Floor panel provided with a core made of a derived timber product, a decorative layer and locking sections

• US 8,375,672 B2
• Filed: 06/14/2006
• Issued: 02/19/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 06/16/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Akzenta Paneele + Profile GmbH
• Original Assignee: Akzenta Paneele + Profile GmbH
• Inventors: Hannig, Hans-Juergen
• Primary Examiner(s): Glessner, Brian
• Assistant Examiner(s): SADLON, JOSEPH
• Application Number:
  US11/917,630
• Publication Number:
  US 20090049787A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,442 Days
• Field of Search: 525/921, 525/881, 525/914, 525/36, 525/925, 525/891, 525/911, 403/364, 403/339, 403/340
• US Class Current: 52/588.1
• CPC Class Codes: E04F 15/02038 characterised by tongue and groove connections between neighbouring flooring elements
• 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 2201/0176 with snap action of the edge connectors
• CPC Class Codes: E04F 2201/023 with a continuous tongue or groove
• CPC Class Codes: E04F 2201/025 with tongue and grooves alternating transversally in the direction of the thickness of the panel, e.g. multiple tongue and grooves oriented parallel to each other
• CPC Class Codes: E04F 2201/026 with rabbets, e.g. being stepped

Abstract

The rectangular floor panel comprises a core of timber material, a decorative layer on the top and pairs of opposite side edges with complementary form-fitting hooked profiles. A receiving hook facing the lower side of the floor panel and a retaining hook located on the opposite side edge and facing the top side of the floor panel. The receiving and retaining hooks are provided with a distal side surface, one having at least one projecting interlocking element and another having an associated receiving pocket. The retaining hook is lockable with the receiving hook by vertical movement. The interlocking element and the top side of the floor panel are separated by at least one gap corresponding to one third the total thickness of the floor panel.

Claims

1. A rectangular floor panel, comprising

a core in the floor panel, made of a derived timber material,

a decorative layer on a top side of the floor panel,

pairs of opposite side edges on the floor panel, where at least one pair of side edges displays complementary, form-fitting hooked profiles, one of the complementary, form-fitting hooked profiles being a receiving hook extending vertically upward from a bottom side of the floor panel and, the other of the complementary, form-fitting hooked profiles, on the opposite side edge, being a retaining hook extending vertically downward from the top side of the floor panel,

the retaining hook having a distal side surface with at least one elastically deformable horizontally projecting interlocking element, the retaining hook having a horizontal recess on a proximal side surface,

the receiving hook having a receiving surface with at least one receiving pocket for receiving the projecting interlocking element of the retaining hook and at least one elastically deformable horizontally projecting interlocking hump, the interlocking hump being positioned above the pocket, on the receiving surface, the receiving hook having a distal side surface with a horizontally projecting interlocking element on the distal side surface,

the retaining hook is lockable with the receiving hook by a locking vertical movement perpendicular to the plane of the floor panel, wherein the interlocking element of the retaining hook and the interlocking hump mutually elastically deform during the locking vertical movement, the projecting interlocking element of the receiving hook is received in and contacts the recess of the retaining hook and the interlocking element of the retaining hook and the top side of the floor panel are separated by a distance that, referred to the total thickness of the floor panel, corresponds to at least one-third of the total thickness of the floor panel,

wherein the distal side surface of the retaining hook comprises first and second interlocking elements and a contact surface proximate the top side of the floor panel, the first and second interlocking elements being located below the contact surface such that the contact surface is interposed between the top side of the floor panel and the first and second interlocking elements, wherein the first interlocking element is located closer to the top side of the floor panel and projects horizontally farther from the distal side surface of the retaining hook as compared to the second interlocking element.

2. The rectangular floor panel according to claim 1, wherein the receiving surface of receiving hook has a contact surface and the contact surface of each of the retaining and receiving hooks rest against each other in a connected state of two floor panels.

3. The rectangular floor panel according to claim 2, wherein the second interlocking element of the retaining hook projects horizontally less than the first interlocking element.

4. The rectangular floor panel according to claim 1, wherein two elastically deformable, horizontally projecting interlocking humps and two receiving pockets are on the receiving surface of the receiving hook, a first interlocking hump above a first receiving pocket and a second interlocking hump above a second receiving pocket, the two interlocking humps and the first and second interlocking elements mutually elastically deform during the locking vertical movement.

5. The rectangular floor panel according to claim 4, wherein the first interlocking hump is a shorter distance from the top side of the floor panel and projects a shorter distance from the receiving surface than the second interlocking hump.