1. A flooring system comprising:
a flexible sheet floor panel, comprising:
a first end, a second end, a third end, a fourth end, a top surface, a side surface extending downwardly from the top surface to define a periphery of the floor panel, and a bottom surface, the top surface having a visible decorative pattern, the bottom surface of the floor panel having a recess which extends about the periphery of the floor panel, the recess defined by a recess wall and a recess surface, the recess wall extending from the bottom surface of the floor panel to the recess surface as a continuous planar surface, the recess surface extending from the side surface of the floor panel to the recess wall as a continuous planar surface, wherein the side surface terminates at the top surface and at the recess surface, the periphery comprising the first, second, third and fourth ends of the floor panel;
a longitudinal axis extending from the first end of the floor panel to the second end of the floor panel;
a transverse axis extending from the third end of the floor panel to the fourth end of the floor panel; and
a joining member coupled to the floor panel by an adhesive positioned between the recess surface of the recess and a top surface of the joining member, the adhesive adhering the top surface of the joining member to the recess surface of the recess, a bottom surface of the joining member and the bottom surface of the floor panel being essentially flush with each other, the joining member comprising:
at least one layer selected from at least one of a film and tape;
a first portion that extends substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis, the first portion: (1) protruding transversely beyond the fourth end of the floor panel in a first transverse direction; and (2) protruding longitudinally beyond the first end of the floor panel in a first longitudinal direction; and
the first portion having a first end and a second end, the second end of the first portion being offset from the second end of the floor panel in the first longitudinal direction;
a second portion that extends substantially parallel to the transverse axis, the second portion protruding longitudinally beyond the first end of the floor panel in the first longitudinal direction, the second portion having a first end that is offset from the third end of the floor panel in the first transverse direction.
2. The flooring system of claim 1, wherein the side surface extends from the top surface to the recess surface as a continuous planar surface, and wherein the periphery of the floor panel defines an outermost boundary of the floor panel.
3. The flooring system of claim 1, wherein the thickness of the recess is about 5 to 9 mils and the thickness of the joining member is about 4 to 8 mils.
4. The flooring system of claim 3, wherein the thickness of the recess is about 7 to 9 mils and the thickness of the joining member is about 6 to 8 mils.
5. The flooring system of claim 1, wherein the floor panel is a substantially flexible sheet material.
6. The flooring system of claim 5, wherein the substantially flexible sheet material comprises plastic, vinyl, polyvinyl chloride, or polyester.
7. The flooring system of claim 1, wherein the joining member is a film comprising plastic, vinyl, polyvinyl chloride, polyester, polyolefin, or nylon.
8. The flooring system of claim 1, wherein each of the recess and the joining member has a rectangular transverse cross-section.
9. The flooring system of claim 1 wherein the floor panel has a length measured from the first end of the floor panel to the second panel end of the floor panel; wherein the first portion of the joining member has a length measured from the first end of the first portion to the second end of the first portion; and wherein the length of the first portion is substantially equal to the length of the floor panel.
10. The flooring system of claim 1 wherein the first and second portions of the joining member are integrally formed such that the joining member is a single component.
11. The flooring system of claim 1, wherein the first portion of the joining member protruding longitudinally beyond the first end of the floor panel forms a first marginal end portion of the joining member, and wherein the first marginal end portion has a first exposed surface.
12. The flooring system of claim 11, wherein adhesive is applied to the first exposed surface, thereby forming a first adhesive surface.
13. The flooring system of claim 12, wherein the first adhesive surface is covered by a release layer.
14. The flooring system of claim 1, wherein the first portion protruding transversely beyond the fourth end of the floor panel forms a second marginal end portion of the joining member, and wherein the second marginal end portion has a second exposed surface.
15. The flooring system of claim 14, wherein adhesive is applied to the second exposed surface, thereby forming a second adhesive surface.
16. The flooring system of claim 15, wherein the second adhesive surface is covered by a release layer.
17. The flooring system of claim 1, wherein the offset from the second end of the first portion of the joining member and the second end of the floor panel forms a third marginal end portion on the floor panel, and wherein the third marginal end portion has a third exposed surface being formed from at least part of the recess surface of the floor panel.
