CZ16399A3 - Cover modular and anchor layer - Google Patents

Abstract

A relatively thin flexible anchor layer (21, 31) for installation under the carpets or other kthty ties together decorative the covering (19, 29), wherein the covering module is composed of a decorative one a second (19) and anchor layer (21) may be hooked looping another module of the fourth consisting of a decorative one the covering (29) and the anchor layer (31) to form a complete these floors are carpeted, tiled, stone-skinned ». material.

Description

Covering modular and anchoring layer

Technical field

The present invention relates to a relatively thin flexible anchor layer for use under carpets or other decorative coatings. In practice, when installed, this anchoring layer acts to bind the decorative coating to itself as a functional unit and adds to this unit mass and stability, especially a unit having a flexible decorative coating, such as a carpet. The anchoring layer may be substantially coated on one side with hooks for anchoring the decorative coating to the layer by engaging additional loops on the coating. The anchoring layer itself may be a backing such as a floor or wall, or may be laid freely on the floor if the layer and the coating as a whole have sufficient weight, or are positioned so as to prevent movement. The anchoring layer can be supplied as a small or large module with a pre-attached decorative coating, as will be explained later.

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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

It is common to attach decorative flexible coverings, such as carpets, to a solid substrate, such as floors made of wood or concrete. Often it is appropriate or even desirable to carpet a flooring material that covers, attaches and over the years a number of attachment methods have been developed.

The carpet can be glued directly to the floor material. This is often the approach used in elementary laying, in which the underfloor flooring material is concrete and the liquid adhesive is applied to the entire concrete surface to be covered. This process has the advantage that the carpet cannot wrinkle as long as the adhesive bond formed between the carpet and the floor material remains intact. Removing or replacing such a carpet can, of course, be difficult in the sense that 4 4

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It may be required that the previously applied adhesive be removed from the floor material and that a new adhesive be applied. In addition, such an adhesive often contains volatile organic components that are prohibited in some places or are required to be vented in other places.

Another method used to install a carpet from wall to wall involves the use of non-fastening strips, which are wooden strips having side fasteners extending over them. These strips are secured around the perimeter of the area to be covered, often by nailing them into the wooden flooring material, and the carpet is stretched with these clips. This method has the advantage that the carpet can be re-stretched to remove the bulges that have formed, and the carpet and the underlay that are not permanently adhered to the flooring material can be removed without destroying them. However, stretching is labor-intensive, which makes installing a carpet from wall to wall relatively expensive. This method also avoids the use of volatile organic compounds, but some difficulties may arise when installing non-adhesive strips on concrete.

Newer methods that involve the use of Velcr type fasteners have been described in patent literature: Germany 7,029,524 (August 8, 1970, Velcro France); US

3,574,019 (April 6, 1971, Girard); UK 1,546,901 (May 31, 1979, Allied Chemical Corporation); US 4,822,658 (April 18;

1989, Pacione); US 5,191,692 (March 9, 1993, Pacione); US

5,382,462 (Jan. 17, 1995, Pacione) and US 5,479,755 (Jan. 2, 1996, Pacione). Detailed descriptions of all these patent documents are incorporated herein by reference.

US 4,822,658 from the same inventor describes a wall-to-wall installation in which pressure-sensitive adhesive secures strips provided with hooks around the perimeter of the room and on the rims of the carpet. The carpet, which has eyelets across its back, is cut to fit the room, and the eyelets are cut to the room.

- 3 get engaged with the hooked belt. US 5,191692 discloses a method of carpet hemming, such as the carpet described in US 4,822,658. Both of these patents also disclose the advantages obtained by using a coating for a hooked belt, where the primary advantage is that such a coating prevents premature engagement of the hooks and stitches, thus allowing appropriate placement and alignment of the carpet without the need to release the prematurely engaging hooks and stitches installation. This prior process provides the advantages of installing strips around the perimeter and on the rims of the carpet surface, in particular that the carpet can be lifted without being damaged and avoiding the use of compositions containing volatile adhesives.

The holy grail of carpet and other decorative covers would be a system that, if laid, would have such mass and stability that it would require little or no attachment to the backing and could be installed on existing substrates without the need to remove the existing coating. However, for transportation on freight wagons and for physical fitting to an assembly site such as a room, such a system should either provide sufficient flexibility to be rolled up or, if rigid, the method of stacking modules to create a continuous mass at a site of sufficient weight and stability to remain in place with or without a minimum detachable attachment especially when there is something to do with the various existing floors or surfaces of the flooring materials to be covered.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

As noted above, there are advantages that allow a carpet or other decorative covering to be attached to the underlying substrate surface at only a few isolated attachment points or even in some cases not to be attached at all to be easily removable. Attaching to the underlay at isolated attachment points • · · · · · · · · · · ·

- 4 provides minimal damage to the substrate, facilitates removal from the substrate and facilitates installation. However, there is a need for a product, method and system for converting these individual attachment points into a structurally integrated attachment across the entire bottom surface of a carpet or other decorative covering that would allow the overlapping carpet or other decorative covering to be designed to provide atmospheric stability, flatness and horizontal planar stability when tensioned by forces generated by human traffic, moving vehicles, moving furniture or moisture or temperature changes.

In addition, this system ensures that pieces of carpet or other decorative coverings can be joined together using a release liner underlay. Then, individual modules can be produced consisting of a decorative covering and an anchor layer attached together prior to installation in a remote location. Such modules can be easily removed and reattached as required for repair or replacement, or for external appearance reasons. In addition, such individual modules may be hinged to each other by overlapping the anchoring layer or by decoratively covering adjacent modules to give the complete structure sufficient weight and stability to minimize or eliminate the need for attachment to the substrate.

The present invention provides, in one aspect, an anchor layer, preferably a plastics material, for detachably attaching a decorative covering such as a carpet, ceramic, cladding board, hardwood, marble or wall covering to a base solid support base layer such as a floor material surface. or walls.

