Source: http://www.google.es/patents/US9366037
Timestamp: 2018-01-21 06:45:10
Document Index: 13657923

Matched Legal Cases: ['art 10', 'arts 9', 'art 9', 'art 10', 'arts 9', 'art 9', 'art 10', 'arts 9', 'art 10', 'arts 9', 'art 9', 'art 10', 'art 10', 'art 9', 'arts 60', 'arts 60', 'art 9', 'art 10', 'arts 60', 'arts 60', 'arts 9', 'arts 60', 'arts 9', 'art 9', 'art 10', 'arts 9', 'art 10', 'art 9', 'art 9', 'arts 9', 'art 10', 'art 101', 'art 101']

Patente US9366037 - Floor covering, floor element and method for manufacturing floor elements - Google Patentes
A floor covering made of floor elements which have at least at two opposite sides a male coupling part and a female coupling part. The floor elements comprise a substrate substantially consisting of a filled synthetic material composite, a top layer having a thickness from 1 to 15 millimeters....http://www.google.es/patents/US9366037?utm_source=gb-gplus-sharePatente US9366037 - Floor covering, floor element and method for manufacturing floor elements
Número de publicación US9366037 B2
Número de solicitud US 14/672,444
Fecha de presentación 30 Mar 2015
También publicado como CA2652722A1, CA2652722C, CA2856920A1, CA2856920C, CA2937782A1, CA2937817A1, CN101460688A, CN104074334A, CN104563443A, CN104563443B, DE202007018935U1, EP2029831A2, EP2029831B1, EP2843155A1, EP2843155B1, EP3239434A1, US8991055, US9145691, US9200460, US9487957, US9695599, US20090193741, US20140033636, US20150204080, US20150204081, US20160251861, US20170051514, US20170284106, WO2007141605A2, WO2007141605A3, WO2007141605A8
Número de publicación 14672444, 672444, US 9366037 B2, US 9366037B2, US-B2-9366037, US9366037 B2, US9366037B2
Citas de patentes (540), Otras citas (3), Citada por (3), Clasificaciones (24), Eventos legales (1)
US 9366037 B2
A floor covering made of floor elements which have at least at two opposite sides a male coupling part and a female coupling part. The floor elements comprise a substrate substantially consisting of a filled synthetic material composite, a top layer having a thickness from 1 to 15 millimeters.
1. A floor panel for forming a floor covering, comprising a substrate, which substantially consists of a filled synthetic material composite, and a top layer, which top layer has a thickness from 1 to 15 millimeters, wherein the floor panel is rectangular and oblong, and comprises a first pair of opposite sides and a second pair of opposite sides;
wherein said floor panel, at said first pair of opposite sides, comprises first coupling parts, which substantially are performed as a male coupling part and a female coupling part, and which are provided with vertically active locking portions, which, when the first coupling parts of two of such floor panels cooperate with each other, effect a locking in vertical direction, perpendicular to a plane of the coupled floor panels, and also are provided with horizontally active locking portions, which, when the first coupling parts of two of such floor panels cooperate with each other, effect a locking in horizontal direction, perpendicular to the respective sides and in the plane of the coupled floor panels;
wherein said floor panel, at said second pair of opposite sides, comprises second coupling parts, which substantially are performed as a male coupling part and a female coupling part, and which are provided with vertically active locking portions and horizontally active locking portions;
wherein the female coupling part of said first coupling parts comprises a groove, which is bordered by an upper lip and a lower lip;
wherein a majority of the thickness of said upper lip is formed by said top layer, whereas a remainder of said upper lip is formed by said substrate;
wherein said filled synthetic material composite comprises a thermoplastic material and an inorganic filling material.
2. The floor panel of claim 1, wherein an underside of said upper lip, in a coupled condition of the floor panel with another such floor panel, cooperates with a vertically active locking portion of the male coupling part of the first coupling parts of said other floor panel; and wherein said underside is formed by said substrate.
