Floor panel for producing a covering
First Claim
1. Male and female coupling means of a floor panel having the form of a plank and/or tile and being made of a plastic material for producing a floor covering, comprising:
- the male coupling means being formed of at least one proximal groove intended to open onto a lower horizontal plane co-planar with a lower face of the panel and of a flexible distal tongue intended to extend from one end of one edge of the panel towards the lower horizontal plane co-planar with the lower face of said panel,the female coupling means being formed of at least one proximal groove intended to open onto an upper horizontal plane co-planar with an upper face of the panel and of a flexible distal tongue intended to extend from one end of an opposite edge of the panel, towards the upper horizontal plane co-planar with the upper face of said panel, whereinthe flexible distal tongue of the male coupling means has a proximal wall inclined at an angle α
with respect to a vertical plane towards the bottom of the panel and towards the outside of the panel,the flexible distal tongue of the female coupling means has a proximal wall inclined at an angle α
with respect to a vertical plane towards the top of the panel and towards the outside of the panel,the flexible distal tongue of at least one of the male coupling means or female coupling means has a distal wall comprising, at least, a protrusion or a notch that is able to engage with a notch or a protrusion formed in or on a proximal wall of at least one proximal groove of corresponding female coupling means or male coupling means of an adjacent panel so as to form an end stop, avoiding vertical movement of the panel with respect to the adjacent panel, and whereinthe flexible distal tongue of the female coupling means comprises a chamfered part intended to form an angle of between 2° and
20°
with respect to the lower horizontal plane co-planar with the lower face of the panel, said chamfered part giving rise to a reduction in a clipping force and to a deformation of the flexible distal tongue such that it is easier to assemble two adjacent panels,the distal wall and the proximal wall of the flexible distal tongue of the male coupling means are parallel and inclined toward the bottom of the panel and toward the outside of the panel at the angle α
with respect to a vertical plane,the proximal wall of the flexible distal tongue of the female coupling means and the proximal wall of the proximal groove of the female coupling means are parallel and inclined toward the top of the panel and toward the outside of the panel at the angle α
with respect to a vertical plane.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A floor panel includes male and female coupling means that are formed by at least one proximal groove that opens onto a lower face or upper face, respectively, of the panel and by a distal flexible tongue that extends from the end of the edge of the panel towards the lower face or upper face, respectively. The tongue has a proximal wall inclined at an angle with respect to a vertical plane towards the bottom and the outside of the panel and towards the top and the outside of the panel, respectively. The tongue of at least one of the male coupling means or female coupling means has a distal wall that includes, at least, a protrusion or a notch that is able to engage with a notch or a protrusion formed in or on a proximal wall of the proximal groove of the corresponding female coupling means or male coupling means so as to form an end stop, avoiding vertical movement of a panel with respect to an adjacent panel. The flexible tongue of the female coupling means comprises a chamfered part that forms an angle of between 2° and 20° with respect to the main plane of the panel.
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Citations
9 Claims
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1. Male and female coupling means of a floor panel having the form of a plank and/or tile and being made of a plastic material for producing a floor covering, comprising:
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the male coupling means being formed of at least one proximal groove intended to open onto a lower horizontal plane co-planar with a lower face of the panel and of a flexible distal tongue intended to extend from one end of one edge of the panel towards the lower horizontal plane co-planar with the lower face of said panel, the female coupling means being formed of at least one proximal groove intended to open onto an upper horizontal plane co-planar with an upper face of the panel and of a flexible distal tongue intended to extend from one end of an opposite edge of the panel, towards the upper horizontal plane co-planar with the upper face of said panel, wherein the flexible distal tongue of the male coupling means has a proximal wall inclined at an angle α
with respect to a vertical plane towards the bottom of the panel and towards the outside of the panel,the flexible distal tongue of the female coupling means has a proximal wall inclined at an angle α
with respect to a vertical plane towards the top of the panel and towards the outside of the panel,the flexible distal tongue of at least one of the male coupling means or female coupling means has a distal wall comprising, at least, a protrusion or a notch that is able to engage with a notch or a protrusion formed in or on a proximal wall of at least one proximal groove of corresponding female coupling means or male coupling means of an adjacent panel so as to form an end stop, avoiding vertical movement of the panel with respect to the adjacent panel, and wherein the flexible distal tongue of the female coupling means comprises a chamfered part intended to form an angle of between 2° and
20°
with respect to the lower horizontal plane co-planar with the lower face of the panel, said chamfered part giving rise to a reduction in a clipping force and to a deformation of the flexible distal tongue such that it is easier to assemble two adjacent panels,the distal wall and the proximal wall of the flexible distal tongue of the male coupling means are parallel and inclined toward the bottom of the panel and toward the outside of the panel at the angle α
with respect to a vertical plane,the proximal wall of the flexible distal tongue of the female coupling means and the proximal wall of the proximal groove of the female coupling means are parallel and inclined toward the top of the panel and toward the outside of the panel at the angle α
with respect to a vertical plane. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
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Specification