Static structures (e.g. – buildings) – Underlying compressible layer or pad
Reexamination Certificate
2002-03-19
2003-03-18
Mai, Lanna (Department: 3637)
Static structures (e.g., buildings)
Underlying compressible layer or pad
C052S480000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06532709
ABSTRACT:
The invention generally relates to a locking system for providing mechanical joining of floorboards. More specifically, the invention concerns an improvement of a locking system of the type described and shown in WO 94/26999. The invention also relates to a floorboard provided with such a locking system. According to one more aspect of the invention, a floorboard with different designs of the locking system on long side and short side is provided.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The invention is particularly suited for mechanical joining of thin floating floorboards, such as laminate and parquet flooring, and therefore the following description of prior art and the objects and features of the invention will be directed to this field of application, in particular rectangular floorboards that are joined on long sides as well as short sides. The features distinguishing the invention concern in the first place parts of the locking system which are related to horizontal locking transversely of the joint edges of the boards. In practice, floorboards will be manufactured according to the inventive principles of also having locking means for mutual vertical locking of the boards.
BACKGROUND ART
WO 94/26999 discloses a locking system for mechanical joining of building boards, especially floorboards. A mechanical locking system permits locking together of the boards both perpendicular to and in parallel with the principal plane of the boards on long sides as well as short sides. Methods for making such floorboards are described in SE 9604484-7 and SE 9604483-9. The principles of designing and laying the floorboards as well as the methods for making the same that are described in the above three documents are applicable also to the present invention, and therefore the contents of these documents are incorporated by reference in present description.
With a view to facilitating the understanding and description of the present invention as well as the understanding of the problems behind the invention, now follows with reference to
FIGS. 1-3
a brief description of floorboards according to WO 94/26999. This description of prior art should in applicable parts be considered to apply also to the following description of embodiments of the present invention.
A floorboard
1
of known design is shown from below and from above in
FIGS. 3
a
and
3
b
, respectively. The board is rectangular and has a top side
2
, an underside
3
, two opposite long sides
4
a
,
4
b
which form joint edges, and two opposite short sides
5
a
,
5
b
which form joint edges.
Both the long sides
4
a
,
4
b
and the short sides
5
a
,
5
b
can be joined mechanically without any glue in the direction D
2
in
FIG. 1
c
. To this end, the board
1
has a planar strip
6
which is mounted at the factory and which extends horizontally from one long side
4
a
, the strip extending along the entire long side
4
a
and being made of a flexible, resilient aluminium sheet. The strip
6
can be mechanically fixed according to the illustrated embodiment, or fixed by means of glue or in some other fashion. Other strip materials can be used, such as sheet of some other metal, and aluminium or plastic sections. Alternatively, the strip
6
can be integrally formed with the board
1
, for instance by some suitable working of the body of the board
1
. The strip, however, is always integrated with the board
1
, i.e. it is not mounted on the board
1
in connection with laying. The width of the strip
6
can be about 30 mm and its thickness about 0.5 mm. A similar, although shorter strip
6
′ is arranged also along one short side
5
a
of the board
1
. The edge side of the strip
4
facing away from the joint edge
4
a
is formed with a locking element
8
extending along the entire strip
6
. The locking element
8
has an active locking surface
10
facing the joint edge
4
a
and having a height of e.g. 0.5 mm. In connection with laying, the locking element
8
cooperates with a locking groove
14
, which is formed in the underside
3
of the opposite long side
4
b
of an adjacent board
1
′. The short side strip
6
′ is provided with a corresponding locking element
8
′, and the opposite short side
5
b
has a corresponding locking groove
14
′.
For mechanical joining of both long sides and short sides also in the vertical direction (direction D
1
in
FIG. 1
c
), the board
1
is further along its one long side
4
a
and its one short side
5
a
formed with a laterally open recess
16
. The recess
16
is defined downwards by the associated strip
6
,
6
′. At the opposite edges
4
b
and
5
b
there is an upper recess
18
defining a locking tongue
20
(see
FIG. 2
a
) cooperating with the recess
16
to form a tongue-and-groove joint.
FIGS. 1
a
-
1
c
show how two such boards
1
,
1
′ can be joined by downwards angling.
FIGS. 2
a
-
2
c
show how the boards
1
,
1
′ can instead be joined by snap action. The long sides
4
a
,
4
b
can be joined by both methods whereas the short sides
5
a
,
5
b
—after laying of the first row—are normally joined after joining of the long sides and merely by snap action. When a new board
1
′ and a previously laid board
1
are to be joined along their long sides according to
FIGS. 1
a
-
1
c
, the long side
4
b
of the new board
1
′ is pressed against the long side
4
a
of the previously laid board
1
according to
FIG. 1
a
, so that the locking tongue
20
is inserted into the recess
16
. The board
1
′ is then angled downwards to the subfloor
12
according to
FIG. 1
b
. Now the locking tongue
20
completely enters the recess
16
while at the same time the locking element
8
of the strip
6
enters the locking groove
14
. During this downwards angling, the upper part of the locking element
8
can be active and accomplish a guiding of the new board
1
′ towards the previously laid board
1
. In the joined state according to
FIG. 1
c
, the boards
1
,
1
′ are locked in both D
1
direction and D
2
direction, but may be displaced relative to each other in the longitudinal direction of the joint.
FIGS. 2
a
-
2
c
illustrate how also the short sides
5
a
and
5
b
of the boards
1
,
1
′ can be mechanically joined in both D
1
and D
2
direction by the new board
1
′ being moved essentially horizontally towards the previously laid board
1
. This can be carried out after the long side
4
b
of the new board
1
′ has been joined as described above. In the first step in
FIG. 2
a
, bevelled surfaces adjacent to the recess
16
and the locking tongue
20
cooperate so that the strip
6
′ is forced downwards as a direct consequence of the joining of the short sides
5
a
,
5
b
. During the final joining, the strip
6
′ snaps upwards as the locking element
8
′ enters the locking groove
14
′. By repeating the operations shown in
FIGS. 1 and 2
, the entire floor can be laid without glue and along all joint edges. Thus, prior-art floorboards of the above-mentioned type are joined mechanically by, as a rule, first being angled downwards on the long side, and when the long side is locked, the short sides are snapped together by horizontal displacement along the long side. The boards
1
,
1
′ can be taken up again in reverse order, without the joint being damaged, and be laid once more.
For optimal function, it should be possible for the boards, after being joined, along their long sides to take a position where there is a possibility of a small play between the locking surface
10
and the locking groove
14
. For a more detailed description of this play, reference is made to WO 94/26999.
In addition to the disclosure of the above-mentioned patent specifications, Norske Skog Flooring AS (licensee of Välinge Aluminium AB) introduced a laminate flooring with a mechanical joining system according to WO 94/29699 in January 1996 in connection with the Domotex fair in Hannover, Germany. This laminate flooring marketed under the trademark Alloc®, is 7.6 mm thick, has a 0.
Burns Doane Swecker & Mathis L.L.P.
Nguyen Chi Q
Valinge Aluminium AB
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