Researchers Submit Patent Application, “Load Distribution And Absorption Underlayment System”, for Approval (USPTO 20200141131)

2020 MAY 27 (NewsRx) -- By a News Reporter-Staff News Editor at Hospital & Nursing Home Daily -- From Washington, D.C., NewsRx journalists report that a patent application by the inventors CORMIER, Joel Matthew (Lathrup Village, MI); ELLIOTT, Jackson Alexander (Plymouth, MI); AUDI, Richard Francois (Dearborn, MI); SMITH, Donald Scott (Commerce, MI), filed on November 7, 2018, was made available online on May 7, 2020.

The patent’s assignee is Viconic Sporting LLC (Dearborn, Michigan, United States).

News editors obtained the following quote from the background information supplied by the inventors: “(1) Field of the Invention

“Several aspects of this disclosure relate to a load distribution and absorption underlayment system, primarily for comfort underfoot and injury mitigation in such environments of use as an elder care or senior living facility.

“(2) Background

“Fall-related injuries among the ever-growing North American elderly population are a major health concern. In the United States, nearly 340,000 hip fractures occur per year, more than 90% of which are associated with falls. It is estimated that this number may double or triple by the middle of the century. The repercussions of hip fracture among the elderly add to the concern surrounding the issue. Over 25% of hip fracture patients over 65 years of age die within 1 year of the injury, and more than 50% suffer major declines in mobility and functional independence.

“Traumatic brain injuries (TBI) also make up a significant portion of fall-related injuries; seniors are hospitalized twice as often as the general population for fall-related TBI. The incidence of fall-induced TBI and associated deaths has been rising at alarming rates, increasing by over 25% between 1989 and 1998. The risk for fall-related TBI increases substantially with age; persons over the age of 85 are hospitalized for fall-related TBI over twice as often as those aged 75-84, and over 6 times as often as those aged 65-74.

“The financial burden associated with fall-related health care is significant. It is estimated the economic burden of fall-related injuries in Canada approximately $2 billion in annual treatment costs and is expected to rise to about $4.4 billion by 2031.

“The costs to treat fall-related injuries in the United States are even higher. The average hospital cost for a fall injury in the US is over $30,000, and in 2015, costs for falls to Medicare alone totaled over $31 billion.

“It would therefore be desirable to implement a surface, such as a flooring, underlayment system that will reduce impact forces and therefore reduce the potential risk of injury associated with fall-related impacts on the surface. Relatedly, it would be advantageous to have a low cost, low profile, durable safety flooring underlayment system that is compatible with sheet vinyl and carpet. Potential benefits include reducing injury risk due to falls on the flooring surface, minimizing system cost, maintaining system durability, facilitating installation, abating noise while offering surface quality and comfort for both patients and caregivers.

“Flooring system manufacturers offer a variety of products to the commercial and residential market. These products include ceramic tile, solid wood, wood composites, carpet in rolls, carpet tiles, sheet vinyl, flexible vinyl tiles, rigid vinyl tiles, rubber sheet, rubber tiles, and the like.

“Commercial flooring systems are typically installed directly over subfloors comprised of either rigid plywood or concrete. These systems are engineered to either be adhered/affixed directly to the subfloor or to float over the subfloor without being affixed to the subfloor. Products commonly affixed to the subfloor include ceramic tiles, vinyl tiles, sheet vinyl, carpet tiles, rubber tiles, wood flooring, and rubber sheet goods. Products that commonly float over the subflooring system are typically rigid and include luxury vinyl tile, rigid wood composites and plastic flooring tiles.

“Further, some flooring constructions add a second layer or underlayment between the subfloor and the flooring system to either increase force distribution, enhance comfort under foot, abate noise within the room and through the flooring, or provide some additional insulation. This second layer can either be affixed to subfloor or float depending upon the recommendation of the system manufacturer.

“While such underlayment layers provide some added benefit, they also increase system cost, installation complexity, and often reduce the durability of the top flooring material. To date, no commercially cost effective and durable underlayment system has been developed that provides a substantial injury risk reduction due to falls on the variety of flooring products. Several attempts have been made and are summarized below, but such approaches often fail to meet certain performance and cost effectiveness objectives.

