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US 12,523,047 B2Granted
Floor element
AssigneeUnilin BV
InventorJan De Rick
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A floor element for forming a floor covering. The floor element has a support layer which is provided with coupling elements on at least a first pair of opposite sides. The coupling elements on the first pair of opposite sides are in the form of a tongue extending along a length of the first edge and a groove extending along a length of the second edge. The tongue is provided with a first locking surface and the groove is provided with a second locking surface, the first and second surfaces being intended to prevent two joined elements from drifting apart in a horizontal direction perpendicular to the joined edge. The first locking surface extends along a portion of portions of the first edge length and/or the second locking surface extends along only a portion of the second edge length.
Claims17
A floor element for forming a floor covering, the floor element comprising:
- an upper surface;
- a lower surface opposite the upper surface;
- a first edge and a second edge forming a first pair of opposite sides;
- a third edge and a fourth edge forming a second pair of opposite sides;
- a decorative layer and
- a support layer,
- the support layer being provided with coupling elements on at least said first pair of opposite sides, said coupling elements on said first pair of opposite sides comprising a tongue extending along a length of said first edge and a groove extending along a length of said second edge, wherein said support layer is made of a thermoplastic material and comprises between 50 and 75 wt. % of filler,
- the tongue being provided with a first locking surface and the groove being provided with a second locking surface, said first and second surfaces being intended to prevent two joined elements from drifting apart in a horizontal direction perpendicular to the joined edge, the first locking surface extending along only a portion or portions of said first edge length to thereby provide a first remaining length or lengths devoid of the first locking surface and/or the second locking surface extending along only a portion or portions of said second edge length to thereby provide a second remaining length or lengths devoid of the second locking surface, wherein the first locking surface is formed on a local protrusion on a side of the tongue facing the lower lip, the local protrusion forming a deepest portion of the tongue, the deepest portion being at a first depth distance in a vertical direction from said upper surface.
5 more elements
A floor element for forming a floor covering, the floor element comprising:
- an upper surface;
- a lower surface opposite the upper surface;
- a first edge and a second edge forming a first pair of opposite sides;
- a third edge and a fourth edge forming a second pair of opposite sides;
- a decorative layer and
- a support layer,
- the support layer being provided with coupling elements on said first pair of opposite sides, said coupling elements on said first pair of opposite sides comprising a tongue extending along a length of said first edge and a groove extending along a length of said second edge, the tongue being provided with a first locking surface and the groove being provided with a second locking surface, said first and second surfaces being intended to prevent two joined elements from drifting apart in a horizontal direction perpendicular to the joined edge, the first locking surface extending along only a portion or portions of said first edge length to thereby provide a first remaining length or lengths devoid of the first locking surface and/or the second locking surface extending along only a portion or portions of said second edge length to thereby provide a second remaining length or lengths devoid of the second locking surface, the support layer being provided with coupling elements on said second pair of opposite sides, said coupling elements on said second pair of opposite sides being devoid of locking surfaces that would be configured to prevent two joined elements from drifting apart in a horizontal direction perpendicular to the joined edge, wherein said support layer is made of a thermoplastic material and comprises between 50 and 75 wt. % of filler, wherein the first locking surface is formed on a local protrusion on a side of the tongue facing the lower lip, the local protrusion forming a deepest portion of the tongue, the deepest portion being at a first depth distance in a vertical direction from said upper surface.
4 more elements
A floor element for forming a floor covering, the floor element comprising:
- an upper surface;
- a lower surface opposite the upper surface;
- a first edge and a second edge forming a first pair of opposite sides;
- a third edge and a fourth edge forming a second pair of opposite sides;
- a decorative layer and
- a support layer,
- the support layer being provided with coupling elements on at least said first pair of opposite sides, said coupling elements on said first pair of opposite sides comprising a tongue extending along a length of said first edge and a groove extending along a length of said second edge, the groove having an upper lip and a lower lip and the tongue having an insertion length corresponding to the length of the tongue beneath the upper lip of the groove, the tongue being provided with a first locking surface and the groove being provided with a second locking surface, said first and second surfaces being intended to prevent two joined elements from drifting apart in a horizontal direction perpendicular to the joined edge, wherein said insertion length of said tongue varies along said first edge length between a maximum insertion length and a minimum insertion length, wherein said support layer is made of a thermoplastic material and comprises between 50 and 75 wt. % of filler.
4 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.