GB2443683A

GB2443683A - Interlocking Floor Panel System

Info

Publication number: GB2443683A
Application number: GB0622171A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Gordon Alfred Thrasher
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2006-11-07
Filing date: 2006-11-07
Publication date: 2008-05-14
Anticipated expiration: 2026-11-07
Also published as: GB0622171D0; GB2443683B

Abstract

An interlocking panel system comprising a plurality of panels 10 having a channel 14 formed laterally into the thickness of the panel across the corners of the panel and a plurality of linking pieces 20 adapted to engage the channels, so that several panels may be connected together by a single linking piece. The linking piece permits a small degree of relative misalignment between the planes of adjacent panels 10 when they are interconnected. The channel may comprise a mouth section and a receiving section in which the linking piece is engaged. Preferably, the mouth section is resiliently deformable and smaller than the width of the linking piece. The linking piece may be square and shaped to fit the channel. Alternatively, it may be an endless cylindrical rod. Preferably, the panels will be rectangular and may comprise an anti-slip surface. Preferably, the panels and linking pieces will be of a plastics material and there may be a small gap between panels to allow relative movement.

Description

interlocking Flooring System The present invention relates to an

interlocking flooring system.

Interlocking and modular flooring systems have been known for some time and comprise a plurality of panels linked together to form a temporary or permanent floor or other like surface. Most known systems include a plurality of flooring panels, with a male member on one or more edges and a cooperating female member on one or more opposed edges. The male member of one panel interlocks with the female member of another adjacent panel. Whilst this system works perfectly well when the flooring panels are placed on flat ground, it is of less use when used on uneven ground, because relative misalignment of one panel with respect to another is not generally permitted.

Flooring systems are often required in outdoor environments, in particular to form walkways in generally inaccessible areas where the terrain is uneven, in places where the ground needs protection from heavy foot or vehicle traffic, or in areas where rainfall makes the ground slippery and dangerous. Attempts have been made to design modular walkways for this environment, but it has been found that uneven flooring panels often form a tripping hazard.

The present invention addresses these and other problems by providing a modular interlocking flooring system that can be easily assembled to the required shape, and can be assembled over uneven ground yet not cause a tripping hazard.

Therefore according to the present invention there is provided an interlocking flooring system for forming a floor on a surface comprising: -a plurality of tessellating flooring panels having multiple side faces, at least three corners at the junction of two adjacent side faces, and upper and lower surfaces defining a thickness therebetween, said panels having a channel formed laterally into the thickness of the panel between the upper and lower surfaces at each corner of the panel, said channels extending between two adjacent side faces across each corner of the panel; and -a plurality of linking pieces, each linking piece adapted to engage into the channels on the corners of separate panels so that several panels may be connected together by a single linking piece, and wherein the linking piece permits a small degree of relative misalignment between the planes of adjacent panels when they are interconnected.

The linking pieces are connected to each panel by the insertion of a linking piece into a channel in the panel. So that the linking piece can be removably attached, the channel preferably comprises a mouth section and a receiving section. The linking piece therefore will have to pass through the mouth section when being inserted into the receiving section. The width of the mouth section should therefore be smaller than the widest part of the linking piece. To permit insertion of the linking piece into the receiving section the mouth section or the relevant part of the linking piece will need to permit a degree of resilient deformation so that the linking piece may be forced into the receiving section and held therein in normal use. Therefore, removal of the linking piece is permitted only when a sufficient force is applied to pull the linking piece from the channel.

The present invention is primarily intended to work with rectangular panels, but can also work with tessellating panels of other shapes, such as triangles, pentagons, hexagons etc. Rectangular panels are preferred and these would have four corners and four side faces. These would be connected by linking pieces adapted to interconnect up to four panels. Most preferably the rectangular panels are generally square.

To permit relative misalignment of two adjacent panels, it is preferred that the linking piece may rotate to some extent within the channel. A preferred way to allow this is to provide the receiving section of the channel and the portion of linking piece that is retained in the channel with cooperating circular cross sections.

