Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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IMPROVED HARDWOOD FLOORING BOARD
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
This application claims priority from U.S. Provisional, patent application
Serial No. (to be assigned), for an Improved Hardwood Flooring Board filed on
April 20, 2004.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to flooring surfaces, more specifically to a
flooring surface made of individual flooring boards secured to one another to
form
the flooring surface.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
In a large number of commercial and residential buildings, hardwood
flooring surfaces are utilized to provide an aesthetically pleasing appearance
to the
interior of the building. In most instances, the flooring surface is formed
from a
number of flooring boards or planks engaged with one another to form the
flooring surface. These boards are usually formed entirely of the desired
hardwood, with each board being formed into the desired shape to facilitate
the
use of the boards to form the flooring surface.
However, while these hardwood flooring surfaces provide the desired
appearance to the interior of the building, the natural characteristics of
traditional
solid wood flooring often create challenges during installation and can
develop
later effecting the long term performance of the floor.
To reduce these problems, a number of different types of flooring boards
has been developed that are formed from non-hardwood materials that give the
appearance of a hardwood. While these boards are faster to install and can be
less
expensive, the quality of the hardwood appearance is often unsatisfactory, and
long term performance is poor, as normal wear and tear can often damage the
hardwood-appearing surface of the boards, exposing the non-hardwood material
forming the board.
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Therefore, it is desirable to develop a flooring board that is made of wood,
yet is easy to install with a special profile and construction that insures
long term
performance. Further, the board should be able to be maintained in a manner
similar to that of a hardwood surface and offer all the aesthetic features of
a
s traditional solid wood floor.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
According to a primary aspect of the present invention, an improved
hardwood flooring is constructed with upper and lower layers formed of a
conventional flooring material and a central or middle layer formed of an
1o alternative non-hardwood flooring material. The board includes a hardwood
layer
forming the upper layer of the board to give the board the appearance of a
conventional hardwood flooring surface when the boards are assembled to form
the flooring surface. This enables the boards to be sanded when damaged
similarly
to a hardwood only board in order to maintain the hardwood appearance of the
15 board.
However, the use of the alternative flooring material as the middle layer or
core of the board greatly increases the dimensional stability of the board. In
addition, the raw material cost for the non-hardwood material forming the
middle
layer costs less than that of the hardwood forming the upper layer. Further,
the
2o types of non-hardwood materials that can be used to form the middle layer
can be
chosen to enhance various properties of the board, such as the dimensional
stability, longer average board length and a specially milled connection
between
each board that significantly minimizes any future visible contraction of each
board.
25 Other aspects, features and advantages of the present invention will be
made apparent from the following detailed description taken together with the
drawing and figure.
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BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The drawings illustrate the best most currently contemplated of practicing
the present invention.
In the drawings:
Figure 1 is an isometric view of a flooring surface constructed using
boards formed according to the present invention;
Figure 2 is an isometric view of a flooring board constructed according to
the present invention;
Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view along line 3-3 of Fig. 2;
1 o Figures 4A-4B are partially broken away cross-sectional views of the
boaxds of Fig. 3 in connected and disconnected configurations; and
Figures SA-SD are partially broken away cross-sectional views illustrating
the connection of the boards of Figs. 4A-4B.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
15 With reference now to the drawing figures in which like reference
numerals designate like parts throughout the disclosure, a flooring surface is
shown generally at 8 in Figure 1. The surface is formed over a support surface
9,
such as a concrete slab, from a number of flooring boards 10 constructed
according the present invention.
2o Looking now at Figs. 2-3, each board 10 is between 0.10 inches and 1.00
inches,
and preferably about 0.75 inches in thickness, and includes an upper layer 12,
a
core or middle layer 14 and a lower layer 16. The upper layer 12 and the lower
layer 16 can be attached to opposites sides of the middle layer 14 in any
conventional manner, such as by using an adhesive or mechanical fasteners, in
25 conjunction with heat and/or pressure, so as long as the upper layer 12 and
bottom
layer 16 are prevented from delaminating or otherwise becoming detached from
the middle layer 14 during the installation and use of the boards 10.
The upper layer 12 is formed of a conventional hardwood material in order
to provide the desired aesthetic appearance to the flooring surface 8
constructed
3o using the boards 10. Any particular hardwood material can be used for upper
layer
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12, depending upon the desired appearance for the flooring surface 8. The
upper
layer 12 has a thickness of between about three (3) mm and about five-(S) mm.
This allows the upper layer 12 to be sanded approximately 3-5 times before the
layer 12 is worn completely through. Thus, any gouging, scratching or
refinishing
of the upper layer 12 can be done similarly to a conventional hardwood
flooring
board without exposing the middle layer 14, as occurs with the prior art
engineered non-hardwood flooring boards. Also, due to the use of a hardwood
material to form the upper layer 12, the board 10 can have a face grade from
the
National Oak Flooring Manufacturers Association similar to the boards formed
l0 entirely of the hardwood.