18. A flooring system comprising:
a flexible sheet floor panel, comprising:
a first end, a second end, a third end, a fourth end, a top surface, a side surface extending downwardly from the top surface to define a periphery of the floor panel, and a bottom surface, the top surface having a visible decorative pattern, the bottom surface of the floor panel having a recess which extends about the periphery of the floor panel, the recess defined by a recess wall and a recess surface, the recess wall extending from the bottom surface of the floor panel to the recess surface as a continuous planar surface, the recess surface extending from the side surface of the floor panel to the recess wall as a continuous planar surface, wherein the side surface terminates at the top surface and at the recess surface, the periphery comprising the first, second, third and fourth ends of the floor panel;
a longitudinal axis extending from the first end of the floor panel to the second end of the floor panel;
a transverse axis extending from the third end of the floor panel to the fourth end of the floor panel; and
a joining member coupled to the floor panel by an adhesive positioned between the recess surface of the recess and a top surface of the joining member, the adhesive adhering the top surface of the joining member to the recess surface of the recess, a bottom surface of the joining member and the bottom surface of the floor panel being essentially flush with each other, the joining member comprising:
at least one layer selected from at least one of a film and tape;
a first portion that extends substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis, the first portion: (1) protruding transversely beyond the fourth end of the floor panel in a first transverse direction; and (2) protruding longitudinally beyond the first end of the floor panel in a first longitudinal direction; and
the first portion having a first end and a second end, the second end of the first portion being offset from the second end of the floor panel in the first longitudinal direction.
19. A flooring system comprising:
a flexible sheet floor panel, comprising:
a first end, a second end, a third end, a fourth end, a top surface, a side surface extending downwardly from the top surface to define a periphery of the floor panel, and a bottom surface, the top surface having a visible decorative pattern, the bottom surface of the floor panel having a recess which extends about the periphery of the floor panel, the recess defined by a recess wall and a recess surface, the recess wall extending from the bottom surface of the floor panel to the recess surface as a continuous planar surface, the recess surface extending from the side surface of the floor panel to the recess wall as a continuous planar surface, wherein the side surface terminates at the top surface and at the recess surface, the periphery comprising the first, second, third and fourth ends of the floor panel;
a longitudinal axis extending from the first end of the floor panel to the second end of the floor panel;
a transverse axis extending from the third end of the floor panel to the fourth end of the floor panel; and
a joining member coupled to the floor panel by an adhesive positioned between the recess surface of the recess and a top surface of the joining member, the adhesive adhering the top surface of the joining member to the recess surface of the recess, a bottom surface of the joining member and the bottom surface of the floor panel being essentially flush with each other, wherein the joining member protrudes longitudinally beyond the first end of the floor panel in the first longitudinal direction and protrudes transversely beyond the fourth end of the floor panel in a first transverse direction, wherein the joining member comprises at least one layer selected from at least one of a film and tape.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. A method comprising:
receiving a plurality of control packets through a control plane tunnel that communicates control traffic for a plurality of virtual private networks (VPNs) among a plurality of autonomous systems;
for each control packet, identifying a routing instance of the control packet according to a control tag of the control packet to yield a plurality of routing instances, at least two routing instances distinct from each other;
routing the control packets according to the routing instances;
receiving a plurality of data packets through a data plane tunnel that communicates data traffic for the VPNs among the autonomous systems, the data plane tunnel being separate from the control plane tunnel in a single link;
for each data packet, identifying a forwarding instance of the data packet for the data packet according to a data tag of the data packet to yield a plurality of forwarding instances, at least two forwarding instances distinct from each other; and
forwarding the data packets according to the forwarding instances, wherein the single link carries the routing instance and the forwarding instance and the control tag identifies the routing instance and the data tag identifies the forwarding instance.
2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:
receiving a plurality of route distinguishers, each route distinguisher identifying a VPN; and
mapping each route distinguisher to the VPN that the each route distinguisher identifies.
3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:
receiving a plurality of route distinguishers, a first route distinguisher identifying a first VPN, a second route distinguisher identifying a second VPN, the first VPN and the second VPN having the same IP prefix, the first route distinguisher distinct from the second route distinguisher; and
mapping each route distinguisher to the VPN that the each route distinguisher identifies.
4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:
receiving a next control packet for a VPN;
labeling the next control packet with a route distinguisher corresponding to the VPN; and
sending the next control packet through the control plane tunnel.
