EP4093252A1

EP4093252A1 - Floor tile with rising edge

Info

Publication number: EP4093252A1
Application number: EP21701027.1A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Jurgen Hendrik Peter Joseph Keizers
Original assignee: Easy Sanitary Solutions BV
Current assignee: Easy Sanitary Solutions BV
Priority date: 2020-01-20
Filing date: 2021-01-18
Publication date: 2022-11-30
Also published as: WO2021150105A1; NL2024702B1

Abstract

The invention relates to a floor tile for use in a sanitary space such as a shower space, which floor tile comprises: - a plate-like body with a flat lower surface, which has a polygonal, preferably rectangular form, an upper surface arranged at a distance from the lower surface and a peripheral surface extending between the lower surface and upper surface; and - at least one upright wall which preferably lies perpendicularly relative to the lower surface and which extends along at least a first edge of the upper surface of the plate-like body, wherein at one end of the upright wall the upper surface of the upright wall lies at the same height relative to the lower surface as the first edge and wherein the height of the upper surface of the at least one upright wall increases linearly in longitudinal direction of this first edge.

Description

Floor tile with rising edge

The invention relates to a floor tile, such as a ceramic floor tile, for use in a sanitary space such as a shower space, which floor tile comprises:

- a plate-like body with a flat lower surface, which has a polygonal, preferably rectangular form, an upper surface arranged at a distance from the lower surface and a peripheral surface extending between the lower surface and upper surface; and

- at least one upright wall which preferably lies perpendicularly relative to the lower surface and which extends along at least a first edge of the upper surface of the plate-like body, and wherein the height of the upper surface of the at least one upright wall increases linearly in longitudinal direction of this first edge.

The use of floor tiles, such as ceramic tiles, more particularly gres porcellanato tiles, for covering shower spaces is widely known. Several tiles, optionally cut to size, are usually used to cover the surface of the shower space and to provide a slope toward an outlet drain or shower drain.

When such a tile is placed between two walls at an incline, the bottom wall tiles will have to be cut at the same angle as the slope.

When the sloping tile is surrounded partially or wholly by a horizontal tile floor, it is difficult to be able to finish the height difference between the sloping tile and the surrounding tile floor properly. It is known to place a metal profile here, also referred to as tile profile, but there will then be a clear difference in material, which is not always desirable. Cutting a tile into a pointed shape, even using a water jet, is usually not possible because a tile will break easily.

DE 202012105045 describes a shower tray bent from sheet steel or formed from plastic and having a plate-like rectangular body of uniform thickness which is arranged on a sloping sub-floor. Formed on either side of the plate-like body are wedged-shaped upright walls, the upper edges of which run horizontally when the plate-like body is arranged on the sloping sub-floor.

Owing to the very small thickness of the sheet steel or plastic, the upright walls of the shower tray are suitable for arranging wall tiles over the upright walls. As an alternative, DE 202012105045 proposes arranging a horizontal flange on the upright walls in order to allow the wall tiles to rest thereon. A difference in thickness will however remain between the wall tiles and the upright wall of the shower tray. It will be difficult, especially where the upright wall of the shower tray has a small height, to keep the space between the thicker wall tiles and the thinner upright wall properly clean.

The very small thickness of the steel or plastic plate further has the drawback that the plate-like body is likely to deform when installed on a sub-floor using adhesive, since it will readily follow the unevennesses in the sub-floor because of its flexibility. This will be directly visible in the upper surface of the plate-like body, which is undesirable from an aesthetic viewpoint and may even result in pooling of water, despite the plate-like body being arranged at an incline.

The shower tray according to DE 202012105045 has the additional drawback that there is a clear difference between the material of the shower tray and the material of the surrounding floor and walls, just as when a tile profile is used.

It is now an object of the invention to provide a floor tile wherein the above stated drawbacks are reduced or even obviated.

This object is achieved according to the invention with a floor tile according to the preamble, which is characterized in that the thickness of the plate-like body and the thickness of the at least one upright wall is at least 5 millimetres. It is noted that, according to the invention, the thickness of the at least one upright wall and the thickness of the plate like body can differ, but can also be the same.

Because the plate-like body is at least 5 millimetres, any unevenness in the sub-floor and the thickness of the adhesive will not be visible.

Because the upright walls are at least 5 millimetres thick, the wall tiles, which are usually roughly a minimum of 5 millimetres thick, will be able to connect flush with the upright walls. The vertical surface formed by the wall tiles will hereby continue as one surface to the plate-like body, and no cavities or difficult to reach spaces, where dirt could remain, will be formed.

Even when a considerably thicker thickness of the upright wall of the floor tile is opted for, the wall tiles or floor tiles can connect such that no cavities or difficult to reach spaces are formed.