By providing an anchor layer preferably in the form of a relatively thin elastic film, coating materials such as elastic carpets can be given integrity because they can be assembled in advance or can be assembled in place on the surface of the layer using an additional hook on the elastic top surface. ··· ·· ················································· ··························

- 5 layers associated with an additional eyelet on the lower surface or back of the carpet or pieces of carpet. This layer can then be installed on an underlying substrate, such as concrete or wood, only at a discrete number of points. The anchoring layer allows the installation of a decorative covering even on a stone or tile without appreciable damage to such a stone or tile floor. It also allows the decorative patterns to be pre-assembled at the factory or elsewhere, or to be folded into the decorative patterns in place by cutting and matching different colors or pieces of decorative covering together on the anchor layer. Such a system is suitable either for bulky rugs or wall-to-wall coverings and for some types of bulky rugs and wall-to-wall rugs, or even cladding panels, it may not be necessary to attach the anchor layer to the backing at all. When the carpet is cut to fit the walls or edges of the room, the anchor layer may give the carpet sufficient integrity to allow it to easily set in place when closed by perimeter walls or other boundaries, or when, for example, enough furniture has been placed on the surface. It should be pointed out, however, that the anchoring layer is not a carrier of the structure in the usual sense, such as disclosed in the anchor plate according to Pacione's patent 5,060,443, since it does not reinforce the floor or wall on which it is placed. It is the wearer of the stabilization of the carpet or other decorative covering placed over it and for tying the individual pieces of the carpet or decorative covering to each other, but not necessarily to the floor. Normally, the anchor layer actually maintains a certain level of elasticity that allows the anchor layer to float above floor defects.

Normally the anchor layer is relatively thin relative to the decorative covering above it, but in some cases, for example, where the marble cladding layer is thin, the anchor layer might be thicker and stronger than the covering material. and could be made of materials other than plastic such as metal (aluminum or steel) or wood.

Thus, on one aspect, the invention consists of a detachable anchoring layer for removably attaching a decorative covering, such as a carpet, to a solid support substrate, such as a floor, wherein the decorative covering has a smooth top surface and an opposed surface substantially covered with stitches. The anchoring layer may comprise a relatively thin resilient film, preferably of a plastic material such as polycarbonate, polyester, polyethylene or polypropylene substantially coated with hooks on its upper surface facing the eye-covering surface of the decorative covering and positioned midway between the decorative covering and the backing. The elastic anchor layer or layers may be of exactly the same size as the composite pieces of overlapping sheet fabric, although they do not normally. Normally, overlapping regions of the anchoring layer or decorative coverings are used to allow the bonding layers used at some location to be joined. The anchoring layer may be larger than the area under the sheet covering, or it may be smaller in those cases where it is required to cut the overlapping carpet to the wall or other boundaries. The anchoring layer and the decorative covering must, in combination, have sufficient rigidity to hold the decorative covering against the shear horizontal force exerted on the surface covering fabric on the floor or other substrate when the combination is laid on a rigid support substrate. In some cases, the anchoring layer will be attached to the backing material at a limited number of insulated points, or in some cases may have sufficient rigidity and mass along with the covering to be placed loosely within the boundaries of the room or even on itself.

Accordingly, in a further aspect of the present invention, it is possible to install decorative elastic anchor layers so as to be in contact with each other and for attaching to each other anchoring anchor layers.

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The 7 layers used either a coating provided with hooks belonging to the anchor layer or an overlapping decorative covering, such as a carpet, using complementary hook and loop technology. In almost all cases, the top cover will overlap the anchor layers and the anchor layers will overlap the cover seams to join the anchor layers and the covering together.

In all cases, this is not required, but it is preferred that the decorative covering be removable from the anchor layer. In the case of smaller modules, the decorative covering would normally be pre-installed, and possibly even permanently, on a non-decorative anchor layer that leaves some area of the anchor layer or decorative covering free for removable attachment by overlapping adjacent modules. It is desirable that this overlapping surface provide a removable attachment as well as a means of preventing attachment during installation to allow the modules to be aligned in the correct line during installation. The removable fastening means is preferably a hook-and-loop fastening system, but it could also be an adhesive that would ensure multiple opening and clamping when performing the attachment. In the case where a hook and loop are used for joining the modules, the coating could be plastic as a hand that does not get attached to the hooks and eyes, or a textile or paper coated with hooks not dissimilar to that of the original Pacione 4,822,658. For parquet, tile, hardwood, ceramics or other rigid decorative coverings, a resilient strip covering provided with a stretch string could be used in the overlapping area, which can be stretched from below from a pre-settled covering. The whole process could be duplicated using only glue or partly glue and partly hook and eyelet.

In this way, the individual anchor layer modules and the individual roofing modules are joined together to form a load-bearing material which, in turn, is attached to the carrier material. · ♦ f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f

- 8 can float freely on the floor or can be attached to it only in a few isolated points.

In another aspect, the invention consists of an anchor layer or layers and portions of the covering in an overlapped stepped connection to form an interface floor covering having sufficient rigidity, atmospheric stability, horizontal planar stability (stability to shear forces) and flexibility, such that floor covering requiring attachment to the floor that lies beneath it. Attachment may be required for small surface mats on a smooth marble floor or sloping surface or staircase or where end use involves intensive operation.

In another aspect of the present invention, decorative modules that include an anchor layer and a decorative covering may be pre-assembled off site by detachably attaching any of the hooks on the upper surface of the anchor layer to one of the stitches on the underside of the decorative covering. overlaps the anchor layer by a predetermined amount. These pre-assembled decoration modules can then be transported to the assembly site and placed individually on the backing so that they are adjacent to each other to allow interlocking between the stitches on the underside of the decoration covering of one unit and the hooks on the upper surface of the anchoring layer of the adjacent decoration module. Each decoration module added to the increasing modular surface covering may be brought into its proper position by placing thin, rigid pieces of plastic over the exposed hooks of the anchor layer of the decoration module being formed. After appropriate alignment of this decorative module to be added to the module being formed, thin, rigid pieces of plastic are pulled away from the two modules parallel to the horizontal plane, thereby allowing adjacent modules to engage the hook and loop system. Thin, rigid pieces of plastic can also • 4 4 · 4 · 4 · 4 4 Φ Φ ΦΦΦ

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- 9 use modular surface coverings to separate individual modules. A thin, rigid plastic is inserted between the mechanically coupled portions of the fastening element of the adjacent hook and loop modules parallel to the horizontal plane, thereby breaking the mechanical bond and keeping the hooks and eyes away from each other, allowing the units to loosen and remove the module surface covering.

