The present invention relates to floor coverings and methods of use thereof.
Applying new flooring may provide enhanced aesthetic appeal or fulfill a functional purpose. Generally, applying flooring requires the use of staples, nails or an adhesive to adhere the flooring material to the sub-floor. Depending on the combination of sub-floor type, new flooring installed and the particular adhesive used, applying new flooring may damage the sub-floor through scuffing, gauging, nail holes or chemical damage. For example, with marble floors, a conventional installation damages the sub-floor from the tar paper, wire mesh, mortar bed, adhesive and grout used to lay the marble, and the damage is compounded by the weight of the marble and use of the floor. This may be undesirable and require extensive restoration efforts if the sub-floor is hardwood.
Furthermore, certain flooring materials may be expensive and the addition of labor expenses may make a new floor unattainable for price-conscious consumers. While a do-it-yourself application may reduce the costs, some consumers may be apprehensive to use particular adhesives or grout which may require planning for timing, ventilation and settling. For example, using a cement backer board, which is designed to be easier than the conventional installation described above, requires that a cement board be attached to a plywood sub-floor using adhesives and screws, then bonding the tile to the backer board using a thin set adhesive placed over a fiberglass reinforcing mesh.
It may be desirable to provide a “floating” floor structure which provides the appearance of a permanent flooring structure at a reduced cost but without the use of damaging permanent attachment means to secure the structure to the floor. It may be desirable that the installation is primarily mechanical, not requiring the use of chemical adhesives. It may also be desirable to provide a floor structure that is stable and does not substantially shift upon using the floor.
The present invention provides a floor structure unit, comprising: a tray, a flooring material, a rubber grommet, and a rubber matrix. The tray includes an upper horizontal surface, a lower horizontal surface, at least one retaining wall extending vertically from either of the horizontal surfaces, a first set of interlocking members, and a second set of interlocking members, where the first set of interlocking members and the second set of interlocking members are contrapositive. The flooring material is disposed on the tray upper horizontal surface such that the first set of interlocking members is substantially flush with the flooring material and the second set of interlocking members extends beyond the flooring material. The rubber matrix is disposed in the tray lower horizontal surface, and the rubber grommet is disposed about the perimeter of the at least one retaining wall. The rubber grommet and the rubber matrix are a unitary piece.
The present invention also provides a method of making a floor structure unit, comprising providing tray having interlocking members disposed thereon; placing a rubber grommet around the perimeter of the tray; attaching a rubber matrix onto a lower horizontal surface of the tray; and securing a flooring material to an upper horizontal surface of the tray.
The present invention also provides a method of placing a floor structure, comprising: interlocking contrapositive members of at least two floor structure units. The floor structure units comprise: a tray, a flooring material, a rubber grommet, and a rubber matrix. The tray includes an upper horizontal surface, a lower horizontal surface, at least one retaining wall extending vertically from either of the horizontal surfaces, a first set of interlocking members, and a second set of interlocking members, where the first set of interlocking members and the second set of interlocking members are contrapositive. The flooring material is disposed on the tray upper horizontal surface such that the first set of interlocking members is substantially flush with the flooring material and the second set of interlocking members extends beyond the flooring material. The rubber matrix is disposed in the tray lower horizontal surface, and the rubber grommet is disposed about the perimeter of the at least one retaining wall. The rubber grommet and the rubber matrix are a unitary piece.
Further areas of applicability of the present invention will become apparent from the detailed description provided hereinafter. It should be understood that the detailed description and specific examples, while indicating the preferred embodiments of the invention, are intended for purposes of illustration only and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention.
The present invention will become more fully understood from the detailed description and the accompanying drawings, wherein:
a depicts a cross-section of a floor structure unit according to embodiments of the present invention;
b-c depict exploded corner views of the side view of
The following description of the preferred embodiment(s) is merely exemplary in nature and is in no way intended to limit the invention, its application, or uses.
As depicted in
The lower horizontal surface 28 includes the substrate for the sets of interlocking members 14 and 18 and serves as the substrate for attachment of the rubber matrix 20 and interconnected rubber grommet 24. Each tray 12 interlocking member 16 comprises a notch 30 and a recessed segment 32. The notch 30 is generally a protrusion of a greater thickness than the recessed segment 32. The protrusion may be rounded, squared or an irregular shape. The notch 30 connects with the recessed segment 32 of an adjacent floor structure unit 10 for a secure fit. Generally, the notch 30 of a first interlocking member 16 connects with the recessed portion 32 of a second interlocking member 16. In various embodiments, it may be desirable to have complimentary shaped notches 30 and recessed segments 32. For example, a rounded notch 30 mating with a rounded hollowed recessed segment 32 may provide a secure fit thereby preventing slippage of the floor structure.
