EP-4735706-A1 - TILE PANEL, SURFACE COVERING AND METHOD OF MANUFACTURING SUCH A PANEL

Abstract

The present invention relates to a decorative tile panel for covering a floor, ceiling, or wall. Furthermore, the invention relates to a surface covering for a floor, ceiling or wall surface which is constructed by a multitude of neighbouring tile panels according to the invention, wherein the plurality of tile panels are preferably interconnected.

Inventors

• BOUCKÉ, Eddy Alberic

Assignees

• I4F LICENSING NV

Dates

Publication Date

20260506

Application Date

20240625

Claims (20)

1. 1 . Decorative tile panel suitable for covering a floor, ceiling or wall surface, which tile panel comprises: • at least one core layer composed of MDF or HDF material, and • at least one decorative top structure, directly or indirectly affixed to said core layer, wherein the decorative top structure defines a top surface of the tile panel, wherein said decorative top structure comprises: o a bottom section comprising at least one back layer, and o a top section comprising a decorative layer and at least one, at least partially transparent or translucent wear layer covering said decorative layer at least partially, • a plurality of side edges at least partially defined by said core layer and/or by said decorative top structure, wherein the decorative top structure is provided with at least one channel-shaped recess, preferably at least one imitation grout line and/or at least one bevel, connecting different side edges, preferably opposing side edges, of the tile panel, wherein said at least one channel-shaped recess is at least partially formed by a cut-away portion of the top section of the decorative top structure, and wherein an exposed top surface of the channel-shaped recess is at least partially defined by the bottom section, in particular at least one back layer, of the decorative top structure.
2. 2. Tile panel according to claim 1 , wherein the said at least one channelshaped recess is partially formed by a cut-away portion of the bottom section of the decorative top structure.
3. 3. Tile panel according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the bottom section has a nominal thickness T n , wherein the thickness T c of the bottom section below the channel-shaped recess is smaller than the nominal thickness T n .
4. 4. Tile panel according to claim 3, wherein the thickness T c of the bottom section below the channel-shaped recess complies with the following formula: T n > Tc — 0.6T n .
5. 5. Tile panel according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the channelshaped is partially defined by a side wall, wherein a part of said side wall is defined by the bottom section of the decorative top structure.
6. 6. Tile panel according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the channelshaped recess is defined by at least one side wall and said top surface of the channel-shaped recess, wherein the transition between the side wall and the top surface is continuous, preferably smoothly continuous, and wherein said transition is preferably concavely curved.
7. 7. Tile panel according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the channelshaped recess is defined by at least one side wall and said top surface of said channel-shaped recess, wherein the transition between the side wall of the channel-shaped recess and the top surface of the tile panel is continuous, preferably smoothly continuous, and wherein said transition is preferably convexedly curved.
8. 8. Tile panel according to any of the preceding claims, wherein an exposed top surface of the channel-shaped recess is at least partially formed by an exposed part of the bottom section, in particular at least one back layer, of the decorative top structure.
9. 9. Tile panel according to any of the preceding claims, wherein an exposed surface of the channel-shaped recess is at least partially covered by at least one coating.
10. 10. Tile panel according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the top surface of the channel-shaped recess is at least partially concavely curved, preferably entirely curved across the width direction of the channel-shaped recess.
11. 11 . Tile panel according to any of the preceding claims, wherein a deepest point of the top surface of the channel-shaped recess is located at a distance from a nearest side edge of the tile panel.
12. 12. Tile panel according to any of the preceding claims, wherein an exposed top surface of the channel-shaped recess is at least partially textured.
13. 13. Tile panel according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the back layer includes a pigment corresponding with an intended visual appearance of said channel-shaped recess.
14. 14. Tile panel according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the back layer comprises thermoplastic material, preferably PVC material.
15. 15. Tile panel according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the back layer comprises a matrix material, such as a thermoplastic material, and at least one filler or additive, such wear-resisting anti-slip particles, embedded in said matrix material.
16. 16. Tile panel according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the decorative layer comprises and/or is formed by a decorative ink layer.
17. 17. Tile panel according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the decorative layer comprises a carrier layer bearing a decorative ink layer.
18. 18. Tile panel according to claim 17, wherein the back layer and the carrier layer comprise the same thermoplastic material.
19. 19. Tile panel according to claim 18, wherein the back layer is at least partially composed of paper, in particular white paper.
20. 20. Tile panel according to claim 18 or 19, wherein the back layer and the carrier layer are fused and/or glued together.

