Patent Application
20110185658
The present invention relates to support systems for modular synthetic flooring assemblies, and more specifically to a compliant insert for flexibly supporting a modular synthetic floor tile configured for sports play.
Numerous types of flooring assemblies have been used to create playing areas for such sports as basketball and tennis, as well as for other purposes. These flooring assemblies include concrete, asphalt, wood and other materials which have varying characteristics. For each type of flooring, there are corresponding advantages and disadvantages. For example, concrete flooring is easy to construct and provides long term wear. However, the concrete provides no “give” during use and many people are injured each year during sporting events due to falls and other mishaps on concrete surfaces. Wood floors, such as are used for many basketball courts, have an appropriate amount of give to avoid such injuries. However, wood floors are also expensive to install, require constant maintenance to keep them in good condition, and are not suitable for extended outdoor use.
Due to these concerns, the use of modular flooring assemblies made of synthetic materials has grown in popularity. The synthetic floors are advantageous for several reasons. A first reason for the flooring assemblies' popularity is that they are typically formed of materials which are generally inexpensive and lightweight. If a tile is damaged it may easily be replaced. If the flooring needs to be temporarily removed, the individual tiles making up the floor can easily be detached, relocated, and then reattached to form a new floor in another location.
A second reason for the popularity of the flooring assemblies is that the durable plastics from which they are formed are long lasting. However, unlike other long lasting alternatives such as asphalt and concrete, the synthetic material forming the modular floor tile is generally better at absorbing impacts, and there is less risk of injury if a person falls on the plastic material, as opposed to concrete or asphalt. Additionally, the synthetic flooring assemblies generally require little maintenance as compared to other flooring, such as wood. However, there is a need for synthetic flooring to have better impact absorbing qualities than that found in current synthetic sports floor coverings. In particular, current synthetic flooring systems installed outdoors and built to withstand wet environment conditions do not have the same spring or bounce characteristics as those found in protected indoor sports flooring assemblies made with wood and other materials.
Therefore, it would be advantageous to provide a modular tile system that facilitates greater “give” to impacts as well as providing a spring characteristic to the flooring tile that is comparable or superior to that found in wood flooring, while also being easy to manufacture, long lasting and cost efficient, and capable of being installed outdoors.
In accordance with a representative embodiment broadly described herein, the present invention comprises a compliant insert for flexibly supporting a synthetic floor tile above a ground surface. The insert includes one or more elongate bodies, each elongate body having a longitudinal axis oriented parallel to a top surface of the floor tile, a top face having an attachment interface for coupling to a tile support structure extending downward from an underside of the floor tile, and a bottom face of having at least one contact flat for contacting the ground surface and at least one upwardly-directed recess for allowing liquids to flow underneath the insert. Each of the elongate bodies also has a thickness and stiffness sufficient, in an unloaded state, to elevate the support structure a distance above the ground surface.
In accordance with another representative embodiment broadly described herein, the present invention comprises a compliant insert for flexibly supporting a synthetic floor tile above a ground surface that includes one or more elongate bodies having a longitudinal axis oriented parallel to a top surface of the floor tile, and a thickness and stiffness sufficient, in an unloaded state, to elevate the floor tile a distance above the ground surface. Each of the elongate bodies further includes a bottom face having at least one contact flat for contacting the ground surface, a top face having an attachment interface for coupling the insert to a tile support structure extending downwardly from an underside of the floor tile, and at least one drainage channel for channeling liquids away from the floor tile. The drainage channel can be formed into the top face, the side face, or both the top and sides faces of the elongate body.
In accordance with yet another representative embodiment broadly described herein, the present invention comprises a compliant insert for flexibly supporting a synthetic floor tile above a ground surface that includes one or more elongate bodies having a longitudinal axis oriented parallel to a top surface of the floor tile, and a thickness and stiffness sufficient, in an unloaded state, to elevate the floor tile a distance above the ground surface. Each of the elongate bodies further includes a bottom face having at least one contact flat for contacting the ground surface, and a top face having at least one attachment groove formed therein for receiving a support rib extending downwardly from an underside of the floor tile to establish a rib/groove interconnection coupling the insert to the floor tile.
