Tile Anchoring System with Curved Male Elements
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current assembly systems for floor and wall tiles face challenges in optimizing the assembly process, achieving a perfectly flushed surface, and allowing for flexible directional assembly, while also requiring adhesive materials and lacking mechanisms for easy access to underlying spaces for inspection or repair.
Innovation Solution
The proposed assembly system features hidden anchoring means with curved male elements that fit into annular grooves on the underside of tiles, allowing for stable and flexible assembly without adhesives, and includes a raised floor design with wedges to create space for utilities, enabling tiles to be assembled on any side and allowing for removable sections for access.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If traditional tongued and grooved systems are used for tile assembly, then the assembly process can be simplified, but the system lacks reference points for correct longitudinal adjustment and only permits installation in one direction
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies asymmetry by providing male and female portions at alternating lateral edges of tiles, where the configuration and distribution of these connecting elements differ between opposite edges. This asymmetric arrangement enables tiles to be assembled in multiple directions while maintaining proper alignment, resolving the contradiction between ease of assembly and directional flexibility.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a new dimension of freedom by allowing assembly in multiple directions (not just one direction as in traditional systems). The alternating male and female portions on lateral edges create a two-dimensional assembly flexibility, enabling tiles to be installed in various orientations while maintaining simplicity through the interlocking mechanism.
2Strength
If adhesive materials are used for tile anchoring, then strong bonding is achieved, but the system becomes less flexible for removal and access to underlying spaces
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the anchoring function into mechanical interlocking components (male and female portions) that can be assembled and disassembled without adhesives. This segmentation allows tiles to be securely bonded through the interlocking mechanism while maintaining the ability to remove and reassemble tiles, enabling access to underlying spaces for inspection or repair.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the chemical bonding system (adhesives) with a mechanical interlocking system consisting of male and female portions. This substitution provides equivalent or superior bonding strength while eliminating the permanent nature of adhesive bonds, allowing for easy removal, repositioning, and access to underlying spaces when needed.
3Ease of manufacture
If tiles are assembled with visible connecting elements, then the assembly mechanism is simple, but the aesthetic appearance is compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the connecting elements (male and female portions) from the visible surface of the tiles and relocates them to the lateral edges and underside of the tiles. This extraction allows the top surface to remain perfectly flush and aesthetically pleasing, while the connecting mechanism remains functional at the edges where it is not visible in the finished installation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies the nesting principle by placing the male portions within grooves or channels on the underside of tiles, and the female portions receiving the male portions in a nested configuration. This nesting hides the connecting elements within the tile structure itself, maintaining a clean, flush surface appearance while preserving the mechanical interlocking function.
Data Source
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AI summary
It is disclosed an assembly system for floor and/or wall tiles. The assembly system includes anchoring means between tiles arranged in a coplanar plane. The system is characterized in that the anchoring means are determined from portions curved in the shape of a groove located in the underside of the tiles and matching the side edges of the tiles that guide said curved portions to converge on said edges. When the tiles are put together next to each other head to head and at the point where the corners converge, these curved grooved portions form a channel on the underside of the tiles inside which male elements fit tightly in at least a portion of it to couple and engage at least two adjacent tiles.