Patent Application
20180010346
The subject matter disclosed herein is directed to a molding assembly and floor installation.
The presently disclosed subject matter is directed to molding assemblies for the finishing of floor covering materials, such as for example luxury vinyl tile (LVT) flooring and/or floating panel floorings comparable to laminate flooring.
LVT flooring comprises resilient flooring panels or sheets which may either be glued to the underground or be clicked together glueless to form a floating floor covering. Such flooring is usually thin, i.e. 5 mm or less.
Whatever the type of flooring, there are often transitions between different flooring types or expansion gaps, either of which must be finished or covered after flooring installation.
Existing molding assemblies are disclosed in PCT Patent Application Publication Nos. WO 2014/128609 and WO 2005/083195; U.S. Pat. No. 6,357,192; European Patent Nos. EP 2 141 304, EP 1 203 856 and GB 2247619. Such existing moldings, however, are overly complex and make use of additional elements, such as torsion springs. Moreover, such existing moldings can be difficult to mount or dismount.
The present disclosure solves the need for molding assemblies that allow for a more universal finishing of transitions and gaps, without undue complexity. The disclosed moldings, assemblies and flooring installations are configured to cover gaps between floorings and finish flooring edges across various heights and differences in elevation.
This summary lists several embodiments of the presently disclosed subject matter, and in many cases lists variations and permutations of these embodiments. This summary provides examples without limitation of the numerous and varied embodiments. Mention of one or more representative features of a given embodiment is likewise also provided as an example. Such an embodiment can typically exist with or without the feature(s) mentioned; likewise, those features can be applied to other embodiments of the presently disclosed subject matter, whether listed in this summary or not. To avoid excessive repetition, this summary does not list or suggest all possible combinations of such features.
Provided herein is a molding assembly for bridging a gap between floor covering materials, the molding assembly comprising a molding and a track, wherein the track comprises a track attachment component configured to releasably attach the molding to the track, wherein the track attachment component comprises a single upwardly protruding leg connected to the track by a hinge portion, wherein the hinge portion is configured to allow tilting of the molding when attached to the track attachment component, wherein the hinge portion and track are a single unitary piece made of the same material.
Also provided herein is a floor installation, the floor installation comprising floor covering materials adjoining respective sides of a gap, wherein the floor covering materials on each side of the gap differ in thickness by at least 1 millimeter, and a molding assembly, wherein the molding assembly comprises a molding and a track, wherein the track comprises a track attachment component configured to releasably attach the molding to the track, wherein the track attachment component comprises a single upwardly protruding leg connected to the track by a hinge portion, wherein the hinge portion is configured to allow tilting of the molding when attached to the track attachment component, wherein the hinge portion and track are a single unitary piece made of the same material, wherein the track of the molding assembly is installed in the gap between the floor covering materials, wherein the molding is attached to the track by the upwardly protruding leg of the track, wherein the molding is tilted by the hinge portion, wherein the molding covers the gap and touches or contacts both adjoining floor covering materials, thereby bridging the difference in thickness between the respective adjoining floor covering materials.
Also provided herein is a floor installation, the floor installation comprising floor covering material and a molding assembly, wherein the molding assembly comprises a molding and a track, wherein the track comprises a track attachment component configured to releasably attach the molding to the track, wherein the track attachment component comprises a single upwardly protruding leg connected to the track by a hinge portion, wherein the hinge portion is configured to allow tilting of the molding when attached to the track attachment component, wherein the hinge portion and track are a single unitary piece made of the same material, wherein the track of the molding assembly is installed at an edge of the floor covering material, wherein the molding is attached to the track by the upwardly protruding leg of the track, wherein the molding is tilted by the hinge portion, and wherein the molding provides a finishing edge for the floor covering material.
Objects of the presently disclosed subject matter having been stated above, other objects and advantages of the presently disclosed subject matter will become apparent to those skilled in the art after a study of the following description and drawings.
The presently disclosed subject matter can be better understood by referring to the following figures. The components in the figures are not necessarily to scale, emphasis instead being placed upon illustrating the principles of the presently disclosed subject matter (often schematically). In the figures, like reference numerals designate corresponding parts throughout the different views. A further understanding of the presently disclosed subject matter can be obtained by reference to an embodiment set forth in the illustrations of the accompanying drawings. Although the disclosure herein provides examples of systems for carrying out the presently disclosed subject matter, both the organization and method of operation of the presently disclosed subject matter, in general, together with further objectives and advantages thereof, may be more easily understood by reference to the drawings and the following description. The drawings are not intended to limit the scope of this presently disclosed subject matter, which is set forth with particularity in the claims as appended or as subsequently amended, but merely to clarify and exemplify the presently disclosed subject matter.
