Floor panel

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9809984-B2
Application number	US-201615156520-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 17, 2016
Priority date	May 10, 2010
Publication date	Nov 7, 2017
Grant date	Nov 7, 2017

Abstract

A floor panel includes a substrate and a top layer provided on the substrate. The top layer is composed of a print and a transparent thermoplastic layer having a thickness of 0.5 mm or less and being situated above said print. The floor panel, at least on two opposite edges, is provided with a straight or curved chamfer extending to below the global level of the print.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A floor panel having a rectangular shape with two pairs of opposite edges, the floor panel comprising:
a waterproof substrate comprised of a single layer and defining a thickness of 2 to 10 millimeters; said thickness being more than half of the entire thickness of the floor panel; the substrate material being chosen from the list consisting of a polyvinyl chloride-based substrate, polyethylene-based substrate, a polypropylene-based substrate and a polyurethane-based substrate,
a top layer provided on the substrate, the top layer including a print provided on a carrier sheet with said carrier sheet being provided underneath said print,
a transparent thermoplastic layer of less than 1 millimeter thickness situated above said print; the floor panel either being free from intermediate layers between said substrate and said carrier sheet, or including a glue layer between said substrate and said carrier sheet;
the floor panel, at least on one pair of two opposite edges, including mechanical coupling parts for coupling two of such floor panels to each other, such that a locking is created in a vertical direction perpendicular to the plane of coupled panels, as well as in a horizontal direction perpendicular to the coupled edges and in the plane of the panels; said coupling parts being substantially realized in said substrate material.

2. The floor panel of claim 1 , wherein said carrier sheet consists of a film selected from the list consisting of a Polyvinylchloride film, a Polyurethane film and a Polypropylene film.

3. The floor panel of claim 1 , wherein said substrate material is foamed.

4. The floor panel of claim 1 , wherein said floor panel is oblong, having a width situated between 14 and 22 centimeters and a length situated between 118 and 220 centimeters.

5. The floor panel of claim 1 , wherein said transparent thermoplastic layer is chosen from the list consisting of a polyvinyl chloride based layer, a polyvinyl dichloride based layer, a polyurethane based layer and a polypropylene based layer.

6. The floor panel of claim 1 , wherein said transparent thermoplastic layer comprises a lacquer layer.

7. The floor panel of claim 1 , wherein the whole of the top layer consists of an annealed or relaxed thermoplastic layer having a thickness between 0.5 and 3 millimeters.

8. The floor panel of claim 1 , wherein said top layer is connected to said substrate by means of a glue layer applied between said carrier sheet and said substrate.

9. The floor panel of claim 8 , wherein said glue is a polyurethane dispersion glue.

10. The floor panel of claim 1 , wherein said print has a resolution of more than 250 dots per inch.

11. The floor panel of claim 1 , wherein said substrate is a single layer.

12. The floor panel of claim 1 , wherein said substrate material is harder than said transparent thermoplastic layer.

Assignees

• Flooring Ind Ltd Sarl

Inventors

• Meersseman Laurent
• Vanhastel Luc

Classifications

• B32B21/02

  the layer being formed} of fibres, chips, or particles {, e.g. MDF, HDF, OSB, chipboard, particle board, hardboard · CPC title

• B32B2323/10

  Polypropylene · CPC title

• E04F15/02033

  Joints with beveled or recessed upper edges · CPC title

• E04F2201/0138

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

• E04F2201/0146

  with snap action of the edge connectors · CPC title