BUILDING PANEL WITH A MECHANICAL LOCKING SYSTEM

• US 20150000221A1
• Filed: 06/26/2014
• Published: 01/01/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 06/27/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Valinge Innovation AB
• Original Assignee: Valinge Innovation AB
• Inventors: BOO, CHRISTIAN
• Granted Patent: US 10,017,948 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 52/588.1
• 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 15/02038 characterised by tongue and groove connections between neighbouring flooring elements
• CPC Class Codes: E04F 15/102 of fibrous or chipped materials, e.g. bonded with synthetic resins
• CPC Class Codes: E04F 2201/0146 with snap action of the edge connectors
• CPC Class Codes: E04F 2201/023 with a continuous tongue or groove
• CPC Class Codes: E04F 2201/044 with tongues or grooves comprising elements which are not manufactured in one piece with the sheets, plates or panels but which are permanently fixedly connected to the sheets, plates or panels, e.g. at the factory for separate tongues E04F2201/0523
• CPC Class Codes: E04F 2201/0535 adapted for snap locking
• CPC Class Codes: E04F 2201/0547 adapted to be moved perpendicular to the joint edge
• CPC Class Codes: E04F 2201/0552 adapted to be rotated around an axis parallel to the joint edge

Abstract

A set of essentially identical panels (1, 1′), such as building panels, provided with a mechanical locking system including a displaceable tongue (30), which is arranged in a displacement groove with a first opening at a first edge of a first panel (1). The displaceable tongue is configured to cooperate with a first tongue groove (20), with a second opening at a second edge of an adjacent second panel (1′), for vertical locking of the first and the second edge. The height of the first opening is greater than a second height of the second opening.

Claims

1. A set of essentially identical panels, such as building panels, provided with a mechanical locking system comprising a displaceable tongue, which is arranged in a displacement groove at a first edge of a first panel, and a first tongue groove at a second edge of an adjacent second panel, the displaceable tongue is configured to cooperate with the first tongue groove for locking of the first and the second edge in a vertical direction, wherein the displacement groove comprises a first opening and the first tongue groove comprises a second opening, wherein a height of the first opening is greater than a height of the second opening.

2. The set as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first opening and the second opening are horizontally open and a vertical height of the second groove is greater than a vertical height the first opening.

3. The set as claimed in claim 1, wherein a maximum height of the displacement groove is greater than a maximum height of the first tongue groove.

4. The set as claimed in claim 1, wherein an outer part of the displaceable tongue is provided with a recess.

5. The set of panels as claimed in claim 4, wherein the recess comprises a first recess surface and a second recess surface, which are arranged at an obtuse angle to each other.

6. The set as claimed in claim 5, wherein the first recess surface of the recess is configured to cooperate with the first tongue groove for locking in the vertical direction.

7. The set as claimed in claim 5, wherein an angle between an upper surface of the displaceable tongue and the first recess surface is in the range of about 5°

to about 15°

.

8. The set as claimed in claim 1, wherein the thickness of the panels is in the range of about 3 mm to about 10 mm.

9. The set as claimed in claim 1, wherein the mechanical locking system comprises a first locking strip, at the first or the second edge, provided with a first locking element configured to cooperate for horizontal locking with a first locking groove at the other of the first or second edge.

10. The set as claimed in claim 9, wherein the first locking strip is arranged at the first edge, and an outer and lower part of the displaceable tongue is provided with a recess.

11. The set as claimed in claim 9, wherein the panels are rectangular and the mechanical locking system comprises a second locking strip, at a third or fourth edge, provided with a second locking element configured to cooperate for horizontal locking with a second locking groove at the other of the third or fourth edge of an adjacent third panel.

12. The set as claimed in claim 11, wherein a first upper surface of the first locking strip is arranged in a same plane as a second upper surface of the second locking strip.

13. The set as claimed in claim 11, wherein the mechanical locking system at the third and the fourth edge is configured to be assembled by an angling motion.

14. A set of essentially identical panels provided with a mechanical locking system comprising a displaceable tongue, which is arranged in a displacement groove at a first edge of a first panel and a first tongue groove at a second edge of a second panel, wherein the displaceable tongue is configured to cooperate with the first tongue groove, for locking of the first and the second edge in a vertical direction, wherein the displaceable tongue comprises at least two bendable parts, wherein at least one of the bendable parts is provided with a lower and/or an upper friction connection at a distance from the innermost part in the displacement groove of the bendable part.

15. The set as claimed in claim 14, wherein the displacement groove comprises an upper wall, a lower wall and an inner wall extending between the lower and the upper wall, wherein the inner wall is of a rounded shape or comprises a plane section provided with a round section adjacent to the upper and/or lower wall.

16. The set as claimed in claim 14, wherein the thickness of the panels is in the range of about 3 mm to about 10 mm.

17. The set as claimed in claim 14, wherein the at least one of the bendable parts is provided with the upper friction connection, and wherein the upper friction connection is configured to cooperate with a plane section of the upper wall.

18. The set as claimed in claim 14, wherein the at least one of the bendable parts is provided with the lower friction connection, and wherein the lower friction connection is configured to cooperate with a plane section of the lower wall.

19. The set as claimed in claim 14, wherein the innermost part of the bendable parts is provided with an upper and/or lower bevel.

20. The set as claimed in claim 14, wherein the displaceable tongue is of a longitudinal shape and an outer edge of the displaceable tongue is straight along essentially the whole longitudinal length of the displaceable tongue.

21. The set as claimed in claim 14, wherein an outer part of the displaceable tongue is provided with a recess, which extends along essentially the whole longitudinal length of the tongue.

22. The set as claimed in claim 21, wherein a surface of the recess is configured to cooperate with the first tongue groove for locking in the vertical direction.

23. The set as claimed in claim 14, wherein the displacement groove comprises a first opening and the first tongue groove comprises a second opening, wherein a first height of the first opening is greater than a second height of the second opening.

24. A set of essentially identical panels, such as building panels, provided with a mechanical locking system comprising a displaceable tongue, which is arranged in a displacement groove at a first edge of a first panel, and a first tongue groove at a second edge of an adjacent second panel, the displaceable tongue is configured to cooperate with the first tongue groove for locking of the first and the second edge in a vertical direction, wherein:

the displaceable tongue comprises a first and a third surface and the first tongue groove comprises a second and fourth surface,

a first angle between the second surface and a front face of the second panel is greater than a second angle between the fourth surface and the front face,

the first surface of the displaceable tongue is configured to cooperate with the second surface of the tongue groove under a first load on the mechanical locking system,

the third surface of the displaceable tongue is configured to cooperate with the fourth surface of the tongue groove under a second load of the mechanical locking system, and

the second load is greater than the first load.

25. The set as claimed in claim 24, wherein the first angle is in the range of about 30°

to about 45° and

the second angle is in the range of about 10°

to about 25°

.

26. The set as claimed in claim 24, wherein a difference between the first angle and the second angle is in the range of about 10°

to about 35°

.

27. The set of panels as claimed in claim 24, wherein the mechanical locking system comprise a first locking strip, at the first or the second edge, provided with a first locking element configured to cooperate with a first locking groove at the other of the first or second edge for locking the first and the second edge in a horizontal direction.

28. The set of panels as claimed in claim 24, wherein the mechanical locking system at the first and the second edge is configured to be assembled by a vertical motion.

29. The set of panels as claimed in claim 24, wherein the panels are floorboards comprising a wood fibre based core, such as HDF, or a core comprising thermoplastic, such as PVC.