Source: https://patents.google.com/patent/EP2014845B1/en
Timestamp: 2020-02-17 11:20:20
Document Index: 31435135

Matched Legal Cases: ['art 9', 'art 12', 'art 12', 'art 12', 'art 9', 'arts 9', 'art 12', 'art 9', 'art 12', 'arts 9', 'arts 12', 'art 9', 'art. 102']

EP2014845B1 - Mechanically joinable rectangular floorboards - Google Patents
Mechanically joinable rectangular floorboards Download PDF
EP2014845B1
EP2014845B1 EP08168247A EP08168247A EP2014845B1 EP 2014845 B1 EP2014845 B1 EP 2014845B1 EP 08168247 A EP08168247 A EP 08168247A EP 08168247 A EP08168247 A EP 08168247A EP 2014845 B1 EP2014845 B1 EP 2014845B1
EP08168247A
EP2014845A3 (en
EP2014845A2 (en
2001-04-09 Priority to EP05018797A priority patent/EP1617009B1/en
2001-04-09 Priority to EP20010920073 priority patent/EP1272716B1/en
2002-03-11 First worldwide family litigation filed litigation Critical https://patents.darts-ip.com/?family=20279262&utm_source=google_patent&utm_medium=platform_link&utm_campaign=public_patent_search&patent=EP2014845(B1) "Global patent litigation dataset” by Darts-ip is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
2009-01-14 Publication of EP2014845A2 publication Critical patent/EP2014845A2/en
2009-09-02 Publication of EP2014845A3 publication Critical patent/EP2014845A3/en
2013-01-16 Publication of EP2014845B1 publication Critical patent/EP2014845B1/en
The invention generally relates to the field of mechanical locking of floorboards. The invention relates to a pair of rectangular floorboards. The invention generally relates to an improvement of a locking system of the type described and shown in WO 9426999 and WO 9966151 . The invention providers for a stronger joint while at the same time the floor thickness is unchanged.
Thin laminate flooring and wood veneer flooring are usually composed of a core consisting of a 6-9 mm fibreboard, a 0.20-0.8 mm thick upper surface layer and a 0.1-0.6 mm thick lower balancing layer. The surface layer provides appearance and durability to the floorboards. The core provides stability and the balancing layer keeps the board level when the relative humidity (RH) varies during the year. The RH can vary between 15% and 90%. Conventional floorboard of the type are usually joined by means of glued tongue-and-groove joints (i.e. joints involving a tongue on a floorboard and a tongue groove on an adjoining floorboard) at the long and short sides. When laying the floor, the boards are brought together horizontally, whereby a projecting tongue along the joint edge of a first board is introduced into a tongue groove along the joint edge of the second adjoining board. The same method is used at the long side as well as the short side. The tongue and the tongue groove are designed for such horizontal joining only and with special regard to how glue pockets and gluing surfaces should be designed to enable the tongue to be efficiently glued within the tongue groove. The tongue-and-groove joint presents coacting upper and lower contact surfaces that position the boards vertically in order to ensure a level surface of the finished floor.
Without the use of the glue, both the joint edge portions 4a, 3b of the long sides and the joint edge portions 5a, 5b of the short sides can be joined mechanically in a direction D2 in Fig. 1c, so that they join in a joint plane F (marked in Fig. 2c). For this purpose, the board 1 has a flat strip 6, mounted at the factory, which strip extends throughout the length of the long side 4a and which is made of flexible, resilient sheet aluminium. The strip 6 projects from the joint plane F at the joint edge portion 4a. The strip 6 can be fixed mechanically according to the embodiment shown, or by means of glue, or in some other way. Other strip materials can be used, such as sheets of other metals, as well as aluminium or plastic sections. Alternatively, the strip 6 may be made in one piece with the board 1, for example by suitable working of the core of the board 1. The present invention is usable for floorboards in which the strip is integrally formed with the core, and solves special problems appearing in such floorboards and the making thereof . The core of the floorboard need not be, but is preferably, made of a uniform material. However, the strip 6 is always integrated with the board 1, i.e. it is never mounted on the board 1 in connection with the laying of the floor but it is mounted or formed at the factory. The width of the strip 6 can be about 30 mm and its thickness about 0.5 mm. A similar, but shorter strip 6' is provided along one short side 5a of the board 1. The part of the strip 6 projecting from the joint plane F is formed with a locking element 8 extended throughout the length of the strip 6. The locking element 8 has in its lower part an operative locking surface 10 facing the joint plane F and having a height of e.g. 0.5 mm. When the floor is being laid, this locking surface 10 coacts with a locking groove 14 formed in the underside 3 of the joint edge portion 4b of the opposite long side of an adjoining board 1'. The short side strip 6' is provided with a corresponding locking element 8', and the joint edge portion 5b of the opposite short side has a corresponding locking groove 14'. The edge of the locking grooves 14, 14' closest to the joint plane F forms an operative locking surface 11 for coaction with the operative locking surface 10 of the locking element.