An additional advantage of the minimum thickness of 5 millimetres for the upright wall is that wall tiles can be placed thereon directly, without cuts. In the conventional tiling method the bottom row of wall tiles is first left clear, the floor tiles are then arranged, after which the bottom row of wall tiles can be cut to size and can be arranged. Now that in the invention the upright wall can be arranged horizontally in mounted position and because the wall tiles are able to rest on this upright wall, the wall tiles can be constructed immediately, row by row, starting from the floor tile according to the invention.

Another advantage is that the floor tile according to the invention can be cast upside down in a mould in simple manner. This will automatically create the flat lower surface and, owing to the minimum thickness of 5 millimetres, it will be possible to remove the floor tile from the mould in simple manner after casting and hardening, without the risk of the at least one upright wall being damaged.

Alternatively, the floor tile according to the invention can also be pressed upside down, which has similar advantages as casting the floor tile.

It is characteristic that the floor tile according to the invention is formed with the lower surface horizontally during manufacture and that the lower surface slopes downward relative to the horizontal plane when placed.

Another advantage of the floor tile according to the invention is that the slope can be changed during manufacture with only small adjustments to the mould. The resulting floor tile therefore has only a very slightly increased weight when the slope is increased, since only the rising edge becomes slightly higher.

At one end of the upright wall the upper surface of the upright wall preferably lies at the same height relative to the lower surface as the first edge.

In an embodiment of the floor tile according to the invention the floor tile is manufactured from material that is brittle, at least substantially not plastically deformable at room temperature, such as for instance ceramic material, gres porcellanato, concrete, a solid surface material such as Corian, or natural stone.

A brittle, or breakable, material almost does not deform elastically and/or plastically under load. The shape of the floor tile hereby remains well preserved after placing, also in the case of any unevenness in the sub-floor. Nor will such a floor tile becomes dented easily when an object falls thereon, such as for instance a shower head.

In an embodiment of the floor tile according to the invention the at least one upright wall is a separate part and is arranged lying with a side surface against the peripheral surface of the plate-like body.

Because the plate-like body has at least a thickness of at least 5 millimetres, the peripheral surface has a sufficient height to arrange a separate upright wall thereagainst .

The upright wall need hereby furthermore not be provided in a full wedge shape as seen in side view, but can have a truncated wedge shape, wherein the point of the truncated wedge shape is equal to the height of the peripheral surface, i.e. a minimum of 5 millimetres. It is hereby also possible to manufacture the ceramic tile from a brittle material, such as a ceramic tile. The upright wall can then for instance be cut out in simple manner by means of a water jet.

Also according to the invention is an embodiment of a floor tile wherein the at least one upright wall is arranged glued in watertight manner against the peripheral surface of the plate-like body.

By providing the connection between the upright walls and the peripheral surface with a watertight finish during manufacture of the floor tile there is less risk of leakage in the installed final product, and the manufacturer can guarantee the tightness thereof. A different type of adhesive, which is normally not available for the finishing of a sanitary space, can for this purpose be used in the controlled environment of the manufacturing process.

The resulting floor tile can be installed in the same way as a shower tray. The sealing between the floor tile and the surrounding floor or wall tiles takes place here along the upper edge of the upright wall. When this seal fails in the long term, for instance due to warping of walls relative to the floor, the risk of leakage will remain limited in that the upright wall is still attached fixedly to the plate-like body and forms as it were a shower tray. A difference between the floor tile according to the invention and a shower tray is however that the floor tile is placed on a sloping ground surface, while a shower tray is placed on a horizontal ground surface.

A two-component adhesive is preferably used to glue the at least one upright wall in watertight manner. It is necessary here for the upright wall to be clamped fixedly against the plate-like body temporarily so that the two- component adhesive can cure.

In a preferred embodiment of the floor tile according to the invention the lower surface is rectangular and the floor tile comprises a second upright wall which preferably lies perpendicularly relative to the lower surface and extends along at least a second edge of the upper surface of the plate-like body, wherein at one end of the second upright wall the upper surface of the second upright wall lies at the same height relative to the lower surface as the second edge, wherein the height of the upper surface of the second upright wall increases linearly in longitudinal direction of this second edge and wherein the first and second edge are parallel to each other.

Such a floor tile can be arranged between two walls in simple manner, for instance in order to form a shower space.

In a further preferred embodiment of the floor tile according to the invention a drain is arranged in or adjacently of the plate-like body, close to the highest part of the upper surface of the at least one upright wall.

