LU502747B1

LU502747B1 - Flooring tile with interlocking connectors

Info

Publication number: LU502747B1
Application number: LU502747A
Authority: LU
Inventors: Jonas Bladh
Original assignee: Tarkett Gdl Sa
Priority date: 2022-09-05
Filing date: 2022-09-05
Publication date: 2024-03-05
Also published as: WO2024052006A1

Abstract

A flooring tile (10) comprises a tile top (12), a tile bottom (14), and a lateral border (16). The lateral border comprises tenons (18) alternating with mortises (20) for interlocking with mortises and tenons, respectively, of a neighbouring flooring tile. Each tenon has a front butting face (22) and each mortise has a rear butting face (24). The front and rear butting faces extend from the tile top to the tile bottom, preferably over the entire height of the flooring tile. Each one the front butting faces and the rear butting faces has a top face portion (22a, 24a) adjacent the tile top and a bottom face portion (22b, 24b) adjacent the tile bottom. The flooring tile has tenons or mortises, the bottom face portion of which is recessed with respect to the top face portion.

Description

DESCRIPTION

FLOORING TILE WITH INTERLOCKING CONNECTORS

Background of the Invention

[0001] The invention generally relates to the field of floor coverings (flooring) and more particularly to flooring tiles, comprising tenons and mortises along their border for interlocking with mortises and tenons, respectively of the neighbouring flooring tiles.

[0002] EP 2 843 153 A1 discloses a parallelogram-shaped flooring tile comprising on the four sides male assembly means protruding for a form fitting connection with female assembly means defined between two male assembly means. The male assembly means are identical on the four sides of the tile. The male assembly means of two opposite sides of the slab are mutually offset by a half-pitch. The male assembly means of two adjacent sides are offset from each other by a non-zero value different from a half-pitch, a pitch, or a multiple of a half-pitch, so that the male assembly means of one side of a tile is capable of fitting with the female assembly means on only one side of an adjacent tile without any offset between the edges of the two adjacent tiles.

[0003] WO 2015/170129 A1 discloses floor tiles with offsetable enclosed joint regions, which can be used to construct a floor covering not only in the form of a grid, but also with offset rows. The floor tiles have a core part, to which a lower sheet and an upper sheet are attached. Alternating dovetail projections and identically shaped dovetail recesses are provided equidistantly along the edges of the core part. The edge profiles on opposite edges of the core part are the inverse of each other. The upper sheets and lower sheets along two adjacent edges enclose the dovetail joining elements from above and below so that, in plan view, a part enclosed by an upper sheet is opposite a part enclosed by a lower sheet. Similar flooring tiles are disclosed in US 10,279,560 B2.

[0004] US 2003/093966 A1 relates to a floor pad module with dovetails and corresponding dovetail grooves. The floor pad module can be reversed without affecting its ability to connect to another floor pad module via engagement of the dovetails with the dovetail grooves.

[0005] US 2019/264447 A1 discloses flooring made from hexagonal flooring tiles.

[0006] US 2019/284820 A1 relates to flooring with a bottom layer and a surface layer fixed on top of the bottom layer. The bottom layer is a foam material, and the surface layer is a hard plastic film embossed with a wood pattern and having indentations corresponding to the wood pattern.

[0007] US 2014/333022 A1 discloses a flooring mat shaped as a four-sided pad.

Each side has a toothed border with a succession of teeth. At least two cutting lines divide the mat into four blocks, in such a way that each block has an assembling edge with the complementary shape to connect with other blocks. The block of each mat can engage with another block of the same mat to form a puzzle mat set.

[0008] GB 2387181 A discloses an insulation element that is provided around its entire periphery with dovetail-shaped projections and recesses. The projections and recesses allow adjacent elements to be interlocked together in a jigsaw like manner.

The insulation elements may be used in a wall cavity or under floorboards.

[0009] Floor coverings may suffer from stresses induced by temperature variations.

In floor coverings assembled from tiles interconnected along their edges by tenons and mortises, the interlocking tenons and grooves are typically dimensioned so as to obtain a tight fit. Such tight fit may be provided to avoid apparent gaps between the tiles but also to avoid movement of the tiles in loose-laid flooring. When the tiles expand or contract due to temperature changes, this may give rise to high stresses at the interconnections, potentially resulting in tiles disconnecting from their neighbours.

