Abstract:
A structure to form flooring transitions having outer surfaces comprising two disparate materials. In a preferred embodiment the flooring transitions includes a T-shaped molding and at least one attachment thereto. The outer surfaces of the T-molding and attachment may be comprised of different materials, even though they may sometimes have the same pattern or décor. For example, the T-molding may have a surface of real wood or veneer and the attachment may have an outer surface of abrasion resistant foil, metal, or even a visual perception element, such as lights or reflective tape. A kit is also disclosed.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    This application claims benefit under 35 U.S.C. 119 of U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 60/852,418 filed Oct. 18, 2006, the entire disclosure of which are hereby incorporated by reference its entirety. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND 
       [0002]    1. Field of the Invention 
         [0003]    The invention relates to a structure which can be used to form flooring transitions such as T-moldings, hard surface reducers and end moldings, between or adjacent to flooring elements, comprising at least two different materials on the decorative outer surfaces. 
         [0004]    2. Background of the Invention 
         [0005]    Multifunctional moldings for floors are known in the art, such as described by U.S. Pat. No. 6,860,074, the entire disclosure of which is herein incorporated by reference. Typically, such multifunctional moldings include a first molding element, generally a T-molding, and a second molding element. The first molding element and second molding element are typically connected by a tongue-and-groove joint, adhesive or other mechanical means. Due to the size and shape of the second molding element, when the second molding element is joined to the first molding, element, the assembly forms, for example, a carpet reducer/end molding (sometimes referred to in the art as a “square nose” molding), a hard surface reducer, or a stair nose. 
         [0006]    According to one embodiment the present invention the decorative outer surface of the first molding element (or T-molding) is a wood veneer and the decorative outer surface of the other structures, typically the second molding element, is a foil. While foils typically have abrasion resistances substantially less than similar veneer constructions, because the decorative outer surface of the attached molding piece is not subject to significant abrasion due to its shape and position, the present inventors have discovered that when the T-molding is formed from wood veneer, the decorative outer surface of the second molding element can be, instead of a similar wood veneer, a foil. Such a construction reduces cost upwards of 20% when compared to all veneer products. 
         [0007]    Other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description. It should be understood, however, that the detailed description and the specific examples, while indicating preferred embodiments of the invention, are given by way of illustration only, since various changes and modifications within the spirit and scope of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from this detailed description. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0008]      FIG. 1  shows the assembly of the invention, including both a carpet reducer/end molding and a hard surface reducer. 
           [0009]      FIG. 2  shows the assembly of the invention, including a stair nose. 
           [0010]      FIG. 3  shows a schematic of a shim and securing element of the invention. 
           [0011]      FIG. 4  shows an alternative embodiment of the invention, including a stair nose. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
       [0012]      FIG. 1  shows an assembled view of the various parts of the inventive joint cover assembly  10 . The assembly  10  includes a T-molding  12 . As the overall shape of the T-molding  12  is conventional in the art, and can be readily understood by those of ordinary skill in the art from the drawings, further description is not provided herein. 
         [0013]    The T-molding  12  is shown as being attached to two second molding elements, or attachments, specifically a hard surface attachment (HSA)  14  and an end molding/carpet attachment (EM)  14 ′.  FIG. 2  (or the alternative embodiment of  FIG. 4 ) shows the T-molding being attached to a different attachment, a stair nose attachment  14 ″. Depending upon the desired functionality of the assembly, the T-molding  12  can be used with HSA  14 , EM  14 ′ and/or stair nose attachment  14 ″ (collectively referred to herein as “attachments”). Because the attachments differ only in size and shape, for purposes of clarity only HSA  14  is discussed herein, but it should be understood that any discussion of HSA  14  is equally applicable to EM  14 ′ and stair nose attachment  20 ″ and the respective sub-elements as well. When installed, the assembly  10  may also include a securing element  30  to fasten the assembly  10  to a subfloor  32  (not shown) as well as one or more shims  34 ; see  FIG. 3 . 
         [0014]    The attachments are typically joined to the T-molding via a joint  24 . This mechanical joint can be a straight tongue-and-groove joint  24 , a dove-tail joint  24 ′, a half-dove tail joint  24 ″ or any other type of mechanical joint. As the relative orientation of the joint, i.e., particular location of the tongue and groove, can be on either the T-molding  12  or the attachment, the joints  24  are shown as dotted lines to show that the locations of the tongue and groove can be inverted. However, it is considered within the scope of the invention to eliminate the mechanical joint  24  in favor of a chemical joint, e.g., adhesive, or using the securing element  30  as described by U.S. Pat. No. 6,860,074. 
