FLOOR ELEMENT, LOCKING SYSTEM FOR FLOOR ELEMENTS, FLOOR COVERING AND METHOD FOR COMPOSING SUCH FLOOR ELEMENTS TO A FLOOR COVERING

• US 20170089078A1
• Filed: 12/08/2016
• Published: 03/30/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 12/21/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Flooring Industries Limited Sarl (Mohawk Industries Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Flooring Industries Limited Sarl (Mohawk Industries Incorporated)
• Inventors: SCHACHT, Benny, VANHASTEL, Luc, CAPPELLE, Mark
• Granted Patent: US 10,100,532 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 15/02033 Joints with beveled or recessed upper edges
• CPC Class Codes: E04F 15/02038 characterised by tongue and groove connections between neighbouring flooring elements
• CPC Class Codes: E04F 15/02194 Flooring consisting of a number of elements carried by a non-rollable common support plate or grid E04F15/022 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: E04F 15/022 Flooring consisting of parquetry tiles on a non-rollable sub-layer of other material, e.g. board, concrete, cork
• 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 15/041 with a top layer of wood in combination with a lower layer of other material
• CPC Class Codes: E04F 15/042 the lower layer being of fibrous or chipped material, e.g. bonded with synthetic resins
• CPC Class Codes: E04F 15/043 the lower layer being of organic plastic with or without reinforcements or filling materials
• CPC Class Codes: E04F 15/048 with a top surface of assembled elongated wooden strip type
• CPC Class Codes: E04F 15/082 with a top layer of stone or stone-like material, e.g. ceramics, concrete or glass in combination with a lower layer of other material
• CPC Class Codes: E04F 15/085 The lower layer being of fibrous or chipped material, e.g. bonded with synthetic resins
• CPC Class Codes: E04F 15/087 The lower layer being of organic plastic with or without reinforcements or filling materials
• CPC Class Codes: E04F 15/102 of fibrous or chipped materials, e.g. bonded with synthetic resins
• CPC Class Codes: E04F 15/105 of organic plastics with or without reinforcements or filling 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 2201/0107 by moving the sheets, plates or panels substantially in their own plane, perpendicular to the abutting edges
• CPC Class Codes: E04F 2201/0115 with snap action of the edge connectors
• 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 2201/0153 : 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 2201/023 : with a continuous tongue or groove
• CPC Class Codes: E04F 2201/05 : Separate connectors or inserts, e.g. pegs, pins, keys or strips
• CPC Class Codes: E04F 2201/0523 : Separate tongues; Interlocking keys, e.g. joining mouldings of circular, square or rectangular shape
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/167 : Cellulosic sections [e.g., parquet floor, etc.]

Abstract

Floor element of the type which, at least at two opposite edges, comprises coupling means enabling two of such floor elements to cooperate with each other at the respective edges, wherein the floor element comprises at least two components, as well as entity-forming means, which, starting from the aforementioned components, can form an entity including the components, wherein said components can adopt at least two mutual positions, whether or not by means of the disruption of the entity formed by said entity-forming means.

Claims

1. A floor panel, wherein this floor panel is rectangular and comprises a pair of opposite long sides and a pair of opposite short sides,

wherein the long sides are provided with coupling parts for mutually coupling this floor element to a similar floor panel by means of an angling movement,

wherein these long side coupling parts, in the coupled condition of this floor panel with the similar floor panel, effect a locking in a first direction, perpendicular to the plane of the coupled panels, as well as in a second direction, in the plane of the coupled panels and perpendicular to the respective coupled sides,

wherein the long side coupling parts are made as a tongue, at one of the long sides, and a groove, at the other of the long sides, the groove being bordered by an upper lip and a lower lip, and comprise locking parts,

wherein these locking parts comprise a locking part at the lower lip and a locking part at the underside of the tongue,

wherein the long side coupling parts allow that coupled panels at the respective coupled sides can adopt at least two mutual orientations, namely, on the one hand, a first mutual orientation in which the upper surfaces of the panels are situated substantially in the same plane and, on the other hand, a second mutual orientation in which the upper surfaces of the panels enclose an angle (A2) of less than 180 degrees and in which the panels are still locked in said first and second direction,

wherein this second mutual orientation can be adopted up to an angle (A2) enclosed by the upper surfaces of the panels of 175 degrees or less and,

wherein the panels can be brought from the first to the second mutual orientation by a relative angling movement around the coupled sides.

2. The floor panel of claim 1, wherein this second mutual orientation can be adopted up to an angle (A2) enclosed by the upper surfaces of the panels of 170 degrees or less.

3. The floor panel of claim 2, wherein this second mutual orientation can be adopted up to an angle (A2) enclosed by the upper surfaces of the panels of 165 degrees or less.

4. The floor panel of claim 1, wherein the panels are coupled free from play in said first mutual orientation.

5. The floor panel of claim 1, wherein the short sides are provided with coupling parts for mutually coupling this floor panel to a similar floor panel by means of a movement substantially perpendicular to the plane of the panels,

wherein these short side coupling parts, in the coupled condition of this floor panel with a similar floor panel, effect a locking in a direction in the plane of the panels and perpendicular to the respective coupled sides, but, however, are free from locking parts which effect a locking in a direction perpendicular to the plane of the coupled panels and,

wherein the short side coupling parts comprise a male coupling part, at one of the short sides, and a female coupling part, at the other of the short sides.

6. The floor panel of claim 5, wherein the floor panel has a width smaller than 16 centimeters.

7. The floor panel of claim 6, wherein the floor panel has a width smaller than 10 centimeters.

8. The floor panel of claim 7, wherein the floor panel has a width smaller than 8 centimeters.

9. The floor panel of claim 1, wherein the floor panel comprises a core and a top layer, wherein the top layer comprises a printed decor.