3. The floor panel of claim 1, wherein said lower lip comprises an upright horizontally active locking portion which, in a coupled condition of the floor panel with another such floor panel, cooperates with a horizontally active locking portion of the male coupling part of the first coupling parts of said other floor panel; and wherein said upright locking portion is formed by said substrate.
4. The floor panel of claim 1, wherein said lower lip protrudes distally beyond said upper lip.
5. The floor panel of claim 4, wherein said lower lip comprises an upright locking portion defining a locking surface, which, in a coupled condition of the floor panel with another such floor panel, cooperates with a corresponding locking surface of the male coupling part of the first coupling parts of said other floor panel; and
wherein said locking surface of the upright locking portion is situated completely distally beyond a most distal edge of the upper lip.
6. The floor panel of claim 1, wherein the first coupling parts are configured such that, in a coupled condition of the floor panel with another such floor panel, a side edge of the top layer of the floor panel at a side of the first pair of opposite sides of the floor panel, and an opposite side edge of the top layer of said other floor panel at an opposite side of the first pair of opposite sides of said other floor panel are pressed against each other.
7. The floor panel of claim 1, wherein said thermoplastic material is selected from the group consisting of:
a polyester, polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polyethylene, polypropylene, polystyrene, polycarbonate and polyvinylchloride.
8. The floor panel of claim 1, wherein said filled synthetic material composite is a fiber-filled synthetic material composite.
9. The floor panel of claim 1, wherein said floor panel comprises at least one of the following: a backing layer and a globally horizontally-extending layer including a sound-damping layer.
10. The floor panel of claim 9, wherein the sound-damping layer is made of cork.
11. The floor panel of claim 1, wherein said second coupling parts allow that two of such floor panels can be interconnected at the second pair of opposite sides by providing one of the floor panels with the male coupling part of the second coupling parts, by means of a turning movement, in the female coupling part of the second coupling parts of the other floor panel.
12. The floor panel of claim 1, wherein said first coupling parts are of a type allowing that two of such floor panels can be connected to each other at said first pair of opposite sides by pushing one of the floor panels with the male coupling part of the first coupling parts, by means of a downward movement, home into the female coupling part of the first coupling parts of the other floor panel.
13. The floor panel of claim 1, wherein said first pair of opposite sides forms short sides of the floor panel, whereas said second pair of opposite sides forms long sides of the floor panel.
14. The floor panel of claim 1, wherein the majority of the thickness of said upper lip is at least 50% of the thickness of said upper lip.
15. A floor panel for forming a floor covering, comprising a substrate, which substantially consists of a filled synthetic material composite, and a top layer, which top layer has a thickness from 1 to 15 millimeters, wherein the floor panel is rectangular and oblong, and comprises a first pair of opposite sides and a second pair of opposite sides;
wherein said floor panel, at said first pair of opposite sides, comprises first coupling parts, which substantially are performed as a male coupling part and a female coupling part, and which are provided with vertically active locking portions, which, when the first coupling parts of two of the floor panels cooperate with each other, effect a locking in vertical direction, perpendicular to a plane of the coupled floor panels, and also are provided with horizontally active locking portions, which, when the first coupling parts of two the floor panels cooperate with each other, effect a locking in horizontal direction, perpendicular to the respective sides and in the plane of the coupled floor panels;
wherein said second coupling parts allow that two of such floor panels can be interconnected at the second pair of opposite sides by providing one of the floor panels with the male coupling part of the second coupling parts, by means of a turning movement, in the female coupling part of the second coupling parts-of the other floor panel;
wherein the vertically active locking portions and the horizontally active locking portions of said second coupling parts have locking surfaces, which locking surfaces are formed by said substrate;
16. The floor panel of claim 15, wherein the female coupling part of said second coupling parts comprises a lower lip with an upright locking portion defining a first locking surface, which, in a coupled condition of the floor panel with another such floor panel, cooperates with a second locking surface of the male coupling part of the second coupling parts of said other floor panel; and
wherein said first and said second locking surfaces are formed by said substrate.
