Floor panel for forming a floor covering

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12497785-B2
Application number	US-202418602771-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 12, 2024
Priority date	Jan 16, 2015
Publication date	Dec 16, 2025
Grant date	Dec 16, 2025

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 for forming a floor covering, wherein this floor panel is at least composed of a substrate; wherein the floor panel comprises first coupling parts on at least one pair of opposite edges, wherein the first coupling parts, in a coupled condition of two of such floor panels, form a first locking system which effects a locking in a first direction perpendicular to a plane of the floor panels, as well as 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;
wherein said first coupling parts substantially are formed of the material of said substrate and are realized in one piece therewith; wherein the second locking system is formed at least of a downward-directed upper hook-shaped part which is situated on a first edge of said pair of opposite edges, as well as an upward-directed lower hook-shaped part which is situated on a second edge of said pair of opposite edges, which the hook-shaped parts can be engaged behind each other; wherein said upper hook-shaped part consists of a lip with a downward-directed locking element, whereas said lower hook-shaped part consists of a lip with an upward-directed locking element; wherein said first locking system comprises locking parts in the form of a protrusion, which, in the coupled condition of two of such floor panels, cooperates with an undercut, wherein said protrusion is situated in the proximity of the distal extremity of the upper hook-shaped part and wherein said undercut is situated in the proximity of a proximal extremity of the lower hook-shaped part; wherein said upper hook-shaped part is provided with a support surface with which this upper hook-shaped part, in the coupled condition of two of such floor panels, rests on the lip of the lower hook-shaped part; wherein said lip of the upper hook-shaped part is provided with an upward-directed recess in which said upward-directed locking element, in the coupled condition of two of such floor panels, is situated at least partially; wherein the most upward-situated point of the upward-directed recess is situated higher than said support surface, which in turn is situated higher than the most downward-situated point of said downward-directed locking element; and wherein the distal extremity of said protrusion is situated farther distal than a vertical closing surface whereat two of such floor panels meet and close in the closed condition, wherein the vertical closing surface is located above and over the protrusion, and between an upper side of the floor panel and the protrusion.

2 . The floor panel according to claim 1 , wherein a distance between the upper side of the floor panel and a most downward-situated point of said downward-directed locking element is at least 1.1 times larger than a distance between the upper side of the floor panel and a most downward-situated point of said support surface.

3 . The floor panel according to claim 1 , wherein a distance between the upper side of the floor panel and a most downward-situated point of said support surface is at least 1.2 times larger than a distance between the upper side of the floor panel and a most upward-situated point of said upward-directed recess.

4 . The floor panel according to claim 1 , wherein a distance between the upper side of the floor panel and a most upward-situated point of said upward-directed recess is less than half of the overall thickness of the floor panel.

5 . The floor panel according to claim 1 , wherein a proximal extremity of the upper hook-shaped part is free from locking parts.

6 . The floor panel according to claim 1 , wherein a distal extremity of the lower hook-shaped part is free from locking parts.

7 . The floor panel according to claim 1 , wherein said support surface is situated substantially horizontal.

8 . The floor panel according to claim 1 , wherein said lip of the lower hook-shaped part is provided with a downward-directed recess in which said downward-directed locking element, in the coupled condition of two of such floor panels, is situated at least partially;
wherein the support surface, is situated higher than a most downward-situated point of said downward-directed recess.

9 . The floor panel according to claim 8 , wherein a distance between a lower side of the floor panel and a most upward-situated point of said upward-directed locking element is at least 1.1 times larger than a distance between the lower side of the floor panel and a most downward-situated point of said support surface.

10 . The floor panel according to claim 8 , wherein a distance between a lower side of the floor panel and a most upward-situated point of said upward-directed locking element is more than half of the overall thickness of the floor panel.

11 . The floor panel according to claim 1 , wherein the lip of the lower hook-shaped part comprises an incision on a lower side of this lip, which the incision extends in horizontal direction from a distal side of the upward-directed locking element towards a proximal side of the lower hook-shaped part.

12 . The floor panel according to claim 1 , wherein, in the coupled condition of two of such floor panels, a space is present in the entire intermediary space between a distal side of the upward-directed locking element of a fist floor panel of such floor panels and an edge of a second floor panel of such floor panels, wherein said space extends up to beneath the lip of the upper hook-shaped part.

13 . The floor panel according to claim 1 , wherein, in the coupled condition of two of such floor panels, a space is present underneath the downward-directed locking element, wherein said space extends from said support surface up to where the upward-directed and downward-directed locking elements work in conjunction for effecting the locking in the second direction perpendicular to the edges and in the plane of the floor panels.

14 . The floor panel according to claim 1 , wherein, in the coupled condition of two of such floor panels, a space is present, which extends from said support surface up to said protrusion.

15 . The floor panel according to claim 1 , wherein, in the coupled condition of two of such floor panels, a space is present, which is situated above the protrusion.

16 . The floor panel according to claim 1 , wherein the first coupling parts are made massive.

17 . The floor panel according to claim 1 , wherein said downward-directed locking element is provided with a locking surface of a first panel of such floor panels, the locking surface, in the coupled condition of the first panel and a second panel of such floor panels, cooperates with a adapted thereto locking surface of the upward-directed locking element of the lower hook-shaped part of the second panel, wherein the locking surfaces, where they work in conjunction, define a tangent line which is situated vertically or does not deviate more than 45 degrees from the vertical.

18 . The floor panel according to claim 1 , wherein said protrusion and said undercut are provided with locking surfaces, which there, where they cooperate, define a tangent line, which is horizontal or does not deviate more than 60 degrees from the horizontal.

19 . The floor panel according to claim 1 , wherein the floor panel substantially consists of a laminate panel with the substrate being formed of MDF or HDF or as an engineered wood panel.

20 . The floor panel according to claim 1 , wherein the floor p

Assignees

• Unilin Bv

Inventors

• Devos Pieter

Classifications

• E04F2201/041

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

• E04F2201/03

  Undercut connections, e.g. using undercut tongues or grooves · 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

• 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