         [0015]    Each of the T-molding  12  and the attachments, i.e., the structural elements of the invention, are formed from a decorative surface ( 16  and  20 , respectively) atop a core ( 18  and  22 , respectively). As can be understood by the drawings, the T-molding  12  of the invention can have two arms or members extending substantially perpendicularly from a substantially downwardly extending foot. To install the T-molding  12 , the foot is inserted into the securing element  30 , with optionally the shim  34  positioned therebetween. The securing element  30 , which may take the form of a clip, track or rail, can be secured to the subfloor by, for example, a screw, nail or adhesive. When installed, the assembly can accommodate flooring systems of a wide variety of heights, for example, on the order of between approximately 3 and approximately 30 mm, typically between approximately 5 and approximately 25 mm, more typically between approximately 10 and 25 mm, and most preferably between approximately 14 mm and approximately 20 mm. 
         [0016]    The cores  18  and  22  typically include wood based products, such as high density fiberboard (HDF), medium density fiberboard (MDF), particleboard, strandboard, plywood, gypsum, high density fiber-reinforced plaster, and solid wood; polymer-based products, such as polyvinyl chloride (PVC), thermoplastics or thermosetting plastics or mixtures of plastic and other products, including reinforcements; and metals, such as aluminum, stainless steel, brass, aluminum or copper. The cores  18  and  22  do not necessarily have to be formed of the same material, although in some embodiments they are. For example, although cores  18  and  22  may each be formed of fiberboard, core  18  can be formed of metal and core  22  formed of wood, fiberboard or other wood based product or even plastic. It is to be understood that the surface  16  of the T-molding can sometimes be the top of the core material, such as metal and yet the surface  20  and  20 ′ can be foil, veneer or laminate, or vice versa, that is to say the surface  16  may be a veneer or laminate and the surface  20  and  21 ′, which may be the same or different, be formed of a metal, an abrasion resistant foil, laminate, veneer or natural wood. 
         [0017]    According to another embodiment of the invention, the surface  16  is a veneer, such as a wood veneer, being one or more thin layers of natural wood, while the surface  20  is formed from a foil. Preferably, the decor of the foil at least matches with the image/pattern of the veneer. For example, the foil may simply be made to visually and textually depict the same wood the veneer is made from. Alternatively the surface  16  can be administer such as a direct laminate (DL) or high pressure laminate *HPL) on the T-molding and a foil appears on the other surfaces  20  and/or  20 ′. 
         [0018]    Suitable foils are thin sheets of thermosetting (e.g., melamine formaldehyde) or thermoplastic plastic (e.g., polyvinyl chloride) material having a decorative surface. The decorative surface can be a typically impregnated decor sheet or can be applied directly on the surface of the foil itself, for example, by printing rolling or by a brush. The foil may also take the form of a printed paper, impregnated with, for example, an acrylic resin. 
         [0019]    Suitable foils can have an abrasive resistance at least equivalent to AC 1 , AC 2 , AC 3 , AC 4  and/or AC 5 , as defined by the European Laminate Flooring Association. Such foils may also include hard particles to impart abrasion and/or scratch resistance as is known in the art. Suitable hard particles can include alumina, silicon carbide, silicon nitride and diamond, as well as other particles having a Moh&#39;s hardness of at least approximately 6, of sizes and distributions known in the art to impart scratch and/or abrasion resistance to similar products. In some embodiment the hardness of the particles may be less than approximately 6, such as 2, 3, 4 or 5 Moh&#39;s hardness depending on the desired application and desired properties. 
         [0020]    In some embodiments of the invention, it may be desirable to include accent strips which can be integrated with the attachments or even into the T-molding. These accent strips are usually intended for aesthetic purposes, e.g., of a different color or pattern to the wood veneer, natural wood, and/or foil. However, in some instances the intended purpose may be one of visual perception, such as guiding, safety, warning or other condition and may include light reflective particles or tape, may include lights, such as LED&#39;s for message, warning, or safety lighting. Additional accent strips or features could have different or the same abrasion ratings, even if identical in pattern or decor. 
         [0021]    The invention additionally includes packaging to be used by, for example, wholesalers or retailers. In one embodiment, multiple individual pieces, e.g., T-molding  12 , one or more attachments, a securing element  30  and one or more shims  34  may be bundled in a single package or kit. In another embodiment, the package or kit includes two, or three, or even up to twenty or more, of each piece packaged therein. For example, a single package may include three approximately one-meter (or three foot) sections of each item contained therein, for a total length of about three meters (about nine feet). It is additionally within the scope of the invention to include different sets of items in a single package, for example, one set being about one meter (about three feet) long and an additional set being about two meters (about six feet) long. 
         [0022]    Additionally, as described herein, the moldings of the invention are designed to be used in the construction and/or assembly of a floor. Such floors can be found in homes (e.g., single family homes, condominiums, and apartment buildings), public establishments (e.g., shopping malls, restaurants, department stores, luxury areas of stadiums and arenas, and other stores), private businesses (reception or other areas of office buildings and warehouses). Utilization of the moldings as described herein provide significant added benefits in cost, performance and installation ease when compared to conventional moldings. 
         [0023]    It should be apparent that embodiments other than those specifically described above may come within the spirit and scope of the present invention. Hence, the present invention is not limited by the above description.