EP1965004A2

EP1965004A2 - Removable covering for surfaces with connecting means

Info

Publication number: EP1965004A2
Application number: EP08380050A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Vicente Sansano Marti
Original assignee: Azulindus y Marti SA
Current assignee: AZULINDUS MARTI, S.A.
Priority date: 2007-02-21
Filing date: 2008-02-21
Publication date: 2008-09-03
Also published as: NO20080911L; AU2008200784A1; EP1965004A3

Abstract

The covering in principle comprises tiles formed by certain bases (1) of a plastic material and upper plaques (2) attached to the bases, the base (1) incorporating male (3) and female (4) anchoring elements via their edges which complement each other in order to engage one tile with another.

The improvements are characterised in that the male and female anchoring elements are arranged alternatively along the entire contour of the base support, at least according to pairs of anchoring elements, one male and the other female, in each side of the edge of the plastic support. The distance between these pairs of anchoring elements is double the distance existing between each end anchoring element and the closest adjacent corner of the base support.

In this way, an array of tiles will be able to be located and coupled in relation to each other in as many positions as the tiles have sides.

Description

As stated in the title of this descriptive specification, the present invention relates to certain improvements introduced into Invention Patent No. P-200402065, for: removable covering for surfaces.
As in the case of the main patent, the improvements in the invention are applicable to the surfaces of floors, terraces, gardens, the outsides of swimming pools, the interiors of homes, premises where food is handled, etc.
It is easily removable, permitting proper draining of water and liquids falling on to its surface.
It basically comprises pairs of pieces: a lower one as base or support made of a plastic material and another upper one made of an essentially ceramic material, both being joined by their faces in contact, each pair of pieces constituting a tile module which is coupled to adjacent ones via the complementary engaging elements located in the perimeter edges of the base bases made of plastic material.
Starting from this premise, the objective of the invention concerns a new distribution of the engaging elements which permit any edges of the tile modules that are adjacent to each other to be connected, in such a way that the decorative motifs of the ceramic pieces will be able to be combined in different ways.

PRIOR ART OF THE INVENTION

There currently exist different coverings for floors, notably those, which are laid on outdoor surfaces in order to facilitate the draining of rainwater and also in swimming pool areas.
In some cases the coverings comprise pieces of a plastic material with a hollow structure of a certain thickness defining an lower drainage chamber.
These coverings can present problems of hygiene, and at the same time they leave a lot to be desired aesthetically.
In other cases, the coverings comprise certain bodies manufactured in porous materials, which, though it is true that they are capable of draining a certain flow of water, when this flows increases they become saturated. Moreover, in some cases the porosity of these bodies facilities the proliferation of fungi and bacteria.
Patent No. P-200402065 relates to a covering for surfaces which comprises the combination of some lower drainage support elements and some upper plaques which are fixed to those support bodies, in such a way that when water falls on that covering, whether it be rainwater, swimming pool water or other, it does not remain on the exterior visible surface but instead reaches the lower chamber formed by the drainage support elements, via some separation grooves between the plaques when these are made of a ceramic or similar material.
All these coverings included the one corresponding to Patent No. P-200402065, have the limitation that not all the perimetric edges adjacent to each other among the array of tiles are able to engage with each other, which limits the possibilities of playing with the decoration of the ceramic pieces.
In order to cover all these possibilities it would be necessary to locate the decoration of the tiles in various different positions or to join the ceramic piece to the base in different positions, which would complicate the entire process.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

