US 6,617,009 · Granted 2003-09-09
The Fake Wood Patent That Made Vinyl Flooring Look Real
Imagine a fake wood plank that looks, feels, and wears like the real thing but costs way less and never warps. This patent describes how to layer different plastics together—a tough core, a printed photo of wood grain, and a protective shell on top—to create durable vinyl flooring that can survive kitchens and bathrooms.
The plain-English version
What it protects
The claim covers a sandwich-style construction for vinyl planks: a plastic core layer, a printed decorative layer that displays wood or stone patterns, and a tough protective overlay laminated to the top. It also protects the manufacturing process of extruding the core and bonding these layers together in sequence. Anyone making a competing vinyl plank with this exact layered structure and bonding method would potentially infringe.
Why it matters
This patent gave Mannington Mills a competitive edge in the vinyl flooring market during the late 1990s and early 2000s, when luxury vinyl plank (LVP) was becoming a major alternative to real hardwood. The layered construction is what allows vinyl to mimic wood appearance while remaining waterproof and durable—critical for kitchens, bathrooms, and basements where real wood fails. Locking down this manufacturing method helped protect market share in a growing category.
Real-world use
When you walk across a vinyl plank floor in a kitchen or bathroom that looks like oak or walnut but feels warm and is waterproof, you're stepping on technology covered by this patent.
Original USPTO abstract
A thermoplastic laminate plank is described wherein the thermoplastic laminate plank comprises a core, a print layer, and optionally an overlay. The core comprises at least one thermoplastic material and has a top surface and bottom surface wherein a print layer is affixed to, the top surface of the core and an overlay layer is affixed to the top surface of the print layer. Optionally, an underlay layer can be located and affixed between the bottom surface of the print layer and the top surface of the core. In addition, a method of making the thermoplastic laminate plank is further described which involves extruding at least one thermoplastic material into the shape of the core and affixing a laminate on the core, wherein the laminate comprises an overlay affixed to the top surface of the print layer and optionally an underlay layer affixed to the bottom surface of the print layer.
Patent details
- Publication number
- US 6,617,009
- Filing date
- 1999-12-14
- Grant date
- 2003-09-09
- Assignee
- Mannington Mills, Inc.
- Inventor(s)
- CHEN HAO A., JUDD RICHARD
- CPC class
- E04F15/10
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