Patent ID: 6874292

Claim:
A floor covering panel comprising a substantially planar under side and at least two opposed side edges; said side edges including cooperative coupling parts configured to cooperate with identical cooperative complementary coupling parts of another one of said panel; said coupling parts comprising substantially a tongue and a groove extending distally transversely along panel side edges including mechanical locking elements; said tongue, groove and locking elements formed in one piece with the panel; said tongue groove and locking elements cooperating to prevent drifting apart of the floor panel when coupled by said coupling parts to another one of said floor panel in directions perpendicular to the adjacent side edges of the coupled panels, and parallel to the undersides of the coupled panels; a coupling part of said panel, when engaged with a cooperating coupling part of another one of said panel, urging the coupled panels towards each other; at least one of said coupling parts including an elastically bendable portion having a relaxed unbent position, and which, when in a coupled condition, is at least slightly bent out of its normal relaxed unbent position to effect said urging of the coupled panels together.