Floorboards provided with a mechanical locking system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10301830-B2
Application number	US-201414224628-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 25, 2014
Priority date	Mar 25, 2013
Publication date	May 28, 2019
Grant date	May 28, 2019

Abstract

Floorboards provided with a mechanical locking system including a locking strip protruding from a first edge of a first floorboard. The locking strip is provided with a locking element configured to cooperate with a locking groove at a lower side of a second edge of a second floorboard for locking the first edge and the second edge in a horizontal direction. The first edge and the second edge are configured to be assembled by a vertical downward motion of the second edge towards the first edge. The second edge is provided with a calibrating groove adjacent the locking groove. The disclosure also relates to a method for producing a mechanical locking system.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. Floorboards provided with a mechanical locking system comprising a locking strip protruding from a first edge of a first floorboard, wherein the locking strip is provided with a locking element configured to cooperate with a locking groove at a lower side of a second edge of a second floorboard for locking the first edge and the second edge in a horizontal direction, the first edge and the second edge are configured to be assembled by a vertical downward motion of the second edge towards the first edge, wherein said second edge is provided with a calibrating groove adjacent said locking groove,
wherein the calibrating groove is open towards the locking groove.

2. The floorboards as claimed in claim 1 , wherein at least said second edge is flexible.

3. The floorboards as claimed in claim 1 , wherein at least the second floorboard is flexible.

4. The floorboards as claimed in claim 1 , wherein at least the second floorboard comprises a plastic material.

5. The floorboards as claimed in claim 1 , wherein a core of the second floorboard comprises a plastic material.

6. The floorboards as claimed in claim 1 , wherein a depth of the calibrating groove substantially equals or exceeds a mean variation in thickness between the floorboards.

7. The floorboards as claimed in claim 1 , wherein a depth of the calibrating groove substantially equals a difference in thickness between the first floorboard and the second floorboard.

8. The floorboards as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the calibrating groove is arranged at the lower side of the second floorboard.

9. The floorboards as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the locking element has a curved outer upper part.

10. The floorboards as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the first edge or the second edge is provided with a tongue configured to cooperate with a tongue groove at the other of the first edge or the second edge for locking of the first edge and the second edge in a vertical direction.

11. The floorboards as claimed in claim 10 , wherein the tongue is formed of the same material as the first edge or the second edge.

12. The floorboards as claimed in claim 11 , wherein the tongue is provided at the second edge and extends vertically downward from an upper side of the second floorboard.

13. The floorboards as claimed in claim 12 , wherein a width of the tongue increases with a distance from the upper side of the second floorboard.

14. The floorboards as claimed in claim 10 , wherein the tongue is a displaceable tongue arranged in a displacement groove.

15. The floorboards as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the locking groove opens downward.

16. The floorboards as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the locking element protrudes upward.

17. The floorboards as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the calibrating groove connects with the locking groove at the a bottom surface of the second floorboard.

Assignees

• Vaelinge Innovation Ab
• Valinge Innovation Ab

Inventors

• Boo Christian

Classifications

• E04F2201/042

  with grooves positioned on the rear-side of the panel · CPC title

• E04F15/02038 Primary

  characterised by tongue and groove connections between neighbouring flooring elements · CPC title

• E04F15/107

  composed of several layers, e.g. sandwich panels (layered products in general B32B; producing decorative panels or veneers B44C5/04) · CPC title

• E04F2201/0146

  with snap action of the edge connectors · CPC title

• E04F2203/08

  with a plurality of grooves or slits in the back side, to increase the flexibility or bendability of the elements · CPC title