With the aim of achieving the objectives and avoiding the drawbacks mentioned in the above sections, the invention proposes certain improvements introduced into Patent No. P-200402065, for: removable covering for surfaces.
In principle it comprises a combination of some lower drainage support elements and some upper plaques which are fixed to those support bodies, in such a way that water falls on that covering, whether it be rainwater, swimming pool water or other, it does not remain on the exterior visible surface but instead reaches the lower chamber formed by the drainage support elements, via some separation grooves between the plaques when these are made of a ceramic or similar material.
This combination of elements provides a covering for inhibiting both damp and the retention of water due to the fact that the falling water reaches the lower chamber formed by the support elements which are essentially made of a plastic material.
The side edges of the plastic material supports incorporate engaging elements in order to ensure the anchoring between said adjacent supports and therefore of the array of tiles.
Starting from this premise, the improvements in the invention are characterised in that the distribution of the engaging elements permits one base support to be connected to another adjacent one in as many possible positions as these supports have sides.
For example, the most usual thing is for the supports and the respective plaques to have a quadrangular shape, such that in this case the possible relative positions will be four. With a triangular shape there would be three, with a hexagon six, etc.
In order to achieve this range of possibilities, each side of the support will have at least two engaging elements, one male and one female, uniformly distributed, with all its sides having the same distribution of engaging elements so that one support can be connected to another support via any of its sides.
The improvements in the invention allow us a wide range of possibilities, in such a way that, for example, with the plaques having the same decoration located in a certain position, it is possible to obtain different combinations in the final result of the covering.
Below, in order to facilitate a better understanding of this specification and forming an integral part thereof, some figures are attached in which, on an illustrative rather than limiting basis, the object of the invention has been represented.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Figure 1 .- Shows an exploded perspective view of an array of tiles forming part of a removable covering for surfaces which incorporate the improvements in the invention. This array of tiles basically comprises a base support of plastic material and an upper plaque joined to that base. The base support incorporates male and female elements in its sides in order to ensure the anchoring between the arrays of tiles.
Figure 2 . - Shows a plan view of that shown in the previous figure.
Figure 3 .- Shows a detailed view of the anchoring between a male and female element belonging to two adjacent base support forming part of two arrays of tiles.
Figures 4 , 5 and 6 .- Shows respective coverings in plan view where the improvements in the invention enable us to distinguish various possibilities of decoration in accordance with the motifs of the upper plaques.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED FORM OF EMBODIMENT

Considering the numbering adopted in the figures, the removable covering for surfaces with the improvements in the invention is defined starting from certain base supports of plastic material 1, fixed on the upper faces of which by means of gluing are separate plaques of ceramic or other material 2 in order thereby to create tiles which are joined together by means of male elements 3 and female elements 4, which project from the side edges of the said supports 1 forming an integral part thereof.
The alternating arrangement of male 3 and female 4 elements, together with the distance between them, permits an array of tiles 5 to be laid with respect to each other in as many positions as the tile has sides, obtaining a wide range of possibilities in relation to the decorative motifs 6 of the free face of the upper plaques 2 (figures 4, 5 and 6).
The orientation with which the plastic supports 1 are laid therefore does not matter since they are all identical, their male 3 and female 4 anchoring elements being arranged alternatively along the entire perimetric border of the plastic support 1. In this way, greater ease of assembly is achieved for the installation.
So, the sides of the base support 1 will be of the same length, and at the same time each one of them will incorporate pairs of anchoring elements: one female 4 and another male 3, the distance between them being double the distance existing between each one of the end anchoring elements and the respective adjacent corner of the base support 1.
If each side of the supports 1 incorporates four anchoring elements (male and female arranged alternatively) as shown in the figures, the distance between them will be double the distance existing between each end anchoring element and the closest adjacent corner of the tile array.

Claims

IMPROVEMENTS INTRODUCED INTO PATENT NO. P-200402065/2, FOR: REMOVABLE COVERING FOR SURFACES, the covering comprising tiles formed by a base of a plastic material and upper plaques attached to one of their faces in contact, the edges of the plastic support furthermore incorporating male and female anchoring elements as means of connection between the tiles, characterised in that the male and female anchoring elements are arranged alternatively along the entire contour of the plastic support (1); at least according to pairs of anchoring elements, one male and the other female, in each side of the plastic support, the distance between them being double the distance existing between each end anchoring element and the closest adjacent corner of the anchoring support; all this in order to be able to locate and anchor one tile in relation to another in as many positions as the tiles have sides.