WO2006123862A1

WO2006123862A1 - Floor panel

Info

Publication number: WO2006123862A1
Application number: PCT/KR2006/001239
Authority: WO
Inventors: Wui Don Yim
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2005-05-17
Filing date: 2006-04-04
Publication date: 2006-11-23
Anticipated expiration: 2007-11-17
Also published as: KR20060118873A; KR100698848B1

Abstract

The purpose of the present invention is to provide floor panels that are easy and cost-efficient to construct. In sum, the advantages of the subject floor panels of the present invention include: easiness of the floor construction; reduced time and cost required by construction; reduced overall load of the building; air compression by the floor construction; easiness in reconstruction of the floor; great heat radiation; easiness in installation of pipes; reduced overall depth of the complete floor; (in relation to the preceding advantage) the reduced overall height of the building in case it is a multi-storey, tall one; great shock-absorbing function, and; the fact that there is no need to install a separate soundproofing material.

Description

Title: FLOOR PANEL

Technical Field

The present invention concerns floor panels that decorate the floors of buildings that require radiation.

Background Art

In general, floors that require heating are built by laying the sounding proofing material, onto which the concrete is poured. Clip boards are loaded to install hot water pipe. After installation of the water pipes, mortar is poured and cured, onto which laminated floor paper or wooden floor panels are laid.

The aforementioned process of floor construction is quite complicated and requires much time for curing of concrete and mortar. It also makes installation of hot water pipes more difficult.

In constructing the floor following the aforementioned process, the average depth of the base floor is 180mm, the depth of the soundproofing material and the concrete alike is 70mm, and the depth of the mortar layer is 50mm, totaling up to 300mm of the total floor depth. The thinner the floor is, the better it is. However, the existing type of floor materials and building process make such thinness of the floor almost improbable.

In addition, because the aforementioned process of floor construction requires much of mortar and cement materials, it is inefficient cost-wise. The

i mortar used also increases the overall load of the building.

Disclosure of Invention

The purpose of the present invention is to provide floor panels that are easy and cost-efficient to construct. The floor panels will also require fewer amounts of heavy materials, such as mortar, thereby reducing the overall load of the building. Furthermore, the subject floor panels are designed to shorten the time taken to construct the whole floor. They are also effective in terms of soundproofing and heat insulation, while also drastically reduces the overall depth of the complete floor. The subject floor panels also enable floors to be built on base floors that are not completely even.

In sum, the advantages of the subject floor panels of the present invention include: (1) easiness of the floor construction; (2) reduced time and cost required by construction; (3) reduced overall load of the building; (4) air compression by the floor construction; (5) easiness in re-construction of the floor; (6) great heat radiation; (7) easiness in installation of pipes; (8) reduced overall depth of the complete floor; (9) (in relation to the preceding advantage) the reduced overall height of the building in case it is a multi-storey, tall one; (10) great shock-absorbing function, and; (11) the fact that there is no need to install a separate soundproofing material.

Brief Descriptions of the Drawings

Figure 1 is a slanted view on the floor panels of the present invention that illustrates one example of using the items. Figure 2 is another slanted view on the floor panels of the present invention that illustrates another example of using the panels.

Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view on the existing type of mortar floor using the floor panels of Figure 1.

Figures 4 to 7 illustrate the examples of subsidiary insertion tools that form part of the floor panels of the present invention.

Figure 8 is a sectional view that illustrates an example of floor construction using the floor panels of Figure 2, the primary subsidiary insertion tool of Figure 5 and the secondary subsidiary insertion tool of Figure 6.

Figures 10 and 11 are ground plans that illustrate different examples of the floor panels of the present invention.

Figure 12 is another ground plan that illustrates a different example of the floor panel.

Figure 13 is a ground plan that illustrates the modified version of Figure 12.

