PANEL AND COVERING FORMED WITH SUCH PANELS

Abstract

A panel includes a top side, a bottom side and a first edge extending between the top and bottom side and having a first coupling part; and a second edge extending between the top and bottom side and having a second coupling part. The coupling parts make it possible to produce a horizontal and vertical lock between two such panels by means of a vertical movement of the one panel with respect to the other panel.

Claims

1.-26. (canceled)

27. A panel, comprising a top side, a bottom side and a first edge extending between the top and bottom side and having a first coupling part, and a second edge extending between the top and bottom side and having a second coupling part, which coupling parts make it possible to produce a horizontal and vertical lock between two such panels by means of a vertical movement of the one panel with respect to the other panel, wherein the first coupling part comprises a lip which is situated on the bottom side of the panel and has a first, upwardly directed locking element which forms a first locking surface, which first locking surface, in the coupled position, cooperates with a second locking surface which is formed in a first, downwardly directed locking groove of the second coupling part, in order to partly or completely produce the horizontal lock, wherein the coupling parts comprise a second, separate locking element which, in the coupled position, cooperates with a second locking groove of the coupling parts in order to partly or completely produce the vertical lock and wherein the first coupling part comprises a first closure surface which, in the coupled position, cooperates with a second closure surface of the second coupling part, in this case defining a vertical closure face, wherein the separate locking element is part of the first coupling part, wherein the lip is elastically bent in the coupled position, in such a way that a reactive force is generated which pushes the coupled panels against each other at the location of the cooperating closure surfaces, and wherein the upwardly directed locking element, viewed in the disengaged position, has an uppermost point which is situated at a vertical distance from the bottom side of the panel of at least 0.35 times the thickness of the panel.

28. The panel of claim 27, wherein, in the coupled position, the cooperating locking surfaces define a central point which is situated at a horizontal distance from the vertical closure face which is at most once the thickness of the panel.

29. The panel of claim 27, wherein, in the coupled position, the cooperating locking surfaces define a tangent which forms an angle with the horizontal from 45 to 85 degrees, but less than 90 degrees.

30. The panel of claim 27, wherein, viewed in the disengaged position, the lip has a most distal point which is situated at a horizontal distance from the vertical closure face which is at least once the thickness of the panel.

31. The panel of claim 27, wherein the lip is bent over a maximum vertical distance of 0.0025 to 0.015 times the thickness of the panel.

32. The panel of claim 27, wherein the upwardly directed locking element is connected to another portion of the lip via a stepped portion of a top side of the lip, which stepped portion runs upwards in the direction towards the upwardly directed locking element.

33. The panel of claim 27, wherein the lip has a minimum thickness which is at least 0.175 times the thickness of the panel.

34. The panel of claim 27, wherein the downwardly directed locking groove has a bottom which runs substantially obliquely downwards in a direction away from the second locking surface.

35. The panel of claim 27, wherein the first and second coupling part are configured in such a way that they make it possible to disengage the respective edges by means of a turning movement.

36. The panel of claim 27, wherein the panel comprises a core or core layer made of wood or wood-based material, such as MDF or HDF, and wherein the first and/or second coupling part is at least partly made of this wood or wood-based material.

37. The panel of claim 27, wherein the thickness of the panel ranges from 3 to 20 millimeters.

38. The panel of claim 27, wherein the top side of the panel is free from chamfers or bevels on the first and/or second edge.

39. The panel of claim 27, wherein the panel is rectangular and the first and second edges form the short edges of the panel.

40. The panel of claim 39, wherein the panel comprises coupling parts on the long edges, which coupling parts make it possible to produce a horizontal and vertical lock between two such panels by means of a turning movement of the one panel with respect to the other panel.

41. A panel, comprising a top side, a bottom side and a first edge extending between the top and bottom side and having a first coupling part, and a second edge extending between the top and bottom side and having a second coupling part, which coupling parts make it possible to produce a horizontal and vertical lock between two such panels by means of a vertical movement of the one panel with respect to the other panel, wherein the first coupling part comprises a lip which is situated on the bottom side of the panel and has a first, upwardly directed locking element which forms a first locking surface, which first locking surface, in the coupled position, cooperates with a second locking surface which is formed in a first, downwardly directed locking groove of the second coupling part, in order to partly or completely produce the horizontal lock, wherein the coupling parts comprise a second, separate locking element which, in the coupled position, cooperates with a second locking groove of the coupling parts in order to partly or completely produce the vertical lock and wherein the first coupling part comprises a first closure surface which, in the coupled position, cooperates with a second closure surface of the second coupling part, in this case defining a vertical closure face, wherein the separate locking element is part of the first coupling part, wherein the lip is elastically bent in the coupled position, in such a way that a reactive force is generated which pushes the coupled panels against each other at the location of the cooperating closure surfaces, and wherein the upwardly directed locking element, viewed in the disengaged and/or coupled position, has an uppermost point which defines a horizontal level, which horizontal level is situated above at least a portion of the separate locking element.