17. The floor panel of claim 16, wherein the female coupling part of said second coupling parts comprises an upper lip, an underside of which defining a third locking surface, which, in a coupled condition of the floor panel with another such floor panel, cooperates with a fourth locking surface of the male coupling part of the second coupling parts of said other floor panel; and
wherein said third and said fourth locking surfaces are formed by said substrate.
18. The floor panel of claim 15, wherein the female coupling part of said second coupling parts comprises an upper lip, an underside of which defining a third locking surface, which, in a coupled condition of the floor panel with another such floor panel, cooperates with a fourth locking surface of the male coupling part of the second coupling parts of said other floor panel; and
19. The floor panel of claim 15, wherein said male and said female coupling parts of the second coupling parts are substantially performed as a tongue, respectively a groove; and
wherein said groove is bordered by an upper lip and a lower lip, which lower lip protrudes distally beyond said upper lip.
20. The floor panel of claim 19, wherein said lower lip comprises an upright locking portion defining a first locking surface, which, in a coupled condition of the floor panel with another such floor panel, cooperates with a second locking surface of the male coupling part of the second coupling parts of said other floor panel;
wherein said first and said second locking surfaces are formed by said substrate; and
wherein said first locking surface is situated completely distally beyond a most distal edge of the upper lip.
21. The floor panel of claim 15, wherein said second coupling parts are configured such that, in a coupled condition of the floor panel with another such floor panel, a side edge of the top layer of the floor panel at a side edge of the top layer of said other floor panel at an opposite side of the second pair of opposite sides of said other floor panel are pressed against each other.
22. The floor panel of claim 15, wherein said thermoplastic material is selected from the group consisting of:
a polyester, a polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polyethylene, polypropylene, polystyrene, polycarbonate and polyvinylchloride.
23. The floor panel of claim 15, wherein said filled synthetic material composite is a fiber-filled synthetic material composite.
24. The floor panel of claim 15, wherein said floor panel comprises at least one of the following: a backing layer and a globally horizontally-extending layer including a sound-damping layer.
25. The floor panel of claim 15, wherein said first coupling parts are of a type allowing that two of such floor panels to be connected to each other at said first pair of opposite sides by pushing one of the floor panels with the male coupling part, by means of a downward movement, into the female coupling part of the other floor panel.
26. The floor panel of claim 15, wherein said first pair of opposite sides forms short sides of the floor panel, whereas said second pair of opposite sides forms long sides of the floor panel.
Amongst others, the invention relates to floor elements comprising a substrate and a top layer, or to floor coverings composed of such floor elements. Herein, this may relate to the type of floor elements known from the DE 203 10 959 U1, the substrate of which is composed of laths, which substantially consist of softwood and wherein the top layer thereof consists of wood, such as floor elements with a top layer of veneer or with a wooden top layer with a thickness between 1 and 15 millimeters. However, the invention is not restricted to the above-mentioned type of floor elements, but on the contrary also may relate to laminate floor panels having a top layer based on synthetic material, or to still other types of floor elements, for example, floor elements comprising a decorative element of natural stone, baked stone or ceramics, such as, for example, those known from the EP 1 441 086.
From WO 01/98604 and DE 101 38 285, it is known to implement the male coupling part of such floor elements with a vertical active locking portion in the form of a bendable lip-shaped portion, which elastically bends during the downward coupling movement and thereby performs a turning movement in order to spring back at the end of the coupling action and to get seated in an undercut of the female coupling part. However, the embodiments known from these documents still show a number of disadvantages. The embodiment of WO 01/98604, for example, shows the disadvantage that the male coupling part is made in a V-shape, such that the bendable lip-shaped portion is supported in a relatively weak manner and the locking shows a limited strength. Under the influence of a vertical pressure load onto the connection, for example, when walking thereon, a V-shaped coupling part may deform and a height difference may develop between two adjacent floor panels; under the influence of a horizontal tension load, for example, when the floor elements crimp in dry periods, a V-shaped male coupling part also may deform and there is an increased risk that a gap forms between two adjacent floor panels. In both patent documents, WO 01/98604 and DE 101 38 285, the bendable lip-shaped portion moreover is implemented on a separate edge portion, which is integrated into the substrate of the floor panels in a relatively weak manner.