According to another aspect, the invention consists of a cover module for transporting to the surface to be covered and for connection to other modules to form a final decorative surface comprising at least one decorative covering having an upper decorative surface and an opposite lower surface, a non-decorative anchor layer having a top surface, wherein the decorative covering is attached to a substantial portion of its lower surface to the non-decorative anchor layer and the anchor layer is sized such that, after the decorative covering is attached to the anchor layer, an overlapping surface of the upper surface of the anchor layer is exposed and said overhanging surface is provided with means for detachably attaching said module to said sub-module by attachment to said overlap surface of said lower surface of said decorative coating attached to said sub-module.

Roofing modules can be constructed in an unlimited number of shapes and sizes and decorative patterns can be assembled in place by combining different colors or patterns of the same type of decorative covering as alternating between red and blue carpet units, or by combining different types of decorative covering such as carpet and hard wood, in a hotel, restaurant or ballroom setting, or a carpet, hardwood, ceramic or stone in a home setting. In general use, such an interface covering may have sufficient rigidity and mass to not require attachment to the underlying surface. In some cases, být · «« ·

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1 is required to attach the anchor layer at isolated points, such as when the surface to be covered is a wall.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Embodiments of the invention will now be described with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 - an anchor layer of a first embodiment of the system according to the invention placed side by side on the floor with a temporary hook coating bridging the boundary connection to tie the layers together; Figure 2 - cross section of the anchor layer laid on the floor with a layer covered by individual detachable AA hooks figure 3 - section along line 3-3 of figure 1 with a hook connecting piece, figure 4 - carpet laid on the anchor according to figure 1, figure 5 - section along line 5-5 of figure 4,

- carpet and anchor layer on top of each other and laid on the floor with reference to the layer, the image is offset to the borders,

- a section along line 7-7 in Figure 6,

- one alternative embodiment with a separate part of the carpet bridging the adjacent anchoring layers, figure 9 - section along line 9-9 of figure 8, figure 10 - another arrangement of the anchor layer and the decorative pattern carpet, figure 11 - a blanket installed on the anchor layer which has an edge, Figure 12 - a cross-section along line 12-12 of Figure 11, Figure 13 - yet another embodiment of the anchor layer and the decorative pieces of the overlay that were not formed of modular units, ····

- 11 99 9999 • 9

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9 9 9 · • 9 9 · 9 99 99 Fig. 13a - again another embodiment of the anchor layer and pieces of decorative covering lying above it pre-assembled as individual modular units and laid so that they are adjacent and overlapping, Fig. 14 - an anchor layer which has a top surface substantially coated with hooks and an optional resilient backing on the underside of the anchor layer, Figure 15 - a decorative covering module having a decorative smoothed top surface and a bottom substantially covering the eyes, Figure 16 - one covering module of a modular surface covering having decorative covering attached detachably to the anchoring layer by means of hook and loop technology, figure 17 - section along line 17-17 of figure 16, figure 18 - two pre-assembled covering modules, which are supported on the underlay adjacent and overlapping, figure 18a - three pre-assembled roofing modules placed on the floor Fig. 19 - Part of the finished modular surface covering, Figure 20 - Sectional view of two roofing modules attached to each other, Figure 21 - Another arrangement of modular surface covering consisting of Rectangular size and shape covering modules, Figure 22 - another modular surface covering arrangement that represents a decorative pattern with an artificial filler mortar separating carpet portions, Figure 23 - decorative pattern spacer for use in the arrangement of Figure 22, Figure 24 - one way in which the roofing modules assembled as shown in Figure 22 may be delivered in place; and • 4

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Figure 25 - another arrangement of roofing modules as an alternative to the arrangement shown in Figure 22.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Referring to the drawings, Figure 1 shows a first embodiment of an anchor layer 1 having adjacent anchor layers 3 and 5. Each anchor layer is coated with plastic or fiber hooks 7, which can be better seen in Figures 2 and 3, similar to hooks. are currently used in conventional hook and loop fastening systems. The hooks 7 cover the pieces 9 of the coating, preferably the fabric. This coating could also be a film. This coating can be better seen in Figures 2 and 3. In order to keep the hooks 7 clean and to prevent premature attachment of the covering to be installed at the top, this form of anchor layer is completely covered. As shown in Figure 2, there is preferably a separate cover strip 11 of width A which defines a pre-cut notch 12 of width A along the boundary of each anchoring layer. While the anchor layer may be provided in rolls as described later, in the embodiment of Figure 1, it is simply a sheet, for example a rectangle four feet by eight feet. In the case of wall-to-wall installation, it may be laid on the floor in a continuous continuous relationship with other anchor layers to cover the entire floor surface or other rigid substrate. Since it is coated with coatings 9 and stripes 11, it is possible to lay and install a carpet on it without prematurely attaching the hooks 7 and the supplemental loops. A carpet constructed, for example, as disclosed in Pacione U.S. Patent No. 4,822,658 may be installed on this anchor layer.

However, when a carpet is worked on the anchoring layer, it may be advantageous if the anchoring layers are anchored at least to one another and possibly also pre-attached to the floor at several isolated locations. The anchoring layers may adhere to each other by removing the pre-cut strips 11 of the crochet.

9 9 9 9 9 · · ······

9 9 9 9 9 9 9 · ** ··· 98 99

13 a coating on both pieces of adjacent anchoring layers, for example 1 and 3, and replacing the hook coating with a bridging piece, for example 13, which covers the joint between adjacent anchoring layers and joins them together. The strip 13 may cover the joint between several anchor layers. For example, Figure 1 also shows a coating of the boundary joint between the anchor layer 8 and 10.

