Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
1
PANEL WITH IMPROVED COUPLING MEANS
Technical Field
The present disclosure relates to, on the one hand, a panel (profiled strip)
with
improved connecting means (coupling means). The panel may be both a floor and
a
wall panel. On the other hand, the present invention relates to a method for
forming
such a panel (profiled strip).
Background
Several systems are known to connect floorboards without using gluing methods,
said
systems differing in the way the floorboards can be joined. The main groups
are as
follows:
For the Ions side of the floorboard:
a) Connecting one floorboard horizontally and the other floorboard via an
angle to
the first floorboard;
b) Connecting one floorboard horizontally and the other floorboard via a
rotating
movement with the first floorboard.
Most of the currently known systems are described in the following patent
publications: BE 9600527; BE 9700344; EP 0843763 and EP 1026341.
For the short side of the floorboard, once the longitudinal connection has
been
effected:
a) Joining both floorboards via a horizontal movement with respect to one
another,
the so-called "snap connection";
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b) Connecting one floorboard horizontally and the other floorboard via a
vertical
movement to the first floorboard. These are so-called "fall-down or push-down"
connections.
A significant drawback of the horizontal movement, more widely known as the
snap-
movement, of the floorboards with respect to one another is the fact that, on
the one
hand, an accessory and a hammer are required and that the hammering force,
which is
applied in order to join the floorboards together, may cause damage to the
decorative
top layer. The same may occur if the accessory is not handled correctly which
serves
to prevent damage to the protruding tongue on the other end of the floorboard
to be
connected. When using the hammer in order to move the floorboards horizontally
with
respect to one another, the force used to hammer the correctly placed
accessory has to
be regulated in order to achieve such a connection. In addition, it is also
important to
move the moving floorboard steadily towards the other floorboard, likewise in
order to
prevent damage. Practice shows that this is almost impossible, due to the
point-
concentrated load of the hammer.
Due to the above-described problems regarding the horizontal snap connection,
a user-
friendly technology is being developed which involves vertically connecting
the panel
to be attached to the horizontally positioned panel, more particularly, the
fall-down or
push-down technology. The new technology largely solves the problems
associated
with the use of accessories and joining floorboards by hammering in a
regulated
manner.
However, with most common known techniques there is a problem regarding
possible
damage to the two decorated sides due to the vertical grating movement with
respect
to one another during the fall-down process.
Another common problem is the fact that the connection can absorb only small
upward forces caused by unevenness of the floor. Often, the force with which
the
floorboards are joined is also the force with which they can come apart (cf.
EP
0085196 and EP 0562402). Due to the fact that the floorboards are pushed
downwards
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by a simple push of the thumb, this relatively small force is the same as the
one with which the
floorboards can come apart. In order to solve the latter problem, several
versions are known
which use inserts made from a different material than the floorboard itself
(cf. EP 1 650 375
and EP 1 415 056).
Summary
It is an object of selected embodiments to offer a solution for the
abovementioned
shortcomings of the "fall down" joining system.
Certain exemplary embodiments can provide a profiled strip comprising a
visible side which
comprises a decorative top layer, a first end side provided with first male
and first female
connecting means, and a second end side which is situated opposite the first
end side and is
provided with second male and second female connecting means, in which the
connecting
means are suitable to join the end sides of adjoining profiled strips with one
another by
engagement of the male and the female connecting means, in which the profiled
strip
furthermore comprises first vertical locking means which are provided to
produce a vertical
lock, in reference to the visible side of the profiled strip, between
adjoining profiled strips,
wherein the first vertical locking means comprise a pliable projection having
an end which
forms part of the first or second male connecting means, wherein the first
vertical locking
means furthermore comprise a first recess which forms part of the first or
second female
connecting means in which the end of the pliable projection engage when the
first or second
male connecting means engage in the first or second female connecting means,
and wherein
the pliable projection is configured to carry out a bending movement during
the joining of the
adjoining profiled strips in the direction of the adjoining end side by moving
in a second
recess which forms part of the first or second male connecting means, in order
then to at least
partly bend back into its original position when the first or second male
connecting means
engage in the first or second female connecting means, wherein the pliable
projection
protrudes beyond the end of the visible side and beyond the end of the side
which is situated
opposite the visible side of the profiled strip, that the profiled strip is
made from plastic in a
single part, and that the profiled strip furthermore comprises second vertical
locking means
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which are configured to provide a second vertical lock between adjoining
profiled strips,
wherein the second vertical locking means comprise an oblique side, whereas
the pliable
projection and the oblique side are of such a configuration that during a
joining movement the
pliable projection will move in the second recess when the end side of an
adjoining profiled
strip makes contact with the oblique side.
