HK1186155A - Method of cutting and installing carpet tiles on a floor of a mass transit vehicle - Google Patents

Description

Method of cutting and installing carpet tiles on a mass transit vehicle

Cross Reference to Related Applications

The present application claims the benefit OF U.S. provisional patent application serial No. 61/405,408, entitled "LOW WEIGHT CARPET TILES AND METHODS OF CUTTING AND INSTALLING SAME" and filed on 21/10/2010, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

Technical Field

The present invention relates to methods of cutting and installing carpet tiles in public transportation vehicles, including particularly aircraft, as well as other applications.

Background

Public vehicles, such as passenger aircraft, ships, trains, subway cars, and buses, often include carpet in the passenger compartment of the vehicle. Such carpets are exposed to particularly harsh/harsh environments-high traffic, dirt, heavy equipment/equipment (e.g., beverage carts), spills, and the like. In passenger aircraft, the carpet is also subjected to cyclic/periodic forces due to repeated changes in cabin air pressure, which cause the cabin itself and its floor or deck/deck structure to stretch and widen during the expansion cycle and to contract during the compression cycle. These environmental and other conditions require frequent replacement of worn, dirty or damaged carpet.

In view of the above considerations, carpets in public transportation vehicles should be designed to be as wear resistant as possible and easy to install and remove. Furthermore, in passenger aircraft and marine applications, carpets need to meet industry specifications with respect to flame, smoke, and toxicity. Furthermore, in aircraft applications, due to the relationship between aircraft weight and fuel efficiency and thus operating costs, it is preferable to minimize carpet weight while maintaining the other functional properties discussed above as well as aesthetic requirements and objectives.

Broadloom carpet has traditionally been used in public transportation applications. The carpet is typically cut into appropriately sized strips, the edges of which are edged ("lock-stitched") to prevent or minimize unraveling, the strips being located on the surface of the vehicle floor or deck, further cut as needed and adhered to the vehicle floor or deck/deck with an adhesive. Broadloom carpet in these applications exhibits good strength and wear properties, but since the floor is carpeted with custom cut strips sized to fit the vehicle, it is difficult, and unnecessarily expensive, to remove and replace damaged carpet sections, since damage to only one section of the strip may require removal and replacement of the entire strip. Furthermore, in aircraft applications, installation and replacement of broadloom carpets requires carpet sizing in the aircraft and removal for cutting, as cutting in the field may damage the skin of the aircraft.

Furthermore, in order to remove and replace the straps, it is necessary to remove seats and/or other equipment in the vehicle. For example, in the passenger compartment of an aircraft, replacing one carpet strip may require removing several aircraft seats. Another disadvantage is that: the electronics, e.g., audio connections and display screens, installed in the seat may also need to be removed or disconnected.

Carpet tiles can be an attractive option for public transportation applications. The use of carpet tiles that do not need to be overlooked will simplify installation compared to broadloom carpet. Carpet tiles may also allow for more efficient replacement of damaged carpet sections because individual tiles may be replaced rather than an entire strip of broadloom carpet. Another advantage of using carpet tiles in aircraft applications is that if the tiles need to be cut, they can be cut on a cutting board on the aircraft (unlike broadloom carpet).

Carpet tiles are typically produced and sold as squares. When non-square tiles are required, the tiles are cut to the desired size, which is suitable for most commercial applications, but causes inefficiencies in public transportation applications. The floor of a passenger aircraft has rails that protrude from the carpet and extend along most or all of the length of the passenger compartment to allow installation of passenger seats of various sizes and with various front and rear seat separations and in various aircraft seat configurations. These rails cannot be covered by carpet because they must remain accessible for attaching the seat. Although it is possible to select a seat configuration that utilizes tracks at equidistant lengths across the entire body or breadth of the aircraft, in almost all cases the seat configuration will require several different widths of carpet in order to cover the entire breadth of the aircraft. When strips of broadloom carpet are utilized, the carpet is cut to match the width between the tracks, and the cut edges are typically edged. However, for conventional square carpet tiles, to cover the entire width of the passenger compartment, multiple tile sizes would be required for positioning in the different width gaps between the tracks without cutting the tiles: for example, if an aircraft requires four different broadloom strip carpet widths, four different sizes of square carpet tile products would be required. Alternatively, larger tiles are used, by cutting them to the desired width, but this would be time consuming and wasteful.

In addition, carpet tiles, in many carpet applications, require good dimensional stability characteristics. The tiles should resist deformation and maintain their dimensions when subjected to varying temperatures, humidity, pressure or other stresses. Among other things, carpet tiles lacking dimensional stability are more likely to buckle, or "arch" in the center of the carpet tile and less likely to flatten. Good dimensional stability characteristics are even more important in public transportation applications where, as mentioned above, the tiles are subjected to harsh environmental conditions. Carpet tiles used in passenger aircraft will also need to meet applicable specifications with respect to flame, smoke, and toxicity.

Current carpet tile technology can produce carpet tiles with good dimensional stability and flame and smoke characteristics. One such carpet tile is described in reissue U.S. patent No. Re. 34,951, incorporated herein by reference. Other prior art carpet tiles are described in U.S. patent nos. 4,010,301, 4,010,302, 5,198,277, 5,204,155 and 5,560,972, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference.

Each of these patents discloses carpet tiles that include carpet pile embedded, tufted, or otherwise attached to a primary backing layer. These carpet tiles also include additional backing layers that are formed of various materials and provide dimensional stability and strength to the carpet tile. Common backing layer materials include polyester, polyvinyl chloride, nonwoven fiberglass, and the like. To reduce the cost of the backing, one or more fillers, such as calcium carbonate, are typically incorporated into the backing layer. These and most other conventional carpet tiles are relatively heavy, a property that is undesirable because of the weight's ability to help tile these tiles and remain in place when installed.

While such conventional carpet tiles are suitable for many commercial and residential applications; they are less suitable for applications requiring lightweight tiles because they are relatively heavy and this makes them less suitable for certain public transportation vehicles including, in particular, passenger aircraft. Furthermore, broadloom carpet is currently used in public transportation vehicles, while potentially lighter than conventional carpet tiles, but with disparate dimensional stability characteristics that preclude cutting the broadloom carpet into tiles and installation in the vehicle.

