Mechanical locking system for floor panels

{
  "publication_number": "US2017234020A1",
  "country": "US",
  "kind": "A1",
  "title": "Mechanical locking system for floor panels",
  "abstract": "Building panels, especially floor panels, which are provided with a locking system including several separate strip parts connected to the panel edge A strip part, configured to lock panels horizontally and to be fixed to a panel edge, including a strip body with an inner part configured to be fixed under the panel edge and an outer part configured to extend outside the panel edge, wherein the inner part comprises a fixing element configured to lock the strip part to the panel edge in a horizontal direction, wherein the outer part including a locking protrusion, located above the strip body and configured to, lock the strip part to the panel edge vertically and a locking element configured to lock the panels in a horizontal direction, and wherein the inner part includes a cavity formed in the strip body and located between the fixing element and the locking protrusion.",
  "claims": [
    "1. Building panels provided with a locking system for vertical and horizontal locking of a first edge of a first panel and a second edge of a second adjacent panel, said locking system comprises a tongue and a tongue groove for vertical locking and strip parts attached to the first edge for horizontal locking, each strip part comprises: an upwardly extending locking element configured to cooperate with a downwardly open locking groove formed at the second edge; a strip body with an inner part that extends inwardly from the first edge and at a rear side of the first panel and an outer part that extends outwardly from said first edge, the inner part comprises a fixing element that cooperates with a downwardly open fixing groove, formed on the rear side of the first panel, and locks the strip part to the first edge in a first horizontal direction; a locking protrusion, located above the strip body, that locks the strip part to the first edge vertically and in a second horizontal direction against a holding protrusion formed at the first edge; and upper and lower guiding surfaces that are essentially parallel with the strip part body, wherein the strip part is configured to be attached to the first edge with an essentially horizontal snapping action. 2. A strip blank comprising a plurality of strip parts configured to lock panels in a horizontal direction and configured to be fixed to a panel edge of one of the panels by essentially horizontal displacement, wherein the strip blank comprises at least two strip parts located side by side in at least two parallel rows. 3. The strip blank according to claim 2, wherein the strip parts are configured to be fixed to the panel edge with an essentially horizontal snapping action in said horizontal direction. 4. The strip blank according to claim 2, wherein the strip parts are configured to be separated from the strip blank by a vertical displacement of the strip parts. 5. The strip blank according to claim 2, wherein the strip blank comprises cavities between the strip parts. 6. The strip blank according to claim 2, wherein each strip part has an inner part configured to be fixed under the panel edge and an outer part configured to extend outside the panel edge. 7. The strip blank according to claim 6, wherein the inner part comprises a fixing element configured to lock the strip part to the panel edge in the horizontal direction. 8. The strip blank according to claim 7, wherein the fixing element comprises a flexible locking part. 9. The strip blank according to claim 6, wherein the outer part comprises a locking protrusion having a horizontal extension in the horizontal direction, the locking protrusion being configured to lock the strip part to the panel edge in a vertical direction. 10. The strip blank according to claim 6, wherein the outer part comprises a locking element extending upward away from a strip body of the strip part and being configured to lock the panels in the horizontal direction. 11. The strip blank according to claim 9, wherein the outer part comprises a locking element extending upward away from a strip body of the strip part and being configured to lock the panels in the horizontal direction, and wherein the locking element is directly connected to the horizontal extension of the locking protrusion. 12. The strip blank according to claim 9, wherein the outer part comprises a locking extension formed on or being part of the locking protrusion, the locking extension being configured to guide the strip parts during fixation to the panel edge. 13. The strip blank according to claim 10, wherein the outer part comprises a locking extension formed on a strip body of the strip part and extending horizontally beyond the locking element. 14. The strip blank according to claim 2, wherein a length of the strip part in a length direction of the strip part varies along a width direction of the strip part. 15. The strip blank according to claim 2, wherein each strip part comprises polymer material and is formed by injection moulding. 16. The strip blank according to claim 2, wherein the strip parts comprise a wood based or plastic based sheet material. 17. The strip blank according to claim 2, wherein a cavity is formed in each of the strip parts. 18. The strip blank according to claim 2, wherein the strip parts are flexible. 19. The strip blank according to claim 2, wherein a strip body of each of the strip parts is thinner in an outer portion of the strip part than in an inner portion of the strip part. 20. A plurality of strip blanks according to claim 2, the strip blanks being configured to be stacked on top of each other. 21. A method to fix a plurality of strip parts to an edge of a panel, the method comprising: separating the strip parts from the strip blank of claim 2; displacing the strip parts essentially vertically; and pressing and snapping the strip parts to the edge of the panel by an essentially horizontal displacement."
  ],
  "description_excerpt": "The disclosure generally relates to the field of mechanical locking systems for floor panels and building panels. The disclosure shows floorboards, locking systems and production methods.\n\nEmbodiments of the present disclosure are particularly suitable for use in floating floors, which are formed of floor panels which are joined mechanically with a locking system integrated with the floor panel, i.e. mounted at the factory, are made up of one or more upper layers of wood or wood veneer, decorative laminate, powder based surfaces or decorative plastic material, an intermediate core of wood-fibre-based material or plastic material and preferably a lower balancing layer on the rear side of the core. Floor panels of solid wood or with a surface layer of cork, linoleum, rubber or soft wear layers, for instance needle felt glued to a board, printed and preferably also varnished surface and floors with hard surfaces such as stone, tile and similar materials are included. Embodiments of the disclosure can also be used for joining building panels which preferably contain a board material for instance wall panels, ceilings, furniture components and similar. The following description of known technique, problems of known systems and objects and features of the disclosure will therefore, as a non-restrictive example, be aimed above all at this field of application and in particular at panels formed as rectangular floor panels with long and shorts edges intended to be mechanically joined to each other on both long and short edges.",
  "cpc": [
    "E04F 15/02038",
    "E04F 15/02",
    "E04F 15/04",
    "E04F 15/105",
    "E04F 2201/0107",
    "E04F 2201/0115",
    "E04F 2201/0138",
    "E04F 2201/0146",
    "E04F 2201/0153",
    "E04F 2201/0161",
    "E04F 2201/023",
    "E04F 2201/049",
    "E04F 2201/0535",
    "F16B 5/0016",
    "Y10T 428/24479"
  ],
  "ipc": [
    "E04F 15/02",
    "F16B 5/00"
  ],
  "assignees": [
    "CERALOC INNOVATION AB"
  ],
  "inventors": [
    "PERVAN DARKO",
    "PERVAN TONY"
  ],
  "filing_date": "2017-05-02",
  "publication_date": "2017-08-17",
  "priority_date": "2011-08-15",
  "application_number": "US-201715584869-A",
  "family_id": "47711621"
}