US20120144766A1

US20120144766A1 - Plastic Floor Plank

Info

Publication number: US20120144766A1
Application number: US12/964,791
Authority: US
Inventors: Ying-Chou Wei
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2010-12-10
Filing date: 2010-12-10
Publication date: 2012-06-14

Abstract

A plastic floor plank includes an elongated bottom layer and a rectangular top layer. The bottom layer includes two opposite long sides and two opposite short sides. One long side includes tongues, and the other long side includes grooves opposing the tongues. The tongue is substantially complimentary to the groove. The rectangular top layer has a top surface provided with a wood grain design. The top layer has substantially the same size as the bottom layer when the tongues along one side of the bottom layer are cut. The top layer has an adhesive bottom surface bonded with a top surface of the bottom layer to laminate the top layer and the bottom layer together. In an installation, the tongues of one floor plank are inserted into the grooves of the other floor plank, and a gap is formed between the tongue and the groove.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of Invention
The invention relates to floor planks and more particularly to a plastic floor plank having interlocked tongue and groove engagements, gaps between adjacent blocks for thermal expansion, and adhesively bonded top and bottom layers.
2. Description of Related Art
U.S. Pat. No. 7,155,871 to Stone et al. discloses a floor plank as shown in FIG. 1. The floor plank comprises a plurality of rectangular top layers 1 formed of flexible plastic material, a plurality of rectangular middle layers 3 also formed of flexible plastic material, and a plurality of rectangular bottom layers 2 formed of flexible foam material. The middle and bottom layers 3, 2 are laminated together so as to have a common periphery. The top layer 1 is laminated to the middle layer 3 in an offset manner. In detail, a long edge of the top layer 1 extends an offset amount beyond a long edge of the middle layer 3 and a short edge of the top layer 1 extends an offset amount beyond a short edge of the middle layer 3 to define an offset L-shaped marginal section of the top layer 1. Also, a long edge of the middle layer 3 extends an offset amount beyond a long edge of the top layer 1 and a short edge of the middle layer 3 extends an offset amount beyond a short edge of the top layer 1 to define an offset L-shaped marginal section of the middle layer 1. The top and middle layers 1, 3 are bonded together by applying a suitable adhesive therebetween. The floor planks can be installed on a floor base to form any desired floor plank assembly pattern without mastic or an adhesive coating on the floor base.
However, a couple of drawbacks of the prior art floor plank have been found. For example, four sides of each of the top, middle, and bottom layers 1, 3, 2 are vertical and relatively smooth. Thus, this floor plank assembly pattern is without a tongue and groove engagement for securement of similar blocks in side-by-side and end-to-end relationship. Hence, fastening of any two adjacent blocks of the same elevation is neither durable nor reliable because of thermal expansion. This can undesirably deform the floor. Further, no teeth are formed on any side of the floor plank. Thus, registration of two adjacent blocks is difficult. This in turn can render the floor plank assembly pattern to be visually unattractive. Thus, the need for improvement still exists.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is therefore one object of the invention to provide a plastic floor plank comprising an elongated bottom layer comprising two opposite long sides and two opposite short sides wherein one long side includes a plurality of equally spaced tongues and the other long side includes a plurality of equally spaced grooves, the tongue of one long side is opposite to the groove of the other long side, and the tongue is substantially complimentary to the groove; and a rectangular top layer having a top surface provided with a wood grain design, the top layer having substantially the same size as the bottom layer when the tongues along one side of the bottom layer are cut, the top layer having an adhesive bottom surface bonded with a top surface of the bottom layer to laminate the top layer and the bottom layer together, wherein in the laminated state of the top layer and the bottom layer, the grooves along the other long side of the bottom layer are concealed by the top layer, and the tongues along one long side of the bottom layer are exposed; and wherein in an installation of a first plastic floor plank and a second plastic floor plank, the tongues of the first plastic floor plank are inserted into the complimentary grooves of the second plastic floor plank and secured to the adhesive bottom surface, and a gap is formed between the tongue of the first plastic floor plank and the corresponding groove of the second plastic floor plank.
The above and other objects, features and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description taken with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a floor plank assembly pattern of the prior art;

FIG. 2 is an exploded view of a plastic floor plank according to a first preferred embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 3 is a bottom plan view of the laminated plastic floor plank of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a bottom plan view of an assembly pattern of the plastic floor plank of FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is a top plan view of an assembly pattern of the plastic floor plank of FIG. 2;

FIG. 6 is an exploded view of a plastic floor plank according to a second preferred embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 7 is a bottom plan view of an assembly pattern of the plastic floor plank of FIG. 6; and

