Artificial skating-rink floor

Claim 1

An artificial ice skating rink floor comprising, in combination: a floor base; a layer of cushion material laid directly on said floor base without adhesive; a plurality of like floor plates each having a substantially flat upper surface, a lower surface and peripheral sides, said upper surface roughened in a net-like pattern of irregularities, said irregularities having a height within the range of 0.1 to 1.0 mm and a width within the range of 0.3 mm to 1.0 mm, each of said sides forming an elongated side recess, said lower surface forming elongated bottom recesses adjacent said sides, said floor plate being formed substantially of ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene having a viscometric average molecular weight of 300,000-1,500,000, said floor plates being laid directly on said layer of cushion material without adhesive and with said side recesses along adjacent sides of adjacent floor plates being substantially in alignment with one another so as to define aligned side recesses and with said bottom recesses along adjacent sides of adjacent floor plates being substantially parallel so as to define substantially parallel bottom recesses; elongated, generally U-shaped insertion members having substantially upright legs; and elongated, plate-like insertion pieces; said insertion pieces being inserted in said substantially aligned side recesses and said upright legs of said insertion members being inserted in said substantially parallel bottom recesses so that said floor plates are joined into one sheet-like structure capable of withstanding substantial temperature variation and water absorption substantially without local swells, irregularities and cracks in said ice skating rink floor.