Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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Tile
Description
The invention relates to a tile consisting of a base plate and at
least one decorative plate, with the contour of the decorative plate
and the base plate differing over at least part of the length of the
circumference of the tile.
These kinds of tiles are used mainly for installation in enclosed
spaces, and especially but not exclusively for installation in so-
called damp rooms, such as bathrooms, toilets, basements, but also
entrance halls, conservatories and verandas, on floors as well as
walls.
Such tiles are familiar from DE 76 17 129 U and FR 2 570 116 A,
whereby according to both printed publications the base plate and
the sole decorative plate have the same shape and size but are
arranged at an angle to one another. This results in an overlapping
when the tiles are laid that increases mechanical solidity and
prevents the formation of steps. Installation is of course still
done tile by tile, with attention having to be paid to horizontal
adjustment and especially to having the joints between the tiles run
straight.
There still do not exist any particular arrangements for minimizing
the work and thus the cost of installing tile inside of buildings .
As in the past, ceramic tiles are glued to the subfloor, or stone
tiles are either also glued to the subfloor, piece by piece, or
thin-bed, medium-bed, or thick-bed installation is used. If electric
floor heating is planned, the mats or wires respectively are laid on
the subfloor surface and subsequently risk being damaged when the
floor covering is installed. In any case, the heating elements lie
on the subfloor rather than on the floor covering, which greatly
reduces the efficiency of the heating system.
For laying tiles in a gravel bed outdoors, it is for instance
familiar from AT 403 813 B to glue several ceramic cover tiles or
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cut stone tiles to a base plate of plastic foam material and to lay
this tile in a gravel bed. In one embodiment it is provided that the
base plate projects beyond the decorative plates on two sides and
that the projection is covered with a water- and frost-proof elastic
joint strip in order to preserve the visual impression of
individually laid decorative plates.
This tile has essentially proved successful when installed outdoors
in a gravel bed, but it does not meet the objective of the above-
mentioned use. The reason is that the decorative plates are glued to
the base plate, something that is easier to do in production
facilities set up for this purpose than at the construction site,
but that does not bring an advantage for the tile installation
itself. The embodiment with the projecting base plate is visually
and mechanically unacceptable because it necessitates masking with
an insulating strip.
The invention aims to create a tile for the above-mentioned use that
is visually appealing, mechanically solid and economical to produce;
in one embodiment it is designed especially to facilitate
installation of a heating system and in another embodiment it is
designed to be easier to install than tiles familiar so far.
To this end, the invention proposes that at least one decorative
plate is affixed to the base plate with foam or adhesive, that the
base plate recedes behind or projects beyond the decorative plate
with at least part of its thickness and on at least one side, and
that on the opposite side either the base plate projects beyond or
recedes behind the decorative plate by the same distance, or that
the base plate equally recedes behind or projects beyond the
decorative plate on the opposite side, and that a connecting strip
essentially fills the empty space created in this way.
In this way it is possible to lay the decorative plates in the
appropriate configuration at the time of manufacture, to fill the
remaining space with foam and thus fix the decorative plate to the
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base plate with foam. Manufacturing the tile in this way results in
the precision that is desirable for indoor installation.
By means of the first variant of the invention, which calls for the
projection of the base plate--in the case of rectangular tiles--on
two adjacent sides and the same projection of the decorative plates
on the other two sides, one achieves a flexibility when installing
the tile that also allows for adaptation to a certain unevenness of
the flooring that is permissible in construction, without
detrimental effect to the appearance or mechanical load capacity of
the completed floor. In addition, installation and adjustment of the
tiles to one another is facilitated.
With the second variant of the invention, which specifies a
projection of the decorative plate only, it becomes possible to use
connecting strips that lie on or are fixed with adhesive to the
substrate and hold and support the tiles, interlocking if necessary,
making installation and adjustment of the tiles to one another much
easier. Finally, repair is also facilitated by the fact that the
connection between the tile and the connecting strip is designed to
be reversible or at least easily undone.
