Flooring Buckle and Flooring Installation Structure

Abstract

A flooring buckle has a buckle body with opposite sides and opposite ends that are transverse to the sides. The buckle body has four locking members extending outward from the buckle body. The flooring buckle has a I-shaped cross-section when viewed from the ends of the buckle body. The flooring buckle is symmetric about its vertical and horizontal center. The buckle body has a hole on an end that is configured to receive an expansion body. A diameter of the hole is sized smaller than a diameter of the expansion body. The flooring buckle is configured such that at least one of the four locking members is deformed and a portion of the deformed locking member engages a slot of a flooring panel when the locking member is inserted in the slot of the flooring panel and the expansion body is inserted in the hole of the buckle body.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A flooring buckle comprising:
 a buckle body having opposite first and second sides and opposite first and second ends, the ends of the buckle body being transverse to the sides of the buckle body, the buckle body having at least four locking members, a first of the at least four locking members extending outward from an upper portion of the first side of the buckle body, a second of the at least four locking members extending outward from an upper portion of the second side of the buckle body, a third of the at least four locking members extending outward from a lower portion of the first side of the buckle body, a fourth of the at least four locking members extending outward from a lower portion of the second side of the buckle body, the flooring buckle having a I-shaped cross-section when viewed from the ends of the buckle body, the flooring buckle being symmetric about a vertical and horizontal center, the buckle body having a hole on at least one of the first and second ends, the hole being adapted and configured to receive an expansion body, a diameter of the hole being sized smaller than a diameter of the expansion body, the flooring buckle being adapted and configured such that at least one of the four locking members is deformed and at least a portion of the deformed locking member engages a slot of a flooring panel when the locking member is inserted in the slot of the flooring panel and the expansion body is inserted in the hole of the buckle body.   
     
     
         2 . The flooring buckle according to  claim 1 , wherein the locking members on at least one of the first and second sides of the buckle body move away from each other when the expansion body is inserted in the hole of the buckle body 
     
     
         3 . The flooring buckle according to  claim 1 , wherein a distal end of the at least one of the four locking member moves between 1° and 7.5° when the expansion body is inserted in the hole of the buckle body. 
     
     
         4 . The flooring buckle according to  claim 3 , wherein a distal end of the at least one of the four locking member moves between 2° and 6.5° when the expansion body is inserted in the hole of the buckle body. 
     
     
         5 . The flooring buckle according to  claim 1 , wherein the flooring buckle is formed of one of a metal and a plastic. 
     
     
         6 . The flooring buckle according to  claim 5 , wherein the buckle body and the locking pieces of the flooring buckle are formed integrally. 
     
     
         7 . The flooring buckle according to  claim 5 , wherein the buckle body and the locking pieces of the flooring buckle are formed monolithically. 
     
     
         8 . The flooring buckle according to  claim 5 , wherein the locking members comprise separate members mechanically joined to the buckle body. 
     
     
         9 . The flooring buckle according to  claim 5 , wherein the flooring buckle is made of a material comprising aluminum. 
     
     
         10 . The flooring buckle according to  claim 1 , wherein a depth of the hole is no less than a length of the expansion body. 
     
     
         11 . The flooring buckle according to  claim 10 , wherein a length of the expansion body is at least 5 mm, and the diameter of the hole is between 0.8 mm and 3.0 mm. 
     
     
         12 . The flooring buckle according to  claim 1 , wherein a dimension between distal ends of the locking members of the first side of the buckle body equals a dimension between distal ends of the locking members on the second side of the buckle body when the hole is devoid of the expansion body. 
     
     
         13 . The flooring buckle according to  claim 1 , wherein at least one of the four locking members has a width dimension at a distal end of the locking member that is greater than a width dimension at a proximal end of the locking member. 
     
     
         14 . The flooring buckle according to  claim 1 , wherein at least one of the four locking members has a distal end with an arcuate shape. 
     
     
         15 . The flooring buckle according to  claim 1 , wherein the locking members of at least one of the first side and second side of the buckle body have distal ends with an arcuate shape. 
     
     
         16 . The flooring buckle according to  claim 15 , wherein a width dimension between the distal ends of the locking members on the at least one of the first side and the second side of the buckle body is greater than a width dimension between proximal ends of the locking members on the at least one of the first side and second side of the buckle body. 
     
     
         17 . The flooring buckle according to  claim 1 , wherein the flooring buckle is one of a plurality of the flooring buckles arranged end to end and formed integrally as a block of flooring buckles, each flooring buckle in the plurality of flooring buckles is separated by a line of weakness in the block sufficient to allow the flooring buckle to be detached from the block across the line of weakness, the hole of the flooring buckle comprises a through hole passing through the plurality of flooring buckles. 
     
     
         18 . The flooring buckle according to  claim 1  wherein the flooring buckle is adapted and configured to be disposed between opposite sides of adjacent flooring panels in a manner with the locking members of the first side of the flooring buckle inserted in slots of one flooring panel and the locking members of the second side of the flooring buckle inserted in slots of the adjacent flooring panel. 
     
     
         19 . The flooring buckle according to  claim 1 , wherein the flooring buckle is adapted and configured to be used with flooring panels having a top surface and a bottom surface covered with a decorative print layer. 
     
     
         20 . The flooring buckle according to  claim 19 , wherein the flooring buckle is adapted and configured to be used with flooring panels having a wear layer over the decorative print layer of the top surface and a wear layer over the decorative print layer of the bottom surface.