Interlocking rubber tiles, mats, blocks and pavers for athletic and recreational surfaces, playgrounds and rooftops

Abstract

A tile for covering an area which interlocks with an adjacent tile includes a main body having a top surface and a bottom surface disposed opposite the top surface. The main body has at least a first lateral side and a second lateral side. The tile includes a plurality of spaced apart male connectors situated on the first lateral side, and a plurality of spaced apart female receptacles situated on the second lateral side. Each male connector further includes a lip or flange situated at a free end thereof, and each female receptacle includes a slot formed therein. When one tile is mated to an adjacent tile, the male connectors of one tile are received by corresponding female receptacles of the other tile, with the lip or flange of the male connectors being received by the slots formed in the female receptacles to help hold the male connectors in place within the female receptacles and to help interlock the adjacent tiles together. Ramp-like border tiles having a top surface with an increasing slope may be mated to the aforementioned tiles and provide a border around a matrix or array of interlocked tiles.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A tile for covering an area and which interlocks with an adjacent tile, which comprises:
 a main body having a top surface and a bottom surface disposed opposite the top surface, the main body having at least a first lateral side and a second lateral side;   at least one male connector situated on at least one of the first lateral side and the second lateral side of the main body and extending outwardly therefrom; and   at least one female receptacle situated on at least one of the first lateral side and the second lateral side of the main body;   wherein the at least one male connector of the tile is engageable with a female receptacle of an adjacent tile so that the tile may interlock with the adjacent tile;   wherein the main body of the tile resides generally in a plane;   wherein the at least one male connector includes a first segment extending outwardly from the main body and co-planarly with the main body, and a second segment joined to the first segment and extending perpendicularly from the first segment, the second segment having an exterior surface and a free end; and   wherein the female receptacle includes an inner wall, an outer wall disposed opposite the inner wall, side walls interposed between the inner wall and the outer wall, and a recessed bottom wall, the inner wall, outer wall, side walls and bottom wall of the female receptacle defining a recess for at least partially receiving the second segment of the male connector of an adjacent tile to interlock the tile with the adjacent tile;   wherein the second segment of the at least one male connector includes at least one lip extending outwardly from the exterior surface of the second segment; and   wherein the at least one female receptacle includes at least one corresponding slot which is dimensioned to receive the at least one lip of the second segment of a male connector of an adjacent tile when the male connector of one tile is received by a corresponding female receptable of an adjacent tile to help interlock the two tiles together, the at least one slot being complementary in shape to that of the at least one lip of the male connector.   
     
     
         2 . A tile as defined by  claim 1 , wherein the at least one slot of the at least one female receptacle is formed in at least one of the inner wall, the oppositely disposed outer wall and at least one of the side walls of the at least one female receptacle. 
     
     
         3 . A tile as defined by  claim 2 , wherein the at least one slot formed in the at least one of the inner wall, the oppositely disposed outer wall and the at least one of the side walls of the at least one female receptacle is disposed thereon near the recessed bottom wall of the at least one female receptacle; and
 wherein the at least one lip of the at least one male connector is disposed near the free end of the second segment thereof.   
     
     
         4 . A tile as defined by  claim 1 , wherein the second segment of the at least one male connector further includes at least one rib-receiving slot formed in the exterior surface of the second segment; and
 wherein at least one of the inner wall, the oppositely-disposed outer wall and at least one of the side walls defining the at least one female receptacle includes at least one rib extending outwardly therefrom, the at least one rib-receiving slot of the second segment of the at least one male connector being dimensioned to receive therein the at least one rib of the at least one female receptacle of an adjacent tile when the male connector of one tile is received by a corresponding female receptable of an adjacent tile to help interlock the two tiles together, the at least one rib-receiving slot of the at least one male connector being complementary in shape to that of the at least one rib of the at least one female receptacle.   
     
     
         5 . A tile as defined by  claim 1 , wherein the first segment of the at least one male connector includes an underside surface and a lock recess formed in the underside surface;
 wherein the tile includes an outer wall which at least partially defines the at least one receptacle, the outer wall having an end wall; and   wherein the outer wall includes a lock protrusion disposed on the end wall thereof.   
     
     
         6 . A tile as defined by  claim 1 , wherein the lock protrusion has an exposed surface, the exposed surface of the lock protrusion having a raised mid-section, the exposed surface sloping downwardly and laterally from the raised mid-section. 
     