Disclosure of Invention

Embodiments of the present invention provide low weight carpet and carpet tiles suitable for use in mass transit vehicles and passenger aircraft in particular, as well as in other applications where product weight, configuration, installation or other considerations such as those described below apply. The carpet and carpet tiles of the present invention may have a carpet pile and at least one backing layer. The backing layer may use low weight fillers such as glass spheres, and preferably hollow glass microspheres. In another embodiment, the carpet and carpet tiles meet transportation industry standards in terms of flame, smoke, and toxicity. The tiles may be sized and cut during manufacture and installed in a configuration that: minimizing or reducing the number of tile sizes required, reducing carpet waste, and/or minimizing the need for cutting carpet tiles during installation. In some embodiments, the tile lengths are the same in the installation, and the tile widths are customized for the particular section of the aircraft or other vehicle in which the tiles are to be installed. The pattern for such tiles may be orthogonal fuzzy (orthogonally ambiguous) or otherwise suitable for "random" installation, facilitating tile installation, tiles may be oriented in a different orientation in use than they were during manufacture. In other embodiments, the floor laying (flooding) and installation methods described herein facilitate original installation and replacement installation in or at other locations in an aircraft or other vehicle without removing seats or other obstacles. Such installation may include, for example, a floor on which rectangular carpet tiles are installed, and installation, removal, and replacement of carpet in an aircraft without removing the seat from the aircraft.

The terms "invention," "the invention," "this invention," and "the invention" as used in this patent are intended to refer broadly to the patent claims below and to the subject matter of this patent. Statements containing these terms should not be understood to limit the subject matter described herein or to limit the meaning or scope of the following patent claims. Embodiments of the invention covered by this patent are defined by the following claims, not this summary. This summary is provided to largely outline various aspects of the invention and to introduce a selection of concepts that are further described below in the detailed description. This summary is not intended to identify key features or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used in isolation to determine the scope of the claimed subject matter. The subject matter should be understood with reference to the entire specification of this patent, all drawings, and each claim.

Drawings

Illustrative embodiments of the invention are described below with reference to the following drawings:

FIG. 1 is a diagram of a carpet tile configuration according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram of a carpet tile configuration according to another embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 3 is a schematic side view of one embodiment of a carpet of the present invention having at least one secondary backing layer.

Fig. 4 is a schematic side view of a second embodiment of the carpet of the present invention having at least two secondary backing layers.

Fig. 5 is a schematic side view of a third embodiment of the carpet of the present invention with an additional optional backing layer.

FIG. 6 is a schematic side view of a carpet backing line for producing carpet in the manufacture of one embodiment of the carpet tile of the present invention.

Fig. 6a is a schematic side view of a portion of the backing line of fig. 6.

FIG. 7 is a diagram of a carpet tile configuration according to another embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 8A-8E are schematic illustrations of carpet webs cut into carpet tiles for installation in the configuration of fig. 7.

FIG. 9 is a diagram of a carpet tile configuration according to yet another embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 10 is a schematic illustration of a carpet web cut into carpet tiles for installation in the configuration of fig. 9.

FIG. 11 is a diagram of a carpet tile configuration according to yet another embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 12 is a schematic illustration of a carpet web cut into carpet tiles for installation in the configuration of fig. 11.

Detailed Description

The subject matter of embodiments of the present invention is described with specificity herein to meet statutory requirements, but the description is not necessarily intended to limit the scope of the claims. The claimed subject matter may be embodied in other ways, may include different elements or steps, and may be used in conjunction with other present or future technologies. This description should not be read as implying any particular order or arrangement among or between various steps or elements herein unless and except when the order of individual steps or arrangement of elements is explicitly described.

Block geometry

One embodiment of the present invention is a method for installing carpet tiles in a mass transit vehicle, and in particular in a passenger aircraft. The method will be described as applied to the passenger cabin of a passenger aircraft, but the invention is also applicable to other public transportation vehicles, such as trains, buses, subway cars and ships.

According to one embodiment of the method, the passenger compartment is carpeted using a minimum number of different size carpet tiles. As described above, due to the variety of possible seating configurations in any given aircraft, the passenger cabin of an aircraft typically requires a variety of different sizes of carpet in order to span the entire breadth of the aircraft. An exemplary configuration is provided in fig. 1. In the illustrated configuration, the passenger cabin of the aircraft 100 has a width W and a length L. A seating configuration used in an aircraft requires that carpeting be laid in six sections, 110, 120, 130, 140, 150 and 160, the sections having widths A, B, C, D, B and a, respectively. It should be noted that sections 110 and 160 have the same width (a) and sections 120 and 150 have the same width (B).

In one embodiment of the invention, the size of the orthogonal fuzzy or randomly installed rectangular carpet tiles is adapted to minimize the number of different carpet tile products required to carpet the passenger cabin. The first rectangular carpet tile product has a base equal to one of the desired widths (e.g., width a) and a height equal to the other of the desired widths (e.g., width B), and in this manner, can be used to carpet the sections 110, 120, 150, and 160 by covering the width of the sections 110 and 160 with the base a of the first tile and by covering the width of the sections 120 and 150 with the height B of the first tile.

The second rectangular carpet tile product has a base equal to one of the desired widths (e.g., width C) and a height equal to the last of the desired widths (e.g., width D), and thus the second tile can be used to carpet sections 130 and 140 by covering the width of section 130 with the base C of the second tile and the width of section 140 with the height D of the second tile.

The passenger compartment of the aircraft can thus be laid with only two different sizes of carpet tile products. If a conventional square carpet tile product were used, four different sizes of square product would be required, four products having sides of lengths A, B, C and D. By using the described method of carpet tiling, the number of different carpet tile products required for this embodiment can be reduced by half (e.g., from 4 to 2). Further, by using the methods described above, side-to-side cutting of tiles (i.e., cutting of tiles to adjust their width to fit a particular section) can generally be avoided, but it should be recognized that some cutting may be required, such as in the front and/or rear sections of the passenger cabin, as the cabin is narrower there.

As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, the attractive installation of the rectangular carpet tile of the present invention is facilitated by the use of carpet tile patterns similar to those acceptable in installations, which are described in U.S. patent nos. 6,908,656 and 7,083,841 (which are incorporated herein by reference), where the fibers "face" in a different direction than they "face" during tile production. It should be recognized, however, that the pattern on a carpet web that can be cut into square carpet tiles that are orthogonally obscured need not necessarily be cut into rectangular tiles of any size that will all be orthogonally obscured. This is because, for at least some patterns, when selecting the cutting locations to avoid forming shapes on particular tiles that appear not to be in place, it is necessary to adequately reference the patterns on the web to determine the size of the tiles and cut the tiles from the web. Such shapes sometimes occur when the tile edge is too close to the edge of the shape on the tile, making the shape significantly different from other shapes on the tile and thus looking strange or inappropriate.

