Patent ID: 8756882

Claim:
A tile for use in a modular flooring system having a plurality of such tile that are mutually adjoined in abutting lateral contact and that are disposed in a coplanar manner over a ground surface so as to form a continuous and flat floor surface, the tile having a planar top surface and an underside, the tile including: a monolithic support grid structure having a rectangular configuration with four peripheral edges, the support grid structure including: a lattice framework of elongated rib members crisscrossing at right angle on the underside of the support grid structure and defining a network of cells; a plurality of support members, each downwardly projecting from a corresponding intersection between at least some of the crisscrossing elongated rib members and having a ground-engaging distal end with a tip that is coincident with a common bottom plane, which common bottom plane is substantially parallel to the planar top surface; and a plurality of first and second connector portions that are positioned on the underside and made integral with the support grid structure, the first connector portions and the second connector portions being both present on the tile and disposed in matching sets along corresponding ones of the peripheral edges of the tile, wherein: each first connector portion includes two spaced-apart and parallel side walls downwardly projecting from two corresponding ones of the elongated rib members over at least two cells long, the side walls having free ends extending beyond the corresponding peripheral edge and that are connected together by a transversal end wall, the transversal end wall including an inner face defining, with inner faces of the side walls, an open space located beyond the corresponding peripheral edge; and each second connector portion includes a snap-fit member downwardly projecting from a corresponding one of the cells and also includes a pair of spaced-apart and parallel reinforced wall sections, each section being provided on the underside and downwardly projecting from a corresponding one of the elongated rib members over at least two cells long, each reinforced wall section being in alignment with a corresponding one of the side walls of the first connector portion of an adjacent tile when two tiles are connected.