Summary of the Invention

[0010] According to an aspect of the invention, a flooring tile is proposed. The flooring tile comprises a tile top, a tile bottom, and a lateral border. The lateral border comprises tenons alternating with mortises for interlocking with mortises and tenons, respectively, of a neighbouring flooring tile. Each tenon has a front butting face and each mortise has a rear butting face. The front and rear butting faces extend from the tile top to the tile bottom, preferably over the entire height of the flooring tile. Each one the front butting faces and the rear butting faces has a top face portion adjacent the tile top and a bottom face portion adjacent the tile bottom. The flooring tile has tenons or mortises, the bottom face portion of which is recessed with respect to the top face portion. In other words, among the tenons and/or the mortises, some (or all) have a bottom face portion of which is recessed with respect to the top face portion. When the flooring is assembled, the recesses provide for clearances between two adjacent flooring tiles.

The clearances are localised in the lower regions of the joints and thus remain hidden to the users of the flooring. Furthermore, a tight fit between the tiles may still be achieved in the upper regions of the joints. It has been found that the recesses may reduce problems arising from temperature variations. This may be due to the recesses providing room for expansion of the tiles when the temperature increases.lt may be worthwhile noting that all of the tenons and mortises could have the bottom face portion recessed with respect to the top face portion. This may be considered advantageous but might not be necessary for all applications. When the flooring is in its assembled state, the tenons and mortises of a given tile are in engagement with mortises and tenons, respectively, of neighbouring tiles. If it is desired to have a clearance between every tenon and its mortise counterpart, it is sufficient to provide recesses only on the tenons or only on the mortises of the flooring tile. According to an embodiment, each one of the tenons has the bottom face portion recessed with respect to the top face portion. Alternatively, or additionally, each one of the mortises has the bottom face portion recessed with respect to the top face portion.

[0013] For certain types of flooring, it may not be necessary to provide a clearance between every tenon and its mortise counterpart. For instance, the flooring tile could comprise 30%% or more, preferably 50% or more, of the tenons or mortises having the bottom face portion recessed with respect to the top face portion.

[0014] The front butting faces and/or the rear butting faces may be straight in the direction from the top face portion to the bottom face portion. The front butting faces of the tenons having the bottom face portion recessed with respect to the top face portion or the rear butting faces of the mortises having the bottom face portion recessed with respect to the top face portion could be angled to the surface normal of the flooring tile so as to form the recesses. The angle to the surface normal of the flooring tile could lie in the range from 0.5 to 5°, preferably in the range from 1 to 3°.

[0015] The front butting faces of the tenons having the bottom face portion recessed with respect to the top face portion or the rear butting faces of the mortises having the bottom face portion recessed with respect to the top face portion could have the recessed bottom face portion separated from the top face portion by a shoulder. In this case, the top face portions and/or the bottom face portions can, be need not, be inclined with respect to the surface normal of the flooring tile.

[0016] The lateral border of the flooring tile may have a top border portion adjacent the tile top and a bottom border portion adjacent the tile bottom. The top face portions of the front and rear surfaces may be part of the top border portion and the bottom face portions of the front and rear surfaces may be part of the bottom border portion. The entire bottom border portion of the lateral border could be recessed with respect to the top border portion.

[0017] The recess preferably has a depth amounting to 0.1 to 1 mm, more preferably to 0.1 to 0.5 mm.

[0018] The tenons and mortises may have any shape that provides for an interlocking engagement. For instance, the tenons and mortises could be mushroom-shaped, hook-shaped, etc. According to preferred embodiments, the tenons and mortises comprise dovetail tenons and mortises.

[0019] The flooring tile may comprise at least three edges forming the lateral border.

According to preferred embodiments, the flooring tile may comprise four, five or six edges. The edges may be straight or curved.

[0020] Preferably, the lateral border of the flooring tile is formed, at least in sections, by milling. Alternatively, or additionally, the lateral border of the flooring tile is formed by laser-cutting or waterjet cutting. However, any technique, or combination of techniques, capable of forming a lateral border with sections comprising recessed bottom portions could be used.

[0021] A further aspect of the invention relates to a floor covering, comprising a plurality of flooring tiles as described herein.

[0022] According to a preferred embodiment, the floor covering is a heterogeneous

PVC floor covering in accordance with standard EN ISO 10582:2017.

