Static structures (e.g. – buildings) – Module or panel having discrete edgewise or face-to-face... – With joining means of dissimilar material and separate from...
Reexamination Certificate
2001-05-31
2004-07-20
Friedman, Carl D. (Department: 3635)
Static structures (e.g., buildings)
Module or panel having discrete edgewise or face-to-face...
With joining means of dissimilar material and separate from...
C052S582100, C052S403100
Reexamination Certificate
active
06763643
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a flooring material comprising board shaped flooring elements which are assembled by means of separate joining profiles. Prefabricated floor boards provided with tongue and groove at the edges are quite common nowadays. These can be installed by the average handy man as they are very easy to install. Such floors can, for example, be constituted of solid wood, fibre board or particle board. These are most often provided with a surface layer such as lacquer, or some kind of laminate. The boards are most often installed by being glued via tongue and groove. The most common types of tongue and groove are however burdened with the disadvantage to form gaps of varying width between the floor boards in cases where the installer hasn't been thorough enough. Dirt will easily collect in such gaps. Moisture will furthermore enter the gaps which will cause the core to expand in cases where it is made of wood, fibre board or particle board, which usually is the case. The expansion will cause the surface layer to rise closest to the edges of the joint which radically reduces the useful life of the floor since the surface layer will be exposed to an exceptional wear. Different types of tensioning devices, forcing the floor boards together during installation can be used to avoid such gaps. This operation is however more or less awkward. It is therefore desirable to achieve a joint which is self-guiding and thereby automatically finds the correct position. Such a joint would also be possible to utilise in floors where no glue is to be used.
Such a joint is known through WO 94/26999 which deals with a system to join two floor boards. The floor boards are provided with a locking device at the rear sides. It is, however, shown in the figures with accompanying description that the floor boards are provided with profiles on the lower side at a first long side and short side. These profiles, which extends outside the floor board itself, is provided with an upwards directed lip which fits into grooves on the lower side of a corresponding floor board. These grooves are arranged on the second short side and long side of this floor board. The floor boards are furthermore provided with a traditional tongue and groove on the edges. The intentions are that the profiles shall bend downwards and then to snap back into the groove when assembled. The profiles are integrated with the floor boards through folding or alternatively, through gluing.
The invention according to WO 94/26999 is however burdened with the disadvantage that the profiles are located in a very exposed position and will easily be damaged during handling. According to WO 94/26999, the floor boards may be joined without the lip having to touch the contact surface of the groove at tolerances as small as ±0.2 mm. The profiles are easily deformed during manufacturing, transport and installation of the relatively heavy floor boards since the profiles are located in a very exposed position. Further deformation of the delicate joining profiles is probable since the intentions are that it should be possible to disassemble and reinstall the floor boards according to WO 94/26999. Such deformation will obstruct, and in serious cases even make assembly of the floor boards impossible.
It seems, from WO 94/26999 to be desired to have a clearance between the contact surfaces of the lip and the groove. A tolerance of ±0.2 mm is mentioned in the application. The clearance seems to be marked &Dgr; in the figures. Such a clearance will naturally cause undesired gaps between the floor boards. Dirt and moisture can penetrate into these gaps.
Another disadvantage is that the tongue, located on two of the edges, must be tooled from the base material which will loss of the surface layer. Such a surface layer will most often be constituted of thermosetting laminate and is normally the most costly part of a laminate floor. A surface layer of thermosetting laminate will furthermore cause an extensive wear on the tools used for milling.
Another disadvantage becomes clear when performing a life-cycle analysis on the floor boards according to WO 94/26999. According to one preferred embodiment of WO 94/26999, the joining profile is constituted of aluminium. Since it constitutes a part integrated with the floor board it will be practically impossible to recycle the floor board without a very labour-intensive process. The inevitable cutting of the floor board will also be very difficult, utilising common tools, as both aluminium, thermosetting laminate and core will have to be cut at the same time.
It is also known through WO 97/47834 to manufacture a joint where the floor boards are joined so that they are locked together in the horizontal direction. According to this invention a traditional tongue has been provided with heel on the lower side. The heel has a counterpart in a recess in the groove of the opposite side of the floor board. The lower cheek of the groove will be bent away during the assembly and will then snap back when the floor board is in the correct position. The snap-joining parts, in.e. the tongue and groove, is in opposite to the invention according to WO 94/26999 above, where they are constituted by separate parts, seems to be manufactured monolithically from the core of the floor board. WO 97/47834 does also show how the tongue and groove with heels and recesses according to the invention is tooled by means of cutting machining. This invention does also have the disadvantage that the tongue, and particularly, the lower cheek of the groove will easily be damaged during normal handling even though they protrudes less than in the invention according to WO 94/26999 above.
Also WO 97/47834 does have the disadvantage that both tongue and groove will have to be tooled in a way that causes loss of the costly top surface. This tooling will also cause an extensive wear on tools used.
The invention according to WO 97/47834 presumes a certain amount of resilient properties in the core material. The material normally used is not very suitable if a resilient property is desired. MDF (medium density fibre board) or HDF (high density fibre board) should according to WO 97/47834 be suitable as core material. The resilient properties of these materials are however, rather poor, whereby the risk for crack formation, parallel to the top surface, ought to be great.
The invention according to WO 93/13280 deals with a form of clip intended to be used for holding floor boards together. The floor boards are, besides being provided with a traditional tongue and groove, with known disadvantages, also provided with a single groove on the lower side of the floor board. The floor boards rests on the clip whereby a great number of clips will have to be used as the floor otherwise will be resilient. The distance formed between the floor boards and the surface beneath will furthermore cause acoustic resonance. This will give the floor a noisy character and a higher sound level. This is not desired.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The above mentioned problems are solved through the present invention, whereby a floor that endures handling, demands a minimum of machining of the decorative top surface and is easy to install has been achieved. Accordingly, the invention relates to a flooring material comprising board shaped floor elements with a mainly square or rectangular shape. The floor elements are provided with edges, a lower side and a decorative upper surface. The floor elements are intended to be joined by means of separate joining profiles. The invention is characterised in that all four edges of the floor elements are provided with one notch-like groove each. The grooves are arranged parallel to its respective edge. The joining profiles are provided with lips arranged in pairs. The lips are intended to each be received by one of the grooves so that the floor element, with the grooves at the adjacent edges will be guided or fixed vertically via the lips of a joining profile. The lips are joined by a middle
Friedman Carl D.
Pergo (Europe) AB
Slack Naoko
Stevens Davis Miller & Mosher L.L.P.
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