Technical Field

This invention relates to a floor of the kind disclosed in the preamble of claim 1.

Background Art

US Patent Application No. 2003/0041542 Al discloses interlocking floor panels. Each floor panel is provided with locking edge portions attachable to adjacent floor panels by means of moving the floor panel in the floor plane. However, this is not completely satisfactory, if the floor is to withstand large forces in the plane of the floor.

US Patent No. 6189283 discloses a portable floor system. The floor panels are of varying size and can be combined in different manners. The locking portions of each panel can be pushed horizontally into a cavity of an adjacent panel. Like the above- mentioned floor, this floor is not very well equipped to withstand large forces in the plane of the floor, since in this case there is a certain risk of the floor panels inadver- tently disengaging from each other.

Disclosure of Invention

The object of the invention is to provide a floor of the type mentioned above and with improved resistance to exposure of ferees in the plane of the floor compared to prior art floors.

The floor according to the invention is characterized in that the bottommost portion of each floor panel, preferably the bottom layer, is provided with a plurality of pro- jections in the two edge areas slightly projecting out of the main shape of the panel, said projections extending upwards from the edge areas and being provided with

locking holes or indentations for receiving projections extending downwards from the bottom side of adjacent floor panels. Thus, the finished floor shows a very strong connecting force when exposed to the action of forces, particularly in the plane of the floor itself, since the locking holes or indentations of each panel contain the downwardly extending projections of adjacent floor panels. In other words, the floor panels are locked with respect to each other. The floor panels do not display a tendency to disengage.

According to the invention, a locking hole or indentation of each floor panel may be elongated, preferably having a length of 8-12 times the width of the locking hole or indentation. In this way, the connection between two floor panels becomes particularly rigid.

Moreover and according to the invention, the height of each projection may be ap- proximately 0,5 times the thickness of said bottom layer, where the centre of each projection may be provided with a transverse groove for draining off a liquid, thereby achieving a very effective locking between individual floor panels.

Furthermore and according to the invention, each locking projection may consist of two walls arranged adjacent and in parallel, where each wall preferably has a thickness of 0,75-1,5 mm, a height of 2,9-3,1 mm and a mutual distance of 1,4-1,8 mm. In this way, the floor displays a certain flexibility, since said two walls arranged in parallel may work in a corresponding recess in an adjacent floor element.

In addition and according to the invention, each floor panel may comprise an arrangement for draining off liquid by means of an auxiliary wall system at least in the regions abutting said projections, said arrangement preferably comprising walls arranged behind "squares", where each "square" is provided with at least one opening, preferably several openings, to adjacent squares, and where at least two crescent- shaped wall portions are arranged around the centre of each square, the centres of curvature preferably being the centre of the square. This allows for an effective

IB2006/000937

3 draining off of water which may have collected underneath the floor panels, since the water can run off through said openings.

According to the invention, the bottom side of each floor panel may be provided for engaging so-called "pads" to support the floor panel, if the underlying floor whereon the floor is to be laid, slopes or is uneven. In this way the floor may be levelled in a comparatively simple manner, if the underlying floor turns out to have an oblique portion.

Further and according to the invention, the floor panels may be of different sizes, but may be constructed from a basic module a, where each floor panel has a dimension (width and/or length) which is n times that of the basic module, wherein n > 1. In practise, this has been shown to be suitable for the manufacture of the floor according to the invention.

Moreover and according to the invention, the top layer of each floor panel may be of cork, sisal, natural fibres, textiles, plastics, wood or wood veneer. Thus, the finished floor may be provided with a suitable appearance or a suitable walking surface in a simple manner.

Finally and according to the invention, the top and bottom layer of each floor panel may be of the same material, for example polypropylene, whereby the manufacture of the floor panel becomes particularly inexpensive.

Brief Description of the Drawings

The invention is explained in detail below with reference to the drawings, in which

Fig. 1 is a top view at an angle of a floor panel for a floor according to the invention,

Fig. 2 shows a portion of a floor consisting of floor panels of the type illustrated in Fig. 1 , said floor being laid on top of an underlying floor,

Fig. 3 is a bottom view at an angle of the floor panel illustrated in Fig. 1,

Fig. 4 shows a portion of a floor consisting of rectangular floor panels with dimensions based on a module a.

