Corner Interlocking Rubber Pavers

Abstract

Rubber pavers of recycled vehicle tires are gaining popularity with consumers because they are “green” (friendly to our planet Earth) and they have other special features such as noise and impact absorbing, slip and frost resistance, and ease of maintenance. However, there is a major problem with rubber pavers, i.e., the corners of a rubber paver curl up for non-glued-down installation. The corner curling becomes worse and worse as paver's thickness decreases. This invention invented Corner-Interlocking designs to prevent corner curling. This Corner-Interlocking invention prevents corners from curling and interlocks rubber pavers (especially for thin rubber pavers) in place for non-glue-down installation.

1 . This author invented a Corner-Interlocking design to interconnect rubber pavers together by Corner-Interlocking Pad and, channels and anchors at the back of pavers. 
     
     
         2 . According to  claim 1 , a channel is designed at each corner of a bottom face of a paver. An anchor is designed next to the channel at each corner of a bottom face of a paver. 
     
     
         3 . According to  claims 1  and  2 , a Corner-Interlocking Pad has four arms. Each of the arms of a Corner-Interlocking Pad has the same or about the same shape as the void formed by a channel and its anchor. Therefore, the arm can fit into the void of the channel and anchor. 
     
     
         4 . According to  claims 1 - 3 , when an arm pressed into a channel and anchor void, the arm is recessed into the bottom face of the paver. 
     
     
         5 . According to  claims 1 - 4 , the width of the anchor is wider than the channel, such that there is only one correct position for an arm of a Corner-Interlocking Pad to fit into the channel and anchor. 
     
     
         6 . According to  claim 5 , an anchor can take various shapes to function as a positioning anchor as long as its width is wider than that of the channel. 
     
     
         7 . According to  claims 1 - 6 , the channel can take various shapes. 
     
     
         8 . According to  claims 1 - 7 , Corner-Interlocking Pad can be cut along the center-square diagonal lines and to be used as the filler to the void of a channel and anchor of a corner, when this corner is a corner of the whole installation area. 
     
     
         9 . According to  claims 1 - 6 , Corner-Interlocking Pad can be cut along one of the center-square diagonal lines and to be used to connect adjacent pavers by the channels and anchors, when these two corners are on the border of the whole installation area. 
     
     
         10 . According to  claims 1 - 6 , one arm of Corner-Interlocking Pad can be cut out. The three arm Corner-Interlocking Pad can used to connect three corners by the channels and anchors, when the three-corner-point is on the border of the whole installation area. 
     
     
         11 . According to  claims 1 - 6 , Corner-Interlocking Pad can be used to connect four adjacent pavers by the channels and anchors, when these corners are inside of the whole installation area.