Other examples of such coupling parts and locking portions are known from WO 2005/054599 and EP 1 650 375. Here, too, use is made of a deformable portion, however, not of a bendable lip-shaped portion, for the vertically active locking portion. The deformable portion known from this document is made, as a whole, as a movable insert, which, during the downward coupling movement, is intended to perform a translation movement in its seat. This requirement concurrently effects that this deformable portion or this insert is integrated in the substrate of the respective floor elements in a weak manner. Moreover, due to the translation movement forces may occur having a splitting effect onto the substrate of the floor element, whereby in such floor element, in particular when coupling it repeatedly, the strength of the coupling may be lost.
The cooperation among two floor panels of the invention preferably shows at least one or a combination of two or more of the following three features: the feature that the cooperation of the vertically active locking portions consists at least in that, in the coupled condition of two of such floor elements, the bendable lip-shaped first portion, at its distal extremity, contacts a wall of the female coupling part; the feature that, in the coupled condition of two of such floor elements, the underside of the second more massive portion contacts a wall of the female coupling part; the feature that the cooperation of the horizontally active locking portions consists at least in that, in the coupled condition of two of such floor elements, the upright locking portion of the female coupling part contacts the horizontally active locking portion of the male coupling part.
Examples of wood or wood based materials are spruce wood or other types of softwood, chipboard, fiberboard, MDF or HDF (Medium Density Fiberboard or High Density Fiberboard). In the case of materials such as spruce wood or other softwood, these materials preferably are present in the substrate in the form of adjacent-situated laths.
According to the same first possibility, the respective floor panels may be of the type that comprises a substrate and wherein the separate edge portion forms part of a material part situated in a groove-shaped recess in the edge of the substrate. Herein, this may relate, for example, to floor elements with a top layer on the basis of synthetic material, as it is the case, for example, with laminate flooring. In such laminate flooring, the top layer of the floor panels may comprise carrier sheets immersed in resin or in synthetic material, said sheets consisting, for example, of paper, wherein at least one of these carrier sheets shows a printed décor that is visible at the upper side of the floor panels and forms a so-called decorative layer. Preferably, with such floor panels also a backing layer on the basis of such resin-impregnated carrier sheet is provided at the bottom side thereof. In laminate flooring, for the actual substrate preferably use is made of MDF or HDF.
Said proximal flank may serve as a stop surface for the first portion, such that this latter does not lose its resiliency by bending or turning too far in the coupling process, or when performing the coupling process repeatedly, which is beneficial to the strength of the coupling.
According to a sixth independent aspect, the invention also relates to a method for manufacturing floor elements, which comprise at least a decorative element defining at least partially the upper side of the respective floor element, and which have coupling parts at least at two opposite sides, wherein the floor elements, at least at one of these sides, are provided with a separate edge portion of synthetic material, whereas the floor elements, globally seen, are constructed of another material than the material of the edge portion, with as a characteristic that the method comprises at least the following two successive steps: the step of producing a semi-finished product comprising at least said edge portion and said decorative element, wherein the edge portion, when producing the semi-finished product, already is provided or is being provided with a portion of the coupling part to be formed therein;
FIGS. 5 to 7 further illustrate the application of the floor panel from FIG. 1, wherein
FIG. 6, at a larger scale, represents a view of the portion indicated by F6 in FIG. 5, and
FIG. 7, also at a larger scale, represents a view of the portion indicated by F7 in FIG. 2;
As also mentioned above, FIG. 3 clearly illustrates the coupling action by which two floor elements 1 can be mutually coupled by moving them in a downward direction towards each other, as indicated by arrows 15. As indicated, it is not excluded that said downward coupling movement 15 deviates from the vertical and has a horizontal component HC. According to the invention, however, the vertical component VC of the downward coupling movement 15 will dominate. When performing this coupling movement 15 with the floor elements 1 or floor panels of the example, the bendable lip-shaped first portion 17 performs a turning movement towards the second, more massive portion 18, in order to spring back entirely or partially at the end of the coupling action, in this case into an undercut 28 of the female coupling part 10, and wherein the lip-shaped first portion 17 and the undercut 28 then in this way function as said vertically active locking portions 11, 12, respectively. The turning point O of said turning movement preferably, as illustrated herein, is situated vertically underneath the upper surface 29 of the respective floor element 1.