When a new board 1' and a previously installed board 1 are to be joined together along their long side edge portions 4a, 4b as shown in Figs 1a-1c, the long side edge portion 4b of the new board 1' is pressed against the long side edge portion 4a of the previous board 1 as shown in Fig. 1a, so that the locking tongue 20 is introduced into the recess 16. The board 1' is then angled downwards towards the subfloor U according to Fig. 1b. In this connection, the locking tongue 20 enters the recess 16 completely, while the locking element 8 of the strip 6 enters the locking groove 14. During this downward angling, the upper part 9 of the locking element 8 can be operative and provide guiding of the new board 1' towards the previously installed board 1, In the joined position as shown in Fig. 1c, the boards 1, 1' are locked in both the direction D1 and the direction D2 along their long side edge portions 4a, 4b, but the boards 1, 1' can be mutually displaced in the longitudinal direction of the joint along the long sides.
WO 00/47841 discloses floorboards provided with lower joining lips at two adjacent edges while the two remaining edges are provided with upper joining lips. The upper and lower joining lips have interacting vertical lip surfaces locking the floorboards in a horizontal direction. The joining lips are provided with one or more heels intended to snap join with recesses adapted thereto. The recesses have essentially horizontal locking surfaces limiting vertical movement between two joined floorboards.
WO99/66152 , being an intermediate publication under Article 54(3) EPC and thereby only of relevance to the question of novelty, discloses a locking system for mechanical joining of floorboards. For joining there is a locking groove formed in the underside of a first joint edge and a projecting portion from a lower part of a second joint edge. The projecting portion is arranged entirely outside the joint plane. The projecting portion presents at least two horizontally juxtaposed parts differing from each other in respect of at least one of the parameters material composition and material properties.
Alloc® (see Fig. 4a) has an aluminium strips with a locking angle of about 80° and a clearance angle of about 65°. The other known systems with strips made integrally with the core of the floorboard have locking angles and clearance angles of 30-55° owing to the width of the strip being narrower and the radius of the circular arc being smaller. This results in low tensile strength in the horizontal direction D2 since the locking element easily slides out of the locking groove. Moreover, the horizontal tensile stress will be partly converted into an upwardly directed force which may cause the edges to rise. This basic problem will now be explained in more detail.
If the locking surfaces have a low locking angle, the strength of the joint will be reduced to a considerable extent. In minter the joint edges may slide apart so that undesirable visible joint gaps arise on the upper side of the floor. Besides, the angled locking surface of the locking element will press the upper locking surface of the locking groove upwards to the joint surface. The upper part of the tongue will press the upper part of the tongue groove upwards, which results in undesirable rising of the edges. The present invention is based on the understanding that these problems can be reduced to a considerable extent, for example, by making the locking surfaces with high locking angles exceeding 50° and, for instance, by the locking surfaces being moved upwards in the construction. The ideal design is perpendicular locking surfaces. Such locking surfaces, however, are difficult to open, especially if the strip is made of fibreboard and is not as flexible as strips of e.g. aluminium.
An object is therefore to provide a locking system having
According to a first understanding the identified problems must essentially be solved with a locking system where the locking element has an operative looking surface in its upper part instead of in its lower part as in prior-art technique. When taking up an installed floor by upward angling, the locking surface of the locking groove will therefore exert a pressure on the upper part of the locking element. This results in the strip being bent backwards and downwards and the locking element being opened in the same way as in inward angling. In a suitable design of locking element and locking groove, this pressure can be achieved in a part of the locking element which is closer to the top of the locking element than that part of the locking element which is operative in the locked position. In this way, the opening force will be lower than the locking force.
A second understanding relates to the motions during upward angling and taking-up of an installed floor. The clearance angling, i.e. the tangent to a circular arc with its centre where the vertical joint plane intersects the upper side of the floorboard, is higher in the upper part of the locking element than in its lower part. If a part of the locking surface, which in prior-art technique is placed in the lower part of the locking element and the locking groove respectively, is placed in the upper part instead according to the invention, the difference in degree between the locking angle and the clearance angle will be smaller, and the opening of the locking when taking up an installed floor will be facilitated.
