Ceramic Tile Locking System With Separate Strip
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional mechanical locking systems for ceramic and stone tiles are inefficient due to the brittleness of ceramic material, difficulty in forming protruding parts, and the need for costly sub-floors with low moisture movement, making installation labor-intensive and costly, and unsuitable for large areas without expansion joints.
Innovation Solution
A locking system featuring grooves in the tile edges and separate strip-shaped materials for vertical and horizontal locking, allowing for angling and snapping installation with minimal machining and no protruding parts, enabling cost-effective and flexible installation on various sub-floors with improved décor integration.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If conventional mechanical locking systems use protruding parts formed by machining ceramic tiles, then locking strength is improved, but manufacturing complexity and cost increase due to difficulty in forming protruding parts in brittle ceramic material
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of forming protruding locking parts on the ceramic tiles, the patent inverts the approach by creating grooves (recesses) in the tile edges and providing corresponding protruding locking elements on the separate strip material. This inversion resolves the manufacturing difficulty because grooves can be easily formed in brittle ceramic material using standard cutting tools, while the protruding locking elements are formed on the separate strip material which is easier to work with.
Solution Approach 2:
The locking system is segmented into three main components: (1) the ceramic tile with grooves formed in its edges, (2) a separate strip material containing protruding locking elements, and (3) an adhesive layer bonding them together. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized independently - the tile can be manufactured using standard ceramic processes, the strip material can be separately fabricated with precise locking elements, and they can be assembled through adhesive bonding rather than requiring complex machining of the tile itself.
2Stability of the object's composition
If conventional locking systems require costly sub-floors with low moisture movement, then tile stability is improved, but installation cost and sub-floor requirements worsen
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an adhesive layer as an intermediary between the ceramic tile and the sub-floor. This adhesive mediator compensates for moisture movement in the sub-floor by providing a flexible bonding interface that can accommodate expansion and contraction. As a result, the locking system maintains tile stability even when installed on sub-floors with higher moisture movement, eliminating the need for costly specialized sub-floors with strictly controlled low moisture properties.
3Strength
If conventional installation methods are used, then locking strength is achieved, but installation time and labor cost increase due to labor-intensive processes
Solution Approach 1:
The locking elements on the strip material and the grooves in the tile edges are pre-formed during manufacturing, eliminating the need for on-site machining or complex assembly operations. The strip material is cut to length with locking elements already attached, and the tiles have grooves pre-formed during ceramic production. During installation, workers simply position the strip and tiles and apply adhesive, significantly reducing installation time and labor requirements while maintaining locking strength.
4Adaptability or versatility
If expansion joints are used for large area coverage, then sub-floor movement accommodation is improved, but aesthetic appearance and floor continuity worsen
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the parameter of joint flexibility by using the adhesive layer as a flexible bonding medium that can accommodate sub-floor expansion and contraction without requiring rigid expansion joints. The adhesive's viscoelastic properties allow it to deform with moisture movement while maintaining bond strength, enabling large-area floor coverage to be installed continuously without visible expansion joints, thus preserving aesthetic appearance while adapting to sub-floor movement.
Data Source
AI summary
Ceramic and stone tiles are shown, which are provided with a locking system including a separate strip part connected to vertical and horizontal grooves formed in the tile edge. A set of ceramic or stone tiles including a first tile provided with a first edge and a second tile provided with a second edge wherein the tiles are provided with a locking system for locking the first edge to the second edge in a horizontal direction parallel with a tile surface and in a vertical direction perpendicular to the horizontal direction, said locking system includes a first and a second tongue and a strip part provided with a first and a second locking element.