Patent ID: 8215076

Claim:
A flooring system comprising a plurality of laminate or wood veneer rectangular floorboards having a locking system for mechanical joining of such floorboards, opposite first and second joint edge portions, adjoining floorboards in a mechanically joined position having their first and second joint edge portions joined at a vertical joint plane, said locking system comprising: a) for vertical joining of the first joint edge portion of a first floorboard and the second joint portion of an adjoining second floorboard mechanically cooperating connectors in the form of a tongue groove formed in the first joint edge portion and a tongue formed in the second joint edge portion, and b) for horizontal joining of the first joint edge portion of the first floorboard and the second joint edge portion of the adjoining second floorboard mechanically cooperating connectors, which comprise: a locking groove formed in the underside of said second floorboard and extending parallel to and at a distance from the vertical joint plane at said second joint edge portion and having a downward opening, and a strip integrally formed with the body of said first floorboard, said strip projecting at said first joint edge portion from said vertical joint plane and at a distance from the vertical joint plane having a locking element, which projects towards a horizontal plane containing the upper side of said first floorboard and which has at least one operative locking surface for co-action with said locking groove, wherein the strip forms a horizontal extension of the first joint edge portion below the tongue groove, and wherein the locking surface of the locking element is inclined relative to the horizontal plane at an angle of at least 45°, wherein the tongue groove depth as measured from the vertical joint plane and inwards towards the floorboard to a vertical limiting plane which coincides with the innermost portion the tongue groove is less than 0.4 times the thickness of the floorboard, and wherein the strip width as measured outwards from the vertical joint plane to a vertical limiting plane which coincides with the outermost tip of the strip is less than 1.3 times the thickness of the floorboard.