US 11,773,602 B2
Multi-purpose tile system
Eddy Alberic Boucké, Menen (BE); and Jincheng Song, Zhangjiagang (CN)
Assigned to I4F Licensing NV, Hamont Achel (BE)
Filed by I4F Licensing NV, Hamont-Achel (BE); and TOWER IPCO Company Limited, Dublin (IE)
Filed on Jan. 26, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/584,498.
Application 17/584,498 is a continuation of application No. 16/610,578, granted, now 11,242,687, previously published as PCT/EP2018/063520, filed on May 23, 2018.
Claims priority of application No. 2018970 (NL), filed on May 23, 2017.
Prior Publication US 2022/0220746 A1, Jul. 14, 2022
This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.
Int. Cl. E04F 15/02 (2006.01); B32B 3/06 (2006.01); B32B 5/18 (2006.01); E04F 15/10 (2006.01)
CPC E04F 15/02038 (2013.01) [B32B 3/06 (2013.01); B32B 5/18 (2013.01); E04F 15/105 (2013.01); E04F 15/107 (2013.01); B32B 2266/0235 (2013.01); B32B 2266/08 (2013.01); B32B 2307/554 (2013.01); B32B 2419/04 (2013.01); E04F 2201/0176 (2013.01)] 28 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A multi-purpose tile system, comprising a plurality of multi-purpose tiles, the tile system comprising first coupling parts and at least one second coupling parts, and each tile comprising:
a base layer, wherein the base layer is provided with one or more folding grooves allowing folding of the tile,
an upper substrate affixed to an upper side of the base layer, wherein said substrate comprises a decorative layer,
the at least one first coupling part and/or the at least one second coupling part provided at different edges of the tile,
which the first coupling part comprises an upward tongue, at least one upward flank lying at a distance from the upward tongue and a single upward groove formed between the upward tongue and the upward flank, wherein:
at least a part of a side of the upward tongue facing toward the upward flank is inclined toward the upward flank,
at least an inclined flat or rounded surface of the upward tongue facing toward the upward flank forms a first upward aligning edge for the purpose of coupling the at least one first coupling part to the at least one second coupling part of an adjacent tile,
at least a part of a side of the upward tongue facing away from the upward flank is provided with a first locking element which is adapted for co-action with a second locking element of the at least one second coupling part of an adjacent tile,
which the at least one second coupling part comprises a downward tongue, at least one downward flank lying at a distance from the downward tongue, and a single downward groove formed between the downward tongue and the downward flank, wherein:
at least a part of a side of the downward tongue facing toward the downward flank is inclined toward the downward flank,
at least an inclined flat or rounded surface of the downward tongue facing away from the downward flank forms a downward aligning edge for the purpose of coupling the at least one second coupling part to the first coupling part of an adjacent tile,
the downward flank is provided with a second locking element which is connected substantially rigidly to the downward flank and adapted for co-action with a first locking element of the first coupling part of an adjacent tile,
said first and second locking elements being formed by a vertical flat portion and a bulge-recess combination, wherein the first locking element is positioned at a distance from an upper side of the upward tongue, wherein the second locking element is positioned at a distance from an upper side of the downward groove, and
wherein the upward groove is adapted to receive at least a part of the downward tongue of an adjacent tile, and wherein the downward groove is adapted to receive at least a part of the upward tongue of an adjacent tile.