PLASTIC PANEL HAVING A HOOK-TYPE PROFILE

• US 20110131909A1
• Filed: 02/08/2011
• Published: 06/09/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 08/08/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Akzenta Paneele + Profile GmbH
• Original Assignee: Akzenta Paneele + Profile GmbH
• Inventors: HANNIG, Hans-Jürgen
• Granted Patent: US 8,544,231 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 52/309.1
• 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 2201/0138 by moving the sheets, plates or panels perpendicular to the main plane
• CPC Class Codes: E04F 2201/026 with rabbets, e.g. being stepped

Abstract

The invention relates to a floor panel (1) which is designed as a multi-ply laminate and comprises at least one plastic support (30), a décor layer (31) applied to a top face of the plastic support, a transparent covering (32) applied to the décor layer, and a backing layer (33) applied to the lower face of the elastic support, the panel having pairs of opposite lateral edges (3, 4; 5, 6) comprising complementary holding profiles. The holding profiles of at least one of the two lateral edge pairs are designed as form-locking complementary hook-type profiles and comprise a receiving hook (9) which faces the top face (2) of the floor panel, and a locking hook (10) arranged on the opposite lateral edge, which faces the lower face (7) of the floor panel. The locking hook (10) comprises a snap-in element (12, 13, 14) on a distal lateral face (11), said snap-in element being associated with a complementary snap-in element (22, 23, 21) on a proximal lateral face (20) of the hook profile having the receiving hook.

Claims

1. Floor panel (1) which is designed as a multi-ply laminate and comprises at least one plastic support (30), a dé

cor layer (31) applied to a top face of the plastic support, a transparent covering layer (32) applied to the dé

cor layer and possibly a backing layer (33) applied to the lower face of the plastic support, the panel having pairs of lateral edges (3, 4;

5, 6) comprising respective complementary holding profiles, characterized in that the holding profiles of at least one of the two lateral edge pairs are designed as form-locking complementary hook-type profiles and comprise a receiving hook (9) which faces the top face (2) of the floor panel, and a locking hook (10), arranged on the opposite lateral edge, which faces the lower face (7) of the floor panel, the locking hook (10) comprising a snap-in element (12, 13, 14) on a distal lateral face (11), said snap-in element being associated with a complementary snap-in element (22, 23, 21) on a proximal lateral face (20) of the hook profile having the receiving hook.

2. Floor panel according to claim 1, characterized in that the receiving hook (9) comprises on a distal lateral face (17) a locking element (18) that is associated with a complementary locking element (24) on a proximal lateral face (15) of the hook-type profile having the locking hook.

3. Floor panel according to claim 1, characterized in that the complementary locking elements on the lateral faces of the hook-type profiles are designed as locking protrusion (12, 13, 18, 21) or as a locking pocket (22, 23, 24, 14) receiving said locking protrusion.

4. Floor panel according to claim 1, characterized in that both the receiving hook (9) and the locking hook (10) each comprise an undercut surface (9c, 10c) effective as a mutual contact and guide surface during the establishment of the form closure between the hook-type profiles, wherein both undercut surfaces extend at an acute angle with respect to the vertical of the panel surface.

5. Floor panel according to claim 1, characterized in that on a distal lateral face (17) said receiving hook includes a contact and guide surface (19) that extends in an inclined fashion with respect to the panel surface and that co-acts with a complementary contact and guide surface on a proximal side face (11) of the hook-type profile having the locking hook, for guiding the panel during the establishment of the form closure between the complementary hook profiles.

6. Floor panel according to claim 1, characterized in that on the distal lateral face (17) of the receiving hook a locking protrusion (18) is formed and is associated with a locking pocket (24) for the receiving the locking protrusion on the proximal lateral face (15) of the hook-type profile having the locking hook.

7. Floor panel according to claim 1, characterized in that both pairs of complementary holding profiles are designed as complementary hook-type profiles acting in a form-fit fashion.

8. Floor panel according to claim 1, characterized in that one of the two holding profile pairs is designed as a complementary undercut groove-and-tongue profile acting in a form-fit fashion.

9. Floor panel according to claim 1, characterized in that the dé

cor layer (31) comprises a printed dé

cor film.

10. Floor panel according to claim 1, characterized in that the dé

cor layer (31) is directly printed on the plastic support (30).

11. Floor panel according to claim 10, characterized in that prior to printing, the plastic support (30) is provided with an intermediate layer in the form of a lacquer or primer.

12. Floor panel according to claim 1, characterized in that the transparent covering layer (32) comprises two partial layers in the form of one layer having a high abrasion resistance and one lacquer layer that forms the front surface of the panel.

13. Floor panel according to claim 1, characterized in that the covering layer (32) comprises a single, substantially homogenous layer of high abrasion resistance.

14. Floor panel according to claim 1, characterized in that the backing layer (33) comprises a lacquer layer and/or a plastic film.

15. Process of installing and locking floor panels according to claim 1, wherein a new panel is locked at one lateral edge thereof to an already installed panel in the installation plane at the lateral edge thereof that has a holding profile complementary to the new panel, wherein the new panel at said lateral edge that comprises its holding profile having a locking hock (10) is placed onto the holding profile having a receiving hook (9) of the lateral edge of the already installed panel, so that a guide surface (19) on the receiving hook of the already installed panel which extends in an inclined fashion with respect to the panel surface (2) on a distal lateral face (17) comes into contact with a complementary guide surface (16) on a proximal lateral face (15) of the hook profile of the new panel, and the locking hook (10) is supported, moreover, on the receiving hook (9) and thereafter the new panel displaced in an inclined fashion with respect to the panel surface with said guide surface (16) on the proximal lateral face along the guide surface (19) on the distal lateral face of the receiving hook, whereby the locking hook (10) is pivoted out of the installation plane so that an undercut surface (10c) on the locking hook (10′

) comes into contact with an undercut surface (9c) on the receiving hook (9).

16. Process according to claim 15, characterized in that, by applying a substantially vertical force on the surface of the new panel, the same is displaced in an inclined fashion relative to the already installed panel along its guide surface (16) in the region of the holding profile.

17. Process according to claim 15, characterized in that a force is applied on the locking hook (10′

, 10″

) approximately vertically to the panel surface, so that a snap-in element (12, 13, 14) on a distal lateral face of the locking hook of the new panel co-acts in an interlocking fashion with a complementary snap-in element (22, 23, 22) on a proximal lateral face (20) of the receiving profile of the already installed panel in such a manner that the locking hook that has been pivotally moved out of the installation plane is pivoted back to and locked in the installation plane.

18. Process according to claim 15, characterized in that the step of applying a vertical force on the locking hook is performed using a pressure roller.