Aluminium Flooring System

Abstract

2021204035 17 Jun 2021 20 21 20 40 35 1 7 Ju n 20 21 2021204035 17 Jun 2021 16 24 20 22 50 14 12 46 38 54 54 26 Figure 1 10a 14a

Description

ALUMINIUM FLOORING SYSTEM TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to metal floors and, in particular, to floor panels made of extruded aluminium. More particularly, the present invention relates to extruded aluminium floor panels which replicate the appearance of timber floor boards. BACKGROUND ART Conventional wood-based materials used for indoor flooring, such as treated timber boards, have high production and installation costs, and are typically cut in discrete lengths which are no longer than a standard length. The need to manually cut timber boards to discrete lengths is labour intensive and creates wastage, as well as prolonging installation time. The use of nails to fix the timber boards onto underlying battens or other supporting sub-floor structure, and the typical subsequent use of wood putty to hide the nail heads is also time consuming and adds to costs. Timber is also a combustible material and so there may be restrictions as to where it can be used for flooring based on fire safety considerations. Timber can also be adversely affected by water (eg. flooding). Timber floors are commonly fixed using glue, and glue is a flammable material as well as being a high emitter of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) which are harmful greenhouse gasses. Timber also requires several coats of lacquer, which also causes high VOC emissions. Sanding is also required between coats, which further adds to the cost of timber floor installation. Recent developments in the process of sublimation have enabled aluminium panels of various shapes to be powder coated with a wood grain finish that resembles the appearance of timber. While such aluminium, wood grain finish, panels have been used in outdoor settings for wall cladding, decorative battens, decking, fencing and screens, the present inventor has identified an opportunity to develop aluminium, wood grain finish, floor panels for indoor settings which can serve as alternatives to timber floor boards and, during the course of that development, has encountered and solved many problems in designing an effective, easy to install, low cost, and timber-like aluminium floor panel. Therefore, it is a motivation of the present inventor, and an object of this invention, to overcome, or at least substantially ameliorate, the aforementioned shortcomings of the prior art by providing an extruded aluminium floor panel which can be interlocked with like panels by a snap fit to form an effective flooring which is easier and less expensive to install than timber flooring, is non-combustible and does not emit VOCs. It is a preferred object of this invention to provide an extruded aluminium floor panel which, when installed, has a flooring surface which resembles that provided by timber floor boards. DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION According to the present invention, there is provided an extruded aluminium floor panel, comprising: (a) a central floor portion having an upper surface for use as flooring, (b) a protruding portion at a first side of the central floor portion, the protruding portion comprising a tapered member having an upwardly ramped top surface extending from its free end and located at a height below the upper surface, a recess formed adjacent to the tapered member, and a lip located at a height below, and extending beyond, the tapered member, (c) a receiving portion at an opposite second side of the central floor portion, the receiving portion comprising a lower surface of a projecting part of the central floor portion, a foot located below, and extending beyond, the projecting part and adapted to be supported on a sub-floor structure, and a chamber located above the foot, the lower surface of the projecting part comprising a bulb at its free end, wherein, in use, the said floor panel is interconnectable with a like floor panel already installed on a sub-floor structure by pressing the upwardly ramped top surface of the tapered member of the said floor panel against the bulb of the like floor panel while sliding the lip over the foot until a leading end portion of the lip is engaged in the chamber and the bulb downwardly engages the recess by a snap fit, Preferably, the projecting part of the central floor portion comprises a local weakness forming a reduced thickness of the projecting part. Tt is further preferred that the local weakness is sufficiently spaced from the bulb to allow or assist the projecting part to bend upwardly when the upwardly ramped top surface of the tapered member presses against the bulb and to snap downwardly after the upwardly ramped top surface has moved past the bulb to enable the bulb to engage the recess. The local weakness is preferably a semicircular cut-out of the lower surface of the projecting part. Preferably, the chamber is defined between the foot and a retaining ledge located above the foot. In a preferred form, the leading end portion of the lip has an upwardly ramped top surface extending from its free end, and the retaining ledge has a correspondingly downwardly ramped bottom surface extending from its free end. It is also preferred that an adjoining downwardly stepped part of the central floor portion defines a side wall of the recess such that, in use, a side wall of the bulb will abut against the side wall of the recess. The cross-sectional