Because the plate-like body must be arranged with the flat lower surface on a sloping sub-floor, wherein the upper edge of the at least one upright wall is horizontal, water falling onto the upper surface will flow downward via the slope. Because a drain is arranged at this lowest point, where the at least one upright wall is highest, the water can be discharged in simple and reliable manner. In a further preferred embodiment of the floor tile according to the invention the drain is arranged between a line through the first edge and a line through the second edge of the upper surface.

The drain can thus be arranged between the two upright walls, but also in line therewith. In addition, the drain can be arranged in the plate-like body or adjacently thereof. In this latter case it is possible to opt to have the upright walls protrude in longitudinal direction to a position beyond the plate-like body and along the drain, so that a neat finish between the drain and the wall tiles is also obtained at the position of the drain.

In yet another preferred embodiment of the floor tile according to the invention a recessed zone is arranged in the upper surface of the plate-like body and the peripheral edge of the recessed zone is arranged at least at a distance from the edge of the upper surface adjacently of the first edge where the upper surface of the upright wall lies at the same height relative to the lower surface as the first edge.

When the plate-like body is provided with a recessed zone, the thickness will also be a minimum of 5 millimetres in this recessed zone. The recessed zone provides for guiding along the slope of the water falling thereon.

Because the recessed zone is arranged at a distance from the edge of the upper surface adjacently of the first edge where the upper surface of the upright wall lies at the same height relative to the lower surface as the first edge, a small edge is provided so that water is impeded from flowing over this edge to the surrounding floor.

The invention further comprises a combination of a sub floor with a floor part arranged at an incline and an adjacent horizontal floor part, wherein a floor tile according to the invention is arranged with the lower surface on the floor part arranged at an incline and wherein the upper surface of the at least one upright wall is likewise horizontal.

In a preferred embodiment of the combination according to the invention flat floor tiles are arranged on the adjacent horizontal floor part, the upper surface of which tiles lies flush with the upper surface of the at least one upright wall.

With this combination a smooth transition is obtained between the floor tiles of for instance a bathroom floor and the floor tile according to the invention, which forms for instance a sloping shower zone.

The invention further relates to a method for manufacturing a floor tile, wherein the at least one upright wall is a separate part and is arranged lying with a side surface against the peripheral surface of the plate-like body, which method comprises the steps of:

- providing a floor tile;

- cutting off a strip along an edge of the floor tile, wherein one end of the strip has a width equal to the thickness of the floor tile and wherein the width of the strip increases linearly from the one end to the other end;

- rotating the strip through 90° over the longitudinal axis of the strip, wherein the cut surface becomes the upper surface of the strip; and

- adhering the strip against a first side surface of the floor tile, wherein the lower surface of the strip lies in line with the lower surface of the floor tile, such that a flat lower surface of the resulting floor tile is preserved, and wherein the one end of the strip lies in line with a second side surface of the floor tile, wherein the first side surface lies at right angles to the second side surface.

Because the strip need only have a truncated wedge shape, since the strip is arranged against the peripheral surface of the plate-like body, the strip can also be made from more brittle material, which usually cannot be cut into a sharp point. Typical examples of such a material are ceramic tiles and gres porcellanato tiles.

A floor tile manufactured in such a way is preferably produced in a factory so that the conditions can be controlled properly. It is then possible here to cut the strips by means of a water jet, whereby a high degree of accuracy can be obtained.

In addition, it is possible in a factory to perform the adhering of the strip under controlled conditions. The strip must be clamped against the floor tile temporarily, particularly when a two-component adhesive is used, so that the adhesive can cure.

These and other features of the invention are further elucidated with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Figure 1 shows a perspective view of a first embodiment of a floor tile according to the invention.

Figure 2A shows a perspective view of a second embodiment of a floor tile according to the invention.

Figure 2B shows a cross-sectional view along the line II- II of figure 2A.

Figure 3 shows a combination according to the invention.

Figure 4 shows a perspective view of a third embodiment of a floor tile according to the invention.

Figures 5A-5D show schematically the steps of a method according to the invention.

Figure 1 shows a first embodiment 1 of a floor tile according to the invention. Floor tile 1 has a plate-like, square body 2 with a flat lower surface 3. Plate-like body 2 has a thickness di which is at least 5 millimetres.

Arranged along a first edge 7 of body 2 is an upright wall 4. Upright wall 4 has a thickness d₂ which is at least 5 millimetres. At a first end 5 the upper surface of upright wall 4 has the same height as first edge 7, while the height of the upper surface of the upright wall increases toward the other end 6. Figure 2A shows a second embodiment 10 of a floor tile according to the invention. Floor tile 10 has a plate-like body 11 which has along both a first edge 12 and a second edge 13 a respective upright wall 14, 15.

