Floor panel for forming a floor covering

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10648182-B2
Application number	US-201616066973-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 16, 2016
Priority date	Dec 31, 2015
Publication date	May 12, 2020
Grant date	May 12, 2020

Abstract

A floor panel for forming a floor covering, wherein the floor covering consists of floor panels, which, on at least one pair of edges, are provided with coupling parts. The coupling parts substantially are manufactured from the material of the floor panel, and the coupling parts are configured such that two such floor panels, at the pair of edges, can be installed and locked to each other by means of a downward movement and/or by means of the fold-down principle.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A floor panel for forming a floor covering,
wherein this floor panel comprises a first pair of opposite edges, as a second pair of opposite edges;
wherein the first pair of opposite edges comprises first coupling parts, which allow that two of such floor panels mutually can be coupled to each other, and wherein said first coupling parts show the following characteristics:
the first coupling parts comprise a horizontally active locking system, which, in a coupled condition of two of such floor panels, effects a locking in a plane of the floor panels and perpendicular to the respective edges;
the first coupling parts also comprise a first vertically active locking system, which, in a coupled condition of two of such floor panels, effects a locking transverse to the plane of the floor panels;
the first coupling parts substantially are realized from the material of the floor panel itself; and
the first coupling parts are configured such that two of such panels can be coupled to each other at these edges by means of a turning movement;

wherein the second pair of opposite edges also comprises second coupling parts on both of said edges, which allow that two of such floor panels mutually can be coupled to each other, wherein said second coupling parts show the following characteristics:
the second coupling parts comprise a horizontally active 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;
the second coupling parts also comprise a second vertically active locking system, which, in a coupled condition of two of such floor panels, effects a locking transverse to the plane of the floor panels;
the second coupling parts substantially are realized from the material of the floor panel itself;
the horizontally active locking system of the second pair of edges is formed at least of an upward-directed lower hook-shaped part which is situated on one of said two edges, as a downward-directed upper hook-shaped part, which is situated on the opposite edge, wherein the lower hook-shaped part consists of a lip with an upward-directed locking element, which proximally thereof defines a female part in the form of a recess, whereas the upper hook-shaped part consists of a lip with a downward-directed locking element forming a male part;
the second coupling parts are configured such that two of such floor panels can be coupled to each other at their respective edges by means of a downward movement of the one floor panel in respect to the other;
the second vertically active locking system comprises vertically active locking parts, which, by means of respective contact surfaces, define at least a first contact zone and a second contact zone, which are situated at opposite sides of the male part and female part;
the second vertically active locking parts comprise a first locking part and a second locking part at the respective opposite sides of the male part, as a third locking part and a fourth locking part at the respective opposite sides of the female part;
the first and third locking part, in the coupled condition of two of such floor panels, define said first contact zone, while having contact surfaces which, in coupled condition, define at least one inclined tangent line;
the second and fourth locking part, in the coupled condition of two of such floor panels, define said second contact zone, while having contact surfaces, which, in the coupled condition, also define at least one inclined tangent line;
said male part has a distal side and a proximal side, wherein the second locking part is situated at a distal side; and
said two tangent lines are upwardly inclined towards each other from their respective contact zones,

wherein said floor panel is characterized in that on the second pair of edges further the following combination of features is present:
the tangent line which is defined by the first and third locking part is steeper in respect to the plane of the floor panel than the tangent line which is defined by the second and fourth locking part, or, in other words, the angle of the first-mentioned tangent line with the horizontal is larger than the angle of the second-mentioned tangent line with the horizontal;
the difference in size between both mentioned angles is at least 5 degrees and at least 10 degrees;
at the male part, at a height lower than the second contact zone, a contact surface is provided, which, in the coupled condition, together with a contact surface at the female part of the then coupled floor panel forms a support point which limits the movement of the male part in downward direction;

at a distal side of its distal end, the lower hook-shaped part is free from vertically active mechanic locking parts;
wherein said floor panel is characterized in that the upward-directed locking element, the downward-directed locking element and contact surfaces of the upward-directed locking element and downward-directed locking element in the first contact zone are configured such that the upward-directed locking element with the contact surface thereof in the coupled condition adopts a tilted position in respect a position condition; and the contact surfaces of both the upward-directed locking element and downward-directed locking element of the first contact zone in the non-coupled condition mutually are oriented deviating more than in the coupled condition in which the contact surfaces of both the upward-directed locking element and downward-directed locking element deviate less or do not deviate relative to one another.

2. The floor panel of claim 1 , wherein, when the second and fourth locking part define a plurality of tangent lines because the cooperating contact surfaces are not flat, then the tangent line from the second contact zone forms a smallest angle with the horizontal, whereas when the first and third locking part define a plurality of tangent lines, for example, because the cooperating contact surfaces are not flat, then the tangent line from the first contact zone forms the largest angle with the horizontal.

3. The floor panel of claim 1 , wherein, when the second and fourth locking part define a plurality of tangent lines, for example, because the cooperating contact surfaces are not flat, then the tangent line from the second contact zone is determined by a middle of the second contact zone, whereas when the first and third locking part define a plurality of tangent lines, for example, because the cooperating contact surfaces are not flat, then the tangent line from the first contact zone is determined by a middle of the first contact zone.

4. The floor panel of claim 1 , wherein the floor panel further comprises one or more characteristics selected from the below listed features, or any combination of these characteristics, this as far as such combination does not have any contradictory characteristics:
at least one of the first and second coupling parts are realized such at the floor panel that the floor panels can be installed according to the fold-down principle;
the floor panel is oblong rectangular and the first pair of opposite edges form the long sides of the floor panel, whereas the second pair of opposite edges form the short sides of the floor panel;
the second coupling parts at the second pair of edges can be joined into each other by means of a downward snapping movement;
the first and/or second coupling parts at the first and/or second pair of edges are made substantially as profiled parts in the material of the floor panel, substantially or entirely by means of a machining treatment, by means of one or more milling treatments, for example, with milling cutters which are active under different operative angles;
the first and/or second coupling pa

Assignees

• Flooring Ind Ltd Sarl

Inventors

• De Rick Jan Eddy
• Devos Pieter

Classifications

• E04F2201/0146

  with snap action of the edge connectors · CPC title

• E04F15/105

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

• E04F15/02038 Primary

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

• E04F2201/0176

  with snap action of the edge connectors · 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