MXPA98000349A - Transition support for finishing material for p - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a transition support for supporting a floor finish that extends over a floor having a relatively high height, an area adjacent to a relatively low height, a joint between relatively high height and relatively high height. low and a height difference between the height of the raised floor area and the height of the low floor area, the transition support comprises a gradual variation in the width or elongated wedge in the form of a sheet and includes: a relatively thick end having a portion upper, a lower portion and a thickness between the upper portion and the lower portion, generally the thickness is equal to the height difference between the height of the elevated floor area and the height of the low floor area, the thick end can be placed in the joint adjacent raised floor area, a relatively thin end opposite the thick end, the thin end can be placed In the lower area of the floor away from the raised floor and joint area and a beveled section having a support surface interconnecting the upper portion of the thick end and the thin end, the chamfered or bevelled section defining the wedge for that is covered with the finish of the floor, the distance between the thick end and the thin end is at least 30 times the thickness of the thick end to make the joint, in general, not noticeable for people who walk across by the bevelled section and to avoid in general that you have to struggle or push the rolling vehicles that grow by the beveled section, the bevelled section has a surface that has physical characteristics to retain the adhesives therein to ensure, for means of adhesion, the support to the floor and the finish for floor in sheet and to increase the friction between the transition support and the floor and the finish for floor in leaf, the characteristic The physical components comprise at least one surface in the bevel section having flanges parallel to the thick end and the thin end.

Description

TRANSITION SUPPORT FOR FINISHING MATERIAL FOR FLOOR BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1 ^ Field of the Invention This invention relates to the support of floor finishes in the joining of materials of different heights, in the transition that occurs in the joint between the materials, where the transition is not generally notorious for people that walks on the floor in the board area or where wheeled vehicles will not have to be pushed or destabilized when crossing the transition on the board. 2 and Description of the Prior Art There is often a joint in the floors made of different materials, when the floor presents areas of different heights. In many institutions, factory showrooms, shopping malls, and facilities for transportation and the like, hard-surfaced floors such as tile, marble, granite, brick, quarry, or ceramic are often found adjacent to concrete floors or of wood. Adjacent floors are normally joined in a joint and there is an interface between the floor area of the relatively high height and the floor area of a relatively low height. The transition floor is often placed on floor areas to facilitate and secure the crossing of floor and board areas, and to facilitate wheeled vehicles crossing the board of floor areas. It is common to make a ramp of hard materials towards the upper floor area. However, the transition floor, which may be rubber or flexible vinyl sheets or tiles or a carpet material or a resilient hardening material such as hard rubber or vinyl composition tiles, must cross the joint. If transitional support is not provided, there may be a sloping slope in the floor finish at the joint. People may stumble or at least be surprised when taking the step in the finish on the board, especially if they have not noticed that there is a difference in the heights. In addition, wheeled vehicles could be pushed, tipped or possibly tip over if they encounter an unexpected abrupt change in floor heights. Moreover, the transition floor could become worn, cracked or mistreated over time, especially if the board is in an area of heavy traffic. In most cases, in commercial buildings where the abrupt transition between floor finishes of different elevations becomes more gradual, a • < The worker uses a spatula to manually place binder material, such as a bituminous latex layer under the floor finish, at the joint between the high and low floor levels. This represents a waste of time and is expensive, and the time to place the material depends on the skill and expertise of the worker. Once the worker has placed the binder material, he or she uses adhesive to connect the floor finishing material to the binder material. In other cases, workers place old tiles to reduce the unevenness of the joint between the finishing areas of adjacent floors. The difference in height between the two floor areas, as discussed above, is often not large, often about 1/4 of an inch, so the problem has not been seriously addressed before. The architects have no rules to deal with the problem. Compensating the difference in height between adjacent floor areas is a major problem. There are several patents that have been granted in connection with the support of carpets near walls, including U.S. Patent Nos. 530,096 (Eckman 1894), 1,070,273 (MacLean 1913), 1,401,490 (Rathjens 1921), 1,483,941 (Kasson 1924) 1,833,732. (Barrows 1931), 1,988,603 (McLaren et al., 1935), 2,677,145 (Adams 1954), 3,086,262 (Krantz 1963) and 4,187,656 (Lutz 1980). However, the above patents are not directed to the support of floor finishes in the joint between adjacent floor areas of different heights., U.S. Patent No. 1,128,061 (Schroeter 1915) is directed to a metal edge bond in linoleum, which is also not a problem to which the present invention relates. U.S. Patent No. 5,574,953 relates to a molded bead strip to protect the floor covering between the first and second floors of different elevations, but relates to the objects of the present invention only in a very general manner . U.S. Patent No. 5,243,798 provides a finishing member of gradual variation in width to drain water from a bathtub, and is also not directed to the problems to which this invention is directed.