Mechanical locking system for floorboards

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9816270-B2
Application number	US-201313920647-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 18, 2013
Priority date	Jun 19, 2012
Publication date	Nov 14, 2017
Grant date	Nov 14, 2017

Abstract

Building panels, especially floor panels are shown, which are provided with a locking system that is configured to lock the adjacent edges by angling and that have a tongue and a strip on the same edge, and a method to divide a board and produce such building panels.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for dividing a floor element, into a first floor panel and a second floor panel, said floor element comprises a core provided with a decorative surface layer and a balancing layer, wherein the method comprises the step of forming, through the balancing layer or the decorative surface layer, a first groove; and forming a second groove through the other of the balancing layer or the decorative layer by displacing the floor element along a feeding path past a first fixed tool, wherein the first fixed tool comprises a plurality of carving teeth, and wherein the plurality of carving teeth are fixed and non-rotating relative to the feeding path during displacement of the floor element, and dividing the floor element between the first groove and the second groove into said first floor panel and said second floor panel by a second fixed tool having a plurality of carving teeth that are fixed and non-rotating relative to the feeding path during displacement of the floor element.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the step of forming is through the balancing layer.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the method comprises the step of forming, by the first fixed tool, a part of the second groove that extends horizontally under the decorative surface layer and/or the balancing layer of the floor element.

4. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein at least one of the plurality of carving teeth is arranged to form the second groove at a different vertical and/or horizontal position than the other carving teeth.

5. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the first groove is formed by cutting the first groove through the balancing layer or the decorative surface.

6. The method as claimed in claim 5 , wherein the step of forming is through the decorative surface layer.

7. The method as claimed in claim 5 , wherein the cutting of the first groove is made by sawing by a rotating saw blade.

8. The method as claimed in claim 5 , wherein the forming of the second groove is made before the cutting of the first groove.

9. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the method comprises the step of arranging the floor element on a carrier.

10. The method as claimed in claim 9 , wherein the carrier is a conveyor belt or chain.

11. The method as claimed in claim 9 , wherein the carrier is provided with a pushing device.

12. The method as claimed in claim 9 , comprising the step of arranging the decorative surface of the floor element against the carrier and facing downwards.

13. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the method comprises the step of removing chips created when forming the second groove by the first fixed tool by compressed air.

14. The method as claimed in claim 13 , wherein the step of removing the chips comprises removing by a compressed air nozzle.

15. The method as claimed in claim 13 , wherein the step of removing the chips comprises removing by a suction device.

16. The method as claimed in claim 1 , comprising the step of removing chips created by the forming, and sorting and disposing into separate containers the chips from the core and the balancing layer and/or the decorative layer.

17. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein when said floor element is displaced past the plurality of carving teeth of said first fixed tool, each successive carving tooth contacts said floor element at a location deeper into the second groove.

18. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the second groove is offset from the first groove in a direction parallel with a main plane of the floor element.

19. A method for dividing a floor element, into a first floor panel and a second floor panel, said floor element comprises a core provided with a decorative surface layer and a balancing layer, wherein the method comprises the step of forming, through the balancing layer, a first groove by displacing the floor element along a feeding path past a first fixed and non-rotating tool, and the step of forming, through the decorative surface layer, a second groove by displacing the floor element along the feeding path past a second fixed and non-rotating tool, wherein the first fixed and non-rotating tool and the second fixed and non-rotating tool each comprise at least one non-rotating and fixed chip-removing surface that is non-rotating and fixed relative to the feeding path during displacement of the floor element, and the method further comprises dividing the floor element between the first groove and the second groove into said first floor panel and said second floor panel by a third fixed and non-rotating tool comprising at least one non-rotating and fixed chip-removing surface that is non-rotating and fixed relative to the feeding path during displacement of the floor element.

20. The method as claimed in claim 19 , wherein a horizontally extending groove between the first groove and the second groove is formed by displacing the floor element past the third fixed and non-rotating tool.

21. The method as claimed in claim 20 , wherein the third fixed and non-rotating tool passes through the first groove or the second groove.

22. The method as claimed in claim 19 , wherein said first fixed and non-rotating tool comprises a plurality of carving teeth, wherein when said floor element is displaced past the plurality of carving teeth of said first fixed and non-rotating tool, each successive carving tooth contacts said floor element at a location deeper into the first groove, wherein each carving tooth comprises a non-rotating and fixed chip-removing surface.

Assignees

• Valinge Innovation Ab

Inventors

• Pervan Darko
• Palsson Agne

Classifications

• E04F15/02038

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

• E04F2201/0115

  with snap action of the edge connectors · CPC title

• Y10T29/49817

  with other than ancillary treating or assembling · CPC title

• E04F2201/025

  with tongue and grooves alternating transversally in the direction of the thickness of the panel, e.g. multiple tongue and grooves oriented parallel to each other · CPC title

• E04G23/006 Primary

  Arrangements for removing of previously fixed floor coverings · CPC title