Reversing the second variant of the invention, which features a
projection solely of the base plate, makes it possible to lay strips
between the decorative plates that extend over several tiles, at
least in one direction, and thus facilitate adjustment and
installation and increase the mechanical solidity of the covering as
a whole.
In one embodiment of each of these variants it is possible to give
the side edges of the base plate a profile, for instance strip-like
projections and groove-like indentations, or else a stepped or
angled configuration, whereby on the one hand installation is again
made easier and on the other hand the mechanical load capacity is
further increased.
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A further embodiment of the invention provides for the installation
of heating elements, such as heating mats or heating wires or
heating tubing, respectively, at the back of the decorative plates,
and to fix these when connecting the decorative plates with the base
plate, for which purpose corresponding plugs or contacts or fittings
are provided at the corresponding edges of the base plates. In the
case of the second variant of the invention it is possible to carry
the electrical or hydraulic connections or fittings in or over the
connecting strips and thus avoid exposed cables, tubing, etc.
In the following the invention is explained further with the help of
the drawing. Figure 1 shows a cross section of a tile according to
the first variant of the invention, Figure 2 an embodiment, Figures
3 and 4 other embodiments, Figures 5 to 7 show purely schematic top
views of different configurations of tiles, Figures 8 to 10 show
tiles according to the invention with integral heating elements,
Figure 11 shows a cross section of a tile according to the second
variant of the invention, Figure 12 an embodiment of the third
variant of the invention, Figure 13 a detail of an embodiment of the
third variant of the invention, Figures 14 and 15 two especially
preferred embodiments, and Figure 16 a further variant of the
invention.
Figure 1 shows a tile according to the invention in cross section.
It consists essentially of a decorative plate 2 and a base plate 3.
As explained above, base plate 3 is affixed with foam to decorative
plate 2, that is to say the connection between the decorative plate
and the base plate that is affixed to it with foam is made at the
time the base plate is manufactured. Depending on the materials
used, it can of course be provided that an additional adhesive is
painted or sprayed onto the contact area between the decorative
plate 2 and what will become base plate 3, in order to improve or to
speed up the attachment of the base plate 3 as it solidifies and
takes shape to the back of the decorative plate 2.
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Figure 1 shows that base plate 3 can be provided with nubs 4 on its
underside; this equally serves to facilitate installation of tile 1
with tile adhesive or the like.
Figure 1 also shows that on the right edge in the figure the base
plate 3 projects by a width B beyond the edge of decorative plate 2.
On the opposite side the decorative plate 2 again projects by the
same width B beyond the base plate, so that when the tile is
installed edge to edge the joint between the individual tiles 1 does
not extend essentially at a right angle to the level of the tile but
forms at least a step. This brings with it the above-mentioned
advantages for installation and for the load capacity of the tile
according to the invention.
Figure 2 shows a variant of the invention. In it the projecting edge
3' of the tile 3 is thinner than the part of the base plate lying
under decorative plate 2; in compensation, in area 2', in which the
decorative plate projects beyond the base plate, the base plate has
a thin area 3", which in this area corresponds in size to the
decorative plate. The respective thicknesses of these base plate
areas 3' and 3" respectively are such that their sum yields the same
thickness as that of the main area underneath decorative plate 2.
In Figure 3 a further variant is shown, in which the thickness of
the projecting area 3' of the base plate 3 decreases gradually
toward the outside and, correspondingly, on the opposite side the
base plate 3" located underneath the projecting decorative plate
area 2' gradually increases in thickness from the edge inward.
It is of course possible to select a different configuration, as
illustrated in Figure 4, e.g. with an appropriate thickness of the
base plate one can select a projection or a recession that
approaches the commonly used form of nub 9' and spring 9 or even
acquires that particular form.