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a support for finishing floors that covers floor areas of different heights. Another object of the invention is to provide a support for floor finishes, such as for example those components having rubber or vinyl or those made of carpet material, which cover the joint of floor finishing areas made of different materials and having different heights. A further object is to provide a support for hard floor finishes, such as hard resilient floor finishes such as hard rubber or vinyl composition tiles, to cover the joint of floor finish areas of materials having different heights. A further object of the present invention is to provide a transitional support for floor finishes of flexible sheets in the joint of floors made of ceramic or tile, and floors made of concrete or wood, where there is a difference in heights between the two sections of the floor. Another object of the invention is to provide a floor support for finishing floors as described above, which is generally not known to the person walking and crossing the support or who does not need to push wheeled vehicles crossing the floor. support. One object is to provide transitional support for floor finishing areas of different heights that can be installed by workers who do not need to be highly trained in the placement of transition supports. A further object of the invention is to provide a transition support as described above, which can be manufactured in large economic quantities, and which can be installed quickly, economically and effectively in large institutional buildings such as schools, hospitals, buildings. of offices, factories, shopping centers and other warehouses, rooms for exhibitions and in facilities related to transportation, and the like. In accordance with the preferred embodiment of the invention, a transition support (also called connecting panel or leveling strip) is constructed in a conformation of gradual variation in width. It is made of flexible plastic such as vinyl and has a thick end portion, a parallel thin end portion, and a bevelled section extending from the upper portion of the thick end towards the thin end. Alternatively, it can be a hard material such as hard rubber or vinyl composition tiles. (The sections will be described as if the transition support was placed, with an upper section and a lower section). The outline of the beveled section is very light, so that people who walk through the transition support, especially .: - \ i When it is covered with a finishing material, it will not notice its presence. Similarly, trucks, motor-driven hauling vehicles, mobile platforms, rolling separators, wheeled carrier boxes. and other rolling vehicles will not have to be pushed or destabilized when crossing the transition support for the floor finish supported by it. These and other objects will be apparent from the following description of a preferred embodiment taken along with the accompanying drawings and the appended claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The invention can be conceptualized in certain parts and arrangements of parts, a preferred embodiment of the invention will be described in detail in the specification and will be illustrated in the accompanying drawings, which form a part thereof, and in where: Figure 1 is a perspective view of the transition support in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the invention, installed to support a flexible finishing sheet for floors. Figure 2 is a side view of the transition support shown in Figure 1. Figure 3 is a plan view of the support : > :: - ') / transition shown in Figure 1. Figure 4 is a bottom view of the transition support shown in Figure 1. Figure 5 is a side view of the transition supports stacked in a row. Figure 6 is a perspective view of the stacked transition supports shown in Figure 5.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring now to the drawings in which the views are for the sole purpose of illustrating the preferred embodiment of the invention, and not the purpose of limiting the same, Figure 1 shows a transition support 1 in perspective. It is placed on a concrete floor 2 that is adjacent to another floor 4. A set of tiles 6 are placed on the floor 4. The tiles 6 could be vinyl, rubber, ceramic or any other composition. The tiles 6 could be replaced by any other type of floor, provided for the present exhibition, whose upper surface 8 is above or below the upper surface 10 of the floor 2. The tiles 6 are shown above the floor 2. There is a joint 12 between the floor finish 2, and the floor finish 4 and the tiles 6. A finish for flexible sheet floor 14, -A shown in interrupted lines, is on the floor 2, on the transition support 1 and on the tiles 6. The finish of the floor 14 could be harder and less flexible or not flexible. The transitional support 1 rests on the floor finish 2 and the support 1 has a thick end 16 and a thin end 18. The thick end 16 is generally equal to the difference in height between the lower floor area (area 2 in the present example) and the upper floor area (area 4 and tile 6 in the present example). For this exhibition, the heights of the floor 2 and of the floor 4 are equal (and could be the same floor), in this way, the thick end 16 is shown equal to the thickness of the tiles 6. The thickness of the thick end 16 does not need that the difference in height between the two adjacent floor areas is exactly the same, since the support 1 can be flexible and resilient, so the transition between the heights will not be noticeable. The transition support 1 has a beveled section 20 extending between the thick end 16 and the thin end 18. The beveled section 20 has an upper surface 22 and a lower surface 24, as shown in Figures 2-4. The bevelled surface should be of sufficient distance between the thick section 16 and the thin section 18 so that anyone crossing the support 1 on foot or with a rolling vehicle might not notice the transition support 1, or the vehicle would not have to to be pushed or destabilized. In the preferred embodiment, the thick section 16 was 1/4 inch thick and the thin section 18 was extended 12 inches from the thick section 16, and the interior angle between the upper surface 22 and the lower surface 24 was 3 . The thickness at the thick end should not exceed 3/16 of an inch. The maximum angle for other preferred versions of the invention should not exceed 10 °, and the minimum angle should be less than Io. The width or distance between the thick end 16 and the thin end 18 should generally be between 10 and 20 inches. In order to secure support 1 on a floor such as floor 2, a suitable adhesive should be used. To promote the strength of the adhesive, light flanges 26 or other physical