widths of the bulb and recess are preferably such that, upon their engagement, they are snugly held in place and there is minimal or no gap between adjacent edges of the upper surfaces of the said floor panel and an interconnected like floor panel. In a still further preferred form, the foot has a channel for receiving a fastener, such as a nail, staple or screw. The central floor portion may include one or more spacers which extend downwardly and are supported on the sub-floor structure, Preferably, the upper surface of the central floor portion is planar and has applied thereto a wood grain finish to replicate the appearance of a timber floor board. The height of the floor panel is preferably 12 mm. There has been thus outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the invention in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood and put into practical effect, and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are additional features of the invention that will be described hereinafter. As such, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the conception, upon which the disclosure is based, may be readily utilized as the basis for designing other structures, assemblies, process steps and system configurations for carrying out the object of the present invention. It is important, therefore, that the broad outline of the invention described above be regarded as including such equivalent features insofar as they do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present invention, SUMMARY OF THE DRAWINGS Figure 1 is a side view of an extruded aluminium floor panel according to a preferred embodiment of the invention. Figure 2 is a side view of the floor panel of Figure 1 interconnected to a like floor panel. Figure 3 is a perspective view of the floor panel of Figure 1 of indefinite length. Figure 4 is a perspective view of the two interconnected floor panels of Figure 2 of indefinite lengths. Figure 5 is a side view of a first step in a process of interconnecting the floor panel of Figure 1 to a like floor panel. Figure 6 is a side view of a second step in a process of interconnecting the floor panel of Figure 1 to the like floor panel. Figure 7 is a side view of a final step in a process of interconnecting the floor panel of Figure 1 to the like floor panel. Figure 8 is an enlarged perspective view of a region where the two floor panels shown in Figure 5 are being brought together in the first step of the interconnecting process. Figure 9 is an enlarged perspective view of the same region as shown in Figure 8 where the two floor panels shown in Figure 6 are being brought even closer together in the second step of the interconnecting process. Figure 10 is slightly more enlarged perspective view of the same region as shown in Figure 9 after the two floor panels shown in Figure 7 have been brought together in the final step of the interconnecting process. Figure 11 is a side view of the circled region shown in Figure 2 which also shows the floor panel of Figure 1 interconnected to a like floor panel. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The extruded aluminium floor panel 10 shown in Figures 1 and 3 includes a central floor portion 12 having an upper surface 14 for use as flooring. There is a protruding portion 16 at a first side of the central floor portion 12, and there is a receiving portion 18 at an opposite second side of the central floor portion. The protruding portion 16 includes a tapered member 20 having an upwardly ramped top surface 22 extending from its free end and located at a height below the upper surface 14. There is a recess 24 formed adjacent to the tapered member 20. A lip 26 is located at a height below, and extending beyond, the tapered member 20. The receiving portion 18 includes a lower surface 28 of a projecting part 30 of the central floor portion 12. There is a foot 32 located below, and extending beyond, the projecting part 30 and adapted to be supported on a sub-floor structure, such as on a concrete, fibre cement sheeted or timber sheeted sub-floor structure, A chamber 34 is located above the foot 32. The lower surface 28 of the projecting part 30 has a bulb 36 at its free end. In use, the floor panel 10 is, as shown in Figures 2 and 4 to 11, interconnectable with a like floor panel 10a already installed on a sub-floor structure. The first step (as shown in Figures 5 and 8) in a preferred interconnecting process requires a user to slide the lip 26 of the aligned floor panel 10 over the foot 32 of the installed floor panel 10a so that the tapered member 20 of the floor panel 10 approaches the bulb 36 of the floor panel 10a and the lip 26 approaches the chamber 34. The second step (as shown in Figures 6 and 9) in this process requires the user to press the upwardly ramped top surface 22 of the tapered member 20 of the floor panel 10 against the bulb 36 of the floor panel 10a (thus causing the projecting part 30 of the central floor portion 12 to bend upwardly) while continuing to slide the lip 26 over the foot 32 so that the lip 26 approaches the chamber 34. The third step (as shown in Figures 2, 4, 7, 10 and 11} in this process requires the user to continue to slide the lip 26 over the foot 32 until a leading end portion 38 of the lip 26 is engaged in the chamber 34 and the upwardly ramped top surface 22 of the tapered member 20 no longer presses against the bulb 36, whereupon the projecting part 30 of the central floor portion 12 quickly bends back downwardly, thus causing the bulb 36 