Building panel with mechanical locking device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12338635-B2
Application number	US-202217842122-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 16, 2022
Priority date	Jun 18, 2021
Publication date	Jun 24, 2025
Grant date	Jun 24, 2025

Abstract

A set of building panels, such as floor or wall panels, having a mechanical locking device at opposite first and second edge portions, such as short edges, configured for horizontal locking of similar or essentially identical panels in an assembled position by means of displacement in an engagement direction, such as a vertical direction, of the second edge portion of a second panel relative the first edge portion of an adjacent first panel. The second edge portion has a locking groove configured to receive a locking element of the first edge portion of an adjacent first panel by means of the displacement. An outer portion of the locking element, such as in a horizontal direction transverse the first edge portion, is configured to cooperate with an inner portion of the locking groove for positioning, such as horizontal positioning, respective upper edge portions of the first and second edge portions during assembling.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A set of building panels, wherein each building panel comprises:
a front surface and a back surface each extending between a first edge portion and an opposite second edge portion, and between a third edge portion and an opposite fourth edge portion, wherein the back surface is parallel to the front surface and is offset in a direction perpendicular to the front surface, wherein the panels have a lengthwise extension between the first edge portion and the opposite second edge portion, and
a mechanical locking device arranged at the opposite first and second edge portions, configured for locking, in a direction parallel and/or perpendicular to the front surface, of similar or essentially identical building panels in an assembled position, by displacement in an engagement direction of the second edge portion of a second building panel relative the first edge portion of an adjacent first panel,
wherein said mechanical locking device, at said second edge portion, comprises a locking groove configured to receive a locking element of the mechanical locking device arranged at said first edge portion of the adjacent first building panel, by said displacement, the locking groove having an inner portion and an outer portion which face one another, the inner portion of the locking groove being located between the outer portion of the locking groove and a center of the building panel,
wherein an outer portion of said locking element is configured to cooperate with the inner portion of said locking groove, while the lengthwise extension of the first building panel remains essentially parallel to the lengthwise extension of the second building panel, for displacing an upper edge portion of said second edge portion of the second building panel in relation to an upper edge portion of said first edge portion of the adjacent first building panel during the displacement in the engagement direction of the second building panel during the assembling, and
wherein said upper edge portion of said second edge portion of the second building panel and the upper edge portion of said first edge portion of the adjacent first building panel are configured to cooperate in an assembled position.

2. The set of building panels according to claim 1 , wherein said outer portion of said locking element and said inner portion of said locking groove are configured to cooperate such that a displacement of the second edge of the second building panel in the engagement direction causes displacement of the upper edge portions of the second edge portion of the second building panel in the direction parallel to the upper surface away from the upper edge portion of the first edge portion of the adjacent first building panel.

3. The set of building panels according to claim 2 , wherein said outer portion of said locking element and said inner portion of said locking groove are configured to cooperate such that the displacement in the engagement direction causes the upper edge portions of the first and second edge portions of the two adjacent building panels to become immediately juxtaposed after the displacement of the upper edge portions of the second edge portion of the second building panel in the direction parallel to the upper surface away from the upper edge portion of the first edge portion of the adjacent first building panel.

4. The set of building panels according to claim 2 , wherein the displacement of the upper edge portion of the second edge of the second building panel in the direction parallel to the upper surface away from the upper edge portion of the first edge portion of the adjacent first building panel is achieved by a guiding surface of the locking groove at the second edge portion of the second building panel and a guiding surface of the locking element at the first edge portion of the adjacent first building panel when in contact with each other.

5. The set of building panels according to claim 1 , wherein said upper edge portions of said first and second edge portions of the two adjacent building panels are, in the assembled position, juxtaposed to form a vertical plane, wherein the mechanical locking device at the first edge portion further comprises a locking strip projecting beyond said vertical plane and wherein said locking strip comprises said locking element for locking said first and second building panel in the direction parallel to the front surface, preventing the first and second building panel from parting in a direction parallel to the front surface, transverse said first and second edge portions.

6. The set of building panels according to claim 4 , wherein said locking element further comprises an impact surface and wherein said locking groove further comprises an impact surface, wherein the respective impact surfaces are configured to, when in contact with each other, cooperate with each other for maintaining the displacement of the upper edge portion of the second edge of the second building panel in the direction parallel to the upper surface away from the upper edge portion of the first edge portion of the adjacent first building panel achieved by the guiding surfaces.

7. The set of building panels according to claim 6 , wherein a first distance between the upper edge portion of the first edge portion and the impact surface of said locking element corresponds to a second distance between the upper edge portion of the second edge portion and the impact surface of said locking groove.

8. The set of building panels according to claim 1 , wherein the second edge portion of the second building panel is displaced laterally, during assembling, from an initial position to an assembled position, wherein at said initial position the upper edge portions of the first and second edge portions are not abutting and are positioned on opposite sides of a plane being parallel to the front surface of the first building panel; and wherein at said assembling position the upper edge portions of the first and second edge portions are arranged in a common plane parallel to the front surface of the building panels.

9. The set of building panel according to claim 1 , wherein the second edge portion of the second building panel is displaced laterally, during assembling, from an initial position to an assembled position, wherein at said initial position the upper edge portions of the first and second edge portions are not abutting and are positioned on opposite sides of a plane being perpendicular to the front surface of the first building panel; and wherein at said assembled position the upper edge portions of the first and second edge portions are arranged in a common plane perpendicular to the front surface of the building panels.

10. The set of building panels according to claim 4 , wherein the guiding surfaces of the locking groove and the locking element are configured such that when the second edge portion of the second building panel is displaced from the initial position to the assembled position, the guiding surfaces cooperate with each other prior to when at least a portion of the upper edge portions of the first and second edge portion are juxtaposed and/or while the upper edge portion of the first and second edge portion are positioned on opposite sides of a plane parallel to the front surface of the first building panel.

11. The set of building panels according to claim 1 , wherein the displacement of the upper edge portion of the second edge of the second building panel in the direction parallel to the upper surface towards the upper edge portion of the first edge portion of the adjacent first building panel is achieved by a locking surface of the locking groove at the second edge portion of the second bu

Assignees

• Vaelinge Innovation Ab

Inventors

• Boo Christian

Classifications

• E04F2201/023

  with a continuous tongue or groove · CPC title

• 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

• E04F2201/0535

  adapted for snap locking · CPC title

• E04F2201/0138

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