SK287961B6 - Floorboard and locking system - Google Patents

Abstract

A floorboard and an openable locking system therefor comprise an undercut groove (36) on one long side of the floorboard and a projecting tongue (38) on the opposite long side of the floorboard. The undercut groove (36) has a corresponding upwardly directed inner locking surface at a distance from its tip. The tongue (38) and the undercut groove (36) are formed to be connected by adjoining boards being brought together and snapped together.

Description

Technical field

The present invention relates to a flooring system for mechanically joining floorboards as well as floorboards having such a flooring system.

The invention is particularly intended for floorboards based on wood material and normally have a wood core and which are intended to be mechanically joined.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Mechanical joints gained a large share of the market in a short time, mainly due to their excellent substrate properties, joint strength and joint quality. Although the floor according to WO 9426999, described in more detail below, and the floor produced under the Aloc® trademark have a great advantage over traditional glued floors, further improvements are however desirable.

Mechanical bonding systems are very suitable for joining not only laminate floors, but also wood floors and composite floors. Such floorboards can contain a large number of different materials in the surface, core and back. These materials may also be included in various parts of the bonding system, such as the strap, lock element and tongue. However, a solution comprising an integrated strip which is formed, for example, according to WO 9426999 or WO 9747834 and which forms a horizontal joint, as well as a tongue which forms a vertical joint, is expensive due to the large waste of material resulting from machining the mechanical joint.

For optimal function, eg. 15 mm, the thick parquet floor should have a strip having a width approximately equal to the thickness of the floor, i. j. about 15 mm. With about 3 mm tongue the amount of waste is about 18 mm. The floorboard normally has a width of about 200 mm. Therefore, the amount of waste material will be about 9%. Typically, the cost of waste material will be greater when the backing sheets are made of expensive materials, when they are thick or when their format is small, so that the number of running joints per square meter of floor will be large.

Certainly, the amount of waste material can be reduced when a strip is used which is in the form of a separately manufactured aluminum strip which is already attached to the floorboard at the factory. Furthermore, the use of an aluminum strip in a number of applications can result in a better and more expensive bonding system than in strips machined and formed from the core. However, aluminum strip is most advantageous because the investment costs can be substantial and extensive reconstruction of the operation may be necessary to change the existing traditional production line so that floorboards with such a mechanical joining system can be produced. However, the advantage of known aluminum strips is that the initial format of the floorboards need not be changed.

If a strip made by machining the floorboard material is used, this is the opposite. Therefore, the format of the floorboards must be determined so that there is enough material to form the strip and tongue. For laminate floors, it is often necessary to change the width of the decorative paper used. All these facts and changes also require costly modifications to the production equipment and large production adaptations.

In addition to the aforementioned problems regarding unwanted waste material and the cost of manufacturing and manufacturing adaptations, the strip has a disadvantage in its shape, which is susceptible to damage during transport and assembly.

In short, it is highly desirable to create a mechanical joint with low production costs in order to maintain the current excellent properties in terms of laying, disassembling, joint quality and strength. In the known solutions, it is not possible to achieve low costs without reducing the strength standards and / or the laying function. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is therefore an object of the invention to show solutions in which costs are reduced, while ensuring strength and functionality.

The invention is based on known floorboards having a core, a front tent, a rear side and opposed connecting edge portions, one having a tongue groove defined by upper and lower edges and having a lower end and the other formed as a tongue, with an upward facing part at its free outer end. The tongue groove has the shape of an undercut groove with an opening, an inner part and an inner lock part. At least portions of the lower blade are formed integrally with the floorboard core and the tongue has a locking surface which is designed to interact with the inner lock surface in the tongue groove of the adjacent floorboard when the two floorboards are mechanically connected so that their front sides are located in the same surface plane (HP) and meet in a connection plane (VP) perpendicular to it. This technique is described, inter alia, in WO 9627721, DE-A-1212275 and JP 3169967, which will be described in more detail below.

However, conventional techniques regarding floorboards and flooring systems for mechanically securing floorboards to each other as a background of the present invention will be described.

In order to better understand the description of the present invention as well as the knowledge of the problem solved by the invention, a description of both the basic construction and the function of the floorboards according to WO 9426999 and WO 9966151 follows with reference to Figures 1 to 10 of the accompanying drawings. In the claims, the following description of the prior art is also used to carry out the embodiment of the present invention already described.

Fig. 3a and 3b show the floorboard 1 according to WO 9426999 from above and respectively. below. The plate 1 is rectangular with an upper side 2, a lower side 3, two opposing long sides with connecting edge portions 4a and 4b, and two opposite short sides with connecting edge portions 5a and 5b.

The long side joint edge portions 4a, 4b, as well as the short side joint edge portions 5a, 5b, may be mechanically bonded without gluing in the direction D2 in Fig. 1c so as to meet in the joint plane VP (indicated in Fig. 2c) and so that they have their undersides in a common HP plane (indicated in FIG. 2c) when laid.

In the embodiment shown, as an example of floorboards according to WO 9426999 (FIGS. 1 to 3 of the accompanying drawings), the board 1 has a planar strip 6 that extends along the entire long side of part 4a and which is made of flexible, flexible aluminum sheet. The strip 6 extends outwardly below the mating surface VP in the mating edge portion 4a. The strip 6 may be fixed mechanically according to the illustrated embodiment or otherwise by gluing or some other means. As mentioned herein, other strip materials, such as sheet metal of other metal, aluminum or plastic parts, can also be used as the strip material attached to the floorboard in the factory. As also disclosed in WO 9426999 and described and illustrated in WO 9966151, the strip 6 may instead be integrally formed with the plate 6, for example by suitably machining the core of the plate J.

The present invention is applicable to floorboards in which the strip, or at least a portion thereof, is formed integrally with the core, and the invention solves certain problems that exist in joining, detaching, and manufacturing such floorboards. The core of the floorboards need not be, but is preferably made of the same material. However, the strip is always integral with the plate, i. j. it should be formed on the board, i. j. it should be formed on a board or factory mounted.

In the known embodiments of said WO 9426999 and WO 9966151, the width of the strip 6 may be about 30 mm and the thickness about 0.5 mm.

Similarly, the shorter strip 6) is arranged along one short side of the plate portion 5a. A portion of the strip 6 extending below the connecting plane VP is formed with a locking element 8 that extends along the entire strip 6. The locking element 8 has an active locking surface 10 lying opposite the connecting plane VP and having a height e.g. 0.5 mm. When laid, this locking surface 11 cooperates with the locking groove 14 which is formed on the underside 3 of the connecting edge portion 4b of the opposite long side of the adjacent plate 4. The strip 4 along the short side is provided with a corresponding locking element 4 and the connecting edge portion 5b of the opposite short side has a corresponding locking groove 14 '. Edge of lock grooves 14. 14 '. rotated away from the connecting plane VP forms an effective locking surface 10 'to interact with the effective locking surface 10 of the locking element.

To mechanically connect the long sides as well as the short sides also in the vertical direction (direction D1 in Fig. 1c), the plate 1 is also formed laterally along its long side (connecting edge portion 4a) and one of its short sides (connecting edge portion 5a). open slot or tongue groove 16. This is delimited upward by the upper edge of the connecting edge portion 4a, 5a and downwardly by the corresponding strips 6, 6. At opposite edge portions 4b, 5b there is an upper cutout 18 which defines a tongue 2 cooperating with the cutout or keyway 16 (see FIG. 2a).

Fig. 1a-1c illustrates how the two long sides 4a, 4b of two such plates 1, 6 can be connected to each other by bending downwardly by pivoting about the center C just at the intersection between the surface plane HP and the connecting plane VP. wherein the plates are maintained substantially in contact with each other.

Fig. 2a to 2c show how the shorter sides 5a, 5b of the plates 1, 5 can be interlocked together. The long sides with the portions 4a, 4b can be connected in both ways, while joining the short sides with the portions 5a, 5b - after laying the first row of floorboards - is normally accomplished by conventional snapping after the longer sides with the portions 4a, 4b.