5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:
receiving a next data packet for a VPN;
labeling the next data packet with a route distinguisher corresponding to the VPN; and
sending the next data packet through the data plane tunnel.
6. The method of claim 1, at least two autonomous systems of the plurality of autonomous systems being connected by the control plane tunnel over one or more transit autonomous systems.
7. An apparatus comprising:
an interface configured to:
receive a plurality of control packets through a control plane tunnel that communicates control traffic for a plurality of virtual private networks (VPNs) among a plurality of autonomous systems; and
receive a plurality of data packets through a data plane tunnel that communicates data traffic for the VPNs among the autonomous systems, the data plane tunnel being separate from the control plane tunnel in a single link; and
one or more processors configured to:
for each control packet, identify a routing instance of the control packet according to a control tag of the control packet to yield a plurality of routing instances, at least two routing instances distinct from each other;
route the control packets according to the routing instances;
for each data packet, identify a forwarding instance of the data packet for the data packet according to a data tag of the data packet to yield a plurality of forwarding instances, at least two forwarding instances distinct from each other; and
forward the data packets according to the forwarding instances, wherein the single link carries the routing instance and the forwarding instance and the control tag identifies the routing instance and the data tag identifies the forwarding instance.
8. The apparatus of claim 7, the one or more processors further configured to:
receive a plurality of route distinguishers, each route distinguisher identifying a VPN; and
map each route distinguisher to the VPN that the each route distinguisher identifies.
9. The apparatus of claim 7, the one or more processors further configured to:
receive a plurality of route distinguishers, a first route distinguisher identifying a first VPN, a second route distinguisher identifying a second VPN, the first VPN and the second VPN having the same IP prefix, the first route distinguisher distinct from the second route distinguisher; and
map each route distinguisher to the VPN that the each route distinguisher identifies.
10. The apparatus of claim 7, the one or more processors further configured to:
receive a next control packet for a VPN;
label the next control packet with a route distinguisher corresponding to the VPN; and
send the next control packet through the control plane tunnel.
11. The apparatus of claim 7, the one or more processors further configured to:
receive a next data packet for a VPN;
label the next data packet with a route distinguisher corresponding to the VPN; and
send the next data packet through the data plane tunnel.
12. The apparatus of claim 7, at least two autonomous systems of the plurality of autonomous systems being connected by the control plane tunnel over one or more transit autonomous systems.
13. One or more non-transitory computer readable media when executed by a computer are configured to:
receive a plurality of control packets through a control plane tunnel that communicates control traffic for a plurality of virtual private networks (VPNs) among a plurality of autonomous systems; and
for each control packet, identify a routing instance of the control packet according to a control tag of the control packet to yield a plurality of routing instances, at least two routing instances distinct from each other;
route the control packets according to the routing instances;
receive a plurality of data packets through a data plane tunnel that communicates data traffic for the VPNs among the autonomous systems, the data plane tunnel being separate from the control plane tunnel in a single link;
for each data packet, identify a forwarding instance of the data packet for a data packet according to a data tag of the data packet to yield a plurality of forwarding instances, at least two forwarding instances distinct from each other; and
forward the data packets according to the forwarding instances, wherein the single link carries the routing instance and the forwarding instance and the control tag identifies the routing instance and the data tag identifies the forwarding instance.
14. The media of claim 13, further configured to:
receive a plurality of route distinguishers, each route distinguisher identifying a VPN; and
map each route distinguisher to the VPN that the each route distinguisher identifies.
15. The media of claim 13, further configured to:
receive a plurality of route distinguishers, a first route distinguisher identifying a first VPN, a second route distinguisher identifying a second VPN, the first VPN and the second VPN having the same IP prefix, the first route distinguisher distinct from the second route distinguisher; and
map each route distinguisher to the VPN that the each route distinguisher identifies.
16. The media of claim 13, further configured to:
receive a next control packet for a VPN;
label the next control packet with a route distinguisher corresponding to the VPN; and
send the next control packet through the control plane tunnel.
17. The media of claim 13, further configured to:
receive a next data packet for a VPN;
label the next data packet with a route distinguisher corresponding to the VPN; and
send the next data packet through the data plane tunnel.