From Figures 5 to 7, which show purely diagrammatic top views of
tiles according to the invention, the following configuration
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results: One sees the displacement of the base plate relative to the
decorative plate and perceives as well that it is of course possible
(Figure 6) to combine several decorative plates on one base plate.
If the decorative plates do not possess a rectilinearly delimited
circumference, as shown in Figure 7, it is advantageous for
installation and handling if the base plates have rectilinear
borders.
Figure 7 also easily shows that it is also possible to manufacture
the base plate with nubbed edges. For this purpose one only has to
imagine the two tiles turned upside down, i.e. viewed from below:
the nubs and notches easily fit into one another and can contribute
to an easier installation and adjustment of the covering, especially
in the case of large surfaces.
These representations show that in many cases, in order to simplify
matters, the base plate will be essentially congruent with the
decorative plates) and only somewhat displaced, but this is not a
requirement.
In order to install the tiles according to the invention, one begins
at the edge of the surface to be covered with one of the sides of
the tile that has a projecting decorative plate, and one can if
necessary fill the area below it with a strip of foam material and
the adhesive that is being used, so as to avoid hollow spaces. Then
the following tiles are set, in the proper orientation, against the
first plate or the first row of such already laid tiles and, if
necessary, glued to the substrate, and finally, where this is
necessary, the tiles that come to lie at the opposite edge are cut
to fit with a saw or a tile cutter or the like and are laid as
edging.
For the decorative plates, ceramic materials may be used, or cut
stone tiles, artificial stone, wood, aluminum, NIRO, high-grade
steel or similar materials; for the base plate, foamed plastics
(especially resins) and of those especially polyamide, polyimide,
polyurethane and polystyrene (or their resins respectively), but
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also foamed compounds with cellulose fibers and/or stone fibers.
Especially suited are so-called rigid integral foams, rigid elastic
foams, Reaction Injection Molding materials and so-called Coating-
systems, but also Prepreg-systems and wet-laminated systems.
Especially for damp areas materials are preferred that do not absorb
water when hardened.
By configuring the tiles according to the invention, it is possible
to equip them in a simple and cost-effective manner with an electric
or liquid heating system that is also easily and simply installed.
For this purpose it is necessary only to provide heating elements
(capillary system) in the individual base plates or in the
connecting area between the individual base plates and the
corresponding decorative plates, and preferably affix them by means
of adhesive or foam. These heating elements may be of have a flat
surface character, e.g. heating mats that essentially correspond to
the surface of the base plates, or they may be of a linear character
and take the form of resistance wires or capillary tubes laid in a
serpentine or similar pattern.
For the easy installation and connection of the individual heating
elements formed in this way, it is only necessary to provide for
plugs or fittings in appropriate places on the edges of such tiles,
which, preferably, are fitted together as the individual tiles are
installed normally.
In Figures 8, 9 and 10 such configurations are represented in a
purely schematic form, with Figure 8 showing a configuration of
plugs in which the two plugs 6', 6" are essentially pushed
horizontally together, corresponding to the way the edges of the
adjacent tiles are formed. In Figure 8 a heating wire 5 and a
heating mat, respectively, are shown as well, again purely
diagrammatically, ending in a plug 6' or 6" respectively.
In Figure 9, a tile that essentially corresponds in the
configuration of its edge to the tile of Figure2 is provided with a
plug 7', 7", which connects when the two tiles are pushed toward
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each other in a vertical direction. This arrangement is possible
because the tile shown in Figure 8 has a base plate that projects,
at least at the edge represented in the figure, beyond the
decorative plate, even though reduced in thickness, and, at least at
the opposite edge, again reduced in thickness, extends as far as the
edge of the decorative plate. There are therefore at least two edges
at which there are areas of tile 3 where the plugs 7', 7" can be
embedded in foam or affixed with adhesive.
Figure 10 shows a variant that can be selected in the case of
slanting edges; this variant shows that a configuration according to
the invention is possible regardless of the way the edges are
formed.