When the new plate 8 and the previously laid plate 1 are to be joined along the long side edge portions 4a, 4b of FIG. 1a to 1c, the long side edge portion 4b of the new board 4 is pressed along the long side edge portion 4a of the previously laid board J of FIG. 1 such that the tongue 20 is inserted into the notch or keyway 16. The plate 8 is then tilted downwards towards the substrate U of FIG. lb. The tongue 20 is fully inserted into the notch or tongue groove 16, at the same time the latch element 8 of the strip 6 engages in the latch groove 14. During this downward inclination, the upper part 9 of the latch element 8 can be operative to form a new plate 8 towards the board 1 laid.

In the coupled position of FIG. 1c, the plates 6 are precisely secured in the direction D1 as well as in the direction D2 along their long side edge portions 4a, 4b, but the plates 1, 6 can be displaced relative to each other in the longitudinal joint direction along the long sides (i.e. in the direction D3).

Fig. Figures 2a to 2c show how the edge portions 5a, 5b of the short sides of the plates 6 can be mechanically connected in the direction D1 as well as in the direction D2 by a new plate 6 which moves substantially horizontally towards the previously laid plate 1. in particular, after the long side of the plate has been joined by tilting inwardly according to FIGS. 1a to 1c, with the previously laid plate 1 in the joining row. In the first operation of FIG. 2a, the inclined surface of the groove 16 of the lock tongue 20 cooperates so that the strip 62 is pressed downwards due to the interconnection of the edge portions 5a, 5b of the short sides. During the completion of the interconnection of the strips 6 ', they engage up as soon as the locking element 82 is inserted into the locking groove 14' so that the effective locking surfaces 10, 10 'on the locking element 82 and in the locking groove 14' are joined to each other.

By repeating the operations shown in FIG. 1a to 1c and 2a to 2c, the entire floor can be laid without gluing along all the edges to be joined. Therefore, prior art floors of this type can be joined mechanically first, generally, by sloping down along the long side and short sides, after joining the long sides, by interlocking horizontally by moving the new board 12 along the long side of the previously laid board i (direction D3). The plates 1, 1 'can be removed upwards in reverse order without damaging the joint without laying and then repositioning. Part of this principle of laying can also be applied in connection with the present invention.

In order for the floor to function optimally and also to allow easy laying and removal, the prior art board should be able, after joining, to assume a position along its long sides where a small clearance is possible between the effective locking surfaces 10 of the locking element and the effective locking surface 10 ' 14. However, no play is required in the actual contact gap between the plates in the joint plane VP just at the top of the plates (ie in the HP surface area). It may be necessary to press one plate against the other to assume such a position. A more detailed description of this oil is disclosed in WO 9426999. Such clearance may be about 0.01 to 0.05 mm between the effective locking surfaces 10, 10 'when the long sides of the connecting plates are pressed against each other. This clearance facilitates the insertion of the lock plate 8 into the lock groove 14, 14 'and the withdrawal therefrom. However, as noted, no groove is needed in the joint between the slabs where the HP surface and the joint plane VP intersect at the top of the floorboards.

The joining system allows to move along the joining edge in the locked position after joining either side. Therefore, laying can be done in different ways, which are all variants of the three basic ways:

• long side tilt and short side entanglement, • long side tilt - short side entanglement, • short side tilt, uptake of two boards, repositioning of a new board along the edge of the short side of the earlier board, and ultimately downward of both boards.

The most common and safest way of laying is when the long side is first tilted down and secured against another floorboard. This is followed by a displacement in the locked position towards the short side of the third floorboard so that the short side is locked. Laying can also be done by one side, long side or short side, by snapping into the other plate. Then, the movement is made in the lock position until the other side engages in the third side. These two methods require at least one side to be entangled. However, the laying can also be carried out without a knocking operation. A third alternative is that the short side of the first plate is inclined first inwards towards the shorter side of the second plate, which is already connected on its long side to the third plate. After this connection, the first and second plates are slightly tilted upwards. The first plate is moved in an upwardly inclined position along the short side until the upper connecting edges of the first and second plates are in contact with each other, for which the two plates are inclined downwardly.

The described floorboard and its locking system have been very successful on the market in connection with laminate floors having a thickness of about 7 mm and the aluminum strip 6 having a thickness of about 0.6 mm. Similarly, the commercial floorboard variants of WO 9966151 shown in FIG. 4a to 4b have been successful. However, it has been found that this technique is not suitable for floorboards which are made of a material based on wood fibers, in particular a solid wood material or glued laminated wood material, to form parquet floors. One of the reasons why this known technique is not suitable for this type of product is the large amount of waste material that is produced by machining the edge portions to form a tongue groove having sufficient depth.

One of the more known designs of mechanical plate locking systems is shown in GB-A1430423 and FIG. 5a to 5b of the accompanying drawings. This system is essentially a tongue-and-groove connection, which is provided with a separate retaining hook on the extended blade on one side of the tongue groove and which has a corresponding retaining ridge formed on the upper side of the tongue. This system requires substantial flexibility of the hook-equipped blade and disassembly cannot be performed without damaging the joining edges of the plates. The tight fixing makes production difficult and the joint geometry causes a large amount of waste material.

WO 9747834 discloses floorboards with various types of mechanical locking systems. Locking systems designed to secure the long sides of the plates (Figs. 2 to 4, 11 and 22 to 25 in the document) are designed to be assembled and disassembled by the coupling and tilt movement, while most of those designed to locking together with the short side (Figs. 5 to 10) is designed to be joined together by transverse pressing against each other and interlocked, but these locking systems on the short sides of the plates cannot be removed without damage or in some cases destroyed.

Some of the boards described in WO 9747834, and those which have been designed for coupling and uncoupling either by rotary motion or interlocking (Figs. 2 to 4 in WO 9747834 and Figs. 14a to c in the accompanying drawings), have in their a groove and a strip protruding below the groove and extending beyond the joint plane where the upper sides of the two joint plates meet. The strip is designed to interact with a substantially complementary formed portion on the opposite edge of the plate so that two similar plates can be joined. A common feature of these floorboards is that the upper side of the tongue of the boards and the corresponding upper binding surface of the groove are planar and parallel to the upper side or surface of the floorboards. The joining of the plates in order to prevent their lateral pulling away from the joining plane is obtained solely by means of the locking surfaces on the one hand at the bottom of the tongue and on the other hand at the upper side of the lower blade or strip below the groove. These locking systems also have the drawback that they need a strip portion that extends beyond the joint plane, thereby producing waste material also within the joint edge portion where the groove is formed.

There are many designs for mechanically joining various types of boards, especially floorboards, in which the amount of waste material is small and in which production can also be effected efficiently also with the use of particle board materials and also wood-based board materials. Therefore, WO 9627721 (Figures 5a to b of the accompanying drawings) and JP 3169967 (Figures 7a to b of the accompanying drawings) disclose two types of interlocking joints which generate a small amount of waste but which have the drawback that they also do not allow the floorboards to be dismantled. . In addition, high locking angles cannot be used in these systems to reduce the risk of separation. Also, the joint geometry is disadvantageous due to the entanglement which requires a substantial degree of material deformation and to manufacturing tolerances when large surface portions must be precisely aligned with each other. These large surface portions that are in contact with each other also make it difficult to move the floorboards against each other in the locked position.

Another known system is described in DE-A-1212275 and shown in FIG. 8a to b in the accompanying drawings. This known system is suitable for sports floors made of plastic material and cannot be manufactured with large circular cutting tools to create a sharp undercut groove. Also, this known system cannot be disassembled without the material having sufficient elasticity such that the upper lower blade does not deform around the undercut groove during separation. This type of joint is therefore not suitable for floorboards which are based on a wood-based material when high quality joints are required.

FR-A-2675174 discloses a mechanical jointing system for ceramic tiles having complementary opposed edge portions, in which case separate spring clips may be used, which are spaced apart from each other and which grip the edge at the edge portion of the joint tile. The coupling system is not designed for disassembly by rotation, as shown in FIG. 10a and in particular from FIG. 10b in the accompanying drawings. Another system is described in DE 20001225U1, where the lower lip is. This known construction, however, is very sensitive and has great disadvantages, since the lower lip has been weakened by the locking groove.

Also DE 199925248 discloses a system with an upwardly facing locking element.