The lower layer 16 can also be formed from a hardwood material similar
to the upper layer 12, or can be formed from a non-hardwood material that has
certain selected properties, e.g., water resistance or rigidity, as a base for
the board
10. The material foiming the lower layer 16 is capable
of being secured to the support surface 9 by any suitable means, such as an
adhesive, when the boards 10 are attached "in flex," or a mechanical fastener,
e.g.,
a nail or screw, to hold the boards 10 thereon to form the flooring surface 8.
The
lower layer 16 also has a thickness comparable to the upper layer 12,
preferably
between about three (3) mrn and about five (S) mm.
2o The central layer 14 is formed of an alternative, non-hardwood flooring
material that provides a stable core for the board 10. The non-hardwood
material
used in the middle layer 14 can be any suitable generally rigid and non-
compressible material, but is preferably a material such as High Density Fiber
Board, Medium Density Fiber Boaxd, plywood, chipboard, Orientated Strand
Board, a cheaper wood or wood composite material, or the like, in comparison
to
the materials utilized to form the upper layer 12 and the bottom layer 16.
This
non-hardwood material can be selected and used to form the middle layer 14 to
create boards 10 that are more dimensionally stable such as by orienting the
non-
hardwood material in a direction perpendicular to the length of the board 10
and
the grain of the hardwood forming the upper layer 12. This enables the boaxds
10
to be made longer and wider than conventional flooring boards which results in
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fewer boards 10 being required to form the flooring surface 8. Also, the non-
hardwood material forming the middle layer 14 can be formed or milled very
precisely prior to assembly into the board 10, which results in boards 10 with
tight
tolerances than can easily by engaged with one another to form the flooring
surface 8.
To accomplish this, the middle layer 14 is preferably formed to have a
thickness of between about six (6) mm and fifteen (15) nun. Thus, the middle
layer 14 forms between about 40% and about 75% of the total material of the
board 10, more preferably between 45~ and 65% of the total board material, and
to most preferably about 55% of the total board material.
In order to enable the boards 10 to be secured to one another to form the
flooring surface 8, the central layer 14 also includes a tongue 18 and a
groove 20
positioned on and extending along opposite sides of the board 10. The tongue
18
is preferably formed integrally with the middle layer 14, but may be formed of
a
separate, more rigid or more flexible material that is secured to the board
I0, if desired. The tongue 18 can have any suitable shape but preferably has a
base
portion 21 extending outwardly from the middle layer 14 that has a rounded end
22 disposed opposite the middle layer 14. A notch or recess 24 is formed on
one
side of the base portion 21 adjacent the
2o upper layer 12 to facilitate the engagement of the tongue I 8 within the
groove 20
and to allow a certain amount of expansion of the tongue 18 due to the
changing
moisture content of the board 10.
The groove 20 is shaped to be complimentary to the tongue 18 and
preferably defines an interior space 28 slightly greater than the size of the
tongue
18 to accommodate the normal expansion and contraction of the tongue 18 based
on the changing moisture content of the board 10. The tongue 18 can be secured
within the groove 20 simply by using a friction fit between them, or an
adhesive
(not shown} or other suitable means to permanently hold the tongue 18 in
engagement with the groove 20. The groove 20 can be milled out of the middle
layer 14 during the formation of the middle layer 14, similarly to the tongue
18.
The side of the board 10 including either the tongue 18 or the groove 20
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can be formed such that the upper layer 12 extends outwardly further than the
lower layer 14 to enable the boards 10 to be joined to form a surface 8 with a
minimum of space between the upper layers 12 on adjacent boards 10.
In one particularly preferred embodiment shown best in Figs. 3, 4A-4B
and SA-SD, the groove 20 includes one of a connecting rib 26 or connecting
notch
28 integrally formed therein. The rib 26 or notch 28 is engageable with an
opposed rib 26 or notch 28 formed on the tongue 18. The engagement of the rib
26 with the notch 28 secures the tongue 18 in engagement with the groove 20
without using any materials other than the boards 10 themselves, thus reducing
the
to complexity of forming the surface 8 using the boards 10. To properly engage
the
notch 28 with the rib 26, the tongue 18 is formed with a recessed portion 30
that
enables the tongue 18 and notch 28 to be inserted beneath the rib 26 and then
engaged with one another to secure the boards 10 to each other as illustrated
in
Figs. SA-SD. The engagement of the rib 26 with the notch 28 maintains the
positioning of the ad3acent boards 10 with one another, such that the boards
10
present a continuous flooring surface 8 as the individual boards I O take on
and
lose moisture due to the changing environmental conditions.
Also, in order to enable the boards 10 to be more easily attached to the
support surface, the lower layer 16 may include one or more recesses 32 within
2o which an adhesive or other fastening means to be utilized can be positioned
to
enable the board 10 to be positioned flush on the support surface 9 when
secured
to the support surface 9. In situations where mechanical fasteners (not shown)
such as nails or screws axe used, the fastener on occasion creates splinters
when
breaking through the bottom layer 16, the recesses 32 is designated to
facilitate
these splinters. More particularly, the recesses 32 enable the board 10, and
specifically the lower layer 16, to flex under the force of the fastener being
engaged with the board 10 and the support surface 9.
Various alternatives are contemplated as being within the scope of the
following claims, particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming a subject
matter
regarded as a the invention.
