Floor panel for forming a floor covering

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12158014-B2
Application number	US-202318450106-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 15, 2023
Priority date	Jan 15, 2016
Publication date	Dec 3, 2024
Grant date	Dec 3, 2024

Abstract

A floor panel for forming a floor covering includes a pair of edges provided with coupling parts allowing to couple two of such floor panels to each other by means of a rotation movement. The coupling parts are realized in the form of a tongue and a groove with locking parts. The groove is bordered by an upper lip and a lower lip which comprises a locking part in the form of an upward-directed locking part. The upward-directed part extends over a height which is more than 0.1 times the thickness of the floor panel.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A floor panel for forming a floor covering, the floor panel comprising a substrate, and a decorative top layer situated above the substrate; said floor panel having a thickness defined by said substrate and decorative top layer;
wherein the substrate includes at least a first layer that is formed of a composition that includes a thermoplastic synthetic material selected from the following group: polyvinyl chloride, polyethylene, polypropylene, polyethylene terephthalate or a combination of two or more of said thermoplastic synthetic materials of said group;
wherein the first layer forms at least half of said thickness of the floor panel, and wherein the composition further comprises at least inorganic fillers selected from talc, chalk or limestone, or,
wherein the composition comprises organic fillers selected from wood or bamboo particles;
wherein said composition of the first layer is free of plasticizers or includes plasticizers in an amount of less than 5 parts per hundred (phr) weight parts of the thermoplastic synthetic material;
wherein the top layer comprises a decor and a transparent or translucent wear layer situated above the decor;
wherein the floor panel is rectangular, either oblong or square, and comprises a first pair of opposite edges and a second pair of opposite edges;
wherein the first pair of opposite edges is provided with first coupling parts, which allow effecting a coupled condition between two of such floor panels by means of a rotation movement around an axis parallel to a plane of the floor covering and parallel to the edges to be coupled;
wherein the second pair of opposite edges is provided with second coupling parts, which allow effecting a coupled condition between two of such floor panels;
wherein the first coupling parts substantially are manufactured of the material of said first layer and substantially are realized in the form of a tongue and a groove, which are provided with locking parts, which, in the coupled condition of two of such floor panels, counteract the moving apart of the coupled floor panels in a direction perpendicular to the coupled edges and parallel to the plane of the floor covering;
wherein the groove is bordered by an upper lip and a lower lip, which the lower lip, in distal direction, extends beyond a distal end of the upper lip, and, a portion of the lower lip that extends beyond the distal end of the upper lip comprises one of said locking parts in the form of an upward-directed part;
wherein said locking parts include locking surfaces to counter the moving apart of the coupled floor panels;
wherein a space defined on a lower side of the tongue, said space extending from a contact of said locking surfaces to beyond a distal end of the upper lip;
wherein a horizontal distance between a most proximally situated point of the groove and the distal end of the upper lip is between 0.3 and 0.6 times the thickness of the floor panel; and
wherein in the coupled condition of two of such floor panels, a first contact is formed between an upper side of the tongue and a lower side of the upper lip, said first contact comprising, seen from the distal end of the upper lip towards the most proximally situated point of the groove, downwardly inclined locking surfaces.

2. The floor panel of claim 1 , wherein the locking surfaces define a tangent line forming an angle with the plane of the floor covering which is between 50 and 80 degrees.

3. The floor panel of claim 1 , wherein said upward-directed part extends over a height which is more than 0.1 times said thickness of the floor panel.

4. The floor panel of claim 1 , wherein the most upward-situated point of said upward-directed part is situated at a height in respect to an underside of the floor panel, which is at least 0.45 times said thickness of the floor panel; wherein said height of the most upward-situated point of the upward-directed part is maximum 0.75 times said thickness of the floor panel.

5. The floor panel of claim 1 , wherein said lower lip extends over a horizontal distance beyond the distal end of the upper lip of less than 1.5 times said thickness of the floor panel; and/or
wherein said lower lip extends over a horizontal distance beyond the distal end of the upper lip of at least 0.85 times the thickness of the floor panel.

6. The floor panel of claim 1 , wherein the first layer is foamed.

7. The floor panel of claim 1 , wherein said thickness of the floor panel is a maximum of 8 mm and/or is at least 4 mm.

8. The floor panel of claim 1 , wherein the first coupling parts are configured such that in coupled condition of the floor panel at its first pair of opposite edges with another of such floor panel, a distal end of the lower lip of the floor panel is separated from the another of such floor panel.

9. The floor panel of claim 1 ,
wherein proximally from the distal end of the upper lip a second contact is formed between a lower side of the tongue and an upper side of the lower lip.

10. The floor panel of claim 1 , wherein said space present on a lower side of the tongue which extends up to a second contact formed between the lower side of the tongue and the upper side of the lower lip.

11. The floor panel of claim 1 , wherein 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;
wherein 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;
wherein the horizontally active locking system of a 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 of the second pair of edges, and 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 comprises a lip with a downward-directed locking element forming a male part.

12. The floor panel of claim 11 , wherein in the coupled condition at the second pair of opposite edges of two of the floor panels, the distal end of the upward-directed lower hook-shaped part is separated from the opposite panel edge.

13. The floor panel of claim 12 , wherein the second coupling parts comprise a first vertically active locking system including vertically active locking parts, which, by means of respective contact surfaces, define at least a first contact zone which is provided between a distal end of the upward directed locking element and a distal end of the downward directed locking element, wherein the first contact zone is an inclined contact zone, wherein said inclined contact zone effects a locking in the plane of the floor panels and perpendicular to the respective edges;
wherein the second vertically active locking system comprises vertically active locking parts, which, by means of respective contact surfaces, define at least a second contact zone which is provided between a distal end of the downward-directed locking element and a proximal end of the upward-directed lower hook-shaped part.

14. The floor panel of claim 13 , wherein the downward-direct locking element and the upward-directed locking element are manufactured substantially in said first layer;
wherein the first coupling parts are configured such that in coupled condition

Assignees

• Flooring Ind Ltd Sarl
• Unilin Bv

Inventors

• Devos Pieter

Classifications

• E04F2201/043

  with tongues and grooves being formed by projecting or recessed parts of the panel layers · CPC title

• E04F2201/023

  with a continuous tongue or groove · CPC title

• E04F2201/0138

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

• B32B2419/04

  Tiles for floors or walls · CPC title

• B32B3/06

  for securing layers together; for attaching the product to another member, e.g. to a support {, or to another product, e.g. groove/tongue, interlocking} · CPC title