Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
CA 02486734 2005-02-15
FLOORING SYSTEM FORMED FROM WOOD FLOOR PANELS
This invention relates to a system of flooring defined by a plurality of
inter-engaging wood floor panels.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Various techniques have been proposed for the manufacture of wood
panel flooring. Conventionally wood panel fl~~oring is formed as tongue and
groove
planks which are arranged edge to edge so that the tongue of one projects into
a
groove of the next. This construction is time ~~onsuming and relatively
inaccurate so
that gaps can be exposed leading to an unattractive appearance.
Floor panels in rectangular sha~~e have been proposed which generally
again connect one to the next using a tong ue and groove arrangement so as to
provide an improved laying system but the finished product mimics the tongue
and
groove conventional system.
Relatively inexpensive rectangular panels of a softwood such as pine
are readily available at relatively inexpensive: price. However simply laying
these
panels as butting side by side floor panels cover the floor provides an
unattractive
appearance little better than the conventional plywood subfloor.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is one object of the invention 1:o provide a flooring system defined by
a plurality of inter-engaging wood floor panels
According to one aspect of the invention there is provided a flooring
system comprising:
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a plurality of wood floor panel members for fastening to a sub-floor
edge to edge in an array to cover the sub-floor;
each floor panel member having a rectangular panel formed of wood
and having an upper surface for defining a floor surface, a bottom surface for
resting
on the sub-floor and four side edges;
two of the side edges of the pa gel each having fastened thereto so as
to be carried thereby a decorative dividing strip extending along the length
of the
side edge and having a top surface of the :trip lying in a common plane with
the
upper surface of the panel;
and two of the side edges of the panel being exposed for butting
directly against a decorative dividing strip of a next adjacent panel member;
the panel members being arranged such that, when they are
assembled into the system edge to edge with the dividing strips carried
thereby, a
respective one of the decorative dividing strips is located between each edge
of a
panel and the next adjacent edge of a next adjacent panel;
the dividing strips of the panels being arranged with a portion of at
least one of the strips of each panel projectin~~ beyond an end of the
respective side
edge of the respective panel such that the dividing strips, when the panels
are
arranged in the system, fill also the rectangular area at the junction between
four of
the panels.
Preferably each panel has holes drilled into the upper surface by which
the panel can be screwed to the sub-floor by a screw inserted into the hole
and the
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hole plugged by a decorative plug.
Preferably the holes are arranged closely adjacent the corners of the
panel such that the holes are arranged at thE~ corners of a rectangle
surrounding the
junction. However the holes may be at other locations and in different
arrangements
to provide a different pattern of appearance.
Preferably the dividing strips <~re arranged on opposed side edges.
However they may also be arranged on adjacent edges at right angles to one
another.
Preferably more than one of the divider strips extends into the
rectangular area. Although a similar but less attractive effect which is less
efficient
to manufacture can be obtained by proje~aing only one of the strips into the
rectangular area to fill that area.
Preferably the panels are square so that all the panel members can be
identical but the same system can be used with rectangular panels.
Preferably the divider strips have ends which project beyond the end of
the respective edge and the ends are cut to form diagonal end edges at an
angle to
the respective side edge.
Preferably the decorative strips have a height equal to the thickness of
the panel.
According to a second and preferred aspect of the invention there is
provided a flooring system comprising:
a plurality of wood floor panel members for fastening to a sub-floor
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edge to edge in an array to cover the sub-floor;
each floor panel member having a rectangular panel formed of wood
and having an upper surface for defining a floor surface, a bottom surface for
resting
on the sub-floor and four side edges includin~~ a first pair of opposed side
edges and
a second pair of opposed side edges;
each of the first pair of opposed side edges of the panel having
fastened thereto so as to be carried thereby a decorative dividing strip
extending
along the length of the side edge and having a top surface of the strip lying
in a
common plane with the upper surface of the panel;
and each of the second pair of opposed side edges of the panel being
exposed for butting directly against a decorative dividing strip of a next
adjacent
panel member;
the panel members being arranged by rotating one panel through 180
degrees relative to the next adjacent panel such that, when they are assembled
into
the system edge to edge with the dividing strips carried thereby, a respective
one of
the decorative dividing strips is located betwE:en each edge of a panel and
the next
adjacent edge of a next adjacent panel;
the dividing strips of each panel being arranged with a portion thereof
projecting beyond an end of the respective side edge of the respective panel
and cut
at 45 degrees to form a pointed portion h<~ving an apex at a position mid way
through the thickness of the divider strip such that four dividing strips,
when the
panels are arranged in the system, meet at the junction between four of the
panels
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with the apexes in contact at a center of the rectangular area at the
junction.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
One embodiment of the invention will now be described in conjunction
with the accompanying drawings in which:
5 Figure 1 is a plan view of a pert of a floor system defined by butting
panel members.
Figure 2 is a plan view on an enlarged scale of the junction between
four such panels.
Figure 3 is a cross sectional view along the lines 3-3 of Figure 1.
In the drawings like characters of reference indicate corresponding
parts in the different figures.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
The arrangement described herein comprises a floor system defined
by a series of square panels, six of which arE: shown at 10 through 15. Each
of the
panels has a top surface 16 defining a floor' surface on which the user walks
and
providing an attractive appearance as described hereinafter. Each of the
panels
includes a bottom surface 17 for sitting on a sub floor 18 of a conventional
nature.