Figure 11 shows a diagram of the second variant of the invention in
cross-section across a joint of two tiles. In the shown embodiment,
decorative plates 2 project on both sides beyond the base plates 3,
with the figure showing that a thin area of each base plate extends
to the edge of the decorative plate. This serves as mechanical
reinforcement, on the one hand, and, on the other hand, it allows
for the provision of projections 12 on the connecting strip 10 and
of recesses 13 at appropriate points in base plate 3. In this way an
exact adjustment of the individual tiles to one another is
accomplished in the simplest manner.
The projections 12 can, as pictured, take the form of strips (in
which case the recesses then are in the shape of notches) , or they
may be in the form of cones, truncated cones, or spheres. In these
cases they also serve for making adjustments in direction of the
longitudinal axis of the connecting strip 10.
In addition to the projections 12 or recesses 13, respectively, it
is of course easy to provide for electrical contacts (or fittings
for a liquid heating system) in the form of spring-back metal
strips, pegs etc., in order to create the electrical connections for
an electrical resistance heating system between the decorative plate
and the base plate (not shown). If these contacts are in the form of
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plugs and are sufficiently solid mechanically, they can also take
over the function of the projections 12 / recesses 13, but in most
cases this is not advantageous.
Of course the recesses and, in the thin areas of the base plates,
the projections may be provided on the connecting strips 10, without
incurring disadvantages. Preferably, the connecting strips 10 may be
of a length that extends over several tiles, whereby the mechanical
stability and adjustment are further improved. The strips that
extend crosswise (if at the other edges the tiles do not end in a
blunt edge or according to the first variant of the invention) are
proportionately short.
It is also possible to make the connecting strips 20 so high that
the tiles no longer rest on the floor but solely on the connecting
strips. This is especially useful in the case of an uneven floor
unsuited to a surface-covering installation of the tiles. Especially
in this case one can also consider making the connecting strips
considerably shorter than the side edges of the tiles, thus making
contact with the substrate only in discrete points. In this case it
is preferred, for reasons of mechanical stability, to arrange the
individual connecting strips in the corner area of the tiles. In
this case, too, the preferred connecting strips are those in the
shape of a cross, that is to say, a connecting strip and the
connecting strip that crosses it are formed (preferably) as one
piece over a relatively short distance and thus hold four tiles each
in their corner areas. In special cases, as for instance when
creating a wall covering, it may also be of advantage to form a
regular grid of connecting strips and install it as a whole. In this
case what has been said in this description about the connecting
strip applies, the necessary changes having been made, for the
individual segments of the grid.
Another way of connecting the tiles and the connecting strip by way
of the projections is to hold the projections in the recesses by
springs or by spring-back deformations, so that it is not necessary
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to create an adhesive connection of the tile with the substrate or
the connecting strip respectively.
This facilitates repair of the covering considerably. The
projections/recesses may be part of the connecting strip/tile or
they may be anchoring pieces inserted into them. In the latter case
it is possible to provide that the connection can be undone only by
destroying it, and that these anchoring pieces then have to be
replaced. In this way one achieves best anchoring strength with
only minor increase in costs versus anchoring elements that can be
repeatedly detached.
In the Figures 7 to 9 the plugs or contacts (fittings) respectively
are shown in diagram, and they do not need further explanation since
the person skilled in the art in the field of floor heating systems
who is familiar with the invention can easily select them from what
is offered by the industry. In preferred embodiments it is provided
that the plugs that represent the receptacles, 6', 7', 8', have a
contact area sufficiently large to accommodate even considerable
tilting and imprecision in the position of adjacent tiles to one
another that may occur during installation of the tiles, without
losing the electrical contact.
In the transition of one row of tiles to the next, connecting cables
(connecting pipes) may be used, or, as is preferred, the individual
rows of tiles may be individually fed by distribution cables.
