Floor panel for forming a floor covering and method for manufacturing a floor panel

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10337191-B2
Application number	US-201515514284-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 25, 2015
Priority date	Sep 26, 2014
Publication date	Jul 2, 2019
Grant date	Jul 2, 2019

Abstract

A floor panel for forming a floor covering, wherein this floor panel comprises a substrate, which substrate is manufactured on the basis of synthetic material; wherein this floor panel, on at least one pair of opposite edges, comprises coupling parts, which coupling parts allow that two such floor panels can be coupled to each other by means of a downward movement of one floor panel in respect to the other floor panel.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A floor panel for forming a floor covering, wherein the floor panel comprises:
a substrate manufactured on the basis of thermoplastic material, the floor panel, on at least one pair of opposite edges, comprises coupling parts, which coupling parts allow that two such floor panels can be coupled to each other by means of a downward movement of one floor panel in respect to the other floor panel;
wherein the coupling parts allowing a locking in a first direction perpendicular to the plane of the floor panel, and in a second direction perpendicular to the edges and in the plane of the floor panel, the coupling parts substantially being formed of the material of said substrate and are made in one piece therewith, the coupling parts consist of a downward-directed upper hook-shaped part, which is situated on the one edge of said pair of opposite edges, and an upward-directed lower hook-shaped part situated on the other, opposite edge of said pair of opposite edges, which hook-shaped parts can be engaged behind each other by means of said downward movement;
wherein the upper hook-shaped part consists of a lip which is provided with a downward-directed locking element, whereas the lower hook-shaped part consists of a lip which is provided with an upward-directed locking element;
wherein the locking elements are provided with locking surfaces which at least partially allow the locking in said first direction perpendicular to the plane of the floor panels, which locking surfaces comprise a first and second locking surface, which first locking surface belongs to a proximal side of the downward-directed locking element and which second locking surface belongs to a proximal side of the upward-directed locking element;
wherein said locking surfaces, in the coupled condition of two such floor panels, define a tangent line forming an angle with the plane of the floor panel, which angle is smaller than 30 degrees and larger than 0 degrees;
wherein said locking surfaces extend continuously over the major part of the length of the respective edges;
wherein the lip of the upper hook-shaped part has a minimum thickness of less than half the thickness of the panel; and
wherein the lip of the upper hook-shaped part generally becomes thicker in a direction away from the downward-directed locking element, reaching a thickness of at least half the thickness of the panel.

2. The floor panel of claim 1 , wherein said tangent line and/or the straight line through said second locking surface is directed upward in the direction of a vertical through a vertical closing surface formed between two such floor panels in coupled condition.

3. The floor panel of claim 1 , wherein the lip of the lower hook-shaped part comprises an incision on an underside of this lip, which incision extends in horizontal direction starting from a distal side of the upward-directed locking element and at least up to said locking surfaces.

4. The floor panel of claim 3 , wherein said incision extends in horizontal direction to beyond said locking surfaces.

5. The floor panel of claim 1 , wherein the substrate substantially is made of synthetic material.

6. The floor panel of claim 5 , wherein the floor panel is of the supple type.

7. The floor panel of claim 5 , wherein the floor panel substantially is made on the basis of polyvinyl chloride, or at least the substrate is made on the basis of polyvinyl chloride.

8. The floor panel of claim 5 , wherein the floor panel is a vinyl panel, a LVT (“Luxury Vinyl Tile”) panel, or a VCT (“Vinyl Composite Tile” or “Vinyl Composition Tile”) panel.

9. The floor panel of claim 5 , wherein the floor panel, or at least the substrate thereof, substantially is formed on the basis of polyurethane or polypropylene.

10. The floor panel of claim 5 , wherein the substrate comprises at least one filler material, including chalk and/or limestone, wherein this filler, in the case that the substrate includes a plurality of layers, is situated in one or more layers thereof.

11. The floor panel of claim 5 , wherein the floor panel is provided with at least one reinforcing layer.

12. The floor panel of claim 5 , wherein the floor panel is a WPC (“Wood Plastic Composite”) panel.

13. The floor panel of claim 1 , wherein the floor panel is oblong and wherein said pair of opposite edges is situated at the short sides of the floor panel; and wherein the pair of opposite edges on the long sides of the floor panel also comprise coupling parts, which coupling parts allow a locking in a first direction perpendicular to the plane of the floor panel, and in a second direction perpendicular to said edges and in the plane of the floor panel.

14. The floor panel of claim 13 , wherein the coupling parts on the opposite pair of edges on the long sides of the floor panel are configured such that two such floor panels can be coupled at the edges by means of a turning movement of one floor panel in respect to the other floor panel, in such a manner that a plurality of such floor panels can be coupled by means of the so-called “fold-down” technique.

15. A floor panel for forming a floor covering, wherein the floor panel comprises:
a substrate manufactured on the basis of synthetic material; the floor panel, on at least one pair of opposite edges, comprises coupling parts, which coupling parts allow that two such floor panels can be coupled to each other by means of a downward movement of one floor panel in respect to the other floor panel;
wherein the coupling parts allow a locking in a first direction perpendicular to the plane of the floor panel, and in a second direction perpendicular to the edges and in the plane of the floor panel;
wherein the coupling parts substantially are formed of the material of said substrate and are made in one piece therewith;
wherein the coupling parts consist of a downward-directed upper hook-shaped part, which is situated on the one edge of said pair of opposite edges, and an upward-directed lower hook-shaped part, which is situated on the other, opposite edge of said pair of opposite edges, which hook-shaped parts can be engaged behind each other by means of said downward movement;
wherein the upper hook-shaped part consists of a lip which is provided with a downward-directed locking element, whereas the lower hook-shaped part consists of a lip which is provided with an upward-directed locking element;
wherein the locking elements are provided with locking surfaces which at least partially allow the locking in said first direction perpendicular to the plane of the floor panels, which locking surfaces comprise a first and second locking surface, which first locking surface belongs to a proximal side of the downward-directed locking element and which second locking surface belongs to a proximal side of the upward-directed locking element;
wherein said locking surfaces, in the coupled condition of two such floor panels, define a tangent line forming an angle with the plane of the floor panel, which angle is smaller than 90 degrees;
wherein said coupling parts are configured such that, in the coupled condition of two such floor panels, at least in said first direction perpendicular to the plane of the floor panel, a tensioning force is present at the location of the locking surfaces, and/or that at least in said second direction perpendicular to the edges and in the plane of the floor panel, a tensioning force is present at the location of a vertical closing surface formed between the two floor panels; and
wherein the lip of the upper hook-shaped part has a minimum thickness of less than half the thickness of t

Assignees

• Flooring Ind Ltd Sarl

Inventors

• Cappelle Mark

Classifications

• E04F15/10

  of other materials, e.g. fibrous or chipped materials, organic plastics, magnesite {tiles}, hardboard {, or with a top layer of other materials} · CPC title

• E04F2201/0146

  with snap action of the edge connectors · CPC title

• E04F15/02038 Primary

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

• E04F15/105 Primary

  of organic plastics with or without reinforcements or filling materials · 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