42. The panel of claim 41, wherein, in the coupled position, the cooperating locking surfaces define a central point which is situated at a horizontal distance from the vertical closure face which is at most once the thickness of the panel.

43. The panel of claim 41, wherein, viewed in the disengaged position, the lip has a most distal point which is situated at a horizontal distance from the vertical closure face which is at least once the thickness of the panel.

Description

[0044] In order to show the features of the invention in more detail, some preferred embodiments are described below by way of example and without being limited thereto, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0045] FIG. 1 shows a panel according to the invention in top view;

[0046] FIG. 2 shows an enlarged cross section along line II-II in FIG. 1;

[0047] FIG. 3 shows an enlarged cross section along line in FIG. 1; and

[0048] FIG. 4 shows an enlarged view of the coupling parts from FIG. 3, however in the coupled position.

[0049] FIG. 1 shows a panel 1 according to the invention in top view. The panel 1 is a floor panel of the decorative type. However, the decor is not shown in FIG. 1. By means of several such panels 1, a decorative floor covering can be produced.

[0050] The panel 1 has a top side 2 and a bottom side 3. The panel 1 is rectangular and thus has a pair of long edges 4-5 and a pair of short edges 6-7, which long and short edges 4-5-6-7 extend between the top side 2 and the bottom side 3. On the long edges 4-5, the panel 1 comprises coupling parts 8-9 and on the short edges 6-7 coupling parts 10-11.

[0051] FIG. 2 shows the coupling parts 8-9 on the long edges 4-5 and also shows how these edges 4-5 can be coupled to each other. The coupling parts 8-9 are configured in such a way that they make it possible to produce a horizontal and vertical lock between two such panels 1 by means of a turning movement W of the one panel 1 and the other panel 1. The coupling parts 8-9 also make it possible to couple two such panels 1 by means of a substantially horizontal movement S of the one panel 1 relative with respect to the other panel 1. When carrying out this horizontal movement S, the lip 12 is bent elastically, as is indicated by the arrow, and a so-called click-fit or snap-fit effect occurs.

[0052] The coupling parts 8-9 are designed in the form of a locking tongue and groove connection, i.e. a tongue and groove connection which not only produces a vertical but also a horizontal lock. The coupling part 8 comprises a groove 12 which is configured to receive the tooth 13 of the coupling part 9 in order thus to produce the vertical lock. More particularly, the top side of the tooth 13, in the coupled position, cooperates with the bottom side of a top lip 14 which delimits the groove along the top in order to produce the vertical lock. The groove 12 is delimited along the bottom by a bottom lip 15 which is provided with an upwardly directed locking element 16. In the coupled position, this locking element 16 cooperates with a downwardly directed locking groove 17 on the tooth 13 in order to produce the horizontal lock. The bottom lip 15 extends beyond the distal or free end of the top lip 14 in the horizontal direction.

[0053] The coupling parts 8-9 are made of and formed as a single entity with the material of the actual panel 1.

[0054] The panel 1 has a thickness T of 3 to 20 millimeters, more particularly approximately 8 millimeters.

[0055] FIG. 3 shows the coupling parts 10-11 on the short edges 6-7 and also shows how these edges 6-7 can be coupled to each other. The coupling parts 10-11 make it possible to produce a horizontal and vertical lock between two such panels 1 by means of a vertical movement M of the one panel 1 with respect to the other panel 1. The coupling parts 8-9 and 10-11 are designed in such a way that they make it possible to couple the panel 1 in one and the same turning movement by both a long edge and a short edge to adjacent such panels 1. This thus involves a panel 1 of the so-called fold-down type.

[0056] The coupling part 10 comprises a lip 18 which is situated on the bottom side 3 of the panel 1 and has an upwardly directed locking element 19 which forms a locking surface 20. In the coupled position, this locking surface 20 cooperates with a locking surface 21 which is formed in a downwardly directed locking groove 22 of the coupling part 11 in order to produce the horizontal lock.