With the help of the inventive features, it becomes possible to
affix the heating elements directly to the decorative plates (in the
drawing, to show it more clearly, this is depicted in an exaggerated
wavy fashion and at a distance from the decorative plate), or else
to mount them on the thermally insulating foam, whereby the
efficiency of the heating system and especially its normal speed is
much improved vis-a-vis the prior art.
When manufacturing tiles with heating elements according to the
invention, it is possible to first fix these, at least in points, on
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the tiles lying in the mold in order to ensure correct positioning,
and then use foam to attach the base plate or use adhesive to attach
a base plate that has already been foam-molded. When prepared base
plates are used, it is also possible to affix the heating elements
on these and to then glue this prepared unit to the cover tiles; of
course it is also possible to simply lay down the heating elements
and then, in a single operation, use foam to mold the base plate and
connect it with the heating elements and the cover tiles.
Figure 12 shows a diagram of a base plate 22 of a tile 21 according
to the invention, which is formed to project on all sides beyond a
decorative plate 23. Its side edge is not, however, rectilinear as
is usual, but rather has, in the illustrated embodiment, on each
side either two triangular projections 24 or two triangular recesses
25. When fitting the tiles 21 together, projections 24 fit into the
area of recesses 25, as shown in Figure 12, and thus also secure the
position of adjacent tiles in direction of the double arrows F and
F' respectively. In this way one obtains in the problem area 26,
where (using the most common pattern of laying the tile in a square)
the four corners of the four adjoining tiles are supposed to meet,
if possible, in one point, a visually appealing image without
requiring the (until now) complicated installation that can be done
only by trained personnel.
A variant is shown in Figure 13, in which, for the sake of
simplicity, only the outer contours of the two kinds of tiles 21'
and 21" are shown before the final pushing together. As one can see
from the drawing, the projections 24 and recessions 25, drawn again
as triangles, fit together in such a way that the second kind of
tile, shown in the example as a circular disk 21', is laid correctly
oriented to the tiles 21" that surround it. In this way it is
possible to lay a decoration that may be found on tile 21' with
precise angles. Further, the interlocking positioning elements 24,
25 between the tiles 21" assure their correct position to one
another, so that tile 21' is laid in an exact circular recess and
not, as is often the case in accordance with the prior art, in a
recess consisting of four quarter-circle arcs offset to one another.
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Of course it is not necessary that the interlocking positioning
elements 24, 25 exhibit a triangular cross-section; it is obviously
possible to choose here arc-shaped projections or recessions,
especially whenever this is more easily done when building the forms
in which the corresponding base plates are foam-molded than it would
be to shape the angular pieces illustrated in the drawing. Nor was
consideration given in the illustration to the formation of
curvature radii etc.; the person skilled in the field of tile-laying
does not require further explanation to know that provisions for
this need to be made.
It is possible, especially when integral foam-molded positioning
devices are used, to use these for positioning at a right angle to
the level of the tiles as well; for this purpose the height of the
positioning elements must match and be limited in order to prevent a
vertical displacement of the tiles to one another.
Figures 12 and 13 do not show a heating system; this can be easily
provided, however, just as with the other illustrated variants.
Figures 14 and 15 show especially preferred variants of the
invention with which a very simple and yet especially precise
installation of the tiles can be accomplished. For this purpose, in
the illustrated embodiment, an installation strip 40, 49 is attached
to the floor or substrate or subfloor 30, for example by means of
the depicted screws 41. The installation strip 40, 49 bears
projections 42, 43 and can, if necessary, also have recesses (not
shown) . The installation strip 40, 49 makes contact with the floor
30 by means of an equalizing layer 50. With the help of this
equalizing layer, contact over the whole surface can be achieved,
and thus power transmission that is as even as possible. This
equalizing layer may consist of a soft material, for instance a
felt-like or foam material; it can also be a viscous compound or
another material applied separately from the installation strip,
even though such a material would only be used in special
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circumstances because of the additional work and the danger of
soiling the surrounding area.
