GB2457830A

GB2457830A - Rubber floor tile with drainage

Info

Publication number: GB2457830A
Application number: GB0906124A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Seamus O'callaghan
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2006-04-18
Filing date: 2009-04-08
Publication date: 2009-09-02
Anticipated expiration: 2027-04-18
Also published as: GB2457830B; IES20090244A2; GB0906123D0; GB0906122D0; GB2437404B; IE20090250A1; IES20090243A2; GB2457828A; GB2457828B; GB2457829A; GB2457829B; IE20090246A1; IE20070283A1; GB2437404A; IE20090249A1; GB0906124D0; IES20090245A2; GB0707478D0; IES20070284A2

Abstract

A rubber floor tile 1 has a rectangular body 3 with a pair of rows 7(a), 7(b) of drainage holes 5 therein. The rubber floor tile 1 further comprises a plurality of floor engaging plugs 9 coincident and in-line with the rows of drainage holes. The plugs 9 engage a pair of laterally spaced apart adjacent elongate apertures (25, Fig.4) in a floor of an animal housing. The floor engaging plugs 9 are provided with an internal bore 17 and a plurality of ribs 47 and are dimensioned to be push-fit into the elongate apertures (25, Fig.4) to form a secure and tight fit in the apertures (25, Fig.4) thereby holding the rubber tile 1 firmly in position relative to the floor.

Description

"A Rubber Tile"

Introduction

This invention relates to a rubber floor tile for a floor of an animal housing, the floor comprising a concrete base having a plurality of elongate apertures arranged in substantially parallel rows.

Rubber floor tiles are commonly used in cowsheds and the like where animals are housed for significant periods of time during adverse weather conditions. Typically, the animal housing will comprise a concrete floor having a plurality of apertures therein to allow waste material from the animals to pass through the apertures and be diverted away from the animals. Such floors are commonly referred to as slatted floors and sheds housing these floors are commonly known as slatted sheds. These slatted floors are deemed to be more sanitary for the animals as they assist in keeping the animals cleaner and healthier and are thought to reduce the incidences of disease. As the animals may be housed in the animal housing for significant periods of time, standing on the concrete floor can become painful to them and cause damage to their hooves. This is a major problem, particularly in livestock. In order to overcome this problem, rubber tiles are placed on top of the existing concrete floor to provide a more comfortable base on which the animals may stand. By providing a rubber floor tile covering on the concrete floor, these problems may be largely overcome and animals are known to thrive better than animals housed on bare slats.

However, there are problems with the known rubber floor tiles used to cover concrete floors in that by and large they require separate fasteners and are relatively difficult and complex to install. Various rubber floor tiles have been proposed without separate fasteners but these generally suffer from the disadvantage that they are often prone to movement relative to the concrete floor and this movement can cause the animals to slip and injure themselves.

It is an object therefore of the present invention to provide a rubber floor tile for a floor of an animal housing that overcomes at least some of the difficulties with the known rubber floor tiles, that is relatively simple to construct and install in an animal housing.

Statements of Invention

According to the invention there is provided a rubber floor tile for a floor of an animal house, the floor comprising a concrete base having a plurality of elongate apertures arranged in substantially parallel rows, the rubber floor tile comprising a substantially rectangular body having a plurality of elongate drainage holes for cooperation with the apertures in the floor, the drainage holes being arranged in a pair of parallel rows laterally spaced from each other across the rubber floor tile, the rubber floor tile further comprising a plurality of floor engaging plugs downwardly depending therefrom, the floor engaging plugs being arranged in a pair of rows coincident and in line with the drainage holes for engagement of a pair of elongate apertures in a pair of laterally spaced adjacent rows in the floor.

By having such a rubber floor tile, the rubber tile will be retained in position by the downwardly depending plugs which will engage a pair of adjacent rows of apertures in the concrete floor. This provides an extremely stable rubber floor tile that will not be prone to movement. By avoiding unnecessary movement of the rubber floor tile, the animals will not have a tendency to slip on the rubber floor tile. Furthermore, due to the reduced amount of movement of the floor tile, there wilt be less wear and tear of the floor tile in general. This results in a floor tile that will not have to be replaced as frequently and will be longer lasting.

