IP Library Granted Patent US 9,809,984
Granted Patent B2
US 9,809,984 · App. 15/156,520 · Granted Nov 7, 2017

Floor panel

Inventors: Laurent Meersseman (Kortrijk, BE); Luc Vanhastel (Tielt, BE)
Assignee: FLOORING INDUSTRIES LIMITED, SARL
E04F15/107B27N7/00B32B3/06B32B5/18B32B7/12B32B21/02B32B21/08B32B27/08B32B27/304B32B27/32B32B27/40B44C5/043B44C5/0476E04B1/54E04F13/0894E04F15/02E04F15/02022E04F15/02033E04F15/02038E04F15/102E04F15/105E04F15/18B32B2255/10B32B2255/26B32B2260/021B32B2262/067B32B2262/101B32B2307/412B32B2307/712B32B2323/04B32B2323/10B32B2471/00B32B2607/00E04F2201/0107E04F2201/0123E04F2201/0138E04F2201/0146E04F2201/0153E04F2201/0176E04F2201/023E04F2201/049E04F2201/0523E04F2201/0535E04F2201/0588E04F2201/091E04F2201/095E04F2201/098Y10T428/17Y10T428/195Y10T428/24488Y10T428/24777
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 9,809,984
App. No.
15/156,520
Granted
Nov 7, 2017
Kind
B2
Abstract

A floor panel includes a substrate and a top layer provided on the substrate. The top layer is composed of a print and a transparent thermoplastic layer having a thickness of 0.5 mm or less and being situated above said print. The floor panel, at least on two opposite edges, is provided with a straight or curved chamfer extending to below the global level of the print.

Claims (16)

1. A floor panel having a rectangular shape with two pairs of opposite edges, the floor panel comprising:

a waterproof substrate comprised of a single layer and defining a thickness of 2 to 10 millimeters; said thickness being more than half of the entire thickness of the floor panel; the substrate material being chosen from the list consisting of a polyvinyl chloride-based substrate, polyethylene-based substrate, a polypropylene-based substrate and a polyurethane-based substrate,

a top layer provided on the substrate, the top layer including a print provided on a carrier sheet with said carrier sheet being provided underneath said print,

a transparent thermoplastic layer of less than 1 millimeter thickness situated above said print; the floor panel either being free from intermediate layers between said substrate and said carrier sheet, or including a glue layer between said substrate and said carrier sheet;

the floor panel, at least on one pair of two opposite edges, including mechanical coupling parts for coupling two of such floor panels to each other, such that a locking is created in a vertical direction perpendicular to the plane of coupled panels, as well as in a horizontal direction perpendicular to the coupled edges and in the plane of the panels; said coupling parts being substantially realized in said substrate material.

2. The floor panel of claim 1 , wherein said carrier sheet consists of a film selected from the list consisting of a Polyvinylchloride film, a Polyurethane film and a Polypropylene film.

3. The floor panel of claim 1 , wherein said substrate material is foamed.

4. The floor panel of claim 1 , wherein said floor panel is oblong, having a width situated between 14 and 22 centimeters and a length situated between 118 and 220 centimeters.

5. The floor panel of claim 1 , wherein said transparent thermoplastic layer is chosen from the list consisting of a polyvinyl chloride based layer, a polyvinyl dichloride based layer, a polyurethane based layer and a polypropylene based layer.

6. The floor panel of claim 1 , wherein said transparent thermoplastic layer comprises a lacquer layer.

7. The floor panel of claim 1 , wherein the whole of the top layer consists of an annealed or relaxed thermoplastic layer having a thickness between 0.5 and 3 millimeters.

8. The floor panel of claim 1 , wherein said top layer is connected to said substrate by means of a glue layer applied between said carrier sheet and said substrate.

9. The floor panel of claim 8 , wherein said glue is a polyurethane dispersion glue.

10. The floor panel of claim 1 , wherein said print has a resolution of more than 250 dots per inch.

11. The floor panel of claim 1 , wherein said substrate is a single layer.

12. The floor panel of claim 1 , wherein said substrate material is harder than said transparent thermoplastic layer.

Assignments (3)
NUNC PRO TUNC ASSIGNMENT Recorded Mar 18, 2024
From: FLOORING INDUSTRIES LIMITED, SARL
To: UNILIN BV
Reel/Frame 066805/0445 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Sep 24, 2019
From: SEGAERT, MARTIN
To: FLOORING INDUSTRIES LIMITED, SARL
Reel/Frame 050477/0010 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded May 17, 2016
From: MEERSSEMAN, LAURENT; VANHASTEL, LUC
To: FLOORING INDUSTRIES LIMITED, SARL
Reel/Frame 038615/0862 →
Priority Claims (11)
BE 2010/0283 · May 10, 2010 · national
BE 2010/0323 · May 27, 2010 · national
BE 2010/0420 · Jul 9, 2010 · national
BE 2010/0441 · Jul 15, 2010 · national
BE 2010/0602 · Oct 12, 2010 · national
BE 2010/0705 · Nov 25, 2010 · national
BE 2010/0713 · Nov 29, 2010 · national
BE 2010/0719 · Dec 2, 2010 · national
BE 2010/0749 · Dec 22, 2010 · national
BE 2011/0128 · Feb 23, 2011 · national
BE 2011/0247 · Apr 28, 2011 · national
Continuity (7)
Continuation 14552870 · Nov 25, 2014
Continuation 13808274
Continuation PCTIB2011051886 · Apr 28, 2011
Continuation PCTIB2011051884 · Apr 28, 2011
Provisional Application 61429845 · Jan 5, 2011
Provisional Application 61426734 · Dec 23, 2010
Related Publication 20160258167A1 · Sep 8, 2016