US 12,480,315 B2
Coated panel
Dries Brouckaert, Gullegem (BE); Christophe Naeyaert, Jabbeke (BE); and Bryan Rollier, Kanegem (BE)
Assigned to UNILIN, BV, Wielsbeke (BE)
Appl. No. 18/016,268
Filed by FLOORING INDUSTRIES LIMITED, SARL, Bertrange (LU)
PCT Filed Jun. 21, 2021, PCT No. PCT/IB2021/055438
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Jan. 13, 2023,
PCT Pub. No. WO2022/013647, PCT Pub. Date Jan. 20, 2022.
Claims priority of application No. 2020/5539 (BE), filed on Jul. 17, 2020; and application No. 2020/5843 (BE), filed on Nov. 23, 2020.
Prior Publication US 2023/0287690 A1, Sep. 14, 2023
Int. Cl. E04F 15/00 (2006.01); B32B 3/06 (2006.01); B32B 7/022 (2019.01); B32B 27/08 (2006.01); B32B 27/20 (2006.01); B32B 27/22 (2006.01); B32B 27/30 (2006.01); B44F 9/02 (2006.01); E04F 15/02 (2006.01); E04F 15/10 (2006.01)
CPC E04F 15/02038 (2013.01) [B32B 3/06 (2013.01); B32B 7/022 (2019.01); B32B 27/08 (2013.01); B32B 27/20 (2013.01); B32B 27/22 (2013.01); B32B 27/304 (2013.01); B44F 9/02 (2013.01); E04F 15/105 (2013.01); E04F 15/107 (2013.01); B32B 2250/24 (2013.01); B32B 2255/10 (2013.01); B32B 2255/26 (2013.01); B32B 2307/4023 (2013.01); B32B 2307/536 (2013.01); B32B 2307/554 (2013.01); B32B 2307/7376 (2023.05); B32B 2419/04 (2013.01); E04F 2201/0146 (2013.01); E04F 2201/0153 (2013.01); E04F 2201/023 (2013.01); E04F 2201/043 (2013.01)] 16 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A floor covering comprising a plurality of coated panels, each of said coated panels comprising a substrate and a decorative top layer superjacent to the substrate,
wherein the substrate comprises a plastic layer,
wherein the coated panel is provided on at least a first pair of two opposite edges with mechanical coupling parts that allow two of the coated panels to be coupled to each other on the first pair of edges,
wherein locking of two of said coated panels is obtained both in a vertical direction perpendicular to a plane of the coupled coated panels, and in a horizontal direction perpendicular to the first pair of edges and in the plane of the coupled coated panels,
wherein the mechanical coupling parts allow a displacement in a direction along the coupled edges, and
wherein in a coupled condition of two or more of said coated panels on the first pair and/or on a second pair of opposite edges of the coated panels, a horizontally acting locking and/or a contact surface is formed, directly under a position where upper surfaces of the coupled coated panels abut against each other, and in that the contact surface is formed mainly on a compressible portion of the substrate and/or the decorative top layer;
wherein the mechanical coupling parts of the first pair of edges of the coated panels are configured as a tongue and a groove that is delimited by an upper lip and a lower lip;
wherein the tongue and groove are provided with locking parts that counteract a moving apart of the tongue and groove in the horizontal direction;
wherein the lower lip in a coupled state is unloaded or displays a maximum deflection of less than 0.07 millimeter.