Source: https://patents.google.com/patent/US8763340
Timestamp: 2018-04-20 11:33:17
Document Index: 44563996

Matched Legal Cases: ['art 6', 'art 6', 'art 6', 'arts 6', 'art 6', 'art 6', 'art 41', 'art 6', 'art 41', 'art 42', 'art 41', 'art 42', 'art 6', 'art.\n7', 'art.\n14']

US8763340B2 - Mechanical locking system for floor panels - Google Patents
US8763340B2
US8763340B2 US13585485 US201213585485A US8763340B2 US 8763340 B2 US8763340 B2 US 8763340B2 US 13585485 US13585485 US 13585485 US 201213585485 A US201213585485 A US 201213585485A US 8763340 B2 US8763340 B2 US 8763340B2
US13585485
US20130042563A1 (en )
FIGS. 1 c 1 and 1 c 2 show a known locking system with a separate aluminium strip 6 attached to a lower part of a panel edge. A part of the strip 6 is bent around inwardly inclined vertically extending surfaces. Such connection of the strip 6 to the panel edge is made in a separate operation than the machining of the edge. The strip comprises three different cross section A-A, B-B and C-C. Each cross section comprises the same material thickness since the strip is formed from a 0.6 mm aluminium sheet. The length L of the strip is the same along the width W. The part of the strip that extends from the edge comprises a small cavity 23, which is formed when a part of the strip body is punched and bent around a panel edge.
Wood and laminate panels are produced with a production speed on long edges of 1-5 m/sec. This means that 5-25 strip parts must be inserted each second if, for example, five strip parts per meter are attached at an edge. Known separate strips and fixing methods are not adapted to such high-speed production and separate strip parts are not able to compete with the conventional machining where the strip is machined in one piece with the panel edge.
FIGS. 14 a 1-c illustrate a panel with strip parts according to an embodiment of the disclosure.
FIGS. 17 a and 17 b illustrate a strip blank according to an embodiment of the disclosure.
FIGS. 4 a-4 d show a locking system according to embodiments of the disclosure that may be connected with angling. FIG. 4 a shows a strip part 6 comprising a strip body 7 with a fixing element 16 at an outer part, an upwardly extending locking element 8 at an opposite and outer part of the strip body and a locking protrusion 19 that preferably extends essentially horizontally towards the fixing element. The upper part of the locking element 8 comprises an upper guiding surface 22 and the strip body 7 comprises a lower guiding surface 21 a that facilitates the fixation of the strip 6 to an edge of a first panel 1′ as shown in FIGS. 5 a-5 e. The locking protrusion 19 comprises a sliding surface 20 that facilitates the insertion of a tongue 10 into a tongue groove 9 during angling as shown in FIG. 4 b. The panel edge comprises a fixing groove 15 that is open towards the rear side of the panel and a holding protrusion 18 extending from a lower part of the panel edge. The fixing element 16 is locked into the fixing groove 15 wherein essentially vertical locking surfaces 17 a and 17 b grip behind each other such that the strip is locked horizontally to the panel edge. The locking protrusion 19 is locked to the holding protrusion 18 vertically wherein a lower horizontal locking surface 24 on the locking protrusion 19 overlaps an upper horizontal locking surface 25 formed on the holding protrusion 18. The locking protrusion 19 comprises preferably a strip locking surface 26 that cooperated with an edge locking surface 27 formed on the panel edge and locks the strip part 6 horizontally. The strip part is locked horizontally by the active locking surfaces comprising the strip and the edge locking surfaces 26,27 and the cooperating fixing surfaces 17 a, 17 b. The strip part 6 is locked vertically by lower and upper horizontal locking surfaces 24,25 and by the upper part of the strip body 28 and the lower part of the edge 29 as shown in FIG. 4 b. The locking element may have a locking angle A of preferably about 40-90 degrees against a horizontal plane. A high locking angle A gives a strong locking but requires a larger locking distance LD which is the distance from the vertical plane VP, where the upper edges are in contact, and to the upper part of the locking surface 11 of the locking element 8. The strip part comprises an inner part IP that extends inwardly from the edge at a rear side of the panel edge and an outer part OP that extends from the edge. The strip has a length direction L along the joint, a width W direction in a horizontal direction perpendicular to the length and a thickness direction T vertically and perpendicularly to the width W, as shown in FIGS. 4 c and 4 d. The thickness of the strip body 7 varies along the width and this facilitates the connection of the strip 6 to the edge. The thickness of the locking protrusion may also vary. Preferably there is a space S between the holding and locking protrusions 18,19, the strip body 7 and the locking element 8 as shown in FIG. 4 b. Such a space S may be used to increase the flexibility of the strip and to facilitate the connection of the strip to the edge.