Best Modes for Carrying out the Invention

The floor panel 1 illustrated in Fig. 1, which together with a plurality of corresponding floor panels can form a floor 2, as illustrated in Fig. 2, consists of a top layer 5, made in particular of linoleum, and a bottom layer 6, preferably made of plastic or rubber. The floor panels are laid on top of an underlying floor 40, cf. Fig. 2. Along two abutting edge areas 12 and 13 (cf. Fig. 1) each floor panel 1 is provided with panel portions 14 slightly projecting out of the main shape of the floor panel. The bottommost part of each floor panel 1, preferably the bottom layer 6, is provided with a plurality of projections 17 at the two edge areas 12, 13 slightly projecting out of the main shape of the floor panel, said projections extending upwards from the floor panel. These projections 17 are provided with locking throughholes 19 - optionally only locking indentations, said locking holes having the function to receive locking projections (i. e. locking projections corresponding to locking projections 21) extending downwards from the bottom side of adjacent floor panels (not shown); Fig. 1 shows, how the locking projections 21 of the floor panel 1 are ar- ranged. In other words, the locking projections 21 of an adjacent floor panel (not shown) may interact with the locking holes 19 of the floor panel 1, as illustrated in Fig. 1. With respect to floor panel 1, it should be noted that the design of the projections 17 on the panel portions 14 corresponds to several not visible projections of the panel portions 14 behind the rear edge area 13 (on top in Fig. 1). Correspondingly, the non- visible edge area on the far left-hand side of Fig. 1 (the edge area is parallel to edge area 12) is designed in the same way as shown for edge region 11 in Fig. 1.

Each locking hole 19 or indentation of each floor panel 1 may be elongated. Preferably, it has a length 1 of 8-12 times the width b of the locking hole 19 or indentation.

The height h of each projection 17 may be approximately 0,5 times the thickness t of the bottom layer 6 of the floor panel. As illustrated in Fig. 1, a transverse groove 22 may be provided in the middle of each locking projection 21 for draining off liquid. Such a grove 22 may also be provided in each projection 17.

Each locking projection may consist of two walls 21a and 21b arranged in parallel, as illustrated in Fig. 3: Preferably, each wall has a thickness t of 0,75-1,5 mm and a height K of 2,9-3,1 mm. The mutual distance z between the walls 21a and 21b may be 1,4-1,8 mm.

As is apparent from Fig. 3, the regions of each floor panel abutting said projections provided with locking holes 19 may comprise an arrangement for draining off liquid in the form of an auxiliary wall system. Preferably, it consists of walls 30, 31, 32, 33 arranged behind each "square" or "rectangle", where each "square" or "rectangle" is provided with at least one opening 35, preferably several openings 35, 36, to adjacent squares or rectangles. Not all openings 35, 36 are shown. This is done to maintain the clarity of the figure. At least two crescent-shaped wall portions 37a, 37b, 37a ¹ , 37b' may be arranged around the centre C of each square or rectangle. Preferably, the centres of curvature of these crescent-shaped wall portions are in the cen- tre C of the corresponding square or rectangle. It should be noted that only very few rectangles (or squares) are illustrated in Fig. 3. In practice, a square floor panel may, for example, have 112 complete or half "squares".

It has been shown that the floor panel is particularly suitable for engaging so-called "pads" (i. e. pieces of filling material) between itself and an underlying floor 40 whereon the floor according to the invention is to be laid, if each floor panel is pro-

vided with a bottom side corresponding to the one illustrated in Fig. 3. If the underlying floor 40 slopes or is uneven and said "pads" are not used, there is a risk that the finished floor will slope or be uneven.

As illustrated in Fig. 4 the floor panels V may have different sizes, but may still be constructed from a basic module a. In this case, each floor panel 1' has a width a and a length of, for example, 3 times a; in general, it can be said that each floor panel has a dimension (length and/or width) of n times a, where n > 1.

The floor panels may be laid on an underlying floor 40 without the use of glue. The top layer 5 of each floor panel 1, 1' may be of cork, sisal, natural fibres, textiles, plastics, wood or wood veneer. The top layer 5 and the bottom layer 6 of each floor panel 1, 1' maybe of the same material.

I Fig. 2 and 4, the edge portions of each floor panel are designed as in Fig. 1 or 3, but for the sake of clarity of Fig. 2 and 4 said edge portions are not shown in said figures.

The invention may be modified in many ways without thereby deviating from its scope.