In another embodiment of the invention there is provided a rubber floor tile in which the pair of parallel rows of drainage holes are evenly spaced laterally across the rubber tile thereby dividing the rubber floor tile into three solid portions of equal width, a central portion intermediate the pair of rows of drainage holes and a pair of side portions. This is seen as a particularly useful construction of floor tile that is simple to install on a concrete floor. The rubber floor tile will cover three adjacent slats thereby facilitating a speedy installation process.

In one embodiment of the invention there is provided a rubber floor tile in which the central portion is substantially triangular in lateral cross-section with the central portion being inclined upwardly from each of the rows of drainage holes towards a central apex intermediate the pair of rows of drainage holes. This will facilitate drainage from the surface of the floor tile towards a drainage hole so that any detritus from the animals can be directed away from the animals. This provides a healthier environment for the animals.

In a further embodiment of the invention, there is provided a rubber tile in which the top surface of each of the side portions is inclined towards an aperture. Again, this will divert any detritus away from the animals through the drainage holes and through the apertures in the concrete base providing a cleaner, healthier environment for the animals.

In another embodiment of the invention there is provided a rubber tile in which the top surface of each of the side portions is inclined upwardly from an outer edge of the side portion towards the drainage holes.

In one embodiment of the invention there is provided a rubber tile in which each of the side portions are substantially triangular in lateral cross-section with the side portion being inclined upwardly from the row of drainage holes and an outer edge of the side portion towards a side portion central apex intermediate the row of drainage holes and the outer edge.

In a further embodiment of the invention there is provided a rubber tile in which the floor engaging plugs are provided with a bore to allow compression of the plug. By having such a bore, it will provide a degree of inward compressibility to the floor engaging plug which will allow the plug to form a tight fit with the elongate aperture in the concrete floor. This is seen as particularly effective in keeping the rubber floor tile in a fixed relationship with the concrete floor and the floor tiles will have less tendency to move relative the concrete base even under the weight of heavy cattle. This in turn reduces wear and tear of the rubber floor tiles and reduces the likelihood of injury to the animals caused by slipping on the rubber tiles that move relative to the concrete base.

In another embodiment of the invention there is provided a rubber tile in which the bore extends inwardly from an outermost surface of the floor engaging plug relative the floor tile in a direction orthogonal to the plane of the floor tile. Preferably, the bore is substantially conical in shape.

In one embodiment of the invention, there is provided a rubber floor tile in which the floor engaging plugs are dimensioned to provide a push fit in the apertures. Again by being dimensioned to provide a push fit in the apertures, the floor engaging plugs will form a snug fit in the apertures thereby preventing any play of the rubber tiles on the concrete floor.

In a further embodiment of the invention there is provided a rubber floor tile in which the floor engaging plugs are each provided with at least one external rib on an outer surface thereof. Preferably, the external rib tapers inwardly towards the portion of the rib most remote from the floor tile body. By having an external rib and in particular one that tapers inwardly towards the portion of the rib most remote from the floor tile body, the ribs will facilitate a tight fit of the plug in the aperture and furthermore will allow for a degree of manufacturing tolerance in both the floor tiles and more specifically the concrete base. There are numerous different manufacturers of these concrete bases and it is quite common to have subtle differences in dimensions and in particular aperture dimensions between the different manufacturers of the slatted floors. By providing the ribs, it is possible for the floor engaging plugs to form a tight fit in a number of different manufacturers concrete floors.

In another embodiment of the invention there is provided a rubber floor tile in which the majority of floor engaging plugs are arranged at one end of each of the drainage holes and at least one of the floor engaging plugs in each row is arranged at the other end of one of the drainage holes.

In one embodiment of the invention there is provided a rubber floor tile in which there is further provided a further downwardly depending plug connected to one longitudinal side of the rubber floor tile body for engagement with an aperture in an adjacent row of apertures to the rows of apertures in which there are floor engaging plugs located. By having such an additional downwardly depending plug, a more rigid and stable configuration of floor tile on the floor of an animal house may be possible.

In a further embodiment of the invention there is provided a floor for an animal house comprising a concrete base having a plurality of elongate apertures arranged in substantially parallel rows, a plurality of rubber floor tiles laid on the floor, the rubber floor tiles each comprising a substantially rectangular body having a plurality of elongate drainage holes for cooperation with some of the apertures in the floor, the drainage holes being arranged in a pair of parallel rows laterally spaced from each other across the rubber floor tile, the rubber floor tile further comprising a plurality of floor engaging plugs downwardly depending therefrom, the floor engaging plugs being arranged in a pair of rows coincident with the drainage holes for engagement of a pair of elongate apertures in a pair of laterally spaced adjacent rows in the floor, the rubber floor tiles being laid on the floor in a side by side fashion so that every third elongate aperture in the concrete base is exposed in a gap between the longitudinal edges of a pair of adjacent rubber floor tiles and the two elongate apertures intermediate every exposed third elongate aperture are accessible through the drainage holes in the rubber floor tiles.

