MECHANICAL LOCKING OF FLOOR PANELS WITH VERTICAL SNAP FOLDING AND AN INSTALLATION METHOD TO CONNECT SUCH PANELS

• US 20100293879A1
• Filed: 11/07/2008
• Published: 11/25/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 11/07/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Valinge Innovation AB
• Original Assignee: Valinge Innovation AB
• Inventors: Nilsson Ståhl, Markus, Pervan, Darko
• Granted Patent: US 8,499,521 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 52/588.1
• CPC Class Codes: E04F 13/0894 with tongue and groove connections
• CPC Class Codes: E04F 15/02 Flooring or floor layers composed of a number of similar elements of webs E04F15/16
• CPC Class Codes: E04F 15/02033 Joints with beveled or recessed upper edges
• CPC Class Codes: E04F 15/02038 characterised by tongue and groove connections between neighbouring flooring elements
• CPC Class Codes: E04F 15/04 only of wood or with a top layer of wood, e.g. with wooden or metal connecting members rollable parquet E04F15/16
• CPC Class Codes: E04F 15/102 of fibrous or chipped materials, e.g. bonded with synthetic resins
• CPC Class Codes: E04F 15/107 composed of several layers, e.g. sandwich panels layered products in general B32B; producing decorative panels or veneers B44C5/04
• CPC Class Codes: E04F 2201/0138 by moving the sheets, plates or panels perpendicular to the main plane
• CPC Class Codes: E04F 2201/0146 with snap action of the edge connectors
• CPC Class Codes: E04F 2201/0153 by rotating the sheets, plates or panels around an axis which is parallel to the abutting edges, possibly combined with a sliding movement
• CPC Class Codes: E04F 2201/0161 with snap action of the edge connectors
• CPC Class Codes: E04F 2201/0169 by rotating the sheets, plates or panels around an axis which is perpendicular to the abutting edges and parallel to the main plane, possibly combined with a sliding movement
• CPC Class Codes: E04F 2201/0176 with snap action of the edge connectors
• CPC Class Codes: E04F 2201/022 with tongue or grooves alternating longitudinally along the edge
• CPC Class Codes: E04F 2201/026 with rabbets, e.g. being stepped
• CPC Class Codes: E04F 2201/041 Tongues or grooves with slits or cuts for expansion or flexibility
• CPC Class Codes: H01F 7/0252 PM holding devices H01F7/021, H01F7/0215, H01F7/0226 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01F 7/122 by permanent magnets H01F7/1615, H01F7/1646 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0256 wherein the modules are operable in the detached state, e.g. one module for the user interface and one module for the transceiver
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0262 for a battery compartment
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0264 : for a camera module assembly
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0279 : Improving the user comfort or ergonomics
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/04 : Supports for telephone transmitters or receivers
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/185 : Improving the rigidity of the casing or resistance to shocks
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/21 : Combinations with auxiliary equipment, e.g. with clocks or memoranda pads
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/7246 : by connection of exchangeable housing parts

Abstract

Floor panels (1, 1′) are shown, which are provided with a mechanical locking system on long and short edges (5a, 5b, 4a, 4b) allowing installation with vertical snap folding that could be accomplished automatically without tools and where the short edge (4a, 4b) locking system comprises a tongue (10) made in one piece with the panel.

Claims

1. A set of essentially identical floor panels each comprising long and short edges provided with a mechanical locking system comprising first and second connectors integrated with the floor panels, and wherein immediately juxtaposed upper parts of two adjacent joint edges of two joined floor panels together define a vertical plane perpendicular to the main plane of the panels, the first connector comprises a locking strip with an upwardly directed locking element, at a first edge of a floor panel, configured to cooperate with a downwardly open locking groove at an adjacent second edge of another floor panel for connecting the adjacent edges in a horizontal direction perpendicular to the vertical plane, the second connector comprises a tongue, either at the first or at the second edge, extending horizontally perpendicular to the vertical plane, configured to cooperate with a horizontally open tongue groove at the other of said first or second edge for connecting the adjacent edges in a vertical direction parallel to the vertical plane, the connectors at the long edges are configured to be locked with angling and the connectors at the short edge are configured to be locked with vertical snap folding, whereby a long edge of a new panel in a second row R2 is configured to be connected to a long edge of a first panel 1″

in a first row RI by angling, whereby a second short edge of the new panel and a first short edge of a second panel in the second row R2 are configured to be connected with the same angling motion wherein the tongue at one of the short edges is formed in one piece with the panel and protrudes from a substantially vertical upper surface at said one short edge, that the locking strip at the short edges is bendable, to obtain a resilient bending during the vertical snap folding action, which bending facilitates the assembling of the tongue and the tongue groove, that the first and the second connector at the long edges are configured to obtain a minimum of friction facilitating a displacement, by a spring back force from the bending of the short edge locking strip, of the new panel in the horizontal direction along the long edge during the vertical snap folding action.

2. The set of floor panels as claimed in claim 1, wherein the tongue at the short edges is rigid such that the tongue protrudes outside the upper vertical surface during the whole vertical snap folding action.

3. The set of floor panels as claimed in claim 1, wherein the tongue at the short edges comprises a material of wood fibres.

4. The set of floor panels as claimed in claim 1, wherein the panels have a thickness and wherein the tongue on the short edge extends a tongue distance from the vertical plane which tongue distance is at least 0.1 time the floor thickness.

5. The set of floor panels as claimed in claim 1, wherein the tongue and the tongue groove on the short edges has upper contact surfaces, which are essentially plane and horizontal.

