Flooring tile with interlocking connectors

Abstract

A flooring tile (10) comprises a tile top (12), a tile bottom (14), and a lateral border (16). The lateral border comprises tenons (18) alternating with mortises (20) for interlocking with mortises and tenons, respectively, of a neighbouring flooring tile. Each tenon has a front butting face (22) and each mortise has a rear butting face (24). The front and rear butting faces extend from the tile 2024/052006 top to the tile bottom, preferably over the entire height of the flooring tile. Each one the front butting faces and the rear butting faces has a top face portion (22a, 24a) adjacent the tile top and a bottom face portion (22b, 24b) adjacent the tile bottom. The flooring tile has tenons or mortises, the bottom face portion of which is recessed with respect to the top face portion.

1 . A flooring tile, comprising:
 a tile top;   a tile bottom;   a lateral border, comprising tenons alternating with mortises, the tenons and mortises provided to interlock with mortises and tenons, respectively, of a neighbouring flooring tile;   wherein each tenon has a front butting face and each mortise has a rear butting face; the front butting faces and the rear butting faces extending from the tile top to the tile bottom; each one the front butting faces and the rear butting faces having a top face portion adjacent the tile top and a bottom face portion adjacent the tile bottom,   wherein the flooring tile comprises tenons or mortises, the bottom face portion of which is recessed with respect to the top face portion.   
     
     
         2 . The flooring tile as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein 50% or more of the tenons or mortises have the bottom face portion recessed with respect to the top face portion. 
     
     
         3 . The flooring tile as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein each one of the tenons has the bottom face portion recessed with respect to the top face portion. 
     
     
         4 . The flooring tile as claimed in of  claim 1 , wherein each one of the mortises has the bottom face portion recessed with respect to the top face portion. 
     
     
         5 . The flooring tile as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the front butting faces and the rear butting faces are straight in the direction from the top face portion to the bottom face portion. 
     
     
         6 . The flooring tile as claimed in  claim 5 , wherein the front butting faces of the tenons having the bottom face portion recessed with respect to the top face portion or the rear butting faces of the mortises having the bottom face portion recessed with respect to the top face portion are angled to the surface normal of the flooring tile so as to form the recesses. 
     
     
         7 . The flooring tile as claimed in  claim 6 , wherein the angle to the surface normal of the flooring tile lies in the range from 0.5 to 5°, preferably in the range from  1  to 3°. 
     
     
         8 . The flooring tile as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the front butting faces of the tenons having the bottom face portion recessed with respect to the top face portion or the rear butting faces of the mortises having the bottom face portion recessed with respect to the top face portion have the recessed bottom face portion separated from the top face portion by a shoulder. 
     
     
         9 . The flooring tile as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the lateral border of the flooring tile has a top border portion adjacent the tile top and a bottom border portion adjacent the tile bottom and wherein the entire bottom border portion is recessed with respect to the top border portion. 
     
     
         10 . The flooring tile as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the recess has a depth amounting to 0.1 to  1  mm, preferably to 0.1 to 0.5 mm 
     
     
         11 . The flooring tile as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the tenons and mortises comprise dovetail tenons and mortises. 
     
     
         12 . The flooring tile as claimed in  claim 1 , comprising at least three edges forming the lateral border. 
     
     
         13 . The flooring tile as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the lateral border of the flooring tile is formed, at least in sections, by milling. 
     
     
         14 . The flooring tile as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein only the tenons or only the mortises have the bottom face portion recessed with respect to the top face portion. 
     
     
         15 . The flooring tile as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein only the tenons but all the tenons or only the mortises but all the mortises have the bottom face portion recessed with respect to the top face portion. 
     
     
         16 . A floor covering, comprising a plurality of flooring tiles as claimed in  claim 1 . 
     
     
         17 . The floor covering as claimed in  claim 16 , the floor covering being a heterogeneous PVC floor covering in accordance with EN ISO 10582:2017. 
     
     
         18 . The floor covering as claimed in  claim 16 , belonging to use class 42 or higher, e.g., use class 43, in accordance with EN ISO 10874:2009.