In accordance with yet another representative embodiment broadly described herein, the present invention comprises a modular tile system forming a partially-compliant floor covering over a ground surface comprising a modular floor tile and one or more compliant inserts. The modular floor tile includes a substantially planar body having top surface and a tile support structure extending downwardly from the underside of the planar body. Each of compliant inserts includes at least one elongate body having a longitudinal axis oriented parallel to a top surface of the floor tile and a thickness and stiffness sufficient, in an unloaded state, to elevate the tile support structure a distance above the ground surface, a bottom face having at least one contact flat for contacting the ground surface, a top face having an attachment interface for coupling the insert to the tile support structure, and at least one drainage channel transverse to the longitudinal axis for channeling liquids away from the floor tile.
Features and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the detailed description that follows, and when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings together illustrate, by way of example, features of the invention. It will be readily appreciated that these drawings merely depict representative embodiments of the present invention and are not to be considered limiting of its scope, and that the components of the invention, as generally described and illustrated in the figures herein, could be arranged and designed in a variety of different configurations. Nonetheless, the present invention will be described and explained with additional specificity and detail through the use of the accompanying drawings, in which:
The following detailed description makes reference to the accompanying drawings, which form a part thereof and in which are shown, by way of illustration, various representative embodiments in which the invention can be practiced. While these embodiments are described in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice the invention, it should be understood that other embodiments can be realized and that various changes can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. As such, the following detailed description is not intended to limit the scope of the invention as it is claimed, but rather is presented for purposes of illustration, to describe the features and characteristics of the representative embodiments, and to sufficiently enable one skilled in the art to practice the invention. Accordingly, the scope of the present invention is to be defined solely by the appended claims.
Furthermore, the following detailed description and representative embodiments of the invention will be best understood with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein the elements and features of the embodiments are designated by numerals throughout.
Illustrated in
The stand-alone performance characteristics of the tile support structure 90 can be predetermined through variations in the size, shape and material composition of the planar tile body 82 and the load-bearing structures 92, 94. For instance, the tile support structure 90 and the planar body 82 of the modular floor tile 80 can be integrally formed together from a durable plastic or polymer material having an elastic modulus that is high enough to support the weight of an individual walking or standing on the top surface 84 without significant deflection, but low enough to elastically compress and deform during a high-energy impact to the top surface to absorb a portion of the transient impact energy and transfer the remainder of the energy to ground without damage to the floor tile.
In the present invention, the tile support structure 90 provides for the attachment of one or more resilient or compliant inserts 20 to the floor tile in addition to supporting the floor tile 80 during an impact. The compliant inserts are used to modify and enhance upon the load-bearing performance characteristics of the tile support structure and to form a partially-compliant floor covering. Additionally, the compliant inserts 20 can have a height and stiffness that are sufficient, in an unloaded state, to elevate the lower contact surfaces 98 of the load-bearing structure 94 a distance above the ground surface.
The compliant inserts 20 can be formed from a more-flexible plastic or rubber-like material having an elastic modulus that is lower than the elastic modulus of the floor tiles, and when attached to the underside tile support structure can elastically compress and deform prior to the tile support structure 90 coming into contact with the ground surface so as to provide the modular tile system 10 with a extra degree of compliance. In one aspect the inserts can have an ASTM D2240 durometer value ranging from about 25 to about 50, and can be sufficiently compliant or elastic to compress or deform under a lighter walking and standing load. In other aspects the inserts can have an ASTM D2240 durometer value ranging from about 50 to about 75, and can provide enough stiffness to resist deflection under the lighter walking and standing loads, but which will elastically compress or deform under a moderate load and high-energy impact forces.
In yet another aspect, the tile support structure 90 itself can include a plurality of load-bearing members 94 that provide multiple levels or degrees of stiffness and damping, such as a first group of semi-rigid load-bearing members which will deflect or deform upon contact with the ground surface to allow a second group of more rigid load-bearing members to come into contact the ground surface and carry the remainder of an impact load or a heavy load. Thus, a modular floor tile system 10 having a multi-level support configuration 90 combined with the compliant inserts 20 can have three or more levels or degrees of support, such as a first elastic level, a second semi-rigid level and a thirst most-rigid level. This advantageously provides for the various forces and loadings applied to the top surface 84 of the floor tile 80 to be absorbed and/or distributed in controllable stages.
