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US 11,933,055 B2Granted
Floor covering, floor element and method for manufacturing floor elements
AssigneeUnilin BV
InventorMark Cappelle
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Floor covering, made of floor elements, which, at least at two opposite sides, comprise a male and a female coupling part, which allow that two of such floor elements can be interconnected at the respective sides at the respective sides by pushing one of these floor elements with the associated male coupling part, by means of a downward movement, home into the female coupling part of the other floor element, wherein at least one of said coupling parts, either the male coupling part or the female coupling part, is made as least partially in a filled synthetic material composite, such as extruded wood.
Claims27
A floor element for forming a floor covering, comprising:
- a first pair of opposite sides, comprising a first coupling part on one of the opposite sides and a second coupling part on the other of the opposite sides,
- wherein the first coupling part comprises a male coupling part and the second coupling part comprises a female coupling part, and wherein the first coupling part and the second coupling part are provided with vertically active locking portions, arranged such that, the first and second coupling parts cooperate with corresponding coupling parts of another floor element and, as coupled to the another floor element, effect a locking in a vertical direction, perpendicular to a plane of the floor covering,
- wherein the first coupling part and the second coupling part comprise horizontally active locking portions, arranged such that the first and second coupling parts cooperate with the corresponding coupling parts of the another floor element and, as coupled to the another floor element, effect a locking in a horizontal direction, perpendicular to the first pair of opposite sides and in the plane of the floor covering,
- wherein the first and second coupling parts are arranged such that the floor element is configured to couple to the corresponding coupling parts of the another floor element by a turning movement or a horizontal shifting movement;
- wherein the floor element comprises a substrate and a top layer, and wherein the substrate is made of a filled synthetic material composite and the first and second coupling parts are formed in the substrate, such that both of the vertically active locking portions and the horizontally active locking portions are entirely made of the filled synthetic material composite, and wherein the top layer comprises a decorative film with a printed decor;
- wherein the filled synthetic material composite comprises a thermoplastic material and an inorganic filling material;
- wherein a weight ratio between the thermoplastic material and the inorganic filling material is between 50:50 and 20:80;
- and
- wherein the first and second coupling parts are milled profiles.
6 more elements
A floor element for forming a floor covering, comprising:
- a first pair of opposite sides comprising a first coupling part on one of the opposite sides and a second coupling part on the other of the opposite sides,
- wherein the first coupling part comprises a male coupling part and the second coupling part comprises a female coupling part, and wherein the first coupling part and the second coupling part are provided with vertically active locking portions arranged such that the first and second coupling parts cooperate with the corresponding coupling parts of another floor element and, as coupled to the another floor element, effect a locking in a vertical direction, perpendicular to a plane of the floor covering,
- wherein the first coupling part and the second coupling part comprise horizontally active locking portions arranged such that the first and second coupling parts cooperate with the corresponding coupling parts of the another floor element and, as coupled to the another floor element, effect a locking in a horizontal direction, perpendicular to the first pair of opposite sides and in the plane of the floor covering,
- wherein the male coupling part for the first coupling part comprises a tongue and the female coupling part for the second coupling part comprises a groove delimited by means of a lower lip and an upper lip, wherein the horizontally active locking portions comprise an upright locking element on the lower lip and, interacting therewith, a downward directed locking element on an underside of the tongue,
- wherein the first and second coupling parts are arranged such that the floor element is configured to couple to the corresponding coupling parts of the another floor element by a turning movement;
- wherein the floor element comprises a substrate and a top layer, wherein the substrate is made of a filled synthetic material composite and the first and second coupling parts are formed in the substrate, such that both of the vertically active locking portions and the horizontally active locking portions are entirely made of the filled synthetic material composite, and wherein the top layer comprises a decorative film with a printed decor;
- wherein the filled synthetic material composite comprises a thermoplastic material and an inorganic filling material;
- wherein a weight ratio between the thermoplastic material and the inorganic filling material is lower than 50:50;
- wherein the first and second coupling parts are milled profiles;
- and
- wherein the thermoplastic material is polyvinylchloride.
8 more elements
A floor element for forming a floor covering, comprising:
- a first pair of opposite sides, comprising a first coupling part on one of the opposite sides and a second coupling part on the other of the opposite sides,
- wherein the first coupling part comprises a male coupling part and the second coupling part comprises a female coupling part, and wherein the first coupling part and the second coupling part are provided with vertically active locking portions, arranged such that the first and second coupling parts cooperate with the corresponding coupling parts of another floor element and, as coupled to the another floor element, effect a locking in a vertical direction, perpendicular to a plane of the floor covering,
- wherein the first coupling part and the second coupling part comprise horizontally active locking portions arranged such that the first and second coupling parts cooperate with the corresponding coupling parts of the another floor element and, as coupled to the another floor element, effect a locking in a horizontal direction, perpendicular to the first pair of opposite sides and in the plane of the floor covering,
- wherein the male coupling part for the first coupling part comprises a tongue and the female coupling part for the second coupling part comprises a groove delimited by means of a lower lip and an upper lip, wherein the horizontally active locking portions comprise an upright locking element on the lower lip and, interacting therewith, a downward directed locking element on an underside of the tongue,
- wherein the first and second coupling parts are arranged such that the floor element is configured to couple to the corresponding coupling parts of the another floor element by a turning movement;
- wherein the female coupling part comprises a bendable portion formed at least by a portion of the female coupling part projecting beyond an upper edge at the respective side;
- wherein the first and second coupling parts are arranged such that the floor element is configured to couple to the corresponding coupling parts of the another floor element by a snap-on action;
- wherein the floor element comprises a substrate and a top layer, wherein the substrate is made of a filled synthetic material composite and the first and second coupling parts are formed in the substrate, such that both of the vertically active locking portions and the horizontally active locking portions are entirely made of the filled synthetic material composite, and wherein the top layer comprises a decorative film with a printed decor;
- wherein the filled synthetic material composite comprises a thermoplastic material and an inorganic filling material;
- wherein a weight ratio between the thermoplastic material and the inorganic filling material is lower than 50:50;
- wherein the first and second coupling parts are milled profiles;
- and
- wherein the thermoplastic material is polyvinylchloride.
10 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.