Interlocking Resilient Floor Planks for Adhesive-Free Installation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing floor coverings face issues such as high installation complexity and cost, adhesive messiness, and inadequate joint strength, particularly in resilient materials like vinyl and laminate flooring, which are not water-resistant and prone to swelling due to humidity changes.
Innovation Solution
A resilient composite sheet with interlocking tongue and groove profiles on opposite sides, featuring balanced dimensions and angles for enhanced joint strength, allowing for easy installation without adhesives and providing a lightweight, water-resistant floating floor.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If adhesive is used to secure floor covering, then the floor covering is held in place and achieves a level surface, but the installation process becomes time-consuming, costly, and messy
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the chemical adhesive bonding system with a mechanical interlocking system using tongue and groove profiles. The tongue of one plank fits into the groove of the adjacent plank, creating a mechanical lock that secures the floor covering without requiring adhesives, thereby eliminating the time-consuming and messy installation process while maintaining floor covering stability
Solution Approach 2:
The patent modifies the edge geometry of floor planks by adding protruding tongue profiles and recessing groove profiles. This parameter change in the physical structure of the planks enables self-locking through mechanical interlocking, transforming the installation method from adhesive-dependent to structure-dependent, thus reducing installation time and complexity while ensuring reliable positioning
2Strength
If full-spread adhesive is applied, then the floor covering is securely attached, but the installation becomes cumbersome and expensive
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the complex adhesive application process with a simple mechanical interlocking system. The tongue and groove profiles are pre-formed on the planks, allowing installers to simply click the planks together without needing adhesive spreaders, trowels, or waiting for adhesive to set, thereby reducing installation complexity while maintaining secure attachment
Solution Approach 2:
The tongue and groove profiles are designed to self-lock when planks are joined. The mechanical interlocking system automatically secures the planks in place through the interfitting geometry, eliminating the need for external adhesive materials and simplifying the installation process to a straightforward click-together operation
3Ease of operation
If laminate flooring with mechanical locking system is used, then installation is easier, but the flooring becomes heavy and susceptible to moisture damage
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses vinyl composition tile (VCT) material for the planks, which is inherently water-resistant and does not swell when exposed to moisture. This composite material combines the mechanical interlocking capability needed for easy installation with the moisture resistance required for reliability in various environments, eliminating the wood-based core vulnerability of laminate flooring
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the material composition from wood-based laminate to vinyl-based VCT planks. This material parameter change maintains the mechanical tongue and groove interlocking system for ease of installation while fundamentally improving moisture resistance, as vinyl material does not absorb water or swell like wood-based products
4Area of stationary object
If vinyl sheet flooring is used, then large areas can be covered, but adhesive is required to prevent curling and maintain levelness
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the continuous vinyl sheet flooring into individual plank units with tongue and groove edges. This segmentation allows each plank to be independently installed through mechanical interlocking, eliminating the need for full-spread adhesive while maintaining the ability to cover large areas. The modular planks can be easily joined end-to-end and side-to-side to create extensive floor coverings
Data Source
AI summary
Surface coverings, such as floor coverings, with an interlocking design are described. Methods of making the surface coverings are further described. A plank including a resilient composite sheet having four sides, an upper surface, a lower surface, and an overall thickness, and said composite sheet including at least one base layer, wherein said at least one base layer including at least one polymeric material and at least one filler, wherein opposite sides of the composite sheet include a first tongue on a first side and a first groove on the opposite second side, wherein the first tongue and first groove have complementary shape to each other to be interlockingly engageable with a corresponding groove or tongue on an adjacent floor plank.