Patent ID: 7658048

Claim:
A floor panel for forming a floor covering, said panel having an upper side, an underside, being rectangular, i.e. elongated or square, and having a first and a second pair of opposite side edges terminating at their upper ends at upper side edges; said first pair of opposite side edges having at least following features: the edges are provided with coupling parts substantially in the form of a tongue and a groove, said groove being delimited by an upper lip and a lower lip, said coupling parts configured so as to enable two of such panels to be coupled to each other by placing a tongue of one panel in a groove of the other panel, with the respective panel upper side edges adjoining each other; the coupling parts are provided with integrated mechanical locking elements including tongue and groove locking surfaces which contact and cooperate with each other when two panels are coupled and which prevent the drifting apart of two coupled flooring panels in a direction perpendicular to the related edges and parallel to the underside of the coupled floor panels; the coupling parts and locking elements are made in one piece in the panel; said locking surfaces contacting each other when a pair of the panels are coupled by placement of the tongue of one panel into the groove of the other panel with the upper side edges of the panels adjoining each other, to thereby secure the upper side edges of said coupled panels in adjoined relationship while preventing unintentional separation between the upper side edges that would produce undesired gaps between the upper side edges in a direction perpendicular to the related side edges and parallel to the underside of the coupled floor panels; said second pair of opposite side edges of the panel having at least following features: the edges are provided with coupling parts substantially in the form of a tongue and a groove, said groove being delimited by an upper lip and a lower lip, said coupling parts configured so as to enable two of such panels to be coupled to each other by placing a tongue of one panel in a groove of the other panel, with the respective panel upper side edges adjoining each other; the coupling parts comprise tongue and groove mechanical locking elements which cooperate with each other when two panels are coupled and which prevent the drifting apart of two coupled flooring panels in a direction perpendicular to the related edges and parallel to the underside of the coupled floor panels; the coupling parts include parts not made in one piece with the panel material.