US 2,007,028,547 · Filed 2004-01-30
The Springy Lip That Made Click-Lock Flooring Click
Imagine floor panels that snap together like LEGO bricks instead of requiring nails or glue. This patent covers the springy metal or plastic lip hidden inside the grooves along a panel's edge that locks two boards together when you slide them horizontally toward each other—the same technology that makes modern laminate and engineered wood flooring so easy to install.
The plain-English version
What it protects
The claim covers a mechanical locking system for floor panels or building boards that uses a springy insert (the lip) positioned in a groove along the board's edge. What's protected here is specifically the combination of: a groove carved into opposite lateral edges of the board, an insert with at least one flexible lip that extends toward either the top or bottom face, and the horizontal sliding motion that locks two boards together. Anyone manufacturing click-lock flooring boards using this springy-lip mechanism would be infringing on this design.
Why it matters
This patent represents a core innovation in modern flooring manufacturing. The springy-lip locking mechanism made hardwood, laminate, and engineered wood flooring dramatically easier for homeowners to install without professional help, which expanded the DIY home improvement market significantly. It's a mechanical solution that replaced traditional nailing and gluing methods, reducing installation time and labor costs while making the category more accessible to average consumers.
Real-world use
When you lay down click-lock laminate or engineered wood flooring in your bedroom or kitchen, you're sliding boards together using the exact locking principle this patent describes—each click you hear is that springy lip engaging with the neighboring board.
Original USPTO abstract
Disclosed is a device for connecting and locking building boards comprising a top face ( 10 ) and a bottom face ( 11 ), especially floor panels ( 1, 2 ) that are provided with a core made of a wood material as well as a groove ( 3, 4; 5, 6; 18, 19 ) on two opposite lateral edges (I, II). Said building boards further comprise an insert ( 7; 8; 9 ) that is used for locking and can be inserted into the groove ( 3 or 4; 5, 6; 18 , or 19 ) of one of the lateral edges (I, II). The boards ( 1, 2 ) are connected by displacing the boards in an essentially horizontal direction (Q) towards each other. The inventive device is characterized in that the insert ( 7; 8; 9; 17 ) is provided with at least one springy lip ( 7 a, 8 a; 9 a; 17 a ) which extends towards the top face ( 10 ) or the bottom face ( 11 ).
Patent details
- Publication number
- US 2,007,028,547
- Filing date
- 2004-01-30
- Grant date
- Application — not yet granted
- Assignee
- Kronotec Ag
- Inventor(s)
- GRAFENAUER THOMAS, LEWARK MATTHIAS
- CPC class
- F16B5/002
Want to file your own patent?
Designing a new flooring or panel system? Search our database to see how existing locking mechanisms are protected before you engineer your own connection solution.
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