PANEL
20170268545 · 2017-09-21
Inventors
Cpc classification
E04F2201/03
FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
F16B5/008
MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
E04F15/105
FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
Y10T428/24017
GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
E04F15/102
FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
E04F15/02038
FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
E04F2201/0153
FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
F16B5/0056
MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
International classification
F16B5/00
MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
E04F15/02
FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
Abstract
A panel including an upper side, an underside, a basic body, complementary locking elements, which are provided in pairs on mutually opposite panel edges, and at least one pair of locking elements having a receiving hook and an arresting hook. The receiving hook has a hook periphery and a receiving recess. The arresting hook has an arresting recess, an arresting shoulder, a transverse-joint surface and a vertically acting arresting contour. The receiving hook also has a transverse-joint surface and a form-fitting contour. The arresting hook also has a horizontal locking surface on its arresting shoulder. The receiving hook also has a horizontal locking surface in the receiving recess and contains a receiving opening.
Claims
1. A panel including a top side, an underside, a body, complementary locking means provided in pairs at mutually opposite panel edges, at least one pair of locking means with hook profiles, namely a receiving hook and in opposite relationship thereto an arresting hook, with the proviso that the receiving hook has arranged remote from the body a hook edge and arranged nearer to the body a receiving recess, wherein the receiving recess is open towards the top side, the arresting hook is provided with an arresting recess arranged nearer to the body and open to the underside and has an arresting step arranged remote from the body and which fits in a vertical joining direction into the receiving recess of the receiving hook, the arresting hook has a transverse joining surface remote from the body and also remote from the body a vertically acting arresting contour, the receiving hook has nearer to the body a transverse joining surface and also nearer to the body a positively locking contour which fits together in positively locking relationship with the arresting contour, that is remote from the body, of the arresting hook so that locking can be implemented perpendicularly to the plane of mounted panels, the arresting hook has arranged nearer to the body a horizontal locking surface at its arresting step, the receiving hook has arranged remote from the body a horizontal locking surface in the receiving recess, formed at the receiving hook is a receiving opening through which the arresting step can be inserted substantially in the joining direction into the receiving recess, wherein the arresting step and the receiving opening are of such a configuration that the step end during a joining movement initially fits without elastic deformation of the hook profiles into the receiving opening, to such an extent that the horizontal locking surface of the arresting hook makes contact with a part of its surface with the horizontal locking surface of the receiving hook.
2. The panel according to claim 1 wherein the underside of the receiving hook is disposed in a plane identical to the plane of the underside of the panel.
3. The panel according to claim 1 wherein the arresting contour and the positively locking contour desirably form an upper latching means, wherein the arresting contour has a female latching element or a male latching element and wherein the positively locking contour has a female latching element or male latching element complementary to the arresting contour.
4. The panel according to claim 1 wherein the hook edge of the receiving hook and the arresting recess of the arresting hook form a lower latching means, wherein provided remote from the body at the hook edge of the receiving hook is a female latching element or a male latching element, and wherein the arresting recess has near the body a female latching element or a male latching element complementary thereto.
5. The panel according to claim 4 wherein each female latching element has a latching surface which is directed towards the top side or underside of the panel, each male latching element has a complementary latching surface directed towards the respective other side of the panel, and the latching surface of the female latching element together with the latching surface of the male latching element in the locked condition of two panels counteract a movement of locked panels away from each other perpendicularly to the panel plane.
6. The panel according to claim 5 wherein the latching surface of the female latching element is in contact with the latching surface of the male latching element in the locked condition of two panels.
7. The panel according to claim 5 wherein a gap is provided between the latching surface of the female latching element and the latching surface of the associated male latching element in the locked condition of two panels.
8. The panel according to claim 4 wherein during the joining movement firstly the upper latching means and then the lower latching means are completely joined together.
9. The panel according to claim 1 wherein the arresting hook and/or the receiving hook has a flexural region.
10. The panel according to claim 9 wherein the flexural region is in the form of a flexural leg.
11. The panel according to claim 1 wherein the horizontal locking surfaces of the hook profiles are inclined through an angle of 0 to 25 relative to the surface normal of the top side and in the locked condition of two panels are arranged in substantially mutually parallel relationship.