“Ecore.RTM. is a product manufactured from reconstituted tire rubber particles bound together into roll or sheet goods by a thermosetting polyurethane binder. Similar products are also offered by Cal Rubber and other manufacturers. The crumb rubber is bound using the polyurethane binder and extruded/calendared into sheet or roll stock of a given thickness. The thickness typically ranges from 5-10 mm. The Ecore rubber layer is adhered to thermally bonded to vinyl sheet flooring product to the rubber. The composite of rubber and vinyl is then bound to the subfloor using a cushioning and comfort under foot, they make sub-optimal contributions to the goals of cushioning a blow that accompanies a fall. The risk and severity of injury due to falls remain.

“Smart Cells.RTM. is another product that is said to offer fall protection. Such technology was originally developed by Penn State University. The technology involves cylindrical columns of molded thermoset rubber consolidated into a sheet with interconnected ribbing between adjacent columns in a square array. The product is offered in heights of approximately 12 and 25 mm. The raw material is compression or injection molded under pressure until the structure crosslinks, to make a stable molded structure.

“Installation of this material is labor intensive. Individual squares or rectangles of these molded structures are positioned adjacent to one another during installation. The material is not adhered to the floor. However, a binder adhesive is troweled onto the seams and allowed to cure prior to the application of a pressure sensitive of other bonding adhesive to adhere the final flooring surface to the SmartCells system. Once installed, the seams are prone to separation and read through to the A-surface. Finally, the system is expensive and at a premium that most facilities cannot afford.

“Foams of various types have been considered for use in senior living facilities. However, these products are often so soft under foot that they promote instability. This reaction may be significant to someone whose balance may be impaired. Additionally, such structures are prone to compression set due to their cellular nature and do not return to their original shape after sustaining a point static loading for long periods. Such loading may be imposed by a bed, chair, or other heavy object. The entire flooring system is expected to withstand the rigors of daily traffic over these surfaces.

“Injection molded tiles that snap into one another are often used for temporary or permanent flooring installations such as stage or dance floors, volleyball, basketball, garages, or other indoor flooring for sport surfaces. While the surfaces maybe acceptable from an appearance standpoint, they offer little force distribution or comfort characteristics. Furthermore, they often contain the moisture on or below the flooring surface. A water-tight system is unacceptable from a healthcare standpoint because there is a tendency for standing water to promote mold propagation, etc.”

As a supplement to the background information on this patent application, NewsRx correspondents also obtained the inventors’ summary information for this patent application: “Against this background, it would be desirable to develop a load distribution and absorption system that would underlay a superstructure material such as flooring system to mitigate injuries and soften footfalls, while reducing noise and vibration where possible.

“Ideally, such a system would be of relatively low cost and present a low profile to minimize tripping, yet be durable. In several embodiments, an underlayment infrastructure would be compatible with a superstructure material such as sheet vinyl and carpet.

“Among the goals are injury risk reduction due to falls on the flooring surface, minimizing system cost, maintaining system durability, facilitating installation, abating noise, yet retaining surface quality and comfort (in the case of elder care facilities) for patients and caregivers.

“Accordingly, several embodiments of this disclosure include a load distributing and absorbing system that lies below a superstructure material which is exposed to continual or intermittent percussive forces. Often, such forces may cause a high localized pressure, such as when forces from a wheelchair are exerted via narrow wheels. The load distributing and absorbing system includes an underlayment infrastructure that is interposed between an underside of the superstructure material and a foundation below. In the underlayment infrastructure, load distribution is mainly provided by a barrier layer and load absorption is mainly provided by groups of absorbing members that are provided in tiles thereof (described below).

“Most of the absorbing members have a ceiling which is positioned below the barrier layer. A continuous curvilinear wall extends from the ceiling. At the lower portion of the wall is a floor that lies above the foundation.

“Tiles are united by inter-engagement of overlapping barrier layers that overlie the ceilings of adjacent tiles.”