The invention is based on a third understanding which is related to the guiding of the floorboards during inward angling when the floor is to be laid. Guiding is of great importance in inward angling of the long sides of the floorboards since the floorboards have often warped and curved and therefore are somewhat arcuate or in the shape of a "banana". This shape of a banana can amount to some tenths of a millimetre and is therefore not easily visible to the naked eye in a free board. If the guiding capacity of the locking system exceeds the maximum banana shape, the boards can easily be angled downwards, and they need not be pressed firmly against the joint edge in order to straighten the banana shape and allow the locking element to be inserted into the locking groove. In prior-art locking systems, the guiding part is formed essentially in the upper part of the locking element, and if the locking surface is moved up to the upper part, it is not possible to form a sufficiently large guiding part. A sufficiently great and above all more efficient and reliable guiding is achieved according to the invention by the guiding part being moved to the locking groove and its lower part. Accord ing to the invention it is even possible to form the entire necessary guiding in the lower part of the locking groove. In preferred embodiments, coacting guiding parts can also be formed both in the upper part of the locking element and the lower part of the locking groove.
show in three stages a downward angling method for mechanical joining of long sides of floorboards according to WO 9426999 .
show in three stages a snap-action method for mechanical joining of short sides of floorboards according to WO 9426999 .
shows a variant of a locking system (applicant Välinge Aluminium AB) which has not yet been published.
illustrate a locking system not forming part of the invention.
shows an example of a floorboard and a locking system not according to the present invention.
show variants of a locking groove and a locking component of two further examples of a floorboard and a locking system, not forming part of the present invention.
shows a variant of the locking groove and a locking component of a floorboard and a locking system in line with the invention.
Fig. 6 shows an example of an embodiment not forming part of the invention, which has not yet been published and which differs from the embodiment in Fig. 5 by the tongue 38 and the tongue groove 36 being displaced downwards in the floorboard so that they are eccentrically positioned. Moreover, the thickness of the tongue 38 (and, thus, the tongue groove 36) has been increased while at the same time the relative height of the locking element 8 has been retained. Both the tongue 38 and the material portion above the tongue groove 36 are therefore significantly more rigid and stronger while at the same time the floor thickness T, the outer part of the strip 6 and the locking element 8 are unchanged.
Fig. 7 shows a first embodiment not forming part of the present invention. The locking element 8 has a locking surface 10 with a locking angle A which is essentially perpendicular to the plane of the floorboards. The locking surface 10 has been moved upwards relative to the upper side of the strip 6, compared with prior-art technique.
The locking angle A in this embodiment as essentially greater than a clearance angle TA, which corresponds to the tangent to a circular arc C1 which is tangent to the upper part of the locking element 8 and which has it centre C3 where the joint plane F intersects the upper side of the boards.
In a preferred embodiment, the boundary surface of the locking groove 14 closest to the joint plane F has a lower guiding part 12 which is positioned inside the circular arc C1 and which will therefore efficiently guide the locking element 8 in connection with the laying of the floor and the downward angling of the floorboard 1' relative to the floorboard 1.
Fig. 8 shows, in one embodiment not forming part of the invention, how upward angling can take place when taking up an installed floor. The locking surface 11 of the locking groove exerts a pressure on the upper part of the operative locking surface 10 of the locking element 8. This pressure bends the strip 6 downwards and the locking element 8 backwards and away from the joint plane F. In practice, a marginal compression of the wood fibres in the upper joint edge surfaces 41, 42 of the two floorboards and of the wood fibres in the locking surface 10 of the locking element and the locking surface 11 of the locking groove takes place. If the joint systems are besides designed in such manner that the boards in their locked position can assume a small play of some hundredths of a millimetre between the locking surfaces 10, 11, opening by upward angling can take place as reliably and with the same good function as if the locking surfaces were inclined.
Fig. 9 shows an embodiment of the invention. In this embodiment, the groove 36 and the tongue 38 have been made shorter than in the embodiment according to Figs 7 and 8. As a result, the mechanical locking of two adjoining floorboards 1, 1' can be carried out both by vertical snap action and by inward angling during the bending of the strip. The vertical snap action can also be combined with known shapes of locking surfaces and with a possibility of displacement along the joint direction in the locked position and also taking-up by pulling out along the joint edge or upward angling. However, the Figure shows the floorboards during inward angling of the floorboard 1'. The lower part or guiding part 12 of the locking groove guides the floorboards and enables the introduction of the locking element 8 into the locking groove 14 so that the locking surfaces 10, 11 will engage each other. The strip 6 is bent downwards and the locking element 8 is guides into the locking groove although the edge surface portions 41, 42, facing each pother, of the floorboards are spaced apart. The locking angle A is in this embodiment about 80°. The bending of the strip can be facilitated by working the rear side of the strip, so that a part of the balancing layer 34 between the joint plane F and the locking element 8 is wholly or partly removed.
