FLOOR COVERING, FLOOR ELEMENT AND METHOD FOR MANUFACTURING FLOOR ELEMENTS

• US 20150204080A1
• Filed: 03/30/2015
• Published: 07/23/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 06/02/2006
• 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 9,200,460 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 15/02033 Joints with beveled or recessed upper edges
• 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 15/048 with a top surface of assembled elongated wooden strip type
• CPC Class Codes: E04F 15/102 of fibrous or chipped materials, e.g. bonded with synthetic resins
• 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 2201/013 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 2201/0161 with snap action of the edge connectors
• 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 2201/041 Tongues or grooves with slits or cuts for expansion or flexibility
• CPC Class Codes: E04F 2201/043 with tongues and grooves being formed by projecting or recessed parts of the panel layers
• CPC Class Codes: E04F 2201/049 wherein the elements are made of organic plastics with or without reinforcements or filling materials
• CPC Class Codes: E04F 2201/0529 the interlocking key acting as a dovetail-type key
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49623 Static structure, e.g., a building component
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49629 : Panel

Abstract

Floor covering, made of floor elements, which, at least at two opposite sides, comprise a male and a female coupling part, which allow that two of such floor elements can be interconnected at the respective sides at the respective sides by pushing one of these floor elements with the associated male coupling part, by means of a downward movement, home into the female coupling part of the other floor element, wherein at least one of said coupling parts, either the male coupling part or the female coupling part, is made as least partially in a filled synthetic material composite, such as extruded wood.

Claims

1. Floor covering, consisting of floor elements, which, at least at a first pair of two opposite sides, comprise coupling parts, which substantially are performed as a male coupling part and a female coupling part, which are provided with vertically active locking portions, which, when the coupling parts of two of such floor elements cooperate with each other, effect a locking in vertical direction, perpendicular to the plane of the floor elements, and also are provided with horizontally active locking portions, which, when the coupling parts of two of such floor elements cooperate with each other, effect a locking in horizontal direction, perpendicular to the respective sides and in the plane of the floor covering, wherein said coupling parts are of the type allowing that two of such floor elements can be connected to each other at said sides by pushing one of these floor elements with the associated male coupling part, by means of a downward movement, home into the female coupling part of the other floor element;

wherein at least one of said coupling parts, either the male coupling part or the female coupling part, is at least partially made of a fiber-filled synthetic material composite;

wherein said floor elements comprise at least a substrate and a separate edge portion, preferably an insert;

wherein the actual substrate of the floor elements substantially consists of one or more other materials than fiber-filled synthetic material;

wherein said separate edge portion comprises a bendable or compressible portion taking part in said locking in horizontal and/or vertical direction, said separate edge portion being compressed at least temporarily during the coupling action performed by said downward movement; and

wherein the deformation or compression of said bendable or compressible portion relaxes by springing back only partially at the end of said coupling action.

2. The floor covering of claim 1, wherein said fiber-filled synthetic material composite is at least present in said separate edge portion.

3. The floor covering of claim 1, wherein said separate edge portion forms the entire respective side of the floor element, with the exception of a possible top layer and/or a backing layer which may be present at the substrate.

4. The floor covering of claim 2, wherein for the actual substrate, use is made of softwood, such as spruce wood, chipboard, fiberboard, MDF or HDF.

5. The floor covering of claim 1, wherein said floor elements are formed as floor panels with a substrate that substantially consists of wood or wood-based materials;

wherein then preferably at least at one side of the substrate a separate edge portion of fiber-filled synthetic material is provided, in which the respective coupling part is made in one piece; and

wherein the respective floor elements are of the type which comprises a substrate, which is composed of adjacent-situated laths, wherein on this substrate a wooden top layer, whether or not composed of several parts, is provided, whereas a backing layer is provided against the underside of this substrate, wherein the separate edge portion is formed by means of one of said laths, wherein the respective lath is constructed of fiber-filled synthetic material.

6. The floor covering of claim 1, wherein said fiber-filled synthetic material composite is extruded wood, wherein the fibers substantially are formed by wood chips or wood fibers.

