Floor panel for forming a floor covering, floor covering formed from such floor panels and method for manufacturing such floor panels

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10612249-B2
Application number	US-201916280294-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 20, 2019
Priority date	Feb 7, 2012
Publication date	Apr 7, 2020
Grant date	Apr 7, 2020

Abstract

A floor panel is arranged for forming a floor covering, and substantially consists of synthetic material and has a decorative upper side. The floor panel, on at least one pair of opposite edges, comprises coupling parts which allow coupling two of such floor panels to each other. The coupling parts effect a locking in a first direction perpendicular to the plane of the floor panels as well as in a second direction perpendicular to the respective edge and in the plane of the floor panels. The at least one of the coupling parts comprises a separate locking element, which, in coupled condition, provides for at least a locking in the first direction.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A floor panel for forming a floor covering,
wherein this floor panel at least comprises a substrate and a decorative upper side;
wherein the floor panel is rectangular, either oblong rectangular or square, and comprises a first pair of opposite edges and a second pair of opposite edges;
wherein the floor panel, on both pairs of opposite edges, comprises coupling parts which allow coupling such floor panels to each other;
wherein the coupling parts at the first pair of opposite edges are of the type which allows coupling two of such floor panels to each other by means of a downward movement of one floor panel in respect to the other;
wherein the coupling parts at the first pair of opposite edges comprise a first locking system which in the coupled condition of two of said panels effects a locking in vertical direction and a second locking system which in the coupled condition of two of such panels effects a locking in the horizontal direction;
wherein said second locking system comprises locking parts engaging behind each other, in the form of an upward-directed locking part, which is provided on a first lip on a first of said two edges, and a downward-directed locking part, which is provided on a second lip on the second of said two edges, respectively, wherein these locking parts, in the coupled condition of two of said panels, engage one behind the other, and effect said locking in horizontal direction;
wherein the upward directed locking part borders a female part, said female part having a bottom, said bottom comprising a bottom portion which is flat and horizontal;
wherein the upmost point of the upward-directed locking part defines a theoretical horizontal level;
wherein said first locking system comprises locking portions at the respective edges, which in the coupled condition of two of such panels co-operate with each other, at least one of said locking portions being of the downward-directed locking part being located below said horizontal level;
wherein the second lip, seen in cross-section, comprises a bridging portion extending from the most proximal end of the second lip up to the downward-directed locking portion;
wherein in the coupled condition, said bridging portion in horizontal direction overlaps the first lip of the coupled panel, thereby defining a horizontal distance over which said bridging portion overlaps said first lip;
wherein said bridging portion of the second lip over the majority of said horizontal distance and in distal direction of this second lip is decreasing in thickness; and
wherein on the second pair of edges of the floor panel, coupling parts are provided of the type which allows coupling two of such floor panels to each other along the respective edges by means of a turning movement, wherein these coupling parts provide for a vertical and a horizontal locking and are made in one piece with the floor panel.

2. The floor panel of claim 1 , wherein the downward directed locking part has a distal side and a proximal side; and wherein said at least one locking portion of the downward-directed locking part located below said horizontal level is provided at said distal side of the downward-directed locking part.

3. The floor panel of claim 1 , wherein the floor panel has a thickness of 3 through 6 millimeters.

4. The floor panel of claim 1 , wherein the floor panel comprises a substrate and a top layer, and wherein the top layer comprises at least a decorative layer in the form of a print.

5. The floor panel of claim 1 , wherein the floor panel comprises at least one reinforcing layer, formed of reinforcing fibers including glass fibers.

6. The floor panel of claim 1 , wherein, seen in a cross section, the upward directed locking part extends over a height which is at least 24% of the overall thickness of the floor panel.

7. The floor panel of claim 1 , wherein the coupling parts on the second pair of edges are formed by a tongue and a groove which provide for a vertical locking and locking parts which in the coupled condition prevent the drifting apart of the tongue and groove; wherein the groove is bordered by a lower lip and an upper lip; wherein the locking parts are made in the form of mutually cooperating protrusions on the underside of the tongue and the upper side of the lower lip; and wherein the protrusion at the underside of the tongue has a rounded shape.

Assignees

• Flooring Ind Ltd Sarl

Inventors

• Cappelle Mark

Classifications

• B32B27/12

  next to a fibrous or filamentary layer · CPC title

• B32B27/08

  of synthetic resin · CPC title

• B32B2307/414

  Translucent · CPC title

• B32B2451/00

  Decorative or ornamental articles · CPC title

• B32B3/06

  for securing layers together; for attaching the product to another member, e.g. to a support {, or to another product, e.g. groove/tongue, interlocking} · CPC title