The claims supplied by the inventors are:

“1. A load distributing and absorbing system that lies below a superstructure material which is exposed to percussive forces, the load distributing and absorbing system being interposed between an underside of the superstructure material and a foundation below, the load distributing and absorbing system comprising: one or more load distributing and absorbing tiles, at least some of the tiles having a barrier layer that lies below the superstructure material; an underlayment infrastructure positioned below the barrier layer, the underlayment infrastructure including one or more hat-shaped absorbing members, at least some of the hat-shaped absorbing members having a ceiling, the ceiling being positioned below the barrier layer; a curvilinear wall extending from the ceiling, the curvilinear wall having a lower portion; a floor that connects lower portions of the curvilinear wall, the floor lying above the foundation; and a number (A) of apertures defined in the floor, where 0<=A<100.

“2. The load distributing and absorbing system of claim 1, wherein the superstructure material is selected from the group consisting of a ceramic tile, solid wood, a wood composite, a carpet, a carpet tile, sheet vinyl, a vinyl tile, a rigid vinyl tile, a rubber sheet, and a rubber tile, a grating, and an anti-slip metallic surface.

“3. The load distributing and absorbing system of claim 1, wherein the foundation includes concrete, a gravel, a metal and a hardwood.

“4. The load distributing and absorbing system of claim 3, wherein the barrier layer includes a rigid thermoplastic.

“5. The load distributing and absorbing system of claim 1, further including a means for securing positioned between the superstructure material and the barrier layer, or between the barrier layer and a ceiling, or in both positions.

“6. The load distributing and absorbing system of claim 1, wherein at least some of the absorbing members have a configuration defined at least in part by an upper portion of a wall of an absorbing member that extends from a ceiling, a shape of the upper portion being selected from the group consisting of a circle, an oval, an ellipse, a clover leaf, a race-track, and other curved perimeters.

“7. The load distributing and absorbing system of claim 1, wherein at least some of the absorbing members have a configuration defined at least in part by an imaginary footprint defined by a lower portion of a wall adjacent to the floor, the footprint being selected from the group consisting of a circle, an oval, an ellipse, a clover leaf, a race-track, and other curved perimeters.

“8. The load distributing and absorbing system of claim 1, further including one or more tiles of underlayment infrastructures, wherein the barrier layer of a first tile extends from an edge thereof and overhangs at least some of the ceilings of an adjacent tile.

“9. The load distributing and absorbing system of claim 8, wherein a group of tiles are conjoined, at least some of the absorbing members having a force-attenuation characteristic such that within the group, there is a user-determinable force attenuation property that may be uniform or varied within the group.

“10. The load distributing and absorbing system of claim 9, wherein some tiles are joined together by mating registration features defined at edges of the barrier layers to form sub-assemblies of tiles.

“11. The load distributing and absorbing system of claim 10, wherein the registration features are defined by a male feature in an edge of a barrier layer that engages a female feature in an edge of a barrier layer associated with an adjacent tile, the registration features being selected from the group consisting of male and female trapezoidal features, male and female keyholes, sawtooth arrangements, semicircles and jigsaw-like pieces.

“12. The load distributing and absorbing system of claim 10, wherein the foundation is separated from the superstructure material by subassemblies of tiles.

“13. A load distributing and absorbing infrastructure tile in a load distributing and absorbing system that lies below a superstructure material which is exposed to percussive forces, the load distributing and absorbing infrastructure tile being interposed between the superstructure material and a foundation below, the load distributing and absorbing infrastructure having a barrier layer for distributing at least some of the percussive forces that lies below the superstructure material and is quadrilateral with edges B1, B2, B3 and B4; an absorbing member for absorbing at least some of the percussive forces that is positioned below the barrier layer, the absorbing member being quadrilateral and having edges A1, A2, A3 and A4, the absorbing member including a ceiling, the ceiling being positioned below the barrier layer; a curvilinear wall extending from the ceiling, the continuous curvilinear wall having a lower portion; and a floor that connects facing sections of the curvilinear wall, the floor lying above the foundation, wherein the barrier layer is secured to the absorbing members so that edge B1 of the barrier layer overhangs edge A1 of the absorbing member and edge B2 overhangs edge A2, and edges A4 and A3 of the absorbing member extend beyond overlying edges B4 and B3 of the barrier layer, hereby creating an L-shaped platform and an L-shaped roof that engage corresponding features of adjacent infrastructure tiles.

“14. A load distributing and absorbing system comprising an assembly of inter-engaging load distributing and absorbing infrastructure tiles of claim 13.