Certain exemplary embodiments can provide a method for forming a profiled
strip in a single
part comprising: a visible side which comprises a decorative top layer, a
first end side
provided with first male and first female connecting means, and a second end
side which is
situated opposite the first end side and is provided with second male and
second female
connecting means, in which the connecting means are suitable to join the end
sides of
adjoining profiled strips with one another by engagement of the male and the
female
connecting means, in which the profiled strip furthermore comprises first
vertical locking
means which are provided to produce a vertical lock, in reference to the
visible side of the
profiled strip, between adjoining profiled strips, wherein the first vertical
locking means
comprise a pliable projection having an end which forms part of the first or
second male
connecting means, wherein the first vertical locking means furthermore
comprise a first recess
which forms part of the first or second female connecting means in which the
end of the
pliable projection engage when the first or second male connecting means
engage in the first
or second female connecting means, and wherein the pliable projection is
configured to carry
out a bending movement during the joining of the adjoining profiled strips in
the direction of
the adjoining end side by moving in a second recess which forms part of the
first or second
male connecting means in order then to at least partly bend back into its
original position when
the first or second male connecting means engage in the first or second female
connecting
means, wherein the pliable projection protrudes beyond the end of the visible
side and beyond
the end of the side which is situated opposite the visible side of the
profiled strip, and in which
the profiled strip furthermore comprises second vertical locking means which
are configured
to provide a second vertical lock between adjoining profiled strips, wherein
the second vertical
locking means comprise an oblique side, whereas the pliable projection and the
oblique side
are of such a configuration that during a joining movement the pliable
projection will move in
the second recess when the end side of an adjoining profiled strip makes
contact with the
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oblique side, the method comprising: forming a plate-shaped profile from
plastic; sawing the
formed profile to the desired length; and performing a machining operation on
the end sides of
the sawn profile in order to form the connecting means and the first vertical
locking means.
Other embodiments provide a profiled strip comprising a visible side, a first
end side provided
with first male and first female connecting means, and a second end side which
is situated
opposite the first end side and is provided with second male and second female
connecting
means, in which the connecting means are suitable to join the end sides of
adjoining profiled
strips with one another by engagement of the male and the female connecting
means, in which
the profiled strip furthermore comprises first vertical locking means which
are provided to
produce a vertical lock between adjoining profiled strips, and in which the
first vertical
locking means are made from the same material as the profiled strip and
comprise a pliable
projection which forms part of the first or second male connecting means. Such
a first locking
means provides a flexible lock, as it were. Due to the fact that the first
locking means are made
from the same material, such profiled strips have the significant advantage
that they can be
produced quickly and in a very simple manner. This is in contrast with the
known profiled
strips, where the locking means are configured as a so-called insert which is
fitted to a semi-
finished product which is mainly composed of wood or a derivative thereof, for
example
MDF, HDF or chipboard (see for example WO 2007/141605).
In the context of selected embodiments, the vertical lock is understood to
mean a lock
extending in a vertical direction substantially at right angles to the surface
of the visible side.
In a preferred embodiment of the profiled strip, the first vertical locking
means furthermore
comprise a recess which forms part of the first or second female connecting
means, and the
pliable projection is configured to carry out a bending movement during the
joining of the
adjoining profiled strips in the direction of the adjoining end side by moving
in the recess in
order then to at least partly bend back into its original position when the
first or second male
connecting means engage in the first or second female connecting means.
