Floor panel for forming a floor covering

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11512479-B2
Application number	US-202016952421-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 19, 2020
Priority date	Jan 16, 2015
Publication date	Nov 29, 2022
Grant date	Nov 29, 2022

Abstract

A floor panel for forming a floor covering, wherein this floor panel is at least composed of a substrate; wherein the floor panel, on at least one pair of opposite edges, comprises coupling parts, which coupling parts allow that two of such floor panels can be coupled to each other by means of a downward movement of one floor panel in respect to the other floor panel; wherein these coupling parts, in the coupled condition of two of such floor panels, form a first locking system, which effects a locking in a first direction perpendicular to the plane of the floor panels, and form a second locking system, which effects a locking in a second direction perpendicular to the edges and in the plane of the floor panels.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A floor panel comprising a substrate and coupling parts on a pair of opposite edges allowing to couple two of such floor panels to each other by means of a downward movement of one floor panel with respect to the other, wherein the coupling parts include a first locking system configured to effect a locking in a direction perpendicular to a plane of coupled floor panels and a second locking system configured to effect a locking in a direction perpendicular to coupled edges and in the plane of coupled floor panels;
wherein the coupling parts substantially are formed of a material of the substrate and are realized in one piece with the substrate;
wherein the second locking system includes a downward-directed upper hook-shaped part situated on one of the edges and an upward-directed lower hook-shaped part situated on the other edge, the hook-shaped parts being engageable behind each other by means of the downward movement;
wherein the upper hook-shaped part includes a lip with a downward-directed locking element and the lower hook-shaped part includes a lip with an upward-directed locking element;
wherein the first locking system comprises locking parts situated at a distal extremity of the upper hook-shaped part and at a proximal extremity of the edge comprising the lower hook-shaped part respectively;
wherein the lip of the lower hook-shaped part has an incision on a lower side of the lip extending inwardly from a distal extremity of the lower hook-shaped part,
wherein the floor panel is configured such that in coupled condition of a first panel of such floor panels and a second panel of such floor panels at a pair of opposite edges a contact is formed between a distal side of the upward-directed locking element of the first panel and an edge of the coupled second floor panel.

2. The floor panel of claim 1 , wherein said contact extends up to a certain distance from the lower side of the floor panel, such that a space is provided below said contact between the upward-directed locking element and the edge of the coupled panel.

3. The floor panel of claim 1 , wherein the incision extends inwardly starting from the distal extremity of the lower hook-shaped part and at least up to a location where the locking elements cooperate with each other.

4. The floor panel of claim 1 , wherein the lip of the upper hook-shaped part has an underside including a first surface and a second, more inwardly and lower situated second surface.

5. The floor panel of claim 1 , wherein the upward-directed locking element has an upper side running inclinedly downward in a direction towards the distal extremity of the lower hook-shaped part.

6. The floor panel of claim 1 , wherein the incision allows that the lip of the lower hook-shaped part is bendable downward to allow the edge of the second panel of such floor panels, during coupling of the floor panels, to be pressed downward until a locking position is achieved between the floor panels.

7. The floor panel of claim 1 , wherein the incision has an upper side that is situated substantially parallel to the plane of coupled floor panels.

8. The floor panel of claim 1 , wherein the floor panel is configured such that in coupled condition of two such floor panels at their pair of opposite edges, no locking in the direction perpendicular to the plane of the coupled floor panels is provided at the contact between the proximal end of the upward-directed locking element and the proximal end of the downward-directed locking element.

Assignees

• Flooring Ind Ltd Sarl

Inventors

• Devos Pieter

Classifications

• E04F2201/041

  Tongues or grooves with slits or cuts for expansion or flexibility · CPC title

• E04F2201/023

  with a continuous tongue or groove · CPC title

• E04F2201/0169

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

• E04F15/105

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

• E04F2201/0138

  by moving the sheets, plates or panels perpendicular to the main plane · CPC title