Patent ID: 7698869
Filing Date: 2010-04-20
Classification: B27F,B27M,E04B,E04F,F16B,Y10T

Abstract:
1. Floor panel for a floor covering, said panel including a principal plane, and having a thickness in the range of 0.5 to 1.5 cm; said floor panel having a planar underside, an upper side and first and second pairs of opposite side edges, said side edges including upper side edges adjacent the upper side; coupling parts on at least the first pair of opposite side edges respectively in the form of a tongue part and a groove part, the tongue part having a distal end and the groove part having a deepest part; said groove part extending proximally into a side edge of said first pair of opposite side edges, and having an innermost point and being bordered by an upper lip and a lower lip, the lower side of the upper lip defining an upper wall of the groove, said lower lip having a distal end, said lower lip extending distally beyond said distal end of the upper lip; said coupling parts being configured so as to enable a pair of the panels to be coupled to each other by placing a tongue part of one panel in a groove part of the other panel, with the panel upper side edges adjoining each other; said coupling parts further including integrated mechanical locking elements, said locking elements including a locking surface on the tongue part that is located on a protrusion extending from a lower side of the tongue part and a locking surface on the groove part that is located at one side of an upwardly facing recess in an upper surface of the lower lip, such that in coupled condition of two of such panels with the upper side edges adjoining each other and with a tongue part of one panel received in the groove part of the other panel, the protrusion of the tongue part of one panel cooperates with the recess of the groove part of the other panel with the locking surfaces of the tongue part and the groove part contacting each other, said locking surfaces preventing unintentional separation between the upper side edges of said first pair of side edges that would produce undesired gaps between the adjoined upper side edges in a direction perpendicular to the related side edges and parallel to the underside of the coupled panels; said recess being located partially under the upper lip and partially distally beyond the upper lip; said upper side edges, coupling parts and locking elements being configured such that said coupling or uncoupling of a pair of panels is achievable by a turning movement wherein one panel by its side edge is angled-in to or angled out of the side edge of the other panel until a tongue part is fully received in or separated from a groove part, wherein the locking surfaces are in contact with each other when the panels are coupled; the tongue part at its upper side being provided with an upper tongue contact surface which, in coupled condition of pair of panels, cooperates at the lower side of the upper lip with a substantially planar upper lip contact surface located at the lower side of the upper lip to thereby prevent relative movement of the tongue part relative to the groove part in a vertically upward direction; said tongue and groove parts, as seen in cross-section, intersected by an imaginary line (M wherein said floor panel is selected from the group consisting of laminated floor panels, veneer parquet and prefabricated parquet; wherein the upper lip contact surface extends parallel to a principal plane of the floor panel; wherein the tongue upper contact surface is planar and extends parallel to the principal plane of the floor panel; wherein said locking surfaces are located entirely below an imaginary center line bisecting the panel thickness; wherein in coupled condition of a pair of panels, with the upper side edges of the first pair of opposite side edges adjoining each other, a chamber is provided between the distal end of the tongue part and a deepest part of the groove part; the tongue part, groove part and the locking elements having a configuration at the first pair of opposite side edges such that in coupled condition of a pair of panels with the respective upper side edges adjoining each other and the respective locking surfaces in contact with each other, a chamber is provided between the distal end of the lower lip of one panel and a portion of the other panel from which the tongue part extends which faces said distal end of the lower lip.