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
1998-10-28
2001-05-22
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...
C052S746100, C052S480000, C052S582100, C156S304300, C156S304500
Reexamination Certificate
active
06233896
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates to flooring panels, flooring provided by such panels, methods of providing a floor, flooring thus provided and panels for use in such a method.
Panels for flooring are usually (but not necessarily) made of a reconstituted material which includes wood fibres. Examples include particle board, plywood and other fibre boards. Typical of such materials used as flooring panels are KOPINE™ panels of this company which is a high density particle board. Other suitable materials for such flooring may include the PYNEFLOOR™ particle board product of Fletcher Wood Panels.
Prior art flooring procedures where flooring planks or panels are to be used have involved the extensive use of nogs between the joists of the flooring frame. Such complex suspended flooring frames are time consuming and costly. Timber nogs are not without a material cost and also take time to measure, cut and nail in place.
Over a period of time nogs can give uneven support of an overlying panel owing to drying or warping, thus eventually allowing movement and squeaking.
With such complex nog including suspended floor frames it is usual to abut the edges of the panels on a joist, some peripheral timber member or a nog and to attach the panel by appropriate penetrative means (eg. nails, screws or the like) or adhesive or both.
A variant on the abutment of straight cut edge panels is a tongue and groove type insert engagement of a kind that traditionally was used with timber planks. Such arrangements however involve the exposure to potential damage (prior to fitment) of the tongues and grooves. There is also a need to match male with female edges.
DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION
The present invention recognises economies of material, time and money that can arise if there is evolved a satisfactory system using flooring panels less susceptible to panel edge damage yet which can be fixed to a suspended floor frame primarily of joists without a need or any significant need for nogs under abutments of panels which are to run perpendicular to the run of the joists. It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide panels, methods and flooring which at least provides some of the aforementioned advantages.
In a first aspect the present invention consists in a method of edgewise joining flooring panels which comprises positioning a first panel on a flooring frame including joists, said panel having an edge (preferably provided with at least one groove), which edge does not run along the longitudinal axis of a joist, and
positioning a second panel on the flooring frame having an edge (preferably provided with at least one groove complementary to that of said first panel),
wherein said method includes the additional steps of applying adhesive to at least one of said (preferably grooved) edges and then bringing the panels substantially together prior to fixing or allowing the fixing of the panels or the second panel to the frame, the adhesive being applied in such a way and being of a kind whereby there is an adhesive joint having a resistance in shear to relative vertical movement of the panel edges (as well as preferably a forming of a spline between the panels moulded at least in part by the preferred said complementary grooves).
In some forms a non grooved square edge may be utilised. In other forms grooves and/or holes and/or depressions in such edges may be provided.
Preferably said panels are each of a composite which includes wood fibre material or at least included wood fibre material.
Preferably said first panel is fixed prior to the positioning and fixing of the second panel.
Preferably the fixing of each panel comprises or includes nailing and/or screwing into said joists.
Preferably the panel to panel adhered and adhesive formed splined joint does not overlie nogs.
Preferably said panels are rectangular and are grooved on two opposed sides only, such sides being normal to the run of the joists.
Preferably said panels are rectangular and at least the two longer sides are grooved.
Preferably those edges of panels to be adjacent the edges of other panels along a joist are ungrooved.
Preferably adhesive is applied to at least one edge of fixed panels prior to abutment thereagainst of a yet to be fixed panel.
Preferably the adhesive is of a solvent mastic type formulation with a synthetic rubber base. However other types of adhesive may be used, eg: epoxy or woodworking glues such as Resorcinol or PVA.
In another aspect the invention is a floor comprising a floor frame of primarily joists, and a plurality of abutting panels positioned on top of said floor frame to define the desired floor shape, adjacent edges of adjacent panels which are substantially perpendicular to the joist axes and are unsupported by nogs being fixed by adhesive one edge to another.
In another aspect the invention is a method of edgewise joining flooring panels which comprises fixing in place a first panel said panel having an edge provided with at least one groove, applying adhesive into said groove(s), and
abutting a second panel provided with at least one groove complementary to that of said first panel in the plane of the first panel,
so that there is an adhesive joint having a resistance in shear to relative vertical movement of the panel edges as well as a forming of a spline between the panels moulded at least in part by the said complementary grooves.
In another aspect the invention is flooring or a floor formed by a method of the present invention.
In still a further aspect the present invention consists in a flooring panel useful in a method as previously set forth, said panel being of a composite form including wood fibre and having at least one grooved edge.
In another aspect the invention consists in a flooring panel in the form of a rectangular or square sheet having a pair of opposite edges provided with at last one groove.
Preferably the groove is in a longer pair of edges.
Preferably said groove(s) is(are) centrally positioned on such edges.
In still a further aspect the present invention consists in a floor comprising a floor frame of primarily joists, and a plurality of abutting panels positioned on top of said floor frame to define the desired floor shape, at least part of each adjacent edge of adjacent panels which is substantially perpendicular to the joist axes is provided with a groove which complements a corresponding groove of the adjacent edge of the adjacent panel, a spline having been moulded in said complementary grooves during adhesive butting of said edges after adhesive has been applied to at least one of said edges, said adhesive being of a type which assumes a shape retaining form sufficient to serve a spline function in addition to any adhesive function it may provide.
In still a further aspect the present invention consists in a floor as just defined when formed by any method as previously defined.
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A Phi Dieu Tran
Carter Holt Harvey Limited
Friedman Carl D.
Jacobson Price Holman & Stern PLLC
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