Resilient floor

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9249581-B2
Application number	US-201414272895-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 8, 2014
Priority date	Sep 4, 2009
Publication date	Feb 2, 2016
Grant date	Feb 2, 2016

Abstract

A method of assembling resilient floorboards is disclosed that includes the step of bending an edge of a floorboard during the assembling. The bending reduces the force required for connection of the edge to another edge of a juxtaposed floorboard.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A set of resilient floorboards, each floorboard provided with a mechanical locking system for vertical and horizontal locking to an adjacent floorboard, the mechanical locking system comprising a first device at a first edge, and a second device at a second edge, wherein the first device comprises a downwardly protruding locking element that locks the first edge vertically and horizontally with the second edge of the adjacent floorboard, and an upper upwardly resiliently bendable locking strip that forms a convex shape towards a bottom surface of the floorboard during locking, and the second device comprises a lower locking strip, wherein the downwardly protruding locking element comprises an outermost side facing the adjacent floorboard, and the outermost side is provided with a chamfered guiding surface configured to cooperate with an uppermost edge of the adjacent floorboard during locking, and wherein the outermost side of the downwardly protruding locking element comprises at least a first vertical wall adjacent an angled lower wall that angles inward toward the chamfered guiding surface directly from the first vertical wall, and the chamfered guiding surface is below the angled lower wall.

2. The set of resilient floorboards according to claim 1 , wherein the lower locking strip of the second device is downwardly resiliently bendable.

3. The set of resilient floorboards according to claim 1 , wherein the second device comprises an upwardly protruding locking element that locks the second edge vertically and horizontally with the first edge of the adjacent floorboard.

4. The set of resilient floorboards according to claim 1 , wherein the floorboards are made of a thermoplastic material.

5. The set of resilient floorboards according to claim 3 , wherein the downwardly protruding locking element is provided with a first locking surface configured to cooperate with a second locking surface of the upwardly protruding locking element for horizontal locking of adjacent floorboards.

6. The set of resilient floorboards according to claim 3 , wherein the downwardly protruding locking element is provided with a first guiding surface configured to cooperate with the upwardly protruding locking element.

7. The set of resilient floorboards according to claim 6 , wherein the upwardly protruding locking element is provided with a second guiding surface configured to cooperate with the first guiding surface.

8. The set of resilient floorboards according to claim 6 , wherein the angle of the first guiding surface is more than about 30°.

9. The set of resilient floorboards according to claim 6 , wherein the angle of the first guiding surface is more than about 45°.

10. The set of resilient floorboards according to claim 7 , wherein the angle of the second guiding surface is more than about 30°.

11. The set of resilient floorboards according to claim 7 , wherein the angle of the second guiding surface is more than about 45°.

12. The set of resilient floorboards according to claim 5 , the angle between the first locking surface and the second locking surface and an upper surface of the floorboards is more than 90° to obtain a vertical locking in a position where the first locking surface and the second locking surface cooperate.

13. The set of resilient floorboards according to claim 1 , wherein the first edge is provided with a tongue and the second edge is provided with a groove for vertical locking of the floorboards.

14. The set of resilient floorboards according to claim 1 , wherein the first edge is provided with a groove and the second edge is provided with a tongue for vertical locking of the floorboards.

15. The set of resilient floorboards according to claim 1 , wherein the upper upwardly resiliently bendable locking strip and the lower locking strip are integrally formed in the floorboard.

16. The set of resilient floorboards according to claim 1 , wherein the floorboards are comprised of resilient material and the mechanical locking system is integrally formed in one piece with the resilient material of each floorboard.

17. The set of resilient floorboards according to claim 1 , wherein a space is provided between a subfloor on which the floorboards are arranged and the lower locking strip.

18. A set of resilient floorboards, each floorboard comprising resilient material and provided with a mechanical locking system for vertical and horizontal locking to an adjacent floorboard, the mechanical locking system comprising a first device at a first edge, and a second device at a second edge, wherein the first device comprises a downwardly protruding locking element that locks the first edge vertically and horizontally with the second edge of the adjacent floorboard, and an upper upwardly resiliently bendable locking strip that forms a convex shape towards a bottom surface of the floorboard during locking, and the second device comprises a lower locking strip and an upwardly protruding locking element that locks the second edge vertically and horizontally with the first edge of the adjacent floorboard, wherein the mechanical locking system is integrally formed in one piece with the resilient material of the floorboard, wherein the downwardly protruding locking element comprises an outermost side facing the adjacent floorboard, and the outermost side is provided with a chamfered guiding surface configured to cooperate with an uppermost edge of the adjacent floorboard during locking, and wherein the outermost side of the downwardly protruding locking element comprises at least a first vertical wall adjacent an angled lower wall that angles inward toward the chamfered guiding surface directly from the first vertical wall, and the chamfered guiding surface is below the angled lower wall.

19. The set of resilient floorboards according to claim 18 , wherein the lower locking strip of the second device is downwardly resiliently bendable.

20. A set of resilient floorboards, each floorboard provided with a mechanical locking system for vertical and horizontal locking to an adjacent floorboard, the mechanical locking system comprising a first device at a first edge, and a second device at a second edge, wherein the first device comprises a downwardly protruding locking element that locks the first edge vertically and horizontally with the second edge of the adjacent floorboard, and an upper upwardly resiliently bendable locking strip that forms a convex shape towards a bottom surface of the floorboard during locking, and the second device comprises a lower downwardly resiliently bendable locking strip and an upwardly protruding locking element that locks the second edge vertically and horizontally with the first edge of the adjacent floorboard, wherein the floorboards are made of a thermoplastic material, wherein the downwardly protruding locking element comprises an outermost side facing the adjacent floorboard, and the outermost side is provided with a chamfered guiding surface configured to cooperate with an uppermost edge of the adjacent floorboard during locking, and wherein the outermost side of the downwardly protruding locking element comprises at least a first vertical wall adjacent an angled lower wall that angles inward toward the chamfered guiding surface directly from the first vertical wall, and the chamfered guiding surface is below the angled lower wall.

Assignees

• Vaelinge Innovation Ab
• Valinge Innovation Ab

Inventors

• Nilsson Mats
• Nygren Per

Classifications

• E04F15/10

  of other materials, e.g. fibrous or chipped materials, organic plastics, magnesite {tiles}, hardboard {, or with a top layer of other materials} · CPC title

• E04F2201/0146

  with snap action of the edge connectors · CPC title

• Y10T29/49623

  Static structure, e.g., a building component · 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

• E04F15/02038 Primary

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