FIGS. 14 a 1 and 14 a 2 show a part of panel with strip parts on the long and on the short edges. The strip blank comprises preferably the same number of strip parts that are connected to an edge. The strip parts may have a length of, for example, about 1-10 cm. Each strip part may be designed to handle a locking force of 10-100 kg. The distance between the strip parts may be 5-20 cm. As a non restricted example it may be mentioned that a preferred embodiment for a laminate flooring panel with a length of about 1.2 m is a panel that comprises 6 strip parts which are about 4 cm long and attached with a centre distance of about 20 cm and 10 cm from the short edges. Each strip part may be designed such that it has a locking strength of about 60 kg in the horizontal direction. The locking system will have a locking strength of 300 kg/m and this is generally sufficient for a laminate floor.
FIGS. 17 a and 17 show a strip blank 50 with cavities 34 formed by punching between strip parts in order to facilitate the final separation. The strip blank 50 comprises at least two strip parts 6 a, 6 b connected side by side in at least two rows R1 and R2. A strip part may preferably comprise 5-10 strip parts connected side by side in 5-30 rows.
FIGS. 19 a-d show a strip part 6 that may be used to, for example, lock solid wood floors that have a considerable swelling and shrinking across the fibre direction. FIG. 19 a shows the strip part 6 seen from above and FIG. 19 b shows a cross section. The fixing element 16 comprises a flexible locking part 41 and an undercut 15 a formed in the fixing groove 15 that prevent the strip part 6 to be disconnected during transport and installation. The fixing groove includes a first wall 15 b, a bottom wall 15 c and a second wall 15 as shown in FIG. 19 d. The flexible locking part 41 is prevented to flex vertically upwards by a blocking part 42 when the flexible locking part 41 is compressed towards the fixing element 16 and under the blocking part 42. The strip part comprises cavities 23 a, 23 b in its inner and outer parts with walls 40 a, 40 b that may be essentially parallel with the width W of the strip part 6 or they may be rounded or curved such that the strip part may be flexible along its width W. This flexibility may be used to compensate swelling and shrinking of the floor panel or to compensate production tolerances.
1. Building panels comprising a locking system for vertical and horizontal locking of a first edge of a first panel and a second edge of a second adjacent panel, said locking system comprising a tongue and a tongue groove for vertical locking and at least one strip part attached to the first edge of the first panel for horizontal locking, the at least one strip part comprising:
an upwardly extending locking element configured to cooperate with a downwardly open locking groove formed at the second edge of the second adjacent panel;
a strip body with an inner part that extends inwardly from the first edge and at a rear side of the first panel and an outer part that extends outwardly from said first edge of the first panel, the inner part comprising a fixing element that cooperates with a downwardly open fixing groove, formed on the rear side of the first panel, and locks the at least one strip part to the first edge of the first panel in a first horizontal direction;
a locking protrusion, located above the strip body, that locks the at least one strip part to the first edge of the first panel vertically and in a second horizontal direction against a holding protrusion formed at the first edge of the first panel; and
wherein the at least one strip part is configured to be attached to the first edge of the first panel with an essentially horizontal snapping action in the first horizontal direction.
3. The building panels as claimed in claim 1, wherein the locking protrusion comprises a sliding surface that during locking of the first panel with the second panel is in contact with the second edge of the second adjacent panel.
4. The building panels as claimed in claim 1, wherein said locking protrusion is spaced vertically from the strip body.
6. The building panels as claimed in claim 1, wherein a length of the at least one strip part varies along a width of the at least one strip part.
7. The building panels as claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least one strip part is configured so that during the essentially horizontal snapping action, the fixing element enters partly or completely into the fixing groove in the first horizontal direction while the locking protrusion overlaps the holding protrusion.
