Floor or wall panel

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12291876-B2
Application number	US-202117797841-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 14, 2021
Priority date	Feb 7, 2020
Publication date	May 6, 2025
Grant date	May 6, 2025

Abstract

The floor or wall panel has a substrate and a top layer applied thereon. The substrate consists mainly of a mineral material. The panel is provided, on at least two opposite edges, with coupling means that allow two such panels to be coupled together at the respective edges, wherein in the coupled state there is locking in the vertical direction perpendicular to the plane of the coupled panels and in the horizontal direction perpendicular to the coupled edges and in the plane of the coupled panels.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A floor or wall panel, comprising a substrate and a top layer applied thereon,
wherein the substrate mainly consists of a mineral material, and in that on first and second edges the panel is provided with coupling means that allow first and second panels arranged as said floor or wall panel to be coupled together at respective edges,
wherein in a coupled state there is locking in a vertical direction perpendicular to a plane of coupled panels arranged as said panel, and in a horizontal direction perpendicular to the coupled first and second edges and in the plane of the coupled panels;
wherein said coupling means of the first edge of the first and second edges comprises at least a male part defined by a tongue;
wherein said coupling means on the second edge of the at least two opposite edges comprise at least a female part defined by a groove,
wherein the groove is flanked by a lower lip and an upper lip, wherein the lower lip contains a locking element,
wherein a bottom edge of the tongue comprises a recess,
wherein, in the coupled state of the first and second panels, a contact between the locking element and the recess provides locking of the coupled panels in a direction perpendicular to the coupled first and second edges coupled and parallel to the plane of the coupled panels;
wherein said tongue comprises a sideways projection formed on the respective edge,
wherein the sideways projection on an upper side thereof adjoins a surface or plane of the edge extending substantially vertically, and
wherein a junction of the upper side of the sideways projection with the surface or plane of the edge extending substantially vertically is free from roundings with a radius less than 0.2 mm and/or in that an angle between vertices formed between adjacent surfaces of the junction is always greater than 150°.

2. The floor or wall panel as in claim 1 ,
wherein the substrate comprises at least three layers,
wherein these at least three layers comprise a first layer, a second layer and a third layer,
wherein each of the first layer, second layer and third layer comprises mineral material,
wherein the second layer is located between the first layer and the third layer,
wherein, of the three layers, the third layer is located closest to a surface of the panel,
wherein the tongue is mainly made in the second layer.

3. The floor or wall panel as in claim 2 , wherein the third layer comprises more filler per unit weight than the second layer, wherein the third layer comprises, per unit weight, at least twice as much filler as the second layer.

4. The floor or wall panel as in claim 2 , wherein the first layer comprises more filler per unit weight than the second layer, wherein the first layer comprises at least twice as much filler per unit weight as the second layer.

5. The floor or wall panel as in claim 1 , wherein the substrate comprises several layers of mineral material,
wherein the several layers of mineral material differ from one another in composition,
wherein the lower lip is mainly made in a first layer of the several layers,
wherein the tongue is mainly made in a second layer of the several layers than the second layer from which the lower lip is mainly made,
wherein the first layer in which the lower lip is mainly made has a higher specific elastic flexibility than the second layer in which the tongue is mainly made.

6. The floor or wall panel as in claim 5 , in which the upper lip is mainly made in a third layer of the several layers that has a lower elastic flexibility than the first layer in which the lower lip is mainly made.

7. A floor or wall panel, comprising a substrate and a top layer applied thereon,
wherein the substrate mainly consists of a mineral material, and in that on at least opposite first and second edges the panel is provided with coupling means that allow first and second panels arranged as said floor or wall panel to be coupled together at respective edges,
wherein in a coupled state there is locking in a vertical direction perpendicular to a plane of coupled panels arranged as said panel, and in a horizontal direction perpendicular to the coupled first and second edges and in the plane of the coupled panels;
wherein said coupling means of the first edge of the first and second edges comprises at least a male part defined by a tongue;
wherein said coupling means on the second edge of the first and second edges comprise at least a female part defined by a groove,
wherein the groove is flanked by a lower lip and an upper lip, wherein the lower lip contains a locking element,
wherein a bottom edge of the tongue comprises a recess,
wherein, in the coupled state of the first and second panels, a contact between the locking element and the recess provides locking of the coupled panels in a direction perpendicular to the edges coupled and parallel to the plane of the coupled panels;
wherein the groove is flanked by a lower lip and an upper lip,
wherein a lower surface of the upper lip adjoins a most inward located portion of the groove, and
wherein a junction of the lower surface of the upper lip with the most inward located portion of the groove is free from roundings with a radius less than 0.2 mm and/or in that an angle between vertices formed between adjacent surfaces of the junction is always greater than 150°.

8. The floor or wall panel as in claim 7 , wherein the substrate comprises at least three layers,
wherein the at least three layers comprise a first layer, a second layer and a third layer,
wherein each of the first layer, second layer and third layer comprises mineral material,
wherein the second layer is located between the first layer and the third layer,
wherein, of the three layers, the third layer is located closest to the surface of the panel,
wherein the lower lip is mainly made in the first layer.

9. The floor or wall panel as in claim 8 , wherein the third layer comprises more filler per unit weight than the second layer, wherein the third layer comprises, per unit weight, at least twice as much filler as the second layer.

10. The floor or wall panel as in claim 8 , wherein the first layer comprises more filler per unit weight than the second layer, wherein the first layer comprises at least twice as much filler per unit weight as the second layer.

11. The floor or wall panel as in claim 7 , wherein the substrate comprises several layers of mineral material,
wherein the several layers of mineral material differ from one another in composition,
wherein the lower lip is mainly made in a first layer of the several layers,
wherein the tongue is mainly made in a second layer of the several layers than the second layer from which the lower lip is mainly made,
wherein the first layer in which the lower lip is mainly made has a higher specific elastic flexibility than the second layer in which the tongue is mainly made.

12. The floor or wall panel as in claim 11 , in which the upper lip is mainly made in a third layer of the several layers that has a lower elastic flexibility than the first layer in which the lower lip is mainly made.

13. A floor or wall panel, comprising a substrate and a top layer applied thereon,
wherein the substrate mainly consists of a mineral material, and in that on first and second edges the panel is provided with coupling means that allow first and second panels arranged as said floor or wall panel to be coupled together at respective edges,
wherein in a coupled state there is locking in a vertical direction perpendicular to a plane of coupled panels arranged as said panel, and in a horizontal direction perpendicular to th

Assignees

• Flooring Ind Ltd Sarl
• Unilin Bv

Inventors

• De Rick Jan
• Clement Benjamin
• Meirlaen José
• Seynaeve Marijn

Classifications

• E04F2201/043

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

• E04F2201/042

  with grooves positioned on the rear-side of the panel · CPC title

• E04F2201/023

  with a continuous tongue or groove · CPC title

• E04F2201/0153

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

• E04F2201/0107

  by moving the sheets, plates or panels substantially in their own plane, perpendicular to the abutting edges · CPC title