The anchoring layers may also adhere to the floor at individual locations as in points 14. The anchoring layer may be adhered, attached with a floor-mounted hook band attached to the ancillary eyes on the back of the anchoring layer, or may be attached with a double-sided adhesive tape, but in most cases it is the simplest form of attaching the anchor layer to a solid substrate, particularly if the substrate is, for example, a wooden floor, to attach the anchor layer at individual points using nails or clips. Such individual points are represented as 14 in Figure 1 and in this case it is expedient to have 9 hooks in the coating film 9 of perforations, cuts or holes to allow the anchoring layers 1, 3, 5 etc. to be nailed to the floor through these 9 film hooks without For example, the head of such a nail or clip would adhere the hook coating film 9 permanently to the anchor layer 1, 3, 5, etc., so that such a film can be removed to attach the carpet to the anchor layer after the covering carpet has been cut and seated in place. In addition, depending on the thickness or brittleness of the anchor layer, it may be expedient to have pre-drilled holes in the anchor layers.

Depending on the form of attachment of the anchor layer to the floor, if such an attachment exists, it may not be necessary to attach the anchor layer to each other during installation of the carpet using the bridging coating 13 of the hooks.

Depending on where the joints are located under the carpet, it might also be possible to leave the bridging band 13 attached to the anchor layers, as normally there will be

sufficient fastening of the carpet to the anchoring layer in a large area underneath the hook coating 9. It is not necessary to affix the anchoring layers to the subfloor in every situation. The uppermost carpet, not shown in Figures 1, 2 or 3, will provide the anchor layers with additional mass and rigidity which will then be firmly attached to each other by the overlapping carpet. In this case, depending on the weight of the carpet and the rigidity of the anchor layers, this combination may be sufficiently firmly fixed in place by the surrounding wall boundaries or other perimeter of the room or space in which the anchor layer and the carpet have been installed.

In some cases given a fairly large area of the carpet and depending on the structure of the backing, it may not even be necessary to attach bulky rugs to the floor below, as they may have sufficient weight to remain in place without substantial movement in sequence. This will also depend, for example, on both large rugs and wall-to-wall carpets, whether or not furniture or other heavy objects are installed on the combination of carpet and anchor layer.

In some cases, adjacent anchor layers, as shown in Figure 1, will be installed under a larger width carpet so that the carpet 15 extends beyond the anchor layer, as shown in Figure 4. The loops 17 on the back of the carpet are capable of engaging hooks 7 when removes the coating 9. For installation, the carpet 15 is rolled up on anchor layers which are completely covered with a coating of 9 hooks. The carpet can now be cut, fitted, placed in place, and added to the next roll of the carpet before any attachment to the underlying anchor layer 1. Figure 5 shows a cross section of the anchor layer and the carpet before removing the coating of 9 or 13 hooks. The carpet 15 thus overlaps the joint 17 between adjacent anchoring layers 1 and 3. The anchoring layers 1 and 3 are optionally attached to the floor as described above, and 44 * 4.

• · ·

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4 4 4 are thus attached to each other by a hook coating 13 which bridges the joint 17. Once the coating 9 has been removed, at least a portion of the anchor layer 1 and at least a portion of the anchor layer 3 are attached to the carpet 15 so that carpet 15 now also bridges the joint 17 between anchoring layers 11 and 3 and tie these anchoring layers together. It is possible and in some situations even advantageous to remove the bridging coating 13 of the hooks. However, it is not always necessary to do this. Once at least the hook 9 coating has been removed, the carpet and anchoring layer, whether attached to the backing or not, form a continuous rigid floor covering of relatively high strength, mass and stiffness that does not rupture in normal use, even when not attached directly to the substrate. floor.

The anchor layer itself is preferably made of thin polycarbonate, polyethylene, polypropylene or polyester, preferably having a thickness of from 10/1000 to 20/1000. The thickness may vary depending on the covering material and the stability requirements of the carpet. It is also possible for the anchor layer to be made of a thin layer of metal, carbon fiber or some form of polymer. The anchor layer may comprise a foam layer that provides flexibility. The hooks may be attached to the layer by any conventional means, but preferred methods are extrusion or co-extrusion.

Thus, in many cases the anchor layers and the carpet together are thin and pliable enough to be rolled up as one unit. This in some embodiments allows the carpet to be pre-installed on the anchor layer, and in this case it can be installed more easily, as shown in Figure 6.

As can be seen from Figure 7, in this case, the carpet 19 installed on the anchor layer 21 is unwrapped on the floor and trimmed to fit the adjacent walls 23 and 24.

The carpet piece 19 and the anchoring layer 21 are transported into place in the same shape as the carpet piece 29 and the anchor 31, but in the case of φφφφ

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The part adjacent to the wall 23 may be cut off or left extra carpet, since there is no need for the anchoring layer to abut on the wall.

As can be better seen from Figure 7, it has been pre-installed on the anchor layer 21, which in this case is larger than the carpet piece 19, so that the protruding area of the hooks 25 remains covered by the hook coating 27. Most of the carpet rolled in this way will be installed on the anchoring layer in the factory with an overlay as shown for the carpet piece 29 so that the carpet on one side extends beyond the anchor layer 31 and on the other hand the anchor layer 31 itself extends beyond the carpet piece 29. The combination of the carpet 29 and the anchor layer 31 is then rolled off to sit on the carpet piece 19 and be trimmed and matched in place, whereupon the hook coating 27 can be removed by pulling the hook coating so that the piece 29 is rolled back or The carpet piece 29 is now firmly attached to both the anchor layer 21 and 31 and, since it bridges the joint 35 between them, attaches the two anchor layers together. It is now possible to repeat this process by placing another similar carpet roll on the hook coating 37 and removing the hook coating to attach the next adjacent carpet to the anchor layer 31 and repeat this process again and again until the room is covered with the carpet and anchor layer as a continuous piece.

If it is necessary to fix anchor layers to the floor, this can be done in a protruding area where the anchor layer hooks and the hook coating are not covered with a pre-installed roll of carpet, such as 39 or 41. In this case the coatings may have perforations 27 or 37 notches or holes such that the nail or clip attached through the hook coating will not adhere the hook coating to the anchoring layer underlying it, so that it can be removed as previously described. Attaching the anchor layer to the floor, for example, at lanes 39 and 9 9 9 9 9 999 999

9 9 9 9 9 99 · ··· »·

41, there should be sufficient attachment, if not in most cases, in many cases, especially when combined with the fact that the decorative carpet also binds to one another an anchor layer unit.

