Magnetic tiles and method of installation thereof

Abstract

A tile is for installation with at least another tile on a wall surface having magnetic properties, the tile comprising a rear surface, a front surface and a peripheral edge. The tile rear surface has magnetic properties for magnetic adherence to the surface, and the peripheral edge of the tile defines first and second fastening means, the first fastening means of a given tile for releasable connection to the second fastening means of an adjacent tile.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to tiles, and more particularly to magnetic tiles and a method of installation thereof.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

It is sometimes desirable to replace individual tiles or a group of tiles already mounted to a wall, because they have been broken, chipped, discoloured, for decorative reasons, etc. However, conventional outdoor and indoor tiles are generally adhered by means of mortar, adhesive or the like, to the underlying surface (plaster, drywall, wood, etc.), and generally the tiles cannot be removed without being damaged. Exchanging tiles requires skills and is usually carried out by a skilled artisan.

Prior art magnetic tile systems are known to reduce the complexity of the tile replacement procedure. An example of magnetic tile systems includes tiles having magnetic means secured to their rear surface, adhered magnetically to a surface having a high magnetic permeability (e.g. a drywall primed with metallic paint).

A disadvantage with existing magnetic tile systems applied onto vertical wall or horizontal ground surfaces is that the mere magnetic bond of their rear surface to the underlying surface is not strong enough to hold them firmly in place for extended periods of time. Indeed, the position of prior art magnetic tiles shifts too easily under the influence of gravity, the application of pressure thereon, vibrations, etc. Magnetic tile layouts thus have the disadvantage of quickly losing their neat and tidy look as the tiles' position easily shifts with time. The tiles become misaligned, and gaps and cracks appear between adjacent tiles.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a tile, for installation with at least another said tile on a wall surface having magnetic properties, said tile comprising a rear surface, a front surface and a peripheral edge, wherein said tile rear surface has magnetic properties for magnetic adherence to the surface, and said peripheral edge defines first and second fastening means, said first fastening means of one of said tile for releasable connection to the second fastening means of an adjacent one of said tile.

In one embodiment, said rear panel is at least partially magnetically attractive, and is for installation on a wall surface having high magnetic permeability.

In one embodiment, said first fastening means consist of male fastening means and said second fastening means consist of female fastening means, said male fastening means of one said tile being for interlocking engagement with the female fastening means of an adjacent said tile.

In one embodiment, a portion of said tile peripheral edge forms a tongue, and another portion of said tile peripheral edge forms a groove, said tongue and said groove being of complementary shape.

In one embodiment, the tile further comprises a front panel, a rear panel, and an intermediate panel sandwiched between said front and rear panels, each one of said front, intermediate and rear panels defining a peripheral edge.

In one embodiment, said front and rear panels have similar peripheral dimensions, and are aligned together, and said intermediate panel is offset relative to said front and rear panels. The offset of said intermediate panel with respect to said front and rear panels causes:

• • a portion of said intermediate panel to extend beyond the peripheral edges of said front and rear panels, this portion of said intermediate portion forming said tongue; and
  • registering portions of said front and rear panels to extend beyond the peripheral edge of said intermediate panels, thus creating a channel having sides defined by said front and rear panels, and a floor defined by said intermediate panel peripheral edge, said channel forming said groove.

In one embodiment, said rear panel is made of magnetic sheet material.

In one embodiment, said tongue is provided with magnetically attractive means, enabling magnetic fastening of said tongue in said groove.

In one embodiment, said tile is made from flexible materials, enabling it to be resiliently bent.

In one embodiment, a decorative design is displayed on said tile front surface. The present invention also relates to a method of installation of magnetic tiles on a wall surface, said wall surface having magnetic properties, said method comprising the steps of:

• • providing a number of tiles, each tile comprising a rear surface, a front surface and a peripheral edge, wherein said tile rear surface has magnetic properties for magnetic adherence to said wall surface, and said peripheral edge defines first and second fastening means, said first fastening means of one of said tiles for releasable connection to the second fastening means of an adjacent one of said tiles;
  • magnetically adhering a first one of said tiles to said wall surface by bringing said first tile rear surface into contact with said wall surface;
  • connecting said first fastening means of said second tile with said second fastening means of said first tile; and
  • magnetically adhering said second tile with said wall surface.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In the annexed drawings:

FIG. 1 shows a number of magnetic tiles according to the present invention, some of them interlocked with each other and adhered to a portion of an elbowed wall surface shown in dotted lines in the background;