changes are provided on the lower surface 24, to contain the adhesive as well as to improve the friction between the support 1 and the floor. Similarly, the ridges 28 are provided on the upper surface of the support 1. It has been found that an effective set of flanges is approximately 10 ridges per inch and less than 1 mm in height. The floor finish 14 is preferably secured to the support 1 with a suitable adhesive, and the flanges 28 maintain the • 47 adhesive in place and increase friction between the 14th floor finish and bracket 1. The flanges could be replaced with grooves. Other forms of physical variations are provided on the surfaces 22 and 24. The transition 1 may be a flexible sheet floor finish prepared in the form of a roll or in long sheets with the thick and thin end portions being on the side surfaces. The appropriate section is cut from the roll, or one or more sheets (or parts of sheets) are selected. The thickness of the thick end 16 should generally equal the difference in height between the two floor finishing areas. The adhesive extends into the floor of the lower floor area in the same section of the joint where the support 1 will extend over the lower surface 24 of the support 1, or in the floor and the lower surface, and the support 1 it remains in its place. The adhesive is then placed on the surface 26 of the support 1, on the floor finish on sheet 15, or both, and the floor finish 14 is then placed on the support 1. The system is ready for use once the Adhesive has dried or cured, if necessary. In some situations, it may be necessary to decrease the slope of the beveled section of the transition support, where the high floor requires a wider transition support. This can be done by stacking 52-47 the transition support 1 in a row, that is, stacking them as blocks. Referring to Figure 5, a transition support 1 adheres to the support 1, but is placed in the beveled section 22 of the support 1, where it is glued in place. The thin end 18 'of the support 1' is located further away from the floor 4 than the thin end 18 of the support 1. The upper part 30, shown in dotted lines, is separated from the support 1 '. This can be achieved by using a blade, cutting into the support 1"on line 32, and bending and separating the part 30 from the support 1 'The final product is shown in perspective in Figure 6, with the flanges omitted to make it more clear The transitional support 1 is preferably made of rubber or composite vinyl so that it will have the desired flexibility and elasticity The hardest materials can work in some situations, including polyethylene, polyester, recycled plastic, vinyl mixed with fillers such as limestone, vinyl composition and plastic-like materials The above description is a specific embodiment of the present invention It should be appreciated that this embodiment is described for purposes of illustration only, and that numerous alterations may be practiced. 52-47 and modifications by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. It is intended that all modifications and alterations may be included insofar as they fall within the scope of the invention as claimed or equivalents thereof. 52-47

Claims (11)

1. CLAIMS 1. For use with a floor that has an area at a relatively high elevation, and where adjacent is a relatively low elevation and a joint between the relatively high area and the relatively low area, a transition support to support the finish of floor extending over the joint, the transition support comprises a gradual variation in width, elongated in the form of a sheet, and which includes: a relatively thick end having a thickness generally in the difference in heights between the height of the area high of the floor and the height of the low area of the floor, the thick end can be placed in the joint adjacent to the high area of the floor; a relatively thin end opposite the thick end, the thin end can be placed in the lower area of the floor away from the upper floor area and the joint; and the bevelled section having a support surface interconnecting the upper portion of the thick end and the thin end, the bevel section defines the gradual variation in width to be covered with the floor finish, which is not generally notorious for the person crossing the bevelled section walking, which will not make it necessary to push the wheeled vehicles that 52-47 cross the beveled section.
2. 2. A transition support according to claim 1, wherein the beveled section has a tactile surface for retaining the adhesive thereon to ensure adhesion of the support to the floor and the finished sheet flooring, and to increase friction between the transition support and the floor and the finish for sheet flooring.
3. 3. A transition support according to claim 1, wherein the distance between the coarse end and the thin end is at least 30 times the thickness of the coarse end.
4. A transition support according to claim 3, wherein the thickness of the coarse end is at least 3/16 of an inch and the distance between the coarse end and the thin end is at least 12 inches from the coarse end.
5. 5. A transition support according to claim 1, wherein the support is selected from the group consisting of vinyl, polyester, recycled plastic, vinyl mixed with filler, vinyl composition, and plastic-like materials.
6. 6. A transition support according to claim 1, wherein the support is selected from the group consisting of molded vinyl and extruded vinyl. 52-47
7. 7. A transition support according to claim 1, wherein the thick end and the thin end are parallel and the beveled section has at least one surface having flanges parallel to the thick end and the thin end.
8. A transition support according to claim 7, wherein the flanges are less than 0.1 mm in height and there are at least 10 flanges per inch.
9. A transition support according to claim 1, wherein the beveled section interconnects the upper portion of the thick end and the thin end at an interior angle of less than 10 °, measured at the thin end.
10. 10. A transition support according to claim 9, wherein the interior angle is less than 5o.
11. 11. A transition support according to claim 9, wherein the interior angle is 3o. 52-47 EXTRACT A transitional support for floor finishing that extends between a high-rise floor area and a low-rise floor area, the support is in the form of a gradual variation in width that is not usually noticeable for people who walk across the support and who do not need to push the wheeled vehicles that cross the support. -47