MECHANICAL LOCKING OF FLOOR PANELS WITH A FLEXIBLE BRISTLE TONGUE

• US 20130111845A1
• Filed: 12/27/2012
• Published: 05/09/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 07/11/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Valinge Innovation AB
• Original Assignee: Valinge Innovation AB
• Inventors: PERVAN, DARKO, PALSSON, AGNE
• Granted Patent: US 8,844,236 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 52/588.1
• CPC Class Codes: E04B 5/00 Floors; Floor construction with regard to insulation; Connections specially adapted therefor elements for floors, e.g. bricks, stones, filling bodies, girders, E04C; flooring as finishing work, insulation of flooring, sectional false floors, e.g. for computers E04F15/00
• 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 15/08 only of stone or stone-like material, e.g. ceramics, concrete; of glass or with a top layer of stone or stone-like material, e.g. ceramics, concrete or glass E04F15/02005 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: E04F 15/10 of other materials, e.g. fibrous or chipped materials, organic plastics, magnesite tiles, hardboard , or with a top layer of other materials
• 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 15/18 Separately-laid insulating layers; Other additional insulating measures; Floating floors insulating of buildings in general E04B1/62
• CPC Class Codes: E04F 2201/0115 with snap action of the edge connectors
• CPC Class Codes: E04F 2201/0138 by moving the sheets, plates or panels perpendicular to the main plane
• 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 2201/0523 Separate tongues; Interlocking keys, e.g. joining mouldings of circular, square or rectangular shape
• CPC Class Codes: E04F 2201/0547 adapted to be moved perpendicular to the joint edge
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/167 Cellulosic sections [e.g., parquet floor, etc.]

Abstract

Floor panels which are provided with a mechanical locking system including a displaceable tongue in a displacement groove. The tongue is moulded and provided with bendable protrusions.

Claims

1. A building panel having an edge portion provided with a groove, in which a tongue formed as a separate part is received, wherein the tongue comprises at least two bow shaped protrusions at a first long edge of the tongue, and wherein the protrusions are arranged bendable in the groove.

2. The building panel as claimed claim 1, wherein the tongue has a second long edge, which extends outside the groove.

3. The building panel as claimed claim 2, wherein the second long edge is essentially straight over substantially the whole length of the tongue.

4. A building panel as claimed in claim 2, wherein the tongue presents a recess.

5. A building panel as claimed in claim 4, wherein a space is formed by said recess and a bottom of the groove, and wherein a portion of the tongue is bendable into said space.

6. A building panel as claimed in claim 1, wherein a part of the protrusions extends outside the groove.

7. A building panel as claimed in claim 1, wherein the tongue presents a sliding surface, which is inclined relative to a main plane of the building panel.

8. A building panel as claimed in claim 1, wherein said tongue is of an elongated shape and made of moulded plastic wherein the tongue comprising at least two protrusions at the first long edge of the tongue, and

wherein the protrusions are bendable in a plane parallel to the upper surface of the tongue and extending essentially in the parallel plane and,

wherein the tongue has a second long edge, which is essentially straight over substantially the whole length of the tongue.

9. The building panel as claimed in claim 8, wherein there is an angle between the protrusions and the longitudinal direction of the tongue.

10. The building panel as claimed in claim 8, wherein the tongue is arranged displaceable in the groove.

11. The building panel as claimed in claims 10, wherein the protrusions are configured to extend into the groove of the building panel.

12. The building panel as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first long edge of the tongue comprising a recess at each protrusion.

13. The building panel as claimed in claim 12, wherein the size of the recess is adapted to the size of the protrusion.

14. The building panel as claimed in claim 3, wherein the second edge of the tongue is continuous.

15. The building panel as claimed in claim 1, wherein an upper and a lower surface of the tongue are displacement surfaces.

16. The building panel as claimed in claims 15, wherein the upper surface and/or the lower surface has/have a bevelled edge, presenting a sliding surface and an inclined locking surface, respectively.

17. The building panel as claimed in claim 1, wherein a vertical protrusion is arranged at the upper side and/or at the lower side of the horizontal protrusions.

18. The building panel as claimed in claim 17, wherein the vertical protrusion is arranged close to or at the tip of horizontal protrusions.

19. The building panel as claimed in claim 1, wherein tongue is made PP or POM, and reinforced with fibres.

20. The building panel as claimed in claim 19, wherein the fibres are glass fibres.

21. The building panel as claimed in claim 2, wherein the groove is made of a different material than the core of the panel.

22. The building panel as claimed in claim 1, wherein the length of the protrusion is larger than the total width of the tongue, whereby the total width is the width of the tongue plus the distance, perpendicular to the length direction of the tongue, from the tongue body to the tip of the protrusion.

23. The building panel as claimed in claim 22, wherein the length of the protrusion is larger than two times the total width (2*TW).

24. The building panel as claimed in claim 1 wherein force to compress the tongue 1 mm in the width direction per 100 mm length of the tongue is about 20 to about 30 N.