US 2,008,010,931 · Filed 2007-06-29
The Click-Lock Floor Panel Patent That Makes Floating Floors Foolproof
Imagine floor panels that lock together like puzzle pieces without nails or adhesive—this patent describes a mechanical combination lock system built into the edges of flooring tiles. When you fit two panels together, their locking grooves and flexible tongues engage automatically, creating a rock-solid connection that won't shift or separate over time.
The plain-English version
What it protects
The claim covers a locking system designed specifically for floor panels that uses three interlocking connecting devices. What's protected here is the combination of an upwardly directed locking element that seats into a locking groove, plus a flexible tongue housed in a displacement groove that cooperates with a mating tongue on an adjacent panel. The specific geometry and mechanical interplay of these components—the groove shapes, the tongue placement, and how they engage—is what the patent locks down.
Why it matters
This patent is significant because it solves a real problem in the flooring industry: how to make panels lock together securely without fasteners, glue, or professional installation. Valinge Innovation AB, a Swedish company, has built a substantial business around click-lock flooring systems, which transformed laminate and vinyl flooring from fragile, squeaky products into durable, DIY-friendly options. The mechanical elegance of the solution meant homeowners could install entire rooms themselves, disrupting the traditional flooring market where professional installation was often mandatory.
Real-world use
Every time you install a laminate or vinyl plank floor as a DIY project and hear that satisfying click as two panels snap together, you're using the mechanical principle this patent protects.
Original USPTO abstract
A locking system for a floor panel includes a first connecting device, a second connecting device, and a third connecting device. The first connecting device includes a combination lock including an upwardly directed locking element configured to cooperate with a locking groove. The combination lock further including a flexible tongue in a displacement groove. The displacement groove and the flexible tongue of the combination lock are configured to cooperate with a tongue of a third connecting device.
Patent details
- Publication number
- US 2,008,010,931
- Filing date
- 2007-06-29
- Grant date
- Application — not yet granted
- Assignee
- Valinge Innovation Ab
- Inventor(s)
- PERVAN DARKO, BOO CHRISTIAN
- CPC class
- E04F15/02
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