Linking pieces for use with the present invention have sufficient engaging portions to for one to engage with each of the panels that are to be connected. The shape that is required to achieve this depends on the shape of the panels being connected. For the rectangular panels there are two preferable but alternative embodiments of linking piece for use with the present invention. One embodiment of linking piece will have a substantially square profile (in plan view) with the outer perimeter thereof being of a greater thickness and shaped to fit snugly within the receiving section of the panels.

The square profile provides four edges, each being an engaging portion to engage the channels of different panels. The second embodiment of linking piece will comprise an endless rod (which may be hollow) bent into a square, the rod engaging in the receiving section of the panels. Either of these embodiments can be adapted to other panel shapes by alteration of the shape of the linking piece. For example tessellating triangular panels would need six sided linking pieces (hence with six portions) and tessellating hexagonal panels would need three sided linking pieces.

An important application of the present invention is use as flooring in an outdoors environment, so it is preferred that the upper surface of each panel comprises an anti-slip surface. This may be achieved in a number of ways, either by addition of an anti-slip substance or by applying friction-enhancing formations on the panel itself. The choice of upper surface will depend on the intended use of the present invention.

Depending on the ground upon which it is to be placed or the use to be made of the present invention, the lower surface of each panel may also advantageously be suitably profiled. For example, if used on slippery or marshy ground it is preferred that the lower surface of each panel is provided with anchoring means, or if placed on a hard surface it is preferred that the lower surface of each panel is relatively smooth.

Ideally the panels and linking pieces will be made from a tough plastics material. The panels may during manufacture be moulded into the correct shape, including the channels on the panels, or the channels may be machined into a suitable panel blank. Of course, any suitable material such as metal, wood, resins or combinations thereof could be used in the construction of the panels and linking pieces.

Whilst there is no limit on the overall size of the linking pieces or the panels, it is preferred that in order to cover particularly rough terrain the panels have sides that are no more than about 10 cm in length. The linking pieces In order that the invention be better understood, one embodiment of the present invention will now be described in detail, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 shows a perspective view of a panel; Figure 2 shows a perspective view of a first embodiment of linking piece; Figure 3 shows a perspective view of a second embodiment of linking piece; Figure 4 shows a perspective view of a the first embodiment of linking piece attached to the panel of Figure 1; Figure 5 shows a plan view of a plurality of panels linked by a plurality of linking pieces of the first embodiment; Figure 6 shows a cross sectional plan view of a plurality of panels linked by a plurality of linking pieces of the first embodiment; Figure 7 shows a side view of a plurality of panels linked by a plurality of linking pieces of the first embodiment; and Figure 8 shows a cross sectional side view of a panel linked to a linking piece of the second embodiment and to a linking piece of the first embodiment.

Turning first to Figure 1 there is shown a panel generally indicated 10.

The panel 10 is made from a solid plastics material and is generally square in plan view, having an upper surface 11, a lower surface 12 and side walls 13.

Four rounded corners 17 are formed between adjacent side waIls 13. The edges 18 between the upper 11 and the adjacent side wall 13 and between the lower 12 surface and the adjacent side wall 13 are both curved.

Machined, moulded or otherwise formed at each corner 15 of the panel is a channel generally indicated 14. Each channel extends laterally into the thickness of the panel equidistant between the upper surface 11 and lower 12 surface of the panel 10. Each channel 14 comprises a narrow mouth section 15 adjacent the corner 17 and a wider generally rounded receiving section 16.

The rounded receiving section 16 extends in a straight line between adjacent side walls 13. The upper surface 11 has friction-enhancing means thereon and the lower surface 12 is adapted to rest on another surface such as the ground.

