Method of orienting chips in the manufacture of floor and wall covering

Claim 1

A METHOD OF ORIENTING PATTERN ELEMENTS ON A BACKING IN THE PRODUCTION OF SHEET FLOOR AND WALL COVERING HAVING A DECORATIVE WEAR LAYER COMPRISED OF PATTERN ELEMENTS WHICH ARE THE THICKNESS OF THE FINAL DECORATIVE LAYER, THE STEPS COMPRISING MOVING THE BACKING THROUGH A HORIZONTAL PLANE, FEEDING A UNIFORM LAYER OF PATTERN ELEMENTS TO SAID BACKING, SAID PATTERN ELEMENTS BEING OF A SIZE RANGING BETWEEN 1/4" AND 1" IN AT LEAST ONE DIMENSION AND BEING ON A THICKNESS SUBSTANTIALLY THE SAME AS THE DESIRED THICKNESS OF THE DECORATIVE WEAR LAYER, FEEDING A MASS OF SMALL RESINOUS PARTICLES UNIFORMLY ON SAID BACKING WITH SAID PATTERN ELEMENTS, APPLYING VIBRATORY MOTION TO SAID BACKING TO CAUSE SAID PATTERN ELEMENTS TO MOVE ON SAID SMALL RESINOUS PARTICLES TO PROPERLY ORIENT THE PATTERN ELEMENTS WITH RESPECT TO ONE ANOTHER TO FORM A LAYER OF PATTERN ELEMENTS ONE ELEMENT THICK AND THEREAFTER APPLYING HEAT AND PRESSURE TO SAID PATTERN ELEMENTS TO AFFIX THEM TO SAID BACKING.