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In a more preferred embodiment, the profiled strip is made in a single part.
The
profiled strip, and therefore also the pliable projection, are preferably made
from
plastic, more particularly from PVC, PP and PE. This offers the advantage that
such
profiled strips can be used in order to create a floor or wall covering which
is
impermeable to water.
In a preferred embodiment, the profiled strip comprises a decorative top
layer. Said
top layer is preferably fixedly attached to the visible side of the profiled
strip.
According to a particular embodiment of the profiled strip, the profiled strip
furthermore comprises second vertical locking means which are configured to
provide
a second vertical lock between adjoining profiled strips.
The second vertical locking means are formed by providing the one end side
with an
oblique side or a recess, preferably a V-shaped recess, and providing the
other side
with a similar oblique side or a projection fitting in the recess, preferably
a V-shaped
projection. In this way, a (vertical) lock is formed between adjoining
profiled strips
which is rather inflexible. In the case of a V-shaped projection for the
second lock, use
can be made of the possible compressibility of the material.
The abovementioned oblique sides which, in certain embodiments in which the
pliable
projection is provided on the first male connecting means, make the second
vertical
lock possible, are illustrated in Figs. 1 to 6, and adjoin the side of the
profiled strip
which is situated opposite the visible sides. The oblique sides are provided
in such a
manner that the oblique side of the one profile will slide over the oblique
side of the
adjoining profile when joining adjoining profiled strips. In other embodiments
(see
Figs. 7 to 11) in which the pliable projection is provided on the second male
connecting means, the second vertical locking means are formed by the V-shaped
projection and the V-shaped recess interacting therewith.
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Due to the presence of both first female connecting means (I'D) and second
male (IB)
connecting means (see, inter alia, Fig. 2) with the profiled strip according
to the
invention, there is also a horizontal lock (in accordance with a horizontal
direction at
right angles to the end sides) in addition to the vertical lock. The first
female
connecting means are configured as a cavity, while the male connecting means
are
configured as a projection which engages in said cavity.
Another subject of selected embodiments is a method for forming a profiled
strip
comprising: a first end side provided with first male and first female
connecting
means, a second end side situated opposite the first end side and provided
with second
male and second female connecting means, and first vertical locking means
which are
configured to produce a vertical lock between adjoining profiled strips, in
which said
locking means comprise a pliable projection, the method comprising the
following
steps:
- forming a plate-shaped profile from plastic;
sawing the formed profile to the desired length;
- performing a machining operation on the end sides of the sawn profile in
order
to form the connecting means and the first vertical locking means.
According to a preferred method, said profiled strip furthermore comprises
second
vertical locking means which are configured to produce a second vertical lock
between adjoining profiled strips, in which said second vertical locking means
are
provided during said machining operation.
The method is in particular designed to form a profiled strip as described
herein. As a
result thereof, the recess - in which the pliable projection fits when the two
profiled
strips are joined together - will also be formed during the machining
operation.
It is evident that in a more preferred method, the required recesses,
projections and/or
bevelled edges are also provided via a machining operation in those cases
where a
double vertical lock is required.
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It is evident that the longitudinal sides also have to be provided with
connecting means
in order to join profiled strips to one another along their longitudinal
sides.
The present invention furthermore relates to a floor or wall covering made
from a
number of the above-described profiled strips.
In order to illustrate the characteristics of selected embodiments and to
indicate
additional advantages and features thereof, a more detailed description of the
profiled
strip (the floor panel) according to embodiments will now be given. It will be
clear
that nothing in the following description can be interpreted as a restriction
to the
protection defined in the claims.
Brief Description of Drawings
In this description, reference numerals are used to refer to the attached
drawings, in
which:
Figs. 1 to 5: show the joint between two floorboards according to a first
embodiment according to the invention;
Fig. 6: shows the joint between two floorboards according to an alternative
(second) embodiment according to the invention;
- Figs. 7 to 9: show a number of alternative (third) embodiments,.