In another embodiment of the invention, there is provided a floor for an animal house in which the pair of parallel rows of drainage holes are evenly spaced laterally across the rubber tile thereby dividing the rubber floor tile into three solid portions of equal width, a central portion intermediate the pair of rows of drainage holes and a pair of side portions and in which the central portion is substantially triangular in lateral cross-section with the central portion being inclined upwardly from each of the rows of drainage holes towards a central apex intermediate the pair of rows of drainage holes and the top surface of each of the side portions is inclined towards an aperture.

In one embodiment of the invention there is provided a floor for an animal house in which the floor engaging plugs are provided with a bore to allow compression of the plug.

In a further embodiment of the invention there is provided a floor for an animal house in which the bore extends inwardly from an outermost surface of the floor engaging plug relative the floor tile in a direction orthogonal to the plane of the floor tile.

In another embodiment of the invention there is provided a floor for an animal house in which the bore is substantially conical in shape.

In one embodiment of the invention there is provided a floor for an animal house in which the floor engaging plugs are dimensioned to provide a push fit in the apertures.

In a further embodiment of the invention there is provided a floor for an animal house in which the floor engaging plugs are each provided with at least one external rib on an outer surface thereof.

In another embodiment of the invention, there is provided a floor for an animal house in which the external rib tapers inwardly towards the portion of the rib most remote from the floor tile body.

In one embodiment of the invention there is provided a floor for an animal house in which the majority of floor engaging plugs are arranged at one end of each of the drainage holes and at least one of the floor engaging plugs is arranged at the other end of one of the drainage holes.

In a further embodiment of the invention there is provided a floor for an animal house in which there is further provided a further downwardly depending plug connected to one longitudinal side of the rubber floor tile body for engagement with an exposed aperture in an adjacent row of apertures to the rows of apertures in which there are floor engaging plugs located.

In another embodiment of the invention, there is provided a floor for an animal house in which the floor tiles are laid side by side and end to end on the floor.

Detailed Description of the Invention

The invention will now be more clearly understood from the following description of some embodiments thereof, given by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a rubber floor tile in accordance with the present invention; Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the rubber floor tile shown in Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a bottom plan view of the rubber floor tile shown in Fig. 1; Fig. 4 is a top plan view of a floor of an animal housing; Fig. 5 is a top plan view of a floor of an animal housing with rubber tiles according to the present invention laid thereon; Fig. 6 is a partial perspective view of the rubber floor tile according to the invention; Fig. 7 is a perspective view of a floor engaging plug forming part of the rubber floor tile according to the invention; and Fig. 8 is a top plan view of an alternative construction of rubber tile according to the present invention.

Referring to the drawings and initially to Figs. 1 to 3 thereof, there is shown a rubber tile indicated generally by the reference numeral 1, for a floor of an animal house comprising a substantially rectangular body 3 having a plurality of elongate drainage holes 5 arranged in a pair of parallel rows 7(a), 7(b). The rubber floor tile 1 further comprises a plurality of floor engaging plugs 9 downwardly depending therefrom. The floor engaging plugs 9 are arranged in a pair of rows coincident and in line with the drainage holes 5. The pair of parallel rows 7(a), 7(b) of drainage holes 5 are evenly spaced laterally across the rubber tile 1, thereby dividing the rubber tile into three solid portions of equal width, a central portion 11 intermediate the pair of rows 7(a), 7(b) of drainage holes 5, and a pair of side portions 13, 15 one on either side of each of the rows 7(a), 7(b) of drainage holes.

Referring specifically to Fig. 3, the floor engaging plugs 9 are provided with a bore 17 to allow inward compression of the plug. The bore 17 extends inwardly from an outermost surface 19 of the floor engaging plug relative the floor tile 1 in a direction orthogonal to the horizontal-in-use plane of the floor tile. The floor engaging plugs are dimensioned to provide a push-fit in the apertures (not shown) of a concrete base of a floor of an animal housing. The majority of the floor engaging plugs 9 are arranged at one end of each of the drainage holes and at least one of the floor engaging plugs 9(a) is arranged at the other end of the one of the drainage holes.

