Low-Weight Modular Carpet Tile with Embedded Scrim to Resist Curling

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Solution Overview

Problem

Traditional modular carpet tiles are heavy, leading to installation challenges and increased transportation and installation costs, and they often curl or dome due to internal forces, creating trip hazards and unsightly gaps.

Innovation Solution

A low-weight carpet tile design featuring a facecloth with tufted yarns, an extruded polymer secondary backing layer, and a reinforcing scrim layer embedded within, which includes a polyolefin-based resin and inert filler material to maintain flatness and stability.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Stability of the object's composition

If carpet tiles are made heavy to ensure flatness and resist curling/doming, then dimensional stability is improved, but transportation and installation costs increase and handling becomes more difficult

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedimensional stabilityVSAvoidweight

Core Design Contradiction:

Stability of the object's compositionVSWeight of moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies composite materials by combining a polymer secondary backing layer with a reinforcing scrim layer embedded within it. This composite structure provides the necessary dimensional stability and resistance to curling/doming without requiring the entire tile to be heavy. The scrim layer specifically reinforces the backing to maintain flatness while the overall tile weight remains low for easy handling.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #40Composite materials

2Manufacturing precision

If carpet tiles are made heavy to overcome internal forces, then flatness is maintained, but installation time and labor costs increase

Engineering Contradiction:

ImproveflatnessVSAvoidinstallation time

Core Design Contradiction:

Manufacturing precisionVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The composite construction with embedded scrim provides inherent flatness and dimensional stability, eliminating the need for heavy weights. This allows installers to work more efficiently without struggling with heavy tiles, reducing installation time while maintaining the required flatness specification.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #40Composite materials

3Reliability

If carpet tiles use traditional heavy construction, then resistance to curling and doming is improved, but adaptability to weight-sensitive applications (such as aircraft) is reduced

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveresistance to curling and domingVSAvoidadaptability to weight-sensitive applications

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

The patent uses composite materials to achieve the necessary reliability against curling and doming through the reinforcing scrim layer, while keeping the overall weight low enough for weight-sensitive applications like aircraft interiors. This composite approach provides the required performance without the excessive weight of traditional construction.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #40Composite materials

Applied Scientific Principles

This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.

Function Achieved in This Case

The design achieves a weight of less than 60 ounces per square yard while resisting curling and doming, reducing transportation and installation costs, and ensuring flatness for safe and aesthetically pleasing installation.

Implementation Method 1

The reinforcing scrim layer may be laid onto the extruded polymer secondary backing layer while the extruded polymer secondary backing layer remains above a softening temperature for the resin

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectThermal bonding: Melting

Implementation Method 2

The entire multi-layer web may then be passed through a nip to embed the reinforcing serim layer into the extruded polymer secondary layer

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectCompression: Compression

Implementation Method 3

the entire web may then be passed through a nip to embed the reinforcing serim layer into the extruded polymer secondary layer, and the entire web may be chilled

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectChilling: Cooling

Data Source

PatentUS12435466B2Low weight modular carpet components and methods of making the same

Publication Date: 2025.10.07 ALADDIN MANUFACTURING CORP

AI summary

A low-weight carpet tile and process for making the same, wherein the carpet tile comprises a facecloth having a plurality of face yarns tufted through a primary backing, an extruded polymer secondary backing layer, and a reinforcing scrim layer partially embedded within the extruded polymer secondary backing layer. The top surface and bottom surface of the carpet tile are defined by the facecloth and the reinforcing scrim layer, respectively. A polymer-based resin is extruded onto the facecloth to form an at least substantially uniform secondary backing layer, and the reinforcing serim layer is laid onto the extruded polymer secondary backing layer while the extruded polymer secondary backing layer remains above a softening temperature for the resin. The entire multi-layer web is then passed through a nip to embed the reinforcing scrim layer into the extruded polymer secondary layer, and the entire web is chilled.