Mechanical locking system for floor panels

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10221576-B2
Application number	US-201715584869-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 2, 2017
Priority date	Aug 15, 2011
Publication date	Mar 5, 2019
Grant date	Mar 5, 2019

Abstract

Building panels, especially floor panels, which are provided with a locking system including several separate strip parts connected to the panel edge. A strip part, configured to lock panels horizontally and to be fixed to a panel edge, including a strip body with an inner part configured to be fixed under the panel edge and an outer part configured to extend outside the panel edge, wherein the inner part comprises a fixing element configured to lock the strip part to the panel edge in a horizontal direction, wherein the outer part including a locking protrusion, located above the strip body and configured to lock the strip part to the panel edge vertically and a locking element configured to lock the panels in a horizontal direction, and wherein the inner part includes a cavity formed in the strip body and located between the fixing element and the locking protrusion.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. Building panels including a first panel and a second adjacent panel, the building panels being provided with a locking system for vertical and horizontal locking of a first edge of the first panel and a second edge of the second adjacent panel, said locking system comprises a tongue and a tongue groove for vertical locking and strip parts attached to the first edge for horizontal locking, wherein the strip part is distinct from the tongue and the tongue groove, and wherein each strip part comprises:
an upwardly extending locking element configured to cooperate with a downwardly open locking groove formed at the second edge;
a strip body with an inner part that extends inwardly from the first edge and at a rear side of the first panel and an outer part that extends outwardly from said first edge, the inner part comprises a fixing element that cooperates with a downwardly open fixing groove, formed on the rear side of the first panel, and locks the strip part to the first edge in a first horizontal direction;
a locking protrusion, located above the inner part of the strip body, that locks the strip part to the first edge vertically and in a second horizontal direction against a holding protrusion formed at the first edge; and
upper and lower guiding surfaces that are essentially parallel with the strip body,
wherein the strip part is configured to be attached to the first edge with an essentially horizontal snapping action.

2. The building panels according to claim 1 , wherein the locking protrusion is vertically spaced from the inner part of the strip body.

3. The building panels according to claim 1 , wherein the locking element extends upward higher than the locking protrusion.

4. The building panels according to claim 1 , wherein the locking element extends upward higher than the inner part.

5. The building panels according to claim 1 , wherein the locking element is an uppermost portion of the strip part.

6. A strip blank comprising a plurality of strip parts configured to lock panels in a horizontal direction such that the panels are adjacent in the horizontal direction in a locked state, the strip parts each being configured to be fixed to a panel edge of one of the panels by essentially horizontal displacement,
wherein each strip part has an inner part configured to be fixed vertically under the panel edge and an outer part configured to extend outside the panel edge, and
wherein the strip blank comprises at least two strip parts located side by side along a side-by-side direction in at least two parallel rows, the side-by-side direction being orthogonal to the horizontal direction and to a vertical direction,
wherein each strip part comprises a locking protrusion having a horizontal extension in the horizontal direction, the locking protrusion being configured to lock the strip part to the panel edge in the vertical direction,
wherein the outer part comprises a locking element extending upward away from a strip body of the strip part and being configured to lock the panels in the horizontal direction, and
wherein the locking element extends upward higher than the locking protrusion.

7. The strip blank according to claim 6 , wherein the strip parts are configured to be fixed to the panel edge with an essentially horizontal snapping action in said horizontal direction.

8. The strip blank according to claim 6 , wherein the strip parts are configured to be separated from the strip blank by a vertical displacement of the strip parts.

9. The strip blank according to claim 6 , wherein the strip blank comprises cavities between the strip parts.

10. The strip blank according to claim 6 , wherein the inner part comprises a fixing element configured to lock the strip part to the panel edge in the horizontal direction.

11. The strip blank according to claim 10 , wherein the fixing element comprises a flexible locking part.

12. The strip blank according to claim 10 , wherein the locking element extends upward higher than the inner part.

13. The strip blank according to claim 6 ,
wherein the locking element is directly connected to the horizontal extension of the locking protrusion.

14. The strip blank according to claim 6 , wherein the outer part comprises a locking extension formed on or being part of the locking protrusion, the locking extension being configured to guide the strip parts during fixation to the panel edge.

15. The strip blank according to claim 6 , wherein the outer part comprises a locking extension formed on the strip body of the strip part and extending horizontally beyond the locking element.

16. The strip blank according to claim 6 , wherein a length of the strip part in a length direction of the strip part varies along a width direction of the strip part.

17. The strip blank according to claim 6 , wherein each strip part comprises polymer material and is formed by injection moulding.

18. The strip blank according to claim 6 , wherein the strip parts comprise a wood based or plastic based sheet material.

19. The strip blank according to claim 6 , wherein a cavity is formed in each of the strip parts.

20. The strip blank according to claim 6 , wherein the strip parts are flexible.

21. The strip blank according to claim 6 , wherein a strip body of each of the strip parts is thinner in an outer portion of the strip part than in an inner portion of the strip part.

22. The strip blank according to claim 6 , wherein the strip blank is a plurality of strip blanks, the plurality of strip blanks being configured to be stacked on top of each other.

23. The strip blank according to claim 6 , wherein the locking element is an uppermost portion of the strip part.

24. A method to fix a plurality of strip parts to an edge of a panel, the method comprising:
separating strip parts from a strip blank comprising the strip parts, which are configured to lock panels in a horizontal direction such that the panels are adjacent in the horizontal direction in a locked state, the strip parts each being configured to be fixed to a panel edge of one of the panels by essentially horizontal displacement, wherein each strip part has an inner part configured to be fixed vertically under the panel edge and an outer part configured to extend outside the panel edge, and wherein the strip blank comprises at least two strip parts located side by side along a side-by-side direction in at least two parallel rows, the side-by-side direction being orthogonal to the horizontal direction and to a vertical direction, wherein each strip part comprises a locking protrusion having a horizontal extension in the horizontal direction, the locking protrusion being configured to lock the strip part to the panel edge in the vertical direction, wherein the outer part comprises a locking element extending upward away from a strip body of the strip part and being configured to lock the panels in the horizontal direction, and wherein the locking element extends upward higher than the locking protrusion;
displacing the strip parts essentially vertically; and
pressing and snapping the strip parts to the edge of the panel by an essentially horizontal displacement.

25. The method according to claim 24 , wherein the inner part comprises a fixing element configured to lock the strip part to the panel edge in the horizontal direction, and wherein the locking element extends upward higher than the inner part.

2

Assignees

• Ceraloc Innovation Ab

Inventors

• Pervan Darko
• Pervan Tony

Classifications

• E04F15/105

  of organic plastics with or without reinforcements or filling materials · CPC title

• E04F2201/0161

  with snap action of the edge connectors · CPC title

• E04F2201/0115

  with snap action of the edge connectors · CPC title

• E04F15/04 Primary

  only of wood {or with a top layer of wood}, e.g. with wooden {or metal} connecting members (rollable parquet E04F15/16) · CPC title

• E04F2201/0138

  by moving the sheets, plates or panels perpendicular to the main plane · CPC title