On the floor (30) that has thus been furnished with installation
strips 40, 49 in the proper spacing are laid the individual tiles
31. These consist, as in the case of the other embodiments of the
invention, of a base-plate 33 and at least one decorative plate 32
per tile. For reasons of simplicity, only one decorative plate 32 is
provided for each tile 31 in the illustrated embodiment.
Base plates 33 display recesses that work together with the
projections 42, 43 of the installation strip 40 and determine and
maintain the position of the tiles 31 with regard to the
installation strip 40. For this reason it is not necessary to glue
the individual tiles to the floor, piece by piece and precisely
aligned, or to attach them in some other appropriate manner, but
rather it is possible to fit the tiles 31 on the pre-mounted
installation strips 40, 49 and/or in the spaces formed between the
installation strips. In this case, the tiles can be glued either to
the installation strips 40, 49 or, in the conventional manner of
installing tiles, to the floor 30.
As is suggested in the left portion of Figure 14, it is also
possible to use the positioning elements 43 as the plug and/or
contact for supplying electrical current to a heating device 35
provided in base plate 33. In this case, the electrical current
inside the installation strip 40 can be conducted through one or
several cables 44 running lengthwise, as shown in Figure 14; these
cables are linked with the matching contacts of the projections 43.
Of course it is also possible to make the contacts independent of
the projections 43 in order not to have to create an excessively
complicated entity when building the molds for the installation
strips 40.
The installation strip 40, 49 may consist of a densely foamed PU-
foam or some other synthetic material, preferably one that is
similar to that of the base plate; the positioning elements, the
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projections 42, 43 and/or the recesses (not shown) can be
manufactured preferably in a single operation at the time the
installation strip 40 is being manufactured; but it is also possible
to attach such a piece to an intermediate product and/or to build
such a feature into it. To be sure, wood or metal can also be used
to manufacture the installation strip 40, 49.
Figure 15 depicts a variant using a wider installation strip, i.e.
installation strip 49. This makes it possible to apply a decorative
strip 45 in the area of the decorative plates 45, leading to
additional possibilities for a visual design of the surface created
by the tiles. In this case, the decorative strip 45 is also provided
with a base layer 46 which is, however, greatly reduced by the
height of the installation strip 49. Otherwise, the configuration of
the tiles and/or the installation strip 40, 49 is the same; as a
variant it is only shown that the power supply 47, shown in the left
portion of Figure 15, extends not inside the installation strip
itself but rather in a recess in the floor area of the installation
strip.
In both Figure 14 and Figure 15, a sealing feature 48 is provided at
each seam in the surface area, i.e., in the area of the decorative
surfaces 32, 45; this sealing feature may consist of a variety of
materials and, according to the material used, can be applied at
widely varying times. Thus it is possible to produce this sealant by
a finishing application of silicon rubber, or a separate band could
be used as a sealant which is correspondingly compressed and
squeezed while laying tiles 31 and/or decorative strip 45 in order
to deploy its sealing effect. Of course it is also possible,
especially with regard to the embodiment shown in Figure 15, to
affix sealant 48 to the decorative strip 45, simplifying handling.
It goes without saying that all other measures familiar in the area
of sealing techniques for use on floors and wall coverings may also
be used. In the direction perpendicular to the longitudinal
direction of the installation strips 40, 49 it is possible to use
short cross strips that are laid individually; thanks to the
adequate positioning by way of installation strips 40, 49, the short
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cross strips can be limited to a base- and support function around
the edges of the tiles and for this reason do not have to be laid
with as much precision as the installation strips 40, 49. However,
tiles can also be used that are equipped on only two opposite edges
with a configuration of base plate 33 as shown in Figures 14 and 15,
and which have a straight edge on the other two opposite sides, so
that it is not necessary to provide cross strips. To be sure, it is
also possible to provide the installation strips 40, 49 with
adjustment elements for the cross strips, so that laying of the
cross strips can be done with high precision and yet without complex
logistics. All these details and variants are easily executable for
the person skilled in the area of tile laying and with knowledge of
the invention.
