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.
Claims20
A floor element for forming a floor covering, which, at least at a pair of opposite sides, comprises coupling parts, which are performed as a male coupling part and a female coupling part, and which are provided with vertically active locking portions, which, when the coupling parts of two of such floor elements cooperate with each other, effect a locking in vertical direction, perpendicular to a plane of the floor covering, and also are provided with horizontally active locking portions, which, when the coupling parts of two of such floor elements cooperate with each other, effect a locking in horizontal direction, perpendicular to the to the first pair of opposite sides and in the plane of the floor covering, wherein said coupling parts are of the type allowing that two of such floor elements can be connected to each other at said first pair of opposite sides by a turning movement or a horizontal shifting movement;
- wherein the floor element comprises a substrate and a top layer, said substrate being made of a filled synthetic material composite and forming both sides of said pair of opposite sides, such that both of the coupling parts are at least partially made of said filled synthetic material composite, and said top layer comprising a decorative film with a printed decor;
- wherein said filled synthetic material composite comprises a thermoplastic material and an inorganic filling material, the weight ratio between the applied thermoplastic material and the applied inorganic filling material is between 50:50 and 20:80;
- and wherein said coupling parts are formed as milled profiles.
A floor element for forming a floor covering, which, at least at a pair of opposite sides, comprises coupling parts, which are performed as a male coupling part and a female coupling part, and which are provided with vertically active locking portions, which, when the coupling parts of two of such floor elements cooperate with each other, effect a locking in vertical direction, perpendicular to a plane of the floor covering, and also are provided with horizontally active locking portions, which, when the coupling parts of two of such floor elements cooperate with each other, effect a locking in horizontal direction, perpendicular to the to the first pair of opposite sides and in the plane of the floor covering, wherein said coupling parts are of the type allowing that two of such floor elements can be connected to each other at said first pair of opposite sides by a turning movement or a horizontal shifting movement;
- wherein the floor element comprises a substrate and a top layer, said substrate being made of a filled synthetic material composite and forming both sides of said pair of opposite sides, such that both of the coupling parts are at least partially made of said filled synthetic material composite, and said top layer comprising a decorative film with a printed decor;
- wherein said filled synthetic material composite comprises a thermoplastic material and an inorganic filling material, a weight ratio of thermoplastic material to inorganic filling material being lower than 50:50;
- and wherein said coupling parts are formed as milled profiles.
A floor element for forming a floor covering, which, at least at a pair of opposite sides, comprises coupling parts, which are performed as a male coupling part and a female coupling part, and which are provided with vertically active locking portions, which, when the coupling parts of two of such floor elements cooperate with each other, effect a locking in vertical direction, perpendicular to a plane of the floor covering, and also are provided with horizontally active locking portions, which, when the coupling parts of two of such floor elements cooperate with each other, effect a locking in horizontal direction, perpendicular to the to the first pair of opposite sides and in the plane of the floor covering, wherein said coupling parts are of the type allowing that two of such floor elements can be connected to each other at said first pair of opposite sides by a turning movement or a horizontal shifting movement;
- wherein the floor element comprises a substrate and a decorative element as a top layer, said substrate being made of a filled synthetic material composite and forming both sides of said pair of opposite sides, such that both of the coupling parts are at least partially made of said filled synthetic material composite;
- wherein said filled synthetic material composite comprises a thermoplastic material and an inorganic filling material, the weight ratio between the applied thermoplastic material and the applied inorganic filling material is lower than 50:50;
- and wherein said coupling parts are formed as milled profiles.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.