Patent ID: 7644555

Claim:
A floor panel for forming a floor covering, comprising a thickness dimension in the range of 5 to 15 mm; at least one pair of opposite side edges including upper side edges; a laminate construction including a core material made of medium density fiberboard or high density fiberboard; coupling parts made integrally in one piece with the panel core material on the opposite side edges respectively in the form of a tongue part and a groove part; said groove part being bordered by an upper lip and a lower lip; said coupling parts including integrated mechanical locking elements and being configured so as to enable a pair of the panels to be coupled to each other by placing a tongue pad of one panel in a groove part of the other panel, with the panel upper side edges adjoining each other; said tongue part, groove part and locking elements being formed in one piece with said core material; said locking elements including a locking surface on the tongue part that is located on a protrusion extending from a lower side of the tongue part and a locking surface on the groove part that is located at one side of an upwardly facing recess in an upper surface of the lower lip, such that in coupled condition of two of such panels with the upper side edges adjoining each other and with a tongue part of one panel received in the groove part of the other panel, the protrusion of the tongue part of one panel cooperates with the recess of the groove part of the other panel with the locking surfaces of the tongue part and the groove part contacting each other, said locking surfaces preventing unintentional separation between the upper side edges which would produce undesired gaps between the adjoined upper side edges in directions perpendicular to the related side edges and parallel to the underside of the coupled panels; said protrusion on the tongue part including a distally located lateral wall and a proximally located lateral wall, said distally located lateral wall extending obliquely downwardly from an upper distal area towards a lower proximal area and facing in a distal direction relative to the tongue part, said proximally located lateral wall facing proximally of the tongue part, and said locking surface on the protrusion being disposed on the proximally located lateral wall of the protrusion and facing in a proximal direction relative to the tongue part, said proximally located lateral wall of the protrusion extending obliquely downwardly from an upper proximal area towards a lower distal area.