Patent ID: 6968663

Claim:
A floor panel comprising a hard panel, each panel having coupling profiles on at least on two opposite edges thereof so that several of such panels can be mutually coupled together along said edges to form a floor covering, said coupling profiles configured so as to enable mutual interlocking of adjacent similar panels in a direction perpendicular to the plane of coupled panels, as well as in a direction perpendicular to the coupled edges and parallel to the plane of coupled panels, said coupling profiles further comprising a tongue and a groove; said tongue having a top side and a bottom side; said groove having a top side and a bottom side disposed at the bottom side of the groove; a lower lip having a distal tip, a top side, a bottom side and a distal free end; and an upper lip having a bottom side and a distal free end disposed at the upper side of the groove; said lower lip extending distally beyond the upper lip in a direction away from the groove; said coupling profiles comprising at least first coupling parts including cooperating first contact surfaces located on the top side of the tongue and on the bottom side of the upper lip respectively; second coupling parts comprising second contact surfaces located on a top side of the lower lip and an opposed part of an interlocked similar panel, respectively; and third coupling parts which provide for horizontal interlocking located on a portion of the lower lip located distally beyond the distal free end of the upper lip, said third coupling parts being disposed between the first and second coupling parts in the plane of coupled similar panels, said tongue bordering a free space at its bottom side, said free space extending from the distal tip of the tongue up to the third coupling parts.