Floor panel made of plastic having mechanical locking edges

• US 9,745,756 B2
• Filed: 02/15/2011
• Issued: 08/29/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 09/01/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Akzenta Paneele + Profile GmbH
• Original Assignee: Akzenta Paneele + Profile GmbH
• Inventors: Hannig, Hans-Jrgen
• Primary Examiner(s): Figueroa, Adriana
• Assistant Examiner(s): FONSECA, JESSIE T
• Application Number:
  US13/027,368
• Publication Number:
  US 20110138722A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,387 Days
• Field of Search: 525921, 525922, 525891, 525911, 525913, 525914
• 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 15/04 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 2201/0138 by moving the sheets, plates or panels perpendicular to the main plane
• 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

Abstract

Floor panel (1) has a carrier layer (2) which is a plastic material that is pliable and elastic at an application temperature of the flooring. A decorative layer (3) is disposed above the carrier layer (2). Complementary mechanical locking profiles (8, 9) provided on at least two panel edges (1a, 1b, 1c, 1d, 11, 12). The locking profiles cooperating in the locked state of two floor panels (1) and counter-acting a moving apart of the floor panels (1). At least one panel edge (1a, 1b, 1c, 1d, 11, 12) has an edge break-away point (4) at the edge of the decorative layer (3).

Claims

1. A floor panel comprising:

a carrier layer comprising a plastic material that is pliable and elastic at an application temperature of the floor panel;

a decorative layer being disposed above the carrier layer;

a first complementary mechanical locking means being provided on a first two panel edges of the floor panel such that the floor panel is capable of being coupled together with a second floor panel of the same configuration as the floor panel to form a first locked state and in the first locked state to counteract a moving apart of the floor panel and the second floor panel in a horizontal plane and a vertical plane;

a second complementary mechanical locking means being provided on a second two panel edges such that the floor panel is capable of being coupled together with a third floor panel of the same configuration as the floor panel to form a second locked state and in the second locked state to counteract a moving apart of the floor panel and the third floor panel in the horizontal plane and the vertical plane;

the first complementary locking means being a complementary tongue and groove, the groove on one of the first two panel edges of the floor panel and the tongue on an opposite panel edge of the first two panel edges of the floor panel;

the tongue and the groove each include an undercut, the undercut of the tongue of the complementary tongue and groove of the floor panel and the undercut of the groove of the complementary tongue and groove of the second floor panel cooperate in the first locked state to counteract the moving apart of the floor panel and the second floor panel in the horizontal plane;

the second complementary locking means being complementary hook elements, the complementary hook elements forming the second locked state through a vertical movement between one of the complementary hook elements on one of the second two panel edges of the floor panel and another of the complementary hook elements on an opposite panel edge of the second two panel edges of the third floor panel;

each of the hook elements includes an inward facing vertical undercut surface, the inward facing vertical undercut surface of the one of the complementary hook elements of the floor panel and the inward facing vertical undercut surface of the other complementary hook elements of the third floor panel cooperate in the second locked state to counteract a moving apart of the floor panel and the third floor panel in the horizontal plane;

each of the complementary hook elements has an outward facing vertical surface with a corrugated profile, wherein the corrugated profile of the one of the complementary hook elements has at least one locking projection on the outward facing vertical surface and the corrugated profile of the other of the complimentary hook elements has at least one locking recess on the outward facing vertical surface, the corrugated surfaces being complimentary over an entire height of the corrugated profiles, the at least one locking projection on the outward facing vertical surface of the one of the complementary hook elements of the floor panel fits in the at least one locking recess on the outward facing vertical surface of the other of a complementary hook elements of the third floor panel in the second locked state to counteract a moving apart of the floor panel and the third floor panel in the vertical plane;

wherein the one of the second two panel edges of the floor panel abuts the one of the second two panel edges of the third floor panel; and

at least one edge of the second two panel edges has an edge break-away point at the decorative layer, wherein the corrugated profile of the at least one edge of the second two panel edges extends up to the edge break-away point,

wherein a reinforcement layer is provided, wherein the reinforcement layer is arranged as at least one intermediate layer in a split carrier layer.