It is clear from the above that known systems have not only disadvantages but also advantages. However, no locking system is entirely suitable for the rational production of floorboards with a locking system which is advantageous both in terms of manufacturing technology, waste material, the laying and disassembling function, and which, moreover, can be used on floors of high quality , strength and function in the laid state.

It is an object of the present invention to satisfy this need and to provide such an optimal locking system for floorboards and such optimal floorboards. Another object of the invention is to provide a snap joint which can be manufactured in a rational manner. Other objects of the invention are apparent from the foregoing as well as from the following description.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

These objectives are achieved by a floorboard and a removable locking joint that includes an undercut groove on the long side of the floorboard. The undercut groove has a corresponding upwardly facing inner locking surface at a distance from its end. The tongue and the undercut groove are designed to be interlocked together. Preferred embodiments are also detachable by a rotary motion having a center just adjacent the intersection between the surfaces and the common joint plane of the two floorboards to be joined. The undercut in the tongue groove of such a locking system can be produced by disc cutting tools whose rotating shafts are inclined against each other to form a first inner part of the undercut groove and then a locking surface located closer to the open groove.

The essence of the locking system and the floorboard according to the invention is disclosed in the independent claims. The dependent claims define in particular preferred embodiments of the invention. Other advantages and features of the invention are also apparent from the following description.

The invention is based on the first finding that by using suitable manufacturing methods, in particular by machining and using tools whose diameter significantly exceeds the thickness of the board, better shapes can be created rationally with great accuracy of wood materials, wood-based boards and plastic materials and that this type of machining may be provided in the tongue groove at a distance from the joint plane. Therefore, the shape of the fastening system could be adapted to rational production, which could be carried out with very narrow tolerances. However, such an adjustment cannot be carried out on account of other important characteristics of floorboards and locking systems.

The invention is also based on a second knowledge, which is based on the knowledge of the requirements that a mechanical coupling system must meet for optimum performance. This finding made it possible to satisfy these requirements in a way that was previously unknown, i. j. a) a combination of a coupling system with e.g. specific angles, radii, open areas and ratios between the different parts of the system; and (b) making optimal use of the core material or cores' properties such as compressibility, elongation, bending, tensile strength and compressive strength.

The invention is further based on the third recognition that it is possible to create a connection system at a low production cost, while at the same time maintaining function and strength or, in some cases, a combination of manufacturing technology, joint design, material selection and optimization of long and short sides .

The invention is based on the fourth finding that the coupling system, manufacturing technology and measurement technique must be developed and set up so that critical parts requiring close tolerances can be as small as possible, as small as possible, and also designed to permit measurement and control in continuous production.

According to a first aspect of the invention, there is provided a locking system and a floorboard with the locking system for mechanically joining all four sides of the floorboard in the first vertical direction D1, the second horizontal direction D2 and the third direction D3 perpendicular to the second horizontal direction with corresponding sides of the second floorboards with identical locking systems.

The floorboards may have on both sides a detachable mechanical fastening system of known type and which may be laterally displaced in the locked position and locked by pivoting inwardly around the edges of the joint or by horizontal entanglement. The floorboards have a locking system according to the invention on the other two sides. The floorboards may also have a locking system according to the invention on all four sides.

Thus, the at least two opposing floorboard tents have a connection system made according to the invention and comprising a tongue and tongue groove defined by an upper and lower lip, wherein the tongue has an upwardly facing portion on its outer and upper portions and wherein the tongue groove has its inner upper parts undercut. The upwardly directed portion of the tongue and the undercut of the tongue groove in the upper lip have interlocking surfaces which interact and prevent horizontal separation in the direction D2 transversely to the connection plane. The tongue and tongue groove also have cooperating support surfaces which prevent vertical separation in the direction D2 parallel to the plane of the joint. Such abutment surfaces should be at least in the lower part of the tongue and on the lower lip of the tongue groove. In the upper part, the cooperating locking surfaces may serve as upper abutment surfaces, but the upper lip of the tongue and tongue grooves may also preferably have separate upper abutment surfaces. The tongue, tongue groove, lock element and undercut are designed to be machined using tools that have a larger tool diameter than the floorboard thickness. The tongue may be inserted with its upward facing portion into the tongue groove and its undercut by substantially horizontal entanglement, the lower lip being bent so that the upward facing portion of the tongue may be inserted into the undercut. The lower lip is shorter than the upper lip, which facilitates the possibility of forming an undercut with a locking surface which has a relatively large inclination against the surface of the plate and thus generates a large horizontal force and can be combined with a flexible lower lip.

According to a second feature of the invention, the floorboard has two edge portions with a connection system according to the invention, wherein the tongue with its upwardly directed portion can both be inserted into the tongue groove and undercut by snapping, keep in contact with each other by their upper connecting edges.

Alternatively or further, the tongue may be made resilient to facilitate this snapping on the shorter side after the long sides of the floorboard have been joined. Therefore, the invention also relates to an interlocking joint that can be released by pivoting upwardly with the upper joint edges in contact with each other.

According to a third feature of the invention, the floorboard has two edge portions with a connection system formed according to the invention, wherein the tongue, while the board is held in an upwardly rotated position, can be snapped into the tongue groove and then rotated downwardly around .

The lower lip is shorter than the upper bit so as to allow for a greater degree of freedom in undercutting the upper lip and especially its locking surface.

A number of additional features may also be employed in known systems without combining these features with the preferred systems described herein.

The invention also describes the basic principles that should be satisfied in a tongue-and-groove joint to be interlocked with a minimum bending of the connecting parts and with the surface planes of the floorboards of substantially the same level.

The invention also describes how the properties of a material can be utilized to achieve high strength and low cost in combination with entanglement.

The invention is particularly suitable for floating floors, i. j. floors that can move relative to the foundation. However, it should be pointed out that the invention can be used in all types of existing hardwood floors, such as homogeneous wood floors, laminated wood or plywood core wood, veneer and wood fiber core, thin laminate flooring, plastic core flooring and the like. . Of course, the invention can also be used in other types of floorboards that can be machined with cutting tools such as plywood or chipboard subfloors. Although this does not appear to be advantageous, the floorboards can be attached to the foundation after mounting.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The various features of the invention will be described in more detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings, which show various embodiments of the invention. Parts of the board according to the invention which are the same as in the prior art in FIGS. 1 and 2 are designated with the same reference numerals.

Fig. la to c

Fig. 2a to c

Fig. 3a to b FIG. 4a to b FIG. 5a to b FIG. 6a to b

Fig. 7 to b FIG. 8a-b. FIG. 8a-b. FIG. 10a-b. FIG. 11 a to b

Fig. 12a-c. FIG. 13 a to c FIG. 14 FIG. 15

Fig. 16a-c FIG. 17a-c FIG. 18 FIG. 19 FIG. 20 a to b FIG. 21 FIG. 22a to e

Fig. 23a-e show three operations of the down-turn methods for mechanically joining the long sides of floorboards according to WO 94226999.

shows three operations of interlocking methods for mechanically joining the short sides of floorboards according to WO 94226999.

shows the floorboard according to WO 9426999 in a top view and a top view respectively. from below shows two different embodiments of floorboards according to WO 9966151. shows floorboards according to GB 1430423.

shows mechanical locking systems for the long side or short side of a floorboard according to WO 9627721.

shows a mechanical locking system according to JP 3169967.

shows boards according to DE-A-1212275.

shows a snap-fit connection according to WO 9747834.

shows stitching according to FR 2675174.

schematically illustrates two parallel edge portions according to a first embodiment of a floorboard according to the present invention, shows interlocking variants according to the invention, illustrates the up and down rotation method using the invention, shows interlocking in a modified version according to the invention upwards, utilizing the bending and compression of the material to be joined, shows examples of a floorboard according to the invention.

shows how the coupling system could be designed to facilitate interlocking, depicts interlocking in the rotated position, depicts locking the short side by interlocking.

shows the interlocking of the outside and the inside of the corner part of the short side, shows the coupling system according to the invention with a spring tongue.

shows a detail of the engagement of the outer corner portion of the short side using embodiments of the invention.

shows a detail of the interlocking of the inner corner portion of the short side using embodiments of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Before certain and preferred embodiments of the invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, the basic concept of the invention and the strength and functional requirements will be described.

