Floor panel, as well as method, device and accessories for manufacturing such floor panel

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11208813-B2
Application number	US-201916552623-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 27, 2019
Priority date	Dec 23, 2004
Publication date	Dec 28, 2021
Grant date	Dec 28, 2021

Abstract

A floor panel has two pairs of opposite edges so at least at one pair of opposite edges the floor panel is provided with coupling parts formed in one piece with a substrate of the floor panel. A relief is provided at least with a plurality of embossments in a synthetic transparent material of a top layer of the floor panel. The embossments are performed deeper than the synthetic transparent material, and the printed decor and an underlying layer of the substrate are embossed. The underside of the substrate is undeformed.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A floor panel being rectangular and oblong with two pairs of opposite edges, said floor panel comprising:
a top side including a decor printed upon a carrier and a top layer on a basis of synthetic transparent material;
a substrate underlying said decor and being a composition of several layers including a topmost layer forming an upper layer of said composition;
wherein, at least at one of said pairs of opposite edges, said floor panel is provided with coupling parts formed in one piece with said substrate;
wherein a relief is provided at least by means of a plurality of embossments in the synthetic transparent material, said embossments being performed deeper than said synthetic transparent material, wherein said decor and said topmost layer of said substrate are embossed;
wherein an underside of said substrate is undeformed and said substrate outside of the embossments has a compacted structure of less than 1%;
wherein said carrier extends uninterruptedly over said top side, including at a location of said embossments;
wherein a height difference between an unembossed portion of the floor panel and a deepest point of said embossments is larger than a nominal thickness of the top layer situated on top of the substrate;
wherein the synthetic transparent material is deformed in the embossment.

2. The floor panel of claim 1 , wherein said carrier is stretchable.

3. The floor panel of claim 1 , wherein said decor comprises a wood pattern forming a representation of one one-piece wooden plank extending over an entirety of said top side of said floor panel.

4. The floor panel of claim 1 , wherein said decor is embossed over at least 0.4 millimeter.

5. The floor panel of claim 1 , wherein the coupling parts are at least substantially located outside the topmost layer.

6. The floor panel of claim 1 , wherein said topmost layer is a sound-dampening layer.

7. The floor panel of claim 1 , wherein the embossments define height differences within the embossment themselves.

8. The floor panel of claim 1 , wherein embossed portions extend locally only in the top layer, the embossments continuing into the substrate and embossed portions in the top layer overlapping one another.

9. A method for manufacturing floor panels, said floor panels being rectangular and oblong with two pairs of opposite edges, said floor panel having a top side, said top side comprising a decor printed upon a carrier and a top layer on the basis of synthetic transparent material, wherein said floor panel further comprises a substrate underlying said decor, wherein said method comprises at least:
a first press treatment wherein said printed carrier and said top layer is pressed on said substrate; and
a second press treatment wherein a plurality of embossments are made in the synthetic transparent material, said embossments being performed deeper than said synthetic transparent material, wherein said decor and an underlying layer of said substrate is embossed as well, wherein an underside of said substrate is undeformed;
wherein said substrate outside of the embossments has a compacted structure of less than 1%.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein said floor panels are supplied to said second press treatment in warm condition.

11. The method of claim 9 , wherein in said second press treatment a press is used that is not heated.

12. The method of claim 9 , wherein said substrate is undeformed by said first press treatment.

Assignees

• Flooring Ind Ltd Sarl

Inventors

• Meersseman Laurent
• Vandevoorde Christian
• Thiers Bernard

Classifications

• B44C5/0469

  comprising a decorative sheet and a core formed by one or more resin impregnated sheets of paper · CPC title

• E04F15/02

  Flooring or floor layers composed of a number of similar elements (of webs E04F15/16) · CPC title

• E04F15/02161

  Floor elements with grooved main surface · CPC title

• E04F15/02038

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

• E04F2201/026

  with rabbets, e.g. being stepped · CPC title