Patent ID: 6216409
Filing Date: 2001-04-17
Classification: E04F,F16B

Abstract:
Cladding panel (1) for floors, walls or ceilings having a top face (8) and a bottom face (9) and, on at least two of its opposite edges (2, 3), on one edge (2) a longitudinal tongue (4) and on the other edge (3) a longitudinal groove (5) between a top lip (6) and a bottom lip (7), the tongue (4) and the groove (5) being formed within the thickness of the panel (1) and having respective shapes in cross section complementary to each other so that the tongue (4) of one panel (1) is adapted to be inserted into the groove (5) of an adjacent panel (1) by rotating one panel (1) relative to the other so that the shaped portions of the tongue (4) inter-engage with the shaped portions of the groove (5) to oppose withdrawal of one panel (1) relative to the other in a direction (D1) perpendicular to said edges (2, 3) and parallel to top and bottom faces (8, 9) of said panels (1), the tongue (14) having in cross section, starting from its end (10) and on its bottom face (11), a substantially circular first section (12) followed by a downwardly projecting raised portion (13) and the bottom lip (7) having on its top face (14), starting from the back (15) of the groove (5), a first section (16) on which the first section (12) of the tongue (4) of an adjacent panel (1) is adapted to roll and slide, followed by a recess (17) complementary to said raised portion (13), followed by a bead (18) delimiting said recess (17), the bottom lip (7) being adapted to bend elastically to allow said raised portion (13) to pass over said bead (18) and then to resume substantially its unstressed position to retain the tongue (4) in the groove (5), characterized in that, in cross section, the tongue (4) has on its bottom face (11) and the bottom lip (7) of the groove (5) has on its top face (14), respectively, a second raised portion (20) projecting downward and a complementary second recess (21) shaped so that the second raised portion (20) of the tongue (4) of one panel (1) inter-engages with the second recess (21) of the groove (5) of an adjacent panel (1) when one panel (1) is turned relative to the other, so as to form second means of clipping the tongue (4) into the groove (5), and in that the top face (14) of the bottom lip (7) is shaped so that the first section (16) of the face (14) and the sections (22, 23) respectively constituting the exterior sides (22, 23) of the two recesses (17, 21) are, when unstressed, respectively substantially tangential to three concentric circles (C1, C2, C3) having their common center (M) inside the top lip (6).