The invention may be applied to rectangular floorboards having a first pair of parallel sides and a second pair of parallel sides. In order to simplify the description, the first pair is hereinafter referred to as the long sides and the second pair as the short sides. It should be noted, however, that the invention can also be applied to plates that are square.

High connection quality

By high joining quality is meant a firm alignment of the floorboards in the locked position both vertically and horizontally. It should be possible to join the floorboards without large visible gaps or level differences between the edges to be joined in the unloaded as well as the loaded state. In high-quality floors, the joining gaps and level differences should not be greater than 0.2 and 2, respectively. 0.1 mm. Swivel up around the joint edge

Usually it is possible to pivot the long side of the floorboard upwards so that the floorboard can be released because the boards are initially joined by tight joint edges, this upward rotation must also be performed with the upper joint edges in contact with each other and with the pivot at the joint edge. This upward rotation is very important not only when changing floorboards or moving the floor. Many floorboards are laid experimentally or incorrectly laid next to doors, corners, and the like. during installation. There is a serious drawback if the floorboard cannot be easily released without damaging the fastening system. Nor does it always happen that a plate which can be rotated inwards can also be rotated upwards again. In connection with the inward rotation, a slight bending of the strips is usually carried out so that the locking element is bent back and down and opened. If the fastening system is not formed with suitable angles and radii, the board may be locked after laying in such a way that removal is impossible. The short side can usually be pulled along the joint edge after the long side joint has been loosened by upward swiveling, but it is preferred that the short side can also be loosened by upward swiveling. This is particularly advantageous when the boards are long, e.g. 2.4 m, making the short side difficult to pull. The upward rotation can also be performed very safely without the plates jamming and clamping each other so that there is a risk of damaging the lock system.

snapping

It is possible to lock the short sides of the floorboards by horizontal latching. This requires that the parts of the fastening system be flexible and bendable. Although turning the long sides inward is much easier and faster than the knock-in, it is an advantage if the long sides can also be knocked in because some laying operations, for example around the door, require the boards to be joined horizontally. In the case of an interlocked joint, there is a risk that the edges will rise during joining if the joint geometry is incorrect.

Price of material for long and short side

If the floorboard is, for example, 1.2 x 0.2 m, each square meter of floor area will have 6 times more joints on the long sides than those on the short sides. Large amounts of waste material and expensive fasteners are therefore less important on the short side than on the long side.

Horizontal strength

In order to achieve high strength, the locking element must generally have a large locking angle in order to prevent the locking element from slipping. The locking element must be high and wide so that it does not break when subjected to high tensile loads due to the shrinkage in winter due to the low relative humidity at this time of year. This also applies to the material close to the lock groove in the next plate. The short side joint should have greater strength than the long side joint, since the tensile load during winter shrinkage is distributed over a shorter joint length along the short side than along the long side.

Vertical strength

It should be possible to maintain the plane of the boards when subjected to vertical loads. Further, movement in the joint should be avoided since surfaces which are subjected to pressure and which move against one another, e.g. the top connecting edges may crack.

adjustability

It should be possible to manufacture the joint system rationally using large rotary cutting tools having extremely good accuracy and performance.

measurement

Good function, manufacturing tolerance and quality require that the joint profile be continuously measured and controlled. The critical parts in the mechanical coupling system should be constructed in such a way as to facilitate manufacture and measurement. It should be possible to produce them with tolerances of a few hundredths of a millimeter and it should therefore be possible to measure them with great accuracy, for example in a so-called profilprojector. If the joining system is manufactured by linear cutting, the joining system will have the same profile over the entire edge portions, except for certain manufacturing tolerances. Therefore, the fastening system can be measured with great accuracy by cutting some samples from the floorboards and measuring them in a profile projector or microscope. However, rational production requires that the fastening system can also be measured quickly and easily without destructive methods, e.g. using scales. This is easier if the critical parts of the locking system are as small as possible.

Optimization of long and short sides

If the floorboard is to be produced optimally at minimal cost, the long and short sides must be optimized in view of their different characteristics, as stated. For example, the long side should be optimized for downward swiveling, upward swiveling, laying and adjustability, while the short side should be optimized for knocking and high strength. An optimally designed floorboard should therefore have different connection systems on the long and short sides.

Possibility of transverse movement of the connecting edge

Wood-based floorboards and floorboards generally containing wood fibers expand and contract as the relative humidity changes. Expansion and contraction usually begin at the top and the surface layer can therefore move to a greater extent than the core, i. j. the part from which the coupling system is formed. In order to prevent the upper joint edges from lifting or cracking in the case of a high degree of expansion or the formation of joint gaps upon drying, the joint system should be designed to allow movement that compensates for expansion and contraction.

A first preferred embodiment of a floorboard 11, H provided with a mechanical flooring system according to the invention will now be described with reference to FIG. 11a and 11b. For better understanding, the coupling system is shown schematically. It will be appreciated that a better function can be achieved with other preferred embodiments which will be described later.

Fig. 11a, 11b show a schematic sectional view of the joint between the long side edge portion 4a of the plate 1 and the opposite long side edge portion 4b of the second plate.

The upper sides of the plates are substantially laid in a common surface plane HP and the upper portions of the joined edge portions 4a, 4b abut each other in the vertical joint plane VP. The mechanical locking system locks the plates against each other, both in the vertical direction D1 and in the horizontal direction D2, which extends perpendicularly to the connecting plane VP. However, during laying of the floor with opposing rows of plates, one plate môže may be displaced along the other plate I in the direction D3 (see Fig. 19) along the joint plane VP. Such a displacement can be used, for example, when locking the plates that are located in the same row together.

In order to join the two connecting edge portions perpendicular to the vertical plane VP and parallel to the horizontal plane HP, the edges of the floorboards have a known tongue groove 36 in the edge portion 4a of the floorboard inside the connecting edge portion 4b and projecting beyond the connection plane VP.

In this embodiment, the panel 1 has a wood core or core 30 that carries a wood surface layer on its front side 32 and a leveling layer on its rear side 34. The panel I is rectangular and has a second mechanical locking system also on two parallel short sides. In some embodiments, the second locking system may have the same construction as the long side locking system, but the short side locking system may also have a different construction according to the invention or may already be a known locking system.

In an illustrative, non-limiting example, the floorboard may be of parquet type having a thickness of 15 mm, a length of 2.4 m and a width of 0.2 m. However, the invention can also be used for parquet squares or boards of other sizes.

The core 30 may be of the lamella type and consist of narrow wood blocks of a cheaper type of wood. The surface layer on the front side 32 may have a thickness of 3-4 mm and consist of a decorative type of hardwood and may be painted. The backing layer 34 may consist of a 2 mm veneer layer. In some cases, it may be advantageous to use different types of wood materials in different parts of the floorboard for optimal properties within the individual parts of the floorboard.

As already mentioned, the mechanical flooring system of the invention comprises a tongue groove 36 in one joining edge portion 4a of the floorboard and a tongue 38 on the opposite joining edge portion 4b of the floorboard.

The groove 36 is delimited by the upper and lower blades 39, 40 and has an undercut groove with an opening between the two blades 39, 40.

The various parts of the tongue groove 36 are better seen in FIG. 11 b. The tongue groove is formed in the core or core 30 and extends from the edge of the floorboard. Above the tongue groove there is an upper edge portion or connecting edge surface 41 extending upward to the surface plane HP. Within the opening of the tongue groove, there is an upper engagement or connection contact surface 43, which in this case is parallel to the surface plane HP. This engagement or support surface passes into the inclined locking contact surface 43, which has a locking angle A to the horizontal plane HP. Within the locking surface is a surface portion 46 that forms the upper binding surface of the undercut portion 35 of the tongue groove. The tongue groove further has a lower end 48 that extends downwardly to the lower lip 40. On the upper side of the lip is an engagement and support surface 50. The outer end of the lower lip has a connecting edge surface 62 which is spaced from the connecting plane VP.