In an exemplary embodiment of the method of the present invention, an aircraft seat configuration requires carpet to be laid in five sections as shown in fig. 2: 210. 220, 230, 240 and 250. Sections 210 and 250 have the same width E and sections 220 and 240 have the same width F. Section 230 has a width G.

In this embodiment, the first rectangular carpet tile product has a base equal to one of the desired widths (e.g., width E) and a height equal to the other of the desired widths (e.g., width F), in such a way that the first rectangular carpet tile product can be used to carpet the sections 210, 220, 240 and 250 by covering the widths of the sections 210 and 250 with the base E of the first tile and by covering the widths of the sections 220 and 240 with the height F of the first tile.

The second rectangular carpet tile product has a base equal to another of the desired widths (e.g., width G), which can be used to carpet section 230. Since there are no other sections to be carpeted in this configuration, the height H of the second rectangular carpet tile is not critical and any desired height can be selected. Alternatively, the height H may be selected to be equal to one of the desired widths E or F.

Thus, in this embodiment, the passenger compartment of the aircraft can be tiled with two different sizes of carpet tile products. If a conventional square carpet tile product had been used, three different sizes of square product would be required, three products having side edges of lengths E, F and G. Since an odd number of desired segment widths are required in this configuration, the number of different carpet tile products cannot be halved, but can be determined by the equation:

(n - l) / 2 + 1 ;

where n is equal to the width of the various carpet sections spanning the width of the passenger compartment. In the embodiment shown in fig. 2, where n has a value of three, which represents the number of carpet segments having different widths, there are five segments that need to be covered, but two of these segments have the same width, resulting in three different widths (E, F and G). Thus, the number of different carpet tiles required in this embodiment is (3-l)/2 + 1 or two. In an exemplary configuration with five sections of different widths, the number of different carpet tile products can be reduced to (5-l)/2 + l or three.

It will be appreciated that if a particular aircraft configuration requires carpet to be laid in sections having an even number of different widths (such as the embodiment described above, shown in fig. 1), the number of different carpet tile products required can be expressed in equation:

½ n ,

wherein n is as defined above.

Block cutting

A variety of different methods can be used to cut tiles from a carpet web. In one embodiment, the carpet web is divided along its width and its length to form rectangular tiles. By way of example only, assume that an aircraft seat configuration requires carpet to be laid in six sections as shown in fig. 7: 710. 720, 730, 740, 750 and 760. Sections 710 and 760 have the same width I and sections 720 and 750 have the same width J. Section 730 has a width K and section 740 has a width L. Since the sizes of the tiles in sections 710, 720, 750, and 760 are the same, only a single carpet tile size is needed to cover these sections. Since the dimensions of each of sections 730 and 740 are unique, two carpet tile sizes are required to cover these sections. Thus, a total of three different carpet tile sizes are required.

A variety of different cutting configurations can be used to cut the tiles from the carpet web, all of which are preferably designed to minimize waste. Fig. 8A illustrates one embodiment of a portion of a carpet web 1000 that may be divided to form tiles as shown in fig. 7. In the embodiment disclosed herein, the carpet web 1000 can be cut along a cut line 1002 to form a left section 1004 and a right section 1006. The severance line 1002 may be anywhere across the entire width of the web 1000, and more than one severance line may be provided. Tiles of any size may be cut from the left section 1004 and the right section 1006. Figures 8B to 8E show possible tile cut configurations from these sections to form tiles for installation in the seat configuration shown in figure 7. However, these are included for illustrative purposes only and are in no way intended to be in any limiting sense. Furthermore, depending on the web width and the desired tile size, waste is preferably not generated, but may of course result.

In an alternative embodiment, square tiles are cut from the carpet web. The segment width determines the tile size. Thus, tiles are provided for each different section width. Fig. 9 shows an aircraft configuration having sections 810 and 860. The width M of sections 810 and 860 is the same, and the width N of sections 820 and 850 is the same, requiring two carpet tile sizes to cover these sections. Width O, P of sections 830 and 840, respectively, is unique; thus, each section 830, 840 requires its own carpet tile size. Thus, this configuration requires four unique square tile sizes. The width and length of each tile is equal to the width of the section in which the tile is intended to be positioned. FIG. 10 illustrates one embodiment of a carpet web 1100 that is divided to form tiles as shown in FIG. 9. Again, however, there are a virtually endless variety of alternative cutting configurations.

In an alternative embodiment, as shown in FIG. 11, the tile widths Q-T are different (when installed in section 910-960) but the tile lengths U (when installed) are the same among all tiles in an installation. To accomplish this, the width W of the carpet web 1200 is divided into equal increments U across the width W of the web 1200 using vertical dividing lines 1202 to form carpet web sections 1201a-d, as shown in fig. 12. The web 1200 is cut at different locations along its length with horizontal split lines 1204 to create tiles having different tile widths Q-T. The resulting tiles have a uniform first dimension U (which is the tile width when in the web, but which will become the tile length when installed) and a variable second dimension Q-T (which is the tile length when in the web, but which will become the tile width when installed).

To install the tiles, the tiles are positioned in sections 910-960 such that: the size of the tile length on the carpet web 1200 (i.e., Q-T) becomes the width of the tiles in the installation, and the size of the tile width in the carpet web 1200 (i.e., U) becomes the length of the tiles in the installation, as best seen in fig. 11.

It should be noted that cutting and installing tiles according to the method shown in fig. 11 and 12 may not result in the use of an absolute minimum number of different size tiles, but still reduce the number of such tiles. For example, compare the seating arrangements of fig. 1 and 11 with substantially the same segment layout. The configuration of fig. 1 requires only two different sizes of tiles, while the configuration of fig. 11 uses four different sizes of tiles. However, the cutting and installation method disclosed in fig. 11 and 12 still reduces the number of different size tiles required and achieves a number of additional benefits and efficiencies. First, tiles having the requisite width Q-T can be easily created simply by varying the position of horizontal dividing line 1204 along the length of web 1200. In this manner, waste may be nearly, if not completely, eliminated because the entirety of the carpet web 1200 is available for tiles along both its width and length. Second, the mounting of the tiles is simplified. More specifically, the installer need not take the time to figure out which segments will be used for which segments 910 and 960. Rather, since only one dimension of the tiles (width Q-T) is different, the installer will immediately know which tiles to use for which segments simply by matching the width of the tiles and the width of the segments. The difference in only one dimension of the panels also simplifies the packaging and labeling process. Third, they are more likely to appear at the edges of the tile formed by horizontal cut lines 1204, as to the extent that the carpet is worn at their edges. When the tiles are cut and installed according to this embodiment, such edges extend along the length of the sections 910 and 960 rather than across the width, where they may be covered by elongated blankets (runner) or caps (cap) that extend along the length of the aircraft between adjacent sections 910 and 960 to span the edges of the tiles in those adjacent sections. Thus, such edges will be protected from foot and luggage transport damage, thus reducing wear of the edges.