to downwardly engage the recess 24 by a snap fit. The tapered member 20 is then firmly prevented from any further forward or rearward movement, and nor can it move up or down. In this preferred embodiment, the projecting part 30 (which has been minimized in its overall thickness to facilitate its bending) of the central floor portion 12 of the extruded aluminium floor panel 10, 10a has a local weakness 40 which forms a reduced thickness of the projecting part 30. The local weakness 40 is sufficiently spaced from the bulb 36 to allow or assist the projecting part 30 to bend upwardly when the upwardly ramped top surface 22 of the tapered member 20 presses against the bulb 36 and to snap downwardly after the upwardly ramped top surface 22 has moved past the bulb 36 to enable the bulb 36 to engage the recess 24. The local weakness 40 is, in this instance, formed by a semicircular cut-out 42 of the lower surface 28 of the projecting part 30. The chamber 34 of the receiving portion 18 is, in this preferred embodiment, defined between the foot 32 and a retaining ledge 44 located above the foot 32, In this preferred form, the leading end portion 38 of the lip 26 has an upwardly ramped top surface 46 extending from its free end, and the retaining ledge 44 has a correspondingly downwardly ramped bottom surface 48 extending from its free end. The recess 24 is, in this preferred embodiment, formed between the tapered member 20 and an adjoining downwardly stepped part 50 of the central floor portion 12. The adjoining downwardly stepped part 50 defines a side wall of the recess 24 such that, in use, a side wall of the bulb 36 will abut against the side wall of the recess 24. In this preferred embodiment, the cross-sectional widths of the bulb 36 and recess 24 are such that, upon their engagement, they are snugly held in place and there is minimal or no gap between adjacent edges of the upper surfaces 14, 14a of the floor panel 10 and the interconnected floor panel 10a, respectively. The foot 32, in this preferred embodiment, has a channel 52 for receiving a fastener, such as a nail, staple or screw, which can be used during installation to fix the floor panel 10, 10a to the sub-floor structure. In this preferred embodiment, the central floor portion 12 includes two spacers 54 which extend downwardly and, together with the foot 32, are supported on the sub- floor structure. The upper surface 14 of the central floor portion 12 is, in this preferred embodiment, planar and has applied thereto a textured wood grain finish to replicate the appearance of a timber floor board. Alternatively, the upper surface 14 may be coloured in a range of plain colours. Ideally, the height of the floor panel 10, 10a is 12 mm. The embodiment of the invention described in detail above provides a floor panel system constructed of extruded aluminium with interlocking floor panels 10, 10a that snap together to form a flooring. The use of such floor panels 10, 10a to form a flooring substantially reduces installation costs because the extruded floor panels can be much longer than is possible with conventional materials used for flooring, and are typically supplied in 6.5 metre lengths. Such long lengths result in less cutting and less wastage, together with faster assembly. The simple snap fit design, together with the strength of aluminium, significantly reduces the number of screws or other fasteners which are required to fix the floor panels to the sub-floor structure, and also contributes to the fast installation time. In addition, preferred embodiments of the invention allow for the concealed fixing of screws and other fasteners, and eliminate the need to use any form of adhesive, although adhesive can be used if desired. The design of the floor panels 10, 10a also enables the minimisation of noise transmission through the incorporation of a suitable underlay. Furthermore, because the floor panels 10, 10a are made from aluminium, the panels can be powder coated with a wood grain finish, through a process known as sublimation. Such a wood grain finish would resemble the appearance of timber, thereby providing aesthetic appeal and a durable alternative to timber floors. Fire safety is a very important consideration for the selection of building materials and, because the floor panels 10, 10a are made from aluminium, which is a non-combustible material, they can be used in building where timber and composite flooring materials are not permitted to be used, and where a timber appearance is required. Together with the abovementioned advantages, there are a number of other key advantages of the preferred embodiments of the floor panels of the present invention, which are as follows: Alignment of the boards A common concern for the installation of many known flooring products is the alignment of the flooring surface when two boards are installed or joined end to end. In flooring, as small changes in the surface level, especially at such joins, can be easily noticed underfoot (particularly when not wearing shoes), the alignment is especially critical. The extruded, and hence elongated, nature of the interlocking protruding and receiving portions of any two interconnected floor panels of this invention will automatically level any end to end unevenness of linearly aligned panels, when parallel aligned panels are installed with staggered joins. Although staggering the joins will have no effect on eliminating any end to end unevenness in linearly aligned timber floor boards, the staggering of the joins in the