The shape of the tongue is also best seen in Fig. 11b. The tongue is made of core material or core 30 and extends beyond the joint plane VP when this joint edge portion 4a of an adjacent floorboard. The connecting edge portion 4b also has an upper edge portion or an upper connecting edge surface 61 extending downwardly along the connecting plane VP to the tongue root 38. The upper side of the tongue root has an upper engagement or abutment surface 64 which in this case extends to the inclined locking surface 65 up. with the pointing portion 8 close to the tip of the tongue. The locking surface 65 passes into the guide surface portion 66, which terminates on the upper surface 67 of the upwardly directed tongue portion 8. The surface 67 is followed by a bevel which may serve as a guide surface 68. This passes into the free end 69 or the tip of the tongue. At the lower end 69 there is another guide surface 70 that extends downwardly to the lower edge of the tongue and to the engagement or support surface 71. The support surface 71 is designed to interact with the support surface 50 of the lower lip when two such floorboards are mechanically connected to their upper sides have been placed in the same surface plane HP and meet in a joining plane VP facing it perpendicularly so that the upper joining edge surfaces 41, 61 of the plates engage with each other. The tongue has a lower connecting edge surface 72 that extends to the lower side.

In this embodiment, the separate engagement or abutment surfaces 43, 64 are in the tongue groove and the groove respectively. on the tongues which, in the locked state, engage with each other and cooperate with the lower abutment surfaces 50, 71 on the lower lip and, respectively, on the lower lip. on the tongue to form a lock in the direction D1 perpendicular to the surface plane HP. In the other embodiments that will be described below, the locking surfaces 45, 65 are used as locking surfaces for interlocking in a direction D2 parallel to the surface plane HP as well as supporting surfaces for movements opposing each other in a direction D1 perpendicular to the surface. In the embodiment of FIG. 11a, 2b, the locking surfaces 45, 65 and the engagement surfaces 43, 64 cooperate as the upper support surfaces in the system.

As can be seen from the figure, the tongue 38 extends beyond the connection plane VO and has an upwardly directed portion 8 at its free outer end 69 or tip. The tongue also has a locking surface 65 that is configured to interact with the inner locking surface 45 in the tongue groove 36 of an adjacent floorboard when two such floorboards are mechanically connected so that their front sides are laid on the same HP surface plane and meet in the connecting plane VP perpendicular to it.

As shown in FIG. 11, the tongue 38 has a surface portion 52 between the locking surface 51 and the connection plane VP. When two floorboards are joined, the surface portion 52 engages the upper lip surface 45. In order to facilitate the insertion of the tongue into the undercut groove by twisting in or knocking in, the tongue may have, as shown in FIG. 11a, 11b, a guide surface portion 66 between the locking surface 65 and the surface portion 57. Further, the guide surface 68 may be positioned between the surface portion 57 and the free end 69 of the tongue. The guide surface 68 may serve as a guide portion when it has a smaller inclination angle to the surface plane than the inclination angle A of the locking surface 43, 51.

In this embodiment, the tongue support surface 71 is substantially parallel to the surface plane HP. The tongue has a guide surface 70 between this abutment surface and the free end 69 of the tongue.

According to the invention, the lower lip 40 has a abutment surface 50 for interacting with a corresponding abutment surface 7i on the tongue 38. In this embodiment, the abutment surface is located at a distance from the inner portion 42 of the undercut groove. When two floorboards are joined to each other, both the support surfaces 50, 71 and the engagement or support surface 41 of the lower lip 39 and the corresponding engagement or support surface 64 of the tongue come into engagement. In this way, the plates are locked in the direction D1 perpendicular to the surface plane HP.

Preferably, at least a major portion of the lower end 48 of the undercut groove 36, parallel to the HP surface, is located much further from the joining plane VP as the outer end or the free end 69 of the tongue 38. the planes are facilitated.

Another important feature of the mechanical flooring system of the invention is that all portions of the lower lip 40 that are connected to the core 30, as viewed from point C where the HP plane of plane and the VP plane of intersection intersect, are located outside the plane of LP2. This plane is located further from this point C, as the locking plane LP1, which is parallel to the plane LP2 and which is tangent to the interlocking locking surfaces 45, 65 of the undercut groove 36 and tongue 38, where these locking surfaces are most inclined relative to the surface HP desktop. Due to this construction, the undercut groove can, as will be described below, be manufactured using large circular cutting tools for machining the edge portions of the floorboards.

Another important feature is that the lower blade 40 is resilient and shorter than the upper blade 39. This allows undercutting to be made using large rotary cutting tools that can be adjusted at a relatively high angle to the horizontal plane so that the locking surface 65 can be made with a high locking angle A. The high locking angle significantly reduces the downwardly directed component that has been produced in conjunction with the pulling load. That is, the bonding system will have high strength even though the lower lip is resilient and thus has limited ability to counteract the downwardly directed component. This results in an optimization for obtaining a high lock force combined with low knock resistance. High knock resistance makes knocking strenuous and increases the risk of damage to the joining edge portions of the floorboards. The inventor has found that most of the materials used in floorboards may be sufficiently resilient if they are provided with blades of suitable thickness and length that can operate in a preferred joint system and produce sufficient locking force.

Fig. 12a-c show the interlocking of two floorboards by bending the lower lip 40. As can be seen from FIG. 12b, the interlocking is performed with a minimum bending of the lower lip and with the surface planes of the floorboards at substantially the same level. This reduces the risk of cracking.

Fig. 13a-c show that the lock system of FIG. 12a-c can also be used to swivel up and down in conjunction with lifting and laying. The upper and lower blades 39.40 and tongue 38 are designed to allow disassembly of two mechanically coupled floorboards by rotating one floorboard upwardly opposite the other around a center of rotation just at the intersection point between the HP surface plane and the VP connecting plane, to pivot the tongue of this floorboard out of the undercut groove of the second floorboard.

The snap joint according to the invention can be used on both the long side and the short side of the floorboards.

Fig. 14 and FIG. 15, however, show a variant of the invention which is suitable, inter alia, for snapping along a short side of a floorboard which is made of a relatively hard material such as a hard wood or hard chipboard.

In this embodiment, the tongue groove is substantially deeper than necessary to insert the tongue. As a result, the high flexibility of the lower lip 40 is obtained. Further, the locking system has a long tongue with a strong locking element with an upwardly directed portion 8. The dotted line indicates the movement when locked.

The construction of FIG. 14 and 15 allow disengagement by pivoting up one plate and slightly bending down the bottom lip 40 of the other plate. However, in another embodiment of the invention, when the floorboards are disengaged, no downward bending of the floorboard is required.

In the locked position, the floorboards can be moved in the longitudinal direction of the joint. As a result, disconnecting e.g. short sides can be made by pulling in the longitudinal direction of the joint after disconnecting the long sides e.g. upside down.

To facilitate manufacturing, inward rotation, upward rotation, interlocking and relocation in the locked position, and to minimize the risk of cracking, all surfaces that are operative to form a seal with the tight upper joint edges and the vertical and horizontal joints may not be formed contacting each other in the locked position, and preferably also during locking and release. This allows production without the need for large tolerances in these joining portions and reduces friction on lateral displacement along the joining edge. Examples of surfaces or parts of the coupling system that should not be in contact with each other in the locked position are 46 to 67.48 to 69, 50 to 70, and 52 to 72.

The bonding system according to the preferred embodiment may comprise several combinations of materials. The upper lip 39 may be made of a rigid and hard face 32 of the skin and a softer bottom that is part of the core 30. The lower lip 40 may consist of the same softer top and also a softer backside 34, which may be of a different wood type . The fiber directions in the three types of wood may vary. This can be used to create a bonding system that utilizes these material properties. The flooring system according to the invention is therefore located closer to the upper hard and rigid part, which is therefore resilient and compressible only to a limited extent, the entanglement function being formed by a softer lower and resilient part. It should be noted that the joining system can also be made in a homogeneous floorboard.

Fig. 16 a to c show an example of a floorboard according to the invention. In particular, this embodiment shows that the coupling system on the long side and the short side is constructed differently. On the short side, the fastening system is optimized for locking by a high locking angle, a deep tongue groove and an upper lip shorter than the lower lip, while at the same time the locking surfaces have a small height to reduce the downward bending requirement. On the long side, the fastening system has been adapted for joining / disassembling by rotated movements.

