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(11) | EP 2 028 332 A2 |
| (12) | EUROPEAN PATENT APPLICATION |
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| (54) | Method for obtaining tiles for removable floors |
| (57) The procedure consists in laying a series of small pieces (3) over the cavity (2)
established inside a supporting structure (1), where said cavity has a quadrangular
or four-sides contour and its shape matches the master template of the piece to be
obtained. The dimensions of the small pieces (3) must be submultiples of the corresponding
quadrangular side of the cavity (2) and therefore of the master template. After the
small pieces (3) have been laid in the aforementioned manner a layer of glue (4) is
applied on their visible face that is then fixed by superimposing a support plate
(5) over them which causes all the pieces to come together forming a single block.
After said block has been extracted from the cavity (2) grooves (6) are grinded on
the visible face of the small pieces (3) in a crisscross pattern forming a square
grid and thus obtaining the definitive tile that can then be used in removable floor
applications.
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OBJECT OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present invention, according to the title of this descriptive report, refers to a method for obtaining tiles for removable floors designed to allow changing and/or substituting the parts or elements that constitute the tiles and thus be able to obtain different types of decoration designs. The object of the invention is to broaden the offer provided by conventional tile obtention methods, based in achieving that each tile appears to be formed by a plurality of small pieces forming a square grid in each case and preferably embodied in wood.
[0002] Also an object of the invention is to provide means for said tiles to adapt to curved surfaces such as those of columns, curved corners, etc.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0003] It is common knowledge that tiles are used in wall or floor coverings as individual small pieces that together form a kind of mosaic. This type of tile is obtained by affixing on a support grid a plurality of small pieces that are adhered as a whole over said support grid to configure the tile proper.
[0004] After the surface has being coated the joints between the small pieces are filled in with different synthetic materials, creating the appearance of a mosaic containing a myriad shapes and colors similar to those obtained in former times by skilled craftsmen.
[0005] This not withstanding, it is a common practice currently in the ceramics and marble industry to use standard sized pieces that are then grinded in a crisscross pattern to create that appearance of there being many small pieces put together in a matrix.
[0006] An example of this aspect is to be found in the Spanish patent of invention P200201595 describing a method for manufacturing piece elements for wall and floor coverings intended to obtain a mosaic made of natural stone piece elements or tiles which visible faces are then grinded to create a network of grooves that crisscross the surface of the original element without reaching the opposite face of the tile or element.
[0007] The next step after grinding the grooves in the process is to treat the surface according to the desired finish for the mosaic and then the element or tiles are installed in the classic mason style by applying a definitive coat of cement or other material that is then screeded over the tiles to fill in the grooves between pieces and confer the assembly a visual mosaic effect.
[0008] The disadvantage presented by the method claimed in the aforementioned patent of invention is that the contour trimmings or excess and/or defective pieces cannot be reincorporated into the pattern making it impossible to change unit elements of each of the simulated small pieces to obtain different decors because each tile cannot be designed before hand.
DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0009] The method or procedure object of the invention intended to obtain tiles for removable floors preferably done in wood and based in a master template format having quadrangular side to allow for multiple configurations of said pieces or elements will form a relief structure, and having the particularity that the dimensions of each one of said pieces is a submultiple of the dimensions or side of the master template.
[0010] In this sense, the actual procedure entails the following operational stages:
■ Creating a four-sides cavity having a pre-established depth in a support matrix having larger dimensions than those than the tile or element to be obtained:
■ Manually laying a series of small quadrangular or rectangular pieces which dimensions are submultiples of the dimensions of the tile or element to be obtained until the entire cavity configured by the support element has been occupied;
■ Applying a layer of adhesive material over the surface of each visible face formed by the small pieces occupying the support element's cavity;
■ Applying and affixing on top of the adhesive layer a support plate that will constitute the tile or piece to be obtained;
■ Pressing the set formed by the small pieces, the adhesive layer and the support plate so the small pieces become definitively affixed to the support plate forming a unitary block;
■ Grinding the visible face of the small pieces part of the unitary block to create a square grid formed by crisscrossing grooves that affect the sides of at least two adjacent pieces and having a depth that goes just beyond the adhesive layer.