In some cases it is advantageous to install the carpet on the anchor layer in the factory. The factory can cut and stack a number of different pieces of carpet on the anchor layer both for decoration purposes and for transporting pieces of carpet together as one piece. Thus, as shown in Figure 6, it is possible to have on the carpet roll repeated with some decoration or pattern or with smaller geometric inserts 45 at intervals of an insert, for example 43. These insert pieces would typically have a different color or different exterior finish or pattern, to create a graceful carpet pattern.

Figure 8 shows another form of carpet installation. In this case, the carpet and anchor layer will be supplied factory attached, but the carpet, for example, 47, is narrower than the anchor layer 48 to leave a protruding strip of anchor layer hooks 49 and a hook coating 50 approximately C wide at both longitudinal edges as shown in Figure 9. In this case, the carpet is unrolled and, if desired, attached to the subfloor. Another similar anchor layer 51 having a carpet 52 mounted thereon is unrolled and attached to the anchor layer 48, see Figure 9. nailed in the areas of the strips 55, 57, 59 and 61, since in this state of installation these areas do not include carpet coverings. To the area not covered by carpet 55 and 57, which is the area indicated in Figure 9D, the bridging band 63 of the carpet may be matched. After fitting, the lower coatings of the hooks 50 and 54 can be removed so that a carpet piece 63 can be installed on the anchor layer to bridge and firmly attach the anchor layer 48 to the anchor layer 51. ·· · ta ta ta ta · ta ta ta ta ta ta ta ta ta ta ta ata ata ata ata ata ata ata ata ata ata ata ata ata ata ata · ····· ·· ··

The procedure may then follow for the anchor layer 53.

Normally, this form of installation would be used where it is desired to have a carpet strip 63 of a different color or pattern than the pieces of carpet 47 and 52 to form a decorative frame around the individual surfaces of the carpet 47 and 52, 51. In this case, it is convenient if the pattern or frame is also located along the edges 65, and this can easily be arranged by installing a piece of carpet 47 smaller than the anchor layer 48 to form a strip 65 of any desired thickness. This form of installation can also allow room variations, because the rim of the carpet on the edge is installed and adjusted eventually.

Again, it is possible for the anchor layers 48 and 51 to be attached to the floor either by attaching or nailing them, or by a fastening system of complementary hooks and loops, or by gluing or double-sided pressure sensitive tape, although this is not usually preferred.

Referring to Figure 10, another form of pattern 67 is shown comprising a central medallion 69 and corner pieces 71 installed on an anchor layer 73. In this case, the anchor layers and carpet pieces simply sit together and are attached to the floor by small pieces of crochet band 75 that will normally have a crochet a hook coating, hooks on the top surface, and pressure sensitive adhesive 77 on the bottom surface for attachment to the floor. The pressure-sensitive adhesive will have a normally peelable dry-removable coating.

In this case, the carpet 67 and the anchoring layer 73 may be fixed by individual pieces 75 at corners that may overlap with adjacent pieces of the carpet. The strips could also be used along the joints, for example between carpet pieces 67 and 79, but if a larger number of pieces are to be used, a normally overlapping modular system would be used, as shown in Figure 19, as this helps in holding the seams in place and this contributes to the degree of problems that could exist between different carpets, which could cause seam switching. If A · A · A · A · A · A · A · A · AA · AAA · AAA · AAA · AAA · AAA ·

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- 19 using a modular system, no attachment points to the treasure floor need be required.

As described below, the same pattern could be used without attachment to the floor by an overlapping piece 79, for example an anchor mold 73. In this case, of course, the piece 67 must be made shorter.

One advantage of the anchor layer system is that the carpet inserts 69 and 71 can be removed, replaced or replaced when different colors or patterns are desired, and likewise the inserts 43 and 45 can also be removed and replaced as shown. 6. Any pattern can be inserted, and when using standardized sizes, patterns can be exchanged with each other by converting a piece of carpet from, for example, a boy pattern to a girl pattern or from a living room pattern to a bedroom or bathroom pattern.

Another major advantage is that the anchor layer need not be attached only in the isolated area of the corner, such as the washer 75 shown in Figure 10, but for example pieces 67, 69, 71 and 72 are nevertheless all fixed with their entire lower surface on the anchor layer 73, the pattern may be inserted or replaced at any point.

As shown in Figure 12, a flat mat may also be formed in which a carpet piece 81 is installed on the anchoring layer 83, as best seen in the Figure.

The anchor layer 83 has an upwardly turned or folded rim 85 that covers the exposed edges 87 of the carpet.

The anchor sheet for such a flat-sized carpet can be fastened with nails or hook and loop technology if the underside of the anchor sheet is covered with eyelets and is then installed with the corresponding hook strip. In most cases, it would be sufficient to simply fasten the anchor layer to the subfloor at individual points with a small piece of eyelets attached to the underside of the anchor layer 83 with a pressure-sensitive adhesive and matched to

- a corresponding small piece of belt with hooks attached to the floor with pressure-sensitive adhesive. In some cases, a flat-sized carpet may have sufficient mass and stability to be attached to the subfloor. The need for attachment is reduced, for example, when the anchor layer 83 has a non-slip surface on its underside. With the anchor layer described, it is possible to attach bulky mats to granite, marble or stone floors to which it has been difficult to apply bulky mats in the past. In addition, the carpet 81 may have in-line patterns similar to the carpet 67 and 19, and these patterns may be quite precisely processed, allowing firstly a relatively inexpensive patterned rug that may mimic even oriental carpets in which a large number of pieces are installed carpets. It is even possible to create a crazy tufted blanket or to do it yourself using pieces of carpet installed on the preformed anchor layer 83.

