Flooring system having sub-panels with complementary edge patterns

Abstract

Laminated flooring planks include decorative motifs, mechanically embossed-in-registration surface textures, recessed perimeters, and locking mechanisms. Adjacent planks substantially aligned allow embossed-in-registration patterns to be substantially continuous across adjacent flooring panels. The recessed perimeter prevents the edges of the flooring panel from prematurely wearing. Individual planks within the flooring system may comprise at least one partial sub-panel having a decorative motif and / or embossed surface texture (i.e., pattern)that is complementary with a pattern of a neighboring partial sub-panel or plank. Each plank may include edge patterns adjacent a portion of an edge of the plank and at least one bulk pattern adjacent the edge patterns. Edge patterns within a plank and of planks within a flooring system are substantially identical to each other. Bulk patterns form a substantially continuous pattern within an individual plank when adjacent a plank.

Description

[0001] This application incorporates by reference application Ser. No. 10 / 689,510, filed on Oct. 21, 2003, entitled FLOORING SYSTEM HAVING SUB-PANELS WITH COMPLEMENTARY EDGE PATTERNS, which is a Continuation-in-Part of application Ser. No. 10 / 374,751, filed on Feb. 27, 2003, entitled “FLOORING SYSTEM HAVING COMPLEMENTARY SUB-PANELS” (Attorney Docket No. 5724.017.22), which is a Continuation-in-Part of co-pending application Ser. No. 10 / 352,248, filed on Jan. 28, 2003, entitled “FLOORING SYSTEM HAVING COMPLEMENTARY SUB-PANELS” (Attorney Docket No. 5724.017.21), which is a Continuation-in-Part of co-pending application Ser. No. 10 / 137,319, filed on May 3, 2002, entitled “EMBOSSED-IN-REGISTER PANEL SYSTEM” (Attorney Docket No. 5724.017.00), and incorporates by reference co-pending application Ser. No. 09 / 903,807, filed on Jul. 31, 2001, entitled “EMBOSSED-IN-REGISTER MANUFACTURING PROCESS” (Attorney Docket No. 5724.016.00) and U.S. Pat. No. 6,401,415, filed on Dec. 13, 1999, entitled “...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

"The present invention is a flooring system that includes individual adjacent flooring planks with embossed-in-registration decorative motifs. The system has advantages such as substantially aligned surface texture and decorative motif between adjacent flooring planks, as well as continuous embossed-in-registration patterns across interlocked flooring planks. The flooring planks may also have recessed perimeters and edge patterns that form substantially continuous patterns. The invention also includes a floor panel with a decorative motif that includes edge patterns and a bulk pattern. The technical effects of the invention include improved alignment and alignment across interlocking flooring planks, as well as enhanced decorative appearance."

Problems solved by technology

However, such traditional building and finishing flooring materials tend to be expensive to produce and install.

For example, while a solid wood floor has a highly valued luxurious appearance, the materials and labor required to install such floors can be prohibitively expensive.

However, such alternatives typically do not possess the realistic look and texture of the traditional building and finishing flooring materials.

Furthermore, while high quality HPL, DPL, or CPL boards may visually look like wood, their textures readily reveal that they are not.

One problem with most alternatives to traditional building and finishing flooring materials is that their surface textures do not match their decorative motifs.

Accordingly, the attractiveness of these alternative materials is significantly reduced.

While somewhat successful, the resulting surface texture tends to lack the textual sharpness and three-dimensional characteristics of traditional materials.

While the aforementioned assembly and locking mechanisms have proven useful, they have not been used with embossed-in-registration laminate systems in which embossed-in-registration decorative motifs or graphics align across joints between the individual embossed-in-registration laminates.

Further, the aforementioned flooring systems have a relatively low ability to resist wear.

While not wishing to be bound by any particular theory, it is hypothesized that premature aging (wear) begins at or near the perimeter edges and / or along tongue and groove lines.

The perimeter of each panel, however, is substantially weaker than the center of the panel and therefore deteriorates first.

In addition, flooring systems typically do not have decorative motifs or pattern designs that are longer than the length of a plank.

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