[0011] The procedure described makes possible obtaining tiles that can be embodied both in ceramic material or wood, and preferably the latter, and the desired decoration can be thus obtained because the small pieces are laid singly as opposed to be simulated in a unitary tile as is the case in the conventional arrangement.
[0012] Also, forming the grooves by grinding permits the groove's depth to reach the adhesive layer, eliminating it and thus avoiding the surface tensions this layer of glue may cause on the small pieces or elements eventually deforming the definitive tile or piece.
[0013] Another advantage of the method proposed in the present invention is that the trimmings or excess material and the defective pieces can be put to use, for instance, using the trimmings to make the small pieces that will be laid on the cavity of the support frame.
[0014] Finally, when the small pieces used are of considerable size, the longitudinal grooves will be grinded parallel to the opposite sides of the face of the element in contact with the adhesive layer, thus contributing to eliminate the surface tensions that would otherwise be created in the piece by the gluing process.
[0015] In a variation of the embodiment of the method, configuration grooves will be grinded on the support frame in an angle and mutually parallel in one or two directions, and facing the respective original grooves on the element's side opposite to that of the grooved small pieces. The depth of said angled grooves will be shallower than the thickness of the support frame, that is, they do not go through it.
[0016] Said angled grooves allow the tile to bend angularly establishing the limit of maximum angling when the surfaces that delimit the grooves come into contact, thus preventing the tile from breaking while allowing it to be adapted to curved surfaces.
[0017] To prevent the tile from reaching the breaking point a flexible mesh is inserted between the lower support frame and the small pieces laid on the top surface to keep the tile together even if the support frame splits through the angled grooved incision. As additional reinforcement a stratified layer is placed under the tile support frame.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES
[0018] To complement the following description and aid in the understanding of the characteristics, innovations and advantages of the method object of the present invention, the following drawings have been incorporated to this descriptive report.
Figure 1. Shows a plan view of the support frame with the cavity already made and a series of small pieces arranged inside it occupying part of said cavity.
Figure 2. Shows a detail in section of that represented in the previous figure with the support frame affixed on the small pieces after the adhesive layer.
Figure 3. Shows also a detail in section of the next step of the process, where the block formed by the small pieces and the support frame can be seen independent from the cavity corresponding to the support frame shown in figures 1 and 2.
Figure 4. Shows also a detail in section of the next step of the process, which is grinding the grooves over the block represented in the previous figure, specifically on the visible face of the small pieces.
Figure 5. Shows a detail in perspective of a small piece of considerable size having two grooves grinded parallel to the corresponding opposite sites of the piece.
Figure 6. Shows an exploded view of the components or parts comprising the tile affected by the angular grooves in the support frame.
Figure 7. Shows an upper plan view of the tile obtained from the parts or components represented in the previous figure.
Figure 8. Shows a lower plan view of the tile shown in the previous figure showing the angled grooves grinded in the lower face of the support frame object of the invention.
Figure 9. Shows a side view of the tile obtained according to the method shown in figures 6 to 8.
Figure 10. Shows a side view of the section showing the groove on one side and the angled groove in the opposing face corresponding to the tile obtained with the method shown in figures 6 to 9.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
[0019] The figures described in the previous section show that in order to obtain the desired tile according to the method object of the invention, the initial step is to have a support frame element 1 on which a cavity or depression 2 is made at a established depth and shaped in a four-sides configuration that will be filled with a plurality of small pieces 3 which dimensions will be always multiples of the dimensions of said cavity 2 and therefore of the master template that will make possible to obtain the definitive tile. For instance, if the master template and therefore the cavity 2 is a 36 x 36 cm square, the small pieces 3 may be sized in any dimensions that can be divided into 36: 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 9, 12, 18 an 36, in other words, the small pieces 3 may measure 1 x 1, 2 x 2, 3 x 3, etc., if they are quadrangular, or 1 x 2, 1 x 3, 1 x 4..., 2 x 3, 2 x 4, etc., if they are rectangular.
