GB2141034A - Surface covering - Google Patents

Abstract

A covering for, e.g. a floor 20 or wall, is composed of a carpet 18 of polypropylene fibres which is laid on the surface and a plurality of panels 10 of high molecular weight polyethylene which lies on the carpet, the carpet and panels being releasably secured together by a hook-and-pile fastening 16, 18. The hook component 16 is attached to the panels 10 and the pile component comprises the fibres of the carpet 18. Adjacent panels interengage by means of tongues 12 and grooves 14 along their edges. The surface covering so formed may be suitable for use in ice or roller-skating, or may be used in covering a wall, e.g. with tiles. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Coverings The invention relates to coverings, and in particular but not exclusively, to coverings for floors for use as ice or roller skating floors.

Artifical ice or roller skating floors are known which comprise a plurality of plastics components interlocked to provide a smooth flat surface, for example as described in British Patent Specification No. 1526706.

However problems can arise with components such as those shown in British Patent Specification No. 1 526706. The components are difficuit to machine but quite apart from that, although they are locked together in the horizontal plane, each component is not restricted against vertical movement. There is thus a risk, particularly when the floor is laid on a surface which is not absolutely flat, that one or more components may work their way upwardly slightly, or tilt slightly, thus creating a slight shoulder betweeen adjacent components, which could catch on or impede a users skate.

The problems are overcome by using a floor as described in or co-pending European Patent Application No. 82302928.5 in which adjacent panels of the floor are restricted against both vertical and horizontal movement and in which individual panels may be replaced when worn.

These floors provide an excellent skating surface but their use is generally restricted to permanent skating floors because of the time required for their assembly. Temporary skating floors are sometimes required for just a few days or weeks, for example in a school, and quick and easy assembly and removal of the floor is necessary because often the site is needed for some other use immediately before and after use as a skating floor.

It is an object of the invention to provide a surface, for example for use as an ice or roller skating floor, which can be quickly laid, taken up again and re-laid, while still providing a smooth surface when in use.

Accordingly, the invention provides a covering for a surface, comprising first and second layers, in use the first layer being positioned between the surface and the second layer, the first and second layers being releasably securable by means of a hook-and-pile fastening.

Preferably the second layer is in a plurality of pieces which can be assembled to provide a substantially continuous surface.

The pieces may comprise panels.

The panels may fit together by means of tongues and grooves on the edges of the panels.

The panels may be manufactured from high molecular weight polyethylene.

Preferabiy the first layer comprises a flexible sheet comprising fibres, e.g. of polypropylene, which acts as the pile component on the hookand-pile fastening.

The use of high molecular weight polyethylene panles with a sheet comprising polypropylene fibres has the advantage that polyethylene and polypropylene have a similar thermal expansion and contraction and so the panels and the polypropylene sheet will be secured together even when heated or cooled. The use of these two materials also means that the covering will be completely metal-free, eiiminating the problems of rust and other metal-related problems.

The flexible sheet may comprise a carpet, and a plurality of carpets may be used.

The hook component of the hook-and-pile fastening is preferably attached to the second layer.

The hook component may be attached by means of a self-adhesive backing.

The hook component may cover substantially all of one surface of the second layer.

By way of example, a specific embodiment of the invention will now be described, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a plan view of an embodiment of floor according to the invention; Figure 2 is a plan view of a single panel of the floor shown in Figure 1; and Figure 3 is a detail side view, in cross-section, showing how two adjacent panels fit together.

Figure 1 shows a plurality of substantially square panels 10 arrnaged side-by-side to provide a substantially continuous floor. The panels are made of high molecular weight polyethylene which provides a surface which has been found to be effective as a substitute for ice when ice skating, and one of the panels is shown in more detail in Figure 2.

Two adjacent edges of each panel 10 are each provided with a tongue 12 extending along substantially the whole length of the respective edge. Machined into the other two edges of each panel are grooves 14. Each groove 14 of one panel can snugly receive a tongue 1 2 of another identical panel as best seen in Figure 3, and by fitting together the tongues and grooves of adjacent panels, a floor, such as shown in Figure 1,can be laid.

The base of each panel 10 is completely covered with "hooks" 1 6 which form part of a hook-and-pile fastening. These are just visible in Figure 3. The hooks are attached to the panels by mounting them on a flexible backing sheet and making the opposite surface of the backing sheet self-adhesive. The panels can be secured to the pile component of the fastening which comprises a carpet 1 8 of polypropylene fibres, by pressing the panels on to the carpet, thus causing the hooks to engage with the fibres of the carpet.

Thus, in order to lay a floor according to this embodiment, a carpet 18 constructed from polypropylene fibres is rolled out on to an existing floor 20. Panels 10 are then laid on top of the carpet such that their tongues 12 and grooves 1 4 interengage. The panels are pressed down firmly to engage the hooks 16 with the fibres of the carpet 18. Panels 10 are laid in this way until a complete floor is laid.

Since each panel of the floor, except for the edge panels, is secured to four other panels, by means of tongues and grooves, along substantially the whole of its periphery, any imperfections in the floor underneath the panels and the carpet will not cause a panel to ride up independently which might produce an obstruction to a skater. Instead, since the panels are joined together, a protrusion on the floor underneath the panels will cause a gentle gradient over several joined panels. Movement of the panels 10 vertically is thus restricted.

Horizontal movement of the panels 10 relative to the carpet 1 8 is restricted by the hooks 1 6 engaging with the pile of the carpet 18. Thus, if, for example, a skater stops abruptly the panels will be held together by the hook-and-pile fastenings between the panels and the carpet.

The invention is not restricted to the details of the foregoing embodiment.

For example, instead of using one carpet to cover the existing floor, a plurality of rolls of carpet may be used. In such a case, the panels would be arranged so that the joints between panels would not lie along the joints between adjacent rolls of carpet. The hooks need not completely cover each panel.

The invention is no restricted to floors. It may be used in covering surfaces other than floors, for example, covering a wall with tiles.

Claims (13)

1. A covering for a surface, comprising first and second layers, in use the first layer being positioned between the surface and the second layer, the first and second layers being releasably securable by means of a hook-and-pile fastening.

2. A covering as claimed in Claim 1, in which the second layer is in a plurality of pieces which can be assembled to provide a substantially continuous surface.

3. A covering as claimed in Claim 2, in which the pieces comprise panels.

4. A covering as claimed in Claim 3, in which the pieces fit together by means of tongues and grooves on the edges of the panels.

5. A covering as claimed in Claim 3 or Claim 4, in which the panels are manufactured from high molecular weight polyethylene.

6. A covering as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, in which the first layer comprises a flexible sheet comprising fibres which acts as the pile component on the hook-and-pile fastening.

7. A covering as claimed in Claim 6, in which the fibres are of polypropylene.

8. A covering as claimed in Claim 6 or Claim 7, in which the flexible sheet comprises a carpet.

9. A covering as claimed in Claim 8, in which a plurality of carpets is used.

10. A covering as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, in which the hook component of the hook-and-pile fastening is attached to the second layer.

11. A covering as claimed in Claim 10, in which the hook component is attached by means of a self-adhesive backing.

12. A covering as claimed in Claim 10 or Claim 11, in which the hook component covers substantially all of one surface of the second layer.

13. A covering constructed and arranged substantially as herein described, with reference to the accompanying drawings.