In the embodiment shown in fig. 12, adhesive strips 1206 (including, but not limited to, double-sided and releasable adhesives such as those discussed below) can be strategically applied along the bottom side of the carpet web 1200 prior to cutting of the carpet web 1200. Since the position of the vertical partition line 1202 remains constant, the position of the adhesive strip 1206 can be placed near the vertical partition line 1202 to ensure that the edges of the tiles formed by the vertical partition line 1202 are provided with adhesive. In this way, the consistency of adhesive placement and coverage on the formed tiles can be controlled. Thus, when the tiles are rotated and installed, as discussed and illustrated in fig. 11, a portion of the adhesive strip 1206 is positioned within a section along the seam of the abutting edges of the tiles. The location of the adhesive across the seam helps prevent the seam from separating when the seam is subjected to forces substantially perpendicular to the seam axis, such as forces due to footsteps and luggage moving along a section, and thus improves the performance of the tile on the floor. However, the adhesive may be located on other areas of the tile, and may in fact be disposed on the entire underside of the tile. However, any of the mounting means discussed below may also be used to mount the tiles.

Although various methods have been disclosed for dividing a carpet web into tiles, it should be noted that such a dividing method can be applied to webs of any size from which any size of carpet tiles can be cut.

Block mounting

The carpet tiles can be installed in a vehicle using conventional adhesives. Such adhesives may include, but are not limited to, latex, hot melt adhesives, and water-based adhesives. Exemplary adhesives include asphalt-based hot melt adhesives, polyurethane adhesives, polyethylene adhesives, thermoplastic polyolefin adhesives, pressure sensitive acrylic adhesives, and combinations thereof. Preferably, the adhesive is selected so that it leaves little, if any, residue on the floor of the aircraft when the tile is removed, but the adhesive need not be so limited. One preferred Adhesive is an "APAC" acrylic Adhesive available from All pure plasma Adhesive Company of Dalton, Zodiac (GA). Other adhesives for applying carpet tiles to a floor are known.

When the carpet is to be laid, the adhesive can be applied directly to the floor or to the carpet tile, or the adhesive can be pre-applied to the carpet tile during construction as a releasable adhesive layer that can be covered by a peel-off strip, film or sheet of material such as paper, plastic, etc. One releasable adhesive is the AquaBlock pressure sensitive adhesive sold by Rohm and Haas. The carpet tiles of the present invention may also be installed using double-sided tape, such as double-sided tape available from Adchem Corporation of river town, New York (river).

Alternatively, the carpet tiles can be mounted to the floor of the aircraft using adhesive connectors or squares (squares) such as TacTiles products developed by Interface, Inc. TacTiles adhesive connectors are approximately 3 "polyester film connectors formed from a composite acrylic adhesive applied/coated onto polyethylene terephthalate (PET) backed with a PET polyester release liner. The attachment members are designed to adhere the corners or edges of the carpet tiles together. However, the TacTiles connectors only adhere the carpet tiles to each other but not to the floor (i.e., the adhesive is only on one side of the TacTiles connectors), thus forming a "floating floor". Once installed, the TacTiles connectors provide good horizontal adhesion to prevent the tiles from pulling apart from each other, but release the carpet tiles easily from the TacTiles connectors by pulling the tiles vertically. The TacTiles connectors thus greatly simplify the installation and removal of the carpet tiles.

If it is considered undesirable to install "floating floor" carpet tiles without any attachment to the vehicle in vehicles like airplanes and other alternatives, the selected attachment may be achieved using double-sided tape, adhesive applied directly to the vehicle floor and or portions of the carpet tiles, or by adhesively attaching at least some of the TacTiles @' connectors to the floor. In yet another alternative installation, the tiles may be "laid free" with no means of attachment to the underlying floor or to each other.

The use of carpet tiles according to the method described above allows the floor of a public vehicle to be carpeted without the need to remove seats and/or other equipment from the vehicle.

Examples of the invention 1

The carpet to be installed in the cabin of an aircraft of the boeing 737-ion 700 series needs to be laid down in six sections (110, 120, 130, 140, 150 and 160) as shown in fig. 1 (this example is not drawn to scale). The seat tracks are located within the cabin lengthwise between sections 100 and 120, 120 and 130, 140 and 150, and 150 and 160. The emergency lighting track is located lengthwise in the nacelle between sections 130 and 140.

This exemplary configuration requires the following widths:

segment width (inches)

110 18

120 19.25

130 32

140 14

150 19.25

160 18。

It should be noted that these sections have four different width requirements (18 inches, 19.25 inches, 32 inches, and 14 inches) and sections 110 and 160 have the same width, and sections 120 and 150 have the same width.

The size of the carpet tile can be adapted to fit in this cabin by using only two different tile sizes, with one tile size having a length of 18 "and a width of 19.25" and the other tile having a length of 32 "and a width of 14". The 18 x 19.25 tiles can be installed in 110, 120, 150 and 160, and the 32 x 14 tiles can be installed in sections 130 and 140.

Examples of the invention 2

A test installation was performed with a physical model of the deck configuration of the boeing 737-. The initial configuration is the same as the above-described configuration in example 1. However, in view of this mounting, it is achieved that: a segment 130 of width 32 "may be filled with tiles of widths 14" and 18 "(14 + 18 = 32). Thus, tiles with the following widths are needed:

segment width (inches)

110 18

120 19.25

13014 and 18

140 14

150 19.25

160 18。

Thus, there are only three different width requirements 18 "(sections 110, 160, and a portion of section 130); 19.25 "(sections 120 and 150); and 14 "(section 140, and a portion of section 130). Two different tile sizes are still required (according to the formula discussed above, ((3-1)/2) + 1 = 2), it being recognized that the following tile sizes, 18 "x 19.25" and 14 "x 19.25" may be employed. By sizing the tiles in this manner, a uniform length of tiles (19.25") is used for each tile, which significantly simplifies cutting the tiles from the custom web and minimizes cutting scrap because a die of uniform length of 19.25" can be used.

