Decorative Panel Information Marking for Installation and Recycling
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing decorative panels lack efficient and durable methods for providing panel-related information to users, leading to installation challenges and recycling difficulties due to lack of knowledge and proper material characteristics.
Innovation Solution
Decorative panels are equipped with information carrying elements, such as printed or embedded codes and markings, that provide panel-related characteristics, including installation instructions, recycling information, and authenticity verification, which can be read by machines or humans, ensuring the information remains accessible throughout the panel's lifecycle.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If panel information is provided only on original packaging, then packaging serves as information carrier, but information is lost after installation when packaging is discarded
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the information carrier function directly with the panel structure by printing information on the panel surface or embedding information elements within the panel material. This integration ensures that the panel itself becomes the information carrier, eliminating information loss when packaging is discarded while avoiding the complexity of separate information delivery systems.
Solution Approach 2:
The panel provides its own information through self-contained information carriers that are part of the panel structure. Users can access installation instructions, material characteristics, and recycling information directly from the panel without needing external packaging or separate documentation, enabling self-service information retrieval throughout the panel lifecycle.
2Reliability
If panel information is printed on the panel surface, then information remains accessible throughout panel lifecycle, but information may be damaged or illegible
Solution Approach 1:
The patent embeds information carriers within the panel structure, nesting information elements inside the panel material rather than merely printing on the surface. This nested configuration protects information from external damage while maintaining accessibility through methods like embedded RFID tags, data matrices, or encapsulated information layers that can be read without compromising panel integrity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies protective measures beforehand by using durable printing methods, protective coatings, or embedded information elements that are shielded within the panel structure. This prior cushioning prevents information degradation from environmental factors, handling, or wear, ensuring information remains legible and accessible throughout the panel's service life.
3Loss of information
If multiple information elements are distributed across the panel, then information survives panel cutting during installation, but panel manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments information into multiple distributed elements across the panel surface or structure. This segmentation ensures that when the panel is cut during installation, at least one complete information element remains with each resulting piece, preventing total information loss. The segmentation is strategically planned during manufacturing to account for potential cut locations.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent performs preliminary distribution of information elements during panel manufacturing, before the panel reaches the installation stage. This preliminary action ensures information is strategically positioned to survive subsequent cutting operations, with redundant or distributed elements placed to guarantee information retention regardless of where cuts occur during installation.
4Adaptability or versatility
If panel information includes recycling instructions, then recycling compliance improves, but information carrier size and complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent makes the panel information carrier multi-functional by integrating recycling instructions with other panel information such as installation guidelines, material composition, and identification data. This universal information carrier serves multiple purposes: guiding installation, enabling authentication, and facilitating recycling, thereby improving recycling compliance without requiring a separate dedicated information system.
Data Source
AI summary
A decorative panel, in particular a decorative floor panel, ceiling panel or wall panel. A decorative covering composed of a plurality of, preferably interconnected, decorative panels according to the invention, wherein said covering preferably includes entire panels and sawn panel parts and/or cut panel parts.