FLOORBOARD CAPABLE OF ABSORBING EXPANSION AND CONTRACTION

Abstract

 Disclosed herein is a floor board capable of absorbing deformation by expansion and contraction, which is utilized as an edge finishing material of a laminate floor board that is to be constructed, or as an intermediate material between laminate floor boards, or as an extending/finishing profile of a trim boundary that partitions a space into sections, thus effectively absorbing an expansion and contraction ratio of the laminate floor board due to a change in temperature and moisture and thereby minimizing deformation of a constructed state. The floor board is industrially manufactured by extrusion molding, and is configured such that adjacent hard resin plates are joined to each other by a joining member made of flexible soft resin or flexible foam resin, both hard resin plates located at outermost positions having the same tongue-groove structure as a tongue-groove coupling structure of a constructed laminate floor board.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates, in general, to a floor board and, more particularly, to a floor board capable of absorbing deformation by expansion and contraction, which absorbs deformation by expansion and contraction resulting from a change in temperature and moisture, thus minimizing deformation (flaw) of a construction state of a laminate floor board, and which is utilized to finish a boundary between the floor board and a trim or to finish an edge of a constructed laminate floor board, thus substituting for an extending/finishing profile.

[Background Art]

[0002] The installing of a wooden floor board on a floor or wall is carried out by a traditional method, such as an attaching operation using an adhesive or a fixing operation using a nail or a wooden nail.

[0003] However, the traditional installing method is problematic in that the use of the adhesive inconveniences a worker and negatively affects a human body, and it is difficult to use a nail, a wooden nail, etc. to fix a wooden board on a hard material such as concrete. In order to solve the problems, floating installation has been developed.

[0004] Recently, floating installation is most widely used in flooring or walling construction, because it prevents an undesirable relative movement between boards and enables manufacturers or workers to perform easy construction, not by using the adhesive or nail, but by fitting the boards between each other.

[0005] As a representative example of a flooring material used in such a floating installation, there has been proposed a laminate floor board.

[0006] The laminate floor board that is currently on the market is formed by combining a surface laminate layer (e.g. resin special coating layer), an intermediate layer (e.g. core or core wooden layer) such as HDF, and a lower layer (e.g. moisture-proof laminate layer) together in a direction from an upper position to a lower position, thus providing the properties of wood and avoiding the drawbacks of wood.

[0007] In brief, wood is pulverized into minute pieces, is mixed with an adhesive, and is compressed to HDF. Thereafter, a sheet on which a hardwood pattern is printed is attached, and then is coated with chemical melamine resin.

[0008] Further, a laminate floor board is a structure suitable for the floating installation, and is continuously constructed by a connection using a coupling structure of tongues and grooves which are provided on opposite boards, that is, a complementary structure.

[0009] Such a laminate floor board is advantageous in that it is relatively resistant to external shocks, is more inexpensive than a plywood, bamboo, or hardwood floor board, is convenient in construction, and is various in design.

[0010] However, the laminate floor board is relatively sensitive when it is exposed to moisture for a lengthy period of time, and is high in shrinking-swelling ratio, so that a floor board may be warped.

[0011] That is, in the case of absorbing an excessive amount of moisture, the floor board swells, so that a seam may rise up. In contrast, in the case of losing an excessive amount of moisture, an underside of the floor board shrinks, so that a thickness of a seam portion may be reduced and thus a gap may be formed.

[0012] In consideration of the shrinking-swelling ratio, the laminate floor board is constructed in such a way that its edge is spaced apart from a wall by a predetermined distance (approx. 10 mm).

[0013] However, the space between the edge and the wall causes a problem, that is, fine dust from the edge may be introduced into a room during walking, or a noise may be generated.

[0014] In order to overcome this problem, there was proposed Korean U.M. Laid-Open Publication No. 2010-0003617 (published on April 5, 2010), wherein an L-shaped profile is used, which comes into close contact with the wall and finishes construction with an end of the laminate floor board received, thus eliminating a space between the wall and the laminate floor board.

[0015] Further, there was proposed profile technology wherein a boundary (door frame) between a living room and another room is finished using a T-shaped extension profile.

