US 11,939,777 B2
Wall or ceiling panel and wall or ceiling assembly
Jan De Rick, Geraardsbergen (BE)
Assigned to UNILIN, BV, Wielsbeke (BE)
Filed by FLOORING INDUSTRIES LIMITED, SARL, Bertrange (LU)
Filed on Jun. 22, 2021, as Appl. No. 17/354,452.
Application 17/354,452 is a continuation of application No. 16/625,869, granted, now 11,072,929, previously published as PCT/IB2018/054697, filed on Jun. 26, 2018.
Claims priority of application No. 2017/5454 (BE), filed on Jun. 27, 2017; application No. 201720973426.4 (CN), filed on Aug. 4, 2017; and application No. 2018/5056 (BE), filed on Jan. 31, 2018.
Prior Publication US 2021/0310254 A1, Oct. 7, 2021
This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.
Int. Cl. E04F 13/08 (2006.01); E04B 2/60 (2006.01); E04B 2/02 (2006.01)
CPC E04F 13/0832 (2013.01) [E04B 2/60 (2013.01); E04F 13/0894 (2013.01); E04B 2002/0232 (2013.01); E04F 2201/0115 (2013.01); E04F 2201/0161 (2013.01)] 18 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A wall or ceiling panel, which, on one side edge of the panel, comprises a male coupling part and, on an opposite side edge of the panel, comprises a female coupling part,
wherein the male and female coupling parts are configured such that two of such panels, by means of the male and female coupling parts, can be coupled to each other in a plane and a coupled condition can be realized between the panels;
wherein the male coupling part comprises a tongue and the female coupling part comprises a groove, wherein the tongue and the groove, in the coupled condition, form a tongue-and-groove connection, which realizes a mechanical locking between the panels in a direction perpendicular to the plane of the panels;
wherein a locking part of the male coupling part and a locking part of the female coupling part, in a coupled condition, realize a mechanical locking between the panels in a direction in the plane of the panels and perpendicular to the side edges;
wherein the groove is bordered by a front lip and a rear lip;
wherein the front lip extends substantially parallel to the plane of the panels, and the rear lip of the groove extends substantially parallel to the front lip with a distal end of the rear lip extending parallel to the plane of the panels;
wherein at a front side of the rear lip facing the tongue, the rear lip is provided with a substantially flat surface extending from the locking part in a distal direction toward the distal end of the rear lip for receiving a clip for securing the panel to a substructure;
wherein each of the locking parts defines an inclined planar section, wherein the planar sections of the locking parts contact each other in the coupled condition, wherein the locking parts lock in the direction in the plane of the panels and perpendicular to the side edges;
wherein the male and female coupling parts are respectively defined at long side edges of the panel;
wherein the panel defines short side edges perpendicular to the long side edges, and the short side edges of the panels are devoid of coupling parts;
wherein a recess is defined along a rear side of the panel at the side edge comprising the tongue and extends a depth into a thickness of the panel from a rear surface of the rear side, wherein the recess is configured and dimensioned for receiving at least part of the clip for securing the panel to the substructure.