Figure 16 shows the reverse of the situation in Figure 11, as it
were, whereby this purely diagrammatic representation dispenses with
details like heating and the projections/recesses that serve to
adjust the tiles: the base plates 53 of tiles 51 touch one another,
the edges of decorative plates 52 that are adjacent to the seam
recede and create space for a decorative strip 50, which consists in
turn of a base strip 54 and a decorative strip 55. Here, too, a
connection of the individual parts can be provided for by
corresponding projections/recesses, the connection of the heating
elements in the individual tiles can be made with
plugs/contacts/fittings between the strip and the tiles, a sealing
feature 58 can be provided for in the area of the joint, and all the
other features and elements discussed with regard to the other
embodiments may be present.
A possible special feature is the mounting of sound-absorbing
particles, for example steel particles, on the side of the
decorative plate turned toward the base plate, for example by means
of screen printing. It is also possible to apply the particles to a
film or another thin layer, and then to glue, or bond in some other
way, this layer to the decorative plate. In this case the particles
are applied preferably in special patterns, which the person skilled
in the field of foot-traffic soundproofing and with knowledge of
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this invention can easily select, for example in curved lines
extending from corner to corner, say, and with parallel-running
lines along the edge side, with the central area of the tile
remaining essentially free.
This applies as well, for the person skilled in the field of
electrical floor heating, to the design .of the plugs or electric
contacts, the arrangement of the flat heating element 35, and the
applicable voltage and amperage. With the use of a liquid heating
system, it is an easy task for the person skilled in the field and
with knowledge of the invention to decide on and prepare the small
pipes or elements to be embedded in the foam and to prepare them
ahead of installation. With knowledge of the invention the fittings
can also be easily selected and added to the mold as needed, to be
affixed with foam. The present invention makes possible the use of
all these features and components familiar from the prior art, which
exhibit inventive attributes only in regard to the configuration of
the tiles according to the invention.
The invention can be modified in various ways. Thus it is possible
to dispense with the nubs 4 shown in Figure 1, or else to give them
the form of strips or of larger projecting surfaces; it is also
possible to make these nubs or strips higher or lower than depicted.
The invention was explained using the example of rectangular tiles,
but in special cases it is entirely possible to use other polygonal
shapes as well, and even shapes that are bordered by segments of
circles and/or other lines. In these cases, instead of the side on
which the base plates project and/or recede, corresponding sections
are to be used, something that is easy to do for the person skilled
in the art with knowledge of the invention.
The size of the tiles depends essentially on their manageability and
their suitability for installation on the usual substrates, and of
course also on the shape and size of the surface to be covered, and
it can approach the range of a square meter or somewhat more, even
though sizes are preferred that, depending on the decorative plates
used, can be managed without problem by one person.
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It is of course possible to equip the base plate with a
reinforcement during its manufacture in order to increase its
mechanical strength. For this purpose, different mats, nets, or
reinforcement elements (fiberglass or such) embedded in the mass of
the foamed plate can be used.
In the drawing, the heating elements are depicted as placed in the
uppermost area of the base plate, but in the claims they are defined
as lying between the base plate and the decorative plate. The reason
for that lies in the preferred method of manufacture, by which the
decorative plate is laid in a form first, the heating element is
laid on top of it, and then foam is used to fix everything together.
During this process the heating element moves partially into the
uppermost area of the base plate but remains partially in the border
area. For depiction in the drawing, the first variant is better
suited and was therefore chosen.
There is frequent mention in the Claims and the Description of the
"contour" of the base plate, without detailing in particular that
the edge of the base plate usually has a profile and, for mechanical
reasons, usually extends with a thin area all the way to the edge of
the decorative plate. It is not this thin part of the base plate,
which only protects the edge of the decorative plate, that is
referred to when the contour of the base plate is being defined, but
rather the part that essentially absorbs the mechanical stress.
