Releasable joining system for floor panels

A floor panel comprising a female coupling formed along at least one first side of the floor panel for interconnecting the floor panel to a male coupling of a second floor panel, the female coupling comprising:

• a female coupling recess being arranged on a female coupling tongue protruding away from a main portion of the floor panel towards the adjoining second floor panel, the female coupling recess being adapted to receive a male coupling tongue projecting from the adjoining second floor panel in a direction away from a main floor surface plane in which the floor panels are laid,
• an upper guiding surface being located on a side of the female coupling recess on the floor panel forming a guide for the male coupling tongue upon insertion thereof, limiting movement of said male coupling tongue in a horizontal direction towards the main portion of the floor panel,
• a vertical locking means configured to cooperate with vertical locking means in the male coupling, enabling a vertical interlocking engagement therewith, wherein the female coupling tongue is resilient and comprises a distally arranged locking protrusion protruding from the female coupling tongue in a direction towards the main floor surface plane and being arranged to be received in a groove in the second panel for horizontal locking of the panels, wherein the locking protrusion is configured to come into contact with the male coupling tongue during joining of the floor panels,
• the female coupling tongue further comprising a lower recess, enabling the locking protrusion of the female coupling tongue to be depressed during joining of the panels,
• wherein the female coupling is configured for release from the second floor panel by a coupling release tool or by pivoting the second floor panel in relation to the floor panel, wherein the female coupling forms at least a part of:
• a coupling release channel being arranged between the locking protrusion and an upper surface in the groove in the second floor panel, such that the coupling release tool is placeable in the coupling release channel and can engage the female coupling tongue, to depress the female coupling tongue to release the horizontal locking from the locking protrusion and/or to release of the vertical locking means, or comprises:
• an inclined abutment surface provided on the locking protrusion of the female coupling tongue for abutment against the male coupling tongue;
• wherein the lower recess extends on the underside of the female coupling tongue a distance, from a distal surface thereof to between 60% to 90% of the length of the female coupling tongue.

A fold-down flooring system comprising a first floor panel having a fold-down female coupling arranged on a short side thereof and being formed in one piece therewith, a fold-down male coupling arranged on an opposite short side thereof, a fold-down female coupling arranged on a long side thereof and a fold-down male coupling being arranged on an opposite long side thereof, the fold-down flooring system further comprising a second floor panel being identical with the first floor panel but mirrored either in a vertical plane along one of the short sides of the first floor panel or in a vertical plane along one of the long sides of the first floor panel, each fold-down female coupling of the first floor panel comprising:

• a female coupling recess being arranged on a female coupling tongue protruding away from a main portion of the first floor panel towards the adjoining second floor panel, the female coupling recess being adapted to receive a male coupling tongue projecting from the adjoining second floor panel in a direction substantially perpendicular to a main floor surface plane in which the floor panels are laid, the fold-down female coupling further comprises an upper guiding surface being located on a side of the female coupling recess on the first floor panel forming a guide for the male coupling tongue upon insertion in a downward direction thereof, limiting movement of said male coupling tongue in a horizontal direction towards the main portion of the first floor panel;
• each fold-down male coupling of the first floor panel comprising:
• the male coupling tongue formed in one piece in the first floor panel, the fold-down male coupling being provided with vertical locking means enabling a vertical interlocking engagement with a matching on-piece vertical locking means of the fold-down female coupling, wherein
• the female coupling tongue is resilient and comprises a distally arranged locking protrusion protruding from the female coupling tongue in a direction towards the main floor surface plane and being arranged to be received in a groove in the second floor panel for horizontal locking of the panels, wherein the locking protrusion is configured to come into contact with the male coupling tongue of the second floor panel during joining of the floor panels, the female coupling tongue further comprising a lower recess, enabling the locking protrusion of the female coupling tongue to be depressed during joining of the panels, the flooring system being configured for assembly in a downward direction and release by a coupling release tool or by pivoting the second floor panel in relation to the first floor panel, wherein the fold-down flooring system further comprising:
• a coupling release channel being arranged between the locking protrusion of the first floor panel and an upper surface in the groove in the second floor panel, such that the coupling release tool is placeable in the coupling release channel for engaging the female coupling tongue, to depress the female coupling tongue to release the horizontal locking from the locking protrusion and/or to release the vertical locking means, or
• an inclined abutment surface provided on the male coupling tongue for abutment with the locking protrusion of the female coupling tongue, or
• an inclined abutment surface provided on the locking protrusion of the female coupling tongue for abutment against the male coupling tongue;
• wherein the lower recess extends on the underside of the female coupling tongue a distance, from a distal surface thereof to between 60% to 90% of the length of the female coupling tongue, or
• wherein the male coupling tongue has a protrusion length, measured from a bottom surface of the male coupling tongue to the upper surface of the groove in the second floor panel, of between 10% to 40% of a thickness of the second floor panel.