Source: https://patents.google.com/patent/US9316002
Timestamp: 2018-04-23 10:00:08
Document Index: 350328376

Matched Legal Cases: ['Application No. 61', 'Application No. 61', 'arts 66', 'arts 68', 'art 66', 'arts 68', 'art 66', 'art 68', 'art 66', 'art 66', 'arts 66', 'arts 68', 'arts 68', 'arts 66', 'arts 68', 'arts 68']

US9316002B2 - Building panel with a mechanical locking system - Google Patents
US9316002B2
US9316002B2 US14794308 US201514794308A US9316002B2 US 9316002 B2 US9316002 B2 US 9316002B2 US 14794308 US14794308 US 14794308 US 201514794308 A US201514794308 A US 201514794308A US 9316002 B2 US9316002 B2 US 9316002B2
US14794308
US20150337537A1 (en )
The present application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 14/612,881, filed on Feb. 3, 2015, which is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 14/074,273, filed on Nov. 7, 2013, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,973,331, which is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 13/855,966, filed on Apr. 3, 2013, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,596,013, which claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/620,233, filed on Apr. 4, 2012. The entire contents of U.S. application Ser. No. 14/612,881, U.S. application Ser. No. 14/074,273, U.S. Pat. No. 8,973,331, U.S. application Ser. No. 13/855,966, U.S. Pat. No. 8,596,013, and U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/620,233 are hereby incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.
A second aspect of the disclosure are building panels provided with a mechanical locking system comprising a tongue, at an edge of a first panel, cooperating with a tongue groove, at an edge of an adjacent second panel, for vertical locking of the building panels. The edge of the first panel may be provided with a displacement groove to obtain a resilient and displaceable tongue part. Said displacement groove may be downwardly open, and comprise an inner wall, an outer wall and an upper wall. The tongue may be formed out of the edge of the first panel. The resilient and displaceable part of the tongue may be configured to be displaced partly into the displacement groove by a lower lip of the tongue groove during assembling of the first and the second panel by a vertical displacement of the second panel toward the first panel.
FIGS. 12A-C show a side view and two cross-sections of building panels according to embodiments of the disclosure.
FIGS. 2a-b show cross sections of different embodiments of the known displaceable and resilient tongue 30 during assembling of two adjacent short edges. The panel with the tongue groove is lowered in relation to the panel with tongue 30, which is pushed into the displacement groove by the lowered panel. The tongue springs back, and into the tongue groove, when the panels have reached an assembled position, and locks the panels vertically.
Embodiments of the disclosure are shown in FIGS. 4, 5, 6 a-c, 7 a-d, 8 a-b and 9 a-b. A locking system is formed at adjacent edges of an adjacent first and second panel 1, 1′ for locking the adjacent edges in a vertical and/or horizontal direction. An embodiment of the locking system enables assembling of panels at the adjacent edges by a vertical movement, see FIGS. 7a-d . The locking system is preferably formed by mechanical cutting, such as milling, drilling and/or sawing, of the edges of the panels.
FIGS. 4, 5, 6 a-c, 7 a-d and 8 b show a first embodiment comprising a tongue 30 with two displaceable parts 66 and three fixed parts 68, two displacement grooves 60, and a lower lip 31 of a tongue groove 20 with three recesses 69. The cross section in FIG. 6a is at the D-D line indicated in FIG. 8a and the cross section in FIG. 6b is at the C-C line indicated in FIG. 8 a.
FIG. 8a shows a second embodiment comprising a tongue 30 with one displaceable part 66 and two fixed parts 68, one displacement groove 60, and a lower lip of the tongue groove 20 with two recesses 69.
The cross sections in FIGS. 6a and b and the side view in FIG. 6c , show that a lower surface of the displaceable part 66 cooperates, for vertical locking of adjacent edges of the panels 1,1′, with a contact surface 70 of the lower lip 31 of the tongue groove 20. A vertical movement of the displaceable part is restrained, since the displaceable part of the tongue is continuous with the fixed part 68 of the tongue 30 a.
The contact surface 70 of the lower lip 31 may be positioned such that the displaceable part 66 of the tongue 30 is prevented to spring back to its initial position before assembling and thereby remains, in an assembled and locked position of the panels 1, 1′, partly in the displacement groove 66. This position of the contact surface 70 result in that the lower surface of the displaceable part of the tongue asserts a force against the contact surface of lower lip in the locked position of the panels 1,1′, which is shown in FIGS. 9a and 9b . The asserted force improves the locking and a play between the panels may be possibly avoided or reduced.
To decrease the force applied on the tongue when a load is applied on the building panels and to further improve the strength and tolerances of the locking system, the edges of the adjacent panels may be provided with upper overlapping surfaces 90, which are shown in FIG. 9b . The upper overlapping surfaces are preferably essentially horizontal.
An embodiment comprising a displacement groove 60 with an outer wall, which is not intended to break during assembling, is shown in FIG. 10a . The side view in FIG. 10a shows that the distance from the edge of the first panel 1 is increased. The displacement groove has the result that a resilient and displaceable tongue part 66 is obtained. The top view in FIG. 10b shows an embodiment with an edge of a first panel 1 comprising two displacement grooves 60 and a tongue 30 with two resilient and displaceable parts 66 and three fixed parts 68 and an adjacent edge of a second panel 1′ comprising a tongue groove with a lower lip provided with three recesses 69 that matches the fixed parts 68 of the tongue. The tongue comprises an upper essentially horizontal surface 90, which preferably extends along the whole edge. The upper essentially horizontal surface increases the strength of the locking system. FIG. 12a shows in a side view that the size of the tongue may be increased for building panels comprising favorably resilient material.