For a more complete understanding of the presently disclosed subject matter, reference is now made to the following drawings in which:
The presently disclosed subject matter now will be described more fully hereinafter, in which some, but not all embodiments of the presently disclosed subject matter are described. Indeed, the presently disclosed subject matter can be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein; rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will satisfy applicable legal requirements.
The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the presently disclosed subject matter.
While the following terms are believed to be well understood by one of ordinary skill in the art, the following definitions are set forth to facilitate explanation of the presently disclosed subject matter.
All technical and scientific terms used herein, unless otherwise defined below, are intended to have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art. References to techniques employed herein are intended to refer to the techniques as commonly understood in the art, including variations on those techniques or substitutions of equivalent techniques that would be apparent to one of skill in the art. While the following terms are believed to be well understood by one of ordinary skill in the art, the following definitions are set forth to facilitate explanation of the presently disclosed subject matter.
In describing the subject matter herein, it will be understood that a number of techniques and steps are disclosed. Each of these has individual benefit and each can also be used in conjunction with one or more, or in some cases all, of the other disclosed techniques.
Accordingly, for the sake of clarity, this description will refrain from repeating every possible combination of the individual steps in an unnecessary fashion. Nevertheless, the specification and claims should be read with the understanding that such combinations are entirely within the scope of the invention and the claims.
Following long-standing patent law convention, the terms “a”, “an”, and “the” refer to “one or more” when used in this application, including the claims. Thus, for example, reference to “a panel” includes a plurality of such panels, and so forth.
Unless otherwise indicated, all numbers expressing quantities of ingredients, reaction conditions, and so forth used in the specification and claims are to be understood as being modified in all instances by the term “about”. Accordingly, unless indicated to the contrary, the numerical parameters set forth in this specification and attached claims are approximations that can vary depending upon the desired properties sought to be obtained by the presently disclosed subject matter.
As used herein, the term “about” when referring to a value or to an amount is meant to encompass variations of in some embodiments ±20%, in some embodiments ±10%, in some embodiments ±5%, in some embodiments ±1%, in some embodiments ±0.5%, and in some embodiments ±0.1% from the specified amount.
The term “comprising”, which is synonymous with “including” “containing” or “characterized by” is inclusive or open-ended and does not exclude additional, unrecited elements or method steps. “Comprising” is a term of art used in claim language which means that the named elements are essential, but other elements can be added and still form a construct within the scope of the claim.
As used herein, the phrase “consisting of” excludes any element, step, or ingredient not specified in the claim. When the phrase “consists of” appears in a clause of the body of a claim, rather than immediately following the preamble, it limits only the element set forth in that clause; other elements are not excluded from the claim as a whole.
As used herein, the phrase “consisting essentially of” limits the scope of a claim to the specified materials or steps, plus those that do not materially affect the basic and novel characteristic(s) of the claimed subject matter.
With respect to the terms “comprising”, “consisting of”, and “consisting essentially of”, where one of these three terms is used herein, the presently disclosed and claimed subject matter can include the use of either of the other two terms.
As used herein, the term “and/or” when used in the context of a listing of entities, refers to the entities being present singly or in combination. Thus, for example, the phrase “A, B, C, and/or D” includes A, B, C, and D individually, but also includes any and all combinations and subcombinations of A, B, C, and D.
A molding assembly is disclosed for bridging a gap between floor covering materials or for finishing the border of a floor covering material. In some embodiments such a molding assembly comprises a molding and a track. The track can in some embodiments comprise a track attachment component configured to releasably attach the molding to the track. The track attachment component can in some embodiments comprise a single upwardly protruding leg connected to the track by a hinge portion, which can be configured to allow tilting of the molding when the molding is attached to the track attachment component. Moreover, in some aspects the hinge portion and track are a single unitary piece made of the same material.
The molding portion of the molding assembly can in some embodiments comprise a transition profile comprising a convex upper surface and a bottom surface having an attachment component. The attachment component on the molding can be configured to cooperate with the upwardly protruding leg of the track attachment component such that the two can be joined. For example, the upwardly protruding leg of the track attachment component can be inserted into the groove to allow the molding and the track to become mutually releasably attached to one another.
