IP Library Granted Patent US 7,788,871
Granted Patent B2
US 7,788,871 · App. 11/822,679 · Granted Sep 7, 2010

Flooring and method for laying and manufacturing the same

Assignee: Valinge Innovation AB
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 7,788,871
App. No.
11/822,679
Granted
Sep 7, 2010
Kind
B2
Abstract

A flooring includes rectangular floorboards with long sides and short sides, the floorboards being joined in a herringbone pattern, long side to long side and long side to short side, wherein the floorboards have a surface layer of laminate, and the long sides of the floorboards have pairs of opposing mechanical connectors which at least allow locking-together both horizontally and vertically by inward angling.

Claims (36)

1. A flooring, which comprises rectangular floorboards with first and second pair of opposed sides, said floorboards being joined in a pattern, wherein said first pair of sides have pairs of opposing first mechanical connectors comprising a tongue and a tongue groove for locking-together said floorboards vertically,

and wherein said flooring on said first pair of sides further comprises second mechanical connectors comprising an upwardly projecting locking element on one side of the first pair cooperating with a locking groove on the other side of the first pair of an adjacent floorboard for locking together said floorboards horizontally,

whereby said first and second mechanical connectors allow locking-together both horizontally and vertically by inward angling whereby the tongue is received in the tongue groove and the locking element enters the locking grove,

wherein the pattern is formed of two types of floorboards, each type of floorboard comprising a material from a different genus,

wherein at least one of the sides of the second pair of opposed sides of the floorboards is provided with third mechanical connectors,

wherein said first mechanical connectors extends continuously along an entire length of said first pair of sides, said second mechanical connectors extend continuously along an entire length of said first pair of sides, and the third mechanical connectors extends continuously along an entire length of said second pair of opposed sides.

2. A flooring as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said third mechanical connectors at the second pair of opposed sides are designed for locking together said sides both horizontally and vertically.

3. A flooring as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the third mechanical connectors on said second pair of opposed sides has no tongue, such that the floorboards are locked only in the horizontal direction.

4. A flooring as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the third mechanical connectors on said second pair of opposed sides has no locking element, such that the floorboards are locked only in the vertical direction.

5. A flooring as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said second pair of opposed sides are designed for locking neither horizontally nor vertically.

6. A flooring as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said third mechanical connectors at the second pair of opposed sides are designed for locking together by at least one of inward angling and snapping-in.

7. A flooring as claimed in claim 6 , wherein two mutually perpendicular edge portions of a floorboard have essentially identical connectors.

8. A flooring as claimed in claim 6 , wherein the connectors are disconnectable by snapping-out.

9. A flooring as claimed in claim 8 , wherein the connectors in a first direction are designed to be disconnected at a lower tensile stress than the connectors in a second direction.

10. A flooring as claimed in claim 9 , wherein a locking element on one of said second pair of opposed sides has been adjusted as compared with a corresponding locking element on one of said first pair of opposed sides, such that snapping-out and thus disconnection can take place at a lower tensile stress than on the long edge.

11. A flooring as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the floorboards have approximately the size of wood blocks in a traditionally patterned parquet floor.

12. A flooring as claimed in claim 11 , wherein the floorboards have a width between 7 and 9 cm and a length between 40 and 80 cm.

13. A flooring as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the flooring is laid in a floating manner.

14. A flooring as claimed in claim 1 , wherein joining of the floor is at least partly made by means of glue applied to at least one of the second pair of sides and the first pair of sides or under the floorboards.

15. A flooring as claimed in claim 1 , wherein one side of the first pair of sides is provided with a decorative groove which only appears in one of said sides of the first pair of sides.

16. A flooring as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the floorboards are quadratic.

17. A flooring as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the connectors of one type of floorboard along one pair of opposite edge portions are arranged in a mirror-inverted manner relative to the corresponding connectors along the same pair of opposite edge portions of the other type of floorboard.

18. A flooring as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the two types of floorboards are of a material combination selected from the group:

A Wood and B Laminate,

A Laminate and B Linoleum,

A Wood and B Linoleum,

A Wood and B Artificial fibre

or

A Laminate and B Artificial fibre.

19. A flooring as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the two types of floorboards are of the same thickness.

20. A flooring as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the two types of floorboards are of different formats.

21. A flooring as claimed in claim 7 , wherein the connectors are disconnectable by snapping-out.

22. A flooring as claimed in claim 13 , wherein the floorboards are quadratic.

23. A flooring as claimed in claim 6 , and wherein the connectors of one type of floorboard along one pair of opposite edge portions are arranged in a mirror-inverted manner relative to the corresponding connectors along the same pair of opposite edge portions of the other type of floorboard.

24. A flooring as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said first connectors comprises a material different from said floorboards.

25. A flooring as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said material from the different genus for each type of floorboard is selected from the group consisting of wood, laminate and linoleum.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jul 7, 2010
From: PERVAN, DARKO; PERVAN, TONY
To: VALINGE INNOVATION AB
Reel/Frame 024643/0471 →
Priority Claims (1)
SE 0103130 · Sep 20, 2001 · national
Continuity (6)
Continuation 1138057800 · Apr 27, 2006
Continuation In Part 1041356600 · Apr 15, 2003
Continuation In Part PCTSE020173100 · Sep 20, 2002
Continuation In Part 1023594000 · Sep 6, 2002
Provisional Application 6037208200 · Apr 15, 2002
Related Publication 20080028713A1 · Feb 7, 2008