Mechanical locking of floor panels with vertical snap folding
AssigneeVälinge Innovation AB
InventorsDarko Pervan, Marcus Nilsson Ståhl
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Floor panels are shown, which are provided with a mechanical locking system on long and short edges allowing installation with vertical snap folding that could be accomplished automatically without tools and where the short edge locking system has a tongue made in one piece with the panel. The floor panels may have a first and a second connector at the long edges that are configured to obtain a minimum of friction facilitating a displacement, by a spring back force from the bending of a short edge locking strip, of a new panel in a horizontal direction along the long edge during the vertical snap folding action.
Claims15
A set of essentially identical floor panels each comprising long and short edges,
- wherein the short edges are provided with a mechanical locking system comprising first and second connectors integrated with the floor panels,
- wherein the first and second connectors and the floor panels are made of a same material and are monolithic,
- wherein the first connector comprises a flexible locking strip with an upwardly directed locking element, at a first short edge of a floor panel, configured to cooperate with a downwardly open locking groove at an adjacent second short edge of another floor panel for connecting the adjacent edges horizontally,
- wherein the second connector comprises a first tongue, either at the first or the second short edge, extending horizontally, configured to cooperate with a horizontally open tongue groove, at the other of said first or second short edges, for connecting the adjacent edges in vertical direction and configured to be locked with a vertical motion,
- wherein the first tongue at one of the short edges is formed in one piece with the panel,
- wherein the short edge with the tongue groove is provided with a second tongue above the tongue groove, the second tongue protruding horizontally,
- wherein a length of the locking strip which extends from an inner most surface of the tongue groove to an outer most surface of the locking the strip is greater than a maximum thickness from an upper-most surface of the floor panel to a lower-most surface of the floor panel, and
- wherein the second tongue is spaced from the upper-most surface of the floor panel.
A set of essentially identical floor panels each comprising long and short edges,
- wherein the short edges are provided with a mechanical locking system comprising first and second connectors integrated with the floor panels,
- wherein the first and second connectors and the floor panels are made of a same material and are monolithic,
- wherein the first connector comprises a flexible locking strip with an upwardly directed locking element, at a first short edge of a floor panel, configured to cooperate with a downwardly open locking groove at an adjacent second short edge of another floor panel for connecting the adjacent edges horizontally,
- wherein the second connector comprises a first tongue, either at the first or the second short edge, extending horizontally, configured to cooperate with a horizontally open tongue groove, at the other of said first or second short edges, for connecting the adjacent edges in vertical direction and configured to be locked with a vertical motion,
- wherein the first tongue at one of the short edges is formed in one piece with the panel,
- wherein the short edge with the tongue groove is provided with a second tongue above the tongue groove, the second tongue protruding horizontally,
- wherein a length of the locking strip which extends from an inner most surface of the tongue groove to an outer most surface of the locking the strip is greater than a maximum thickness from an upper-most surface of the floor panel to a lower-most surface of the floor panel,
- wherein a lower surface of the locking strip at an outer locking part is positioned above the rear face of the floor panel, and
- wherein the second tongue is spaced from the upper-most surface of the floor panel.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.