Method for manufacturing floor panels

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9932741-B2
Application number	US-201615075948-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 21, 2016
Priority date	Jan 16, 2009
Publication date	Apr 3, 2018
Grant date	Apr 3, 2018

Abstract

Floor panel, which, at least at two opposite sides, includes coupling parts with which two of such floor panels can be coupled to each other; wherein these coupling parts form a horizontally active locking system and a vertically active locking system; wherein the horizontally active locking system comprises a male part in the form of a downwardly directed projection and a female part with a seat open towards the top, which have horizontally active locking surfaces; and wherein the vertically active locking system comprises a vertically active locking element, which forms part of an insertion piece provided in the female part; wherein the insertion piece is formed at least of the combination of a bottom part; a back part adjoining thereto and an elastically movable lock-up body directed downward with a free extremity, which lock-up body, by means of a hinge portion, is connected directly or indirectly to the back part.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for manufacturing floor panels, said floor panels having a top surface, which in an installed condition is intended to face upward, said floor panels comprising coupling parts at least at two opposite sides, wherein these coupling parts form a horizontally active locking system and a vertically active locking system, the horizontally active locking system including a male part and a female part, the male part including a projection that projects generally in a direction perpendicular to a plane of the top surface and the female part including a seat configured to receive the projection of the male part, the seat of the female part and the projection of the male part each having a corresponding horizontally active locking surface, wherein the vertically active locking system comprises a vertically active locking element which forms part of an insertion piece and a recess configured to receive at least a part of the insertion piece, the method comprising:
during the manufacturing, supplying said insertion piece from a magazine to a respective side of one of said floor panels by means of a drive,
wherein the insertion piece is moved from the magazine to the drive and from the drive to the respective side of said floor panel, thereby defining a path between the drive and said respective side,
wherein the insertion piece, during moving along said path,
is moved in a direction which is angled in respect to said top surface of said floor panel at an angle that is non-parallel to the plane of the top surface of said floor panel, and
is moved past at least a portion of the female part, and

inserting at least the part of the insertion piece into at least a portion of the recess.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein for the magazine a supply in the form of a roll is applied.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the drive makes use of wheels.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the floor panel which is being provided with the insertion piece performs a continuous movement in a direction parallel to the respective side.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein said insertion piece also performs a bending over a portion of said path, whereby this insertion piece finally is aligned in a direction parallel to the respective side.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the insertion piece after being aligned is pressed into its final position.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the insertion piece is attached in a recess in the respective side.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein the insertion piece is pressed and clamped in said recess.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the insertion piece is shortened to the dimension of the respective side or approximately to the dimension of the side in which it is provided.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein the insertion piece is shortened to the required dimension by cutting.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the method is used for applying insertion pieces which consist of an extruded synthetic material strip.

12. The method of claim 1 , wherein the method is used for applying insertion pieces which consist of a synthetic material strip formed by coextrusion.

13. The method of claim 11 , wherein it is applied for forming floor panels wherein said horizontally active locking system comprises a male part and a female part, which allow that two of such floor panels can be connected to each other at said sides by providing one of these floor panels with the pertaining male part, by means of a downward movement, in the female part of the other floor panel; wherein said locking element comprises at least a pivotable lock-up body belonging to said synthetic material strip.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein a lock-up body is applied which by means of a hinge portion formed of a material portion consisting of a material which is more supple than the material from which the lock-up body is formed, is connected to a basic part pertaining to the insertion piece.

15. The method of claim 13 , wherein the insertion piece is provided in a recess in the female part.

16. The method of claim 14 , wherein the insertion piece is provided in a recess in the female part.

17. The method of claim 1 , wherein it is used for manufacturing floor panels which, at least at said two opposite sides, are provided with coupling parts which allow that two of such floor panels can be coupled to each other by means of a downward movement, or, in other words, in so-called “push-lock” systems.

18. The method of claim 1 , wherein said transverse direction is inclined with respect to said top surface with an inclination which differs from 90 degrees.

19. The method of claim 1 , wherein the floor panel is in an upside down position when supplying the insertion piece to the floor panel.

20. The method of claim 19 , wherein the insertion piece is supplied towards the floor panel in an upwardly inclined manner.

Assignees

• Flooring Ind Ltd Sarl

Inventors

• Cappelle Mark
• Van Hooydonck Guy

Classifications

• E04F2201/0523

  Separate tongues; Interlocking keys, e.g. joining mouldings of circular, square or rectangular shape · CPC title

• E04F2201/0588

  of organic plastics with or without reinforcements or filling materials · CPC title

• E04F2201/0176

  with snap action of the edge connectors · CPC title

• E04F2201/0115

  with snap action of the edge connectors · CPC title

• E04F2201/0552

  adapted to be rotated around an axis parallel to the joint edge · CPC title