Floor Covering, Floor Element and Method for Manufacturing Floor Elements
AssigneeFlooring Industries Limited, Sarl
InventorMark CAPPELLE
Life of this patent
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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.
Claims14
A floor element comprising a substrate and a top layer;
- wherein the floor element comprises first coupling parts at a first pair of opposite sides and second coupling parts at a second pair of opposite sides;
- wherein the second coupling parts are made as a male coupling part and a female coupling part, which are provided with vertically active locking portions effecting a locking in vertical direction when the second coupling parts of two of such floor elements cooperate with each other, and also with horizontally active locking portions effecting a locking in horizontal direction when the second coupling parts of two of such floor elements cooperate with each other;
- wherein the first coupling parts are performed as a male coupling part and a female coupling part, which are provided with vertically active locking portions effecting a locking in vertical direction when the first coupling parts of two of such floor elements cooperate with each other, and also with horizontally active locking portions effecting a locking in horizontal direction when the first coupling parts of two of such floor elements cooperate with each other;
- wherein the male coupling part of the first coupling parts is provided by a downward-directed upper hook-shaped part;
- wherein the downward-directed upper hook-shaped part comprises a lip with a downward-directed locking element which forms a male part;
- wherein the female coupling part of the first coupling parts is provided by an upward-directed lower hook-shaped part, wherein the upward-directed lower hook-shaped part comprises a lip with an upward-directed locking element, which, proximally thereof, defines a female part in the form of a recess;
- wherein the first coupling parts are configured so as to allow connecting two of such floor elements to each other at the first pair of sides by moving the associated male part in a downward direction towards and home into the recess of the female coupling part of the first coupling parts;
- wherein in coupled condition of two such floor elements, no vertical locking is provided between the coupled floor elements at the proximal end of the upward-directed locking element nor at the proximal end of the downward-directed locking element;
- wherein in coupled condition of two such floor elements of the male coupling part of the first coupling parts of the floor element with the female coupling part of the first coupling parts of the coupled floor element, a locking in vertical direction is provided at the distal end of the downward-directed locking element of the floor element engaging with the proximal end of the recess of the coupled floor element;
- and
- wherein in coupled condition of two such floor elements of the male coupling part of the first coupling parts of the floor element with the female coupling part of the first coupling parts of the coupled floor element, no locking in vertical direction is provided at the distal end of the upward-directed locking element.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.