Floor Panel and Floor Covering Consisting of a Plurality of Such Floor Panels

• US 20120180416A1
• Filed: 12/12/2011
• Published: 07/19/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 06/12/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: i4F Licensing NV
• Original Assignee: 4Sight Innovation B.V.
• Inventors: Perra, Antonio Giuseppe, Zweed, Sander Gordon
• Granted Patent: US 8,745,952 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 52/309.1
• CPC Class Codes: E04C 2/38 with attached ribs, flanges, or the like, e.g. framed panels concerned with attaching to other panels or elements to form a structure, see the places for the relevant structure, e.g. E04B2/00
• CPC Class Codes: E04C 2/40 composed of a number of smaller components rigidly or movably connected together, e.g. interlocking, hingedly connected of particular shape, e.g. not rectangular of variable shape or size, e.g. flexible or telescopic panels E04C2/041 takes precedence
• 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 2201/0123 by moving the sheets, plates or panels parallel to the abutting edges
• 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 2201/03 Undercut connections, e.g. using undercut tongues or grooves
• CPC Class Codes: E04F 2201/04 Other details of tongues or grooves
• CPC Class Codes: F16B 5/0056 by moving the sheets, plates or panels or the interlocking key perpendicular to the main plane
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/24488 Differential nonuniformity at margin

Abstract

The invention relates to a floor panel; in particular a laminated floor panel. The invention also relates to a floor covering consisting of a plurality of mutually coupled floor panels according to the invention. The invention further relates to a method for mutually coupling two floor panels, in particular laminated floor panels, according to the invention.

Claims

1. A floor panel, comprising:

a centrally located core provided with an upper side and a lower side,

at least one first resilient coupling part and second resilient coupling part connected respectively to opposite edges of the core,

which first coupling part comprises a single upward tongue, at least one upward flank lying at a distance from the upward tongue and a single upward groove formed between the upward tongue and the upward flank, wherein;

at least a part of a side of the upward tongue facing toward the upward flank extends in the direction of the normal of the upper side of the core,

at least a part of a side of the upward tongue facing toward the upward flank forms an upward aligning edge for the purpose of coupling the first coupling part to a second coupling part of an adjacent floor panel,

at least a part of a side of the upward tongue facing away from the upward flank is provided with a first locking element which is connected substantially rigidly to the upward tongue and adapted for co-action with a second locking element of a second coupling part of an adjacent floor panel,

which second coupling part comprises a single downward tongue, at least one downward flank lying at a distance from the downward tongue, and a single downward groove formed between the downward tongue and the downward flank, wherein;

at least a part of a side of the downward tongue facing toward the downward flank extends in the direction of the normal of the lower side of the core,

at least a part of a side of the downward tongue facing away from the downward flank forms a downward aligning edge for the purpose of coupling the second coupling part to a first coupling part of an adjacent floor panel,

the downward flank is provided with a second locking element which is connected substantially rigidly to the downward flank and adapted for co-action with a first locking element of a first coupling part of an adjacent floor panel,

wherein the upward groove is adapted to receive at least a part of a downward tongue of an adjacent panel, and wherein the downward groove is adapted to receive at least a part of an upward tongue of an adjacent panel.

2. The floor panel as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least one coupling part comprises a bridge part connected to the core and an end part connected resiliently to the bridge part, wherein the end part is adapted to move resiliently in a direction enclosing an angle, in particular a substantially perpendicular angle, with a plane formed by the core.

3. The floor panel as claimed in claim 2, wherein the upward flank of the first coupling part forms part of the bridge part of the first coupling part, and that the upward tongue of the first coupling part forms part of the end part of the first coupling part.

4. The floor panel as claimed in claim 2, wherein the downward flank of the second coupling part forms part of the bridge part of the second coupling part, and that the downward tongue of the second coupling part forms part of the end part of the second coupling part.

5. The floor panel as claimed in claim 1, wherein each of the upward tongue and the downward tongue is substantially rigid.

6. The floor panel as claimed in claim 1, wherein each of the upward tongue and the downward tongue is substantially solid.

7. The floor panel as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least a part of the upward flank adjoining the upper side of the floor panel is adapted to make contact with at least a part of the downward tongue adjoining the upper side of another floor panel in a coupled state of these floor panels.

8. The floor panel as claimed in claim 7, wherein the upper side of the floor panel is adapted to engage substantially seamless to the upper side of another floor panel.

9. The floor panel as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first locking element is positioned at a distance from an upper side of the upward tongue.

10. The floor panel as claimed in claim 1, wherein the second locking element is positioned at a distance from an upper side of the downward groove.

11. The floor panel as claimed in claim 1, wherein the effective height of the downward aligned edge is larger than the effective height of the upward tongue.

12. The floor panel as claimed in claim 1, wherein the mutual angle enclosed by at least a part of a side of the upward tongue facing toward the upward flank and the normal of the upper side of the core is substantially equal to the mutual angle enclosed by at least a part of a side of the downward tongue facing toward the downward flank and the normal of the lower side of the core.

13. The floor panel as claimed in claim 1, wherein the incline of the downward aligned edge is less than the incline of at least an upper part of the upward flank.

