Mechanical locking system for floor panels

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9238917-B2
Application number	US-201314138330-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 23, 2013
Priority date	Oct 22, 2004
Publication date	Jan 19, 2016
Grant date	Jan 19, 2016

Abstract

Floor panels with a flexible tongue in an insertion groove, the flexible tongue is designed to cooperate, in a connected state with a tongue groove of another panel, the panels are adapted to be locked together by vertical folding, the flexible tongue has a projection portion which, in a connected state projects outside the insertion groove and cooperates with the tongue groove, said projecting portion has a beveled and/or rounded sliding surface and the panels have a sliding surface adapted to cooperate therewith during vertical folding, the flexible tongue during the vertical folding is displaced twice in the horizontal direction, a first displacement is effected by the vertical folding of the fold panel whereby at least a part of the flexible tongue is bent, a second displacement of the flexible tongue towards its initial position is accomplished substantially by a spring effect caused by said bending of said flexible tongue.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A floor panel having an edge portion presenting a sidewardly open groove, in which a tongue formed as a separate part is received, wherein a part of the tongue is resiliently displaceable in a main plane of the floor panel, and
wherein the tongue is of an elongated shape and has a width and a longitudinal direction which extends from a first edge part to a second edge part along a length of the edge portion so as to extend parallel to the main plane and perpendicular to the width, and a length of the tongue in the longitudinal direction is greater than the width of the tongue, said tongue is configured to take a position with the first edge part within an uppermost edge of the edge portion and the second edge part protruding beyond the uppermost edge of the edge portion, the tongue comprises an upper surface and a lower surface, one of the upper surface and the lower surface has a beveled edge extending to a tip of the second edge part, and the other of the upper surface and the lower surface has a wall extending to the tip of the second edge part, and the length of the beveled edge is greater than the length of the wall.

2. The floor panel as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the tongue comprises a flexible device.

3. The floor panel as claimed in claim 2 , wherein the flexible device comprises rubber.

4. The floor panel as claimed in claim 2 , wherein the flexible device is compressible.

5. The floor panel as claimed in claim 2 , wherein the tongue has a straight protruding part.

6. The floor panel as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the first edge part of the tongue in said position on edge is closer to a bottom of sidewardly open groove than the second edge part.

7. The floor panel as claimed in claim 6 , wherein the tongue is bendable in a plane substantially parallel with the main plane of the floor panel.

8. The floor panel as claimed in claim 1 , wherein a protrusion is arranged at the upper surface and/or at the lower surface.

9. A floor panel having an edge portion presenting a sidewardly open groove, in which a tongue formed as a separate part is received, wherein a part of the tongue is resiliently displaceable in a main plane of the floor panel,
wherein the tongue is of an elongated shape and extends in the longitudinal direction from a first edge part to a second edge part, said tongue is configured to take a position with the first edge part within an uppermost edge of the edge portion and the second edge part protruding beyond the uppermost edge of the edge portion, the tongue comprises an upper surface and a lower surface, one of the upper surface and the lower surface has a beveled edge extending to a tip of the second edge part, and the other of the upper surface and the lower surface has a wall extending to the tip of the second edge part, and the length of the beveled edge is greater than the length of the wall,
wherein the tongue comprises a flexible device, and
wherein a part of the flexible device is inserted into a recess of the tongue.

10. A floor panel having an edge portion presenting a sidewardly open groove, in which a tongue formed as a separate part is received, wherein a part of the tongue is resiliently displaceable in a main plane of the floor panel,
wherein the tongue is of an elongated shape and extends in the longitudinal direction from a first edge part to a second edge part, said tongue is configured to take a position with the first edge part within an uppermost edge of the edge portion and the second edge part protruding beyond the uppermost edge of the edge portion, the tongue comprises an upper surface and a lower surface, one of the upper surface and the lower surface has a beveled edge extending to a tip of the second edge part, and the other of the upper surface and the lower surface has a wall extending to the tip of the second edge part, and the length of the beveled edge is greater than the length of the wall,
wherein the tongue comprises a flexible device, and
wherein the flexible device is mechanically connected the tongue.

11. The floor panel as claimed in claim 2 , wherein the part of the tongue is displaceable only in the range of 0.1-3.0 mm during locking.

Assignees

• Valinge Innovation Ab

Inventors

• Pervan Darko
• Hakansson Niclas
• Nygren Per

Classifications

• E04F15/02038 Primary

  characterised by tongue and groove connections between neighbouring flooring elements · CPC title

• F16B5/0076

  and using expanding clamps · CPC title

• F16B5/0004 Primary

  Joining sheets, plates or panels in abutting relationship (F16B5/01 takes precedence) · CPC title

• E04F2201/03

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

• Y10T29/4998

  Combined manufacture including applying or shaping of fluent material · CPC title