June 10/17, 2019: Volume 34, Issue 26
By Reginald Tucker
Early glueless locking systems mostly targeted laminate and hardwood flooring categories. But with the rising popularity of rigid core platforms, developers of these systems are expanding their portfolio of technologies to offer licensees and manufacturing partners even more options.
To that end, I4F has announced new partner- ship agreements with rigid core flooring manufacturers CFL Flooring and KingdomFlooring.
In the case of CFL, the patent partnership agreement pertains to a new engineered stone, wood veneer composite base flooring board. The breakthrough magnesium oxide, veneer board addresses the disadvantages currently associated with natural wood flooring by reducing moisture intake and flammability on any floor level or room type. The new sound-absorbing board provides a stone-wood composite base that keeps the wood veneer level dry and heat resistant by substantially retaining moisture and heat with-in the stone-wood base.
“We are excited about working with I4F to promote this breakthrough technology,” said Thomas Baert, president, CFL. “This technology, developed by Mondo Pallon, is the beginning of many more to come over the next months and years.”
John Rietveldt, I4F CEO, was equally enthusiastic about the partnership. “This latest partnership with CFL underscores our strategy to seek out and market flooring technologies that have a profound impact on today’s flooring landscape.”
As part of I4F’s recent partnership agreement with KingdomFlooring, I4F receives exclusive sub-licensing rights for KingdomFlooring’s new patented polymer core floor panels enhanced with grout features. The new panels enable aesthetically pleasing, visible joints by introducing a grout-shaped recess close to the surface of the panel on at least one of its edges.
“This new partnership agreement takes our cooperation with KingdomFlooring to the next level and further supports our strategy to partner with innovation-focused manufacturers,” Rietveldt added.
Davord Dai, chairman of KingdomFlooring, echoed those sentiments. “We are excited about the prospect of working with an expert in the field to promote this new design-enhancing floor panel.”
Cost-saving innovations
Beyond innovative locking technologies, I4F is offering a patented technology enabling manufacturers to save up to 10% on materials during the production of rigid polymer boards. The technology also enhances productivity by optimizing the extrusion process during the production of rigid polymer boards, including SPC and expanded polymer core (EPC) panels.
“Sustainable material savings are good for the industry and our planet,” Rietveldt noted. “Manufacturers can now benefit from increased productivity gains during the production of rigid boards and have the opportunity to make significant savings on material costs.”
All this dovetails nicely with I4F’s Patent Cluster Concept (PCC), enabling partners to pick and choose the platform they require. More importantly, PCC also provides full transparency on the composition of license fees to obtain the best return on investment while avoiding unnecessary payments for unused patents.
Clustered patents represented by I4F cover the following:
•Locking
•Surface finishing
•Materials and panel composition
•Manufacturing processes
•Board/wall panels
I4F’s PCC means manufacturers can select the intellectual property that best suits their business needs. Additionally, they can regularly evaluate which cluster provides them with optimal patent protection.
“We will continue to work in partnership with the world’s leading and most innovative companies to find more exciting innovations that truly make a difference,” Rietveldt noted.