100-100f: Floor Panels 110: Base

130: Pipe Anchor 131 : Protrusion

132 : G roove 137 : G roove

152: Female Connector 154: Male Connector

160: Molded Resin Item 162: Resin supporter

164: Hole 166: Resin Connector

170~170c: Subsidiary Insertion Tools Best Mode for Carrying out the Invention

The floor panels of the present invention are installed on the board-like base. It also consists of pipe anchors that maintain the pipes installed along their routes in their right positions. The pipe anchors are contain lagging and soundproofing materials, which are made of either Styrofoam, polyurethane, or rubber.

The said pipe anchors are formed over the grooves in forms of a web on the base. It is advisable that the said pipe anchors are formed by multiple protrusions with a certain distance between one another. The ends of the protrusions should be slanted a bit so that the protrusions become nearer to one another from the bottom to the end.

There may be resin supporters neighboring the said grooves. It is advisable that the resin supporters be inserted into the said protrusions that have grooves in their centers.

Along the edges of each floor panel are female and male connectors that connect the panel to other floor panels. On the upper surface of the floor panel, the powder of a good conductor of heat should be spread.

It is recommended that the said resin supporters be connected to one another in a row by resin connectors buried in between the upper and lower lagging/soundproofing materials. The resin supporters and resin connectors should have holes in their centers through which the lagging and soundproofing materials can be placed.

It is advisable that subsidiary insertion tools be inserted among the said protrusions in a way that they can be attached and detached when needed. These subsidiary tools for insertion include the primary subsidiary insertion tools to be installed in parts where the said pipes do not go through and the secondary subsidiary insertion tools to be installed in parts where the said pipes pass. The primary and secondary subsidiary insertion tools are recommended to consist of lagging/soundproofing materials in the forms that can be inserted among the said protrusions; and molded resin item that can be inserted into those lagging/soundproofing materials.

The said molded resin items are distinguished by two or more compartments and formed via the holes that lead to the neighboring compartments. The said lagging/soundproofing materials are connected to one another via the said holes.

Examples of execution of the present invention are described in the following paragraphs with references to the drawings enclosed.

Figure 1 is a slanted view on the floor panels of the present invention that illustrates one example of using the items. The floor panel (100) of the present invention as shown in Figure 1 consists of only lagging/soundproofing materials. These materials can insulate heat and absorb sound at the same time, and may be made up of Styrofoam, polyurethane foam, or recyclable rubber. Although Styrofoam is most recommended, two or more of these ingredients may be used together to form the needed materials. In this report, examples of lagging/soundproofing materials made of Styrofoam are used to explain the whole invention.

The floor panels (100) of the present invention are used to construct the floor that requires heating, installed on the base floor of a building. It is formed above the board-like base (110), and consists of pipe anchors (130) that maintain the pipes (10) installed along their routes in their right positions. These pipe anchors (130), which can be modified variously in terms of their structures, are recommended to be formed by the protrusions (131) on the surface of the floor panel (100). These protrusions (131) may be form of circles, ovals, squares, triangles, or any other polygonal figures for that matter. They only need to allow the pipes (10) to pass between them and anchor the pipes (10) so that the pipes (10) will not move about in the floor. The side of each protrusion (131) should be slanted so that the distance with the neighboring protrusion

(131) narrows upward so that the pipes (10) contained by the protrusions (131) will not derail from their positions. In the center of each protrusion (131) is a groove (132) that increases the adhesiveness of the mortar. These grooves

(132) increase the depth of the mortar layer on the protrusions (131) in part in order to prevent deconstruction of the layer as well.

As shown in the figure, there are female and male connectors (152, 154) along the edges of the floor panel (100) that connect the panels (100) to one another. The female (152) and male connectors (154) should be installed apart from each other on each side of the floor panel (100). Farther modifications and applications of these female (152) and male (154) connectors are possible in terms of their structures. They only need to be able to connect to one another to maintain the floor panels in perfect attachment to one another. Of course, it would still be possible to construct the whole floor without these connectors. Thus, these are not the absolute essentials required for floor construction.

The pipes (10) on the floor panels (100) are anchored by Styrofoam only as shown in Figure 1.

