Patent ID: 8590253

Claim:
A locking system for mechanical joining of floorboards having a core, said locking system comprising: a first and a second joint edge portion of a first and a second floorboard, configured for horizontal joining of the first and the second joint edge portion respectively at a vertical joint plane, via: a locking groove which is formed in the underside of said second floorboard and extends parallel with and at a distance from said vertical joint plane at said second joint edge and, a strip integrally formed in one piece with the core of said first floorboard, said strip at said first joint edge projects from said vertical joint plane and supports an upperwardly directed locking element, which projects towards a plane containing the upper side of said first floorboard, and which has a locking surface for coaction with a locking surface in said locking groove, and the first and the second joint edge portions further configured for vertical joining of the first and second joint edge portions via: a tongue which at least partly projects and extends from the vertical joint plane and, a tongue groove adapted to coact with said tongue, and coacting contact surfaces positioned in said tongue groove and on said tongue, the first and second floorboards within their joint edge portions for the vertical joining having coacting upper and coacting lower contact surfaces, wherein the coacting contact surfaces comprise surface portions in said tongue groove and on said tongue; wherein the tongue, the tongue groove, the locking element and the locking groove have a configuration that allows insertion of the locking element into the locking groove by inward angling of the second floorboard towards the first floorboard while maintaining contact between the joint edge portions, and wherein the tongue, the tongue grove, the locking element and the locking groove have a configuration that allows insertion of the locking element into the locking groove by a substantially vertical snap action.