Illustrated in
The elongate body 22 has a top face 40 with one or more attachment interfaces 44 that are distinguishable from the contact flats 64 on the bottom face 60. In one aspect the compliant insert 20 can include at least two contact flats located at either end of the elongate body 22 to provide a stable base for the attachment interface 44 positioned directly above or supported above and between the contact flats.
Referring now to both
Alternatively, the attachment interfaces formed into the compliant insert can comprise the projecting structures while the support structure can include the receiving indentations or receptacles. Regardless of the allocation of projecting structures and receiving indentations between the compliant inserts 20 and the support structure 90, the male/female-type interconnection can provide a secure mechanical fit between the two bodies that holds the compliant insert 20 to the underside of the floor tile 80 as it is moved about, stored and transported after attachment to the underside supporting array
Other means for securing the compliant insert 20 to the underside 86 of the synthetic modular floor tile 80 are also possible, including adhesives, thermal bonding, and alternative structural arrangements such as snap clips or fasteners, and/or combinations thereof, etc. Furthermore, the compliant insert 20 can be removable from the supporting structure or array 90 and replaceable with a different compliant insert having modified dimensions and/or different material properties, in order to reconfigure the modular floor tile system or partially-compliant floor covering with different load-bearing performance characteristics.
The modular floor tile system 10 of the present invention can be further advantageous by allowing the one or more compliant inserts 20 to be insertable anywhere within the tile support structure 90, and in any orientation which conforms with the repeating pattern of the load-bearing structures 92, 94 and openings 96 forming the supporting array. Moreover, the compliant inserts 20 may not be limited to floor tiles having specially-configured underside structures or receivers that have been tailored or modified to accommodate a specific resilient member or body. Instead, the compliant inserts 20 can be configured for installation “after-the-fact” into any pre-existing modular synthetic floor tile having a repeating pattern of load-bearing structures which can accommodate the plurality of elongate bodies 22 having longitudinal axes 24 oriented parallel to the top surface 84 of the floor tile, as described above.
The one or more contact flats 64 formed into the bottom face 60 of the compliant insert 20 can comprise a substantially uniform surface (whether smooth, textured or roughened) that is configured to contact and provide a degree of traction with several types of ground surfaces. In general, the type of ground surface most suitable for use with the compliant insert described herein is flat and hard, and can include concretes, cements, asphalt, stone, ceramic tiles, wooden flooring and synthetic sub-flooring tiles and the like. However, in other aspects the modular tile system can also be used with alternative ground surfaces such as carpet, sand, soil and aggregates, etc.
The contact flats 64 can be configured to either grip to or slide over the ground surface, or a combination of both gripping and sliding depending upon type of underlying ground surface and the loading applied to the top surface of the floor tile. Whether the contacts flats grip or slide can be a function of the total surface area between the ground surface and the summation of all the contact flats of the compliant inserts supporting a particular modular floor tile. For instance, it may be desirable that a partially-compliant floor covering assembled from a plurality of modular floor tile systems 10 be configured with a degree of lateral flexibility as well as vertical compliance, so that the floor tile 80 can both translate laterally and compress vertically in response to a transient impact force or load applied to the top surface 84, such as by a user engaged in active sports play. Such lateral flexibility can allow the modular floor tile to press up against the sides of adjacent floor tiles and distribute a portion of the impact loading to the remainder of the floor covering. The lateral flexibility can also function to elastically absorb and dissipate a portion of the impact forces and thereby reduce the energy of the shock or impact reflected back to the user, resulting in a corresponding reduction in the risk of injury.
It may also be desirable to control the degree of lateral compliance or traction of the modular floor tile system 10, so as to provide a firm but yielding lateral response to a user engaged in active sports play. This can be done in a variety of ways with the compliant insert 20 of the present invention. For instance, one factor can be the total contact surface area between the ground surface and all the contact flats 64 of the compliant inserts 20 supporting the particular floor tile 80. While too much contact area can prohibit the desired amount of lateral movement, too little contact area may not provide sufficient traction to restrain the floor tile.