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of one of the magnetic tiles of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is side cross-sectional view of a magnetic tile, taken along lines III-III of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the magnetic tile of FIG. 2, showing in enlarged view the area demarcated by arrows IV-IV of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view the magnetic tile of FIG. 2, showing in enlarged view the area demarcated by arrows V-V of FIG. 3; and

FIGS. 6-8 are side cross-sectional views of a magnetic tile, showing sequentially how a magnetic tile of the present invention is adhered to a magnetic surface, and how it is interlocked with an adjacent, previously installed tile.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

FIG. 1 shows a number of magnetic tiles 10 closely fitted next to each other, and adhered magnetically on a surface S having magnetic properties.

As can be seen in FIGS. 2-8, each tile defines a front surface, a rear surface having magnetic properties, and a peripheral edge. Each tile is provided with first fastening means, and second fastening means. The first fastening means of a given tile are for connection to the second fastening means of an adjacent tile.

In one embodiment of the present invention, these first and second fastening means are provided on the peripheral edge of each tile. These first fastening means are male fastening means, and the second fastening means are female fastening means. The male fastening means of a given tile is for interlocking engagement in the female fastening means of the adjacent tile.

The embodiment of the invention shown in the drawings will now be described. Each tile 10 defines three layers and comprises a front panel 12 (forming the front surface of the panel), an intermediate panel 20 and a rear panel 30 (forming the rear surface of the panel), each layer being fixedly adhered to the next one using conventional permanent-bond adhesive for example. The front, rear and intermediate panels may have a square shape, and matching peripheral dimensions.

The outer face of front panel 12 is exposed when the tile is installed. As such it can optionally display decorative features such as bevelled edges, an embossed, raised or printed pattern, etc. Front panel 12 could for example be made out of sheet vinyl. Front panel 12 can be contoured with an imitation sealant joint so that the finished tile layout looks like a traditional ceramic tile layout. Moreover, front panel 12 is preferably coated with a protective layer (i.e. acrylic) to facilitate maintenance and cleaning thereof.

Rear panel 30 is made of a conventional permanent magnet sheet material, for example a conventional resinous matrix into which are embedded minute magnetic particles such as magnetic ferrite powder. Such magnetic sheet material is sold for example by Ugarit M. A. Inc., a Canadian company.

As can be seen in FIGS. 2-5, the front and rear panels are aligned with each other, i.e. the peripheral edge of both panels registers perfectly when the tile is looked at from the front point of view of FIG. 2.

An intermediate panel 20 is sandwiched between the front and rear panels 12 and 30. Intermediate panel 20 is offset with respect to the front and rear panels 12 and 30 along X and Y axes extending in the plane of the tile (FIG. 2). The magnitude of the intermediate panel's X-axis offset relative to the front and rear panels 12, 30 is of equal magnitude than the Y-axis offset.

This offset causes a first portion of intermediate panel 20 to extend beyond the peripheral edge of the front and rear panels 12, 30. This first portion forms a tongue 24. Opposite to this tongue 24, matching and registering portions of front and rear panels 12, 30 extend beyond the peripheral edge of intermediate panel 20, thereby forming a groove 26 along the peripheral edge of tile 10. This groove 26 is a hollow, cross-sectionally U-shaped channel (FIG. 5), and has a shape complementary to that of tongue 24. The sides of this channel are formed by the front and rear panels 12 and 30, and the floor of this channel are formed by the peripheral edge of intermediate panel 20. Both the tongue 24 and the groove 26 are L-shaped. Tongue 24 defines two elbowed sections 24a, 24b, and groove 26 defines two elbowed sections 26a, 26b.

As can be seen in FIG. 4, tongue 24 comprises magnetically attractive means. More particularly, tongue 24 defines an indentation 27 running longitudinally along its rear surface, i.e. the surface thereof facing rear panel 30. Indentation 27 is lined with a magnetic strip 28. The depth of indentation 27 is equal to the thickness of magnetic strip 28; the outer surface of magnetic strip 28 is therefore coplanar with the rear surface of intermediate panel 20.

The materials from which the front, intermediate, and rear panels are made are all flexible. This will enable the tile to resiliently deform and bend, and will greatly facilitate installation of the tiles on surface S, as described hereafter. For example, front, intermediate and rear panels could be fabricated from recycled tire rubber granules, for environmental purposes.