installation of the extruded aluminium floor panels of the present invention will eliminate any such unevenness and prevent any other minor variations in alignment of the flooring surface. The use of the recess 24 at the top of the protruding portion 16 of the floor panel 10 ensures that the upper surface 14 of that floor panel 10 will be aligned with the upper surface 14a of an adjacent floor panel 10a which has already been installed. By ensuring that the upper surfaces of all installed panels are in alignment, small variations and catch areas on the flooring surface will be avoided. Snapping of boards The manner of snap fitting of the floor panels of this invention allows for a rapid and secure interconnection over a long length of floor panels. The snap fitting mechanism includes the protruding portion 16 and the receiving portion 18 at opposite sides of the floor panel 10, 10a. The protruding portion 16 of the floor panel 10 is configured to be pushed into, and engage with, the receiving portion 18 of the like floor panel 10a which has already been installed on the sub-floor structure. The protruding portion 16 incorporates the lip 26 (which is preferably a reinforced insertion floor) which is located below, and extends beyond, the tapered member 20 (which may be wedge shaped), alongside which is the recess 24. The receiving portion 18 incorporates the foot 32 (which is preferably a reinforced retaining floor) on which the lip 26 slides and is subsequently retained, and the bulb 36 at the free end of the lower surface 28 of the projecting part 30 of the central floor portion 12. The projecting part 30 has, in this preferred embodiment, been minimized in its overall thickness to facilitate its bending, and includes the semicircular cut-out 42 (or other localized flex joint) which allows or assists the projecting part 30 to bend upwardly when the upwardly ramped top surface 22 of the tapered member 20 presses against the bulb 36 and to snap downwardly after the upwardly ramped top surface 22 has moved past the bulb 36 to enable the bulb 36 to engage the recess 24. The receiving portion 18 also incorporates, in this preferred embodiment, the small retaining ledge 44 which is located above the foot 32 and defines the chamber 34 between the ledge 44 and the foot 32. Such a chamber 34 guides the leading end portion 38 of the lip 26 to a lowermost position of engagement of the interlocking floor panels 10, 10a, and the engagement of the bulb 36 with the recess 24 by a snap fit at an uppermost position of engagement of the interlocking floor panels 10, 10a provides a second point of contact, both of which combine to ensure that the floor panel 10, which does not have its protruding portion directly fixed to the sub- floor structure, will not “bounce” as people (or other traffic) walk across the upper surface 14 causing audible tapping noises that would be undesirable. Thickness of boards The thickness of the floor panel 10, 10a has been minimized in order to reduce the material cost, while also ensuring the production of flat, straight and strong panels. The preferred board thickness of 12mm still allows for concealed fixings. The incorporation of an effective snap fitting mechanism in such a low thickness floor panel allows the panels to be installed in existing building structures where major changes to the flooring height will have adverse consequences for clearance of doorways, doorjambs and transitions to other floor surface materials without causing a trip hazard, This has been achieved by utilizing the protruding portion 16 which snaps into the receiving portion 18, and by minimizing the overall thickness of the projecting part 30 of the central floor portion 12 in order for it to flex or bend over the tapered member 20, which has been thickened in order to provide strength. Concealed Fixing The extruded aluminium floor panels 10, 10a of this invention can incorporate concealed fixing onto concrete, fibre cement sheeted and timber sheeted sub-floor structures, using mechanical fixing methods. The foot 32, which is located below, and extends beyond, the projecting part 30 of the central floor portion 12, provides locations for a nail, staple or screw to secure the floor panel 10, 10a in place on the sub- floor structure. This location of fixing is then concealed by the next floor panel which is connected to the fixed floor panel in the manner described earlier, thereby creating a seamless finish. The underside of the foot 32 may alternatively provide a substantial bonding surface should the floor panels 10, 10a need to be glued in place. It will be readily appreciated by persons skilled in this art, upon reading this description of embodiments of the invention, that there may be alternative embodiments of the extruded aluminium floor panel. It will also be readily apparent to persons skilled in the art that various modifications may be made in details of the design and construction of the above embodiments of the aluminium extruded floor panel without departing from the scope or ambit of the present invention. The reference in this specification to any prior publication (or information derived from it), or to any matter which is known, is not, and should not be taken as an acknowledgement or admission or any form of suggestion that that prior publication (or information derived from it) or known matter forms part of the common general knowledge in the field of endeavour to which this specification relates before the filing date of this patent application.