     
         7 . A ramp-like transition tile for covering an area and which interlocks with an adjacent tile, which comprises:
 a main body having a top surface and a bottom surface disposed opposite the top surface, the main body having at least a first side and a second side situated opposite the first side, and opposite lateral sides joined to and extending between the first side and the second side, the height of the first side being less than that of the second side to provide the top surface of the ramp-like transition tile with an increasing slope extending from the first side to the second side;   at least one of 1) at least one male connector situated on the second side of the main body and extending outwardly therefrom, and 2) at least one female receptacle situated on the second side of the main body;   wherein the at least one male connector includes a first segment extending outwardly from the main body of the ramp-like transition tile, and a second segment joined to the first segment and extending perpendicularly from the first segment, the second segment having an exterior surface and a free end, the at least one male connector being provided for engagement with an adjacent tile and for interlocking the ramp-like transition tile with the adjacent tile; and   wherein the at least one female receptacle includes an inner wall, an outer wall disposed opposite the inner wall, side walls interposed between the inner wall and the outer wall, and a recessed bottom wall, the inner wall, outer wall, side walls and bottom wall of the at least one female receptacle defining a recess, the at least one female receptacle being provided for engagement with an adjacent tile and for interlocking the ramp-like transition tile with the adjacent tile.   
     
     
         8 . A ramp-like transition tile as defined by  claim 7 , wherein the second segment of the at least one male connector includes at least one lip extending outwardly from the exterior surface of the second segment. 
     
     
         9 . A ramp-like transition tile as defined by  claim 7 , wherein the at least one female receptacle includes at least one lip-receiving slot formed in at least one of the inner wall, the outer wall and at least one of the side walls defining the at least one female receptacle. 
     
     
         10 . A ramp-like transition tile as defined by  claim 7 , wherein the second segment of the at least one male connector includes at least one lip extending outwardly from the exterior surface of the second segment;
 wherein the second segment of the at least one male connector includes at least one rib-receiving slot formed in the exterior surface of the second segment;   wherein the at least one female receptacle includes at least one lip-receiving slot formed in at least one of the inner wall, the outer wall and at least one of the side walls defining the at least one female receptacle; and   wherein the at least one female receptacle includes at least one rib extending outwardly from at least one of the inner wall, the outer wall and at least one of the side walls defining the at least one female receptacle.   
     
     
         11 . A ramp-like transition tile as defined by  claim 7 , wherein the ramp-like transition tile includes a bottom surface and a plurality of spaced apart slots formed in a portion of the bottom surface in proximity to the first side of the ramp-like transition tile. 
     
     
         12 . A ramp-like transition tile as defined by  claim 11 , wherein the slots are arranged parallel to one another. 
     
     
         13 . A ramp-like transition tile as defined by  claim 7 , which further comprises:
 a plurality of stanchions mounted on the bottom surface of the main body and extending downwardly and outwardly from the bottom surface, the stanchions being spaced apart from each other and arranged in rows extending between the first side and the second side, each stanchion in each row increasing in longitudinal length and in the downward and outward extension thereof from the bottom surface in a direction of increasing length from the first side to the opposite second side.   
     
     
         14 . A ramp-like transition tile as defined by  claim 13 , wherein each stanchion of the plurality of stanchions is frusto-conical in shape. 
     
     
         15 . A ramp-like transition tile as defined by  claim 13 , wherein each stanchion of the plurality of stanchions has an outer surface and spaced apart ribs situated on the outer surface. 
     
     
         16 . A ramp-like transition tile as defined by  claim 7 , wherein the second side of the ramp-like transition tile has an outer surface; and
 wherein the ramp-like transition tile further comprises:   at least one of 1) at least one generally wedge-shaped projection situated on the outer surface of the second side, and 2) at least one generally wedge-shaped slot formed in the outer surface of the second side.   
     
     
         17 . A ramp-like transition tile as defined by  claim 7 , wherein the first segment of the at least one male connector includes an underside surface and a lock recess formed in the underside surface;
 wherein the ramp-like transition tile includes an outer wall which at least partially defines the at least one receptacle, the outer wall having an end wall; and   wherein the outer wall includes a lock protrusion disposed on the end wall thereof.   
     
     
         18 . A tile as defined by  claim 17 , wherein the lock protrusion has an exposed surface, the exposed surface of the lock protrusion having a raised mid-section, the exposed surface sloping downwardly and laterally from the raised mid-section.