Panel

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11230846-B2
Application number	US-202016918313-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 1, 2020
Priority date	May 8, 2014
Publication date	Jan 25, 2022
Grant date	Jan 25, 2022

Abstract

A panel having at least one pair of complementary locking means at opposite panel edges, wherein at least one pair of the locking means is provided with complementary hook profile portions, wherein at least one of the hook profile portions has a compression region.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. Two panels, each having a body, opposite panel edges, and at least one pair of complementary locking structures at opposite panel edges, wherein the at least one pair of the locking structures comprises a receiving hook and an arresting hook, wherein the arresting hook of one panel fits into the receiving hook of the other panel;
wherein the arresting hook has an arresting contour and the receiving hook has a positively locking contour;
wherein the arresting contour and the positively locking contour are compressible and consist of a material having a Brinell hardness in a range of 30-90 N/mm 2 and a modulus of elasticity in a range between 3000 and 7000 N/mm 2 so the arresting contour and positively locking contour have increased compressibility involving elastic deformation to produce a positive locking connection between the arresting contour and positively locking contour upon insertion of the arresting contour into the positively locking contour;
wherein there is a gap between a latching surface of a female latching element and a latching surface of a male latching element in a locked condition of the two panels, said gap is about a few tenths of a millimeter or about 0.1 mm.

2. The panels according to claim 1 , wherein the arresting contour and positively locking contour are arranged at an outwardly directed surface of one of the panel edges.

3. The panels according to claim 1 , each comprising a top side and an underside,
wherein the positively locking contour of each receiving hook has remote from the body a hook edge and arranged closer to the body a receiving recess,
wherein the receiving recess is open to the top side,
wherein each arresting contour of each arresting hook has an arresting recess arranged closer to the body and open to the underside, and has an arresting step arranged remote from the body and insertable into the receiving recess of the receiving hook of the other panel in a joining direction perpendicular to a plane of the panels,
wherein the arresting contour of each arresting hook is vertically acting, and each arresting hook has a transverse joining surface remote from the body,
wherein the receiving hook has a transverse joining surface closer to the body than the transverse joining surface of the arresting hook and the positively locking contour which fits together in positively locking relationship with the arresting contour remote from the body is closer to the body so that locking can be implemented perpendicularly to a plane of assembled panels, and the arresting hook has closer to the body a horizontal locking surface at its arresting step,
wherein the receiving hook has remote from the body a horizontal locking surface in the receiving recess,
wherein a receiving opening is formed at the receiving hook, the arresting step being insertable through the receiving opening into the receiving recess substantially in the joining direction,
wherein the arresting contour and the positively locking contour form an upper latching means in which the arresting contour of the arresting hook has a female latching element or a male latching element, and the positively locking contour of the receiving hook has a female latching element or male latching element complementary to the arresting contour,
wherein the male latching element and female latching element of the arresting hook and of the receiving hook comprise said material having Brinell hardness in the range of 30-90 N/mm 2 and modulus of elasticity in the range between 3000 and 7000 N/mm 2 .

4. The panels according to claim 3 , wherein the hook edge of the receiving hook and the arresting recess of the arresting hook form a lower latching means in which remote from the body at the hook edge of the receiving hook there is provided a female latching element or a male latching element, and wherein close to the body the arresting recess has a female latching element complementary thereto or a male latching element.

5. The panels according to claim 3 , further comprising a lower latching means comprising a lower female or male latching element on a lower arresting contour of the arresting hook and a lower female or male latching element on a lower positively locking contour of the receiving hook complementary to the female latching element or male latching element on the lower arresting contour of the arresting hook.

6. The panels according to claim 3 , wherein the body at least partially comprises a wood material.

7. The panels according to claim 3 , wherein the body at least partially comprises a plastic.

8. The panels according to claim 1 , wherein at least one material recess is provided in the arresting contour and the at least one material recess locally imparts compressibility.

9. The panels according to claim 1 , wherein the locking structures consist of a groove profile portion with an undercut in a groove wall and in matching relationship therewith a tongue profile portion with undercut on the corresponding side of the tongue.

10. The panels according to claim 1 , wherein each panel has a carrier plate produced by means of a method which has at least the following method steps:
a) providing a pourable carrier material, in particular a granulate,
b) arranging the carrier material between two belt-like conveyor means,
c) shaping the carrier material under the action of temperature with the production of a web-form carrier,
d) compressing the carrier, and
e) processing the carrier under the action of pressure using a two-belt press, wherein the carrier is cooled in or upstream of the two-belt press.

11. The panels according to claim 10 , wherein the carrier plate is produced by means of a method which has at least one additional method step f) in which further cooling of the carrier is effected prior to subsequent further processing operation.

12. The panels according to claim 1 , wherein the ribs of the positively locking contour have a triangular cross-section.

13. Two panels, each having a body, opposite panel edges, and at least one pair of complementary locking structures at opposite panel edges, wherein the at least one pair of the locking structures comprises a receiving hook and an arresting hook, wherein the arresting hook of one panel fits into the receiving hook of the other panel;
wherein the arresting hook has an arresting contour and the receiving hook has a positively locking contour;
wherein the arresting contour and the positively locking contour are compressible and consist of a material having a Brinell hardness in a range of 40-90 N/mm 2 and a modulus of elasticity in a range between 3000 and 7000 N/mm 2 so the arresting contour and positively locking contour have compressibility involving elastic deformation to produce a positive locking connection between the arresting contour and positively locking contour upon insertion of the arresting contour into the positively locking contour;
wherein the arresting contour comprises a comb-like configuration of ribs and groove-shaped gaps.

14. The panels according to claim 13 , wherein the ribs of the arresting contour have a triangular cross-section.

15. Two panels, each having a body, opposite panel edges, and at least one pair of complementary locking structures at opposite panel edges, wherein the at least one pair of the locking structures comprises a receiving hook and an arresting hook, wherein the arresting hook of one panel fits into the receiving hook of the other panel;
wherein the arresting hook has an arresting contour and the receiving hook has a positively locking contour;
wherein the arresting contour and the p

Assignees

• Akzenta Paneele Profile Gmbh

Inventors

• Hannig Hans-Jürgen
• Loebel Arne

Classifications

• E04F15/02038 Primary

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

• E04F15/105

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

• E04F2201/0146

  with snap action of the edge connectors · CPC title

• E04F13/0894

  with tongue and groove connections · CPC title