Claims

CLAIMS:

1. An extruded aluminium floor panel, comprising: (a) a central floor portion having an upper surface for use as flooring, (b) a protruding portion at a first side of the central floor portion, the protruding portion comprising a tapered member having an upwardly ramped top surface extending from its free end and located at a height below the upper surface, a recess formed adjacent to the tapered member, and a lip located at a height below, and extending beyond, the tapered member, (c) a receiving portion at an opposite second side of the central floor portion, the receiving portion comprising a lower surface of a projecting part of the central floor portion, a foot located below, and extending beyond, the projecting part and adapted to be supported on a sub-floor structure, and a chamber located above the foot, the lower surface of the projecting part comprising a bulb at its free end, wherein, in use, the said floor panel is interconnectable with a like floor panel already installed on a sub-floor structure by pressing the upwardly ramped top surface of the tapered member of the said floor panel against the bulb of the like floor panel while sliding the lip over the foot until a leading end portion of the lip is engaged in the chamber and the bulb downwardly engages the recess by a snap fit.

2. The floor panel of claim 1, wherein the projecting part of the central floor portion comprises a local weakness forming a reduced thickness of the projecting part.

3. The floor panel of claim 2, wherein the local weakness is sufficiently spaced from the bulb to allow or assist the projecting part to bend upwardly when the upwardly ramped top surface of the tapered member presses against the bulb and to snap downwardly after the upwardly ramped top surface has moved past the bulb to enable the bulb to engage the recess.

4. The floor panel of claim 2 or claim 3, wherein the local weakness is a semicircular cut-out of the lower surface of the projecting part.

5. The floor panel of any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the chamber is defined between the foot and a retaining ledge located above the foot.

6. The floor panel of claim 5, wherein the leading end portion of the lip has an upwardly ramped top surface extending from its free end, and the retaining ledge has a correspondingly downwardly ramped bottom surface extending from its free end.

7. The floor panel of any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein an adjoining downwardly stepped part of the central floor portion defines a side wall of the recess such that, in use, a side wall of the bulb will abut against the side wall of the recess.

8. The floor panel of any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the cross-sectional widths of the bulb and recess are such that, upon their engagement, they are snugly held in place and there is minimal or no gap between adjacent edges of the upper surfaces of the said floor panel and an interconnected like floor panel.

9. The floor panel of any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the foot has a channel for receiving a fastener.

10. The floor panel of claim 9, wherein the fastener is a nail, staple or screw.

11. The floor panel of any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the central floor portion includes one or more spacers which extend downwardly and are supported on the sub-floor structure.

12. The floor panel of any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein the upper surface of the central floor portion is planar and has applied thereto a wood grain finish to replicate the appearance of a timber floor board.

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