Fig. 10 shows, in one embodiment not forming part of the invention, an enlargement of the locking element 8 and the locking groove 14. The locking element 8 has an operative upper locking surface 10 which is formed in the upper part of the locking element at a distance from the upper side of the locking strip 6. The locking groove 14 has a cooperating operative locking surface 11 which has also been moved upwards and which is at a distance from the opening of the locking groove 14.
Operative locking surfaces relate to the surfaces 10 11 which, when locked and subjected to tension load, cooperate with each other. Both surfaces are in this embodiment plane and essentially at right angles to the principal plane of the floorboards. The locking groove has a guiding part 12 which is located inside the previously mentioned circular arc C1 and which in this embodiment is tangent to the upper part of the operative locking surface 10 of the locking element 8.
In this embodiment, the locking element has in its upper part a guiding part 9 which is located outside the circular arc C1. The guiding parts 9, 12 of the locking element and the locking grove respectively contribute to giving the joint system a good guiding capacity. The total lateral displacement of the floorboards 1, 1' in the final phrase of the laying procedure is therefore the sum of E1 and E2 (see Fig. 10), i.e. the horizontal distance between the lower edge of the guiding part 12 and the circular arc C1 and between the upper edge of the guiding part 9 and the circular arc C1. This sum of E1 and E2 should be greater than the above-mentioned maximum banana shape of the floorboards. For the joint system to have a guiding capacity. E1 and E2 must be greater than zero, and both E1 and E2 can have negative values, i.e. be positioned on the opposite side of the circular arc C1 relative to that shown in the Figure.
The operative locking surfaces 10, 11 of the locking element and in the locking groove have been formed with a small height, seen perpendicular to the principal plane of the floorboards. This also reduces the friction in lateral displacement of joined floorboards along the joint edge.
By the operative locking surfaces being made essentially plane and parallel with the joint plane F, the critical distance between the joint plane F and the locking surface 10 and 11, respectively, can easily be made with very high precision, since the working tools used in manufacture need only be controlled with high precision essentially horizontally. The tolerance in the vertical direction only affects the height of the operative locking surfaces but the height of the locking surfaces is not as critical as their position in the horizontal direction. Using modern manufacturing technique, the locking surface can be positioned in relation to the joint plane with a tolerance of ±0.01 mm. At the same time the tolerance in the vertical direction can be ±0.1 mm, which results in, for instance, the height of the operative locking surfaces varying between 0.5 mm and 0.3 mm. Tensile tests have demonstrated that operative locking surfaces with a height of 0.3 mm can give a strength corresponding to 1000 kg/ running metre of joint. This strength is considerably higher than required in a normal floor joint. The height H of the locking element 8 above the upper side of the strip 6 and the width W of the locking element 8 on a level with the operative locking surface are important to the strength and the taking-up of the floorboards.
Fig. 11 shows another embodiment not forming part of the invention. In this case, use is made of a locking element 8 which has an upper operative locking surface 10 with an angle of about 85° which is greater than the clearance angle, which is about 75°. In this embodiment, the guiding part 12 of the locking groove 14 is also used as a secondary locking surface which supplement the operative locking surfaces 10, 11. This embodiment results in very high locking forces. The drawback of this embodiment, however, is that the friction in connection with relative displacement of the floorboards 1, 1' in the lateral direction along the joint plane F will be considerably greater.
Fig. 12 shows one more embodiment, forming part of the invention, with essentially perpendicular locking surfaces 10, 11 and small guiding parts 9, 12, which makes it necessary to bend the strip 6 in connection with laying of the floorboards. The joint system is very convenient for use at the short sides of the floorboards where the need for guiding is smaller since in practice there is no "banana shape". Opening of the short side can be effected by the long sides first being angled upwards, after which the short sides are displaced in parallel along the joint edge. Opening can also be effected by upward angling if the locking groove and the locking element have suitably designed guiding parts 12, 9 which are rounded or which have an angle less than 90°, and if the operative locking surfaces 10, 11 have a small height LS (Fig. 12), so that their height is less than half the height of the locking element. In this embodiment, E2 is greater than E1, which makes the sum of E2 and E1 greater than zero (E1 represents in this case a negative value). If in this case E1 and E2 should be of almost the same size, the guiding may be effected by downward bending of the strip 6, which automatically causes displacement of the guiding part 9 of the locking element 8 away from the intended joint plane F and also causes a change in angle of the locking element 8 so that guiding takes place.