12. The panel according to claim 1 wherein remote from the body the hook edge has an inclined sliding surface.
13. The panel according to claim 1 wherein on its side remote from the body the arresting step has an inclined sliding surface.
14. The panel according to claim 1 wherein there are provided a pair of pivotal profile portions, namely a groove profile portion with undercut configuration of a groove wall and a tongue profile portion with undercut configuration of a tongue underside.
15. The panel according to claim 1 wherein there is provided a decorative layer at the top side.
16. The panel according to claim 1 wherein provided at the top side is a transparent cover layer through which the body or the decorative layer is visible.
17. The panel according to claim 1 wherein provided at its underside is a backing layer.
18. The panel according to claim 1 wherein the body at least partially comprises a wood material.
19. The panel according to claim 1 wherein the body at least partially comprises a plastic material.
20. A method of simultaneously locking a new quadrangular panel provided with two longitudinal edges and two transverse edges to a previous panel row already assembled from identical panels and to an identical panel already assembled in the same panel row with the proviso that a first longitudinal edge is connected to the previous panel row in positively locking relationship by pivoting the new panel into the plane of the assembled panels, wherein at the same time a first transverse edge of the new panel is brought by a scissor-like movement into positively locking engagement with a second transverse edge of the assembled panel in the same panel row, with the further proviso that the first transverse edge of the panels respectively has a first transverse joining surface and the second transverse edge of the panels respectively has a second transverse joining surface, wherein the first transverse joining surface is brought into contact at that end which is towards the first longitudinal edge with the second transverse joining surface of the assembled panel in the same panel row, wherein the positively locking connection of the longitudinal edge and the transverse edge of the new panel is produced by a longitudinal join gap and a transverse join gap being produced between the new panel and the previous panel row, the wedge tip of the transverse join gap points in the direction of the previous panel row and the wedge tip of the longitudinal join gap points in the direction of the free second transverse edge of the new panel, and the new panel is finally pivoted into the plane of the assembled panels, wherein the positively locking engagement of the transverse edges and longitudinal edges is completely brought together and the wedge-shaped join gaps are removed.
21. The method according to claim 20 wherein the longitudinal join gap is produced by the new panel being temporarily brought out of its parallel orientation with the previous panel row and the wedge tip of the longitudinal join gap being produced at the remote end of the first longitudinal edge of the new panel.
22. The method according to claim 20 wherein the longitudinal join gap is produced by the new panel being temporarily brought out of its flat form by being curved out of its plane in the direction of its top side.
Description
[0027] The invention is illustrated by way of example hereinafter in a drawing and described in detail by means of a number of embodiments. In the drawing:
[0028]
[0029]
[0030]
[0031]
[0032]
[0033]
[0034]
[0035] The complementary pivotal portions S in
[0036]
[0037] Embodiments of quadrangular panels are also possible, whose first pair of edges (pair of longitudinal edges) is formed with complementary profile portions identical to the profile portions of the second pair of edges (pair of transverse edges). Further examples of pairs of transverse edges are described hereinafter.
[0038] The series in
[0039] The complementary profile portions 5 and 6 of each panel 1 and 1 respectively form complementary locking means in the form of hook profiles H. The hook profile of the panel 1 forms a receiving hook 7 and the hook profile of the profile portion 1 forms an arresting hook 8 which fits into the receiving hook, wherein the two hook profiles are of such a configuration that an arresting action is effected, which counteracts a reversal of the joining movement. Thus after locking has been effected the panels 1 and 1 cannot be released from each other again perpendicularly to the plane of assembled panels.
[0040] Each panel 1 and 1 includes a body 9 and 9 respectively, on which the above-mentioned complementary locking means are arranged. The top side 4 of the panels forms a working surface.
[0041] Provided on the receiving hook 7 remote from the body is a hook edge 10 while closer to the body is a receiving recess 11. The receiving recess 11 is open to the top side 4.