FIGS. 11a-c show an embodiment in which also parts of the lower lip of the tongue groove is made flexible and resilient. This is achieved by providing a displacement groove also at the edge of the second panel. The side view in FIG. 11a and the cross section 11 c show an embodiment comprising a displacement groove 71 which downwardly open at a distance from the tongue groove. The cross section in FIG. 11c is indicated in the top view in FIG. 11b by the A-A line. The cross section in FIG. 11d is indicated in the top view in FIG. 11b by the B-B line. The top view in FIG. 11b shows an embodiment with an edge of a first panel 1 comprising two displacement grooves 60 and a tongue with two resilient and displaceable parts 66 and three fixed parts 68 at an edge of a first panel 1, and an adjacent edge of a second panel 1′ comprising a tongue groove with a lower lip provided with three recesses 69 that correspond to fixed parts 68 of the tongue, and two displacement grooves 71, to obtain two flexible parts at the lower lip of the tongue groove.
Alternative shapes of displacement grooves 60, 71 at the edge of the first and second panel 1, 1′ are shown in FIGS. 12b-c . The upper wall of the displacement groove is of a rounded shape in order to increase the strength of the displacement groove.
the resilient and displaceable part of the tongue is configured to be displaced at least partly into the displacement groove by a lower lip of the tongue groove during assembling of the first and the second panel by a vertical displacement of the second panel toward the first panel,
the thickness of the outer wall of the displacement groove at a first and upper part of the displacement groove, at the upper surface of the tongue, is configured such that the resilient an displaceable part of the tongue part is obtained,
the thickness of the outer wall of the displacement groove at a second part of the displacement groove, below the resilient and displaceable part of the tongue, is configured such that the resilient and displaceable part of the tongue is obtained, and
the edge of the adjacent second panel is provided with a displacement groove located at a distance from the tongue groove.
2. Building panels as claimed in claim 1, wherein the tongue comprises fixed parts at a side of the resilient and displaceable part of the tongue.
3. Building panels as claimed in claim 2, wherein the tongue groove comprises recesses, which correspond to the fixed parts of the tongue.
4. Building panels as claimed in claim 1, wherein a contact surface of a lower lip of the tongue groove cooperates, for the vertical locking, with a lower surface of the resilient and displaceable part of the tongue.
5. Building panels as claimed in claim 4, wherein the contact surface is arranged such that when the resilient and displaceable part of the tongue springs back, during the assembling of the building panels, the resilient and displaceable part is prevented from reaching its original position.
6. Building panels as claimed in claim 1, wherein the tongue has several resilient and displaceable parts, and the edge of the first panel is provided with several displacement grooves.
7. Building panels as claimed in claim 1, wherein the displacement groove at the edge of the adjacent second panel is downwardly open.
8. Building panels as claimed in claim 1, wherein a part of a lower lip of the tongue groove is flexible and resilient.
US14794308 2012-04-04 2015-07-08 Building panel with a mechanical locking system Active US9316002B2 (en)
US201261620233 true 2012-04-04 2012-04-04
US13855966 US8596013B2 (en) 2012-04-04 2013-04-03 Building panel with a mechanical locking system
US14074273 US8973331B2 (en) 2012-04-04 2013-11-07 Building panel with a mechanical locking system
US14612881 US9091077B2 (en) 2012-04-04 2015-02-03 Building panel with a mechanical locking system
US14794308 US9316002B2 (en) 2012-04-04 2015-07-08 Building panel with a mechanical locking system
US15066722 US9663940B2 (en) 2012-04-04 2016-03-10 Building panel with a mechanical locking system
US15583002 US20180016783A1 (en) 2012-04-04 2017-05-01 Building panel with a mechanical locking system
US14612881 Continuation US9091077B2 (en) 2012-04-04 2015-02-03 Building panel with a mechanical locking system
US15066722 Continuation US9663940B2 (en) 2012-04-04 2016-03-10 Building panel with a mechanical locking system
US20150337537A1 true US20150337537A1 (en) 2015-11-26
US9316002B2 true US9316002B2 (en) 2016-04-19
US13855966 Active US8596013B2 (en) 2012-04-04 2013-04-03 Building panel with a mechanical locking system
US14074273 Active US8973331B2 (en) 2012-04-04 2013-11-07 Building panel with a mechanical locking system
US14612881 Active US9091077B2 (en) 2012-04-04 2015-02-03 Building panel with a mechanical locking system
US14794308 Active US9316002B2 (en) 2012-04-04 2015-07-08 Building panel with a mechanical locking system
US15066722 Active US9663940B2 (en) 2012-04-04 2016-03-10 Building panel with a mechanical locking system
US15583002 Pending US20180016783A1 (en) 2012-04-04 2017-05-01 Building panel with a mechanical locking system
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US8596013B2 (en) 2013-12-03 grant
US20150337537A1 (en) 2015-11-26 application
US8973331B2 (en) 2015-03-10 grant
US20130263547A1 (en) 2013-10-10 application
US9091077B2 (en) 2015-07-28 grant
US20160186426A1 (en) 2016-06-30 application
US9663940B2 (en) 2017-05-30 grant
US20180016783A1 (en) 2018-01-18 application
US20150152644A1 (en) 2015-06-04 application
US20140059966A1 (en) 2014-03-06 application
US20120174520A1 (en) 2012-07-12 Mechanical locking system for floor panels
US20120017533A1 (en) 2012-01-26 Mechanical lockings of floor panels and a tongue blank
US20110056167A1 (en) 2011-03-10 Resilient floor
Free format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST;ASSIGNOR:BOO, CHRISTIAN;REEL/FRAME:037309/0041