The surface S onto which the tiles 10—which have a magnetic back—are to be installed needs to have high magnetic permeability in order for the tiles to magnetically adhere thereto in a fixed yet removable fashion. One technique of providing a regular surface with high magnetic permeability is to coat it with conventional metallic paint or primer, generally composed of a hard-drying carrier such as latex paint, and of iron particles suspended therein. Metallic paint, in order to be optimally efficient, needs to be applied in various coats. Metallic paint is for example sold by Kling Magnetics®, a US company, under brand name “Magic Wall Magnetic Paint”.

Surface S could initially be already covered with old tiles. To prime surface S to receive the magnetic tiles of the present invention, the old ceramic tiles are slightly sanded, and are then coated with a primer for ceramic tiles (for example manufactured by US company “Zinsser” under brand name “Bulls Eye 1-2-3”), to promote adherence of the metallic paint thereon. Once the primer for ceramic tiles has been suitably applied on the old tiles, metallic paint can be applied over the primer. Surface S is then ready to receive the magnetic tiles.

Any suitable alternate technique could be used to provide surface S with high magnetic permeability. A high-permeability metallic panel can be secured beneath or over surface S, which can for example be drywall, plywood, etc.

To install the tiles on surface S, and more particularly on section M thereof having high magnetic permeability—a drywall section coated with metallic paint for example—a first tile 10A (see FIGS. 1 and 6-8) is adhered to the surface at the desired position, for example at the bottom right corner of the wall, as seen at 10A in FIG. 1. Then, as shown in FIG. 6-8, another tile 10B is interlocked with the first one. To do so, the workman aligns the tongue section 24a of second tile 10B with the groove section 26a of the first tile 10A, while bringing it close to surface S. The user concomitantly bends the flexible tile 10B away from the surface S, to diminish the magnetic attraction force pulling the tile towards the high magnetic permeability portion M of surface S, and thus facilitate the precise positioning of the tile by the user.

The tongue section 24a of tile 10A is then inserted and interlocked in the groove 26a of tile 10A. As mentioned above, the rear surface of tongue 24 is lined with a magnetic strip 28, and one of the side walls the groove 26 is formed by rear panel 26, which is made from a magnetic sheet material. Thus, when the tongue 24 of a first tile is inserted in and interlocked with the groove 26 of a second adjacent tile, magnetic strip 28 of said first tile concurrently comes into physical contact, and magnetically adheres to magnetic rear panel 30 of said second tile. This magnetic attraction between the tongue and groove portions of adjacent tiles enables magnetic fastening thereof, and promotes durable immobility of the tile layout.

Once tongue section 24a of tile 10B is inserted in groove section 26a of the adjacent tile, the user can release the tile in order for it to resiliently unbend and return to its planar shape, and allow its rear panel to entirely magnetically adhere to surface S.

The process is then repeated by interlocking each tile, one at a time, with previously installed tiles. To install a tile 10E in a corner formed by two previously installed adjacent tiles 10C, 10D (FIG. 1), tile 10E is first interlocked with one of the tiles 10C, 10D, and is then interlocked with the other one. For example, the tongue section 24a of tile 10E is first interlocked with groove 26a of tile 10D, leaving a slight gap between the tile 10E and the other previously installed tile 10C so that tile 10E clears tongue 24a of tile 10C. Tile 10E is then forcibly slid towards tile 10C, with sufficient force to overpower the mutual magnetic attraction force of magnetic strip 28 of tile 10E and rear panel 30 of tile 10D that hinders the sliding motion, until tongue section 24a is snugly and completely engaged in groove 26a of tile 10E.

In addition, the removal of tiles is very simple. Moreover, since the tiles are made of flexible material, one can select a tile to remove, and insert a flat-tip screwdriver of other similar device, in the interstice between the tile and an adjacent one. The screwdriver is then used to pry the tile out of position, and undo the interlocking engagement of its tongue/groove with the complementary groove/tongue of the adjacent tile, without any damage to the tile being pried out or the surrounding tiles. This procedure quite easily to carry out, and is made possible since the tiles are made from flexible materials. Indeed, the tongue, and the lateral sides of the groove are made from flexible materials, they can bend and deform to allow the tongue-and-groove engagement between adjacent tiles to be undone by prying the tile away from the wall surface S, without having to neatly disengaging the interlocking tongue and/or groove of the tile being removed from the tongue/groove of the adjacent tiles.