[0042] The arresting hook 8 is provided with an arresting recess 13 which is arranged closer to the body and which is open to the underside 12 and remote from the body has an arresting step 14. The arresting step fits into the receiving recess 11 of the receiving hook, in the perpendicular joining direction T. In addition the arresting hook 8 has a transverse joining surface 15 remote from the body and also remote from the body an arresting contour 16 which has a vertically locking action. Near the body the receiving hook 7 has a transverse joining surface 17 and also near the body a positively locking contour 18 which fits together in positively locking relationship with the arresting contour 16 of the arresting hook 8. Formed in that way is an upper latching means V1 with which locking can be implemented perpendicularly to the plane of the panel.
[0043] The arresting hook 8 also has arranged near the body a horizontal locking surface 19 arranged on its arresting step 14. In matching relationship therewith the receiving hook 7, arranged remote from the body in the receiving recess 11, has a horizontal locking surface 20 cooperating with the horizontal locking surface 19 of the arresting hook 8.
[0044] At its receiving recess 11 the receiving hook 7 is provided with a narrowed receiving opening 21. The arresting step 14 can be introduced into the receiving recess 11 substantially in a vertical joining direction T, that is to say in a plane perpendicular to the plane of the locked panels.
[0045] Referring to
[0046] Provided on the receiving hook 7 is a flexural leg 22 which can best be seen from
[0047] The hook profiles are to be brought into engagement at the beginning of the joining movement without already being elastically deformed at the engagement location. It is only upon further progress with the joining movement that the undercut regions, namely the female latching element 16a of the arresting contour and the male element 18a of the positively locking contour, come into contact at the engagement location. That contact however causes elastic deformation which takes place substantially at another location, namely at the flexural leg 22 provided for that purpose. Admittedly the arresting contour 16 and the positively locking contour 18 are also pressed and deformed, but the harder and more brittle that the material of the body 9/9 is, the correspondingly less is the elastic deformation of the arresting contour 16 and the positively locking contour 18 and the correspondingly greater is the degree of elastic deformation of the flexural leg 22.
[0048] The female latching element 16a of the arresting hook 8 can be deeper and the male latching element 18a of the receiving hook 7 can project further from the transverse joining surface 17 of the receiving hook 7, than in the case of the panel without a flexural leg 22. The increased degree of undercut configuration improves the resistance to assembled panels being moved away from each other perpendicularly to the panel plane. In spite of the increased resistance the arresting contour 16 and the positively locking contour 18 can be brought into engagement without any problem because the flexural leg 22 permits an enlargement of the receiving opening 21. The arresting contour 16 and the positively locking contour 18 can thus be moved past each other without severe inherent deformation until they are in positively locking engagement and deploy their locking action.
[0049]
[0050] In addition
[0051] The arresting hook 8 is so designed that in the joining process the arresting recess 13 of the arresting hook 8 is enlarged and that facilitates introduction of the hook edge 10 with the male latching element 10a into the arresting recess provided with the female latching element 13a. For that purpose a flexural leg 23 is provided on the arresting hook. When a force acts from the outside on the horizontal locking surface 19 of the arresting hook 8, as in
[0052] In the further joining movement the widest location of the arresting step 14 passes the enlarged receiving opening 21 of the receiving recess 11. The bending of the flexural leg 22 then decreases and the receiving opening 21 narrows again. The transverse joining surfaces 15/17 of the panels, which surfaces are at the spacing k, are pressed towards each other by the flexural stress of the flexural leg 22. At the same time the bending of the flexural leg 23 decreases and the hook edge 10 also passes in positively locking relationship into the arresting recess 13 and the panels are also pressed towards each other by the flexural stress of the flexural leg 23. The panels can be pressed towards each other in such a way that a closed transverse join is afforded.
[0053] In
[0054] The upper latching means V1 and the lower latching means V2 are so matched to each other that firstly the upper latching means passes into its positively locking position and then the lower latching means passes into its positively locking position. For that purpose the flexural properties (degrees of flexural stiffness) of the receiving hook 7 and the arresting hook 8 can be suitably matched to each other.