The connection system may be of a variety of materials and combinations of materials 30a. 30b and 30c. It is also possible to select different materials on the long side and short side. For example, a portion of the short side groove 36 may comprise a harder and more flexible wood material such as e.g. a portion of the tongue 38 that can be hard and strong and has other characteristics than the core on the long side. On the short side with the keyway it is possible to select a wood type 30b that is more flexible than the wood type on the other short side where the tongue is formed. This is particularly advantageous for parquet floors with a lamellar core, where the upper and lower sides comprise different types of wood and the core comprises glued blocks. This design gives great possibilities of material composition changes to optimize function, strength and production costs.

It is also possible to vary the material along the length of the side. So eg. blocks that are placed between two short sides may be of different types of wood or materials, so some may be selected with regard to their contribution to suitable properties that improve laying, strength, etc. Different properties can also be achieved by varying the orientation of the fibers on the long side and the short side, and plastic materials on the short walls and e.g. on different parts of the long side. If the floorboard or parts of its core contain e.g. plywood with several layers, these layers may be chosen such that the upper lip, the tongue and the lower lip on both the long side and the short side may have all parts with different materials, fiber orientation, etc., which may give different characteristics if refers to strength, bendability, machinability, etc.

Fig. 17a-c show the basic principle of how the lower part of the tongue should be designed with respect to the lower lip 40 to facilitate the system with undercut or locking groove 8 in the rigid upper lip 39 and with the flexible lower lip 40. In this embodiment, the upper brit 39 considerably stronger, inter alia due to the fact that it may be thicker or consist of harder or stronger materials. The lower lip may be thinner and softer and the substantial bend will, in conjunction with the entrainment, take place in the lower lip 40. The entrainment may be substantially facilitated, among other things, by the maximum bend of the lower lip 40 limited as much as possible. Fig. 17a shows that the bend of the lower lip 40 will increase to the maximum bending level B1, characterized in that the tongue 38 is inserted so far into the tongue groove 36 that the rounded guiding parts come into contact with each other. When the tongue 40 is bent back until the engagement is complete and the locking member with the upwardly directed portion 8 is fully retracted in its final position in the undercut portion 35. The lower and front portions 49 of the tongue 38 should be designed to bend down the lower lip 40, This tongue portion 49 should have a shape that either touches or closely misses the maximum bending plane of the lower lip 40 when the lower lip 40 bends along the outer portion of the lower engagement surface 50 of the tongue 38. If the tongue 38 has a shape which in this position extends over the lower lip 40, indicated by the dashed line 49b, the bend B2 according to FIG. 17b may be substantially larger. This may result in higher friction in conjunction with entanglement and the risk of joint damage. Fig. 17c shows that the maximum bend can be limited by the tongue groove 36 and the tongue 38 designed to create a space between the lower and outer tongue portions 49 and the lower tongue 40. If the upper tongue is made stronger and the lower tongue is more flexible, the risk of raising corners is reduced on the top of the laid floor as the floor shrinks and expands depending on the relative humidity of the indoor air. The greater strength of the upper lip in combination with the arrangement of the locking surfaces also allows the joint to assume large disconnecting forces transversely to the joint. Also, deflection of the lower lip contributes to minimizing the risk of edge lifting.

Horizontal entanglement is normally used in conjunction with a short side entanglement after locking the long side. When the long side is snapped, it is also possible to snap the coupling system according to the invention with one plate in a slightly upward position. This upturned locking position is shown in FIG. 18. Only a small degree of rotation B3 of the lower lip 40 is necessary for the guide portion 66 of the lock element to come into contact with the guide portion 44 of the lock groove such that the lock element can then be rotated downwardly inserted into the undercut portion 35.

Fig. 19 and 20 also show a problem that may arise in connection with the interlocking of the two short sides of two plates 2a and 2b, which are already connected on their long sides to another first plate i. If the floorboard 2a is to be connected to the floorboard 2b by interlocking, the inner corner portions 91 and 92, closer to the long side of the first board 1, are located in the same plane. This is due to the fact that the two boards 2a and 2b on their respective long sides are connected to the same floorboard 1. According to FIG. 20b, which shows a cross-section C3-C4, the tongue 38 cannot be inserted into the tongue groove 36 to rotate the lower lip 40 downwards. In the outer corner portions 93, 94 on the long side in section C3-C4 shown in FIG. 20a, the tongue 38 may be inserted into the tongue groove 36 to bend the lower lip 40 downwards by the plate 2b. which is automatically pressed and rotated upward according to the height of the upwardly directed portion 8 of the lock element.

The inventor has therefore discovered that problems may arise in connection with the interlocking of the inner corner portions in lateral displacement in the same plane when the tongue is formed with the upwardly directed portion at its end and is to be inserted into the undercut groove. These problems can be caused by high resistance to entanglement and the risk of cracking in the fastening system. These problems can be solved by appropriate joint design and choice of materials that allow material deformation and bending in several connecting portions.

The following occurs when entangling this specially designed coupling system. In lateral displacement, the outer tongue guide surfaces 41, 68 and the upper lip cooperate and push the upwardly directed portion 8 or tongue lock element below the outer part of the upper lip 39. The tongue bends inwardly and the upper lip bends upward. This is indicated by the arrows in FIG. 20b. The corner portion 92 of FIG. 19 is pushed upwardly by the lower lip 40 on the long side of the plate 2b and the corner portion 91 is pressed downward by the upper lip on the long side of the plate 2b bending upwards. The coupling system should be designed such that the sum of these deformations is so large that the locking element can slide along the lower lip and engage the undercut portion 35. It is known that the tongue groove 36 can be expanded. However, it is not known that it may be advantageous if the tongue, which should be normally strong, be designed so that it can bend when locked.

Such an embodiment is shown in FIG. 21. Cutout 63 or below. is formed on the upper inner part of the tongue, inside the vertical plane VP. The total extent of the PB of the tongue from its inner part to its outer part may be extended and may e.g. made greater than half the thickness T of the floor.

Fig. 22 and 23 illustrate how portions of the joining system are bent in conjunction with an engagement on the inner corner portion 91, 92 (FIG. 19) and the outer corner portion 93. 94 (FIG. 19) of the two floorboards 2a, 2b. In order to simplify production, it is necessary to bend only a thin blade and a pen. In practice, of course, all parts subjected to pressure will be compressed and bent at different angles depending on thickness, bendability, material composition and the like.

Fig. 22a shows the outer corner portion 93, 94 and FIG. 23 shows the inner corner portion 91, 92. The two figures show the position when the edges of the plates come into contact with each other. The coupling system is designed such that, even in this position, the tip of the tongue 38, which is furthest outwardly, is located inside the outer portion of the lower lip 40. When the plates are pressed further together, the tongue 38 in the inner corner 91, 92 presses the plate 2b up. FIG. 22b, 23b. The tongue is bent down and the plates 2b at the outer corner portion 93.94 are bent up. Fig. 23c shows that the tongue 38 on the inner corner portion 91, 92 is bent down. In the outer corner portion 93, 94 of FIG. 22c, the tongue 38 bends upwards and the lower lip 40 downwards. According to FIG. 22d, 23d, this bending continues as the plates are pressed against each other even further, and now the inner lip 40 also bends on the inner corner portion 91, 92 of FIG. 23d. Fig. 22d, 23e show the stuck position. Therefore, the snapping can be greatly facilitated if the tongue 38 is also resilient and if the outer part of the tongue 38 is located inside the outer part of the lower lip 40 when the tongue and groove come into contact with each other when the plates lie in the same plane after locking the floorboard along its two other sides.

Several variations exist within the scope of the invention. The inventor has produced and evaluated a large number of variants in which different parts of the joining system were manufactured with different widths, thicknesses, angles and radii in many different board materials and homogeneous plastics and wood panels. All fasteners were tested in the upside down position and with snapping and swiveling the groove and tongue plates against each other and with various combinations of the systems described herein as well as the known long side and short side systems. Lock systems were also produced in which the lock surfaces were also upper engagement surfaces, where the tongue and groove had several lock elements and lock grooves, and in which also the lower lip and the lower part of the tongue were formed with horizontal lock means in the form of lock element and lock groove.

