System and method for floor covering installation
First Claim
1. A floorcovering installation comprising:
- a. an intermediate substrate positioned on a flooring surface but not connected to the flooring surface;
b. a plurality of tiles, each tile having an underside and edges, wherein the tiles are positioned on top of the intermediate substrate but not connected to the intermediate substrate; and
c. connectors positioned on top of the intermediate substrate and below the tiles, each connector positioned to span and connect adjacent edges of at least two adjacent tiles and comprising;
i. a connector film; and
ii. an adhesive on a side of said film, wherein the adhesive contacts the undersides of the at least two adjacent tiles.
5 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
Connectors for joining adjacent modular floor covering units. Embodiments of the connectors include a film and an adhesive layer coated on one side of the film. The connectors can have a conductive component that allows electrical continuity to be maintained between adjacent tiles. In yet another embodiment, the connectors can be equipped as radio frequency identification tags by including radio frequency transponders. To install tiles using the connectors, a first tile is placed on the floor and a connector is positioned so that the adhesive layer faces upward and does not contact the floor. The connector is typically positioned so that only a portion of the adhesive layer adheres to the underside of the tile, leaving the remainder of the connector extending from the underside of the tile. One or more tiles are then positioned adjacent the first tile so that a portion of the connector adheres to the adjacent tiles. In this way, the connectors span adjacent tile edges. The tiles are assembled on an underlying flooring surface without the need to attach them to the floor surface. Rather, the tiles are linked to each other with the connectors, so that the tiles create a floor covering that “floats” on the underlying floor surface. Additionally, the tiles need not be installed directly on the floor surface. Rather, an underlayment, such as a film or cushion or cushion composite, may be positioned on the floor surface prior to the installation of tiles.
-
Citations
18 Claims
-
1. A floorcovering installation comprising:
-
a. an intermediate substrate positioned on a flooring surface but not connected to the flooring surface; b. a plurality of tiles, each tile having an underside and edges, wherein the tiles are positioned on top of the intermediate substrate but not connected to the intermediate substrate; and c. connectors positioned on top of the intermediate substrate and below the tiles, each connector positioned to span and connect adjacent edges of at least two adjacent tiles and comprising; i. a connector film; and ii. an adhesive on a side of said film, wherein the adhesive contacts the undersides of the at least two adjacent tiles. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17)
-
-
18. A method for establishing an array of radio frequency transponders in known locations in a building, the method comprising:
-
(a) installing a planar array of regularly spaced radio frequency transponders in a building, the method comprising; (i) positioning a plurality of floorcovering tiles adjacent to one another on a floor surface in the building, each tile having an underside, edges and corners; and (i) positioning, under and proximate regularly spaced, juxtaposed tile corners of the tiles, radio frequency transponder assemblies comprising; (1) a film; (2) a radio frequency transponder attached to the film; and (3) an adhesive on a side of the film, wherein the adhesive contacts the undersides of the tile corners; and (b) traversing the array of regularly spaced radio frequency transponders with a radio frequency reader and creating a data collection correlating identifying information for the radio frequency transponders and the locations of those radio frequency transponders within the building.
-
Specification