- Figs. 10 and 11: show how the profiles illustrated in Fig. 8 are
positioned with
respect to one another, before and during fitting thereof
Detailed Description of Selected Embodiments
The above elements 1 and I' to be joined together are floorboards
substantially
composed of polymer or polyoleflnes. The materials which can be used for the
floorboards 1 and 1' depend on the mechanical properties, more particularly
the
flexibility of the movable part 1'7. The floorboards have a decorative finish
on the top
side 11 and 1,1, and have a critical point 12 and 1'2 at the end of each
decorative side
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which may cause damage when the floorboards are joined together. Both
floorboards 1
and I' have connecting means 120 and 1'20, respectively, consisting of a notch
IA
and 1'D, respectively, and a projecting part 1B and 1'C, respectively. The
projecting
part l'C of the connecting means 1'20 of floorboard 1' is in addition provided
with a
movable part 1'7 which forms an integral part of the connecting means 1'20
which in
turn forms an integral part of the floorboard 1'.
The movable part 1'7 has a double function. On the one hand, it will ensure
the ends
of the decorative sides 12 and 1'2 cannot come into contact with one another
until the
very last moment during the joining process when the floorboard l' is being
joined to
floorboard 1 and the associated downward movement. In addition, the movable
part
1'7 will provide a first lock of floorboard 1 with floorboard l' after it has
engaged into
the recess 111 which forms part of the notch 1A of the connecting means 120.
However, the present design also provides an additional lock as, depending on
the
base material of the floorboards to be joined, the dimensions of the movable
part 1'7
have to be modifiable. For a hard, less flexible base material, the present
design
provides the possibility to give the movable part 1'7 a different design than
for a soft,
more flexible material, and this without any significant effect on the force K
which is
necessary to join the floorboards together and the force F which could
separate the
floorboards from one another or could move point 12 with respect to point 1'2
after
fitting.
The additional lock of the floorboards 1 and l' is achieved in the following
way. After
floorboard 1' has been moved vertically H with respect to floorboard 1 across
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distance El, the oblique side 1'4 of the notch 1 'D of the connecting means
1'20
comes into contact with the oblique side 14 of the projecting part 1B of the
connecting means 120. During the vertical movement, the movable part 1'7 also
still
has its original shape and is not yet subjected to bending. During the
vertical
displacement H of floorboard l' with respect to floorboard 1 across distance
El, the
movable part 1'7 acts as a spacer between the end of the decorative sides 12
and 1'2.
During the displacement H across the distance El, the end 1'3 of the movable
part
1'7 comes into contact with the side 17 which forms part of floorboard 1.
The additional lock is achieved during the oblique displacement of floorboard
1 with
respect to floorboard 1' in the direction Z across the distance E2 along the
oblique
sides 14 and 1'4. This is due to the fact that the projecting part 1B of the
connecting
means 120 of the floorboard 1 is provided with an oblique side 15. The notch
l'D of
the connecting means 1'20 is likewise provided with an oblique side l'5.
During the
oblique displacement in the direction Z, the oblique side 1 '5 will move along
the
oblique side 15. The projecting part 1'30 underneath the oblique side 1 '5 of
the
floorboard 1' is now below part 130 of floorboard 1 and will provide
additional
resistance to an upward force F caused by certain uneven structures on the
floor FL.
During this displacement in the direction Z across the distance E2, the
movable part
1'7 will also move X in the recess 1'6 of the projecting part 1 'C in order to
make a
displacement in the oblique direction Z of floorboard l' with respect to
floorboard 1
possible. As the movable part 1'7 moves in the recess 1'6, the ends of the
decorative
sides 12 and 1'2 will now finally start to move towards one another.