[0020] When the cavity 2 has been fully occupied by small pieces 3 selected according to the desired decoration design or type of mosaic, a layer of adhesive material 4 is applied over the surface or visible face of said small pieces 3, then a support plate 5 is placed on top o said layer of adhesive 4 so the small pieces 3 will be adhered to plate 5. The next step is to extract the block corresponding to the cavity 2 of support frame 1 and grind the grooves 6 on the small pieces 3 to a depth that reaches and goes just beyond the adhesive layer 4 thus obtaining a square grid on the surface formed by small pieces 3 and hence the definitive tile intended for the mosaic design. As can be seen in figure 4, the depth of grooves 6 reaches down through the adhesive layer 4 in order to avoid the possible surface tensions that could be generated by said adhesive layer 4 and thus preventing the definitive tile from deforming.
[0021] Lastly, if some of the small pieces 3 do have a considerable size, such as the piece 3 represented in figure 5 referenced as 3', the corresponding grooves 7 are then grinded in parallel and longitudinally on both opposite sides of said piece 3'. These grooves 7 will match the side on which the adhesive layer will be placed for said piece 3' to eradicate the surface tensions generated by the gluing process.
[0022] In a variation of the preferred embodiment of the method object of the invention, the lower face of support plate 5 will be affected by a plurality of parallel grooves 8 in one sole direction and configured at an angle, each groove 8 determining a pair of lateral surfaces 8' delimiting the width of groove 6 proper. The depth of grooves 8 does not go beyond the thickness of the support plate 5 as shown in the detail section of figure 10.
[0023] To prevent the tile from breaking when flexing or bending it, a flexible mesh 9 has been interleaved between the small pieces 3 and the support plate 5, complemented by a stratification layer 10 also placed under support plate 5.
[0024] Lastly, the sides of the tiles in this variation of the embodiment of the tile object of the invention shown in figures 6 to 10 have protruding edges 11 that help adjust them and glue them collaterally to other analogous tiles when they are arranged to configure a floor coating or paving.
[0025] In this variation of the embodiment, and based on angled grooves 8, the tile is capable of flexing and adapting to curved surfaces, said bending angle being limited by the contact between surfaces 8' delimiting grooves 5, and thus preventing them from going beyond the maximum bending point that would cause the tile to break.
- Making a four-sides cavity (2) on a support frame (1) having the same amplitude as a master template previously established for the tile to obtain;
- Placing over said cavity (2) a plurality of four-side contoured small pieces (3) until the totality of the cavity (2) has been thus filled, and where the dimensions of the small pieces (3) are submultiples of the dimensions of the sides of the cavity (2);
- Applying, over the surface of the visible face formed by the small pieces (3), a layer of adhesive material (4).
- Arranging, over the adhesive layer (4), a support plate (5) having a contour larger than the small pieces (3);
- Pressing the support plate (5) and the small pieces (3) to ensure the latter are firmly affixed to the former and thus obtain a solid single block;
- Extracting said single block formed by the small pieces (3) and the support plate (5), from cavity (2) in the support frame (1);
- Grinding grooves (6) on the face formed by the small pieces (3) in a crisscrossing pattern to form a square grid in the single block configured by said small pieces (3) and the support plate (5), the depth of said grooves reaching down and through the adhesive layer (4) in order to eliminate any possible surface tensions created by the presence of the adhesive layer (4).
REFERENCES CITED IN THE DESCRIPTION
This list of references cited by the applicant is for the reader's convenience only. It does not form part of the European patent document. Even though great care has been taken in compiling the references, errors or omissions cannot be excluded and the EPO disclaims all liability in this regard.
Patent documents cited in the description