As shown in Figure 13, the anchor layer 89 may be made of small modules. Decorative coverings such as carpet pieces 91 may be, for example, carpet cladding panels, and if laid overlapping as shown in Figure 13, anchoring layers 89 and carpet pieces 91 may form a continuous mass that would be sufficient to ensure a stable installation without attachment to the floor. This would in particular be the case when the piece 91 is not a carpet, but a parquet or other rigid decorative covering. However, if it is desirable to attach the anchor layers 89 to the floor, this can be easily accomplished by attaching or nailing or using conventional hook and loop technology. In this case, again, it would be advantageous to have notches, perforations or holes in the waistcoat 95 when the waistcoat is used, so that the anchor layer can be attached to the floor before removing any hook coat but without attaching the hook coat to the floor.

···· 44 4444 44 44 • 4 4444 4444 • 4 4 4444 44 44 • 44 444 44 444 444

44 «444

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Fig. 13a shows an arrangement similar to Fig. 13, but in which the pattern is made of modules so that, for example, roofing units 91 and anchoring layers 89 can be formed before assembling the entire surface covering. One form of such units, which we call cover modules, is described below.

As shown in Figures 14 and 15, in another embodiment, the cover modules comprising an anchor layer 96 having an upper surface substantially covered by hooks 97, with an optional cushion on its lower surface 98 and a decorative covering for placement on the anchor layer having a decorative treated top surface 100 and a bottom surface substantially covered with stitches 101 removably pre-attached laterally to overlap along surface AA, as shown in Figure 17, such that the hook surface is left exposed by BB, while some of the stitches on the The underside of the decorative covering is also exposed to the exposed CC. The hooks 97 may cover non-illustrated pieces of coating, preferably of fabric, but are not necessary where temporary coatings 106 are used, as seen in Figures 18 and 18a. It may be useful to use pieces of coating to prevent the hook surface from covering the dirt.

As shown in Figures 19 and 18a, the pre-folded roofing modules are then transported into place and individually placed on the backing material so that they sit together to engage the exposed ears 101 on the underside of the decorative covering of one roofing module and the exposed hooks 97 on the upper surface of the anchoring layer of the adjacent tile module. As shown in Figure 18, each tiling module 105 added to the growing modular surface covering is brought into its correct position by placing thin, rigid pieces of plastic 106 on the exposed anchoring layer of the anchoring layer 107. These rigid plastic pieces allow placement and correct alignment of this unit without premature engagement of the hooks

- 22 and guides during installation. After properly aligning the stitches on the underside of the decorative covering of one tile module with the hooks on the top surface of the anchoring layer of the adjacent tile module, the thin rigid plastic pieces are pulled parallel to the horizontal plane and away from the two units thereby allowing adjacent units to hook and loop got into the frame. In preparation for the addition of the following tiling module, some of the hook coating pieces (not shown) of the newly added tiling module are removed. As can be seen in Figure 19, this step-by-step procedure of adding roofing units to adjacent roofing units joined mechanically by hook and loop technology is repeated to form a continuous surface covering. Figure 20 shows a cross-section of two roofing modules connected together.

The disadvantage of using roofing modules is the difficulty of leveling them over great distances. In particular, the anchor layer should be precisely positioned relative to the adjacent anchor layer and the decorative covering should above all be precisely positioned relative to the decorative covering of the adjacent module If the length AA, BB or CC, as shown at 17, is broken even by small size, this size multiplied by many modules will result in failure to level the surface covering. Thus, if the anchor layer and the decorative covering on the cover module are not exactly aligned, it will be practically impossible to install the overlapping system as described herein. In practice, it is necessary to have the modules pre-connected precisely to each other, as shown in Figure 17, preferably by pre-assembling them at the factory using a precision alignment machine. However, it is also possible to use a pattern or preprint to maintain a constant alignment of the decorative covering with the anchoring layer.

One advantage of this form of installation is that an unlimited number of patterns can be formed. Decorative coverings or entire covering modules may be removed, repositioned or covered. image · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · ··· 9 · 9 ····· · · · ·

- 23 Replace if different color or pattern combinations are required. Any pattern can be inserted and, if standardized sizes are used, the patterns can be interchangeable. For example, units of differently colored carpet may be installed to create a unique carpet exterior treatment, or combinations of different types of covering modules such as carpet and hardwood or ceramics and marble may be combined and subsequently replaced to create yet other unique treatments.

To facilitate this process, the aforementioned thin, rigid plastic pieces can also be used to separate the individual units of the modular surface covering. These thin, rigid plastic pieces are inserted between the mechanically coupled portions of the hook and loop fastening element of adjacent units parallel to the horizontal plane, thereby breaking the mechanical connection and ensuring that the hooks and eyes do not come into contact with each other and allow the units to come loose and remove surface coverings.

A further advantage is that in most cases the decorative covering mass and the stiffness of the anchor layer, when connected together, allow a modular surface covering which results from the attachment of the hooks and stitches of adjacent roofing modules, that adjacent anchor layers are held in place firmly. even without the need to attach to the underlying material. However, when it is necessary to attach the selected roofing modules to the substrate, as is the case for the wall covering, for example, this can be done by attaching, nailing, gluing or using hook and loop technology. For attachment to the backing material, the exposed portion of the anchoring layer of the roofing module may be used, which is yet to be attached by hook and loop technology to the adjacent module subsequently added. This exposed portion is then covered with the decorative covering of the adjacent covering module. Such individual attachment points could be, for example, attachment points 108 of Figures 16, 18, 19, and 21. Attachment. · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · ·

- 24 anchors to the substrate at points 108 or even less points should in many cases, if not in most cases, be fastened sufficiently. Depending on the thickness or brittleness of the anchor layers, it might be useful to have pre-drilled holes in the anchor layers. In this case, again, it would be advantageous to have notches, perforations or holes (not shown) even in the belt covering (not shown), so that the anchor layer could be attached to the floor before removing any hook coating but without attaching the hook coating to the floor.

Figures 22, 23 and 24 show a pattern of additional carpet or ceramic cladding panels that utilizes roofing modules 110 as shown in Figure 24. Such roofing modules consist of an anchor layer 112 and a cladding or decorative covering 114, which may be of ceramics or carpets or any other suitable material. Normally, the cladding or decorative covering 114 and the anchoring layer 112 are pre-bonded at the factory in a precise, predetermined configuration as shown. If the cladding or decorative covering comprises hooks on its lower surface and an anchor layer on its upper surface, then tearing and attachment in place is possible, if desired. For permanent bonding between the cladding 114 and the anchoring layer 112, a permanent glue may be used or a temporary glue may be used which has hook and loop properties, i.e., it can attach and release and can withstand good horizontal stress.