[0023] The floor covering preferably belongs to use class 42 or higher, e.g., use class 43, in accordance with standard EN ISO 10874:2009.

[0024] As used herein, the expression “flooring tile” designates a piece of flooring, such as, e.g., a tile, a plank, a panel, or the like, which can be assembled with other pieces of flooring so as to tesselate a floor surface. Flooring tiles can be of rectangular shape, but other shapes, e.g., triangular, tetragonal, pentagonal, hexagonal, etc., and more complicated tessellating shapes, like the ones imagined by M. C. Escher (e.g.,

birds, fishes, lizards, etc.), are not excluded. The tessellation can be regular, semiregular, or aperiodic. The tessellation can be monohedral or be based on a set with more than one prototiles.

[0025] Terms such as “up”, down”, “lower”, “upper”, “horizontal”, “vertical”, “above”, “below”, “top” and “bottom” as well as derivatives thereof (e.g., “horizontally”, “upwards”, etc.) refer to the orientation of the flooring tile or the flooring when in use,

Le., laid on the floor, with the decorative face of the tile oriented upwards. These terms are employed herein for convenience of description and as a naming convention. They shall be construed to refer to the relative orientation of the different parts but are not meant to imply a particular absolute orientation of the tile or flooring component in space. E.g., arranging a tile with its decorative face upside down shall not prevent the decorative face from being considered the top surface.

[0026] As used herein, the expression “tenon” refers to a projection on the lateral border of a flooring tile and “mortise” refers to a complementarily shaped opening into which the tenon may be inserted from above or from below. At least some of the tenons and mortises are shaped so as to interlock, i.e., prevent disengagement of two connected tiles merely by movement in the plane of the flooring tiles. The tenons and mortises preferably extend over the entire height of the flooring tile.

[0027] The qualifier “decorative”, as used herein, is intended to imply that the item thereby qualified, such as the surface covering, remains visible in normal use (as an item of finishing work). The use of the term, should not, however, be taken to imply any particular aesthetic appearance. The expression “décor layer” designates a layer with a decorative motif. Examples of décor layers include print layers, in particular, rotogravure-printed layers and digitally printed layers.

[0028] The expression “surface normal” refers to the direction perpendicular to the surface of the decorative side (the top side) of the flooring tile.

[0029] In the present document, the verb “to comprise” and the expression “to be comprised of” are used as open transitional phrases meaning “to include” or “to consist at least of’. Unless otherwise implied by context, the use of singular word form is intended to encompass the plural, except when the cardinal number “one” is used: “one” herein means “exactly one”. Ordinal numbers (“first”, “second”, etc.) are used herein to differentiate between different instances of a generic object; no particular order, importance, hierarchy or limitation in number is intended to be implied by the use of these expressions. Furthermore, when plural instances of an object are referred to by ordinal numbers, this does not necessarily mean that no other instances of that object are present (unless this follows clearly from context). When this description refers to “an embodiment”, “one embodiment”, “embodiments”, etc, this means that the features of those embodiments can be used in the combination explicitly presented but also that the features can be combined across embodiments without departing from the invention, unless it follows from context that features cannot be combined.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0030] By way of example, preferred, non-limiting embodiments of the invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1: is a schematic perspective view of the tenon and mortise connectors of a flooring tile according to an embodiment of the invention;

Fig. 2: is a top view of flooring tiles according to an embodiment, in an unassembled state;

Fig. 3: is a top view of the flooring tiles of Fig. 2 after assembly;

Fig. 4: is a schematic top view of a part of a flooring tile as shown in Fig. 2 having the entire bottom portion of the lateral border recessed with respect to the top portion;

Fig. 5: is a schematic top view of a part of a flooring tile as shown in Fig. 2 having only the bottom portions of the front and rear butting faces of the tenons and mortises recessed with respect to the corresponding top portions;

Fig. 6: is a cross sectional elevation view across a first embodiment of a tenon and a mortise in the joined state;

Fig. 7: is a cross sectional elevation view across a second embodiment of a tenon and a mortise in the joined state;

Fig. 8: is a cross sectional elevation view across a third embodiment of a tenon and a mortise in the joined state;

Fig. 9: is an illustration of a method for forming tenon and mortise connectors in accordance with aspects of the invention.

Detailed Description of Preferred Embodiments

[0031] In the detailed the description of embodiments, the same reference numerals designate the same elements. The various views are not necessarily drawn to scale.

