Laminated covering and process of making same

Claim 1

IN A PROCESS OF MANUFACTURING FLEXIBLE, LAMINATED FLOOR AND WALL COVERINGS HAVING A FLEXIBLE SUPPORTING BASE AND AN ADHERETLY ATTACHED, FLEXIBLE SURFACE LAYER; PLACING EDGE TO EDGE PREFORMED PIECES OF DIFFERENT COLORED PLIABLE SHEET MATERIAL CONTAINING FROM ABOUT 50% TO ABOUT 75% BY WEIGHT OF FILLER MATERIAL AND BINDER CONSISTING OF A PLASTICIZED, SYNTHETIC VINYL POLYMER, TO FORM A PATTERN, THE SAID POLYMER BEING SELECTED FROM A GROUP CONSISTING OF POLYVINYL CHLORIDE, POLYVINYL ACETATE, POLYVINYL BUTYRAL, AND COPOLYMER OF VINYL CHLORIDE AND VINYL ACETATE, AND THE PLASTICIZER IN THE BINDER BEING NONOXIDIZABLE BY ATMOSPHERIC OXYGEN AT ATMOSPHERIC TEMPERATURES; APPLYING HEAT AND PRESSURE TO SAID EDGES TO WELD THE PIECES TOGETHER AND FORM A CONTINUOUS FLEXIBLE SHEET IN WHICH THE WELDED JOINTS ARE AS STRONG AS OTHER PORTIONS OF SAID SHEET, AND BONDING THE RESULTING DECORATIVE SHEET TO A FIBROUS, FLEXIBLE SUPPORTING BASE, THE SAID FILLER MATERIAL AND PLASTICIZED POLYMER IN THE SAID PIECES BEING PROPORTIONED TO FORM A FIRM BOND AND ALSO TO REDUCE THE ELASTICITY OF THE SAID DECORATIVE SHEET BUT TO RETAIN SUFFICIENT RESILIENCE AND ELASTICITY TO RESIST DELAMINATION OR CURLING UNDER VARYING CONDITIONS OF USE.