Modular sports tile with lateral absorption

Claim 1

An array of interlocked modular tiles forming a floor covering which provides enhanced traction at its playing surface and improved tolerance to sudden lateral movement, each of said interlocked tiles comprising: a plastic support grid having a rectangular configuration bounded by a perimeter wall on four sides and including a repeating pattern of intersecting cross members of common corresponding dimensions integrally formed and extending inward from the perimeter wall and joined at cross junctions along a common plane with interstitial openings formed therebetween; a plurality of support legs of common length integrally coupled to a base side of the cross junctions in general perpendicular orientation with respect to the support grid; interlock means coupled to and extending outward from the perimeter wall to enable removable attachment of additional modular tiles of similar design at corresponding edges thereof; said interlock means being coupled to interlock means of each adjacent tile in the array and providing a continuous, uniform displacement gap between adjacent perimeter walls, said gap providing a static separation distance within the range of 0.5 to 2.0 mm, said separation distance being established by a biased position on the interlocking means which yields in response to lateral forces imposed at the tile along a perpendicular orientation with respect to the attached perimeter wall to collapse or extend the gap and thereby absorb the lateral forces, said interlock means providing a restoration force to return to the biased position and desired gap range; and a continuous sheet of plastic integrally formed in uniform thickness with a top edge of the support grid to provide a flat surface cap bounded at its edges by the perimeter walls of the tile.