FIG. 4 shows that, according to all aspects of the invention, also the second pair of opposite sides 41-42, in this case the long sides of the floor element 1 of FIG. 1, can be provided with cooperating coupling parts 9-10, which substantially are made as a male coupling part 9 and a female coupling part 10, which are provided with vertically active locking portions 11-12 and horizontally active locking portions 13-14. The illustrated coupling parts 9-10 and locking portions 11-12-13-14 are of the type as is known from the WO 97/47834 and allow that the floor elements 1 can be connected at this pair of sides 41-42 at least by providing one of these floor elements 1 with the associated male coupling part 9, by means of a turning movement W, in the female coupling part 10 of the other floor element 1, such as depicted with the dashed line 43. Other types of coupling parts and locking portions at the second pair of opposite sides 41-42 of a floor element 1 according to the invention are possible. So, for example, it is possible to favor coupling parts and locking portions that allow that the floor elements can be connected to each other at least by shifting them towards each other in the horizontal direction H1, or which allow that the floor elements can be connected to each other at least by moving them towards each other in a downward, substantially vertical direction V1. In this latter case, it is possible to choose at the second pair of opposite sides 41-42 coupling parts and locking portions that have characteristics identical to those of the coupling parts 9-10 and locking portions 11-12-13-14 of the first pair of opposite sides 7-8.
FIG. 7 illustrates that the bendable lip-shaped first portion 17, in a preferred form of embodiment of the invention according to all of its aspects, in the connected condition of two of such floor elements 1, has sprung back only partially and remains standing against the wall 32 bordering said undercut 28 of the female coupling part 10 in upward direction. In dashed lines 45-46, in FIG. 7 the position of the first portion 17 respectively before and during the coupling action is represented. As the lip-shaped first portion 17 in the coupled condition, which is represented in full line, has sprung back only partially, a clamping effect of the coupling is provided, such that then a good vertical locking is obtained. Such clamping effect may best be obtained by performing the aforementioned wall 32 bordering the undercut 28 in upward direction with an inclination, and preferably performing it such that the turning circle C of the first lip-shaped portion 17, or the curve describing the possible positions of the distal extremity 30 of this lip-shaped first portion 17, on the one hand, has at least a first point C1, which, viewed in the vertical plane through the upper edge 47 of the floor panel, is situated underneath the aforementioned wall 32 or the extension 48 thereof, and, on the other hand, has at least a second point C2, where said curve or turning circle C intersects said wall 32. As already mentioned above, the turning circle C of the circle approaching the turning curve preferably, as herein, has a center O situated vertically underneath the upper surface 29 of the respective floor element 1.
FIG. 11 represents another preferable form of embodiment of the first through the fourth aspects of the invention. This relates to a floor covering 23, which is composed of floor elements 1, the substrate 2 of which is formed of a board 53 of, for example, MDF or HDF, whether or not already provided with a top layer 3 and/or backing layer 4, where at least at one of two opposite sides 7-8, and preferably at both opposite sides of that pair, material has been removed and said separate edge portion 19 forms part of a material part situated in the obtained groove-shaped recess 54 in the edge of the substrate 2. The separate edge portion 19 is, for example, glued into the substrate 2 as an insert 20, or is formed within the groove-shaped recess 54 by means of an injection molding technique. In dashed line, also a variant 19A for the separate edge portion 19 is represented, having an attachment portion with which it can be integrated even sturdier into the substrate 2.