Figure 2 is another slanted view on the floor panels of the present invention that illustrates another example of using the panels.

The floor panels of the present invention are formed above the board- like base (110), and consist of pipe anchors (130) that maintain the pipes (10) installed along their routes in their right positions. These pipe anchors (130), which can be modified variously in terms of their structures, are recommended to be formed by the protrusions (131) on the surface of the floor panel (100). These protrusions (131) may be form of circles, ovals, squares, triangles, or any other polygonal figures for that matter. They only need to allow the pipes (10) to pass between them and anchor the pipes (10) so that the pipes (10) will not move about in the floor.

Inside each protrusion (131) on the floor panel (100) shown in Figure 2 is resin supporters (162). These resin supporters (162) are designed to support the load that act downward to the floor. They are inserted into the insertion molding formed inside each protrusion (131) made of Styrofoam. These resin supporters (162) may also take various forms as the protrusions (131) may, since they only need to be able to support the load that acts on the floor panel (100). As shown in the figure, it is recommended that the resin supporters (162) have holes (164) that are open up/downward and left to right so that the upper and lower Styrofoam layers of the base (110) are connected to each other through those holes. These resin supporters are connected to one another as a unit by the resin connectors (166) inserted in between the upper (112) and lower (114) Styrofoam layers. In this way, the resin connectors (166) and the resin supporters (162) connected to one another with a certain distance in between form the molded resin items (160), which are inserted into the Styrofoam layers along the insertion molding, facilitating installation of the floor panels (100). Of course, the floor panels (100) of the present invention may be installed using only the resin supporters (162) without the resin connectors. The role of the resin supporters (162) and the resin connectors (166) is to form many holes that are open up and downward or left to right so that the upper (112) and lower Styrofoam layers (114) and the protrusions (131) and the Styrofoam (131a) are all connected to one another in unity.

The recommended type of Styrofoam to be used in execution of the present invention is the noninflammable Styrofoam that is being currently developed.

As mentioned earlier, Styrofoam can be replaced by polyurethane and recyclable rubber, both of which have great soundproofing and lagging functions. The polyurethane foam can be used in the exact same way as the Styrofoam. In case of using recyclable rubber instead of Styrofoam, protrusions (131) can be made only where the pipes (10) pass, while resin supporters (162) are formed in parts where pipes (10) do not pass.

The process of building the mortar layer using the floor panels (100) of Figure 1 is as follows: First, install the floor panels (100) of the present invention as shown in Figure 1 on the base floor (20). Connect the neighboring floor panels (100) using the female and male connectors (152, 154) as explained in Figure 1. Once the floor panels (100) of the present invention are laid on the base floor (20), install the heating pipes (10) between protrusions (131) along their designated routes. Afterward, pour mortar (30) on the floor panels (100), let it cure, and install the laminated floor paper (40).

Of course, the floor panels (100a) shown in Figure 2 can be used to construct this mortar floor (200).

In constructing the floor following the process stated above, the base floor should be 180mm, and the depth of the floor panels (100) and the mortar layer (40) all together needs to be around 70mm only, thereby reducing the depth of the entire floor to 250mm from 300mm of the existing type of floors. Using the floor panels of the present invention makes a difference of 50mm in the depth of the floor.

In addition, the process of floor construction using the floor panels (100) of the present invention is relatively simple and easy. The protrusions (131) also require fewer amounts of mortar (40), thereby reducing the material costs and overall load of the building.

Also, because the floor panels of this type do not require usage of separate soundproofing materials and concrete layers, they all contribute to efficiency of the building process. Moreover, the pipes (10) have great insulating as well as soundproofing functions.

The primary subsidiary insertion tools (170) shown in Figure 4 are inserted among the protrusions (131) in parts where pipes do not pass in order to fill in the spaces among the protrusions (131). Thus, it is advisable that they be in the same forms as the empty spaces among the protrusions (131). As shown in the figure, the parts of the primary subsidiary insertion tools (170) that contact the concave sides of the protrusions (131) are convex. These tools (170) are formed by the pieces of Styrofoam inserted inside the molded resin items (171). It is recommended that the types of molded resin items (171) with multiple sections be used. In some cases, molded resin items in convex forms are also recommended.