Examples of the invention 3

Carpet to be installed in the cabin of a boeing 777 economy class aircraft requires carpet to be laid in nine sections having the following widths:

segment width (inches)

1 7

2 32.5

3 39.5

4 20.5

5 20.5

6 20.5

7 39.5

8 32.5

9 7。

These nine sections have four different width requirements (7 inches, 32.5 inches, 39.5 inches, and 20.5 inches) and the following sections have the same width: 1 and 9 (7 inches); 2 and 8 (32.5 inches); 3 and 7 (39.5 inches) and 4-6 (20.5 inches).

The size of the carpet tile can be adapted to fit in this cabin by using only two different tile sizes, with one tile size having a length of 7 "and a width of 32.5" and the other tile having a length of 39.5 "and a width of 20.5". The 7 x 32.5 tiles can be installed in sections 1, 2, 8 and 9, and the 39.5 x 20.5 tiles can be installed in sections 3-7.

Examples of the invention 4

The configuration of example 3 can be modified as follows by dividing sections 3 and 7 into two additional sections having widths 7 "and 32.5".

Segment width (inches)

1 7

2 32.5

37 and 32.5

4 20.5

5 20.5

6 20.5

77 and 32.5

8 32.5

9 7。

These nine sections now have only three different width requirements (7 inches, 32.5 inches, and 20.5 inches) and the following sections have the same width: sections 1, 9, and a portion (7 inches) of sections 3 and 7; sections 2, 8, and a portion (32.5 inches) of sections 3 and 7; and sections 4-6 (section 20.5).

The size of the carpet tile can be adapted to fit in this cabin by using only two different tile sizes, with one tile size having a width of 7 "and a length of 20.5" and the other tile having a width of 32.5 "and a length of 20.5". The 7 x 20.5 tiles can be installed in sections 1, 1-4, 9, and in a portion of sections 3 and 7; and a 3.5 x 20.5 tile can fit in sections 2, 4-6, 8, and a portion of sections 3 and 7.

As with the configuration described above in example 2, the cutting of each tile is simplified by using a uniform length (20.5 ") for the tiles.

Carpet tile weight

Another embodiment of the present invention is a low weight carpet suitable for use in mass transit applications. The carpet tiles include carpet pile tufted or otherwise embedded or attached within a primary backing layer, and optionally at least one additional and optionally also one or more backing layers, as shown in fig. 3, with a carpet 310 having face yarns 312 tufted into a tufted primary layer 314, and a precoat layer 316. Such a construction having yarns tufted into the tufted primary layer and optionally a pre-coat layer is sometimes referred to as a "face towel/cover towel".

Fig. 4 shows another alternative embodiment of a carpet tile 410 having an additional secondary backing layer 418, and yarns 412 tufted into the tufted primary layer 414, and a precoat layer 416. The tufted primary layer 414 and the pre-coat layer 416 may be formed of the same materials as described above with respect to the tufted primary layer 314 and the pre-coat layer 316.

There may be additional backing layers and components, and other carpet constructions that are not tufted are also possible. For example, the face yarn construction can be woven or welded, among other alternatives.

In one embodiment, the facing is formed from nylon yarn, and in particular nylon 6.6 or nylon 6 yarn. However, other yarns may be used to form the carpet pile, including, but not limited to, wool/nylon blends, fibers derived from polyester, polypropylene, Polyetherimide (PEI), and polylactic acid (PLA), as well as other types of fibers known for use in carpet applications.

A suitable material for the tufting primary layer (314, 414) of the low weight carpet tile is a non-woven polyester. Other tufting primary layers are known and may also be used, so long as they contribute (or at least do not unduly detract) from stability, durability, low weight properties, and other desirable properties described herein.

The precoat layer (316, 416) is formed from a polymeric material such as polyvinyl chloride, styrene-butadiene rubber (SBR), styrenated acrylic copolymer, acrylic, Ethylene Vinyl Acetate (EVA), polyethylene, ethylene propylene diene methylene terpolymer (EPDM) rubber, urethane, nitrile rubber, neoprene, and chloroprene rubber. It may also be formed from a bituminous coating material. The precoat (316, 416) may be a styrenated acrylic copolymer available from Broadview Technologies of Newark (Newark NJ), new jersey, which has good flame resistance and good compatibility with both the tuft primary layer and the secondary backing layer.

The second backed layer 418 preferably comprises a mesh or mat reinforcement layer incorporating a polymeric material such as polyvinyl chloride, polypropylene, or polyethylene terephthalate (PET). The reinforcing layer is preferably formed of a flame retardant material, such as fiberglass, ceramic or polyvinyl chloride fibers, and may have a woven or nonwoven structure. A particularly preferred secondary backing layer comprises polyvinyl chloride incorporated into a nonwoven fiberglass mat. One useful polyethylene resin is the PVC acrylic copolymer Geon-138 resin available from PolyOne. A wide range of alternative commercial PVC resins may also be used, provided they provide the desired properties described herein and other suitable properties known to those of ordinary skill in the art of making carpet tiles. The secondary backing layer may also include a plasticizer to enhance the flexibility of the layer. Suitable plasticizers include phosphate esters, diisononyl phthalate (DINP), tricresyl phosphate (TCP), isopropylated triphenyl phosphate (TPP), ricinoleic-based plasticizers, and combinations thereof. The combination of TPP and phosphate ester is one preferred plasticizer. TPP is available from Great Lakes Chemical Corp. and phosphate esters are available from PAG Holdings. Other plasticizers are known and may also be suitably employed.

It may also be desirable to incorporate an optional smoke suppressant in the secondary backing layer. One useful smoke suppressant is Molybdenum trioxide available from Climax Molybdenum co, located in Climax, Colorado.

The carpet pile of the present invention preferably has a reduced weight as compared to conventional carpet tiles. Weight savings can be achieved by using a low weight face configuration. Suitable face fibers are nylon, wool, blends of nylon and wool, and other known carpet fibers.

Furthermore, the tufting primary (314, 414) and additional layers (e.g., 316, 416, and 418) preferably weigh less than comparable layers found in most conventional carpet tiles. Reduced weight in these layers can be achieved by using low weight fillers instead of known filler materials. As discussed above, the use of low weight filler material for carpet tiles has not previously been contemplated, as low weight has not been a significant consideration in previous carpet tile constructions.

