U.S. patent application number 13/991565 was filed with the patent office on 2013-09-26 for barb-type lock floor made of plastic material.
The applicant listed for this patent is Guoping Zhang. Invention is credited to Guoping Zhang.
Application Number | 20130247502 13/991565 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 46559506 |
Filed Date | 2013-09-26 |
United States Patent
Application |
20130247502 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Zhang; Guoping |
September 26, 2013 |
BARB-TYPE LOCK FLOOR MADE OF PLASTIC MATERIAL
Abstract
A barb-type lock floor has a simple structure, but is
particularly suitable for the connection of sheets made of plastic
material with relatively low rigidity. Said plastic sheets may be
rectangular or square, the thickness may be relatively small, such
as 3 to 5 mm. At the same time, it is suitable for relatively thick
sheets. Therefore, the barb (hook) type floor of plastic material
is usable with a broad range of suitable materials, can be easily
processed, achieves firm connection, and makes the installation and
replacement extremely convenient. Meanwhile, the overlapping part
of the connecting portion of sheets with this structure takes up
only about 1.5 to 2% of the total sheet area, which can save a lot
of material during large scale production.
Inventors: |
Zhang; Guoping; (Changzhou
City, CN) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Zhang; Guoping |
Changzhou City |
|
CN |
|
|
Family ID: |
46559506 |
Appl. No.: |
13/991565 |
Filed: |
November 15, 2011 |
PCT Filed: |
November 15, 2011 |
PCT NO: |
PCT/CN11/82242 |
371 Date: |
June 4, 2013 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
52/588.1 ;
52/745.13 |
Current CPC
Class: |
E04F 15/02038 20130101;
E04F 15/105 20130101; E04F 15/10 20130101; E04F 2201/0146
20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
52/588.1 ;
52/745.13 |
International
Class: |
E04F 15/10 20060101
E04F015/10 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Jan 27, 2011 |
CN |
201110029196.3 |
Claims
1-7. (canceled)
8. Plastic flooring comprising: a first flooring sheet having a
first sheet upper surface and a first sheet lower surface separated
by a first sheet thickness, at least one edge of the first sheet
lower surface terminating in an external hook with an external hook
outer surface, an external hook upper surface lying below the first
sheet upper surface, and an external slot inner surface, a first
slot being defined between the external hook inner surface, a first
slot lower surface extending between the first flooring sheet and
the external hook and lying below the external hook upper surface,
and a first slot inner surface, the first slot being opening
upwardly and angled obliquely toward the first sheet upper surface;
and a second flooring sheet having a second sheet upper surface and
a second sheet lower surface separated by a second sheet thickness,
the second sheet thickness being equal to the first sheet thickness
such that the first and second sheet upper surfaces lie in a common
plane when the first and second sheets are connected, at least one
edge of the second sheet upper surface terminating in a tenon
releasably engagable in the first slot, the tenon having a tenon
outer surface, an tenon lower surface lying above the second sheet
lower surface, and a tenon inner surface, a second slot being
defined between the tenon inner surface, a second slot upper
surface extending between the second flooring sheet and the tenon
and lying below the tenon lower surface, and a second slot inner
surface, the second slot being opening downwardly and angled toward
the second sheet lower surface, the second slot accommodating the
external hook with the first and second flooring sheets
connected.
9. The plastic flooring of claim 8, wherein the first slot is
angled toward the first sheet upper surface at an angle of 50 to 80
degrees relative to the common plane.
10. The plastic flooring of claim 9, wherein the first slot is
angled toward the first sheet upper surface at an angle of 60 to 70
degrees relative to the common plane.
11. The plastic flooring of claim 8, wherein a transition between
the first slot lower surface and the external hook inner surface is
a smooth curve.
12. The plastic flooring of claim 8, wherein a transition between
the second slot upper surface and the tenon inner surface is a
smooth curve.
13. The plastic flooring of claim 8, wherein transitions between
the first slot lower surface and the external hook inner surface
and between the second slot upper surface and the tenon inner
surface are both smooth curves.