The material comprising the compliant inserts 20 can also be a factor. For example, the contact flats 64 of a compliant insert made from a more elastic material can be configured to compress and firmly grip the ground surface in response to a vertical component of the transient impact or load, causing the flexible elongate body 22 to flex or bend laterally in the direction of the horizontal component and thus allow slight lateral movements of the modular floor tile 80 carried above. In another aspect the contact flats 64 of a compliant insert made from a more-rigid material configured to resist gripping the ground surface in response to a vertical component of the transient impact, and instead slide across the ground surface in the direction of the horizontal component, which also allows for lateral movement of the modular floor tile 80 carried above. Combinations of the two characteristics, such as first gripping and then sliding, are also possible.
It is to be appreciated that the type and degree of lateral compliance and traction provided by the compliant insert can be controllable. Both characteristics can be a function of the friction interface between the contact flats 64 and the ground surface, the modulus of elasticity of the material forming the compliant inserts, the height, width and orientation of the elongate bodies 22 relative to the horizontal component of the transient impact, and the total contact surface area between the ground surface and all the contact flats of the compliant inserts 20 supporting the particular floor tile 10.
Referring back to
The top face 40 of the elongate body 22 can also have one or more drainage structures in addition to the attachment interfaces 44, such as the top drainage channels 50 that facilitate the drainage of liquids or water from the top surface of the modular floor tile to the ground surface below. The top drainage channels can be aligned transverse to the longitudinal axis 24 and can configured with a predetermined drainage channel curve 54 that is optimized to draw down the liquids or water from above and to shed the fluids onto the floor surface below using various flow mechanisms. In one aspect the drainage channels can have a curvilinear shape with a radius of curvature ranging between 0.1 inch and 0.5 inch. The top drainage channels can also sub-divide the attachment interfaces 44 into a plurality of attachment interfaces dispersed along the length 26 of the elongate body and transverse to the longitudinal axis, so as to provide an elongate grouping of attachment interfaces that interconnect with the repeating array or grid of load bearing structures forming the underside support structure.
The side faces 42 of the elongate body can also have one or more side drainage channels 52 that facilitate the drainage of liquids or water from the top surface of the modular floor tile to the ground surface below. The side drainage channels can also be configured with the predetermined drainage channel curve 54, and can provide the additional benefit of minimizing the visible surface area of the top face 40 as viewed from above, so that the compliant insert 20 can remain better hidden from view behind the support structures of a floor tile having a plurality of openings in its top surface.
Combining the top 50 and side 52 drainage channels into the same location on the elongate body 22 can further improve the drainage characteristics of the compliant insert 20, and when aligned with the apertures in the surface of the floor tile can be an effective solution for removing water from the top of the floor tile and distributing it to the ground surface below. Accordingly, the top drainage channels 50, side drainage channels 52 and flow recesses 70 of the compliant insert 20 can be aligned together along the longitudinal axis 24 of the elongate body 22 to form narrow or necked portions 74 configured to facilitate the drainage or passage of water.
Furthermore, the necked portions can alternate with expanded portions having the attachments interfaces 44 above that are axially aligned with the contact flats 64 below to form load-bearing support columns 34 between the ground surface and the tile support structure. The height 28 of the support columns 34 (e.g. also the thickness of the elongate body 22) combined with the stiffness of the material forming the solid elongate body 22 is sufficient, in an unloaded state, to elevate the support structure of the modular synthetic floor tile a distance above the ground surface.
The attachment interface 44 can comprise a top groove 46 adapted to receive a supporting rib from a grid of supporting ribs forming the tile support structure, and therein form a rib/groove interconnection. The top groove 46 can have a predetermined width that is equal to or slightly smaller than the thickness of the supporting rib so that the rib/groove interconnection becomes an interference fit which operates to secure the compliant insert 20 within the tile support structure until it is forcibly removed. Also shown in
The attachment interface 44 in the top face 40 of the elongate body 22 can also include one or more attachment holes 58 for receiving another type of load-bearing structure, such as a support post or column, and create a post/hole interconnection. The attachment holes 58 can have a predetermined diameter that is equal to or slightly smaller than the diameter of the support posts to form another interference fit operating to secure the compliant insert 20 within the tile support structure. As shown with the representative compliant insert 20 illustrated in
The top, side and bottom views of another representative embodiment 120 of the resilient or compliant insert are illustrated in
Although joined together to form a single compliant insert, the multiple elongate bodies may not be identical and variations can occur between the segments. For instance, some of the elongate bodies 122b, 122d of the compliant insert embodiment 120 shown in
Similar to the compliant insert embodiment 20 described and illustrated in
Referring now to
Referring to
Illustrated in
The bottom face 160 can several contact flats 164 separated by upwardly-directed drainage recesses 170. The drainage recesses can be axially aligned with the top drainage channels 150 on the longitudinal axis 124 to form the necked portions 174 of the elongate body that can facilitate drainage of liquids passing through holes in the floor tile 180 above. Similarly, the contact flats 164 can be axially aligned with the attachment interfaces 144 to form the load bearing support columns 134 which flexibly elevate the support structure 190 above the ground surface 110.
