Floor panel for forming a floor covering

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10501944-B2
Application number	US-201816108659-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 22, 2018
Priority date	Jan 9, 2014
Publication date	Dec 10, 2019
Grant date	Dec 10, 2019

Abstract

A floor panel for forming a floor covering wherein the floor panel is substantially realized on the basis of synthetic material. The floor panel is rectangular and comprises a first pair of opposite edges and a second pair of opposite edges such that both pairs of opposite edges comprise coupling parts allowing for mutually coupling a plurality of such floor panels to each other. The coupling parts of at least the first pair of opposite edges are configured such that two of such panels can be coupled to each other at these edges by means of a turning movement and the coupling parts to this aim consist of a tongue and a groove as well as locking parts, which, in the coupled condition, prevent the shifting apart of tongue and groove. The floor panel has a global thickness which is smaller than or equal to 4.5 millimeters.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A floor panel for forming a floor covering, wherein this floor panel comprises a substrate substantially on the basis of synthetic material;
wherein this floor panel is rectangular, either oblong or square, comprising a first pair of opposite edges and a second pair of opposite edges;
wherein both pairs of opposite edges comprise coupling parts which allow mutually coupling a plurality of such floor panels to each other and wherein said coupling parts, on both pairs of edges, form a first locking system which, in a coupled condition of two of such floor panels, effects a locking in the plane of the floor panels and perpendicular to the respective edges, as well as form a second locking system, which, in a coupled condition of two of such floor panels, effects a locking transverse to the plane of the floor panels;
wherein the coupling parts on the first pair of opposite edges substantially are realized in the material of the substrate of the floor panel;
wherein the coupling parts of at least the first pair of opposite edges are configured such that two of such panels can be coupled to each other at these edges by a turning movement, and to this aim these coupling parts on the first pair of opposite edges comprise a tongue and a groove as well as locking parts which, in the coupled condition, prevent the shifting apart of the tongue and groove;
wherein, on the first pair of opposite edges, the groove is bordered by a lower lip and an upper lip, of which the lower lip extends laterally to beyond the distal end of the upper lip, said tongue having an upper side and said upper lip having a lower side, said upper side and lower side being intended to contact each other in a coupled condition of two of such panels;
wherein on the first pair of opposite edges said upper side of the tongue is provided with a contact surface intended for contacting said lower side of said upper lip over a certain contact zone, said contact zone viewed in a cross section of the tongue extending between a distal end point and a proximal end point, wherein a first horizontal distance is defined by the horizontal distance measured between said distal end point and said proximal end point;
wherein said contact surface at the upper side of the tongue in a distal direction of the tongue is inclined downwards;
wherein a second horizontal distance is defined as being the horizontal distance measured between said proximal end point and the most distal end of the tip of the tongue;
wherein the first horizontal distance in length covers the majority of the second horizontal distance; and
wherein the coupling parts on the second pair of opposite edges are configured such that two of such floor panels at the second pair of opposite edges can be coupled to each other by a downward movement of one panel in respect to the other panel in such a manner that a plurality of such panels can be coupled to each other by a “fold-down” technique.

2. The floor panel of claim 1 , wherein the floor panel has an overall thickness (T) which is smaller than or equal to 4.5 millimeters.

3. The floor panel of claim 1 , wherein in the coupled condition of two of such panels, on said first pair of edges, a space is present underneath the tongue, which space extends from the tip of the tongue at least to beyond a vertical center plane (M) through the zone over which the contact between the upper side of the tongue and the underside of the upper lip extends.

4. The floor panel of claim 1 , wherein the floor panel substantially is composed of a thermoplastic material, or wherein at least one or more base layers of the floor panel consist of thermoplastic material.

5. The floor panel of claim 1 , wherein the floor panel substantially is realized on the basis of polyvinyl chloride or anyhow comprises at least one or more base layers which are realized on the basis of polyvinyl chloride.

6. The floor panel of claim 1 , wherein the floor panel, or at least one or more base layers thereof, substantially is/are formed on the basis of polyurethane or polypropylene.

7. The floor panel of claim 1 , wherein the substrate, in one or more base layers, is provided with fillers or includes chalk.

8. The floor panel of claim 1 , wherein the panel is oblong, having long sides and short sides; and that the first pair of opposite edges is situated on the long sides.

9. A floor panel for forming a floor covering, wherein this floor panel comprises a substrate substantially on the basis of synthetic material;
wherein this floor panel is rectangular, either oblong or square, comprising a first pair of opposite edges and a second pair of opposite edges;
wherein both pairs of opposite edges comprise coupling parts which allow mutually coupling a plurality of such floor panels to each other and wherein said coupling parts, on both pairs of edges, form a first locking system which, in a coupled condition of two of such floor panels, effects a locking in the plane of the floor panels and perpendicular to the respective edges, as well as form a second locking system, which, in a coupled condition of two of such floor panels, effects a locking transverse to the plane of the floor panels;
wherein the coupling parts on the first pair of opposite edges substantially are realized in the material of the substrate of the floor panel;
wherein the coupling parts of at least the first pair of opposite edges are configured such that two of such panels can be coupled to each other at these edges by a turning movement, and to this aim these coupling parts on the first pair of opposite edges comprise a tongue and a groove as well as locking parts which, in the coupled condition, prevent the shifting apart of the tongue and groove;
wherein, on the first pair of opposite edges, the groove is bordered by a lower lip and an upper lip, of which the lower lip extends laterally to beyond the distal end of the upper lip, said tongue having an upper side and said upper lip having a lower side, said upper side and lower side being intended to contact each other in a coupled condition of two of such panels;
wherein on the first pair of opposite edges said upper side of the tongue is provided with a contact surface intended for contacting said lower side of said upper lip over a certain contact zone, said contact zone viewed in a cross section of the tongue extending between a distal end point and a proximal end point;
wherein said contact surface at the upper side of the tongue in a distal direction of the tongue is inclined downwards;
wherein the tongue and groove define a closing plane as being a vertical plane through the most distal end of said upper lip;
wherein the tongue at its lower side and at least directly proximal from the closing plane has a substantially horizontal surface which in coupled condition defines at least one contact point with the upper side of the lower lip; and
wherein the coupling parts on the second pair of edges are configured such that two of such floor panels at the second pair of opposite edges can be coupled to each other by a downward movement of one panel in respect to the other panel in such a manner that a plurality of such panels can be coupled to each other by a “fold-down” technique.

10. The floor panel of claim 9 , wherein the floor panel has an overall thickness (T) which is smaller than or equal to 4.5 millimeters.

11. The floor panel of claim 9 , wherein in the coupled condition of two of such panels, on said first pair of edges, a space is present underneath the tongue, which space extends from the tip of the tongue at least to beyond a vertical center plane (M) through the zone over which the contact between the upper side of t

Assignees

• Flooring Ind Ltd Sarl

Inventors

• Cappelle Mark
• Devos Pieter

Classifications

• E04F15/102

  of fibrous or chipped materials, e.g. bonded with synthetic resins · CPC title

• E04F2201/0153

  by rotating the sheets, plates or panels around an axis which is parallel to the abutting edges, possibly combined with a sliding movement · CPC title

• E04F15/105

  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

• E04F15/02038 Primary

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