Hardwood flooring board
6 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
The present invention is a hardwood flooring board including a middle layer formed from a non-hardwood flooring material and a hardwood material upper layer which is secured to an upper surface of the middle layer that is thick enough to include decorative designs. The middle layer forms between 45% and 75% of the overall material of the board and enables the board to be manufactured to be more dimensionally stable, i.e., wider and longer, than conventional hardwood flooring boards such that the boards can be more uniformly constructed. Also the use of the non-hardwood material in the middle layer greatly increases the dimensional stability and long term performance of the flooring boards, while providing a genuine hardwood appearance to the floor. The board also includes a lower layer that can be formed from either a hardwood material or a non-hardwood material to function as a base for the board. The upper layer is secured to the middle layer by an adhesive that is urged into the openings or cracks in the upper layer during the assembly of the board to prevent the cracks from spreading through the upper layer when the boards are in use.
60 Citations
36 Claims
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1-21. -21. (canceled)
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21. A flooring board comprising:
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a) a first layer formed of a first material having an upper surface and a lower surface, the lower surface including a number of openings extending into the upper layer generally perpendicular to the lower surface;
b) a second layer formed of a non-hardwood material; and
c) an adhesive joining the lower surface of the first layer to the second layer, the adhesive extending from the lower surface into the openings in the upper surface. - View Dependent Claims (22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27)
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28. A method of forming a hardwood flooring board, the method comprising the steps of:
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a) providing a first layer formed of a hardwood material and having a number of openings on one surface of the first layer, and a second layer formed of a non-hardwood material;
b) applying an adhesive to one of the first layer or the second layer; and
c) pressing the first layer and the second layer against one another to urge the adhesive into the openings in the first layer. - View Dependent Claims (29)
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30. A flooring board comprising:
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a) an upper layer formed of a hardwood material and having a thickness greater than 2 mm; and
b) a middle layer formed of a non-hardwood material and secured to the upper layer, wherein the upper layer includes at least one decorative design opposite the middle layer. - View Dependent Claims (31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36)
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Specification