Referring to Fig. 4 of the drawings, there is shown a top plan view of a floor of an animal housing, indicated generally by the reference numeral 21, the floor comprising a concrete base 23 having a plurality of elongate apertures 25 arranged in substantially parallel rows. The floor of the animal housing may comprise a single concrete section forming the concrete base as shown, or alternatively may comprise a number of concrete sections combined together to form the concrete base. Furthermore, the concrete base shown is for exemplary purposes only and it will be understood that this could be expanded out or contracted both longitudinally and laterally to form a much larger or smaller concrete floor as will be understood by those skilled in the art.

Referring to Fig. 5 of the drawings there is shown a plan view of a floor 21 of an animal housing having a plurality of rubber tiles, 1(a), 1(b), 1(c), 1(d), 1(e) and 1(f) arranged thereon. The rubber tiles are arranged end to end and substantially side by side on the floor 21. The tiles 1(a)-i (f) are held in place by the downwardly depending plugs (not shown) that engage the apertures 25 in the floor. Each tile 1(a)-i (f) engages two adjacent apertures 25. In the embodiment shown, the tile 1(a) engages aperture 25(a) and aperture 25(b). The tile 1(b) engages aperture 25(d) and aperture 25(e). Aperture 25(c) is exposed between the edges of adjacent tiles 1(a) and 1(b). In this way, each rubber tile 1(a) -1(f) will be held in place by the plugs which are located in two adjacent sets of apertures 25. Therefore, the rubber floor tile will be less prone to lateral movement. This reduces the tendency of the animals to slip on the tiles and further will improve the durability of the rubber floor tiles themselves. Furthermore, the rubber floor tiles can be laid down in a relatively simple manner which is further facilitated by the compressibility provided by the central bore in the downwardly depending plugs so that various different sizes of concrete bases and apertures may be provided for.

Referring to Fig. 6 of the drawings, there is shown a partial perspective view of the rubber floor tile 1 according to the invention. The central portion 11 is substantially triangular in lateral cross-section. The central portion is inclined upwardly from each of the rows 7(a), 7(b) of drainage holes 5 towards a central apex 41 intermediate the pair of rows of drainage holes. The top surface 43 of each of the side portions 13, 15 is inclined towards an aperture. In the embodiment shown, the top surface 43 of each of the side portions 13, 15 is inclined upwardly from an outer edge 45 of the side portion towards the drainage holes 5. Alternatively, it is envisaged that the side portions 13, 15 may be substantially triangular in lateral cross-section similar to the central portion 11 with the side portions 13, 15 being inclined upwardly from the row of drainage holes 7(a), 7(b) respectively and an outer edge 45 of the side portions 13, 15 towards a side portion central apex (not shown) intermediate the row of drainage holes and the outer edge. The bore 17 is substantially conical in shape and is shown in dotted outline. The bore 17 tapers inwardly from an open mouth. Each floor engaging plug 9 is provided with a plurality of ribs 47 on an outer surface thereof.

Referring to Fig. 7 of the drawings, there is shown a perspective view of the floor engaging plug 9 forming part of the rubber floor tile according to the present invention.

The external ribs 47 taper inwardly towards the portion 19 of the ribs most remote from the floor tile body 3. In this way, the ribs 47 will facilitate a tight fit into a number of differently dimensioned elongate apertures in concrete floors.

Referring to Fig. 8 of the drawings there is shown an alternative construction of rubber tile according to the present invention, in which like parts have been given the same reference numerals as before. The rubber tile, indicated generally by the reference numeral 31, is further provided with a plurality of additional downwardly depending plugs 33 mounted on either longitudinal side 35, 37 of the rectangular body 3. Each of the additional plugs 33 engages an aperture other than those engaged by downwardly depending plugs 9. This provides for increased additional stability for the rubber floor tiles. It is envisaged that the additional plugs 33 may be provided along one side only, or may be provided along both sides and offset as shown to allow for plugs to be placed on either side and for Iwo adjacent rubber floor tiles to be laid side by side. There may be one or more plugs on either side and in the embodiment shown four plugs 33 are shown on one side 35 and three plugs 33 are on the other side 37 so that the rubber tiles 31 may be used to be laid along an entire floor.

