Plastic Floor Plank
A plastic floor plank includes an elongated bottom layer and a rectangular top layer. The bottom layer includes two opposite long sides and two opposite short sides. One long side includes tongues, and the other long side includes grooves opposing the tongues. The tongue is substantially complimentary to the groove. The rectangular top layer has a top surface provided with a wood grain design. The top layer has substantially the same size as the bottom layer when the tongues along one side of the bottom layer are cut. The top layer has an adhesive bottom surface bonded with a top surface of the bottom layer to laminate the top layer and the bottom layer together. In an installation, the tongues of one floor plank are inserted into the grooves of the other floor plank, and a gap is formed between the tongue and the groove.
1. Field of Invention
The invention relates to floor planks and more particularly to a plastic floor plank having interlocked tongue and groove engagements, gaps between adjacent blocks for thermal expansion, and adhesively bonded top and bottom layers.
2. Description of Related Art
U.S. Pat. No. 7,155,871 to Stone et al. discloses a floor plank as shown in
However, a couple of drawbacks of the prior art floor plank have been found. For example, four sides of each of the top, middle, and bottom layers 1, 3, 2 are vertical and relatively smooth. Thus, this floor plank assembly pattern is without a tongue and groove engagement for securement of similar blocks in side-by-side and end-to-end relationship. Hence, fastening of any two adjacent blocks of the same elevation is neither durable nor reliable because of thermal expansion. This can undesirably deform the floor. Further, no teeth are formed on any side of the floor plank. Thus, registration of two adjacent blocks is difficult. This in turn can render the floor plank assembly pattern to be visually unattractive. Thus, the need for improvement still exists.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONIt is therefore one object of the invention to provide a plastic floor plank comprising an elongated bottom layer comprising two opposite long sides and two opposite short sides wherein one long side includes a plurality of equally spaced tongues and the other long side includes a plurality of equally spaced grooves, the tongue of one long side is opposite to the groove of the other long side, and the tongue is substantially complimentary to the groove; and a rectangular top layer having a top surface provided with a wood grain design, the top layer having substantially the same size as the bottom layer when the tongues along one side of the bottom layer are cut, the top layer having an adhesive bottom surface bonded with a top surface of the bottom layer to laminate the top layer and the bottom layer together, wherein in the laminated state of the top layer and the bottom layer, the grooves along the other long side of the bottom layer are concealed by the top layer, and the tongues along one long side of the bottom layer are exposed; and wherein in an installation of a first plastic floor plank and a second plastic floor plank, the tongues of the first plastic floor plank are inserted into the complimentary grooves of the second plastic floor plank and secured to the adhesive bottom surface, and a gap is formed between the tongue of the first plastic floor plank and the corresponding groove of the second plastic floor plank.
The above and other objects, features and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description taken with the accompanying drawings.
Referring to
A bottom layer 10 is elongated and comprises two opposite long sides 11, 13 and two opposite short sides 12, 14. One long side 11 has a plurality of equally spaced tongues 111 and the other long side 13 has a plurality of equally spaced grooves 131. The tongue 111 of one long side 11 is opposite to the groove 131 of the other long side 13. Also, the tongue 111 is substantially a complimentary member of the groove 131.
A top layer 20 is rectangular and has a top surface provided with a design such as synthetic wood grain design that resembles natural wood. The top layer 20 has substantially the same size as the bottom layer 10 if the tongues 111 of the bottom layer 10 are cut. The top layer 20 has a bottom surface 21 coated with a suitable adhesive which is adapted to bond with a top surface of the bottom layer 10 for laminating the top layer 20 and the bottom layer 10 together.
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The invention has the following characteristics and advantages: It is an interlocked flooring system with a tongue and groove engagement for securement of similar blocks in side-by-side and even end-to-end relationship (i.e., being highly registered). The installation of the plastic floor plank is thus reliable and durable. Further, it is visually aesthetic.
While the invention has been described in terms of preferred embodiments, those skilled in the art will recognize that the invention can be practiced with modifications within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.
Claims
1. A plastic floor plank assembly comprising:
- an elongated bottom layer comprising first and second opposite long sides and first and second opposite short sides, wherein the first long side includes a plurality of equally spaced tongues and the second long side includes a plurality of equally spaced grooves, wherein the plurality of tongues of the first long side is opposite to the plurality of grooves of the second long side, and wherein the plurality of tongues is substantially complimentary to the plurality of grooves; and
- a rectangular top layer having a top surface provided with a wood grain design, with the top layer having substantially a same size as the bottom layer when the plurality of tongues along the first long side of the bottom layer are cut, with the top layer having an adhesive bottom surface bonded with a top surface of the bottom layer to laminate the top layer and the bottom layer together in a laminated state to form a plaster floor plank,
- wherein each tongue and each groove have a rectangular shape parallel to the top surface of the bottom layer;
- wherein in the laminated state of the top layer and the bottom layer, the grooves along the second long side of the bottom layer are concealed by the top layer, and the tongues along the first long side of the bottom layer are exposed; and
- wherein during installation of a first plastic floor plank and a second plastic floor plank, the plurality of tongues of the first plastic floor plank are inserted into the complimentary plurality of grooves of the second plastic floor plank and secured to the adhesive bottom surface, and a gap is formed between each tongue of the first plastic floor plank and the corresponding groove of the second plastic floor plank.
2. The plastic floor plank assembly of claim 1, wherein the first short side of the bottom layer is formed with a plurality of tongues and the second short side thereof is formed with a plurality of grooves each being substantially complimentary to the plurality of tongues along the first short side of the bottom layer.
Type: Application
Filed: Dec 10, 2010
Publication Date: Jun 14, 2012
Inventor: Ying-Chou Wei (Tanzih Township)
Application Number: 12/964,791
International Classification: E04F 13/26 (20060101);