Mechanical locking system for floor panels

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9388584-B2
Application number	US-201514701959-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 1, 2015
Priority date	Aug 15, 2011
Publication date	Jul 12, 2016
Grant date	Jul 12, 2016

Abstract

Floor panels are shown, which are provided with a vertical locking system on short edges including a displaceable tongue that is displaced in one direction into a tongue groove during vertical displacement of two panels. Building panels provided with a locking system for vertical locking of a first and a second building panel by a vertical displacement of the panels relative each other, a displaceable tongue is in a sidewardly open displacement groove provided at an edge of a first panel, said tongue cooperates with a tongue groove provided at an adjacent edge of a second panel for locking the edge and the adjacent edge vertically.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. Building panels comprising:
a first building panel;
a second building panel; and
a displaceable tongue arranged in a sidewardly open displacement groove provided at an edge of the first building panel,
wherein the displaceable tongue comprises a pulling extension configured to cooperate with a pulling protrusion formed at an adjacent edge of the second building panel such that the displaceable tongue is pulled out from the sidewardly open displacement groove and into a tongue groove provided at the adjacent edge of the second building panel when the edge of the first building panel and the adjacent edge of the second building panel are displaced vertically relative to each other, and
wherein the displaceable tongue is configured to bend in a length direction of the displaceable tongue.

2. Building panels as claimed in claim 1 , wherein a part of said pulling protrusion is a part of the tongue groove.

3. Building panels as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the pulling extension and the pulling protrusion are inclined in relation to a main horizontal plane of the first and second building panels.

4. Building panels as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the displaceable tongue comprises a locking hook that prevents the displaceable tongue from sliding back into the displacement groove after locking.

5. Building panels as claimed in claim 4 , wherein the locking hook locks against an outer part of the sidewardly open displacement groove.

6. Building panels as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the first and second building panels are floor panels.

7. Building panels as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the displaceable tongue is configured to bend when an inner short edge of the displaceable tongue is in a locked position and an outer short edge of the displaceable tongue is in an unlocked position.

8. Building panels as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the displaceable tongue is configured to bend during a folding action.

9. Building panels as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the displaceable tongue is configured to cooperate with the tongue groove for locking the edge of the first building panel and the adjacent edge of the second building panel vertically.

10. Building panels as claimed claim 1 , further comprising a strip that protrudes:
below the displacement groove and outwardly beyond an upper part of the edge of the first building panel; or
below the tongue groove and outwardly beyond an upper part of the adjacent edge of the second building panel.

11. Building panels as claimed in claim 10 , wherein an upper part of a locking element of the first building panel is located vertically below a tongue-locking surface of the pulling extension, wherein the locking element is configured to cooperate with a locking groove of the second building panel for horizontal locking of the first and second building panels.

12. Building panels as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the pulling extension is provided at an outer part of the displaceable tongue.

13. Building panels as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the displaceable tongue is a separate displaceable tongue.

14. Building panels as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the displaceable tongue is formed by injection moulding.

Assignees

• Ceraloc Innovation Ab

Inventors

• Pervan Darko
• Pervan Tony

Classifications

• E04F15/02038 Primary

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

• Y10T428/167

  Cellulosic sections [e.g., parquet floor, etc.] · CPC title

• E04F2201/0547

  adapted to be moved perpendicular to the joint edge · CPC title

• E04F2201/049

  wherein the elements are made of organic plastics with or without reinforcements or filling materials · CPC title

• E04F2201/0138

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