Glass spheres and in particular hollow glass microspheres are useful lightweight fillers. One such microsphere filler is Q-CEL 300 hollow microspheres commercially available from Potters Industries, Inc. of Virginia Valley Forge, PA. Other suitable fillers include fumed silica, Aerogels (available from Aspen Aerogels, inc., silica-based foams), fly ash, calcium carbonate, zinc borate, aluminum trihydrate, magnesium hydroxide, and fiberglass staple fibers. Some of these materials provide flame resistant properties that would be desirable in carpet tiles designed for aircraft or other vehicle applications. Glass microspheres may be preferred because of their light weight and flame resistant properties. The Q-CEL hollow microspheres are formed, for example, from sodium silicate, sodium borate/borax, water, and precipitated silica. They are relatively expensive. Other less expensive hollow microspheres are commercially available and would also be suitable as fillers. The hollow microspheres provide the backing layer(s) with a bulk/volume (bulk) comparable to other fillers such as calcium carbonate, but at a significantly reduced weight. Calcium carbonate, for example, has a density of about 2.7 g/cc, while Q-CEL 300 hollow microspheres have a density of only about 0.12 g/cc.

In addition to physically adding fillers to the backing layer, the backing layer can be provided with bulk by a mechanical or chemical treatment process without significantly increasing weight. For example, voids may be introduced into one or more of the backing layers by blowing or foaming the layers with air, nitrogen, or some other inert gas. An example of a chemically bulking means suitable for use in the backing layer is provided by Expancel, which is an expandable microsphere incorporating isobutane droplets surrounded by a polymeric shell. When heated, the shell softens and the isobutane vaporizes, causing expansion of the microspheres.

Weight savings may also be achieved by reducing the weight of face yarns (312, 412) in the carpet pile. A typical carpet pile is formed from 4 strands of face yarn and is configured in a loop or cut pile arrangement. By reducing the face yarn to 3 strands, the weight of the carpet pile can be reduced from about 18-20 osy (ounces per square yard) to about 16 osy or less, and more preferably about 14 osy or less. Alternatively, by tufting the end of the finished yarn into a lighter form, such as by varying the number of stitches per inch, pile height, machine specifications, or some combination of these, a lower weight 4-ply face yarn may be used. When low areal weight yarns are used, a black (or other dark) tuft primary layer may be used to reduce the "bottoming", visible tuft primary layer between yarns. The static dissipative characteristics of the finished carpet fibers are improved by incorporating conductive materials such as carbon black or conductive glass fibers.

As discussed above, any carpet tile used in public transportation vehicles such as passenger aircraft should preferably meet applicable specifications with respect to flame, smoke, and toxicity. The carpet tile thus preferably meets one or more of the following criteria: federal Aviation regulations ("FAR") 25.853 (in-cabin), Boeing BSS 7239 (toxic fumes), Boeing BSS 7238 (optical smoke density), Boeing D6-51377 (smoke toxicity), and Boeing BSS 7230 ("Determination of Flammability Properties of aeronautical Materials)"). These standards are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

To meet one or more of these criteria, if the tufted primary layer (314, 414) is a spun-bonded (spun laid) non-woven polyester, such as available under the trade name Lutradur from Freudenberg Nonwovens NA, the backing can be treated with phosphate or antimony to improve its flame retardant properties.

The carpet tiles may also include additional layers of flame retardant latex material (not shown in the drawings), such as Intumax available from Broadview Technologies of Newark, NJ, N.J.. This layer may be included as an alternative to the flame resistant primary backing layer described above if additional flame and fire resistance is required. The precoat may be highly foamed to reduce the required amount to 10 or less ounces per square yard ("osy").

The carpet tile may include another optional layer, such as a fiberglass layer, as shown in fig. 5, fig. 5 depicts a carpet tile 510 having face yarn 512 tufted into a tufted primary layer 514 backed by a precoat layer 516, a secondary backing layer 518, and a fiberglass layer 520. The glass fibers 520 provide additional dimensional stability to the carpet tile, which is suitable for use in aircraft and other mass transit applications. Another optional layer is illustrated as an adhesive layer 522 that is pre-applied to the carpet tile during construction.

The fiberglass material used for the second backing layer 418 and the optional additional fiberglass layer 520 is a nonwoven fine denier fiberglass, available from, for example, Owens Corning Fiberglas Company of Toledo, Ohio. Fine denier glass fibers generally have good flame and smoke characteristics; the fibers are smaller than conventional glass fibers and thus less skin irritating; and the backing layer formed of such a material is less prone to buckling due to pressurization and depressurization of the aircraft cabin. In addition, fine glass fibers have a lower porosity than conventional glass fibers and therefore form a more solid surface per unit weight than conventional glass fibers. While fine glass fibers have these properties, other materials, including conventional fiberglass backing materials, can also be used.

As discussed, the low weight carpet tiles described herein preferably provide advantageous dimensional stability characteristics. One method for measuring the dimensional stability of tiles is specified in the international organization for standardization (ISO) 2551, also known as the dimensional stability Acchen test. The low weight carpet tiles described herein preferably have a dimensional stability of +/-0.2% (no more than 0.2% variation in tile size in either direction), and more preferably +/-0.1% (no more than 0.1% variation in tile size in either direction), as determined by ISO 2551.

Static dissipation may be desirable in certain applications of the present invention. For example, compliance with ANSI/ESD S20.20, which is an electrostatic discharge association standard for developing an electrostatic discharge control program, may be required to protect electrical and electronic parts, components, and equipment/equipment. Carpet tiles may also be required to meet electrostatic discharge specifications promulgated by the manufacturer of the vehicle (e.g., aircraft) in which the carpet tile is to be installed. To facilitate compliance, a conductive filament or other component, such as carbon black, metal fibers or conductive glass fibers, may be incorporated into each yarn end for dissipating static electricity. For example, using three-ply yarns, it is possible to twist or air-entangle one conductive filament with the other three-ply yarn. Alternatively or additionally, a conductive material such as carbon black may be incorporated into one or more backing layers.

Carpet tiles incorporating the above materials can be made at a significantly lower weight than current carpet tiles. Typical carpet tiles have a weight ranging from about 120osy to about 130 osy. In contrast, carpet tiles formed from the materials described above may have a weight of less than about 100 osy. While carpet tiles having a weight of 82-100osy are suitable, carpet tiles having a weight of about 66-82osy are preferred. Even more preferred are carpet tiles having a weight of about 56-66 osy. Most preferred are carpet tiles having a weight of about 48-56osy or even 42-48 osy. Lower weight tiles are preferred for passenger aircraft applications.