Assuming a hook and loop is used, the anchoring layer 112 will be covered with hooks similar to hooks 97 of Figures 14 and 18 and the underside of the cladding will be covered with eyelets similar to the hooks 101 of Figures 15 and 17. and binds to the anchor layers 112, 118, 120 and 122 and helps to tie the anchor layers together. If the cladding is a carpet cladding, then the cladding panels such as 114, 116 and others including the central cladding panel.

- 25 · · · · · · · · · · Φ · • · · φ · ΦΦ · ΦΦ · ΦΦ · ΦΦ · ΦΦ · φ · ·

124, can be shaped by color cutting from a larger piece of carpet. In this case, filler molded spacers 126 are formed as shown in Figure 23. When other carpets with contrasting colors are also cut, these can be used for other similarly shaped patterns cut from these carpets. This piece 126, if it comes from the carpet used to make the cladding 114 or 124, would not work for use in another pattern, and a new piece of the same shape (not shown) would be envisaged as a piece 126 of color cut from a carpet of some contrasting color.

By using such decorative pattern separators such as 126, places where similar pigs meet can be minimized. By giving the pieces 126 a contrasting color, the eye is attracted to the pattern rather than to some imperfections where straight lines of similar but not the same color groups meet. Thus, in the pattern of Figures 22 or 25, similar colors only meet, for example, in 125 in Figure 23 or 119 in Figure 25. In order to remove the places where the same colors meet, it is possible to provide third or even more colors, which could cause difficulty for subsequent alignment. Referring to Figure 25, another arrangement is shown in which, for example, a cladding plate 128 is disposed on the anchoring layer 134. The pattern is similar, but the cladding board or decorative covering has a different orientation relative to the anchoring layer 134. In this case, for example, the cladding plate 128 overlaps the anchor layer 130 and 134, but the anchor layer 134 and 136 are attached by a medallion 132 and also by an intermediate piece or filler 126 as shown in Figure 23 which has not yet been installed in the arrangement of Figure 25.

In the case where the tiles are like 114 or 128 ceramic tiles, they can be dimensioned relative to the anchor layer so that the space between the tiles, for example, 114, 116 and the medallion 124 is smaller than shown in Figure 22, and then to the space between * ·

- 26 • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • Press on the cushion boards to squeeze the elastic filler as a rubber seal to simulate the actual filler, or the rubber seal could be provided as an elastic strip. Such an elastic strip could even be installed on the cladding before the covering modules, such as 110, are assembled. In addition, a real filler could even be used directly between the cladding panels.

The anchor layer of the present invention allows, in its various embodiments, the increased versatility of installing decorative coverings or carpets that have been formed with eyelets, such as the hook and loop system disclosed in Pacione U.S. Patent 4,822,658. The use of roofing modules in which the decorative flooring and the anchoring layer are pre-bonded is possible to reduce the area of attachment to the exposed area of the overlap and to use an adhesive that can be peeled off and reconnected, or a hook and eyelets in the exposed area. With such an anchoring layer, carpets and other decorative coverings can be installed on almost any surface without breaking the surface, and in many cases can be pre-assembled in the factory, and such carpets or other decorative coverings, if at all, need only be attached to the backing material in a few isolated places. This eliminates the need to remove the backing material, such as carpet or hardwood, and peel off the adhesive from the surface, such as glue. It is no longer necessary to dispose of large amounts of decorative coverings, such as a carpet, since they are simply covered with a new decorative covering. According to the present invention, it is now further possible to retain a valuable floor, such as marble, intact for later use, but to temporarily cover such a floor with a carpet or tiling.

While only certain embodiments of the invention have been described, it is intended to cover all variations and combinations of the invention, such as:

9 9

9 9

9 · ·

9 · 99 9 9 ·· ··

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9 9 · 999 999

9 9 9 9 • 9 · · · · ···

- 27 as claimed in the appended claims

Claims (26)