2. The floor panel according to claim 1, wherein the edge break-away point is designed as a chamfer, radius or stepped mortise.

3. The floor panel according to claim 1, wherein a transparent wear protection layer is disposed above the decorative layer.

4. The floor panel according to claim 1, wherein a counteracting layer is provided below the carrier layer.

5. The floor panel according to claim 1, wherein the plastic material of the carrier layer is a thermoplastic elastomer.

6. The floor panel according to claim 1, wherein the plastic material of the carrier layer is an amorphous elastomer having a plasticizer.

7. The floor panel according to claim 1, wherein the thickness of the floor panel is 1.5 mm to 6 mm.

8. The floor panel according to claim 1, wherein the floor panel includes four panel edges.

9. The floor panel according to claim 1, wherein the reinforcement layer includes fiber-reinforced material.

10. The floor panel according to claim 1, wherein the carrier layer consists essentially of a plastic material.

11. The floor panel according to claim 1, wherein

the one of the complementary hook elements having the at least one locking projection has at least one locking recess;

the other of the complementary hook elements having the at least one locking recess has at least one locking projection; and

the at least one locking projection and the at least one locking recess of the one of the complementary locking hook elements fits in, in the second locked state, with the at least one locking recess and the at least one locking projection of the other of the complementary locking hook elements to counteract moving apart of the floor panel and the third floor panel in the vertical plane.

12. A floor panel comprising:

a carrier layer comprising a plastic material that is pliable and elastic at an application temperature of the floor panel;

a decorative layer being disposed above the carrier layer;

a first complementary mechanical locking means being provided on a first two panel edges of the floor panel such that the floor panel is capable of being coupled together with a second floor panel of the same configuration as the floor panel to form a first locked state and in the first locked state to counteract a moving apart of the floor panel and the second floor panel in a horizontal plane and a vertical plane;

a second complementary mechanical locking means being provided on a second two panel edges such that the floor panel is capable of being coupled together with a third floor panel of the same configuration as the floor panel to form a second locked state and in the second locked state to counteract a moving apart of the floor panel and the third floor panel in the horizontal plane and the vertical plane;

the first complementary locking means being a complementary tongue and groove, the groove on one of the first two panel edges of the floor panel and the tongue on an opposite panel edge of the first two panel edges of the floor panel;

the tongue and the groove each include an undercut, the undercut of the tongue of the complementary tongue and groove of the floor panel and the undercut of the groove of the complementary tongue and groove of the second floor panel cooperate in the first locked state to counteract the moving apart of the floor panel and the second floor panel in the horizontal plane;

the second complementary locking means being complementary hook elements, the complementary hook elements forming the second locked state through a vertical movement between one of the complementary hook elements on one of the second two panel edges of the floor panel and another of the complementary hook elements on an opposite panel edge of the second two panel edges of the third floor panel;

each of the hook elements includes an inward facing vertical undercut surface, the inward facing vertical undercut surface of the one of the complementary hook elements of the floor panel and the inward facing vertical undercut surface of the other complementary hook elements of the third floor panel cooperate in the second locked state to counteract a moving apart of the floor panel and the third floor panel in the horizontal plane;

each of the complementary hook elements has an outward facing vertical surface, the one of the complementary hook elements has at least one locking projection on the outward facing vertical surface and the other of the complementary hook elements has at least one locking recess on the outward facing vertical surface, the at least one locking projection on the outward facing vertical surface of the one of the complementary hook elements of the floor panel fits in the at least one locking recess on the outward facing vertical surface of the other of a complementary hook elements of the third floor panel in the second locked state to counteract a moving apart of the floor panel and the third floor panel in the vertical plane;

at least one edge of the first two panel edges or the second two panel edges has an edge break-away point at the decorative layer; and

a reinforcement layer arranged as an intermediate layer between the carrier layer and the decorative layer.