Typically, the rubber floor tile will be of the order of between 1600mm and 1900mm long. Each of the central and side portions are of the order of 170mm wide and each plug 9 has a length of the order of 45mm, a width of the order of 40mm and a depth of the order of 50mm. The end piece of the tile without a drainage hole is 210mm long excluding the plug and the majority of the drainage holes are of the order of 203 or 204mm long. Typically, one of the drainage holes is longer than the others and is of the order of 390mm long and one of the drainage holes is shorter than the others and is of the order of 90mm long. For a longer tile than the one shown in the embodiment, which is 1600mm long, the tile would be extended beyond the shorter drainage hole and a further plug and a drainage hole of the order of 250mm in length would be provided, giving a further 300mm in length and a rubber tile that is of the order of 1900mm in length in total.

In the specification the terms "comprise, comprises, comprised and comprising" and the terms "include, includes, included and including" are deemed totally interchangeable and should all be afforded the widest possible interpretation.

The invention is in no way limited to the embodiment hereinbefore described but may be varied in both construction and detail within the scope of the claims. -11 -

Claims

Claims 1) A rubber floor tile for a floor of an animal house, the floor comprising a concrete base having a plurality of elongate apertures arranged in substantially parallel rows, the rubber floor tile comprising a substantially rectangular body having a plurality of elongate drainage holes for cooperation with the apertures in the floor, the drainage holes being arranged in a pair of parallel rows laterally spaced from each other across the rubber floor tile, the rubber floor tile further comprising a plurality of floor engaging plugs downwardly depending therefrom, the floor engaging plugs being arranged in a pair of rows coincident and in line with the drainage holes for engagement of a pair of elongate apertures in a pair of laterally spaced adjacent rows in the floor and in which the floor engaging plugs are each provided with at least one external rib on an outer surtace thereof.
2) A rubber floor tile as claimed in claim 1 in which the external rib tapers inwardly towards the portion of the rib most remote from the floor tile body.
3) A rubber floor tile as claimed in claim 1 or 2 in which the floor engaging plugs are dimensioned to provide a push fit in the apertures.
4) A rubber floor tile as claimed in any preceding claim in which the majority of floor engaging plugs are arranged at one end of each of the drainage holes and at least one of the floor engaging plugs in each row is arranged at the other end of one of the drainage holes.
5) A rubber floor tile as claimed in any preceding claim in which there is further provided a further downwardly depending plug connected to one longitudinal side of the rubber floor tile body for engagement with an aperture in an adjacent row of apertures to the rows of apertures in which there are floor engaging plugs located.
6) A floor for an animal house comprising a concrete base having a plurality of elongate apertures arranged in substantially parallel rows, a plurality of rubber floor tiles laid on the floor, the rubber floor tiles each comprising a substantially rectangular body having a plurality of elongate drainage holes for cooperation with some of the apertures in the floor, the drainage holes being arranged in a pair of parallel rows laterally spaced from each other across the rubber floor tile, the rubber floor tile further comprising a plurality of floor engaging plugs downwardly depending therefrom, the floor engaging plugs being arranged in a pair of rows coincident with the drainage holes for engagement of a pair of elongate apertures in a pair of laterally spaced adjacent rows in the floor and in which the floor engaging plugs are each provided with at least one external rib on an outer surface thereof, the rubber floor tiles being laid on the floor in a side by side fashion so that every third elongate aperture in the concrete base is exposed in a gap between the longitudinal edges of a pair of adjacent rubber floor tiles and the two elongate apertures intermediate every exposed third elongate aperture are accessible through the drainage holes in the rubber floor tiles.
7) A floor for an animal house as claimed in claim 6 in which the external rib tapers inwardly towards the portion of the rib most remote from the floor tile body.
8) A floor for an animal house as claimed in claim 6 or 7 in which the floor engaging plugs are dimensioned to provide a push fit in the apertures.
9) A floor for an animal house as claimed in claim in any of claims 6 to 8 in which the majority of floor engaging plugs are arranged at one end of each of the drainage holes and at least one of the floor engaging plugs is arranged at the other end of one of the drainage holes.
10) A floor for an animal house as claimed in any of claims 6 to 9 in which there is further provided a further downwardly depending plug connected to one longitudinal side of the rubber floor tile body for engagement with an exposed aperture in an adjacent row of apertures to the rows of apertures in which there are floor engaging plugs located.
11) A floor for an animal house as claimed in any of claims 6 to 10 in which the floor tiles are laid side by side and end to end on the floor.