14. The floor panel as claimed in claim 1, wherein the angle enclosed by on the one hand the direction in which at least a part of a side of the upward tongue facing toward the upward flank extends and on the other the normal of the upper side of the core lies between 0 and 60 degrees, in particular between 0 and 45 degrees.

15. The floor panel as claimed in claim 1, wherein the angle enclosed by on the one hand the direction in which at least a part of a side of the downward tongue facing toward the downward flank extends and on the other the normal of the lower side of the core lies between 0 and 60 degrees, in particular between 0 and 45 degrees.

16. The floor panel as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least a part of an upper side of the upward tongue extends in a direction toward the normal of the upper side of the core.

17. The floor panel as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least a part of the aligning edge of the second coupling part has a substantially flatter orientation than at least a part of the upward flank of the first coupling part.

18. The floor panel as claimed in claim 1, wherein a part of the upward flank of the first coupling part connecting to the core forms a stop surface for at least a part of the side of the downward tongue facing away from the downward flank.

19. The floor panel as claimed in claim 1, wherein a part of the upward flank of the first coupling part connecting to the core is oriented substantially vertically.

20. The floor panel as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least a part of the side of the downward tongue facing away from the downward flank is oriented substantially vertically.

21. The floor panel as claimed in claim 1, wherein the upward groove of the first coupling part is given a form such that this upward groove is adapted for receiving in locked manner at least a part of a downward tongue of a second coupling part of an adjacent floor panel.

22. The floor panel as claimed in claim 1, wherein the upward groove is adapted to receive with clamping fit a downward tongue of an adjacent panel.

23. The floor panel as claimed in claim 1, wherein the downward groove is adapted to receive with clamping fit an upward tongue of an adjacent panel.

24. The floor panel as claimed in claim 1, wherein the upward flank and the downward flank extend in a substantially parallel direction.

25. The floor panel as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first locking element comprises at least one outward bulge, and that the second locking element comprises at least one recess, which outward bulge is adapted to be at least partially received in a recess of an adjacent coupled floor panel for the purpose of realizing a locked coupling.

26. The floor panel as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first locking element is positioned at a distance from an upper side of the upward tongue.

27. The floor panel as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first coupling part comprises a plurality of upward tongues lying at a distance from each other, wherein an upward groove is positioned between each two adjacent upward tongues, and that the second coupling part comprises a plurality of downward grooves positioned a distance from each other for the purpose of receiving said upward tongues.

28. The floor panel as claimed in claim 1, wherein a plurality of sides of the floor panel comprise a first coupling part, and that a plurality of sides of the floor panel comprise a second coupling part, wherein each first coupling part and each second coupling part lie on opposite sides of the floor panel.

29. The floor panel as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first coupling part and the second coupling part form an integral part of the core.

30. The floor panel as claimed in claim 1, wherein the floor panel is manufactured at least partially from wood.

31. The floor panel as claimed in claim 30, wherein the floor panel comprises a laminate of a carrier layer comprising a wood product, and at least one top layer arranged on an upper side of the carrier layer.

32. The floor panel as claimed in claim 31, wherein at least one top layer is impregnated with resin.

33. The floor panel as claimed in claim 31, wherein at least one top layer forms an embossed layer.

34. The floor panel as claimed in claim 1, wherein the floor panel is manufactured at least partially from plastic.

35. The floor panel as claimed in claim 1, wherein a side of the downward tongue facing away from the downward flank is provided with a third locking element, and wherein the upward flank is provided with a fourth locking element, said third locking element being adapted to cooperate with a fourth locking element of another floor panel.

36. The floor panel as claimed in claim 35, wherein the third locking element is connected resiliently to another part of the downward tongue.

37. The floor panel as claimed in claim 36, wherein a slot is provided in the downward tongue to allow the third locking element to deform resiliently.

38. The floor panel as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first locking element is positioned at a lower level than the upward aligning edge of the upward tongue.

39. A floor covering comprising at least two floor panels as claimed in claim 1.

40. A method for mutually connecting two floor panels, comprising the steps of:

A) having a second coupling part of a first floor panel engage on a first coupling part of a second floor panel,

B) exerting a force on the second coupling part of the first floor panel in the direction of the first coupling part of the second floor panel, such that an end part of the second coupling part of the first floor panel will pivot in upward direction and/or an end part of the first coupling part of the second floor panel will pivot in a downward direction, whereby a downward tongue of the second coupling part of the first floor panel is arranged at least partially, in particular substantially, in an upward groove of the first coupling part of the second floor panel, and

C) releasing the force exerted during step B), whereby at least one deformed coupling part will pivot back to an initial position and the downward tongue of the second coupling part of the first floor panel will be locked in the upward groove of the first coupling part of the second floor panel, and wherein a second locking element, being connected substantially rigidly to a downward flank, will co-act with a first locking element being positioned at side of the upward tongue facing away from an upward flank and being connected substantially rigidly to the upward tongue of the second floor panel.

41. The method according to claim 40, wherein during step A) the second coupling part of the first floor panel engages both a side of the upward tongue facing towards the upward flank and a side of the upward tongue facing away from the upward flank of the second coupling part of the second floor panel.

42. The method according to claim 40, wherein during step A) the aligning edge of the first coupling part of the first floor panel is positioned at a distance from the second coupling part of the second floor panel.