PANEL

• US 20170138061A1
• Filed: 01/30/2017
• Published: 05/18/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 08/27/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Unilin Nordic AB (Mohawk Industries Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Pergo Europe AB (Mohawk Industries Incorporated)
• Inventors: Stevens, Jr., Charles Edward
• Granted Patent: US 9,995,045 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: E04F 15/02038 characterised by tongue and groove connections between neighbouring flooring elements
• CPC Class Codes: E04F 15/045 Layered panels only of wood
• 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 2201/0138 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 2201/0153 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 2201/03 Undercut connections, e.g. using undercut tongues or grooves
• CPC Class Codes: E04F 2201/042 with grooves positioned on the rear-side of the panel
• CPC Class Codes: E04F 2201/043 with tongues and grooves being formed by projecting or recessed parts of the panel layers
• CPC Class Codes: F16B 5/0056 by moving the sheets, plates or panels or the interlocking key perpendicular to the main plane

Abstract

A panel, which, at two opposite edges, is provided with coupling parts that allow joining by a downward movement, said coupling parts including a male part that fits in a female part, wherein vertically active locking portions are provided at opposite sides of the male part and female part, wherein these locking portions are located at different distances from an upper side of the panels.

Claims

1. A floor panel having an upper surface, a lower surface, a first pair of opposite edges and a second pair of opposite edges;

wherein the floor panel comprises a core layer and a decor layer, the core layer being made of a foam material;

wherein the floor panel at the first pair of opposite edges comprises coupling parts that in the coupled condition of two of such floor panels provide a locking in a direction perpendicular to a plane of the coupled floor panels, as well as in a direction parallel to the plane of the coupled floor panels and perpendicular to respective opposite edges, the coupling parts at the first pair of opposite edges being configured such that they allow that two of such floor panels can be joined by an angling movement of one floor panel in respect to the other floor panel;

wherein the second pair of opposite edges comprises a first edge having a first joint profile and a second edge having a second joint profile;

wherein the first and second joint profiles are in one piece from the floor panel material;

wherein the first and second joint profiles define coupling parts allowing that two of such floor panels can be joined by a downward movement of the first edge of one floor panel in respect to the second edge of the other floor panel;

wherein the first and second joint profiles in a coupled condition provide a locking in a direction perpendicular to the plane of the coupled floor panels, as well as in a direction parallel to the plane of the coupled floor panels and perpendicular to the respective edges;

wherein the first joint profile comprises a first laterally projecting lip with a downward projecting locking part, the downward projecting locking part defining a male part;

wherein the second joint profile comprises a second laterally projecting lip with an upward projecting locking part, the upward projection locking part defining proximally thereof a recess acting as a female part;

wherein the first laterally projecting lip with the downward projecting locking part defines a downward directed hook, whereas the second laterally projecting lip with the upward projecting locking part defines an upward directed hook;

wherein, in the coupled condition of two of such floor panels, the downward directed hook and upward directed hook engage behind each other so as to prevent drifting apart of the floor panels in the direction parallel to the plane of the coupled floor panels and perpendicular to the respective edges;

wherein the coupling parts at the second pair of opposite edges comprise vertically active locking portions which at least define a first point of contact and a second point of contact;

wherein the vertically active locking portions comprise at the first joint profile a first locking portion and a second locking portion and at the second joint profile a third locking portion and a fourth locking portion;

wherein the first and third locking portions have contact surfaces which in the coupled condition of two of such floor panels define the first point of contact; and

wherein the second and fourth locking portions have contact surfaces which in the coupled condition of two of such floor panels define the second point of contact.

2. The floor panel of claim 1, wherein the second point of contact is located higher than the first point of contact.

3. The floor panel of claim 1, wherein the male part has a distal side and a proximal side, the first locking portion being located at the proximal side.

4. The floor panel of claim 3, wherein the contact surfaces at the first point of contact define an inclined tangent line.

5. The floor panel of claim 4, wherein the first joint profile comprises only one vertically active locking portion at the proximal side of the male part.

6. The floor panel of claim 5, wherein the floor panel at the first edge has a distal edge defining the closing plane of the floor panels, the first and second locking portions being located in an inwardly offset position in regard to the distal edge.

7. The floor panel of claim 6, wherein the portion of the male part that is located below the lower side of the first laterally projecting lip is located in an inwardly offset position in regard to the distal edge.

8. The floor panel of claim 5, wherein the first and second contact points are located at opposite sides of the male and female parts;

wherein the contact surfaces at the second point of contact define an inclined tangent line; and

wherein the second locking portion is located at the distal side.

9. The floor panel of claim 8, wherein measured according to a direction perpendicular to the plane defined by the floor panels, the second point of contact is closer to the plane defined by the upper surface of the floor panels than the first point of contact.

10. The floor panel of claim 9, wherein the lowermost contact at the second point of contact is located higher than the uppermost contact at the first point of contact.

11. The floor panel of claim 10, wherein the second point of contact is located higher than the upper edge of the upward projecting locking part.

12. The floor panel of claim 8, wherein the first joint profile comprises only one vertically active locking portion at the distal side of the male part.

13. The floor panel of claim 1, wherein the first and third locking portions are made in one piece from the foam material.

14. The floor panel of claim 1, wherein the second and fourth locking portions are made in one piece from the foam material.

15. The floor panel of claim 1, wherein an intermediate space is present above the upward projecting locking part, such that there is no support between the distal upper end of the upward projecting locking part and the lower side of the first laterally projecting lip.

16. The floor panel of claim 1, wherein the first joint profile and the second joint profile are configured such that joining of two of such floor panels at the second pair of opposite edges can take place at a same time and concurrently with the angling motion at the first pair of opposite edges.

17. The floor panel of claim 1, wherein the foamed material is closed cell foamed material.

18. The floor panel of claim 1, wherein the foamed material is a foamed polymer.

19. The floor panel of claim 18, wherein the foamed polymer is a thermoplastic polymer.