The form of embodiment of FIG. 11 is particularly suited for laminate floor panels manufactured by means of a DPL (Direct Pressure Laminate) process. With such floor panels, the top layer 4, as represented here, is constructed of carrier sheets 55, for example, paper sheets, immersed in synthetic material or resin, which are consolidated in a heated press with a board material 53, such as an MDF or HDF board. At the underside 21 of the board material 53, also a carrier sheet 55 immersed in synthetic material or resin is provided as a backing layer 4 by means of the same press treatment. The board 53 obtained by means of the press treatment then is divided into panels having approximately the size of the final floor panels or floor elements 1. Preferably, it is in these panels 1 that, as aforementioned, material is removed from the board material in order to form the groove-shaped recess 54, in which the separate edge portion 19-19A is realized, preferably as an insert 20.
As represented in the FIGS. 17 and 18, the floor elements of the floor covering 23 of FIG. 16 comprise coupling parts at a first pair of opposite sides 7-8, namely, at the short sides, as well as at a second pair of opposite sides 41-42, namely at the long sides of the floor elements 1. The coupling parts 9-10 of the pair of opposite long sides 41-42 substantially are performed as a male coupling part 9 and a female coupling part 10, which, as is illustrated in FIG. 18, may cooperate with the female coupling part 10 and the male coupling part 9, respectively, of the opposite long sides 41-42 of an identical floor element. The coupling parts 60 of both opposite short sides 7-8 of the floor elements 1, as is illustrated in FIG. 17, are designed such that each of these coupling parts 60 can cooperate with the male coupling part 9, as well as with the female coupling part 10 of opposite long sides 41-42 of an identical floor element 1.
The particularity of the floor elements represented in the FIGS. 17 and 18 consists in that the coupling parts 60 situated at the opposite short sides 7-8 of the floor elements 1 are made at least partially and preferably entirely of a synthetic material, such as a filled synthetic material composite or any other synthetic material, such as, for example, polyurethane. At both sides of a first pair of opposite sides 7-8 of the floor elements 1, in this case, the short sides, a separate edge portion 19 or insert 20 of synthetic material is provided in the substrate 2. Herein, in the example, the separate edge portions 19 or inserts 20 form the entire respective sides 7-8 of the floor elements 1, with the exception of the top layer 3 and the backing layer 4. On the separate edge portions 19, coupling parts 60 and/or locking portions 61 are formed, which can cooperate with the coupling parts 9-10 and/or the locking portions 11-12-13-14 of both sides 41-42 of the second pair of opposite sides. Preferably, the coupling parts 60 and locking portions 61 at the first pair of opposite sides 7-8, as illustrated herein, are made identical, whereas the coupling parts 9-10 at the second pair of opposite sides 41-42 substantially are made as a tongue at the side 41 having the male coupling part 9 and a groove at the side 42 having the female coupling part 10. The mutual cooperation among the coupling parts 9-10 of the second pair of opposite sides 41-42 is represented in FIG. 18.
In the example of the FIGS. 17 and 18, the aforementioned tongue is provided with two locking elements 37 at its underside, namely, on the one hand, a first locking element 37A situated proximally in respect to the respective floor element 1 and allowing the tongue to cooperate with an upright locking portion 36 of the female locking part 10 or the groove at the opposite side 42, and, on the other hand, a second locking element 37B allowing the male coupling part 9 or the tongue to cooperate with one of the upright locking elements 62 of the first pair of opposite sides 7-8.
After the semi-finished product 63 has been provided, the step of performing a machining treatment takes place at the separate edge portion 19 of the already formed semi-finished product in order to fabricate at least a portion of the coupling part 9-10-60 to be formed therein. To this aim, in the example, the obtained semi-finished product 63, with its underside 21 directed upward, is conveyed through two edge profiling machines 65 and is provided with coupling parts 9-10-60 and/or locking portions 11-12-13-14-61 at its opposite long sides 41-42, as well as at its opposite short sides 7-8, by means of a milling process being said machining treatment. Milling treatments at the edges of floor elements 1 are described, for example, in detail in the aforementioned WO 97/47834. The mechanical tools applied for the machining treatment preferably relate to rotating milling tools 66.