The sets 14 and 18 of interlocking members 16 may be arranged such that all of the notches 30 face towards either the upper horizontal surface 26 or lower horizontal surface 28 of the tray 12, as depicted in
The lower horizontal surface 26 may also comprise a grid 34. The grid 34 may be produced when the tray 12 is injection molded. The grid 34 may include any geometric or curved pattern or a random pattern to provide greater surface area for the rubber matrix 20 and in various embodiments, an optional adhesive 36.
Referring to
Referring to
Returning to
The rubber matrix 20 may be made of any suitable rubber, including but not limited to natural rubber, cis-polyisoprene, polybutadiene, poly(styrene-butadiene), styrene-isoprene copolymers, isoprene-butadiene copolymers, styrene-isoprene-butadiene tripolymers, polychloroprene, chloro-isobutene-isoprene, nitrile-chloroprene, styrene-chloroprene, and poly (acrylonitrile-butadiene). Additives such as coloring agents, strength enhancing agents, or friction modifying agents may be added to the rubber.
Referring to
As best depicted in
The rubber grommet 24 color may be of the same or different color(s) as the flooring material 22 or it may be an accent color entrained in a multi-colored flooring material 22 such as marble. The rubber grommet 24 may be made of the same rubber materials used for the rubber matrix 20.
Between the voids in the rubber matrix 20, an adhesive 36 may be applied. Suitable adhesives 36 include thermoplastic adhesives, thermosetting adhesives and rubber-resin blends. Specific examples of adhesives 36 include acrylic resin adhesive, cyanoacrylate adhesives, epoxy adhesives, phenolic adhesives, polyurethane adhesives, adhesives incorporating a dispersed, physically separated but chemically attached rubber phase, and mixtures thereof. Preferably, the adhesive 36 is a methacrylate-based adhesive. For example, a preferable adhesive 36 may comprise dodecyl methacrylate, hexadecyl methacrylate, poly(butadiene, methylmethacrylate and styrene), chlorosulfonated polyethylene, methacrylic acid and a methyl methacrylate monomer. Various factors including the particular flooring material 22 selected, the surface area covered by the rubber matrix 20 and the textured grid 34 of the tray 12 may be incorporated in the selection of the adhesive 36.
The floor structure unit 10 is made by first providing a tray 12 having interlocking members 16 disposed thereon. The tray 12 may be made using injection molding. The details of the tray 12 including the textured grid 34, interlocking members 16, notches 30 and recessed segments 32, may be constructed during a single injection molding step or a combination of steps such as an injection molding followed by pressing a form onto the tray 12.
Placing the rubber grommet 24 and placing the rubber matrix 20 may be performed as distinct steps or a single step. In a preferred embodiment, the rubber matrix 20 is applied using double injection molding techniques and where the tray 12 materials and the rubber materials are injected into the same mold to form a single part. Double injection molding is preferred because the process may be designed to reduce assembly labor and may prevent defects in the flooring unit from improper orientation that may affect individual parts.
To place the new floor structure, the notches 30 on a first floor structure unit 10 are aligned with the contrapositive notches 30 or a second floor structure unit 10. The notches 30 and recessed segments 32 may be engaged by pushing or snapping the units together. Manual pressure or a tool such as a hammer or mallet may be used to engage the interlocking members 16. Preferably, the flooring units 10 are aligned such that the retaining walls 40 of one flooring unit 10, engage bare flooring materials 22 of adjacent flooring units 10. The process is repeated until the desired pattern or “floating” floor size is achieved. As stated above, the rubber grommet 24 is sufficiently resilient such that when the floor units 10 are engaged, the rubber grommet 24 serves as a cushion between edges of bare flooring material 22. Preferably, the rubber grommet 24 is able to withstand the accumulation of pressure resultant from laying a plurality of flooring units 10 in various directions and combinations.
The description of the invention is merely exemplary in nature and, thus, variations that do not depart from the gist of the invention are intended to be within the scope of the invention. Such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the spirit and scope of the invention.
This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/032,196 filed on Jan. 10, 2005 and converted to a U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 60/651,490 on May 20, 2005 having a filing date of Jan. 10 2005.
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