Building panels

• US 7,121,058 B2
• Filed: 11/04/2002
• Issued: 10/17/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Unilin Nordic AB (Mohawk Industries Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Pergo Europe AB (Mohawk Industries Incorporated)
• Inventors: Palsson, Jorgen, Sjöberg, Ake
• Primary Examiner(s): Friedman, Carl D.
• Assistant Examiner(s): HORTON, YVONNE MICHELE
• Application Number:
  US10/286,982
• Publication Number:
  US 20030079820A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,443 Days
• Field of Search: 525/891, 525/911, 525921-5923, 522/73, 521/77
• US Class Current: 52/592.2
• 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 15/107 composed of several layers, e.g. sandwich panels layered products in general B32B; producing decorative panels or veneers B44C5/04
• CPC Class Codes: E04F 2201/0115 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 2201/0146 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 2201/026 with rabbets, e.g. being stepped
• CPC Class Codes: E04F 2201/05 Separate connectors or inserts, e.g. pegs, pins, keys or strips
• CPC Class Codes: E04F 2201/0517 U- or C-shaped brackets and clamps
• CPC Class Codes: E04F 2201/0523 Separate tongues; Interlocking keys, e.g. joining mouldings of circular, square or rectangular shape

Abstract

Flooring material comprising sheet-shaped floor elements with a mainly square or rectangular shape. The floor elements are provided with edges, a lower side and an upper decorative layer. The floor elements are intended to be joined by means of joining members. The floor elements are provided with male joining members on a first edge while a second edge of the floor elements are provided with a female joining member. The male joining member is provided with a tongue and a lower side groove while the female joining member is provided with a groove and a cheek, the cheek being provided with a lip. The floor elements are provided with a male vertical assembly joining member on a third edge while a fourth, opposite, edge is provided with female vertical assembly joining member. The floor elements are alternatively provided with a male vertical assembly joining member on a third edge while a fourth, opposite, edge also is provided with male vertical assembly joining member. Adjacent male vertical assembly joining members are hereby joined by means of a separate vertical assembly joining profile. Two adjacent edges of a floor element can hereby, at the same time, and in the same turning motion, be joined with a floor element adjacent to the first edge and a floor element adjacent to the third or fourth edge.

Claims

1. A substantially planar floor element having at least a first edge and a second edge, a lower side and an upper decorative layer, said first edge comprising an undercut and an upper cheek surface at least partially defining a tongue, said second edge comprising at least one snapping hook and a lower cheek surface, wherein a radially projected length (L) of the undercut is less than or equal to a horizontal rotated radially projected height (H) of the upper cheek surface such that when said first edge is mated to a corresponding second edge on an adjacent floor element through substantially vertical motion, said undercut on said floor element unites with the snapping hook on the adjacent floor element and said upper cheek surface unites with the lower cheek surface of the adjacent floor element to prohibit at least vertical separation of the floor element and the adjacent floor element, wherein the size and shape of each of said undercut, upper cheek surface, at least one snapping hook and lower cheek surface requires mating by only vertical motion.

2. The floor element of claim 1, wherein said undercut has a length smaller than the horizontal height of said upper cheek surface.

3. The floor element of claim 2, wherein said snapping hook has a length smaller than a horizontal length of said lower cheek surface.

4. The floor element of claim 1, wherein said snapping hook has a length smaller than the horizontal height of said lower cheek surface.

5. The floor element of claim 1, wherein the force of static friction along the joint between the floor element and the adjacent floor element is larger than 10N per meter of joint length.

6. The floor element of claim 1, further comprising at least a third edge and a fourth edge, wherein each of said third edge and said fourth edge are mated to corresponding edges on adjacent floor elements through motion other than solely vertical motion.

7. A substantially planar floor element having at least a first edge and a second edge, a lower side and an upper decorative layer, said first edge comprising an undercut and an upper cheek surface at least partially defining a tongue, said second edge comprising at least one snapping hook and a lower cheek surface, wherein a radially projected length (L) of the undercut is less than or equal to a horizontal rotated radially projected height (H) of the upper cheek surface such that when said first edge is mated to a corresponding second edge on an adjacent floor element through substantially vertical motion, said undercut on said floor element unites with the snapping hook on the adjacent floor element and said upper cheek surface unites with the lower cheek surface of the adjacent floor element to prohibit at least vertical separation of the floor element and the adjacent floor element, wherein said undercut has a length smaller than the horizontal height of said upper cheek surface.

8. The floor element of claim 7, wherein said snapping hook has a length smaller than the horizontal height of said lower cheek surface.

9. A substantially planar floor element having at least a first edge and a second edge, a lower side and an upper decorative layer, said first edge comprising an undercut and an upper cheek surface at least partially defining a tongue, said second edge comprising at least one snapping hook and a lower cheek surface, wherein a radially projected length (L) of the undercut is less than or equal to a horizontal rotated radially projected height (H) of the upper cheek surface such that when said first edge is mated to a corresponding second edge on an adjacent floor element through substantially vertical motion, said undercut on said floor element unites with the snapping hook on the adjacent floor element and said upper cheek surface unites with the lower cheek surface of the adjacent floor element to prohibit at least vertical separation of the floor element and the adjacent floor element, wherein said snapping hook has a length smaller than the horizontal height of said lower cheek surface.

10. A method of forming a floor comprising:

providing a first floor element comprising at least one edge, the edge comprising an undercut and an upper cheek surface;

providing a second floor element comprising at least one edge, the edge comprising at least one snapping hook and a lower cheek surface; and

mating the first floor element with the second floor element by moving the second floor element in a vertical direction with respect to the first floor element, wherein said mating comprises joining the undercut of the first floor element with the snapping hook of the second floor element to limit relative vertical movement between the first floor element and the second floor element, wherein said mating consists of moving the second floor element in a vertical direction with respect to the first floor element.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein said mating comprises joining the upper cheek surface of the first floor element with the lower cheek surface of the second floor element.

12. A substantially planar floor element having at least a first edge and a second edge, a lower side and an upper decorative layer, said first edge comprising an undercut and an upper cheek surface at least partially defining a tongue, said second edge comprising at least one snapping hook and a lower cheek surface, wherein the radially projected length of the snapping hooks (η

) is less than or equal to the horizontally rotated projected height of the lower cheek surface (θ

) such that when said first edge is mated to a corresponding second edge on an adjacent floor element through substantially vertical motion, said undercut on said floor element unites with the snapping hook on the adjacent floor element and said upper cheek surface unites with the lower cheek surface of the adjacent floor element to prohibit at least vertical separation of the floor element and the adjacent floor element, wherein the size and shape of each of said undercut, upper cheek surface, at least one snapping hook and lower cheek surface requires mating only by vertical motion.

13. The floor element of claim 12, wherein the length of the undercut (ε

) is less than or equal to the horizontal rotated projected height of the upper cheek surface (ζ

).

14. The floor element of claim 12, wherein η

, is substantially equal to ε and

θ

is substantially equal to ζ

.

15. The floor element of claim 12, wherein the ratio between θ

and the thickness of the floor element is in the range of about 0.025 to 0.2.

16. The floor element of claim 15, wherein the thickness of the floor element is 8 mm and H is from 0.2 to 1.5 mm.