6. The set of floor panels as claimed in claim 1, wherein the locking element on the short edge has an guiding surface at an upper part and a locking surface below and adjacent to the guiding surface and wherein the locking groove on the short edges has a guiding surface on the lower part under and adjacent to a locking surface, wherein the locking surfaces are configured to cooperate to prevent separation of the panels in the horizontal direction and the guiding surfaces are configured to cooperate to guide the locking element into the locking groove during the vertical snap folding.

7. The set of floor panels as claimed in claim 1, wherein the short edge strip comprises three parts, an inner groove part located between the inner part of the tongue groove and the vertical plane, an outer locking part located between the outer part of the strip 6 and a vertical locking plane that intersects a locking surface of the locking element, and an intermediate flexible part located between the inner groove part and the outer locking part wherein a lower part of the strip extends at least over a part of the intermediate part and above the rear face of the panel.

8. The set of floor panels as claimed in claim 1, wherein the horizontal extension of locking surfaces and guiding surfaces of the locking element and the locking groove at the short edges is equal or larger than the tongue distance.

9. The set of floor panels as claimed in claim 1, wherein a cross section of the locking system on the long edges is configured such that all operative surfaces that in a locked position are in contact with each other are such that they extend over a total length, which is less than the floor thickness, in order to reduce the friction.

10. The set of floor panels as claimed in claim 1, wherein the short edge with the tongue groove is provided with a second tongue above the tongue groove, which tongue protrudes horizontally.

11. The set of floor panels as claimed in claim 1, wherein an upper surface of the tongue is parallel to a locking surface of the locking groove.

12. An installation method to vertically and horizontally connect rectangular floor panels, provided with mechanically locking systems at the long and the short edges, by vertical snap folding at the short edges and angling at the long edges wherein the method comprises the steps of:

g) laying a first panel flat on a sub floor

h) bringing a second panel in an angled position with its long edge in contact with a long edge of the first panel

i) bringing a long edge of a new panel in an angled position and in contact with an upper part of a long edge of the first panel, whereby the new panel has a higher angle against the sub floor than the second panel,

j) bringing a short edge of the new panel in contact with a short edge of the second panel,

k) pressing and displacing the short edge of the new panel downward and horizontally along the long edge towards the short edge of the second panel, and thereby connecting the edges of the first and the second panels to each other in an essentially common plane with a vertical snap folding,

l) angling the new and the second panel downward towards the sub floor and thereby finally connecting the first, second and third panel to each other in a common plane with vertical snap folding.

13. The method as claimed in claim 12 wherein the pressing causes a bending of a locking strip of the mechanical locking system at the short edges and said horizontally displacing is obtained by a resilient spring back force of the bending.

14. The method as claimed in claim 12, wherein the angled position of the second panel is at an angle in which the long edges are connected in the horizontal and the vertical direction.

15. The method as claimed in claim 12, wherein the angled position of the second panel is at an angle in which the long edges are only connected in the horizontal direction.

16. A set of essentially identical floor panels each comprising long and short edges provided with a mechanical locking system comprising first and second connectors integrated with the floor panels, and wherein immediately juxtaposed upper parts of two adjacent joint edges of two joined floor panels together define a vertical plane perpendicular to the main plane of the panels, the first connector comprises a locking strip with an upwardly directed locking element, at a first edge of a floor panel, configured to cooperate with a downwardly open locking groove at an adjacent second edge of another floor panel for connecting the adjacent edges horizontally in a direction perpendicular to the vertical plane, the second connector comprises a tongue, either at the first or the second edge, extending horizontally perpendicular to vertical plane, configured to cooperate with a horizontally open tongue groove, at the other of said first or second edge, for connecting the adjacent edges in vertical direction parallel to the vertical plane, the connectors at the long edges are configured to be locked with angling and the connectors at the short edge are configured to be locked with vertical snap folding, in that wherein the tongue at one of the short edges is formed in one piece with the panel and configured to protrude from a substantially vertical upper surface at the short edge with the tongue and that the mechanical locking system at the long edges is configured such that a new panel is displaceable vertically substantially along the vertical plane of a first panel and relative the first panel when the new floor panel is in an angled position in relation to the first floor panel and with the tongue within the tongue groove, and the upper part of the locking element within the locking groove.

17. The set of essentially identical floor panels as claimed in claim 16, wherein an upper surface of the tongue is substantially parallel to a locking surface of the locking groove.

18. The set of essentially identical floor panels as claimed in claim 16, wherein the angle of the upper surface of the tongue and the locking surface of the locking groove against the horizontal plane is more than about 60 degrees.

19. The set of essentially identical floor panels as claimed in claim 18, wherein the angle is more than about 70 degrees.

20. The set of floor panels as claimed in claim 16, wherein the short edge with the tongue groove is provided with a second tongue above the tongue groove, which tongue protrudes horizontally.

21. A set of essentially identical floor panels each comprising long and short edges, whereby the short edges are provided with a mechanical locking system comprising first and second connectors integrated with the floor panels, the first connector comprises a locking strip with an upwardly directed locking element, at a first short edge of a floor panel, configured to cooperate with a downwardly open locking groove at an adjacent second short edge of another floor panel for connecting the adjacent edges horizontally, the second connector comprises a tongue, either at the first or the second short edge, extending horizontally, configured to cooperate with a horizontally open tongue groove, at the other of said first or second short edges, for connecting the adjacent edges in vertical direction configured to be locked with a vertical motion, wherein the tongue at one of the short edges is formed in one piece with the panel and configured to protrude from a substantially vertical upper surface at the short edge with the tongue, that an upper surface of the tongue is substantially parallel to a locking surface of the locking groove that the angle of the upper surface of the tongue and the locking surface of the locking groove against the horizontal plane is more than about 50 degrees that the short edge with the tongue groove is provided with a second tongue above the tongue groove, which tongue protrudes horizontally.

22. The set of essentially identical floor panels as claimed in claim 21, wherein the angle is more than about 60 degrees.