[0016] Of course, since the laminate floor board has a core wooden layer, there are proposed various technologies for suppressing mobility by additionally using an adhesive between a tongue and a groove, or of eliminating a gap by further interposing an elastic body between a tongue and a groove, so as to frequently cope with contraction in low humidity or expansion in high humidity when the floor board is exposed to moisture or humidity for a lengthy period of time.

[Disclosure]

[Technical Problem]

[0017] According to the above patent document 1, the finishing of a laminate floor board is performed such that an upper portion of an upper profile protrudes from a surface of the laminate floor board, in other words, a small threshold is formed again.

[0018] Similarly, when the finishing of a living room and a balcony is performed, a small threshold is formed even at a boundary between a trim and a floor.

[0019] Thus, a boundary protruding from the constructed laminate floor board is formed, thus deteriorating the appearance.

[0020] Further, it is impossible to absorb deformation between laminate floor boards except around a trim or at a balcony boundary, so that its utilization is extremely limited.

[0021] Furthermore, technology for removing a gap by further interposing an elastic body between a tongue and a groove is problematic in that a cost of installing the laminate floor board is high, a long time is required for an assembly operation, and a manufacturing cost thereof becomes high.

[0022] Accordingly, the present invention has been made keeping in mind the above problems occurring in the related art, and is intended to provide a floor board capable of absorbing deformation by expansion and contraction, which is utilized as an edge finishing material of a laminate floor board that is to be constructed, or as an intermediate material between laminate floor boards, or as an extending/finishing profile of a trim boundary that partitions a space into sections, thus effectively absorbing an expansion and contraction ratio of the laminate floor board due to a change in temperature and moisture and thereby minimizing deformation (flaw) of a constructed state.

[0023] Another object of the present invention is to provide a floor board capable of absorbing deformation by expansion and contraction, which can be constructed on the same level as a surface of a laminate floor board, thus preventing a person from tripping on the floor board while walking/cleaning due to an upwardly protruding portion of the floor board, and thereby enhancing marketability.

[0024] A further object of the present invention is to provide floor board capable of absorbing deformation by expansion and contraction, which can be manufactured by extrusion molding, thus industrially achieving mass production, and reducing a manufacturing cost thereof.

[Technical Solution]

[0025] In an aspect, the present invention provides a floor board capable of absorbing deformation by expansion and contraction, wherein the floor board is industrially manufactured by extrusion molding, and is configured such that adjacent hard resin plates are joined to each other by a joining member made of flexible soft resin or flexible foam resin, both hard resin plates located at outermost positions having the same tongue-groove structure as a tongue-groove coupling structure of a constructed laminate floor board, as a structure complementary to the laminate floor board.

[0026] Preferably, an upper surface of the hard resin plate and an upper surface of a main body of the joining member made of the flexible soft resin or flexible foam resin may form the same horizontal plane, a flexible surface sheet on which the same hardwood pattern as that of the common laminate floor board is printed being attached to the upper surfaces thereof.

[0027] Preferably, a lower surface of the main body of the joining member made of the flexible soft resin or flexible foam resin may be joined to have a flexible cavity between the adjacent hard resin plates, thus receiving an expansion and contraction ratio.

[0028] The hard resin plate may be preferably formed of hard PVC, the flexible soft resin may preferably comprise silicone rubber (soft PVC resin), and the joining member of the flexible foam resin may be preferably formed of urethane foam resin, non-crosslinked polyethylene foam, EVA foam resin, and synthetic rubber foam.

[0029] The joining member made of the flexible soft resin or flexible foam resin may include a flexible rectangular main body in a direction of joining with the adjacent hard resin plates.

[0030] Here, the main body may be a parallelogram, a trapezoid, etc.

[0031] The rectangular main body may be formed such that four corners thereof are inclined surfaces and are covered with the hard resin plate.

[0032] Further, the joining member made of the flexible soft resin or flexible foam resin may include a rectangular main body formed in a joining direction of the adjacent hard resin plate, and a pair of left and right protruding portions joined to recesses formed in joining end surfaces of a plurality of adjacent hard resin plates.