Also provided herein is a floor installation comprising floor covering materials with a gap between two or more floor covering pieces, and a molding assembly as disclosed herein to bridge the gap. In some embodiments the floor covering materials on each side of the gap can differ in thickness by at least 1 millimeter, and the molding assembly can cover the gap and simultaneously compensate for the difference in thickness in the flooring materials on each side of the gap. For example, the track of the molding assembly can be installed in the gap between the floor covering materials, wherein the molding is attached to the track by the upwardly protruding leg of the track. The molding can be tilted by the hinge portion thereby allowing the molding to cover the gap and touch both adjoining floor covering materials despite their difference in thickness.
Furthermore, provided herein is a floor installation for finishing an edge of a flooring material, comprising a floor covering material, and a molding assembly. The molding assembly can comprise a molding and a track. The track can in some aspects comprise a track attachment component configured to releasably attach the molding to the track, wherein the track attachment component comprises a single upwardly protruding leg connected to the track by a hinge portion, wherein the hinge portion is configured to allow tilting of the molding when attached to the track attachment component. In some aspects the hinge portion and track are a single unitary piece made of the same material. The track of the molding assembly can be installed at an edge of the floor covering material, wherein the molding is attached to the track by the upwardly protruding leg of the track, wherein the molding is tilted by the hinge portion, and wherein the molding provides a finishing edge for the floor covering material.
In some embodiments molding 5 can have a width a of about 1.750 inches, or about 1.0 to about 3.0 inches, and a height b (or a height of attachment component 13) of about 0.365 inches, or about 0.1 to abut 0.9 inches. The thickness c of molding 5, or the thickness between upper surface 11 and lower surface 12, can be about 0.072 inches, or about 0.01 to about 0.15 inches. Thickness d of molding attachment component 13 on each side of groove 14 can be about 0.030 inches, or about 0.01 to about 0.060 inches, where no barb 15 is present, with a thickness e of about 0.066 inches, or about 0.020 to about 0.090 inches, where a barb 15 is present.
In some embodiments upwardly protruding leg 7 is configured to releasably attach molding 5 to track 4 by insertion into groove 14 of molding 5. When attached to track 4 molding 5 can articulate or flex laterally due to the hinge action or flexibility of hinge portion 8. In some aspects upwardly protruding leg 7 comprises a separate surface portion 10 configured to provide friction interlocking or mechanical interlocking with groove 14 of attachment component 13 of molding 5. In some aspects separate surface portion 10 can comprise a barbed surface to engage or interact with barbs 15 of groove 14. Alternatively, or in addition, separate surface portion 10 can comprise a material more compressible than the material from which the remainder of track 4 is made.
As illustrated in
In some embodiments track 4 can comprise an extruded profile, and can in some aspects be made from any suitable material, including for example but not limited to, polyvinyl chloride (PVC), polypropylene (PP), polyethylene (PE), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), and/or combinations thereof. In some embodiments molding 5 can comprise an aluminum or plastic material, or any suitable material for a flooring joint, transition profile, border, molding or finishing component.
In some embodiments there is a floor installation, as depicted, for example, in
In the flooring installations provided herein, a molding assembly, as disclosed herein, can be provided to bridge the gap between the adjoining flooring materials. As shown in
In one embodiment shown in
Floor covering material 2 and floor covering material 3 can either be the same material or differing materials. As shown in
Floor covering material 2 and floor covering material 3 can either be the same material or differing materials. As shown in
Turning now to
As shown in
In
Similar to
By tilting molding 5 slightly to accommodate for the difference in floor thickness on each side of the gap, the apex AP, or highest point of upper surface 11 correspondingly shifts slightly from center. As illustrated in the comparison of
As illustrated in
As shown in
Molding assembly 20 can be configured to finish a border of a floor covering as illustrated in
The dimensions shown in the figures and discussed herein are only exemplary and not intended to be limiting. For example, the thicknesses of the floor covering materials in
It will be understood that various details of the presently disclosed subject matter may be changed without departing from the scope of the presently disclosed subject matter. Furthermore, the foregoing description is for the purpose of illustration only, and not for the purpose of limitation.
This patent application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 62/360,712, filed Jul. 11, 2016, the entire content of which is incorporated by reference herein.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 62360712 | Jul 2016 | US |