14. The plastic flooring of claim 8, wherein a gap is formed
between the tenon outer surface and the first slot inner surface
with the tenon engaged in the slot.
15. The plastic flooring of claim 8, wherein a platform extends
between an upper edge of the first slot inner surface and the first
sheep upper surface, effectively increasing a width of the first
slot opening.
16. The plastic flooring of claim 15, wherein a complementary
structure extends between the tenon outer surface and the second
sheet upper surface and rests on the platform with the first and
second flooring sheets connected, such that the first and second
upper surfaces form a continuous surface.
17. The plastic flooring of claim 8, wherein a gap is formed
between the second slot upper surface and the external hook upper
surface with the external hook accommodated in the second slot.
18. The plastic flooring of claim 8, wherein the first and second
sheet thicknesses are 3 millimeters to 5 millimeters.
19. The plastic flooring of claim 8, wherein an overlap between the
connected first and second flooring sheets is 2% or less of a width
of either flooring sheet.
20. The plastic flooring of claim 19, wherein the overlap is
between 1.5% and 2%.
21. A method of installing plastic flooring sheets comprising:
pressing a downwardly and inwardly angled tenon of a first flooring
sheet into a complementary downwardly and inwardly angled slot of a
second flooring sheet such that engagement between the tenon and an
external hook of the second flooring sheet releasably locks the
flooring sheets together.
22. The method of claim 21, pressing the tenon into the slot
includes elastically deforming the tenon until fully inserted into
the slot.
23. The method of claim 22, wherein a smooth transition between the
tenon and the first flooring sheet to prevents cracking during the
elastic deformation of the tenon.
24. The method of claim 21, further comprising removing and
replacing at least one of the first and second flooring sheets.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application is the .sctn.371 National Stage of
International Application No. PCT/CN2011/082242, filed on Nov. 15,
2011, which claims the benefit of Chinese Patent Application No.
201110029196.3, filed on Jan. 27, 2011, the contents of which
applications are herein incorporated by reference in their
entirety.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0002] The present invention relates to a building decoration
material, specifically relates to a decorative panel made of a
plastic material with elastic deformation, and more particularly
relates to an assembly floor decoration material made of plastic
material.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0003] Floor decoration materials have been widely used in home or
in public places. Under normal circumstances, wooden flooring or
composite laminate flooring are primarily used. Plastic flooring is
also a commonly used floor decoration material, which typically has
two structural patterns, one being large area roll form and the
other being in a square form of small area. The two have the common
points in that the thickness is thin, glue needs to be spread on a
large area during installation for bonding with the ground, and it
is difficult to maintain due to local wear after a period of use
and inconvenient to replace. Currently, the lock structure similar
to those on composite laminate flooring is also used on plastic
flooring. The structures disclosed by Chinese Patent No.
CN97190692.0, for example, has a basic structure of plate that
comprises a tongue portion extending horizontally at one end
thereof and a horizontal slot at the other end. The tongue portion
inserts into the slot for connection. This structure is suitable
for composite laminate flooring with substantial rigidity and
thickness, and is not suitable for flooring made of thinner and
softer plastic material. The installation of the above structure is
time consuming. Moreover, the length of the overlapping segment
between the tongue portion and the slot may be 3.about.5% of the
plate width. As a result, the waste is relatively high during
large-scale production. It also has other drawbacks, for example,
it is easy to deform when contacting water. Formaldehyde is
typically used as adhesive for composite laminate flooring, which
is harmful to both the environment and people. How to solve the
connection problem of relatively soft plates made of plastic
material is important for practical applications.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0004] The object of the present invention is to disclose a buckle
structure suitable for the connection of strip-shaped sheets made
of plastic material such that they can be effectively connected and
have a plurality of advantages.