[0032] Fig. 1 shows a part of a flooring tile 10 with tenon and mortise connectors, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. The flooring tile 10 has a decorative top face 12, a bottom face 14 and a lateral border 16, of which Fig. 1 shows only a part. The lateral border 16 comprises tenons 18 and, between two neighbouring tenons 18, mortises 20, which are shaped complementarily to the tenons 18. Each tenon 18 has a front butting face and each mortise 20 has a rear butting face 24. When the tenon and mortise connectors of two neighbouring tiles are engaged, the front butting faces of the tenons of one tile are arranged opposite respective rear butting faces of the mortises of the other tile.

[0033] The front and rear butting faces 22, 24 extend over the entire height of the flooring tile 10. The lateral border 16 of the flooring tile 10 has a top border portion adjacent the tile top 12 and a bottom border portion adjacent the tile bottom 14. Each front butting face and each rear butting face has a top face portion 22a, 24a adjacent the tile top 12 and a bottom face portion 22b, 24b adjacent the tile bottom 14. The top face portions 22a, 24a are part of the top border portion and the bottom face portions 22b, 24b are part of the bottom border portion. The bottom face portions 22b, 24b are recessed with respect to the respective top face portions 22a, 24a. The front and rear butting faces 22, 24 are straight in the direction from the respective top face portion 22a, 24a to the respective bottom face portion 22b, 24b. The recesses are obtained by angling, e.g., by 0.5° to 5°, preferably by 1° to 2°, the front and rear butting faces 22, 24 with respect to the surface normal (arrow N in Fig. 1) of the flooring tile 10.

[0034] In embodiments of the invention, the entire bottom border portion may be recessed with respect to the top border portion, as shown, e.g., in Fig. 4. This is not, however, the case for the embodiment illustrated in Fig. 1. The side faces 26 of the tenons (which correspond to the side surfaces of the neighbouring mortises) are essentially perpendicular to the top face 12 of the flooring tile 10, i.e., their bottom portions are vertically aligned with the top portions. In the illustrated embodiment, the side faces 26 are generally S-shaped but other shapes are not excluded. For instance, the side faces 26 could be essentially straight in horizontal direction, as shown in

Figs. 2 and 3. In the transition regions between the side faces and the front/rear butting surfaces 22, 26 the recess of the bottom border portion increases gradually.

[0035] It may be worthwhile noting that the bottom border portion nowhere protrudes beyond the top border portion.

[0036] Fig. 2 shows two unassembled flooring tiles 10 in a top-down view. The illustrated flooring tiles 10 are shown as being square-shaped, but other shapes are possible as well. Tenon and mortise connectors are arranged along the edges of the flooring tiles 10. The pattern of tenons 18 and mortises 20 may be generally periodic.

However, one or more of the tenons and mortises may be shaped in a particular (e.g., unique) way, so as to form one or more keys and locks that enforce a particular way of assembling the tiles and prevent undesired ways of laying (poka-yoke). Generally speaking, one or more of the tenons and mortises may be configured so as to break a symmetry of the tile. In the illustrated embodiment, such keys and locks are formed at the corners 28 of the tiles 10. These keys and locks prevent the tiles 10 from being assembled in a staggered manner and forces the user to lay the tiles in a square grid.

Other types of keying may be used to enforce a unique orientation of the tiles relative to their neighbours. It is worthwhile noting that poka-yoke keys and locks need not be arranged at the corners 28 but could be arranged elsewhere along the lateral border.

[0037] The tenons and mortises of the flooring tiles of Fig. 2 are dovetail-shaped, but other shapes are not excluded.

[0038] Fig. 3 shows the flooring tiles 10 of Fig. 2 after assembly. The tenon and mortise connectors of adjacent tiles fit tightly because the top border portions of the tiles 10 are shaped exactly complementarily. The clearance between the tiles provided by the recesses in the bottom border portion remains hidden to the user when the flooring is laid out.

[0039] Fig. 4 illustrates an embodiment of a flooring tile 10, wherein the entire bottom portion of the lateral border, represented by the dotted contour line 30, is recessed with respect to the top portion of the lateral border, represented by the continuous contour line 32.