A pair of mechanically joinable floorboards comprising a first floorboard (1) and a second similar floorboard (1'), whereby each of said rectangular floorboards (1, 1') has a core (30) and opposite first and second joint edge portions (5a, 5b), whereby adjoining floorboards (1, 1') in the mechanically joined position have their first and second joint edge portion ( 5a, 5b) joined at a vertical joint plane (F), said floorboards comprising
a) for vertical joining of the first joint edge portion (5a) of said first floorboard (1) and the second joint edge portion (5br), of said adjoining second floorboard (1'), mechanical cooperating means (36, 38), and
b) for horizontal joining of the first and second joint edge portions (5a, 5b), mechanical cooperating means (6, 8; 14) which comprise
a locking groove (14) formed in the underside (3) of said second floorboard (1') and extending parallel with and at a distance from the vertical joint plane (F) at said second joint edge portion (5b) and having a downward directed opening, and
a strip (6) integrally formed with the core of said first floorboard (1), which strip at said first joint edge portion (5a) projects from said vertical joint plane (F) and at a distance from the joint plane (F) has a locking element (8) formed on the strip and projecting towards a plane containing the upper side of said first floorboard (1) and which has at least one operative locking surface (10) for coaction with an operative locking surface (11) in said locking groove (14),
the locking groove (14), as seen in the plane of the floorboards and away from the vertical joint plane, (F) having a greater width than said locking element (8),
the operative locking surface (10) of the strip (6) and the operative locking surface (11) of said locking groove (14) are essentially perpendicular to a horizontal plane,
that the operative locking surface (10) of the locking element (8) is essentially plane and located at the upper part of the locking element at a distance from the upper side of the projecting strip (6) and faces the joint plane (F) and that the operative locking surface (11) of said locking groove (14) is essentially plane and is located in the locking groove at a distance from the opening of the locking groove and is designed to cooperate with said locking surface (10) of the locking element (8) in the joined position,
the combination that the locking of two adjacent floorboards along the edge portions (5a, 5b) can be carried out both by vertical snap action and by inward angling during bending of the strip,
wherein the mechanical, means (36, 38) of the locking system which cooperate for vertical locking and the mechanical means (6, 8; 14) of the locking system which cooperate for horizontal locking have a configuration along the edge portions (5a, 5b) that allows locking of two adjacent floorboards both by vertical snap action and by inward angling during bending of the strip, namely
an inward angling during bending of the strip (6, 8) wherein the locking element (8)_is inserted into the locking groove (14) by inward angling of one floorboard (1) towards the other floorboard (1') while maintaining contact between the joint edge surface portions (41, 42) of the two floorboards close to the border between the joint plane (F) and the upper side of the floorboards,
whereby the locking groove (14) has an inclined or rounded guiding part (12) which extends from the locking surface (11) of the locking groove and to the opening of the locking groove and which is designed to guide the locking element (8) into the locking groove (14) during the inward angling of the floorboard relative the first floorboard by engaging a portion of the locking element (8) which is positioned above the locking surface (10) of the locking element or adjacent to its upper edge,
a vertical snap action wherein the locking element (8) is inserted into the locking groove (14) by a substantially vertical motion of one floorboard (1) towards the other floorboard (1') during bending of the integrated strip (6, 8) for snapping in the locking element (8) into the locking groove (14).
EP08168247A 2000-04-10 2001-04-09 Mechanically joinable rectangular floorboards Revoked EP2014845B1 (en)
EP10180456.5 Division-Into 2010-09-27
EP2014845A2 EP2014845A2 (en) 2009-01-14
EP2014845A3 EP2014845A3 (en) 2009-09-02
EP2014845B1 true EP2014845B1 (en) 2013-01-16
EP (4) EP2275618A3 (en)
AT (2) AT413500T (en)
AU (2) AU2001247018B2 (en)
DE (2) DE60136501D1 (en)
2010-07-21 R17C First examination report despatched (corrected)
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2013-11-20 26 Opposition filed
2019-01-02 GBPR Gb: patent revoked under art. 102 of the ep convention designating the uk as contracting state
2019-01-02 27W Patent revoked