Each of the panels has four side edges so that for example the panel 10 has
side
edges 20 and 21 which form a first pair of opposed side edges and side edges
22
and 23 which form a second pair of opposed side edges. The panels are cut
simply
from flat sheet with side edges defined by flat surfaces at right angles to
the top and
bottom surfaces so that there is no need for machining of the side edges to
form any
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interconnecting elements since the side edges are intended merely to butt.
Such simple square panels can be cut to various selected rectangular
sizes and preferably square sizes commonly of the order of 15 to 16 inches in
transverse width. The thickness of the panel may be of the order 3/ inch but
thicker
or thinner material may be used. Such panE~ls can be readily formed
inexpensively
from the type of panelling used for forming pine shelving which is formed by
gluing
pieces side by side to form panels commonly of the order of 8 feet long by 16
inches
wide. Production lines are presently available for manufacturing such shelving
elements at high speed inexpensively.
Thus square panels cut from these to an accurate square shape using
CMC machines can be readily available at relatively inexpensive price.
In order to form these into a flooring system having an attractive
appearance, each panel has attached two divider strips which are attached to
opposite side edges of the panel. Thus for example the panel 10 has two
divider
strips 30 and 31 attached along the side edges 20 and 21. The divider strips
are
formed from a wood having a dissimilar appearance from the pine panel so as to
provide an attractive appearance in the floor when completed and laid. Oak
strips
are readily available and can provide such a suitable dissimilar appearance
due to
the different colouring of the wood and the diff=erent stain characteristics.
Each divider strip has a depth equal to the thickness of the panel so
that a bottom surface of the divider strip is coincident with the plane of the
bottom
surface 17 and similarly a top surface of the divider strip is coincident with
the plane
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of the top surface 16. The divider strips are relatively thin and conveniently
will be of
the order of 1/4 to 3/8 inch thick so as to add that extent onto the
respective side
edges of the panel so that the panel member defined by the panel and the two
divider strips is no longer square but is rec,:angular in view of the
additional width
defined by the divider strips.
The panel 13 has the divider .trips indicated at 30A and 31A so that
the panel 13 is rotated through 180° relative to the panel 10. In this
way the divider
strip 30A carried by the panel 13 engages th ~ side edge 23 of the panel 10
which is
free from any dividing strips and is simply mare for butting the divider
strips 30A.
Similarly the divider strips 31A butts the next adjacent panel not numbered.
The panel 11 is also rotated through 180° relative to the panel 10
so
that its bare edge 23A butts the divider strip 31 and its divider strip 30A
butts the
edge 23B of the panel 14. In this way it will be appreciated that the whole
floor can
be laid by rotating the panels back and forth through 180° and laying
them each to
the next with the side edges butting. In this way between each panel and the
next
adjacent panel is one divider strip thus sepan~ting the panels by the
thickness of the
divider strip while allowing the bare edge of the strip to butt against the
outside
surface of the divider strip.
The divider strips are fastened to the respective panel by a suitable
fastening elements, commonly used in the wood manufacturing industry and in
the
embodiment shown in Figure 3, this includes ;~ glue layer 40 and fastening
pins 41.
Each of the divider strips extends along the full length of the respective
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side edge of the panel and also extends beyond the end of the side edge into a
pointed portion 50. Thus as shown in Figure 2 the divider strip 30A is
fastened to
the panel 13 and the divider strip 30 is fastf;ned to the panel 10. The
divider strip
30A extends to the end corner 51 of the side edge 22A of the panel 13. The
divider
strips 30A then include the pointed portion 50 which is chamfered by two side
edges
52 and 53 converging to an apex 54. The ends 52 and 53 are cut at 45°
relative to
the sides of the divider strip so that they are: 90° each to the other
forming a right
angle triangle converging to the apex 54 whi~:h lies on a centre line 55 of
the divider
strips 30A.
Symmetrically the divider strips 30 includes an end portion 56 also
converging to an apex which touches the apex 54 at the center of the
rectangular
area between the corners of the panels 1 ~, 13 and the further two panels not
numbered. In this way, in each of the square intersections between the edges
of the
panels, each panel at the intersection carries; one of the divider strips with
each of
the divider strips having the pointed extension portion symmetrical to the
extension
portion 50 and extension portion 56 projecting into the center of the square
area with
the apexes of these pointed portions touching at the center of the square
area.
The panels are fastened to the sub floor 18 by screws 60 which are
located in screw holes 61. Each panel has four such screw holes 61 arranged
adjacent the corners of the panel and spaced inwardly from the divider strips
of the
panel. Thus at each junction between floor p~~nels, four screw holes 61
surround the
junction and provide an attractive appearance, when those screw holes are
plugged
i ~ I. I
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by visually distinct plugs 62 in known manrn~r. Thus the divider strips coming
to a
junction where the junction is visually distinct together with the surrounding
four
holes of the screw pattern which are also visually distinct provides a
visually distinct
and attractive pattern across the whole extent of the floor when laid.
Since various modifications ca n be made in my invention as herein
above described, and many apparently widely different embodiments of same made
within the spirit and scope of the claims without department from such spirit
and
scope, it is intended that all matter contained in the accompanying
specification shall
be interpreted as illustrative only and not in a limiting sense.
