Floor panel

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-8950148-B2
Application number	US-201013265705-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 22, 2010
Priority date	Apr 22, 2009
Publication date	Feb 10, 2015
Grant date	Feb 10, 2015

Abstract

A floor panel for a floor covering includes a pair of two opposite sides having coupling parts allowing to couple the floor panel to similar floor panels. The coupling parts, in a coupled condition, provide locking in vertical and horizontal directions. The floor panel has a core including two core material parts provided as a sandwich structure between an upper layer and a bottom layer, and respectively extending up to one of the two sides. A locking element is in the form of an insert located at one of the sides of the coupling parts, and is mounted in the core material part. The locking element is of the type which, in the coupled condition of two of such floor panels, effects a locking in a vertical direction. The two core material parts include a different basic material or a basic material with different properties.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A floor panel for forming a floor covering, wherein the floor panel comprises at least one pair of two opposite sides;
wherein the floor panel, at said pair of opposite sides, comprises coupling parts configured to couple the floor panel to similar floor panels;
wherein the coupling parts, in a coupled condition, are locked with corresponding similar coupling parts of said similar floor panels in a vertical direction and in a horizontal direction;
wherein the floor panel has a core including at least two core material parts, the core is provided as a sandwich structure between an upper layer and a bottom layer, said core extending from one of said opposite sides to the other of said opposite sides so the upper and bottom layers are maintained spaced apart by the at least two core material parts along a longitudinal length of the panel, and said at least two core material parts each extend to a respective one of said at least two opposite sides, wherein each of the at least two core material parts is located adjacently below said upper layer and adjacently above said bottom layer;
wherein at least one of the coupling parts comprises a locking element configured as an insert, the insert being mounted in one of said at least two core material parts, wherein the locking element, in the coupled condition, provides a locking in the vertical direction between said floor panel and one of said similar floor panels; and
wherein said at least two core material parts are formed of different materials or materials having different properties.

2. The floor panel of claim 1 , wherein the floor panel is rectangular and oblong and wherein the at least one pair of two opposite sides comprises one pair of opposite short sides and one pair of opposite long sides, wherein said core material parts are situated at the opposite short sides.

3. The floor panel of claim 1 , wherein said locking element is configured to lock said floor panel with one of said similar floor panels in said vertical direction, wherein portions of the coupling parts not including the locking element are formed substantially in one piece with said at least two core material parts.

4. The floor panel of claim 1 , wherein said locking element includes a locking strip, the locking strip being provided at a recess in the core.

5. The floor panel of claim 4 , wherein the coupling parts are arranged to allow said floor panel to be coupled to said one of said similar floor panels by a movement in the vertical direction, said one of said similar floor panels being adjacent to said floor panel, and wherein the locking strip includes an attachment portion and a blocking portion movable with respect to the attachment portion, the blocking portion cooperating with a locking edge of said one of said similar floor panels.

6. The floor panel of claim 1 , wherein the floor panel is a parquet panel, wherein the upper and bottom layers each comprise a wood material.

7. The floor panel of claim 1 , wherein said core is composed of the at least two core material parts situated at said two opposite sides, and one or more intermediate core material parts, each of the core material parts situated at said two opposite sides being strip-shaped material parts.

8. The floor panel of claim 7 , wherein the one or more intermediate core material parts comprises additional strip-shaped material parts.

9. The floor panel of claim 7 , wherein one of the core material parts situated at said two opposite sides and the one or more intermediate core material parts consist of the same material.

10. The floor panel of claim 1 , wherein only one of the core material parts situated at said two opposite sides is provided with said locking element and said one of the core material parts consists of wood fiberboard.

11. The floor panel of claim 10 , wherein the wood fiberboard is selected from the group consisting MDF and HDF.

12. The floor panel of claim 1 , wherein the at least two core material parts are adjacent to one another and define the core.

Assignees

• De Boe Lode
• Flooring Ind Ltd Sarl

Inventors

• De Boe Lode

Classifications

• 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

• E04F15/02 Primary

  Flooring or floor layers composed of a number of similar elements (of webs E04F15/16) · CPC title

• E04F2201/0523

  Separate tongues; Interlocking keys, e.g. joining mouldings of circular, square or rectangular shape · CPC title

• E04F2201/044

  with tongues or grooves comprising elements which are not manufactured in one piece with the sheets, plates or panels but which are permanently fixedly connected to the sheets, plates or panels, e.g. at the factory · CPC title