Patent ID: 8499520

Claim:
A floor covering having a plurality of interconnected panel elements, a panel element comprising: a head side and a longitudinal side, a locking rail arranged on the head side and on the longitudinal side and constructed to engage in an installation position with a corresponding locking rail of an adjacent panel element in the floor covering, a groove arranged in the head side and having ends facing the longitudinal side of the panel element, with the grooves in the head sides of two abutting panel elements of the floor covering being aligned and forming a locking channel, a head spring preinstalled in one of the grooves of the two abutting head sides and having ends, the head spring further comprising at least one non-undulated region and at least one undulated region, said at least one undulated region facing a decorated side and a bottom side of the panel elements and forming wave troughs and wave crests, the head spring further comprising a cam in engagement with the groove, wherein the groove in which the head spring is installed has at least one recess with a run-up face formed in the at least one recess, wherein the head spring has an end protruding from the end of the groove and is movable in the locking channel from the groove in one panel element into the groove of the abutting panel element by moving the protruding end of the head spring into the groove, wherein the at least one non-undulated region is arranged between two undulated regions and spaced apart from the ends of the head spring.