[0055] In particular implementation of the flexural stiffness of the receiving hook 7 requires particular care and thoroughness. If the receiving hook for example is bent into a soft substrate which deadens the sound of footsteps and which affords scarcely any backing in relation to the pressure force transmitted from the top side 4 of the panel, the elastic bending of the flexural leg 22 must generate an adequate return force to ensure the positively locking connection of the lower latching means V2.
[0056]
[0057]
[0058]
[0059] Fitting a new panel 24 involves performing a method which is provided for locking a new quadrangular panel having two longitudinal edges and two transverse edges to a previous panel row P2 which has already been assembled from identical panels and simultaneously for locking to an identical panel 25, which has already been fitted, in the same panel row P3.
[0060]
[0061]
[0062] In that case the positively locking connection of the longitudinal edge 24a and the transverse edge 24c of the new panel 24 is produced by a longitudinal join gap L being formed between the new panel 24 and the previous row of panels P2 and a transverse join gap Q being formed between the transverse edge 25d of the panel 25 and the transverse edge 24c of the new panel 24. The wedge tip of the transverse join gap Q points in the direction of the previous row of panels P2 and the wedge tip of the longitudinal join gap L points in the direction of the free second transverse edge 24d of the new panel 24. When finally the new panel 24 is pivoted into the plane of the assembled panels the positively locking engagement of the transverse edges 24c/25d and the longitudinal edge 24a with the previous row of panels P2 is completely produced in the assembled condition and the wedge-shaped join gaps Q and L are eliminated.
[0063] The longitudinal join gap L is produced by the new panel 24 being temporarily moved out of its parallel orientation with respect to the previous row of panels P2 and by the wedge tip of the longitudinal join gap L being produced at the remote end of the first longitudinal edge 24a of the new panel 24.
LIST OF REFERENCES
[0064] 1 panel
[0065] 1 panel
[0066] 2 groove profile
[0067] 2a upper groove wall
[0068] 2b lower groove wall
[0069] 2c recess
[0070] 2d horizontal locking surface
[0071] 3 tongue profile
[0072] 3a tongue top side
[0073] 3b tongue underside
[0074] 3c undercut configuration
[0075] 3d horizontal locking surface
[0076] 4 top side
[0077] 4 top side
[0078] 5 profile
[0079] 6 profile
[0080] 7 receiving hook
[0081] 8 arresting hook
[0082] 9 body
[0083] 9 body
[0084] 10 hook edge
[0085] 10a male latching element
[0086] 10b latching surface
[0087] 10c female latching element
[0088] 11 receiving recess
[0089] 12 underside
[0090] 12 underside
[0091] 13 arresting recess
[0092] 13a female latching element
[0093] 13b latching surface
[0094] 14 arresting step
[0095] 14a inclined sliding surface
[0096] 15 transverse joining surface (arresting hook)
[0097] 16 arresting contour
[0098] 16a female latching element
[0099] 16b latching surface
[0100] 16c male latching element
[0101] 16d latching surface
[0102] 17 transverse joining surface (receiving hook)
[0103] 18 positively locking contour
[0104] 18a male latching element
[0105] 18b latching surface
[0106] 18c female latching element
[0107] 18d latching surface
[0108] 19 horizontal locking surface (arresting hook)
[0109] 20 horizontal locking surface (receiving hook)
[0110] 21 receiving opening
[0111] 22 flexural leg (receiving hook)
[0112] 23 flexural leg (arresting hook)
[0113] 24 new panel
[0114] 24a longitudinal edge
[0115] 24b longitudinal edge
[0116] 24c transverse edge
[0117] 24d transverse edge
[0118] 25 panel
[0119] 25d transverse edge
[0120] H hook profile
[0121] L longitudinal join gap
[0122] Q transverse join gap
[0123] S pivotal profile portion
[0124] T joining direction
[0125] V1 upper latching means
[0126] V2 lower latching means