Carpet tiles and carpet tile installations

• US 8,468,772 B2
• Filed: 06/14/2010
• Issued: 06/25/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 08/11/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Interface Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Interface Incorporated
• Inventors: Oakey, David D., Scott, Graham A. H., Bradford, John P., Gray, Keith N.
• Primary Examiner(s): Gilbert, William
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nguyen, Chi Q
• Application Number:
  US12/814,654
• Publication Number:
  US 20110107720A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,107 Days
• Field of Search: 525/060.5, 523/112, 523/85, 523/91, 527/450.5, 527/471.1, 428/86, 428/100, 428/99, 428/101, 428/356, 428/354
• US Class Current: 52/747.11
• CPC Class Codes: A47G 27/0475 Laying carpet tiles
• CPC Class Codes: E04F 15/02 Flooring or floor layers composed of a number of similar elements of webs E04F15/16
• CPC Class Codes: E04F 2201/07 with connections using a special adhesive material
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/23914 Interlaminar
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/23979 Particular backing structure or composition
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/24008 including fastener for attaching to external surface
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/24017 Hook or barb
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/24025 Superposed movable attached layers or components
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/2835 including moisture or waterproof component
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/2857 including metal or compound thereof or natural rubber
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 83/0524 Plural cutting steps

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.

Claims

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.

2. The floor covering of claim 1, wherein the carpet tiles of the first set of the plurality of carpet tiles have a first shape that is different from a second shape of the carpet tiles of the second set of the plurality of carpet tiles.

3. The floor covering of claim 1, wherein the carpet tiles of the first set of the plurality of carpet tiles have a first shape that is substantially the same as a second shape of the carpet tiles of the second set of the plurality of carpet tiles.

4. The floor covering of claim 1, wherein the carpet tiles of the first set of the plurality of carpet tiles have a first pattern that is different from a second pattern of the carpet tiles of the second set of the plurality of carpet tiles.

5. The floor covering of claim 1, wherein the carpet tiles of the first set of the plurality of carpet tiles are cut from a larger carpet tile.

6. The floor covering of claim 1, wherein the carpet tiles of the first set of the plurality of the carpet tiles are cut directly from the carpet web.

7. The floor covering of claim 1, wherein the second textile face size of the carpet tiles of the second set are approximately one-half square meter.

8. The floor covering of claim 7, wherein the carpet tiles of the first set are cut from approximately one-half square meter carpet tiles.

9. The floor covering of claim 1, wherein at least one of the carpet tiles of the first set of the plurality of carpet tiles is connected to another one of the carpet tiles in the first set of the plurality of carpet tiles using at least one connector to form a combination carpet tile.

10. The floor covering of claim 9, wherein the at least one of the carpet tiles and the another one of the carpet tiles are triangular in shape.

11. The floor covering of claim 9, wherein the combination carpet tile comprises a substantially square shape.

12. The floor covering of claim 1, wherein the film of the connector is configured to resist stretching by comprising a material exhibiting a tensile strength between 160 and 270 MPa in at least one direction.

13. A method of installing different sized carpet tiles on a floor surface comprising:

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.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising cutting both the first set of carpet tiles and the second set of carpet tiles directly from a carpet web.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein at least some of the carpet tiles in the first set of carpet tiles are cut from carpet tiles in the second set of carpet tiles.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein providing the second set of carpet tiles comprises providing approximately one-half square meter carpet tiles.

17. The method of claim 13, further comprising cutting the first set of carpet tiles from approximately one-half square meter carpet tiles.

18. The method of claim 13, further comprising connecting at least one of the carpet tiles in the first set to another one of the carpet tiles in the first set using at least one connector to form a combination carpet tile.

19. The method of claim 13, wherein the film of the connector is configured to resist stretching by comprising a material exhibiting a tensile strength between 160 and 270 MPa in at least one direction.

20. A method of cutting carpet tiles of different sizes comprising:

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.