[0033] Preferably, in order to prevent the removal of the pair of left and right protruding portions in an expanding or contracting direction, each protruding portion may be joined to a recess that is formed in a joining end surface of the hard resin plate in such a way as to be wide at an inner position and narrow at an outer position.

[0034] The rectangular main body may be a solid type or a hollow type.

[0035] Further, the hard resin plate may also be a solid type or a hollow type.

[0036] More preferably, the rectangular main body may include a restriction portion to restrict the excessive expansion or contraction.

[0037] Further, a protruding portion of the joining member made of the flexible soft resin or flexible foam resin may be connected to another protruding portion via a through hole that is formed through an adjacent hard resin plate in a joining direction thereof.

[0038] Furthermore, the joining member made of the flexible soft resin or flexible foam resin may be formed on upper and lower portions between adjacent hard resin plates in a joining direction in such a way that a hollow portion is formed between the adjacent hard resin plates.

[Advantageous Effects]

[0039] As described above, the floor board capable of absorbing deformation by expansion and contraction according to the present invention is advantageous in that it enables industrial mass production, thus realizing cost reduction, and is utilized as an edge finishing material of a laminate floor board that is to be constructed, or as an intermediate material between laminate floor boards, or as an extending/finishing profile of a trim boundary that partitions a space into sections, thus ensuring the universality of a product.

[0040] Further, the present invention is advantageous in that it is possible to prevent the deformation of a laminate floor board by a change in expansion and contraction ratio, thus eliminating flaws during the construction of the laminate floor board, and allowing the laminate floor board to stably perform its function.

[0041] Furthermore, the present invention is advantageous in that a flexible joining member is formed of flexible soft resin or foam resin, and a hard resin plate is formed by blow molding to achieve a durable function as well as lightness, thus guaranteeing the reliability of a product.

[Description of Drawings]

[0042] 

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a sectional view showing structural characteristics of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a partially extracted enlarged view of FIG. 2;

FIGS. 4 and 5 are operational views showing an absorption state of deformation by expansion and contraction according to the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a view showing a construction state of the present invention disclosed in FIG. 1; and

FIGS. 7 to 25 are sectional views showing other embodiments of the present invention.

[Best Mode]

[0043] The present invention is utilized as an edge finishing material of a laminate floor board, or an intermediate material between laminate floor boards, or an extending/finishing profile of a trim boundary that partitions a space into sections, thus effectively absorbing an expansion and contraction ratio of a constructed laminate floor board due to a change in temperature and moisture, minimizing deformation (flaw) of a constructed state, and thereby serving as a substitute for the extending/finishing profile.

[0044] Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0045] In a description of the present invention, the structure and size of components shown in the drawings may be simplified or exaggerated unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.

[0046] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a preferred embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a sectional view showing structural characteristics of the present invention.

[0047] An example of a constructed state of the present invention is shown in FIG. 6. As shown in the drawing, a floor board of this invention is installed between laminate floor boards (L/F) constructed on a floor surface.

[0048] The floor board capable of absorbing deformation by expansion and contraction according to the present invention is configured so that adjacent hard resin plates 200 are joined to each other via a joining member 100 made of flexible soft resin or flexible foam resin. Both hard resin plates located at outermost positions have the same tongues 220 and grooves 230 as a tongue-groove coupling structure of a constructed laminate floor board, as a structure complementary to the laminate floor board.

[0049] Upper surfaces of the hard resin plate 200 and of a main body 110 of the joining member 100 made of flexible soft resin or flexible foam resin form the same horizontal plane. To the upper surfaces are attached a flexible surface sheet 300 on which the same hardwood pattern as that of the laminate floor board is printed. Thereafter, it is cut in a standard unit to be supplied as a product.

[0050] As such, the floor board of the present invention can be industrially mass-produced by an extrusion molding method, and is cut to a predetermined length as required.