At the end of the displacement Z across the distance E2, the bottom side 1'10
of the
projecting part l'C will come into contact with the top side 110 of the notch
1A. Just
before this happens, the movable part 1'7 will also move in the recess 111
which
forms part of the notch 1A. The movable part 1'7 will assume its original
position
again and the recess 1'6 will also assume its original shape. Once this has
happened,
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a lock has been achieved due to the contact of the top side 1'9 of the movable
part
1'7 with the side 19 of floorboard 1.
In order to absorb the upward force F caused by uneven structures on the
floor, 2
locks have been achieved, i.e. one as a result of the contact between the
oblique wall
15 and 1 '5 and one as a result of the contact between the oblique wall 1'9 of
the
movable part 1'7 and the oblique side 19 of floorboard 1. The double lock has
been
achieved.
It is not until the end of the entire joining process and the movement of
floorboard 1'
with respect to floorboard 1 across the vertical distance El and the
displacement E2
at an angle that the decorative ends 12 and 1'2 come into contact with one
another
and there is therefore no risk of damage to these decorative ends, as they do
not have
to slide across one another during the joining process and can adjoin one
another
without the use of force, once the joint has been achieved.
It should also be noted that a force K has been exerted in the vertical
direction during
the entire joining process and that the design of the connecting means 120 and
1'20,
has automatically resulted in a movement in the vertical direction H and the
movement at an angle Z.
Due to the double lock, the force F used to release the joint will have to be
significantly higher than the force K which was required to achieve the joint,
which
are basic characteristics in the industry for a simple, high-quality joint
between
floorboards.
In addition, the additional lock at the location of the oblique side 15 and
1'5 makes it
possible to join floorboards of different types which are made from various
materials
and have different mechanical properties to one another without requiring
additional
investment and without having to sacrifice the joining force, by means of a
simple
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change in the dimensions of the movable part 1'7 by a simple displacement of a
milling cutter.
A profiled strip (floorboard) comprising: a first end side provided with first
male and
first female connecting means, a second end side which is situated opposite
the first
end side and is provided with second male and second female connecting means,
and
first vertical locking means which are configured to provide a vertical lock
between
adjoining profiled strips, in which said locking means comprise a pliable
projection,
is formed by means of a method which at least comprises the following steps:
- forming a plate-shaped profile from plastic;
- sawing the formed profile to the desired length;
- performing a machining operation on the end sides of the sawn profile
in order
to form the connecting means and the first vertical locking means.
It is evident that if said profiled strip furthermore comprises second
vertical locking
means which are configured to provide a second vertical lock between adjoining
profiled strips, said second vertical locking means are provided during said
machining operation.
A description is given below of a number of ways in which the plate-shaped
profile
can be formed.
The production process starts with transporting the various materials (in
powder and
in granular form), by means of a screw conveyor, to a premixer where a first
cold
mixing is carried out. The premixer will in turn transport the mixed material
to a
funnel which is provided with a metering screw at the bottom. This metering
screw is
also provided with a smaller funnel through which other additives can be
added, such
as blowing agents, colour pigments and, optionally, stabilizers or other
additives
which may be required to ensure an optimum formulation. The metering screw
provides a continuous stream of base material to the heated cylinder which is
provided with one or more heated screws in an extruder. The main parameter of
the
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extruder is the L/D ratio or, more accurately, the ratio of the length of the
cylinder to
the diameter of the cylinder. This ratio is of great and defining importance
in order to
be able to process certain materials and to produce a PVC plate of the correct
hardness.
The cylinder and screws of the extruder are given special treatment and are
hardened
against corrosion and mechanical wear. The cylinder and screws are composed of
different zones, each of which can be controlled and adjusted individually in
order
thus to be able to heat or cool each zone separately. The quality of the
product is
greatly dependent on the production parameters which are used. Relevant
production
parameters are the melting point, cylinder temperature, die temperature, mass
pressure and mass temperature. In addition to the L/D ratio, the screw
geometry is
essential, the correct distance between the flanges of the screw and the
structure of
the mixing zone on the screw is crucial for satisfactory plastification. The
degassing
zone in the cylinder of the extruder ensures that the gasses which have
accumulated
during the heating process are removed and the position thereof is also
crucial to
achieving a good result. While the screws transport the material to the die,
the
material has to be heated, homogenized and plastified/plasticized. Each
material has
a different plasticizing process and therefore the composition of the material
is so
important to the selected L/D ratio. At the end of the extruder, a die is
provided
which ensures that the material flowing out of the intruder will already have
a certain
flat shape and ensures that this process is carried out in optimum fashion.