[0005] The technical solutions of the present invention are as
follows: comprising a sheet made of strip-shaped plastic material,
its one side is formed with a slot, and the opposing other side has
a corresponding tenon that may be inserted into the slot. The key
is that the slot opens upwardly, the tenon points downwardly, and
when the slot and the tenon are mutually meshed, the angle A
between the slot and the plane of the sheet is 50 to 80 degrees,
forming an obliquely downward slot, the tenon is adapted to fit the
obliquely downward slot.
[0006] More preferably, the angle A between said slot and the plane
of the sheet is 60 to 70 degrees.
[0007] A transition section with a smooth curve is formed between
the slot and the sheet.
[0008] More preferably, both the end portion of the tenon and the
inner end angle of the external hook of the slot have a transition
of a smooth curve.
[0009] The inner edge of said slot has a folding platform on the
top portion thereof to form a larger opening of the slot.
[0010] A small gap is formed between said tenon and the inner edge
of the slot that forms a space for accommodating tenon
deformation.
[0011] A small gap is formed between the upper surface of the
external hook of the slot and the sheet.
[0012] Although the structure according to the present invention is
simple, a horizontal barb structure is formed through the
connection between the slot and the tenon, namely the oblique
opening of the slot is upward while the tenon goes downward
obliquely. Said barb-shaped slot and tenon structure that is
obliquely configured is particularly suitable for the connection of
strip-shaped plates made of relatively thin plastic material.
During installation, the tenon just needs to be pressed into the
slot, and the tenon will smoothly enter the slot due to the
relatively large deformation during the pressing process as a
result of the high ductility and elasticity of the plastic
material. No regular hardwood or composite plates could achieve the
above press-fit process. With the above barb structure, the
engagement effect is extraordinary after installation and will not
be disengaged due to environmental changes. The excellent
engagement effect makes the connected plates a great single piece
and makes it unnecessary to spread glue on the ground. As a result,
it saves labor and materials for the installation process. When the
plate surface is worn, moreover, it is easy to take out the plates
with worn surface for replacement, which is difficult for the
current plastic floor decoration materials. Although the present
invention has a simple structure, therefore, it has outstanding
practical effect, doubtlessly creates areas for the application of
plates made of plastic materials, and makes them easier to be
accepted by users. The structure according to the present invention
is suitable for all types of plastic materials, such as PVC, PE or
other synthetic materials.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0013] FIG. 1 is a sectional view of the structure of an embodiment
of the present invention.
[0014] FIG. 2 is a sectional view of the structure of another
embodiment of the present invention.
[0015] FIG. 3 is a sectional view of the structure of the sheet
with a slot on the end in FIG. 2.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0016] Refer to FIG. 1 to FIG. 3, a specific embodiment of the
present invention is as follows: comprising a sheet 1, 1A made of
strip-shaped plastic material, the strip-shaped sheet 1, 1A is
typically 8.about.15 cm wide and about 50.about.100 cm long. Of
course, it is not limited to the above dimension. The thickness may
be a few millimeters, and therefore the sheet has relatively low
rigidity, i.e. it is relatively soft. A slot 2, 2A is formed on one
side thereof, and the opposing side has a corresponding tenon 3, 3A
that can be inserted into the slot 2, 2A, the other opposing side
also has corresponding slot 2, 2A and tenon 3, 3A. As a result, the
sheets can be connected to each other in a desired area.
Significantly, the slot 2, 2A has an upward opening (as shown in
FIG. 3), the tenon 3, 3A goes downward (as shown in FIG. 1 and FIG.
2) when the slot 2, 2A and the tenon 3, 3A are mutually meshed. The
angle A between the slot 2, 2A and the plane of the sheet 1, 1A is
50 to 80 degrees, forming an obliquely downward slot 2, 2A. The
tenon 3, 3A is adapted to fit the obliquely downward slot 2, 2A,
i.e. the external end portion of the slot 2,2A forms an external
hook 6, 6A, the tenon 3, 3A also forms a hook with the sheet that
forms an integral piece therewith, said hook-shaped connection
structure forms a barb-shaped structure, and said barb-shaped
structure is particularly suitable for thin flexible sheets.