Claims (62)

PATENT CLAIMS A flooring system comprising a plurality of identical floorboards that are mechanically connectable in a joint plane (VP), said floorboards having a core (30), a front side (32), a rear side (34), and opposed connecting edge portions (4a, 4b) ), one of which is formed as a tongue groove (36) defined by the upper lip (39) and the lower lip (40) and has a lower end (48) and the other is formed as a tongue (38) with an upwardly directed portion (8) at its free end (69), the tongue groove (36), seen from the connection plane (VP), has the shape of an undercut groove (36) with opening, an internal undercut (35) and an inner locking surface (45), and at least one lower the tongue (40) is integrally formed with the floorboard core (30) and the tongue (38) has a locking surface (65) that is configured to interact with the inner locking surface (45) in the tongue groove (36) of the adjacent floorboard when are two such floorboards mechanically sp so that their front sides (32) are located in the same surface plane (HP) and meet in a connection plane (VP) directed perpendicular thereto, wherein the inner keyway groove surface (45) is formed on the outer upper lip (39). ) inside the undercut key groove part (35) for interacting with a corresponding key locking surface (65), wherein the locking surface is formed in the upwardly directed tongue part (8) to counteract the separation of two mechanically connected plates in a direction (D2) perpendicular to a coupling plane (VP), wherein the lower lip (40) has a support surface (50) to interact with a corresponding support surface (71) of the tongue, the support surface being designed to interact against relative displacement of two mechanically connected plates in direction (D1) perpendicular to a surface plane (HP) where all parts of the lower lip (40) that are connected to the core (30), as viewed from (C), where the surface plane (HP) and the joining plane (VP) intersect are located outside of a plane (LP2) which lies further from this point as a locking surface (LP1) which is parallel to them and which is tangent to the interacting surfaces (45, 65) of the tongue groove where these surfaces are most inclined with respect to the surface plane (HP), and wherein the interacting bearing surfaces (50, 71) of the lower lip and tongue extending parallel to the surface plane (HP) are positionable with a gap and closed to the joining plane (VP) without the free end (69) a tongue characterized in that all parts of the lower lip (40) that are connected to the core (30) are shorter than the upper lip (39) and terminate at a certain distance from the joint plane (VP), the lower lip (40) being resilient , the upper lip (39) is stronger than the lower lip (40), the upper and lower lip of the joining edge portions (4a, 4b) are formed to connect the laid floorboard to the new floorboard by pressing against each other substantially parallel to the surface a horizontal plane (HP) of the laid floorboard for interlocking portions of the lock system while bending the tongue groove (40) downwardly. Floor system according to claim 1, characterized in that the tongue (38) is flexible. Floor system according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the connecting edge portions (4a, 4b) are designed to connect the laid floorboard to the new floorboard by pressing against each other with the surface plane of the floorboards substantially aligned with each other during bending of the tongue. (38) and lower lip (40). A flooring system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the upper and lower edges of the joined edge portions (4a, 4b) are designed to disengage two mechanically connected floorboards by rotating one floorboard upwards relative to the other around the center (C). rotating near the intersection of the surface plane (HP) with the joint plane (VP) to disconnect the tongue (38) of one floorboard from the groove (36) to the tongue of the other floorboard. A flooring system according to claim 4, characterized in that the upper and lower edges of the connecting edge portions (4a, 4b) are designed to disengage two mechanically connected floorboards by rotating the floorboard upward relative to the other around the pivot center (C) near the intersection of the surface. a plane (HP) and a connection plane (VP) for detaching the floorboard tongue (38) from the groove (36) to the second floorboard tongue while bending the lower lip downwards. Floor system according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that at least a major part of the lower end (48) of the tongue groove, viewed parallel to the surface plane (HP), lies further from the joining plane (VP) than the outer free end ( 69) pens. A flooring system according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the abutment surfaces (71, 50) of the tongue (38) and the lower lip (40) that are designed to interact are set at a smaller angle to the surface plane than (HP). and interlocking surfaces (45, 65) of the upper lip (39) and the tongue (38). Floor system according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the locking surfaces (45, 65) are arranged at substantially the same angle with respect to the surface plane (HP) as the tangent to the circular arc, which is the tangent to the locking surfaces (45, 65) interlocked at a point closest to the lower end (48) of the undercut groove (36) and having its center at the point (C) where the surface (HP) and the joining surface (VP) intersect. Floor system according to any one of the preceding claims 1-7, characterized in that the locking surfaces (45, 65) are arranged at a greater angle to the surface plane (HP) than the tangent to the circular arc which is tangent to the locking surfaces (45 , 65) intermeshing at a location as close as possible to the lower end (48) of the undercut groove (36) and having its center at the point where the surface plane (HP) and the connection plane (VP) intersect. Floor system according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the upper lip (39) and the tongue (38) have contact surfaces (43, 64) which, in their locked state, interact with each other and which are located within the region between the connecting plane (VP) and locking surfaces (45, 65) of the tongue (38) and upper lip (39), the locking surfaces (45,65) interacting with each other in the locked state. Floor system according to claim 10, characterized in that the contact surfaces (43, 64), as viewed from the interacting locking surfaces (45, 65) of the tongue of the upper lip (39), are inclined upwards and outwards to the connection plane (VP). A flooring system according to claim 10, characterized in that the contact surfaces (43, 64) are substantially parallel to the surface plane (HP). Floor system according to claim 10, 11 or 12, characterized in that the contact surfaces (43, 64) are substantially planar. A flooring system according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the undercut groove (36) and tongue (38) are of such a construction that the outer end (69) of the tongue is spaced from the undercut groove (36) along substantially over a distance from the locking surfaces (45, 65) of the upper lip (39) and the tongue (38), which lock the interlocking surfaces of the cooperating abutment surfaces (50, 71) of the lower lip and the tongue. A flooring system according to claim 14, characterized in that the surface portion of the tongue outer end (69) that is in contact with the surface portion of the undercut groove (36) has a smaller vertical view than the locking surfaces (45, 65). when two such plates are mechanically connected. Floor system according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the edge portions (4a, 4b) with their tongues (38) and the tongue groove (36) are designed for surface contact by joining two plates between the edge portions (4a). 4b) along at most 30% of the edge area of the edge portion supporting the tongue (38) measured from the top side (32) of the floorboard to its rear side (34). Floor system according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the cooperating abutment surfaces (71, 50) of the tongue (38) and the lower lip (40) are set at an angle of at least 10 ° to the surface plane (HP). Floor system according to claim 17, characterized in that the interacting abutment surfaces (71, 50) of the tongue and the lower lip are set at an angle of at most 30 ° to the surface plane (HP). Floor system according to claim 18, characterized in that the interacting abutment surfaces (71, 50) of the tongue and the lower lip are set at an angle of at most 20 ° to the surface plane (HP). Floor system according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that at least parts of the supporting surfaces (50, 71) of the lower lip and the tongue are located at a greater distance from the connecting plane (VP) than the inclined locking surfaces (45, 65). ) the top edge and the pen. Floor system according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the undercut groove (36) and tongue (38) are designed to move a floorboard mechanically connected to a similar floorboard in the direction (D3) along the joint plane (VP). . Floor system according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the tongue (38) and the undercut groove (36) are designed to disconnect one plate from the other by rotating one plate relative to the other, the plates at point (C) of the connecting edge portions. the plates adjacent the intersection of the surface plane (HP) and the joint plane (VP) are in contact. A flooring system according to claim 22, characterized in that the tongue (38) and the undercut groove (36) are designed to disengage the plate by rotating one plate relative to the other, wherein the plates are in contact with the connecting edge portions (4a, 4b). plates close to the intersection of the surface plane (HP) and the connection plane (VP) without substantial contact between the side of the tongue facing away from the surface plane (HP) and the lower lip (40). Floor system according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the distance between the locking surface (LP2) and the plane (LP1) parallel thereto, from which all parts of the lower lip connected to the core are located, is at least 10% of the thickness (T). ) of the floorboard. A flooring system according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the upper tongue locking surfaces (45, 65) and the tongue form an angle of less than 90 ° but at least 20 ° with the surface plane (HP). A flooring system according to claim 25, characterized in that the locking surfaces (45, 65) of the upper lip and the tongue form an angle of at least 30 ° with the surface plane (HP). Floor system according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the cooperating tongue abutment surfaces (71, 50) and the lower lip (40) form an angle equal to or less than the angle with which the tangent is relative to one another. engaging abutment surfaces at a location closest to the lower end (48) of the undercut groove (36) and having its center at the point (C) where the surface plane (HP) and the joining plane (VP) intersect, as viewed through the plate. Floor system according to claim 27, characterized in that the interacting abutment surfaces (71, 50) of the tongue and the lower lip (40) form a greater angle to the surface plane (HP) than the tangent with a circular arc, which is tangent to the engaging abutments. surfaces at a location closest to the lower end (48) of the undercut groove and having its center at the point where the surface plane (HP) and the connection plane (VP) intersect. Floor system according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the bearing surfaces (71, 50) of the tongue and the lower lip (40) to be interacted form a smaller angle with the surface plane (HP) than the bearing surfaces (71). 