Examples of the invention 5

The following formulation has been used for the secondary backing layer described above:

manufacture of

Low weight (and other) carpet tiles can be made by making a composite carpet web 612 as depicted in fig. 6 using a process that includes the following.

Laying down the fiberglass web 614 onto an advancing belt or other suitable support structure in a carpet manufacturing line;

a resin layer 618 (as described above in example 5) is applied/coated onto the glass fiber web 614;

a tufted face towel 620 is laid onto the resin layer 618,

heating the composite carpet web 612 to reduce the viscosity of the resin layer 618 and allow it to begin curing;

pressure is applied by contacting the composite carpet web 612 with at least one embossing roll, nip roll, or similar pressure-applying roll ("pressure roll") that does not have a stop, or is otherwise configured to apply significant pressure, as described further below.

Fig. 6 and 6a are schematic side views of a backing line 610 that may be used to make a composite carpet web 612 of the present invention by unwinding a fiberglass web 614 onto an advancing lower belt 616. A resin layer 618 is deposited on top of the fiberglass web 614 and tufted, or other face towel 620 is laid over the resin layer 618. The fiberglass web 614 and resin layer 618 form the second backing layer 418 described above. The composite carpet web 612 is heated by, for example, passing the carpet web 612 over a heated platen 622. The heated platen 622 may be heated by hot oil, steam, electricity, or some other heat source. The heated resin in the resin layer 618 starts to cure and its viscosity becomes low. The composite web should preferably be heated to at least about 315 ° f. Just prior to the composite carpet web 612 passing between pressure rollers 628 and 630, additional heat is supplied by an Infrared (IR) heater 626 positioned adjacent the secondary backing 418 of the composite carpet web 612.

The composite carpet web 612 is typically cooled in ambient air and then accumulated into rolls (not shown). Alternatively, rather than being rolled up, the cooled composite carpet web 612 may be immediately advanced to a cutting station (not shown) and cut to the desired tile size.

The heat distribution during manufacturing is important. Good results are obtained by maintaining the composite carpet web 612 at a relatively constant temperature throughout most of the manufacturing cycle, and by applying additional heaters 626 just prior to the composite carpet web 612 passing between pressure rollers (628, 630), which pressure rollers (628, 630) force some of the molten resin into and around the backstitches or tufts embedded in the tufted primary layers 314, 414. Such backstitches are formed, for example, in the face yarns 312 (in fig. 3) in the tufting primary layer (e.g., tufting primary layer 314 in fig. 3). The elevated temperature of the backing material at the pressure rollers (628, 630) causes a reduction in the viscosity of the resin layer 618, which facilitates improved penetration of the backing material into the tufted primary layer.

The use of pressure rolls 628 and 630 to apply significant pressure facilitates the formation of a lighter, stronger composite carpet web 612. This may be accomplished by utilizing conventional opposing pressure rollers 628 and 630, omitting the stops normally associated with at least one of pressure rollers 628 and 630. Stops are used in most carpet manufacturing applications to limit one or both of the rolls from traveling toward each other, thereby maintaining a minimum separation between the rolls to prevent the face yarns (312, 412) from being crushed. Removing the stops allows the still hot backing material to be pressed further into and around the backstitches in the tufted primary layers (314, 414), allowing a strong composite carpet web 612 to be formed using less backing material. Undue crushing of the face yarns (312, 412) is limited, apparently because of the large forces exerted by the rollers themselves, which are short lived.

If desired, pressure from hydraulic or other mechanical means can be applied to one or both of the pressure rollers.

Roll 628 may be a steel roll or other similar material roll, and may be a conventional embossing roll or another roll capable of applying pressure onto the backing material as described herein. The roller 628 is preferably stationary, i.e., it does not move perpendicular to the face of the composite carpet web 612 (but it does rotate). This roll can be chilled to facilitate "locking" of the backing material into the tufts of the face towel.

The roller 630 contacting the face yarn does not require and generally should not transfer heat to the face yarn it contacts, and may have a roller surface of rubber or other similar material. Roll 630 is preferably not stationary, i.e., it can move perpendicular to composite carpet web 612 (toward and away from roll 628), and roll 630 can also be chilled.

Rollers 628 and 630 typically have a diameter of about 11-13 ". As discussed above, an amount of pressure may be applied to one or more of the rollers so that undue crushing of the towel does not occur. In embodiments where a 90 "long rubber coated roller (628) having a 13" diameter is driven upward by a pair of pneumatic pistons having a diameter of about 1.5", pressures of up to 75 pounds per square inch have been applied to the pistons without causing undue crushing of the towel. Other pressures may also be used in conjunction with other piston and roll sizes and to accommodate other variations in backing materials, face yarns, etc.

The composite carpet web can be transferred between rollers (628, 630) at a suitable speed that will allow the resin in resin layer 618 to be pressed into the tufts in face towel 620 without crushing face towel 620, and will allow for sufficient heat transfer and curing of the resin in composite web 612. A line speed of 20 feet per minute has been found to be suitable. Other line speeds may also be used as long as they provide sufficient cure time for the resin in the composite web 612.

Benefits derived from this manufacturing technique include:

1) less backing material is used. The combined heat and pressure pushes the resin into the interstices of the tufted face towel 620 to provide better tuft lock and delamination resistance.

2) The fiberglass secondary backing layer is forced into the carpet web composite almost (if not entirely) so that the fiberglass is not exposed. This allows the use of less expensive non-irritating fiberglass products than are commonly used when fiberglass is exposed to possible contact by an installer. In addition, the performance of the tile is improved because, in general, glass fibers closer to the face provide better dimensional stability and less wrinkling of the glass fibers.

3) The application of pressure substantially corrects backing defects that may be exposed to the face and cause uneven wear. The more direct contact between the face towel and the backing improves the appearance of the product as it becomes worn. The heat and pressure smooth the backstitch profile.

4) If the resin composition is too viscous in conventional carpet tile production, it is difficult to drive the glass fibers into the resin. But this is less important when made according to the present invention because pressure is used to push the glass fibers toward the carpet face. This allows the use of more viscous and therefore less resin composition than in certain conventional manufacturing processes.

