A portion of a parquet floor laid in a herring-bone pattern by means of prior-art parquet fillets of this type is shown in Fig. 1. These prior-art fillets are shown in more detail in Figs 2 and 3. The parquet fillets 1 are rectangular and have a tongue 2 at one side edge surface, a tongue 3 at one terminal edge surface, a groove 4 in the other side edge surface and a groove 5 in the other terminal edge surface. These tongues 2, 3 and grooves 4, 5 extend over the whole length of the respec- tive edge surfaces. In order to lay a floor, in which the fillets 1 form a herring-bone pattern, by means of the prior-art fillets, they must be provided as left-hand fillets (L) and right-hand fillets (R), which differ only by being the reflected image of one another as regards the tongue-and-groove arrangement (cf. Figs 2 and 3).

The prior-art fillets 1 usually have a wearing layer, a bottom layer and an intermediate layer, which consists of a plurality of juxtaposed wood strips ex- tending in the transverse direction of the fillet. The tongues 2, 3 and the grooves 4, 5 are formed in the intermediate layer. Since the direction of the wood fibres in the strips extends in the transverse direction of the fillet 1, the tongue 3 formed at the terminal edge surface of the fillet becomes fragile and easily breaks during the handling. In order to obviate this problem, this tongue 3 has been replaced by a groove and instead a loose tongue is used, which is positioned in this groove when laying the floor. By using a loose tongue in this

way, the need of two types of fillets (a left-hand and a right-hand fillet) has been eliminated. However, a dis- advantage of this solution is that it is quite compli- cated to handle and mount loose tongues during the laying of the floor. Another more important disadvantage is that loose tongues result in an inferior alignment of the fil- lets than do the fixed tongues 3.

One object of the present invention is to provide a parquet fillet, which solves the above-mentioned problem without giving rise to the last-mentioned disadvantages.

According to the invention, this object is achieved by a parquet fillet of the type defined by way of intro- duction and characterised in that the tongue-and-groove arrangement comprises a groove in each terminal edge surface of the fillet, which groove extends over the whole width of the fillet, a first tongue at one side edge surface of the fillet, which tongue is positioned in one end portion of the fillet in an area extending from the terminal edge surface of the fillet in this end por- tion along the fillet a distance which is smaller than or equal to the width of the fillet, and a tongue arrange- ment at the other side edge surface of the fillet.

In a particularly simple embodiment, a groove ex- tends along said one side edge surface of the fillet from the first tongue to the opposite terminal edge surface of the fillet and the tongue arrangement at said other side edge surface of the fillet consists of a second tongue extending over the whole length of the fillet.

In a preferred embodiment, the tongue-and-groove arrangement comprises a second tongue at said one side edge surface of the fillet, which tongue is positioned in the other end portion of the fillet in an area extending from the terminal edge surface of the fillet in this other end portion along the fillet a distance which is smaller than or equal to the width of the fillet, and a third and a fourth tongue at the other side edge surface of the fillet, which tongues are positioned in the first

and the second end portion, respectively, of the fillet in the same area as the first and the second tongue, re- spectively. At least one additional tongue is preferably arranged at each side edge surface between the first and the second tongue and between the third and the fourth tongue, respectively, the distance between the tongues at the respective side edge surfaces being greater than the width of the fillet.

The invention will now be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Fig. 1 shows a portion of a parquet floor laid in a herring-bone pattern by means of the prior-art fillets that are described in more detail above.

Figs 2 and 3 show such a prior-art fillet on a larger scale, the fillet being shown with a left-hand and a right-hand design, respectively.

Fig. 4 shows a portion of a parquet floor laid in a herring-bone pattern by means of fillets according to the present invention.

Figs 5 and 6 show a fillet according to Fig. 4 on a larger scale, which fillet is shown with a left-hand and a right-hand design, respectively.

Fig. 7 shows a portion of a parquet floor laid in a herring-bone pattern by means of fillets according to the present invention, which fillets have a design different from that of the fillets shown in Figs 4-6.

Fig. 8 shows a fillet according to Fig. 7 on a larger scale.

The fillets 11 shown in Figs 5 and 6 are rectangular and have a tongue-and-groove arrangement at their edge surfaces. This tongue-and-groove arrangement comprises a groove 12 in each terminal edge surface of the fillet 11, which groove extends over the whole width of the fillet.

The tongue-and-groove arrangement further comprises a first tongue 13 at one side edge surface of the fillet 11, which tongue is positioned in one end portion of the fillet in an area extending from the terminal edge sur-

face of the fillet 11 in this end portion along the fillet a distance which is smaller than or equal to the width of the fillet. The tongue-and-groove arrangement further comprises a groove 14 in the side edge surface where the first tongue 13 is positioned, and a second tongue 15 at the opposite side edge surface. The groove 14 extends from the first tongue 13 to the opposite ter- minal edge surface of the fillet 11. The second tongue 15 extends over the whole length of the fillet 11.

In order to make it possible to lay a floor, in which the fillets form a herring-bone pattern (see Fig.

4), the fillets 11 must be provided as left-hand fillets (L) and right-hand fillets (R), which are the reflected image of each other (cf. Figs 5 and 6). As is easily understood, in such a floor the terminal edge grooves 12 of the fillets 11 receive a first tongue 13 of an adja- cent fillet.

The fillet 21 shown in Fig. 8 is also rectangular and has a tongue-and-groove arrangement at its edge sur- faces. This tongue-and-groove arrangement, in conformity with the tongue-and-groove arrangement of the fillet 11, comprises a groove 22 in each terminal edge surface of the fillet 21, which groove extends over the whole width of the fillet. The tongue-and-groove arrangement of the fillet 21 further comprises a first tongue 23 and a second tongue 24 at one side edge surface of the fillet and a third tongue 25 and a fourth tongue 26 at the other side edge surface of the fillet. The first tongue 23 and the third tongue 25 are positioned in one end portion of the fillet 21 in an area extending from the terminal edge surface of the fillet in this end portion along the fillet a distance which is smaller than or equal to the width of the fillet. The second tongue 24 and the fourth tongue 26 are positioned in the other end portion of the fillet 21 in an area extending from the terminal edge surface of the fillet in this end portion along the fillet a distance which is smaller than or equal to the

width of the fillet. An additional tongue 27 is arranged at said one side edge surface of the fillet 21 between the first tongue 23 and the second tongue 24, and an additional tongue 28 is arranged at said other side edge surface of the fillet 21 between the third tongue 25 and the fourth tongue 26. The distance, i.e. the empty space, between the tongue 27 and the respective tongues 23, 24 and between the tongue 28 and the respective tongues 25, 26 is greater than the width of the fillet 21. A groove 29 extending between the respective tongues is formed in each of these spaces.

As is seen, the fillet 21 is symmetric both as re- gards its longitudinal and its transverse centre line.

This results in the fillets 21 not having to be provided in special left-hand and right-hand designs.

As is easily understood, the terminal edge grooves 12 of the fillets, in a floor where the fillets 21 form a herring-bone pattern (see Fig. 7), receive the first, second, third or fourth tongue 23, 24, 25 and 26, respec- tively, of an adjacent fillet.