The
thickness of the plate can be modified by adjusting the cooled lips at the
front of the
die to the correct thickness. The parallelism of the plate across the entire
width is, on
the one hand, controlled by a vertically displaceable control lath which is
situated in
the die and by adjustment of the calender, as the extruded material, upon
leaving the
die, will pass through a calender.
The calender is provided with three cylinders (the hollow cylinders are
provided with
water), each of which can be controlled individually in order to be able to
set the
correct temperature for each cylinder. The parameters which are essential in
this
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process are the speed, temperature, opening between the cylinders, diameter of
the
cylinder, treatment of the surface of the cylinder.
Using this process, the plate is cooled down and calibrated. First, the plate
is passed
between 2 cylinders and thus follows the rotational speed of the central
cylinder in
order to thus be transferred to the 3rd cylinder which then transfers the
plate to the
roller track. By using the adjusted diameter of the cylinder or by using
several
cylinders, it is possible to cool down the plate sufficiently, so that the
plate becomes
sufficiently rigid in order to then be transported further on the roller
track. If the plate
has not cooled down sufficiently, it can be cooled still further in a water
tank. The
quality and treatment of the cylinder ensures that the plate acquires the
desired
surface quality. The following line is provided with a long roller track (if
desired
with water tank), draw bench and sawing machine. The length of the roller
track and
any associated water tank is defined in such a manner that the plates are
completely
cooled down when they reach the draw bench. The speed of the draw bench is
adapted to the extrusion speed and the following speed of the saw. After
sawing, the
plates are placed on a pallet and, after a predetermined conditioning period,
they are
ready for processing.
With a possible variant on this production process, no die is used and the
material
passes straight from the extruder to a calender which consists of several,
optionally
heated rollers which form the plate to the desired thickness. If the desired
thickness
cannot be achieved via this process using one extruder, several extruders can
be used
and the plates produced by the various extruders will be laminated on top of
one
another using heat. In this way, the desired plate can also be achieved,
although it
will be composed of various layers. The advantage of this process is the
largely
higher production speed and the possibility of providing the different layers
with
different materials/properties. Thus, it is possible to provide a soft top
layer on a hard
base plate using more than one extruder in the production process.
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A third possible variant consists of a combination of the abovementioned
processes
by using a die but also using more than one extruder. This is referred to as a
coextrusion process and is similar to the 1st abovementioned process, except
that
several extruders are used in order to be able to optionally change the
material
composition in the coextrusion layer or the base layer. In this process, it is
also
possible, if desired, to use an air or water cooling mechanism of the plate
instead of a
calender after the material has flowed out of the die in plate shape. The
following
steps in the production process are similar to those in the above
descriptions, i.e. to
the draw bench and saw bench via a roller track.
Once the plate has been produced in accordance with one of the described
production
processes, this plate may, if necessary, furthermore be provided with a
decorative top
layer.
If this decorative top layer can be joined to the extruded or calendered plate
using
heat, this top layer can be provided at the location of the calender if the
temperature
of the extruded or calendered plate is still sufficiently high or the plate
can be heated
after leaving the extrusion line in order to be able to attach the decorative
top layer.
This decorative top layer can also be applied by using an adhesive bonding
technique
instead of using heat.
During the last step in the production process, the produced plates are sawn
into
smaller formats and provided with the above-described connecting and locking
means at the (head) ends of the sawn plates via a machining operation, for
example
by means of a milling device. The longitudinal sides are also provided with
connecting means (coupling means) using the known techniques.