5) Less resin was used:

reducing the size or "footprint" of the backing line by about half,

reduce the backing cure time (thus requiring a shorter belt) and avoid the need for reheating to laminate the towel,

the curing is made easier by the curing agent,

the tiles are produced to be more easily cut,

the weight of the steel is reduced,

make it easier to push the glass fibers into the secondary backing, closer to the "top" or face of the tile (because less resin composition must move through the glass fibers); and

less space is required to ship and store tiles so that more tiles can be packed in a particular size carton.

The foregoing description is provided for the purpose of illustrating, explaining, and describing embodiments of the present invention. Additional modifications and adaptations of these embodiments will be apparent to those skilled in the art and may be made without departing from the scope or spirit of the invention. Different arrangements of the components depicted in the drawings or described above, as well as components and steps not shown or described, are also possible. Likewise, certain features and subcombinations are of utility and may be employed without reference to other features and subcombinations. Embodiments of the present invention have been described for purposes of illustration and not limitation, and alternative embodiments will become apparent to the reader of this patent. The invention is therefore not limited to the embodiments described above or depicted in the drawings, and various embodiments and modifications can be made without departing from the claims below.

Claims (22)

1. A method for providing carpet tiles to a floor of a mass transit vehicle, the mass transit vehicle including at least a first vehicle floor section having a length and a width, and a second vehicle floor section having a length and a width different than the width of the first vehicle floor section, the method comprising:

(a) forming a carpet web having an underside, a carpet web width, and a carpet web length; and

(b) forming carpet tiles from the carpet web by:

i. providing a plurality of vertical partition lines extending along a length of a carpet web to divide the carpet web into a plurality of carpet web sections across a width of the carpet web, wherein each carpet web section comprises a carpet web section width, and wherein the carpet web section widths are substantially equal; and

providing a plurality of horizontal split lines extending across the width of the carpet web, wherein a first distance between a first pair of adjacent horizontal split lines is substantially equal to the width of the first vehicle floor section, and wherein a second distance between a second pair of adjacent horizontal split lines is substantially equal to the width of the second vehicle floor section,

wherein each tile of the first set of tiles comprises a tile width substantially equal to the carpet web section width and a tile length substantially equal to the first distance, and wherein each tile of the second set of tiles comprises a tile width substantially equal to the carpet web section width and a tile length substantially equal to the second distance.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising: (c) orienting the first set of tiles along a length of the first vehicle floor section such that a tile length of each tile of the first set of tiles spans a width of the first vehicle floor section; and (d) orienting the second set of tiles along a length of the second vehicle floor section such that the tile length of each tile of the second set of tiles spans a width of the second vehicle floor section.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising: an adhesive is positioned on the bottom side of the carpet web.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein positioning adhesive on the bottom side of the carpet web comprises positioning a strip of adhesive along a length of the bottom side of the carpet web.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein at least some of the plurality of vertical partition lines are disposed within the adhesive strip.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein a portion of an adhesive strip extends along at least one edge of each tile of the first and second sets of tiles.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein a portion of an adhesive strip extends along at least two edges of each tile of the first and second sets of tiles.

8. The method of claim 3, wherein the adhesive comprises a releasable adhesive.

9. The method of claim 6, further comprising: orienting the first set of tiles along a length of the first vehicle floor section such that a tile length of each tile of the first set of tiles spans a width of the first vehicle floor section and such that an edge of each tile of the first set of tiles positioned along the length of the first vehicle floor section abuts an edge of an adjacent tile of the first set of tiles positioned along the length of the first vehicle floor section.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein abutting edges of adjacent tiles of the first set of tiles comprise a portion of an adhesive strip.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the carpet web comprises at least one backing layer comprising a filler selected from the group consisting of: glass spheres, fumed silica, silica-based foams, and combinations thereof.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the filler comprises glass spheres and wherein the glass spheres comprise hollow glass microspheres.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the carpet web has a weight of less than about 82 ounces per square yard.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the carpet web has a weight of less than about 56 ounces per square yard.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the first and second sets of tiles meet one or more of the following criteria for flame, smoke, or toxicity: FAR 25.853, BSS 7239, BSS 7238, D6-51377, and BSS 7230.

16. A method for providing carpet tiles for a mass transit vehicle comprising at least a first vehicle floor section having a length and a width and a second vehicle floor section having a length and a width different than the width of the first vehicle floor section, the method comprising:

(a) forming a carpet web having: a bottom side; a carpet web width; a carpet web length; at least one backing layer comprising a filler selected from the group comprising: glass spheres, fumed silica, silica-based foams, and combinations thereof; and a weight of less than about 82 ounces per square yard; and

(b) forming carpet tiles from the carpet web by:

i. providing a plurality of vertical partition lines extending along the length of the carpet web to divide the carpet web into a plurality of carpet web sections across the width of the carpet web, wherein each carpet web section comprises a carpet web section width, and wherein the carpet web section widths are substantially equal; and

providing a plurality of horizontal split lines extending across the width of the carpet web, wherein a first distance between a first pair of adjacent horizontal split lines is substantially equal to the width of the first vehicle floor section, and wherein a second distance between a second pair of adjacent horizontal split lines is substantially equal to the width of the second vehicle floor section,

wherein each tile of the first set of tiles comprises a tile width substantially equal to the carpet web section width and a tile length substantially equal to the first distance, and wherein each tile of the second set of tiles comprises a tile width substantially equal to the carpet web section width and a tile length substantially equal to the second distance.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising: (c) orienting the first set of tiles along a length of the first vehicle floor section such that a tile length of each tile of the first set of tiles spans a width of the first vehicle floor section; and (d) orienting the second set of tiles along a length of the second vehicle floor section such that the tile length of each tile of the second set of tiles spans a width of the second vehicle floor section.

18. The method of claim 16, further comprising: an adhesive strip is positioned along the length of the bottom side of the carpet web.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein at least some of the plurality of vertical partition lines are disposed within the adhesive strip.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein a portion of an adhesive strip extends along at least one edge of each tile of the first and second sets of tiles.

21. The method of claim 18, wherein the adhesive strip comprises a releasable adhesive.

22. The method of claim 20, further comprising: orienting the first set of tiles along a length of the first vehicle floor section such that a tile length of each tile of the first set of tiles spans a width of the first vehicle floor section and such that an edge of each tile of the first set of tiles positioned along the length of the first vehicle floor section abuts an edge of an adjacent tile of the first set of tiles positioned along the length of the first vehicle floor section, wherein the abutting edges of adjacent tiles of the first set of tiles comprise a portion of an adhesive strip.