Flexible, anti-skid floor comprising wood and rubber

Abstract

The invention relates to a floor comprising square strips of rubber with small wooden squares glued thereto and a slot which is disposed between each piece of wood thereby forming a tile. In this way, said strips are positioned side by side in order to form a floor. The slots between the wooden squares enable the sheet of rubber to bend and adapt to flat or somewhat curved surfaces. In addition, the rubber, which forms the base of the tile comprises anti-skid properties in relation to the floor o sub-floor to which it is applied. Moreover, the slots between the wood on the upper part of the tile provide the tile with anti-skid properties in relation to movement thereon. According to the invention, no additional materials are required to mount the tile. In order to adjust the inventive tile to projections in the sub-floor, wooden squares are remove by cutting the rubber using a sharp knife along the slots between the wood.

1 . The invention is a composite floor made of wood and rubber, in which a solid wood panel is glued to flexible rubber plate. After the glue is set, by using machinery, slots are made in the length and the width of the wooden panel. The depth of the slots goes from the top of the wood panel to its bottom, living an empty space between the several square blocks which become after panel is slotted. The rubber is not slotted, and remains of the same original thickness.  
     
     
         2 . The slots so made as per  claim 1 , divide the wood plate in several small wooden blocks, firmly glued to the rubber base plate. These wooden blocks can have various shapes: rectangular rhomboidal, square, with curved forms.  
     
     
         3 . The slots so made have a wedged shape. The wider side of the wedge is in the upper side of the slot. The end of the wedge, or apex, is at the glued face of the wood block. The apex of the slot is an arrow like, but has a certain width, which is the same of the visible rubber width. These visible rubber width acts as a hinge because there is an empty space between any two sides of the wooden blocks. If the tile so formed is to be folded to a roll form, it can be done in two opposite sences, that is with the wooden plates looking inside or outside the roll.  
     
     
         4 . The roll so formed as per  claim 3 , can be unfolded, and used to pave any surface, which could be flat or curved in a convex or concave shape, then continuing on a slopped surface, then on a vertical surface. All these surfaces can be flat, convex or concave. In example, it could be applied over spherical surfaces if the size of the slots are increased, and the size of the wooden blocks decreased, while been machined.  
     
     
         5 . The rubber plate base of the tiles, has by its bottom side, a great amount of very thin and narrow rubber edges protruding from the rubber, against the sub-floor surface. The own weight of the tile plus, the weight of any object lying on the top of the tile, and the proper of the walkers, will compress the edges, and increase the anti-skid property of the floor.  
     
     
         6 . As there is a void in between wooden blocks, due to the machined slots, it forms a split surface, which is highly anti-skid. When used outdoor, the weather conditions, like rain, will not change its property.  
     
     
         7 . The composite wood and rubber floor can be made tile form, or rolls. In any case, it can be removed after mounting, because does not require to be glued to the sub-floor.  
     
     
         8 . If there are protruding elements in the sub-floor where the invention is to be mounted, with a sharp knife, wooden blocks can easily be removed, by cutting the rubber in the chosen slots. Nevertheless, de rubber will not rip afterwards.