# US 11,306,486 B2 · Resilient floor > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 11,306,486 B2 - Document ID: US11306486B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 16/713,431 - Filed: 2019-12-13 - Published: 2020-11-19 - Granted: 2022-04-19 - Earliest claimed: 2009-09-04 - Assignees: Välinge Innovation AB - Applicants: Valinge Innovation AB - Inventors: Mats Nilsson; Per Nygren - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11306486B2 ## CPC - E04F 15/02038: {characterised by tongue and groove connections between neighbouring flooring elements} - E04B 5/00: Floors; Floor construction with regard to insulation; Connections specially adapted therefor (elements for floors, e.g. bricks, stones, filling bodies, girders, E04C; flooring as finishing work, insulation of flooring, sectional false floors, e.g. for computers E04F15/00) - E04F 15/10: of other materials, e.g. fibrous or chipped materials, organic plastics, magnesite {tiles}, hardboard {, or with a top layer of other materials} - E04F 15/105: {of organic plastics with or without reinforcements or filling materials} - E04F 2201/0138: by moving the sheets, plates or panels perpendicular to the main plane - E04F 2201/0146: with snap action of the edge connectors - E04F 2201/0153: by rotating the sheets, plates or panels around an axis which is parallel to the abutting edges, possibly combined with a sliding movement - Y10T 29/49623: Static structure, e.g., a building component - E04F: FINISHING WORK ON BUILDINGS, e.g. STAIRS, FLOORS (windows, doors E06B) - E04B: GENERAL BUILDING CONSTRUCTIONS; WALLS, e.g. PARTITIONS; ROOFS; FLOORS; CEILINGS; INSULATION OR OTHER PROTECTION OF BUILDINGS (border constructions of opening in walls, floors or ceilings E06B1/00; {electromagnetic shielding H05K9/0001}) - Y10T: TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER US CLASSIFICATION ## Abstract A method of assembling resilient floorboards is disclosed that includes the step of bending an edge of a floorboard during the assembling. The bending reduces the force required for connection of the edge to another edge of a juxtaposed floorboard. The floorboards may be provided with a mechanical locking system for vertical and horizontal locking of two adjacent floorboards. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method of assembling resilient floorboards, wherein the floorboards each include a core made of a thermoplastic material, each floorboard comprises a mechanical locking system for vertical and horizontal locking to an adjacent floorboard, wherein the mechanical locking system is integrally formed in one piece with core, wherein the mechanical locking system comprising a first device at a first edge, and a second device at a second edge, wherein the method comprises: connecting an adjacent edge of the first floorboard to a juxtaposed edge of a third floorboard in another row by angling; positioning the first edge of a first floorboard juxtaposed the second edge of a second floorboard so that the first device of the mechanical locking system overlies the second device, the first edge having an outermost surface closest to the second edge of the second floorboard; bending the first floorboard along the first edge so that the first edge has an axis of curvature that is perpendicular to the second edge of the second floorboard, the curvature being convex toward the bottom surface of the floorboards; applying a force on a first part of the first edge, wherein at said first part of the first edge said first device is pushed into said second device to obtain a vertical and horizontal mechanical locking of a part of the first and second edges; and applying a force to a new part of the first edge, which new part is adjacent to said first part to reduce the overall force required to mechanically lock the first edge to said second edge of the second floorboard, and repeating this step until the whole first edge is vertically and horizontally locked to said second edge. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein the bending is achieved by raising at least a part of the outermost surface of said first edge. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The method according to claim 2, wherein the raising is achieved by positioning of a raising device under said first floorboard in order to raise the part of the outermost surface of the first edge with respect to the juxtaposed second edge of the second floorboard. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein the force is applied to a part of the first edge that is unlocked and closest to said second edge. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein the force is applied by a tool. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The method according to claim 5, wherein the force is applied by a rotating part of the tool. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein the first device comprises an upper locking strip and the second device comprises a lower locking strip, the upper and the lower locking strips are comprises a downwardly and an upwardly protruding locking element, respectively, each locking element comprises a locking surface configured to cooperate for horizontal locking of the floorboards, wherein the method comprises bending of the upper locking strip to a convex shape towards a bottom surface of the first floorboard during locking. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The method according to claim 7, wherein the lower locking strip is downwardly resiliently bendable in order to facilitate the positioning. ### Claim 9 (depends on 7) The method according to claim 7, wherein the downwardly protruding locking element comprises a first guiding surface, which is configured to cooperate with the upwardly protruding locking element in order to facilitate the positioning. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The method according to claim 9, wherein the first guiding surface cooperates with a second guiding surface of the upwardly protruding locking element, which said second guiding surface is configured to facilitate the positioning. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The method according to claim 10, wherein the angle of the first guiding surface is more than about 30 degrees. ### Claim 12 (depends on 10) The method according to claim 10, wherein the angle of the first guiding surface is more than about 45 degrees. ### Claim 13 (depends on 10) The method according to claim 10, wherein the angle of said second guiding surface is more than about 30 degrees. ### Claim 14 (depends on 10) The method according to claim 10, wherein the angle of said second guiding surface is more than about 45 degrees. ### Claim 15 (depends on 7) The method according to claim 7, wherein the angle between the locking surfaces and the upper surface of the floorboards is more than 90 degrees to obtain a vertical locking in a position where the locking surfaces cooperate. ### Claim 16 (depends on 7) The method according to claim 7, wherein the first edge comprises a tongue and the second edge comprises a groove for vertical locking of the floorboards. ### Claim 17 (depends on 7) The method according to claim 7, wherein the first edge comprises a groove and the second edge comprises a tongue for vertical locking of the floorboards. ### Claim 18 (depends on 8) The method according to claim 8, the method further comprising bending the lower locking strip. ### Claim 19 (depends on 18) The method according to claim 18, wherein the bending of the lower locking strip is achieved by positioning a spacer between the second floorboard and the subfloor and offset from the lower locking strip such that the lower locking strip can bend freely.