US 2,006,070,333 · Filed 2003-03-31
The Snap-Together Floorboard Patent That Changed DIY Installation
Imagine floorboards that lock together like LEGO bricks instead of requiring nails or glue. This patent covers a mechanical strip attached to each board that snaps and angles inward to connect neighboring boards, making flooring installation faster and easier for anyone.
The plain-English version
What it protects
The claims protect a floorboard design featuring a separately manufactured locking strip that attaches to the board through snap-in and angle-locking mechanisms. What's protected here is the combination of the locking strip itself, the way it mechanically fastens to the floorboard, and how it interlocks with adjacent floorboards through inward angling rather than adhesives or fasteners.
Why it matters
This patent addresses a real pain point in flooring installation: traditional methods require specialized tools, adhesives, and skilled labor. By engineering boards that lock together mechanically, this design lowers barriers to DIY flooring projects and reduces installation time and cost, which could streamline the entire home-improvement industry for both professionals and homeowners.
Real-world use
When you lay down luxury vinyl plank or engineered hardwood that clicks together smoothly without nails or glue, you're using the mechanical locking principle this patent describes.
Original USPTO abstract
Floorboards ( 1, 1 ′) are shown, which are provided with a mechanical locking system consisting of a separately machined locking strip ( 6 ) which is mechanically joined with the floorboard ( 1 ), the locking strip ( 6 ) being designed for mechanical fixing to the floorboard ( 1 ) by means of a joint, which is operable by snapping-in and/or inward angling, and the locking strip ( 6 ) being designed to connect the floorboard ( 1 ) with the essentially identical floorboard ( 1 ′) by at least inward angling. Moreover, a locking strip, a strip blank, a set of parts for making a floorboard and methods for manufacturing a floorboard and a locking strip, respectively, are shown.
Patent details
- Publication number
- US 2,006,070,333
- Filing date
- 2003-03-31
- Grant date
- Application — not yet granted
- Assignee
- Darko Pervan
- Inventor(s)
- PERVAN DARKO
- CPC class
- E04F15/02038
Want to file your own patent?
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