Description

Tile panel, surface covering and method of manufacturing such a panel The present invention relates to a decorative tile panel, such as a wall panel, a floor panel, or a ceiling panel. The invention also relates to a decorative laminated film for realizing a tile panel according to the invention. Furthermore, the invention relates to a surface covering for a floor, ceiling or wall surface which is constructed by a multitude of neighbouring tile panels according to the invention. The invention additionally relates to a method of manufacturing a tile panel according to the invention. It has been common for centuries, to apply a surface covering of neighbouring tiles in a traditional way by applying a cement layer onto the surface, and subsequently position and fix the tiles onto the cement layer in a surface covering pattern. In this traditional method, grout is furthermore applied between adjacent side edges of neighbouring tile panels to fill up an interspatial gap between adjacent side edges, which filled gaps are commonly referred to as ‘grout lines’. These grout lines are visible as slightly recessed joint lines of grout which are present between adjacent top surfaces of neighbouring tiles. As an alternative to the traditional way of applying a tile covering, it has been proposed in the art to develop a tile panel which has a top surface made from a synthetic material having similar properties as a traditional tile material such as ceramic material. When such tile panels are positioned adjacent to each other and adhered onto a surface, a covering of neighbouring tiles can be achieved in a different, and practical way in which no cement or grout is necessary. Typically, the adjacent side edges of these neighbouring tile panels are laid in abutting contact with each other, and may include interconnecting coupling profiles. In this way, one can dispense with the application of grout in the form of grout lines. However, in order to mimic an overall appearance of a traditional tile covering, it has recently been proposed to provide the side edges of a tile panel with an imitation grout line by milling a rectangular groove in the top surface of the tile panel which recess extends along a side edge of the tile panel, which exposes a core layer of the tile panel, wherein the colour of the core layer determines the visual appearance of the imitation grout line. However, exposing the core layer at the location of the imitation grout line locally weakens the tile panel and makes the core layer vulnerable to damage, fouling, and moisture, which could degrade the core layer, and hence the tile panel as such. Moreover, this solution restricts the freedom of composition of the core layer, as the core layer should be able to resist to some extent negative effects due to exposure. It is a first objective of the present invention to reduce or eliminate the drawbacks known from the prior art, by developing a new tile panel having improved properties, in particular in view of the imitation grout line. It is a second objective of the present invention to provide a more durable and/or reliable tile panel with at least one imitation grout line or other channel-shaped recess. It is a third objective of the present invention to provide a tile panel with at least one imitation grout line or other channel-shaped recess, which increases the freedom of design of the composition of a core layer of the tile panel. It is a fourth objective of the present invention to provide an improved tile panel with at least one imitation grout line or other channel-shaped recess, which can be manufactured in a relatively efficient manner. At least one of these objectives can be achieved by a tile panel according to the preamble, comprising: • at least one core layer, and • at least one decorative top structure, directly or indirectly affixed to said core layer, wherein the decorative top structure defines a top surface of the tile panel, wherein said decorative top structure comprises: o a bottom section comprising at least one back layer, and o a top section comprising a decorative layer and preferably at least one, at least partially transparent or translucent wear layer covering said decorative layer at least partially, and • a plurality of side edges at least partially defined by said core layer and/or by said decorative top structure, wherein the decorative top structure is provided with at least one channel-shaped recess, preferably at least one imitation grout line and/or at least one bevel, connecting different side edges, preferably opposing side edges, and/or located at a side edge of the tile panel, wherein said at least one channel-shaped recess is at least partially formed by a cut-away portion of the top section of the decorative top structure and optionally a part of the bottom section of the decorative top structure, and wherein an exposed top surface of the channel-shaped recess is at least partially defined by the bottom secti