FIG. 8 is a top plan view of an assembly pattern of the plastic floor plank of FIG. 6.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Referring to FIGS. 2 to 5, a plastic floor plank A in accordance with a first preferred embodiment of the invention comprises the following components as discussed in detail below.
A bottom layer 10 is elongated and comprises two opposite long sides 11, 13 and two opposite short sides 12, 14. One long side 11 has a plurality of equally spaced tongues 111 and the other long side 13 has a plurality of equally spaced grooves 131. The tongue 111 of one long side 11 is opposite to the groove 131 of the other long side 13. Also, the tongue 111 is substantially a complimentary member of the groove 131.
A top layer 20 is rectangular and has a top surface provided with a design such as synthetic wood grain design that resembles natural wood. The top layer 20 has substantially the same size as the bottom layer 10 if the tongues 111 of the bottom layer 10 are cut. The top layer 20 has a bottom surface 21 coated with a suitable adhesive which is adapted to bond with a top surface of the bottom layer 10 for laminating the top layer 20 and the bottom layer 10 together.
As shown in FIG. 3 specifically, in the laminated state of the top layer 20 and the bottom layer 10, the grooves 131 along the other long side 13 of the bottom layer 10 are concealed by the top layer 20. Also, the tongues 111 along one long side 11 of the bottom layer 10 are exposed. The plastic floor plank A is thus formed.
As shown in FIG. 4 specifically, the plastic floor plank A can be assembled with a similar plastic floor plank A by inserting the tongues 111 thereof into the complimentary grooves 131 of another plastic floor plank A and fastening together by means of the adhesive coated on the bottom surface 21 of the top layer 20. As a result, a floor plank assembly pattern is formed. Moreover, a gap “S” is formed between each of three sides of the tongue 111 and the corresponding side of the groove 131 of an adjacent plastic floor plank A. The provision of the gap “S” is for thermal expansion (i.e., expanded when heated or contracted when cooled). Otherwise, the floor plank assembly pattern may be deformed.
Referring to FIGS. 6 to 8, the plastic floor plank A in accordance with a second preferred embodiment of the invention is shown. The characteristics of the second preferred embodiment are substantially the same as that of the first preferred embodiment except the following: One short side 12 of the bottom layer 10 is formed with a plurality of (e.g., two) tongues 121 and the other short side 14 thereof is formed with a plurality of (e.g., two) grooves 141. The tongue 121 is substantially a complimentary member of the groove 141.
As shown in FIG. 7 specifically, in the laminated state of the top layer 20 and the bottom layer 10, the grooves 131 along the other long side 13 of the bottom layer 10 are concealed by the top layer 20. The tongues 111 along one long side 11 of the bottom layer 10 are exposed. The grooves 141 along the other short side 14 of the bottom layer 10 are concealed by the top layer 20. The tongues 121 along one short side 12 of the bottom layer 10 are exposed. Further, the tongues 121 along one short side 12 of another plastic floor plank A are inserted into the complimentary grooves 141 of another plastic floor plank A and fastening together by means of the adhesive coated on the bottom surface 21 of the top layer 20. Furthermore, the tongues 111 of the bottom layer 10 are inserted into the complimentary grooves 131 of still another plastic floor plank A and fastening together by means of the adhesive coated on the bottom surface 21 of the top layer 20. As a result, a floor plank assembly pattern is formed. Moreover, a gap “S” is formed between each of three sides of the tongue 111 and the corresponding side of the groove 131 of an adjacent plastic floor plank A. A gap “T” is formed between each of three sides of the tongue 121 and the corresponding side of the groove 141 of another adjacent plastic floor plank A. The provision of the gaps “S” and “T” is for thermal expansion (i.e., expanded when heated or contracted when cooled). Otherwise, the floor plank assembly pattern may be deformed.
As shown in FIG. 8 specifically, the long sides 11, 13 are exposed when viewing from top. The tongues 111, 121 are adapted to insert into complimentary grooves 131, 141 respectively for fastening.
The invention has the following characteristics and advantages: It is an interlocked flooring system with a tongue and groove engagement for securement of similar blocks in side-by-side and even end-to-end relationship (i.e., being highly registered). The installation of the plastic floor plank is thus reliable and durable. Further, it is visually aesthetic.
While the invention has been described in terms of preferred embodiments, those skilled in the art will recognize that the invention can be practiced with modifications within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

Claims

1. A plastic floor plank assembly comprising:

an elongated bottom layer comprising first and second opposite long sides and first and second opposite short sides, wherein the first long side includes a plurality of equally spaced tongues and the second long side includes a plurality of equally spaced grooves, wherein the plurality of tongues of the first long side is opposite to the plurality of grooves of the second long side, and wherein the plurality of tongues is substantially complimentary to the plurality of grooves; and

a rectangular top layer having a top surface provided with a wood grain design, with the top layer having substantially a same size as the bottom layer when the plurality of tongues along the first long side of the bottom layer are cut, with the top layer having an adhesive bottom surface bonded with a top surface of the bottom layer to laminate the top layer and the bottom layer together in a laminated state to form a plaster floor plank,

wherein each tongue and each groove have a rectangular shape parallel to the top surface of the bottom layer;

wherein in the laminated state of the top layer and the bottom layer, the grooves along the second long side of the bottom layer are concealed by the top layer, and the tongues along the first long side of the bottom layer are exposed; and

wherein during installation of a first plastic floor plank and a second plastic floor plank, the plurality of tongues of the first plastic floor plank are inserted into the complimentary plurality of grooves of the second plastic floor plank and secured to the adhesive bottom surface, and a gap is formed between each tongue of the first plastic floor plank and the corresponding groove of the second plastic floor plank.

2. The plastic floor plank assembly of claim 1, wherein the first short side of the bottom layer is formed with a plurality of tongues and the second short side thereof is formed with a plurality of grooves each being substantially complimentary to the plurality of tongues along the first short side of the bottom layer.