[0040] Fig. 5 illustrates an embodiment of a flooring tile 10, wherein only the bottom portions of the front and rear butting faces of the tenons and mortises are recessed with respect to the corresponding top portions. The side faces of the tenons (and of the mortises) are essentially vertical. The dotted contour line 30 represents the bottom portion of the lateral border and the continuous contour line 32 the top portion of the lateral border.

[0041] Figs. 6, 7 and 8 show different configurations of the front and rear butting faces of the tenons and mortises. The figures show possible elevational cross-sectional views along the line A-A shown in Fig. 3.

[0042] Figs. 6 and 7 show embodiments, wherein the wherein the front and rear butting faces 22, 24 are straight in the direction from the top face portion 22a, 24a to the bottom face portion 22b, 24b. The front faces 22, 24 of the tiles of Fig. 6 form an angle of 1° with the vertical direction (or the surface normal N shown in Fig. 1). This results in a recess of 0.11 mm in a flooring tile having a height (thickness) of 6.5 mm.

The front faces 22, 24 of the tiles of Fig. 7 form an angle of 2° with the vertical direction (or the surface normal N shown in Fig. 1). This results in a recess of 0.22 mm in a flooring tile having a height (thickness) of 6.5 mm.

[0043] Fig. 8 shows an embodiment, wherein the front and rear butting faces 22, 24 have the recessed bottom face portions 22b, 24b separated from the top face portions 22a, 24a by respective shoulders 34, 36.

[0044] Fig. 9 illustrates a method for forming a flooring tile with tenon and mortise connectors having a three-dimensionally curved surface. The flooring tile may be generated from a tile blank 38, which is then processed with a CNC (computer numerical control) machine, such as, e.g., a CNC cutter, a CNC milling device, a CNC grinder, a water-jet cutter, a laser cutter, etc. As illustrated in Fig. 9, a CNC cutting tool 40 may be moved along the contour of the flooring tile in the making while changing the orientation of the cutting tool 40. Arrow 42 shows the path of the cutting tool 40.

For illustration, a few past positions of the cutting tool 40 are indicated by dotted representations of the cutting tool. It may be worthwhile noting that different techniques may be combined for forming the lateral border of the flooring tiles. For instance, a tile blank could be obtained by die-cutting. The recessed bottom portions of the lateral border could then be formed using a CNC cutting technique.

[0045] Another possibility for forming a flooring tile according to the invention would be by additive manufacturing (3D printing).

[0046] Flooring tiles and flooring in accordance with embodiments of the invention may be heterogeneous PVC floor covering in accordance with EN ISO 10582:2017, or homogeneous PVC floor covering in accordance with standard ISO 10581:2019.

Nevertheless, the flooring tiles need not be PVC-based. It will be appreciated that use class 42 or higher, e.g., use class 43, in accordance with EN ISO 10874:2009, may be achieved.

[0047] The flooring tiles may be homogeneous, i.e., comprise one or more layers of the same composition and colour, possibly patterned throughout the thickness of the tiles. In homogeneous flooring, a transparent topcoat of a different composition is not excluded.

[0048] The flooring tiles may be heterogenous, in which case they comprise a multi- layer assembly of plural layers of different composition. A heterogeneous flooring tile may include one or more core layers, providing most of the structural strength of the tile, a décor layer (e.g., a print) on top of the core layer, and a transparent wear layer protecting the décor layer. The wear layer may include a transparent topcoat (e.g., a polyurethane varnish) as its uppermost layer. On the bottom side, the tile may comprise a backing layer.

[0049] The core layer(s) may comprise one or more reinforcement layers (e.g., a fibre veil, a glass veil, a glass grid, a crenette, a leno weave, etc.) The core layer(s) may be comprised of (plasticized) PVC, filler(s), and additives (e.g., stabilizer(s), processing aid(s), such as, e.g., impact modifier(s), pigment(s)).

[0050] Examples of fillers include calcium carbonate, clays, calcium silicate, calcium sulfate, calcium oxide, magnesium oxide, hydrated magnesium silicate (talc), titanium oxide, zinc oxide, alumino-silicates, chalk, limestone, dolomite, bauxite, silica, diatomaceous earth, ceramic powder, ceramic microspheres, wood flour, cellulose fibers, and molecular sieves.

