US 12,331,528 B2
Floor panel for forming a floor covering
Jan Eddy De Rick, Geraardsbergen (BE); and Pieter Devos, Koolskamp (BE)
Assigned to UNILIN, BV, Wielsbeke (BE)
Filed by FLOORING INDUSTRIES LIMITED, SARL, Bertrange (LU)
Filed on Dec. 6, 2023, as Appl. No. 18/531,277.
Application 18/531,277 is a continuation of application No. 17/546,609, filed on Dec. 9, 2021, granted, now 11,873,647.
Application 17/546,609 is a continuation of application No. 16/802,879, filed on Feb. 27, 2020, granted, now 11,225,800, issued on Jan. 18, 2022.
Application 16/802,879 is a continuation of application No. 16/066,973, granted, now 10,648,182, issued on May 12, 2020, previously published as PCT/IB2016/057706, filed on Dec. 16, 2016.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/398,589, filed on Sep. 23, 2016.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/274,021, filed on Dec. 31, 2015.
Claims priority of application No. 2016/5011 (BE), filed on Jan. 8, 2016; and application No. 20 2016 102 034.4 (DE), filed on Apr. 18, 2016.
Prior Publication US 2024/0110387 A1, Apr. 4, 2024
This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.
Int. Cl. E04F 15/02 (2006.01); E04F 15/10 (2006.01)
CPC E04F 15/02038 (2013.01) [E04F 15/105 (2013.01); E04F 15/107 (2013.01); E04F 2201/0146 (2013.01); E04F 2201/0176 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A floor panel for forming a floor covering,
wherein this floor panel comprises a first pair of opposite edges, and a second pair of opposite edges;
wherein the first pair of opposite edges comprises first coupling parts, which allow that two of such floor panels mutually can be coupled to each other, and wherein said first coupling parts show the following characteristics:
the first coupling parts comprise a first horizontally active locking system, which, in a coupled condition of two of such floor panels, effects a locking in a plane of the floor panels and perpendicular to the first pair of opposite edges;
the first coupling parts comprise a first vertically active locking system, which, in the coupled condition of two of such floor panels, effects a locking transverse to the plane of the floor panels;
the first coupling parts substantially are realized from the material of the floor panel itself; and
the first coupling parts are configured such that two of such panels can be coupled to each other at the first pair of opposite edges by a turning movement;
wherein the second pair of opposite edges comprises second coupling parts, which allow that two of such floor panels mutually can be coupled to each other, wherein said second coupling parts show the following characteristics:
the second coupling parts comprise a second horizontally active locking system, which, in the coupled condition of two of such floor panels, effects a locking in the plane of the floor panels and perpendicular to the second pair of opposite edges;
the second coupling parts comprise a second vertically active locking system, which, in the coupled condition of two of such floor panels, effects a locking transverse to the plane of the floor panels;
the second coupling parts substantially are realized from the material of the floor panel itself;
the second horizontally active locking system of the second pair of opposite edges is formed at least of an upward-directed lower hook-shaped part which is situated at a first edge of the second pair of edges, and a downward-directed upper hook-shaped part, which is situated on a second edge of the second pair of edges, wherein the lower hook-shaped part defines a lip with an upward-directed locking element, which proximally thereof defines a female part in a form of a recess, whereas the upper hook-shaped part has a lip with a downward-directed locking element forming a male part;
the second coupling parts are configured such that two of such floor panels can be coupled to each other at the first and second edges by a downward movement of the one floor panel in respect to the other;
the second horizontally active locking system comprises horizontally active locking parts, which by respective contact surfaces, define at least a first contact zone, the horizontally active locking parts comprise a first locking part at a proximal side of the downward-directed locking element and a third locking part at a proximal side of the upward-directed locking element;
the first and third locking parts, in the coupled condition of two of such floor panels, define said first contact zone;
the second vertically active locking system comprises vertically active locking parts, which, by respective contact surfaces, define at least a second contact zone, the vertically active locking parts comprise a second locking part at a distal side of the male part, and a fourth locking part at a proximal end of the upward-directed lower hook-shaped part;
the second and fourth locking parts, in the coupled condition of two of such floor panels, define said second contact zone;
the lower hook-shaped part comprises at a distal side of a distal end a fifth locking part, wherein a sixth locking part is provided at a proximal end of the downward-directed upper hook-shaped part;
wherein in the coupled condition of the second pair of opposite edges of two such panels, the second vertically active locking comprises the engagement of the fifth locking part at the distal side of the distal end of the lower hook-shaped part with the sixth locking part at the proximal end of the downward-directed upper hook-shaped part;
wherein at a lower side of the lip of the lower hook-shaped part, a recess is defined as extending up to the distal end of the lip and is arranged to allow a bending of the lip in the downward direction.