking joint 400 engages).
Although some forms of flooring require an installer to angle a panel to hook one interlocking edge under another interlocking edge, flooring panels with the joints 400 formed as disclosed herein can be maintained in a horizontal orientation during installation, thus facilitating installation in tight spaces such as near walls, cabinets, or doorways.
Rather than full tongue-and groove joints 700, the replacement panel 800 includes an extension 802 along one of the long edges of the replacement panel. The replacement panel 800 also includes an undercut portion 804 along the other long edge. The extension 802 covers the tongue 702 of an adjacent panel, while the undercut portion 804 covers the groove 704 of another adjacent panel. In another embodiment, the extension 802 is a standard tongue and groove configuration with extensions 802 on more than a single side of the tongue 702.
The present invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from its spirit or essential characteristics. The described embodiments are to be considered in all respects only as illustrative and not restrictive. The scope of the invention is, therefore, indicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description. All changes which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are to be embraced within their scope.
Number | Date | Country | |
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63165701 | Mar 2021 | US | |
63270985 | Oct 2021 | US |