[0057] The coupling part 10 comprises a first closure surface 23 which, in the coupled position, cooperates with a second closure surface 24 of the second coupling part 11, which cooperating closure surfaces, in the coupled position, define a vertical closure face V1.

[0058] Viewed in the disengaged position, the lip 18 has a most distal point P which is situated at a horizontal distance D from the vertical closure face V1 of at least once the thickness T of the panel 1.

[0059] The locking element 19 is connected to another portion of the lip 18 via a stepped portion 25 of a top side of the lip 18. The stepped portion 25 runs upwards in the direction towards the locking element 19.

[0060] The lip 18 has a minimum thickness T2 which is at least 0.175 times the thickness T of the panel 1.

[0061] The locking groove 22 has a bottom 26 which runs substantially obliquely downwards, in a direction away from the second locking surface 21. The locking element has a top side 27 which is adapted thereto and runs substantially obliquely downwards, in the direction away from the first locking surface 20.

[0062] The coupling part 10 is provided with a separate locking element 28. This locking element is arranged in a recess 29 which is provided in an upward side 30 of the first coupling part 10. The upward side 30 comprises or forms the closure surface 23. In the coupled position, the separate element 28 cooperates with a locking groove 31 which is provided in a distal side 32 of the coupling part 11 in order to produce the vertical lock.

[0063] The separate locking element 28 is elastically deformable and comprises a rotatable locking leg 33 which, in the coupled position, cooperates with the locking groove 31. The separate locking element 28 comprises a more flexible material part 34 which makes a rotary movement of the locking leg possible, and a securing part 35, by means of which securing part 35 the separate element 28 is secured in the recess 29. The separate element 28 is formed as a single entity by means of co-extrusion. The more flexible material part 34 is more flexible than the locking leg 33 and than the securing part 35, which elements 33 and 35 are made from the same material.

[0064] Viewed in the disengaged position, the locking element 19 has an uppermost point P1, which is situated at a vertical distance H1 from the bottom side 3 of the panel 1 of at least 0.45 times the thickness T of the panel 1. This uppermost point P1 defines a horizontal level N, which horizontal level N is situated above at least a portion of the separate locking element 28.

[0065] FIG. 4 shows an enlarged view of the coupling parts 10-11 from FIG. 3, however in the coupled position.

[0066] In the coupled position, the lip 18 is elastically bent in such a way that a reactive force is generated which pushes the coupled panels 1 against each other at the location of the cooperating closure surfaces 23-24. The lip 18 is bent over a maximum vertical distance D2.

[0067] Viewed in the coupled position, the upwardly directed locking element 19 has an uppermost point P2 which defines a horizontal level N1 which horizontal level N1 is situated above at least a portion of the separate locking element 28.

[0068] In the coupled position, the cooperating locking surfaces 20-21 define a central point P3 which is situated at a horizontal distance D1 from the vertical closure face V1 of at most once the thickness T of the panel 1.

[0069] In the coupled position, the cooperating locking surfaces 20-21 define a tangent T1 which forms an angle A with the horizontal of 45 to 85 degrees, preferably of 65 to 85 degrees, but is smaller than 90 degrees.

[0070] The coupling parts 10-11 are configured in such a way that they make it possible to disengage the respective edges 6-7 by means of a turning movement W1. To this end, the lip 18 is able to bend as indicated by the arrow.

[0071] The panel 1 comprises an HDF core 36, a top layer 37 situated on top of the HDF core 36 and a counter layer 38 arranged under the HDF core 36. The top layer 37 comprises at least one paper sheet which is printed with a decor and impregnated and a wear layer which is arranged over the printed paper sheet, comprising an impregnated paper sheet, optionally provided with wear-resistant particles, such as corundum particles. The counter layer 38 comprises at least one impregnated paper sheet. The detailed structure of the top and counter layer is not shown.

[0072] Except for the separate locking element 28, the coupling part 10 is made of and formed as a single entity with the material of the actual panel 1. The coupling part 11 is completely made of and formed as a single entity with the material of the actual panel 1.

[0073] The top side 2 of the panels 1 is free from bevels or chamfers on the edges 6-7. However, it is not excluded that such bevels are provided, for example as indicated by a dashed line.

[0074] For the sake of clarity, the horizontal and vertical direction are indicated by the arrows H and V, respectively, in FIG. 4.

[0075] The present invention is by no means limited to the above-described embodiments, but such panels and coverings may be produced according to different variants without departing from the scope of the present invention.