Floor panel

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12006702-B2
Application number	US-202217701432-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 22, 2022
Priority date	Nov 10, 2016
Publication date	Jun 11, 2024
Grant date	Jun 11, 2024

Abstract

A floor panel with a substrate, including thermoplastic material, a decor provided thereon, and, on at least one pair of opposite edges, coupling parts realized at least partially from the substrate. The coupling parts allow a mechanical locking between two of such floor panels, where the substrate includes a rigid, non-foamed substrate layer of thermoplastic material.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A floor panel comprising a substrate and a decor provided thereon, wherein said substrate comprises a rigid substrate layer of thermoplastic material, and wherein said rigid substrate layer of thermoplastic material is foamed;
wherein the thermoplastic material of said rigid substrate layer is polyvinyl chloride and comprises an impact modifier, a stabilizer, a color pigment and a proportion of fillers between 30 and 70 percent by weight;
wherein said rigid substrate layer has a density between 1300 and 2000 kg/m 3 ;
wherein on at least one pair of opposite edges, said floor panel comprises coupling parts, said coupling parts allowing to effect a mechanical locking between two of such floor panels;
wherein said coupling parts are realized as a tongue and groove connection, the groove being bordered by an upper lip and a lower lip, and wherein the tongue and groove connection comprises locking elements;
wherein said upper lip and said lower lip are at least partially realized from said rigid substrate layer;
wherein said rigid substrate layer comprises plasticizers in an amount of less than 15 phr or does not comprise any plasticizer at all, and wherein said floor panel has a modulus of elasticity of at least 2000 N per square millimeter.

2. The floor panel of claim 1 , wherein the rigid substrate layer comprises plasticizers in an amount of less than 10 phr or less than 5 phr.

3. The floor panel of claim 1 , wherein the thermoplastic material of the rigid substrate layer comprises a proportion of fillers, which proportion is between 45 and 65 percent by weight.

4. The floor panel of claim 1 , wherein said floor panel comprises a glass fiber layer.

5. The floor panel of claim 4 , wherein the glass fiber layer relates to a glass fiber fleece.

6. The floor panel of claim 4 , wherein the glass fiber layer adjoins to the rigid substrate layer.

7. The floor panel of claim 1 , wherein said substrate further comprises a second rigid substrate layer of thermoplastic material in addition to the rigid substrate layer, and wherein said second rigid substrate layer of thermoplastic material is foamed.

8. The floor panel of claim 7 , wherein said floor panel comprises a glass fiber layer, said glass fiber layer is adjacent to the rigid substrate layer and to the second rigid substrate layer, wherein the glass fiber layer is situated in between the rigid and the second rigid substrate layers.

9. The floor panel of claim 1 , wherein the rigid substrate layer comprises one or more rigid substrate layers of thermoplastic material have an overall thickness of at least half of the overall thickness of the floor panel.

10. The floor panel of claim 1 , further comprising a decor on the rigid substrate layer, wherein the decor relates to an imprinted or printed decor.

11. The floor panel of claim 10 , wherein the floor panel comprises a wear and/or lacquer layer provided above the decor.

12. A floor panel comprising a substrate and a decor provided thereon, wherein said substrate comprises a rigid substrate layer of thermoplastic material, and wherein said rigid substrate layer of thermoplastic material is foamed and formed by extrusion of a composition consisting essentially of polyvinyl chloride, an impact modifier, a stabilizer, a color pigment and a proportion of inorganic or mineral filler between 30 and 70 percent by weight;
wherein said rigid substrate layer has a density between 1300 and 2000 kg/m 3 ;
wherein on at least one pair of opposite edges of the substrate, coupling parts are realized at least partially from the substrate, wherein said coupling parts are configured to, in a coupled condition of two such floor panels, effect a mechanical locking at said one pair of opposite edges, wherein said mechanical locking is operative in both a horizontal direction and a vertical direction, said coupling parts being realized as a tongue and groove connection, the groove being bordered by an upper and a lower lip, wherein said tongue and groove connection comprises locking elements in the form of a protrusion at a lower side of the tongue and a recess in an upper side of the lower lip, which, in a coupled condition, counteract the moving apart of the tongue and the groove in a horizontal direction, wherein said mechanical locking is realized by cooperating locking surfaces of said tongue and groove and locking elements;
wherein said upper lip and said lower lip are at least partially realized from said rigid substrate layer;
wherein a center line through said tongue is in said rigid substrate layer and wherein said groove comprises a most inwardly located point, said point being situated in said rigid substrate layer;
wherein zones in which the locking surfaces cooperate are situated at least partially in said rigid substrate layer;
wherein said rigid substrate layer comprises plasticizers in an amount of less than 15 phr or does not comprise any plasticizer at all, wherein a thickness of said rigid substrate layer is at least 65% of an overall thickness of said floor panel;
wherein said overall thickness of said floor panel is between 3 and 10 mm, the floor panel showing a modulus of elasticity or Young's modulus of at least 2000 N per square millimeter.

13. The floor panel according to claim 12 , wherein the thickness of said rigid foamed substrate layer is between 2 and 6 mm.

14. The floor panel according to claim 13 , wherein said decor is chosen from a list consisting of:
a decor printed directly on one or a plurality of base coats provided on said substrate;
a decor printed on a decor carrier, wherein said decor carrier is a thermoplastic film or a paper layer impregnated with a melamine resin; and
a decor being a veneer of wood or stone.

15. The floor panel according to claim 14 , wherein said floor panel comprises a transparent or translucent wear and/or lacquer layer provided on said decor.

16. The floor panel according to claim 15 , wherein said wear layer is a thermoplastic foil having a thickness between 350 and 750 micrometers, or a paper layer impregnated with melamine resin.

17. The floor panel according to claim 16 , wherein a relief is formed in an upper side of said floor panel, wherein said relief reaches deeper than 100 microns, wherein said relief is provided by means of mechanical and/or chemical embossing.

18. The floor panel according to claim 17 , wherein said relief extends into said substrate.

19. The floor panel according to claim 14 , wherein said modulus of elasticity or Young's modulus is at least 3000 N per square millimeter.

20. The floor panel according to claim 19 , wherein said modulus of elasticity or Young's modulus is at least 3500 N per square millimeter.

21. The floor panel according to claim 19 , wherein said coupling parts allow bringing said two of such floor panels in said coupled condition by means of a turning movement as well as by means of a substantially horizontal snap movement.

22. The floor panel according to claim 21 , wherein said lower lip is subjected to bending during said bringing said two of such floor panels in said coupled condition, wherein said lower lip is not broken.

Assignees

• Flooring Ind Ltd Sarl
• Unilin Bv

Inventors

• Van Vlassenrode Kristof
• Brusseel Paul
• Vanhulle Nick
• Bossuyt Jochen

Classifications

• E04F15/102

  of fibrous or chipped materials, e.g. bonded with synthetic resins · CPC title

• B44C5/0407

  containing glass elements · CPC title

• B32B2262/101

  Glass fibres · CPC title

• B32B27/304

  comprising vinyl halide (co)polymers, e.g. PVC, PVDC, PVF, PVDF · CPC title

• B32B27/065

  of foam · CPC title