[0017] During use, the tenon 3, 3A is placed above the slot 2, 2A,
the sheet with the tenon 3, 3A is pressed to push the tenon 3, 3A
into the slot 2, 2A. During the press-fit process, the external
hook 6, 6A on one side of the slot 2, 2A is squeezed by the tenon
3, 3A and develops a deformation toward the outer side, and at the
same time, the tenon is also pressed to develop a deformation
toward the outer side of its own sheet. Due to the presence of the
above deformations of the external hook 6, 6A and the tenon 3, 3A,
the tenon 3, 3A can enter the slot 2, 2A. When the tenon 3, 3A
completely enters the slot 2, 2A, the above deformations disappear,
thereby realizing the fitting and mutual engagement between the
slot 2, 2A and the tenon 3, 3A such that the two sheets are
connected.
[0018] To make the above press-fit process between the tenon 3, 3A
and the slot 2, 2A smooth, the angle A between the plane of said
slot 2, 2A and the plane of the sheet 1 is 60 to 70 degrees, both
to ensure relatively small deformation during the press-fit process
and to ensure that there is sufficient engagement between the slot
2, 2A and the tenon 3, 3A, such that the two will not be disengaged
during use. In the above deformation process of the external hook
6, 6A and the tenon 3, 3A, there is a concentration of stress
between the root of the tenon 3, 3A and the sheet 1, 1A that is
connected integrally therewith. Therefore, it is easy to produce
tiny cracks as a result of the stress at the angle portion formed
between the tenon 3, 3A and the sheet 1, 1A that is connected
integrally therewith. The angle portion formed between the tenon 3,
3A and the sheet 1, 1A that is connected integrally therewith is
consequently formed to be a transition section 4, 4A with a smooth
curve, thereby eliminating the above stress and preventing damages
to the root of the tenon 3, 3A; similarly, a transition with a
smooth curve is also formed between the above external hook 6, 6A
and the sheet 1, 1A that is connected integrally therewith. To make
the process that the tenon 3, 3A is pressed into the slot 2, 2A
smoother, both the end portion 5, 5A of the tenon 3, 3A and the
inner end angle 7, 7A of the external hook 6, 6A of the slot 2, 2A
have a transition of a smooth curve.
[0019] In one embodiment (FIGS. 2 and 3), the inner edge 8A of said
slot 2A has a folding platform 9A on the top portion thereof such
that the opening of the slot 2A has a larger opening and it is
easier for the tenon 3A to enter the slot 2A, making it difficult
to obstruct the entering.
[0020] A small gap 10, 10A is formed between said tenon 3, 3A and
the inner edge 8, 8A of the slot 2, 2A that forms a space for
accommodating the deformation of tenon 3, 3A, making it easier for
pushing the tenon 3, 3A into the slot 2, 2A, and at the same time,
leaving a space for the expansion caused by heat and contraction
caused by cold, preventing the sheet 1, 1A from bulging due to
expansion. At the same time, a small gap is formed between the
upper surface of the external hook 6, 6A of the slot 2, 2A and the
sheet 1, 1A. Said gap ensures that the tenon 3, 3A will be
completely pushed into the slot 2, 2A even when the tenon 3, 3A has
processing errors.
[0021] The present invention has a simple structure, but is
particularly suitable for the connection of sheets made of plastic
material with relatively low rigidity. Said plastic sheets may be
rectangular or square, the thickness may be relatively small, such
as 3 to 5 mm. At the same time, it is suitable for relatively thick
sheets. Therefore, the barb (hook) type floor of plastic material
disclosed by the present invention has a broad range of suitable
materials, can be easily processed, achieves firm connection, and
makes the installation and replacement extremely convenient.
Meanwhile, the overlapping part of the connecting portion of sheets
with this structure takes up only about 1.5 to 2% of the total
sheet area, which is far lower than 3.about.5% of the total area
taken up the slot and tenon structure according to the prior art
level, which can save a lot of material during large scale
production.
* * * * *