Floor Panel for Forming a Floor Covering and Method for Manufacturing a Floor Panel

• US 20190323243A1
• Filed: 06/28/2019
• Published: 10/24/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 09/26/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Flooring Industries Limited Sarl (Mohawk Industries Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Flooring Industries Limited Sarl (Mohawk Industries Incorporated)
• Inventors: CAPPELLE, Mark
• Granted Patent: US 10,822,808 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 15/10 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 15/105 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 2201/0146 with snap action of the edge connectors
• CPC Class Codes: E04F 2201/0184 by rotating the sheets, plates or panels around an axis which is perpendicular to the abutting edges and perpendicular to the main plane, possibly combined with a sliding movement
• CPC Class Codes: E04F 2201/041 Tongues or grooves with slits or cuts for expansion or flexibility

Abstract

A floor panel for forming a floor covering, wherein this floor panel comprises a substrate, which substrate is manufactured on the basis of synthetic material; wherein this floor panel, on at least one pair of opposite edges, comprises coupling parts, which coupling parts allow that two such floor panels can be coupled to each other by means of a downward movement of one floor panel in respect to the other floor panel.

Claims

1. A floor panel comprising a substrate of synthetic material and a top layer which comprises a decorative layer and a translucent or transparent wear layer,

wherein the floor panel comprises first coupling parts on a first pair of opposite edges allowing to couple two of such floor panels together by means of a downward movement thereby establishing a locking in horizontal and vertical direction,

wherein the floor panel comprises second coupling parts on a second pair of opposite edges allowing to couple two of such floor panels together by means of a turning movement thereby establishing a locking in horizontal and vertical direction,

wherein the first coupling parts are formed in one piece from the synthetic material of the substrate,

wherein the first coupling parts comprise a downward-directed upper hook-shaped part on one of the first pair of opposite edges and an upward-directed lower hook-shaped part on the other of the first pair of opposite edges,

wherein the upper hook-shaped part comprises a lip with a downward-directed locking element and the lower hook-shaped part comprises a lip with an upward-directed locking element, and

wherein each of the downward-directed and upward-directed locking elements is provided with a locking surface which takes part in the locking in vertical direction in coupled condition of two of such floor panels, the locking surfaces respectively being located at the proximal side of the downward-directed and upward-directed locking elements.

2. The floor panel of claim 1, wherein the locking surfaces define a tangent line in coupled condition of two of such floor panels forming an angle with a plane of the floor panel of less than 90 degrees.

3. The floor panel of claim 1, wherein the downward-directed locking element has a distal side which is free from locking parts.

4. The floor panel of claim 1, wherein the downward-directed locking element has a distal side comprising a vertical surface and an inclined surface which is connected to the vertical surface.

5. The floor panel of claim 1, wherein the lip of the upper hook-shaped part has a lower side located proximally from the downward-directed locking element comprising a surface that runs inclinedly downward in a proximal direction.

6. The floor panel of claim 5, wherein said surface runs inclinedly downwards from a position in the upper half of the panel to a position in the lower half of the panel.

7. The floor panel of claim 1, wherein the locking surfaces are situated in the lower half of the panel.

8. The floor panel of claim 1, wherein the floor panel has a thickness of less than 6 mm.

9. The floor panel of claim 1, wherein the substrate is made of thermoplastic material.

10. The floor panel of claim 9, wherein the thermoplastic material includes polyvinyl chloride.

11. The floor panel of claim 1, wherein the floor panel comprises a reinforcement layer formed of glass fibers.

12. The floor panel of claim 11, wherein the reinforcement layer is located at the height of the locking surfaces.

13. The floor panel of claim 1, wherein the decorative layer is a printed film or printed foil.