Surface Tile With Projecting Part And Tenons

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Solution Overview

Problem

The existing flat tiles require a high number of battens for installation, making the laying process tedious, expensive, and weight-intensive, with increased fragility and storage challenges due to protruding parts for enhanced coverage.

Innovation Solution

A surface tile design featuring a projecting part with tenons on the underside and interlocking zones for attachment to either a batten or adjacent tiles, reducing the number of battens needed and simplifying handling and storage through a rectangular shape with strategically placed studs and grooves.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If a projecting part is added to simulate a higher rank tile, then waterproofing coverage is improved, but manufacturing complexity and fragility increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvewaterproofing coverageVSAvoidmanufacturing complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent uses a groove on the upper face to create a visual copy or simulation of a higher rank tile pattern, rather than actually adding a complex projecting part. This groove-based approach replicates the appearance of traditional stacked tiles while maintaining a simpler, more robust structure that is easier to manufacture and less prone to breakage during handling and storage.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #26Copying

2Adaptability or versatility

If tenons are provided on the underside of a projecting part, then attachment capability is improved, but fragility and storage difficulty increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveattachment capabilityVSAvoidhandling and storage
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The patent extracts the tenon attachment mechanism from the fragile projecting part context and relocates it to the simpler, flat underside of the tile. By providing tenons directly on the main tile body rather than on a protruding element, the design maintains versatile attachment capability while eliminating the fragility and storage issues associated with projecting parts.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

3Productivity

If the tile surface area is increased to cover more area, then the number of battens required is reduced, but handling and storage become more difficult

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveinstallation efficiencyVSAvoidhandling and storage
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The patent segments the enlarged tile surface area into a modular rectangular design with standardized dimensions. This segmentation allows the tile to cover a larger area (reducing the number of battens needed) while maintaining a regular rectangular shape that is easier to handle, stack, and store compared to irregular or protruding designs.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

4Ease of operation

If a rectangular shape is used to simplify storage and handling, then ease of operation is improved, but the ability to simulate traditional tile patterns is reduced

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvestorage and handlingVSAvoidpattern simulation capability
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSShape

Solution Approach 1:

The patent uses visual differentiation through grooves and surface features on the rectangular tile to simulate traditional tile patterns. The groove creating a simulated higher rank tile pattern, along with the interlocking zones and finger structures, allows the simple rectangular shape to maintain both ease of handling and the aesthetic appearance of traditional stacked tile patterns.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #32Color changes

Data Source

PatentEP2055854B1Surface tile with several times the surface area of a standard tile
Publication Date: 2013.08.14 IMERYS TC
  • EP2055854B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP2055854B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP2055854B1 patent drawingFigure 3~4

AI summary

The tile (1) has an upper surface (4) comprising a projecting part (5) for simulating an upper row tile, where the surface rotates on a side opposite to a frame and the tile has rectangular shape. A lower surface is rotated on a side of the frame, and includes a projection element formed of central tenon or studs, close to an upper edge (2) of the tile for fixing the tile on a horizontal batten (23). The lower surface has an additional unit formed of tenons and undercut, shifted towards a lower edge (3) of the tile relative to the element for cooperating with an adjacent tile of different row.