Carpet tiles and carpet tile installations
First Claim
1. A floor covering comprising a plurality of carpet tiles cut from a carpet web,wherein each of the plurality of carpet tiles comprises a textile face size and an underside,wherein a first textile face size of a first set of the plurality of carpet tiles is smaller than a second textile face size of a second set of the plurality of carpet tiles,wherein at least one of the carpet tiles of the first set is connected to at least one of the carpet tiles of the second set along adjacent edges of the tiles without attaching either of the carpet tiles to a floor surface on which the carpet tiles are positioned, each connector comprising:
- a. a film configured to resist stretching; and
b. a layer of adhesive located on a side of the film, wherein the layer of adhesive is capable of forming a bond with the undersides of the carpet tiles so that, when the connector is positioned above the floor surface and spans the adjacent edges of the at least one of the carpet tiles of the first set and the at least one of the carpet tiles of the second set so that the layer of adhesive contacts the undersides of the tiles, the layer of adhesive prevents relative movement between the tiles, and the connector does not adhere to the floor surface.
4 Assignments
1 Petition
Accused Products
Abstract
Certain embodiments utilize carpet tiles of varying sizes and/or shapes that are connected together using connectors to form a carpet tile installation. In some instances, the carpet tiles used in the carpet tile installation have different colors, patterns, shapes, and/or styles. In some embodiments, carpet tiles of a standard size and shape, such as one-half square meter carpet tiles, are partitioned into carpet tile fractions. In certain embodiments, these carpet tile fractions are used in conjunction with larger carpet tiles in a carpet tile installation. In other embodiments, these carpet tile fractions may be connected to other carpet tile fractions to form a combination carpet tile that is then used in a carpet tile installation. Among other things, the use of different sized and/or shaped carpet tiles increases the randomness or diversity and/or improves other aspects of the appearance of the floor coverings formed by the carpet tile installations.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. A floor covering comprising a plurality of carpet tiles cut from a carpet web,
wherein each of the plurality of carpet tiles comprises a textile face size and an underside, wherein a first textile face size of a first set of the plurality of carpet tiles is smaller than a second textile face size of a second set of the plurality of carpet tiles, wherein at least one of the carpet tiles of the first set is connected to at least one of the carpet tiles of the second set along adjacent edges of the tiles without attaching either of the carpet tiles to a floor surface on which the carpet tiles are positioned, each connector comprising: -
a. a film configured to resist stretching; and b. a layer of adhesive located on a side of the film, wherein the layer of adhesive is capable of forming a bond with the undersides of the carpet tiles so that, when the connector is positioned above the floor surface and spans the adjacent edges of the at least one of the carpet tiles of the first set and the at least one of the carpet tiles of the second set so that the layer of adhesive contacts the undersides of the tiles, the layer of adhesive prevents relative movement between the tiles, and the connector does not adhere to the floor surface. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
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13. A method of installing different sized carpet tiles on a floor surface comprising:
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providing a first set of carpet tiles of a first size, each of the carpet tiles of the first set comprising an underside; providing a second set of carpet tiles of a second size, each of the carpet tiles of the second comprising an underside, wherein the first size is different from the second size; providing a plurality of connectors, each comprising; a film configured to resist stretching and a layer of adhesive located on a side of the film; positioning at least one of the carpet tiles of the first set of carpet tiles and at least one of the carpet tiles of the second set of carpet tiles on the floor surface so that the tiles are adjacent to one another; and connecting the at least one of the carpet tiles of the first set to the at least one of the carpet tiles of the second set without attaching the tiles to the floor surface so that the connector spans adjacent edges of the tiles and so that the layer of adhesive contacts the undersides of the adjacent tiles and prevents relative movement between the adjacent tiles, wherein the connector does not adhere to the floor surface. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
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20. A method of cutting carpet tiles of different sizes comprising:
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cutting a first set of carpet tiles of a first size from a carpet web, each of the carpet tiles of the first set comprising an underside; cutting a second set of carpet tiles from at least some of the first set of carpet tiles, each of the carpet tiles of the second set comprising an underside; providing a plurality of connectors, each comprising; a film configured to resist stretching and a layer of adhesive located on a side of the film; positioning at least one of the carpet tiles of the first set of carpet tiles and at least one of the carpet tiles of the second set of carpet tiles on the floor surface so that the tiles are adjacent to one another; and connecting the at least one of the carpet tiles in the first set to the at least one of the carpet tiles in the second set without attaching the tiles to the floor surface so that the connector spans adjacent edges of the tiles and so that the layer of adhesive contacts the undersides of the adjacent tiles and prevents relative movement between the adjacent tiles, wherein the connector does not adhere to the floor surface.
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Specification