A recessed zone 16 is arranged in the upper surface of plate-like body 11 so that water flows more readily toward a discharge opening 17 (see also figure 2B). This recessed zone 16 is arranged at a distance from the edge 18 of plate-like body 11. The height of this edge 18 relative to flat lower surface 19 is equal to the height of the two upright walls 14, 15, from where the height increases toward the end of plate like body 11, where discharge opening 17 is provided.

At the thinnest part, floor tile 10 still has a thickness di of at least 5 millimetres.

Figure 3 shows a perspective view of a floor tile 20 with a plate-like body 21 and two upright walls 22, 23 which increase in height from an edge 24 of plate-like body 21.

Wall tiles 25 can be arranged directly on the upper edge of upright wall 22 without cutting, since plate-like body 21 is placed at an incline and the upper edges of upright walls 22, 23 are arranged horizontally.

The upper edge of upright wall 23 lies flush against the upper surface of floor tiles 26 and the edge 24 of plate-like body 21.

Figure 4 shows a third embodiment of a floor tile 30 according to the invention. Floor tile 30 has a plate-like body 31 with a rising upright wall 32, 33 on either side. The rising, upright walls 32, 33 protrude beyond the plate-like body 31 so that they run along the short sides of a rectangular shower drain 34 which is positioned adjacently of plate-like body 31.

Figures 5A-5D show the steps of a method according to the invention. According to this method, a floor tile 40 is provided, from which two strips 41, 42 are cut, for instance by means of a water jet. These strips 41, 42 have a truncated wedge shape.

In figure 5B the two strips 41, 42 are positioned on either side of the remaining part 43 of the floor tile. Then, as shown in figure 5C, the two strips 41, 42 are rotated through 90° over the longitudinal axis and adhered against the side surface of floor tile 43. The underside of the upright strips 41, 42 lies here flush with the flat lower surface 44 of floor tile 43. Because strips 41, 42 are cut from the same tile, strips

41, 42 have a thickness d equal to the thickness d of the plate-like body 43. d is here a minimum of 5 millimetres.

Claims

1. Floor tile, such as a ceramic floor tile, for use in a sanitary space such as a shower space, which floor tile comprises:

- at least one upright wall which preferably lies perpendicularly relative to the lower surface and which extends along at least a first edge of the upper surface of the plate-like body, and wherein the height of the upper surface of the at least one upright wall increases linearly in longitudinal direction of this first edge, characterized in that the thickness of the plate-like body and the thickness of the at least one upright wall is at least 5 millimetres.

2. Floor tile according to claim 1, wherein at one end of the upright wall the upper surface of the upright wall lies at the same height relative to the lower surface as the first edge.

3. Floor tile according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the floor tile is manufactured from material that is brittle, at least substantially not plastically deformable at room temperature, such as for instance ceramic material, gres porcellanato, concrete, a solid surface material such as Corian, or natural stone.

4. Floor tile according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the at least one upright wall is a separate part and is arranged lying with a side surface against the peripheral surface of the plate-like body.

5. Floor tile according to claim 4, wherein the at least one upright wall is arranged glued in watertight manner against the peripheral surface of the plate-like body.

6. Floor tile according to any one of the foregoing claims, wherein the lower surface is rectangular and wherein the floor tile comprises a second upright wall which preferably lies perpendicularly relative to the lower surface and extends along at least a second edge of the upper surface of the plate-like body, wherein at one end of the second upright wall the upper surface of the second upright wall lies at the same height relative to the lower surface as the second edge, wherein the height of the upper surface of the second upright wall increases linearly in longitudinal direction of this second edge and wherein the first and second edge are parallel to each other.

7. Floor tile according to any one of the foregoing claims, wherein a drain is arranged in or adjacently of the plate-like body, close to the highest part of the upper surface of the at least one upright wall.

8. Floor tile according to claims 6 and 5, wherein the drain is arranged between a line through the first edge and a line through the second edge of the upper surface.

9. Floor tile according to any one of the foregoing claims, wherein a recessed zone is arranged in the upper surface of the plate-like body and wherein the peripheral edge of the recessed zone is arranged at least at a distance from the edge of the upper surface adjacently of the first edge where the upper surface of the upright wall lies at the same height relative to the lower surface as the first edge.

10. Combination of a sub-floor with a floor part arranged at an incline and an adjacent horizontal floor part, wherein a floor tile according to any one of the foregoing claims is arranged with the lower surface on the floor part arranged at an incline and wherein the upper surface of the at least one upright wall is likewise horizontal.

11. Combination according to claim 10, wherein arranged on the adjacent horizontal floor part are flat floor tiles, the upper surface of which lies flush with the upper surface of the at least one upright wall.

12. Method for manufacturing a floor tile, such as a ceramic floor tile, according to claim 2, which method comprises the steps of:

- providing a floor tile;