The elongate body is configured with a predetermined height or thickness 128, which in combination with the depth of the top groove 146 of the attachment groove, is sufficient to raise the contact surfaces 198 of the downwardly-extending load-bearing structures, such as the secondary support post 196, a predetermined distance 178 above the ground surface 110 when the top groove is fully inserted about a support rib 192. In one exemplary embodiment the predetermined distance 178 between the secondary support post 198 and the ground surface 110 can range from about 0.5 millimeters to about 2.5 millimeters, with a preferred distanced being about 1.5 millimeters.
Illustrated in
Also shown in
In the embodiment 100 of the modular tile system illustrated in both
Like the secondary support posts above, a predetermined distance 176 between the primary support posts 196 and the ground surface 110 can also range from about 0.5 millimeters to about 2.5 millimeters, with a preferred distanced being about 1.5 millimeters. However, the distance 176 can be greater or less than distance 178, so as to control which group of support posts come into contact with the ground surface first when the compliant insert is compressed.
As previously stated, moreover, the compliant inserts 120 can be formed from a more-flexible plastic or rubber-like material having a elastic modulus that is less than the elastic modulus of the floor tiles, and when attached to the underside tile support structure can elastically compress and deform prior to the tile support structure 190 to provide the modular tile system 100 with a greater level of compliance. Furthermore, the tile support structure 90 can also include a plurality of load-bearing members having different levels of compliance and damping. For instance, the primary support posts 194 can be elevated a first distance 176 above the ground surface 110 by the compliant inserts 120, while the secondary support posts 196 can have a slightly greater clearance 178 between their contact surfaces 198 and the ground. As a result, the primary support posts 194 can be the first load-bearing structures of the modular floor tile 180 which come into contact with the ground surface as the compliant inserts 120 elastically compress in response to an high load, such as an impact. The primary support posts 194 can then provide a second level of stiffness and damping as they deflect or deform until the secondary support posts 196 come into contact the ground surface and assume the remainder of the load.
Thus, in one aspect of the present invention the modular floor tile system 100 can provide multiple levels of stiffness and damping, namely a first level as the compliant inserts 120 compress, a second level as the more-rigid primary support posts 194 contact the ground and deflect, and finally a third level when the most-rigid secondary support posts 196 contact the ground surface. Furthermore, as the elongate body 122 of the compliant insert 120 is compressed by a force 102 applied to the top face 140 through the attachment interface 144, the side faces 142 of the elongate body can to press outwards against the primary support posts 194 (
The foregoing detailed description describes the invention with reference to specific representative embodiments. However, it will be appreciated that various modifications and changes can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention as set forth in the appended claims. The detailed description and accompanying drawings are to be regarded as illustrative, rather than restrictive, and any such modifications or changes are intended to fall within the scope of the present invention as described and set forth herein.
More specifically, while illustrative representative embodiments of the invention have been described herein, the present invention is not limited to these embodiments, but includes any and all embodiments having modifications, omissions, combinations (e.g., of aspects across various embodiments), adaptations and/or alterations as would be appreciated by those skilled in the art based on the foregoing detailed description. The limitations in the claims are to be interpreted broadly based on the language employed in the claims and not limited to examples described in the foregoing detailed description or during the prosecution of the application, which examples are to be construed as non-exclusive. For example, any steps recited in any method or process claims, furthermore, may be executed in any order and are not limited to the order presented in the claims. The term “preferably” is also non-exclusive where it is intended to mean “preferably, but not limited to.” Accordingly, the scope of the invention should be determined solely by the appended claims and their legal equivalents, rather than by the descriptions and examples given above.