Turning to Figure 2 there is shown a second embodiment of linking piece generally indicated 20, which is formed from a plastics material and has a generally square plan perimeter. The linking piece 20 is a closed tube formed to define four corner sections 22 and four similar side sections 23. The diameter of the tube is slightly less that the diameter of the receiving section 16 of the panel 10, but greater than the width of the mouth section 15. The material of the panel above and/or below the mouth section is resiliently deformable such that it will flex to allow deliberate insertion or removal of the linking piece. A degree of rotation of the linking piece within the receiving section 16 is also permitted.

Figure 3 shows an alternative first embodiment of linking piece generally indicated 30. The linking piece 30 is moulded from a plastics material and has a central panel 31 and a raised perimeter. The raised perimeter comprises four straight but rounded side sections 33 and four rounded corner sections 34. As with linking piece 20, the width of the raised perimeter 32 is slightly less that the width of the receiving section 16 of the panel 10, but greater than the depth of the mouth section 15, to allow a secure fit within the receiving section 16, but with rotation therein permitted.

Figures 4 to 7 show the present invention in use with one or more linking pieces 30 connected to one or more panels 10. With particular reference to Figures 5 and 6, four panels 10 may be interconnected by a single linking piece 30, and four linking pieces may be attached to a single panel 10, one at each corner 17 in each channel 14. The panels tessellate and line up with each other, with a small gap 25 between each panel. This gap and the curved edge 18 allow a degree of misalignment between the planes of adjacent panels 10 to be accommodated without forming a hazard.

To interconnect the panels 10 in the desired arrangement, a linking piece 30 is attached to the panel 10 by insertion of the raised perimeter 32 into the channel 14. The mouth section 15 of the channel 14 deforms slightly so the width increases as the linking piece 30 is pushed in, and then return to its original width when the raised perimeter 32 is within the receiving section 16.

Figure 8 shows a cross section of a panel 10 connected to both linking piece 20 and linking piece 30 for comparison. The central panel 31 prevents too much rotation of the linking piece 31 inside the receiving section 16 when it abuts the straight section 15 as compared to linking piece 20. However both provide the advantages of the present invention.

Claims

1. An interlocking flooring system for forming a floor on a surface comprising: -a plurality of tessellating flooring panels having multiple side faces, at least three corners at the junction of two adjacent side faces, and upper and lower surfaces defining a thickness therebetween, said panels having a channel formed laterally into the thickness of the panel between the upper and lower surfaces at each corner of the panel, said channels extending between two adjacent side faces across each corner of the panel; and -a plurality of linking pieces, each linking piece adapted to engage into the channels on the corners of separate panels so that several panels may be connected together by a single linking piece, and wherein the linking piece permits a small degree of relative misalignment between the planes of adjacent panels when they are interconnected.

2. An interlocking flooring system as claimed in claim I wherein the channel comprises a mouth section and a receiving section in which receiving section the linking piece is engaged.

3. An interlocking flooring system as claimed in claim 2 wherein the width of the mouth section is smaller than the width of the linking piece, and wherein the mouth section is resiliently deformable so that the linking piece may be pushed into the receiving section, and held there until sufficient force is applied.

4. An interlocking flooring system as claimed in any of the preceding claims, wherein the profile of the linking piece is substantially square and the outer perimeter thereof being shaped to fit snugly within the channel of the panel.

5. An interlocking flooring system as claimed in any of the preceding claims, wherein the linking pieces are each an endless cylindrical rod formed into a suitable shape.

6. An interlocking flooring system as claimed in any of the preceding claims, wherein the linking piece is moulded from a single piece.

7. An interlocking flooring system as claimed in any of the preceding claims, wherein the upper surface of the panel comprises an anti-slip surface.

8. An interlocking flooring system as claimed in any of the preceding claims, wherein the panels and linking pieces are made from a plastics material.

9. An interlocking flooring system as claimed in any of the preceding claims, wherein there is a small gap between each panel when interconnected to permit relative movement thereof.

10. An interlocking flooring system as claimed in any of the preceding daims, wherein the panels are generally rectangular.

II. An interlocking flooring system as claimed in claim 1 and substantially as herein described with reference to, and as illustrated in, the accompanying drawings.