The tiles of the present embodiment are of course efficient in dry environments, and have shown to be surprisingly efficient also in wet environments, for example in a bathroom. Indeed, the tongue-and-groove engagement of adjacent tiles is substantially waterproof due to the magnetic interlocking of contiguous tiles, i.e. the adherence of the tongue of a tile in the groove of the adjacent one.

It is understood that modifications could be made to the above-described embodiment, without departing from the scope of the present invention.

In the above-described embodiment, the tiles are provided with a magnetically attractive rear surface, and the wall is provided with high magnetic permeability to hold the magnetic tile. In alternate embodiments, the magnetic properties of the tiles and the surface could be inverted, i.e. the rear surface of the tiles could be made of materials having high magnetic permeability, and the surface could be magnetically attractive.

It is also understood that even though the entirety of the rear panel of each tile is made of a magnetic material, it could be made only partially magnetically attractive. For example, the rear panel could be a regular plastic sheet into which a number of holes are made, each hole being fitted with magnets.

Although the tiles are shown to have a square shape, the tiles could have any other suitable shape. Moreover, the term “tile” as used in the appended claims should be interpreted to include any upright wall or floor attachment that are for installation in contiguous, juxtaposed fashion. The present invention could indeed apply to baseboards, cyma, ogees, etc. It could also apply to soundproofing boards (made of conventional acoustic fibres) that can be fastened to the walls of a living room to make it soundproof (e.g. a home entertainment room provided with TV, loud speakers etc.)

The term “wall surface” in the appended claims should also be construed as including any suitable application surface (upright wall, floor surface, ceiling, corners, etc.)

Claims

1. A tile, for installation with at least another said tile on a wall surface having magnetic properties, said tile comprising a rear surface, a front surface and a peripheral edge, wherein said tile rear surface has magnetic properties for magnetic adherence to the surface, and said peripheral edge defines first and second fastening means, said first fastening means of one of said tile for releasable connection to the second fastening means of an adjacent one of said tile.

2. The tile according to claim 1,

wherein said rear panel is at least partially magnetically attractive, and is for installation on a wall surface having high magnetic permeability.

3. The tile according to claim 1,

wherein said tile is made from flexible materials, enabling it to be resiliently bent.

4. The tile according to claim 3,

with said first fastening means consisting of male fastening means and with said second fastening means consisting of female fastening means, wherein said male fastening means of one said tile is for interlocking engagement with the female fastening means of an adjacent said tile.

5. The tile according to claim 4,

wherein a portion of said tile peripheral edge forms a tongue, and another portion of said tile peripheral edge forms a groove, said tongue and said groove being of complementary shape.

6. The tile according to claim 5,

further comprising a front panel, a rear panel, and an intermediate panel sandwiched between said front and rear panels, each one of said front, intermediate and rear panels defining a peripheral edge.

7. The tile according to claim 6,

wherein said front and rear panels have similar peripheral dimensions, and are aligned together, and said intermediate panel is offset relative to said front and rear panels;

wherein the offset of said intermediate panel with respect to said front and rear panels causes: a portion of said intermediate panel to extend beyond the peripheral edges of said front and rear panels, this portion of said intermediate portion forming said tongue; and registering portions of said front and rear panels to extend beyond the peripheral edge of said intermediate panels, thus creating a channel having sides defined by said front and rear panels, and a floor defined by said intermediate panel peripheral edge, said channel forming said groove.

8. The tile according to claim 6,

wherein said rear panel is made of magnetic sheet material.

9. The tile according to claim 5,

wherein said tongue is provided with magnetically attractive means, enabling magnetic fastening of said tongue in said groove.

10. The tile according to claim 1,

wherein a decorative design is displayed on said tile front surface.

11. A method of installation of magnetic tiles on a wall surface, said wall surface having magnetic properties, said method comprising the steps of:

providing a number of tiles, each tile comprising a rear surface, a front surface and a peripheral edge, wherein said tile rear surface has magnetic properties for magnetic adherence to said wall surface, and said peripheral edge defines first and second fastening means, said first fastening means of one of said tiles for releasable connection to the second fastening means of an adjacent one of said tiles;

magnetically adhering a first one of said tiles to said wall surface by bringing said first tile rear surface into contact with said wall surface;

connecting said first fastening means of said second tile with said second fastening means of said first tile; and

magnetically adhering said second tile with said wall surface.