“15. The load distributing and absorbing system of claim 1, wherein: a. the ceiling is thermoformed and has an average thickness (t), b. the wall is thermoformed and has an average thickness (T); and c. (T)>(t).

“16. The load distributing and absorbing system of claim 1, further comprising: lower means for securing the ceiling of at least one absorbing member to the barrier layer.

“17. The load distributing and absorbing system of claim 1, wherein the floor has an aperture that allows moisture to drain from the absorbing member.

“18. The load distributing and absorbing system of claim 1, wherein the ceiling between adjacent absorbing members in a tile has a length that is less than a length of the floor of an adjacent absorbing member.

“19. An underlayment infrastructure that is interposed between a superstructure material and a foundation, the underlayment infrastructure comprising: a barrier layer that lies below the superstructure material; a ceiling that is positioned proximate the barrier layer on a face thereof which lies opposite to the superstructure material; one or more absorbing members that have walls which extend convergingly away from the ceiling towards the floor that lies above the foundation, at least some of the one or more absorbing members having: a number (A) of apertures defined in the floor, where 0<=A<100; and lower means for securing at least one ceiling to the barrier layer.

“20. The load distributing and absorbing system of claim 17, further comprising: upper means for securing the barrier layer to the superstructure material.

“21. The force-attenuation system of claim 17, wherein some absorbing members are joined together to form sub-assemblies of tiles.

“22. The force-attenuation system of claim 19, wherein some tiled sub-assemblies and associated barrier layers are quadrilateral and are united with neighboring sub-assemblies.

“23. The load distributing and absorbing system of claim 1 further comprising one or more ribs extending at least partially between adjacent absorbing members.

“24. The load distributing and absorbing system of claim 1, wherein the superstructure material includes: a material selected from the group consisting of a surface such as a floor located in a senior living or elder care facility; a hospital or out-patient facility; a marine environment, including boating decks and docks; a sports-playing surface; a walking/running track; a golf playing surface; a soccer, rugby, lacrosse, or football field; a stairway; a work mat; a work platform; an anti-fatigue mat; an enhanced comfort mat; a wall protection material; a playground; a day care floor; a flooring material in homes and residences; a military blast mat; and a seat in a military vehicle that may detonate a land mine.

“25. The load distributing and absorbing system of claim 1, further including one or more transition features to smoothly graduate from one height and type of superstructure material to another superstructure material of another type and height.

“26. A load distributing and absorbing system that lies below a superstructure material that is exposed to percussive forces, the load distributing and absorbing system being interposed between the superstructure material and a foundation below, the load distributing and absorbing system comprising: one or more load distributing and absorbing tiles, at least some of such tiles having a barrier layer that lies below the superstructure material; an underlayment infrastructure positioned below the barrier layer, the underlayment infrastructure including one or more hat-shaped absorbing members, at least some of the hat-shaped absorbing members having an inverted ceiling, the inverted ceiling being positioned proximate the foundation; a curvilinear wall extending above the ceiling; an overlying floor positioned below the barrier layer that connects facing sections of the curvilinear wall.

“27. A method for making the load distributing and absorbing system of claim 1, comprising the steps of: a. providing a semi-molten sheet from which the ceiling, the wall and the floor of the absorbing members are to be prepared; b. forming and cooling the sheet to prepare sub-assemblies of absorbing members; e. adhering a barrier layer across the absorbing members to form an underlayment infrastructure tile; j. adjoining tiles of underlayment infrastructures to form assemblies of tiles for installation in an environment of use.

“28. The method of claim 27, the method of step (b) is selected from the group consisting of thermoforming, compression molding, vacuum forming and injection molding.”

For additional information on this patent application, see: CORMIER, Joel Matthew; ELLIOTT, Jackson Alexander; AUDI, Richard Francois; SMITH, Donald Scott. Load Distribution And Absorption Underlayment System. Filed November 7, 2018 and posted May 7, 2020. Patent URL: http://appft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO1&Sect2=HITOFF&d=PG01&p=1&u=%2Fnetahtml%2FPTO%2Fsrchnum.html&r=1&f=G&l=50&s1=%2220200141131%22.PGNR.&OS=DN/20200141131&RS=DN/20200141131

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