7. Floor covering, consisting of floor elements, which, at least at a first pair of two opposite sides, comprise coupling parts, which substantially are performed as a male coupling part and a female coupling part, which are provided with vertically active locking portions, which, when the coupling parts of two of such floor elements cooperate with each other, effect a locking in vertical direction, perpendicular to the plane of the floor elements, and also are provided with horizontally active locking portions, which, when the coupling parts of two of such floor elements cooperate with each other, effect a locking in horizontal direction, perpendicular to the respective sides and in the plane of the floor covering, wherein said coupling parts are of the type allowing that two of such floor elements can be connected to each other at said sides by pushing one of these floor elements with the associated male coupling part, by means of a downward movement, home into the female coupling part of the other floor element;

wherein said floor elements comprise at least a substrate;

wherein said substrate substantially consists of a filled synthetic material composite, preferably a fiber-filled synthetic material composite;

wherein said substrate forms at least one side and preferably both sides of said first pair of opposite sides, such that at least one of said coupling parts, either the male coupling part or the female coupling part, is at least partially made of said filled synthetic material composite;

wherein the floor elements have a second pair of opposite sides, which also are provided with mutually cooperating coupling parts, which substantially are made as a male and a female coupling part, which are provided with vertically active locking portions and horizontally active locking portions; and

wherein the coupling parts of the second pair of opposite sides allow that two of such floor elements can be interconnected at this pair of sides by providing one of these floor elements with the associated male coupling part, by means of a turning movement, in the female coupling part of the other floor element.

8. The floor covering of claim 7, wherein said filled synthetic material composite comprises at least two zones of different composition.

9. The floor covering of claim 8, wherein said zones are obtained by means of co-extrusion.

10. The floor covering of claim 7, wherein the filling material of said filled synthetic material composite contains wood fibers and/or wood chips.

11. The floor covering of claim 7, wherein said filled synthetic material composite is extruded wood.

12. The floor covering of claim 7, wherein said filled synthetic material composite is a fiber-filled synthetic material composite wherein the fibers preferably are formed by one of the following filling materials:

hemp fibers, glass fibers, carbon fibers or the like.

13. The floor covering of claim 7, wherein a thermoplastic material is applied as the synthetic material in said filled synthetic material composite.

14. The floor covering of claim 13, wherein the thermoplastic material is a polyester, such as polyethylene terephthalate (PET).

15. The floor covering of claim 7, wherein the synthetic material in said filled synthetic material composite is one of the following materials:

polyethylene, polypropylene, polystyrene, polycarbonate or polyvinylchloride.

16. The floor covering of claim 7, wherein the mixing ratio between the synthetic material and the filling material of said filled synthetic material composite is between 70/30 and 20/80.

17. The floor covering of claim 7, wherein said substrate is provided with a top layer.

18. The floor covering of claim 17, wherein said top layer is a wooden top layer.

19. The floor covering of claim 17, wherein said top layer is a laminate layer of the Direct Pressure Laminate (DPL) or High Pressure Laminate (HPL) type.

20. The floor covering of claim 7, wherein said substrate is provided with a top layer and a backing layer.

21. The floor covering of claim 7, wherein both coupling parts at the first pair of opposite sides, the male coupling part as well as the female coupling part, show at least a portion which is made in said filled synthetic material composite.

22. The floor covering of claim 21, wherein both coupling parts at the first pair of opposite sides (7-8) are entirely made of said filled synthetic material composite.

23. The floor covering of claim 7, wherein the floor elements are rectangular;

wherein the first pair of opposite sides forms the short sides of the floor elements; and

wherein the second pair of opposite sides forms the long sides of the floor elements.

24. The floor covering of claim 7, wherein at least one of the coupling parts at the first pair of opposite sides comprises a downwardly directed bendable lip-shaped portion made in one piece with said coupling part.

25. The floor covering of claim 7, wherein the male coupling part at the first pair of opposite sides comprises a bendable lip-shaped portion made in one piece with the male coupling part.

26. The floor covering of claim 25, wherein said bendable lip-shaped portion of the male coupling part is directed upward.

27. The floor covering of claim 7, wherein the female coupling part at the first pair of opposite sides comprises a bendable lip-shaped portion made in one piece with the female coupling part.

28. The floor covering of claim 27, wherein said bendable lip-shaped portion of the female part is directed downward.

29. The floor covering of claim 7, wherein the vertically active locking portions comprise first locking portions located at a distal end of the male coupling part at the first pair of opposite sides and second locking portions located at a distal end of a projecting lip of the female coupling part at the first pair of opposite sides.