PANEL, ESPECIALLY FLOOR PANEL

• US 20100300029A1
• Filed: 03/25/2008
• Published: 12/02/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/26/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Valinge Innovation AB
• Original Assignee: Kronotec AG
• Inventors: Braun, Roger, Groeke, Carsten
• Granted Patent: US 8,302,361 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 52/588.1
• 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 15/02038 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 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 2201/041 Tongues or grooves with slits or cuts for expansion or flexibility
• CPC Class Codes: F16B 5/0076 and using expanding clamps
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/167 Cellulosic sections [e.g., parquet floor, etc.]

Abstract

A panel, in particular floor panel (1, 2), with a core of wood material or a wood material/plastic mixture (17), a top side (18) and a bottom side (19), which panel has on at least two opposite lateral edges (I, II) a profiling corresponding to one another such that two identically embodied panels (1, 2) can be connected and locked to one another by an essentially vertical joining motion in the horizontal (H) and vertical (V) directions, wherein the locking in the vertical direction (V) can be brought about by at least one tongue element (3) movable in the horizontal direction (H), which element snaps into place during the joining motion behind a locking edge (4) extending essentially in the horizontal direction (H), is characterized in that the tongue element (3) is formed in one piece out of the core (17).

Claims

1-13. -13. (canceled)

14. A panel comprising a core made of wood material or a wood material/plastic mixture, a top side and a bottom side, the panel further including on at least two opposite lateral edges a profiling corresponding to one another such that two identical panels can be connected and locked to one another by an essentially vertical joining motion in a horizontal and vertical direction, the locking in the vertical direction can be brought about by at least one tongue element movable in the horizontal direction, which snaps into place during the joining motion behind a locking edge extending essentially in the horizontal direction, the tongue element being formed in one piece out of the core at a first lateral edge and is free with respect to the core in a direction of the top side and in a direction of a second lateral edge opposite to the first lateral edge, and connected to the core on at least one of its two ends in the direction of its lateral edge.

15. The panel according to claim 14, wherein the tongue element is connected to the core on its two ends.

26. A panel comprising a core, a top side and a bottom side, a profiling corresponding to one another, and at least one tongue element movable in a horizontal direction, which snaps into place during a joining motion behind a locking edge extending essentially in a horizontal direction of another panel, the tongue element being formed in one piece from the core and being free with respect to the core in a direction of the top side and in a direction of an opposite lateral edge, and connected to the core in the direction of its lateral edge.

27. The panel according to claim 26, wherein an outer edge of the tongue element is tilted at an angle α

with respect to the top side.

28. The panel according to claim 26, wherein the tongue element is exposed with respect to the core by an essentially horizontal slit and an essentially vertical slit.

29. The panel according to claim 28, wherein the tongue element is connected on its ends to the core.

30. The panel according to claim 26, wherein on a lateral edge opposite the tongue element is a groove extending essentially in a horizontal direction, an upper sidewall of the groove embodies a locking edge running essentially horizontally.

31. The panel according to claim 30, wherein a groove bottom of the groove runs parallel to an outer edge of the tongue element.

32. The panel according to claim 31, further comprising hook elements produced through a step profiling by milling, and in a vertical direction via the tongue element in connection with the locking edge of the groove.

33. The panel according to claim 32, wherein the hook elements are prestressed.