[0051] Preferably, as shown in the extracted enlarged view of FIG. 3, the joining member 100 made of the flexible soft resin or flexible foam resin, includes the flexible main body 110. The flexible main body, having a solid-type rectangular shape and joined to the adjacent hard resin plates 200 in such a way as to be in close contact therewith in a joining direction thereof, is joined to end surfaces of the plurality of adjacent hard resin plates 200, respectively. The joining member is attached to the hard resin plates to have a flexible cavity 240 between the adjacent hard resin plates 200, thus being capable of accepting an expansion and contraction ratio (deformation by contraction or expansion).

[0052] Here, the joining member 100 of the flexible soft resin or flexible foam resin may have a rectangular or square shape in a widthwise direction, depending on an interval between the adjacent hard resin plates 200 that are to be joined together.

[0053] Further, the hard resin plate 200 of the present invention is made of hard PVC-based resin. Preferably, the flexible soft resin of the joining member 100 is silicone rubber or soft synthetic rubber, and the flexible foam resin thereof is selected from a group comprising urethane foam resin, non-crosslinked polyethylene foam, EVA foam resin, and synthetic rubber foam.

[0054] As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the joining member 100 of the flexible soft resin or flexible foam resin is compressed (contracted) or swollen (expanded) in the joining direction of the adjacent hard resin plates 200 joined to the main body 110, as the constructed laminate floor board (L/F) is contracted or swollen, thus compensating for and absorbing the expansion and contraction ratio.

[0055] Further, the joining member 100 of the flexible soft resin or flexible foam resin according to the present invention is preferably a solid type. However, if the material has properties which are excellent in deformation and restoring force for the expansion and contraction ratio, the joining member may be formed hollow, as shown in embodiments of FIGS. 8 to 14.

[0056] Further, in order to achieve lightness, the hard resin plate 200 of the present invention is more preferably formed hollow, as shown in embodiments of FIGS. 8, 10, 12, 20 and 22.

[0057] Thus, in the present invention, as shown in FIGS. 8, 10, 12 and 24, when the joining member 100 made of the flexible soft resin or flexible foam resin and the hard resin plate 200 are formed hollow, a weight can be further reduced, and the consumption of a material can be reduced as small as possible.

[0058] Further, as shown in FIGS. 10, 11, 21, 24 and 25, a component of the present invention, that is, the joining member 100 made of the flexible soft resin or flexible foam resin may be formed hollow, and then the upper and lower surfaces of the hard resin plate 200 and of the main body 110 of the joining member 100 made of the flexible soft resin or flexible foam resin are placed to form the same horizontal plane. In this state, flexible surface sheets 300 and 310 may be attached to the upper and lower surfaces.

[0059] According to these embodiments, in order to receive the expansion and contraction ratio, the deformation of the hollow joining member 100 made of the flexible soft resin or foam resin is suppressed to the maximum, thus increasing a smooth restoring function.

[0060] Further, according to the present invention, as shown in FIGS. 12 and 14, if the main body 110 of the joining member 100 made of the flexible soft resin or flexible foam resin is formed hollow, deformation guide grooves 130 are preferably formed on upper and lower portions of an inner surface of the main body in such a way as to face each other, as shown in the extracted enlarged view of FIG. 13, thus coping with contraction and extension in a horizontal direction, and thereby being uniformly contracted and extended for the expansion and contraction ratio.

[0061] In other words, the deformation guide groove 130 allows the main body to be easily deformed, namely, contracted or expanded.

[0062] Further, as shown in FIG. 15, according to the present invention, a recess 210 may be formed in the joining direction of the adjacent hard resin plates 200, and the joining member 100 made of the flexible soft resin or the flexible foam resin may be formed such that the main body 110 is hollow while a protruding portion 120 is formed in the recess 210.

[0063] Here, the protruding portion 120 is formed to be joined to the recess 210 that is formed in the joining end surface of the hard resin plate 200 in such a way as to be wide at an inner position and narrow at an outer position. Thereby, this can reinforce a restoring force after the joining member 100 made of the flexible soft resin or the flexible foam resin expands in the expanding direction, and prevent a removal in the contracting or expanding direction.

[0064] Further, as shown in FIG. 16, the main body 110 may be formed in such a way that both sidewalls 111 are connected to each other and a restriction portion 112 is integrated therein.

