Interface, Inc.

John Proctor Bradford

David D Oakey

Keith N Gray

Graham A H Scott

James Hobbs

Stuart Jones

William Nathan Jones

Craig Jay Cochran

Connie Daniel Hensler

Joel Sheppard

Luca Achilli

Graeme Robert Ripley

James Woods, Jr

Andre Culpepper

Johannes Lieuwe Wever

Michael Lindsay Boyd

Teddy Buntara

Floor coverings, such as modular panels or tiles, for installation on interior surfaces include one or more layers, for example, an upper wear layer and a backing layer, where at least one layer includes a filler that includes a carbon negative material, such as concentrated carbon. The carbon negative material can sequester carbon such that the resulting floor covering has a negative carbon footprint when subjected to a Life Cycle Assessment.

Surface coverings including carbon sequestering materials and methods of making

Certain aspects and features relate to using an image modifier to generate digital designs and to printing the digital designs on a structure for flooring or other decoration that can more realistically mimic designs found in nature or otherwise provide designers with the freedom to create aesthetic designs more easily. An image modifier can receive an image, such as an image of a naturally occurring view and generate modified designs based on the image. The modified designs can be slight modifications to the image and printed on the structures for flooring such that together the printed structures exhibit the appearance of a design found in nature or a desired appearance by a designer.

Digital printing for flooring and decorative structures

Floor coverings, such as modular panels or tiles, for installation on interior surfaces include an upper wear layer and a backing layer, where the backing layer includes a filler that includes concentrated carbon. The floor coverings can sequester carbon such that the resulting product has a negative carbon footprint when subjected to a Life Cycle Assessment.

A floor covering system can include sensors below a top surface of a floor covering and that can communicate data to a controller for monitoring events occurring in the room with the floor covering. The sensors can include a wireless transmitter associated with a tile connector, a pressure sensor, and a force sensor. The tile connector is positioned between a floor and a floor covering to connect tiles of the floor covering together. The pressure sensor is positioned between the floor and the floor covering. The force sensor is positioned between the floor and the floor covering. The controller is configured for receiving data from the pressure sensor, the wireless transmitter, and the force sensor.

Floor covering system with sensors

Connectors for joining adjacent modular floor covering units. The connectors include a film and an adhesive layer coated on one side of the film. To install tiles using the connectors, a first tile is placed on the floor and a connector is positioned so that the adhesive layer faces upward and does not contact the floor. The connector is typically positioned so that only a portion of the adhesive layer adheres to the underside of the tile, leaving the remainder of the connector extending from the underside of the tile. Tiles are then positioned adjacent the first tile so that a portion of the connector adheres to the adjacent tiles. In this way, the connectors span adjacent tile edges. The tiles are assembled on a underlying flooring surface without the need to attach them to the floor surface. Rather, the tiles are linked to each other with the connectors, so that the tiles create a floor covering that 'floats' on the underlying floor surface.

System for modular tile installation

Low weight and non-square carpet tile suitable for use in mass transit vehicles, particularly passenger aircraft. The carpet tile preferably weighs less than about 82 ounces per square yard. The carpet tile of this invention may have a carpet pile and at least one backing layer. The backing layer may use a low weight filler material. The carpet tiles satisfy transportation industry standards for flame, smoke and toxicity.

Low weight-hardback carpet tile

Connectors for joining adjacent modular floor covering units. Embodiments of the connectors include a film and an adhesive layer coated on one side of the film. To install tiles using the connectors, a first tile is placed on the floor and a connector is positioned so that the adhesive layer faces upward and does not contact the floor. The connector is typically positioned so that only a portion of the adhesive layer adheres to the underside of the tile, leaving the remainder of the connector extending from the underside of the tile. One or more tiles are then positioned adjacent the first tile so that a portion of the connector adheres to the adjacent tiles. In this way, the connectors span adjacent tile edges. The tiles are assembled on an underlying flooring surface without the need to attach them to the floor surface.

Methods for installing modular tiles on a flooring surface

Methods of cutting and installing carpet tiles in, among other applications, mass transit vehicles, particularly including aircraft. In some embodiments, the tile lengths in an installation are the same and the tile widths are customized to a particular section of the aircraft or other vehicle in which they are installed.

Methods of cutting and installing carpet tiles

Certain embodiments utilize carpet tiles of varying sizes and/or shapes that are connected together using connectors to form a carpet tile installation. In some instances, the carpet tiles used in the carpet tile installation have different colors, patterns, shapes, and/or styles. In some embodiments, carpet tiles of a standard size and shape, such as one-half square meter carpet tiles, are partitioned into carpet tile fractions. In certain embodiments, these carpet tile fractions are used in conjunction with larger carpet tiles in a carpet tile installation. In other embodiments, these carpet tile fractions may be connected to other carpet tile fractions to form a combination carpet tile that is then used in a carpet tile installation. Among other things, the use of different sized and/or shaped carpet tiles increases the randomness or diversity and/or improves other aspects of the appearance of the floor coverings formed by the carpet tile installations.

Carpet tiles and carpet tile installations

Connectors for joining adjacent modular floor covering units. The connectors include a film and an adhesive layer coated on one side of the film. To install tiles using the connectors, a first tile is placed on the floor and a connector is positioned so that the adhesive layer faces upward and does not contact the floor. The connector is typically positioned so that only a portion of the adhesive layer adheres to the underside of the tile, leaving the remainder of the connector extending from the underside of the tile. Tiles are then positioned adjacent the first tile so that a portion of the connector adheres to the adjacent tiles. In this way, the connectors span adjacent tile edges. The tiles are assembled on a underlying flooring surface without the need to attach them to the floor surface.

System for carpet tile installation

System and method for floor covering installation

Connectors for joining adjacent modular floor covering units. The connectors include a film and an adhesive layer coated on one side of the film. To install tiles using the connectors, a first tile is placed on the floor and a connector is positioned so that the adhesive layer faces upward and does not contact the floor. The connector is typically positioned so that only a portion of the adhesive layer adheres to the underside of the tile, leaving the remainder of the connector extending from the underside of the tile. Tiles are then positioned adjacent the first tile so that a portion of the connector adheres to the adjacent tiles. In this way, the connectors span adjacent tile edges. The tiles are assembled on a underlying flooring surface without the need to attach them to the floor surface. Rather, the tiles are linked to each other with the connectors, so that the tiles create a floor covering that 'floats' on the under lying floor surface.

Growing community of inventors

LaGrange, GA, United States of America

John Proctor Bradford