The subsidiary insertion tools (170a) shown in Figure 5 show an example of slightly modifying the primary subsidiary insertion tools (170) shown in Figure 4. In Figure 5, the directions of the molded resin items (171) are rotated in 45 degrees approximately.

The secondary subsidiary insertion tools (170b) shown in Figure 6 were designed to be installed in parts where the pipes pass. The right side of each tool is installed toward the pipe as shown in Figure 6. The surface of the side of the tool that is facing the pipe can be either flat or wedged. Because the protrusions act to maintain the pipes in their right positions, the secondary subsidiary insertion tools (170b) do not need to retain the pipes. In this case as well, these tools (170) are formed by the pieces of Styrofoam inserted inside the molded resin items (171). Inserting the molded resin items (171b) inside the Styrofoam pieces can be performed by insertion-injection or insertion-molding. These secondary tools (170b) are similar to the subsidiary insertion tools (170a) shown in Figure 5 in that they have eliminated certain parts. The rest of the tools are the same as the primary subsidiary insertion tools (170a). Figure 7 is a slanted view on another example of subsidiary insertion tools that are designed to be inserted between two neighboring protrusions. As shown in the figure, both sides of the tool have a semi-circular groove that corresponds to the outer shape of the protrusions. Those sides are convex so that they can be inserted between the two neighboring protrusions. The remaining two sides should be straight and flat. The primary subsidiary insertion tools (170c) shown in Figure 7 are also made by inserting the molded resin items (171) inside the Styrofoam pieces (172c).

Besides those illustrated in Figures 4 to 7, other forms of subsidiary insertion tools can be prepared and inserted between the protrusions and pipes in installing pipes.

Figure 8 is a sectional view that illustrates an example of floor (200a) construction using the floor panels (100a) of Figure 2, the primary subsidiary insertion tools (170a) of Figure 5 and the secondary subsidiary insertion tools (170b) of Figure 6. Figure 9 is a slanted view on the process of construction using the floor panels (100a) of Figure 2, the primary subsidiary insertion tools (170a) of Figure 5, and the secondary subsidiary insertion tools (170b) of Figure 6. The process of floor construction is as follows:

First, install the floor panels (100) of the present invention as shown in Figure 1 on the base floor (20). Connect the neighboring floor panels (100) using the female and male connectors (152, 154) as explained in Figure 1. Once the floor panels (100) of the present invention are laid on the base floor (20), install the heating pipes (10) between protrusions (131) along their designated routes. In spaces among protrusions where the pipes (10) do not

1 ! pass, insert the primary subsidiary insertion tools (170a) of Figure 5 as shown in Figure 9. In spaces among the protrusions (131) where pipes (10) pass, insert the secondary subsidiary insertion tools (170b) of Figure 6. Above all these, install the floor material (42). In this case, the depth of the floor panel (100a) and the floor material (42) alike is around 65mm, and the depth of the entire floor including the base (20) is around 245mm. In other words, using the floor panels (100a) of the present invention in the described process makes a difference of 55mm in the floor depth.

As explained in the previous process, using the floor panels (100a) of the present invention facilitates installation of the floor material (200a) as well. In using the floor panels of the present invention, there will be less amount of air in the constructed floor since the panels do not require curing of concrete or mortar layers. They also make re-construction and renovation much easier; reduce the overall load of the building and material cost; reduce the overall depth of the entire floor; and can last as long as the building can. The Styrofoam layer surrounding the pipes increases heat insulation. There is no need to go through the hassle of installing a separate soundproofing or shock-absorbing material. In addition, by spreading the powder of either aluminium or silver, both of which are good conductors of heat, on the surface of the floor panels (100a), the heat conductivity of the panels (100a) can be increased significantly. In cases where necessary, the powder of good conductors of heat may be mixed with paints and sprayed onto the surfaces of the floor panels.