[0051] Preferably, the flooring tiles are phthalate-free (ie, devoid of orthophthalate(s)). Examples of plasticizers include phthalate-based plasticizers, such as, e.g., dioctyl phthalate (DOP), diisononyl phthalate (DINP), bis(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP), etc., or other plasticizers, such as, e.g., terephthalates (for instance, di-(2-ethylhexyl) terephthalate (DEHT)), trimellitates, alkyl citrates, adipates,

sebacates, benzoates, maleates, 1,2-cyclohexane dicarboxylic acid diisononyl ester (DINCH), etc. A preferred plasticizer is dioctyl terephthalate (DOTP).

[0052] Examples of processing aids include stearic acid, metal stearates, petroleum waxes, silicon oil, mineral oil, synthetic oils, and polyethylene waxes. Acrylic-based processing aids may be preferred.

[0053] Examples of thermal stabilizers include metal compounds, particularly lead salts, organotin compounds, barium, cadmium and zinc salts and calcium/zinc stabilizers to provide stability during heat processing.

[0054] Examples of impact modifiers include methacrylate butadiene styrene (MBS) terpolymer, acrylate polymethacrylate copolymer (acrylic), chlorinated polyethylene (CPE), ethylene vinyl acetate copolymer (EVA), acrylonitrile butadiene styrene terpolymer (ABS).

[0055] The flooring tile may include recycled PVC.

[0056] While specific embodiments have been described herein in detail, those skilled in the art will appreciate that various modifications and alternatives to those details could be developed in light of the overall teachings of the disclosure. Accordingly, the particular arrangements disclosed are meant to be illustrative only and not limiting as to the scope of the invention, which is to be given the full breadth of the appended claims and any and all equivalents thereof.

Claims

What is claimed is:

1. Aflooring tile, comprising: a tile top: a tile bottom; a lateral border, comprising tenons alternating with mortises, the tenons and mortises provided to interlock with mortises and tenons, respectively, of a neighbouring flooring tile; wherein each tenon has a front butting face and each mortise has a rear butting face; the front butting faces and the rear butting faces extending from the tile top to the tile bottom; each one the front butting faces and the rear butting faces having a top face portion adjacent the tile top and a bottom face portion adjacent the tile bottom, wherein the flooring tile comprises tenons or mortises, the bottom face portion of which is recessed with respect to the top face portion.

2. The flooring tile as claimed in claim 1 or 2, wherein 50% or more of the tenons or mortises have the bottom face portion recessed with respect to the top face portion.

3. The flooring tile as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein each one of the tenons has the bottom face portion recessed with respect to the top face portion.

4. The flooring tile as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein each one of the mortises has the bottom face portion recessed with respect to the top face portion.

5. The flooring tile as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the front butting faces and the rear butting faces are straight in the direction from the top face portion to the bottom face portion.

6. The flooring tile as claimed in claim 5, wherein the front butting faces of the tenons having the bottom face portion recessed with respect to the top face portion or the rear butting faces of the mortises having the bottom face portion recessed with respect to the top face portion are angled to the surface normal of the flooring tile so as to form the recesses.

7. The flooring tile as claimed in claim 6, wherein the angle to the surface normal of the flooring tile lies in the range from 0.5 to 5°, preferably in the range from 1 to

3°.

8. The flooring tile as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the front butting faces of the tenons having the bottom face portion recessed with respect to the top face portion or the rear butting faces of the mortises having the bottom face portion recessed with respect to the top face portion have the recessed bottom face portion separated from the top face portion by a shoulder.

9. The flooring tile as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the lateral border of the flooring tile has a top border portion adjacent the tile top and a bottom border portion adjacent the tile bottom and wherein the entire bottom border portion is recessed with respect to the top border portion.

10. The flooring tile as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the recess has a depth amounting to 0.1 to 1 mm, preferably to 0.1 to 0.5 mm

11. The flooring tile as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the tenons and mortises comprise dovetail tenons and mortises.

12. The flooring tile as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 11, comprising at least three edges forming the lateral border.

13. The flooring tile as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 12, wherein the lateral border of the flooring tile is formed, at least in sections, by milling.

14. A floor covering, comprising a plurality of flooring tiles as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 13.

15. The floor covering as claimed in claim 14, the floor covering being a heterogeneous PVC floor covering in accordance with EN ISO 10582:2017.

16. The floor covering as claimed in claim 14 or 15, belonging to use class 42 or higher, e.g., use class 43, in accordance with EN ISO 10874:2009.