Patent ID: 7707792

Claim:
A flooring panel, comprising: a decorative upper surface and a lower surface shaped and dimensioned for engaging a support surface on which the flooring panel is to be installed; the flooring panel further includes a plurality of edges extending between the decorative upper surface and the lower surface, the plurality of edges are shaped and dimensioned for selective coupling with adjacent flooring panels, wherein each of the plurality of edges includes an edge profile having at least a male coupling member or a female coupling member shaped and dimensioned for engaging mating male coupling members or female coupling members of an adjacent flooring panel; at least one notched transition section, the at least one notched transition section extending between a first edge of the plurality of edges of the flooring panel and the decorative upper surface of the flooring panel, the at least one notched transition section includes a vertical first wall and a horizontal second wall, and the first edge includes a vertically oriented wall directly depending from the horizontal second wall and a coupling member positioned between the horizontal second wall and the lower surface of the flooring panel; a second edge includes a vertically oriented first wall that extends downwardly from the decorative upper surface until it reaches a horizontal wall, and wherein a coupling member is positioned between the horizontal wall and the lower surface of the flooring panel; wherein when adjacent flooring panels are brought together by coupling respective male coupling members and female coupling members along respective edges of the adjacent flooring panels a grout receiving recess is formed into which a grout material may be poured for creation of the a grout line between the adjacent flooring panels, the grout receiving recess being defined by the vertical first wall of the notched transition section, the horizontal second wall of the notched transition section and the vertically oriented first wall of the adjacent flooring panel.