Further, it is noted that according to all aspects of the invention, it is not excluded that said synthetic material also comprises other ingredients, such as ground wood particles, however, that preferably an excess of synthetic material is provided, such that said bending ability of the first lip-shaped portion 17 can be realized. So, for example, a modified wood fiber material may be used, which comprises an excess of resin. Other highly suitable examples of such materials relate to the materials known as “fiber-filled synthetic material composites”, or more particularly “extruded wood”. Such materials are formed starting from a mixture of ground wood particles, such as fine wood chips and/or wood fibers, and synthetic material and, by means of an extrusion procedure, are formed to a solid material that is simple to process. Apart from the simple processing ability of these composite materials, they also may approach real wood or other wood-based materials in respect to appearance and/or touch, which renders such edge portion in a floor element more easily acceptable to the user. Apart from wood fibers, also the use of hemp fibers is possible, which show very good fiber geometry for such application. In the case of said filled synthetic material composite, viewed in cross-section, zones with different composition and/or features may be applied in order to obtain different features in different zones, for example, in respect to elasticity, color, adherence, smoothness of the surface, processability and the like. In a practical manner, this may be realized, amongst others, by means of co-extrusion. So, for example, the mixing ratio between synthetic material and filling material, for example, fiber material, such as wood fibers, may be adapted in the respective filled synthetic material composite according to the zone.
The application of this particular independent aspect is particularly interesting for the floor panels known under the denomination of “engineered wood” and of which the substrate 2 is composed of laths 6. So, for example, may this aspect be applied in the embodiments represented in FIGS. 1 to 4, wherein then, for example, the respective separate edge portions are made in said filled synthetic material composite. Such separate edge portions of filled synthetic material, preferably fiber-filled synthetic material, may also be applied in laminate floor panels, such as the one represented in FIG. 11.
Further, it is clear that applying a filled synthetic material composite, such as extruded wood, is useful for providing coupling parts, independently of which type of mutual connection these coupling parts are allowing. So, for example, by means of such extruded wood, one or more coupling parts may be provided at a floor panel, said coupling parts allowing at least for a mutual connection with the coupling parts of another similar floor panel by means of a turning movement, a horizontal shifting movement and/or a downward pushing movement. The composition of filled synthetic materials can be adapted such that they allow forming the most complex profiles therein, for example, by means of a machining treatment, such as milling. Possibly, the respective profiles also may be formed entirely or partially by means of the extrusion process. In the most suitable composition of such filled synthetic material, an excess of synthetic material is applied, which means that a synthetic material/filling material ratio is applied, which is higher than 50:50. Of course, the invention does not exclude that an excess of the filling material, for example, of wood fibers and/or wood chips, might be applied. Further, possibly also the fiber length of the filling material can be adapted, for example, between 70 and 2500 micron. Also, the moisture percentage of the extruded wood may be adapted, for example, between 1 and 10%. Preferably, within the frame of the present invention wood fiber lengths between 100 and 1000 micron and/or moisture percentages lower than 7%, and still better lower than 5%, are handled. These adaptations of mixing ratio, fiber length and/or moisture content are also useful with said seventh aspect of the invention, as well as in all other aspects where such filled synthetic material can be applied.
FIG. 32 shows the female coupling part 10 as having a projecting end part 101 formed by the substrate 2. The projecting end part 101 comprises the horizontally active locking portion 14, and the horizontally active locking portion 14 is thus also formed by the substrate 2. The horizontally active locking portion 14 comprises a horizontally active locking surface 102 which is under an angle respect to the horizontal direction H1.
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Clasificación internacional E04F15/10, E04F15/04, E04B2/00, E04F15/02
Clasificación cooperativa E04F2201/026, E04F2201/043, E04F2201/0161, E04F2201/023, E04F15/045, E04F15/02, Y10T29/49623, E04F2201/013, E04F2201/0138, E04F2201/0146, E04F2201/049, E04F2201/041, E04F15/02038, E04F15/02033, E04F15/048, E04F2201/0529, E04F2201/0115, E04F2201/0153, Y10T29/49629, E04F15/102
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