45, 65) on the upper lip (39) and tongue (38). Floor system according to claim 29, characterized in that the bearing surfaces (71, 50) of the tongue and the lower lip (40) to be interacted are inclined in the same direction but at a smaller angle to the surface plane (HP) as the interlocking surfaces (45, 65) of the upper lip (39) and the tongue (38). A flooring system according to any one of claims 27-30, characterized in that the abutment surfaces (50, 71) form an angle to the surface plane (HP) at least 20 ° greater than the locking surfaces (45, 65). SK 287961-6 Floor system according to claim 31, characterized in that the support surfaces (50, 71) form an angle to the surface plane (HP) at least 20 ° greater than the locking surfaces (45, 65). Floor system according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the locking surfaces (45, 65) of the upper lip and the tongue are substantially planar inside at least the surface portions which are intended to interact with each other when joining such plates. Floor system according to claim 33, characterized in that the tongue (38) has guide surfaces (68) which are located outside the tongue locking surface (65) as viewed from the connection plane (VP) and which form a smaller angle with the surface plane (HP) as the locking surfaces (65) grip. Floor system according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the upper lip (39) has a guide surface (42) which is located closer to the opening of the tongue groove than the upper lip (45) and the smaller animal. angle with the surface plane (HP) as the locking surface of the upper lip (39). Floor system according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that at least parts of the support surfaces (50, 71) of the lower lip and tongue are located at a greater distance from the connection plane (VP) than the inclined locking surfaces (45, 65) of the upper britu and pen. Floor system according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the tongue locking surface (65) is arranged at least 0.1 times the thickness (T) of the floorboard from the free tongue end (69). Floor system according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the vertical extent of the interacting locking surfaces (45, 65) is less than half the vertical extent of the undercut (35), seen from the connection plane (VP) and parallel to the surface. plane (HP). Floor system according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the locking surfaces (45, 65), viewed in vertical section through the floorboard, have a range which is at most 10% of the floorboard thickness (T). A flooring system according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the length of the tongue (38), viewed perpendicularly of the connection plane (VP), is at least 0.3 times the thickness (T) of the board. Floor system according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the tongue-supporting connecting portion (4b) and / or the tongue groove-connecting connecting portion (4a) has / have a cut-out (63) which is positioned above the tongue ( 38) and ends some distance from the surface plane (HP). Floor system according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the undercut groove (36), in cross-sectional view, has an outer open portion which tapers inwardly in the shape of a funnel. Floor system according to claim 44, characterized in that the upper lip (39) has a guide surface (42) at its outer edge, located further from the surface plane (HP). Floor system according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the tongue (38), in cross-sectional view, has a tip which tapers. Floor system according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the tongue, when viewed in cross-section, has a tip that is split into upper and lower lip portions. 46. The flooring system of claim 45, wherein the upper and lower lip portions of the tongue are made of different materials with different properties. Floor system according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the tongue groove (36) and the tongue (38) are integrally formed with the floorboard. Floor system according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the upper lip (39) is thicker than the lower lip (40). Floor system according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the minimum thickness of the upper lip (39) adjacent to the undercut (35) is greater than the maximum thickness of the lower lip (40) adjacent to the support surface (50). Floor system according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the extent of the supporting surfaces is at most 15% of the thickness (T) of the floorboard. Floor system according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the vertical extent of the tongue groove between the upper lip (39) and the lower lip (40), measured parallel to the joint plane (VP) and at the outer end of the support surface (50) is at least 30% of the floorboard thickness (T). Floor system according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the depth of the tongue groove (36) measured from the joint plane (VP) is at least 2% greater than the corresponding extent of the tongue (38). Floor system according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the tongue (38) has different material properties than the upper lip (39) or the lower lip (40). Floor system according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the upper lip (39) and the lower lip (40) are made of materials with different properties. Floor system according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it also comprises a second mechanical lock, which is made of a cam groove formed on the underside of the tongue (4b) supporting the tongue (38) and extending parallel to the tongue (38). a connection plane (VP) and a lock plane strip (6) integrally connected to the board edge portion (4a) below the groove (36) and extending along substantially the entire length of the link edge portion and having a locking upward facing portion (8) of a strip and which, if two such plates are mechanically connected, is inserted in the locking groove (14) of the connecting plate. Floor system according to Claim 55, characterized in that the locking strip (6) projects beyond the joint plane. Floor system according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it is formed in a board having a core (30) of wood-fiber-based material. A flooring system according to claim 57, characterized in that it is formed in a board having a wood core (30). Floor system according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the floorboards are quadrilateral with edge portions (4a, 4b, 5a, 5b) that are parallel in pairs. 60. The floor system of claim 59, having mechanical locking systems on all four lateral end portions. Floor system according to claim 59 or 60, characterized in that the tongue connecting edge portion (4b) and / or tongue connecting edge portion (4a) on one pair of parallel connecting end portions is / are formed with different material properties than the tongue connecting edge portion (4b) and / or tongue connecting edge portion (4a) on another pair of parallel connecting end portions. A floor system floorboard according to any one of the preceding claims, provided with a mechanical connection of the floorboard to similar floorboards in a connection plane (VP) between the floorboard and another similarly connected floorboard having a core (30), a front (32), a rear side (34) and two opposing parallel connecting edge portions (4a, 4b) that are formed as parts of the mechanical locking system and one of them is formed as a tongue groove (36) defined by the upper lip (39) and the lower lip (40) and having a lower end (48) and a second one formed as a tongue (38) with an upwardly directed portion (8) at its free outer end (69), the tongue groove (36) seen from the connection plane (VP) having the shape the undercut groove (36) with opening, the inner undercut portion (35) and the inner locking surface (45), and at least portions of the lower lip (40) are integrally formed with the floorboard core (30) and the tongue (38) has a locking surface (65) that is designed to interact with the inner locking surface (45) in the tongue groove (36) of the joining plate when two such floorboards are mechanically connected so that the front sides are located in the the same surface plane (HP) facing the joint plane (VP) perpendicularly, wherein the inner tongue groove locking surface (45) is formed on the upper lip (39) inside the tongue groove undercut portion (35), to interact with the corresponding locking surface (45). 65) a tongue formed on the upwardly directed tongue part (8) to cooperate against the separation of two mechanically connected plates in a direction (D2) perpendicular to the joint plane (VP), wherein the lower lip (40) has a support surface (50) interacting with a corresponding tongue support surface (71), wherein the support surfaces are adapted to counteract the relative displacement of two mechanically connected plates in a direction (D1) perpendicular to the surface plane (HP) ), wherein all portions of the parts of the lower lip (40) that are connected to the core (30), as seen in line C, where the surface plane (HP) and the connection plane (VP) intersect, are located outside the plane (LP2) is located farther from this point as a parallel plane (LP1) tangential to the interlocking tongues (45, 65) of the tongue and tongue groove, the latter being most inclined relative to the surface plane (LP1) HP), and wherein the cooperating lower abutment support surfaces (50, 71) viewed parallel to the surface plane (HP) are spaced apart from and closer to the joining plane (VP), as the outer free end (69) of the undercut groove, characterized in that all parts of the lower lip (40) that are connected to the core (30) are shorter than the upper lip (39) and terminate at a distance from the joint plane (VP) that the lower lip (40) is flexible, that the top brit (39) is p more prominent than the lower edge (40) and that the upper and lower edges of the connecting edge portions (4a, 4b) of the edge portions are designed to join the laid floorboard to the new floorboard by pushing each other substantially parallel to the surface plane (HP) of the laidboard for interlocking portions of the lock system while bending the lower tongue groove (40) downwards.