8. Building panels comprising a locking system for vertical and horizontal locking of a first edge of a first panel and a second edge of a second adjacent panel, said locking system comprising a tongue and a tongue groove for vertical locking and at least one strip part attached to the first edge of the first panel for horizontal locking, the at least one strip part comprising:
upper and lower guiding surfaces that are essentially parallel with the strip body,
wherein the at least one strip part is configured to be attached to the first edge of the first panel with an essentially horizontal snapping action in the first horizontal direction, and
wherein the fixing groove comprises a first wall, a bottom wall and a second wall, wherein the fixing element locks the strip part to the first edge of the first panel in the first horizontal direction with the first wall, wherein the fixing element further comprises a flexible locking part that locks against the second wall of the fixing groove.
9. Building panels comprising a locking system for vertical and horizontal locking of a first edge of a first panel and a second edge of a second adjacent panel, said locking system comprising a tongue and a tongue groove for vertical locking and at least one strip part attached to the first edge of the first panel for horizontal locking, the at least one strip part comprising:
a strip body with an inner part that extends inwardly from the first edge and at a rear side of the first panel and an outer part that extends outwardly from said first edge of the first panel, the inner part comprising a fixing element that cooperates with a downwardly open fixing groove, formed on the rear side of the first panel, and that locks the at least one strip part to the first edge of the first panel in a horizontal direction, the inner part comprises a cavity; and
a locking protrusion, located above the strip body, that locks the at least one strip part to the first edge of the first panel vertically against a holding protrusion formed at the first edge of the first panel; wherein
the at least one strip part comprises polymer material and is formed by injection moulding.
10. The building panels as claimed in claim 9, wherein the inner part comprises several cavities.
11. The building panels as claimed in claim 9, wherein the outer part comprises a cavity.
12. The building panels as claimed in claim 9, wherein the cavity comprises a wall with a wall thickness, the wall thickness being smaller than a width of the cavity.
13. The building panels as claimed in claim 8, wherein a length of the at least one strip part varies along a width of the at least one strip part.
14. The building panels as claimed in claim 9, wherein each building panel is a floor panel.
15. The building panels as claimed in claim 9, wherein the at least one strip part is configured to be attached to the first edge of the first panel with an essentially horizontal snapping action in the first horizontal direction.
16. Building panels comprising a locking system for vertical and horizontal locking of a first edge of a first panel and a second edge of a second adjacent panel, said locking system comprising a tongue and a tongue groove for vertical locking and at least one strip part attached to the first edge of the first panel for horizontal locking, the at least one strip part comprising:
the at least one strip part comprises polymer material and is formed by injection moulding, and
wherein the fixing groove comprises a first wall, a bottom wall and a second wall, wherein the fixing element locks the strip part to the first edge of the first panel in the horizontal direction with the first wall, wherein the fixing element further comprises a flexible locking part that locks against the second wall of the fixing groove.
US13585485 2011-08-15 2012-08-14 Mechanical locking system for floor panels Active US8763340B2 (en)
US201161523602 true 2011-08-15 2011-08-15
US13585485 US8763340B2 (en) 2011-08-15 2012-08-14 Mechanical locking system for floor panels
US14294564 US9243411B2 (en) 2011-08-15 2014-06-03 Mechanical locking system for floor panels
US14988262 US9657483B2 (en) 2011-08-15 2016-01-05 Mechanical locking system for floor panels
US15584869 US20170234020A1 (en) 2011-08-15 2017-05-02 Mechanical locking system for floor panels
US14294564 Continuation US9243411B2 (en) 2011-08-15 2014-06-03 Mechanical locking system for floor panels
US8763340B2 true US8763340B2 (en) 2014-07-01
US13585485 Active US8763340B2 (en) 2011-08-15 2012-08-14 Mechanical locking system for floor panels
US14294564 Active US9243411B2 (en) 2011-08-15 2014-06-03 Mechanical locking system for floor panels
US14988262 Active US9657483B2 (en) 2011-08-15 2016-01-05 Mechanical locking system for floor panels
US15584869 Pending US20170234020A1 (en) 2011-08-15 2017-05-02 Mechanical locking system for floor panels
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US20140223849A1 (en) 2011-09-19 2014-08-14 Ceramica Faetano S.P.A. Ceramic tiled floor and its laying method
US20160168865A1 (en) 2013-07-09 2016-06-16 Floor Iptech Ab Mechanical locking system for floor panels
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US20140287194A1 (en) 2014-09-25 application
US20130042563A1 (en) 2013-02-21 application
US9243411B2 (en) 2016-01-26 grant
US20170234020A1 (en) 2017-08-17 application
US20160201337A1 (en) 2016-07-14 application
US9657483B2 (en) 2017-05-23 grant