Awi Licensing Company

Armstrong World Industries, Inc.

Afi Licensing LLC

Kean M Anspach

John R Eshbach, Jr

Michael E Buckwalter

Brent L Stoll

Richard H Balmer

Heath Harrington

William J Kauffman

Sunil Ramachandra

James F Mathis

Dung V Dao

Charles H Hines

Lynn M Wise

Katharine C Fernback

Shih Chung Lee

Thomas C Bair

Christopher R Knafelc

Eric C Zirkel

Thomas P Greenawalt

Brian E Speizer

John R Eshbach

Noel L Critchlow

A floor panel and a floating floor system incorporating the floor panel include a floor panel having a top layer and a bottom layer. The top layer has a top surface and a bottom surface. The top surface has a visible decorative pattern. The bottom layer has a top surface and a bottom surface. The top surface of the bottom layer is adhered to the bottom surface of the top layer such that the bottom layer is offset from the top layer in a direction of length and width and a marginal end portion of the top surface of the bottom layer and a marginal end portion of the bottom surface of the top layer is exposed. At least one of the marginal end portions has an adhesive, and a ratio of a thickness of the top layer to a thickness of the bottom layer is about 5 or greater.

Floor panel and floating floor system incorporating the same

A floating floor system includes a plurality of floor panels, each of the floor panels comprising a base layer, a wear layer forming an uppermost surface of the floor panel, a first locking edge portion having a first locking profile that includes a first channel having a first channel floor, the first locking edge portion being formed by the wear layer and the base layer, the first locking profile further comprising a first channel bed thickness measured between the uppermost surface and the first channel floor, and wherein the wear layer forms at least 5% of the first channel bed thickness, and a second locking edge portion having a second locking profile that includes a second vertical ridge, the second locking edge portion located opposite the first locking edge portion.

Interlocking floor panels with high performance locking profiles

Disclosed is a product, a melt-processed layer, a flexible layer and a process of fabricating the product. The product includes a first layer and a second layer heat-adhered to the first layer. The first layer is a melt-processed layer, the second layer has greater flexibility than the first layer, and the product has dimensional stability. The process includes heat-adhering the first layer to the second layer.

Dimensionally stable product and process of fabricating a dimensionally stable product

An easy-to-install and remove flooring system comprises three components: 1) a plurality of rolled-out liners, 2) a plurality of tiles, particularly resilient tiles, and 3) an adhesive adhering the tile to the liner. A grid pattern matching the size of the tiles is printed on the liner to enable easy centering and balancing of the tile in the room. The edge portions of adjacent liners are adjacent or overlapped. At least some of the tiles are adhered to two of the liners.

Easy to install and remove tile system

A floating floor system includes a plurality of floor panels, each including: a resilient base layer; a wear layer forming an uppermost surface of the floor panel atop the resilient base layer and having a higher degree of stiffness than the resilient base layer; a first locking edge portion having a first locking profile that includes a first horizontal locking feature, a first vertical locking feature, and a channel having a channel floor, being formed by the wear layer and the resilient base layer, and including a channel bed thickness measured between the uppermost surface and the channel floor, the wear layer forming at least 5% of the channel bed thickness; and a second locking edge portion having a second locking profile that includes a second horizontal locking feature, a second vertical locking feature, and a second vertical ridge and being located opposite the first locking edge portion.

Sheet goods having extremely long repeat lengths and tiles having a large number of different visual patterns are formed by printing two different print patterns having different repeat lengths. The two different print patterns are printed on two films that are laminated together, or on a substrate, or one print pattern on a substrate and one print pattern on a transparent or translucent film that is laminated to the printed substrate.

Sheet goods having a large repeat length and tile with numerous patterns

A method of making a floor panel includes the steps of: providing an adhesive on a release member; laminating or marrying the release member to a bottom layer such that the adhesive is between the release member and the bottom layer; removing a portion of the release member to expose an area of the adhesive; and adhering a top layer to the area such that the top layer is offset with respect to the bottom layer in a direction of length and width and a marginal end portion of a top surface of the bottom layer and a marginal end portion of the bottom surface of the top layer is exposed.

Method of making a floor panel

A resilient floor tile includes a base layer, a film layer, a decorative film layer, and a topcoat. The resilient floor tile has a shaped edge formed on an upper surface thereof that extends about at least a portion of a perimeter of the resilient floor tile. In order to make the resilient floor tile, a continuous sheet of a base layer is conveyed into a press die. The press die is actuated from an open position to a closed position. The continuous sheet is cut with a blade of a cutting tool of the press die to form side surfaces of the resilient floor tile when the press die is in the closed position. A shaped edge is formed on at least a portion of a perimeter of an upper surface of the resilient floor tile with a forming tool of the press die when the press die is in the closed position.

Method of making a resilient floor tile

A packaging system and a method of packaging a plurality of floor panels in a box includes floor panels having a top layer and a bottom layer. The top layer has a top surface with a visible decorative pattern and a bottom surface adhered to a top surface of the bottom layer such that the bottom layer is offset from the top layer in a direction of length and width and a marginal end portion of the top surface of the bottom layer and a marginal end portion of the bottom surface of the top layer is exposed. At least one of the marginal end portions has an adhesive. The floor panels are stacked in the box in pairs. Each of the pairs is stacked such that the top surfaces of the top layers of each of the pairs of the floor panels are facing each other.

Packaging system for a floor panel

Disclosed is decorative surface covering that has a substantially non-aqueous absorptive layer and a water retentive layer. The decorative surface covering may be a vinyl-backed floor covering that can be adhered to a substantially non-aqueous absorptive subfloor with a water-based adhesive. The water retentive layer is formed from a polymer matrix and super absorbent water retentive particles. The water retentive layer may also include a hydrophilic additive to facilitate movement of water from the adhesive to the super absorbent water retentive particles. The water retentive layer may also be applied to the substantially non-aqueous absorptive subfloor.

Growing community of inventors

Quarryville, PA, United States of America

Kean M Anspach