[0065] The restriction portion 112 is intended to suppress excessive expansion or contraction when compression (contraction) or swelling (expansion) takes place in the joining direction of the adjacent hard resin plates 200 joined to the main body 110 by the contraction or swelling of the laminate floor board (L/F).

[0066] In the present invention, one restriction portion 112 is formed. However, two or three restriction portions may be formed.

[0067] On one hand, the attachment of the flexible surface sheet 300 on which the hardwood pattern having the same as that of the laminate floor board is printed is performed as follows.

[0068] First, the hard resin plate 200 and the joining member 100 of the flexible foam resin are continuously subjected to extrusion molding and then moved, and the flexible surface sheet 300, 310 is attached to the upper surfaces of the hard resin plate and the joining member by laminating or wrapping, so that the floor board of the present invention is completed.

[0069] The flexible surface sheet 300 attached to the upper surfaces suppresses the protrusion of the upper surface of the main body 110 due to the deformation by the contraction when the main body 110 of the joining member 100 made of the flexible soft resin or flexible foam resin contracts. Further, the protrusion towards the lower surface can be received by a flexible recess 240.

[0070] Further, the flexible surface sheets 300 and 310 attached to the upper and lower surfaces (embodiments of FIGS. 10, 11, 24 and 25) suppress the protrusion of the upper and lower surfaces of the main body 110 due to the deformation by the contraction when the main body 110 of the joining member 100 made of the flexible soft resin or flexible foam resin contracts, and guide the deformation of partial contraction and expansion into the hollow portion.

[0071] Furthermore, another embodiment of the present invention shown in FIGS. 17 and 18 is different from the above embodiment in that the protruding portion 120 protruding from the main body 110 of the joining member 100 made of the flexible foam resin is connected to a through hole 211 that is formed through the adjacent hard resin plate 200 in a joining direction. The operation of this embodiment remains the same as that of the embodiment shown in FIGS. 15 and 16.

[0072] Such an embodiment can be used more efficiently in a place where an expansion and contraction ratio is in a wide range due to a change in moisture in a region or country where a climate change is severe.

[0073] Further, according to another embodiment shown in FIGS. 19 and 20, the joining member 100 made of the flexible soft resin or the flexible foam resin comprises separate band-shaped members, each of which is joined at both ends thereof to steps 212 that are formed, respectively, on upper and lower portions of the adjacent (solid or hollow type) hard resin plate 200 in such a way as to face each other.

[0074] Here, the joining member 100 made of the flexible soft resin or the flexible foam resin is joined between the adjacent hard resin plates 200 in the joining direction thereof while forming the hollow portion therebetween, so that this is more sensitive in expansion and contraction as compared with the preferred embodiment and other embodiments of the present invention and thereby can be effectively used in a place where a temperature difference between day and night is large.

[0075] The above band-shaped joining member 100 made of the flexible soft resin or flexible foam resin has on a side thereof the deformation guide groove 130 to enable uniform contraction and expansion.

[0076] Further, in FIGS. 21 to 25 showing other embodiments, irrespective of whether the joining member 100 made of the flexible soft resin or flexible foam resin is the solid type or the hollow type, the rectangular main body 110 is formed such that its four corners are inclined surfaces 110a and the hard resin plate 200 covers an outer space outside the inclined surfaces.

[0077] These embodiments can achieve more preferable surface smoothness, in addition to ensuring a constant contraction ratio for the deformation by contraction.

[0078] As described above, although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described, it is to be understood that the scope of the present invention is not limited to the above description and the accompanying drawings.

[0079] For example, the above-mentioned component of the present invention, namely, the joining member 100 made of the flexible soft resin or flexible foam resin may include the main body 110 having an elliptical or circular hollow portion. If necessary, the main body may have a polygonal hollow portion, as long as it may be formed by extrusion molding.

[0080] As shown in FIG. 6, the floor board of the present invention is interposed between the laminate floor boards (L/F) to be utilized as an intermediate absorbing material, a material for finishing an edge, an expansion finishing material for a trim boundary between a room and a living room, and an expansion finishing material for a boundary between a living room and a balcony.