A roofing module for conveying to a surface to be covered and for attachment to other modules to form a final decorative surface comprising: at least one decorative covering having an upper decorative surface and an opposing lower surface, a non-decorative anchor layer having an upper surface, a decorative covering affixed with a substantial portion of its lower surface to the non-decorative anchor layer and an anchorage dimensioned such that an overlapping surface of the upper surface of the anchoring layer exposed along one edge of the module is provided, and the overlapping surface is provided with means for detachably attaching such a module to an adjacent module by adhering to an overlapping exposed area of the bottom surface of the decorative covering attached to the adjacent module. 2. A covering module for conveying to the surface to be covered and for attachment to other modules to form a final decorative surface, comprising: at least one decorative covering having an upper decorative surface and an opposing lower surface, a non-decorative anchor layer having an upper surface, a decorative covering secured with a substantial portion of its lower surface to the non-decorative anchor layer and an anchorage dimensioned such that an overlapping surface of the lower surface of the decorative covering exposed along one edge of the module is provided and the overlapping surface is provided with means for detachably attaching such a module to an adjacent module by attaching it to the overlapping surface of the top surface of the anchoring layer attached to the adjacent module. · 9 9 9 9 99 9 9 9 9 9 9 ···· 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 A covering module as defined in claims 1 or 2, in which the means for detachably fastening in the overlap surface of the anchor layer and the decorative covering are one part of a supplementary hook-and-loop fastening system which substantially covers the overlap surface of the anchor layer to be connect the hook and eyelets to the complementary second part of the system on the overlapping surface of the adjacent decorative covering. The roofing module as defined in claim 3, wherein a temporary coating of the overlapping surface of the attachment is provided at the mounting location to prevent such a module from attaching to the adjacent module until both the module and the adjacent module are in the desired relative position. The roofing module of claim 4, wherein the temporary coating is a thin smooth layer substantially at least of an overlap area that cannot bind to either the additional hook portion or the loop portion. The covering module as defined in claim 5, wherein the temporary coating is sufficiently rigid and thin so that it can be pulled between the complementary hook and loop joints of the attached decorative covering and the anchoring layer to break such joints in the region of such coating. adjusting the decorative covering relative to the anchoring layer or one module relative to the other. A tile module as defined in claim 1 or 2, wherein both the decorative tile and the non-decorative anchor layer are accurately dimensioned and mounted off-site in alignment providing a predetermined overlap area of the anchor layer and the decorative tile so that when the anchor layer of the first module is placed next to the adjacent second module, the decorative covering of the first module overlaps the tata tata · ta ta t ta t ta ta ** ** ta ta ** ** ** ** ** ** ** · Ta ta «ta ta ta ta ta ta ta ta ta ta ta ta ta ta ta ta ta - a second module of a predetermined degree and in a predetermined relationship to the decorative covering of the second module. A tile module as defined in claim 7, wherein both the decorative tile and the non-decorative anchor layer of each module are attached via an additional hook and loop attachment system that covers the lower surface of the decorative tile and the upper surface of the anchor layer. The tiling module of claim 1, wherein an additional overlapping surface of the exposed anchoring layer is provided along the second edge of the carpet module. The covering module according to claim 2, wherein an additional overlapping surface of the exposed decorative covering is provided along the second edge of the carpet module. The covering module according to claim 3, wherein the lower surface of the anchor layer is provided with a resilient backing. The flooring module of claim 3, which is laid on the floor and attached to the same adjacent modules to form a flooring of sufficient weight and stiffness to remain in place on the floor without wrinkling or movement when subjected to normal operation and without attachment to the floor. The covering module according to claim 12, wherein the lower surface of the anchoring layer is provided with a non-slip coating. 14. A covering module for conveying to the surface to be covered and for attachment to other modules to form a final decorative surface, comprising: a decorative covering having an upper decorative surface and an opposing lower surface, a non-decorative anchor layer which has an upper surface, a decorative layer attached to the non-decorative anchor layer and an anchoring layer sized such that upon attachment of the decorative covering to the anchoring layer, the first overlapping surfaces of the top surface of the anchoring layer exposed at least two adjacent edges of the module and the second overlapping surface of the bottom surface of the decorative covering are exposed at least two edges opposite the first overlapping surfaces; said overlapping surfaces being provided with means for detachably attaching such a module to an adjacent module by attaching it to the overlapping surface of an adjacent module by means of a hook-and-loop attachment system. The covering module according to claim 14, which is provided with a temporary coating of hooks for the overlapping surface. The roofing module of claim 15, wherein the anchoring layer is coated on its underside with a flexible cushioning layer. An anchor layer for detachably attaching decorative coverings to a rigid backing material, wherein the decorative coverings have a final surface and an opposed surface substantially covered with stitches, comprising: a thin resilient layer of substantially hooks on the surface facing the surface of the elastic decorative covering and positioned midway between the covering and the underlying material, the layer substantially covering the underlying material under the covering and having sufficient rigidity and mass in combination with the covering to hold the covering before wrinkling of the covering over the entire surface of the covering when the covering is attached to the anchoring layer and laid on the backing material. · · · · ♦ <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<< · 9 * 9 * * · · · - 32 An anchor layer for attaching a decorative laminate covering having a back face substantially covered with loops, comprising: a thin resilient anchor layer having an upper front surface substantially covered by hooks positioned centrally between the roofing and the carrier backing with the hooks in releasable engagement with the loops of the laminate covering where one or more layers are installed side by side to substantially cover the supporting backing material under the covering, where the layer and the covering together have sufficient rigidity to support the system against wrinkling forces on the covering when laid on the substrate. An anchor layer as defined in claim 17, wherein the layer is detachably attached to the support substrate at a limited number of unique points. 20 May Anchor layer defined in claim 18, u which i® layer freely on the floor floating. 21. Anchor layer defined in claim 20, u which has layer sufficient weight and rigidity to she stayed On the place without attachment to the underlying material. An anchor layer according to claim 17, wherein the elastic layer that covers the anchor layer on the side opposite the hook surface. 23. A covering module comprising: (a) a relatively thin resilient anchor layer having an upper surface of the anchor layer coated substantially with the hooks; (b) a decorative covering for placement on an anchor layer having a decorative surface treated top surface; and 45 · «·· Μ «··· 44 44 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 444 444 3 4 • # «4 4 4 9 9 9 9 9 999 9 9 9 9 9 9 4 99 99 99 99 - 33 a bottom surface substantially covered with stitches, and wherein the bottom surface of the decorative covering is detachably attached at a predetermined position relative to the upper surface of the anchor layer by at least some of the hooks and stitches so that the decorative covering on the anchor layer overlaps the anchor layer by allowing interlocking between the decorative covering and the adjacent anchoring layer (c) a removable hook coating on the upper surface of the anchoring layer to prevent premature attachment of the hooks on the upper surface of the anchoring layer to the loops on the lower surface covering the decorative covering. The covering of claim 23, wherein the bottom surface of the flexible anchoring layer is covered with a softened backing. The covering of claim 23, wherein the hook coating is placed over the hooks during installation. The covering of claim 25, wherein the hook coating is a thin, rigid piece of plastic of predetermined length and width for matching the overlap area of the anchor layer and the adjacent decorative covering. A method of installing a covering comprising the steps of: (a) selecting an anchor layer covered on one side of the hook; (b) installing a decorative covering substantially covered on one side with supplemental eyelets on the anchor layer in a predetermined position to the anchor layer to form a unit with overlapping exposed surface of the anchor layer and decorative covering (c) repeating step (b) as desired to form a plurality of units of the decorative covering and anchor layer having exposed portions of the anchor layer i φ φ φ φ φ φ φ φ · · • • φ φ φ φ · · · φ φ φ φ φ φ φ φ »» · · · · · · · - 34 decorative coverings (d) temporarily covering at least a portion of the exposed anchor layer (e) overlaying the exposed surface of the decorative covering with another unit formed during step (c) on the exposed surface of the anchor layer thus temporarily coated (f) removing the temporary coating. The method of claim 27, wherein step (b) requires a predetermined fixed position to leave exposed areas at least along the two edges of the unit formed in step (b).