Figures 10 and 11 are ground plans that illustrate different examples of the floor panels of the present invention. As shown in Figures 10 and 11 , the resin supporters (182) are inserted among protrusions (131) to allow for installation of the molded load supporters (180) so that the floor can be built without the help of the subsidiary insertion tools (170, 170a, 170b, 170c) described earlier. In some cases, as shown in Figure 10, the floor panels (100b) without the load supporters (180) (to allow the pipes to bend) and the floor panels (100c) of Figure 11 that have load supporters (180) among the protrusions (!31) in parts where pipes are straight can be used together to build a floor.

Of course, resin supporters (182) can be inserted into the protrusions (131) in both examples of Figures 10 and 11.

As shown in the Figure, the floor panels (100d) can facilitate installation of the pipes along their designated routes by forming grooves (137) in a web- like pattern on the Styrofoam base (110d). The rest is the same as what has been explained in Figure 1. The floor panels (100d) of Figure 13 are recommended for construction of general floors as explained in Figure 3.

Figure 13 is a ground plan that illustrates the modified version of Figure 12.

As shown in the figure, grooves (137) are formed on the upper surface of the Styrofoam base (110c) to allow the pipes to be installed along their designated routes. In between the grooves (137) are inserted resin supporters (168).

The floor panels (100c) featured in Figure 13 can be used to build a floor in the process illustrated in Figure 8 without the help of the subsidiary insertion tools (170, 170a, 170b, 170c) described earlier.

Claims

[1] A floor panel that consists of a board-like base; and pipe anchors that maintain the pipes installed along their routes in their right positions, containing lagging and soundproofing materials, which are made of either Styrofoam, polyurethane, or rubber.

[2] In Claim [1], a floor panel characterized by having the said pipe anchors formed over the grooves in forms of a web on the base

[3] In Claim [1], a floor panel characterized by having the said pipe anchors formed by multiple protrusions with a certain distance between one another.

[4] In Claim [3], a floor panel characterized by having the said protrusions whose ends should be slanted a bit so that the protrusions become nearer to one another from the bottom to the end.

[5] In Claim [2], a floor panel characterized by having resin supporters neighboring the said grooves

[6] In Claim [3], a floor panel characterized by having the said resin supporters be inserted into the said protrusions that have grooves in their centers

[7] In Claim [6], a floor panel characterized by having protrusions with concave grooves in their centers

[8] In Claim [1] or [7], a floor panel characterized by having along the edges of each floor panel female and male connectors that connect the panel to other floor panels. On the upper surface of the floor panel, the powder of a good conductor of heat should be spread.

[9] In Claim [5] or [6], a floor panel characterized by having the said resin supporters connected to one another in a row by resin connectors buried in between the upper and lower lagging/soundproofing materials.

[10] In Claim [9], a floor panel characterized by having the resin supporters and resin connectors with holes in their centers through which the lagging and soundproofing materials can be placed.

[11] In Claim [5] or [6], a floor panel characterized by having the resin supporters and resin connectors with holes in their centers through which the lagging and soundproofing materials of the said base and protrusions can be placed.

[12] In one of Claims [3], [4], [6], [7], a floor panel characterized by having subsidiary insertion tools inserted among the said protrusions in a way that they can be attached and detached when needed.

[13] In Claim [11], a floor panel characterized by having the said subsidiary tools for insertion that include the primary subsidiary insertion tools to be installed in parts where the said pipes do not go through and the secondary subsidiary insertion tools to be installed in parts where the said pipes pass. The primary and secondary subsidiary insertion tools are recommended to consist of lagging/soundproofing materials in the forms that can be inserted among the said protrusions; and molded resin item that can be inserted into those lagging/soundproofing materials.

[14] In Claim [13], a floor panel characterized by having the said molded resin items distinguished by two or more compartments and formed via the holes that lead to the neighboring compartments. The said lagging/soundproofing materials are connected to one another via the said holes.