[0081] Furthermore, the floor board can be utilized as a single floor board or an interior wall material in a field office of a factory where moisture occurs frequently.

[0082] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been disclosed for illustrative purposes, those skilled in the art will appreciate that various modifications, additions and substitutions are possible, without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention as disclosed in the accompanying claims.

*Description of reference numerals of important parts*

[0083] 

100: joining member of flexible soft resin or flexible foam resin

110: main body 111: sidewall

112: restriction portion 120: protruding portion

130: deformation guide groove 200: hard resin plate

210: recess 240: flexible cavity

300, 310: flexible surface sheet

[Industrial Applicability]

[0084] As described above, the floor board according to the present invention can effectively absorb deformation by expansion and contraction of a laminate floor board, which has recently become a popular flooring material, thus integrating its appearance in the same pattern as that of the laminate floor board, and thereby being very useful in an industrial field.

Claims

1. A floor board capable of absorbing deformation by expansion and contraction, wherein the floor board is industrially manufactured by extrusion molding, and is configured such that adjacent hard resin plates are joined to each other by a joining member made of flexible soft resin or flexible foam resin, both hard resin plates located at outermost positions having the same tongue-groove structure as a tongue-groove coupling structure of a constructed common laminate floor board, as a structure complementary to the laminate floor board.

2. The floor board according to claim 1, wherein an upper surface of the hard resin plate and an upper surface of a main body of the joining member made of the flexible soft resin or flexible foam resin form the same horizontal plane, a flexible surface sheet on which the same hardwood pattern as that of the common laminate floor board is printed being attached to the upper surfaces thereof.

3. The floor board according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a lower surface of the main body of the joining member made of the flexible soft resin or flexible foam resin is joined to have a flexible cavity between the adjacent hard resin plates, thus accepting an expansion and contraction ratio.

4. The floor board according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the hard resin plate is preferably made of hard PVC, the flexible soft resin forming the joining member is selected from a group consisting of silicone rubber, soft synthetic rubber, and soft PVC, and the flexible foam resin is selected from a group consisting of urethane foam resin, non-crosslinked polyethylene foam, EVA foam resin, and synthetic rubber foam.

5. The floor board according to claim 4, wherein the hard resin plate is formed as either a solid type or a hollow type.

6. The floor board according to claim 4, wherein the joining member made of the flexible soft resin or flexible foam resin is formed as either a solid type or a hollow type.

7. The floor board according to claim 1, wherein upper and lower surfaces of the hard resin plate and of a main body of the joining member made of the flexible soft resin or flexible foam resin form the same horizontal planes, and a flexible surface sheet is attached to each of the upper and lower surfaces thereof.

8. The floor board according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the joining member made of the flexible soft resin or flexible foam resin comprises:

a hollow main body; and

a pair of left and right protruding portions formed integrally with the hollow main body, each of the protruding portions being joined to a recess that is formed in a joining end surface of the hard resin plate.

9. The floor board according to claim 8, wherein, in order to prevent a removal of the pair of left and right protruding portions in an expanding or contracting direction, each of the protruding portions is joined to the recess that is formed in the joining end surface of the hard resin plate in such a way as to be wide at an inner position and narrow at an outer position.

10. The floor board according to claim 8, wherein the main body comprises one to three restriction portions, each of the restriction portions being horizontally formed to connect both sidewalls of the main body to each other, thus restricting excessive expansion or contraction.

11. The floor board according to claim 8, wherein each of the protruding portions of the joining member made of the flexible soft resin or flexible foam resin is connected to another protruding portion, via a through hole formed through the adjacent hard resin plate in a joining direction thereof.

12. The floor board according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the joining member made of the flexible soft resin or flexible foam resin comprises separate band-shaped members, each of the members being joined at both ends thereof to steps that are formed, respectively, on upper and lower portions of the adjacent hard resin plates in such a way as to face each other.

13. The floor board according to claim 1, wherein a rectangular main body of the joining member made of the flexible soft resin or flexible foam resin is formed such that four corners thereof are inclined surfaces and the hard resin plate covers a space outside the inclined surfaces.

Drawing