US 2,008,134,607 · Filed 2005-10-21
The Flexible Tongue Patent That Changed How Floors Lock Together
Imagine floor planks that snap together like puzzle pieces, but instead of a rigid plastic clip, they use a bendy tongue that slides into a groove and locks tight when you press down. This patent is about that clever locking system—the part that keeps hardwood and laminate floors from shifting or separating over time.
The plain-English version
What it protects
The claim covers a mechanical locking system for floor panels that uses a flexible tongue housed in a displacement groove. What's protected here is the specific geometry and motion of that tongue—how it bends and moves vertically as two panels fold together, and how it wedges tight to create a secure connection without metal fasteners or adhesives. The patent also covers the tongue blank (the raw material piece) and the manufacturing and installation methods for assembling panels this way.
Why it matters
This invention matters because it solved a real problem in the flooring industry: how to make planks connect durably and look seamless without visible hardware. Valinge Innovation, a Swedish company, built much of its business around innovations in click-lock flooring systems. This flexible-tongue approach became one of the fundamental designs in modern laminate and vinyl plank floors, enabling the DIY revolution in home flooring where people could install their own floors without glue or nails.
Real-world use
Every time you click together laminate or vinyl plank flooring in a bedroom or kitchen, that satisfying 'snap' sound and the tongue sliding into the groove is this mechanism at work.
Original USPTO abstract
Floor panels ( 1, 1′ ) are shown, which are provided with a mechanical locking system having a flexible tongue ( 30 ) in a displacement groove ( 40 ), which during a vertical folding motion is displaced. Moreover, a tongue blank ( 50 ), a production method and an installation method are shown.
Patent details
- Publication number
- US 2,008,134,607
- Filing date
- 2005-10-21
- Grant date
- Application — not yet granted
- Assignee
- Valinge Innovation Ab
- Inventor(s)
- PERVAN DARKO, HAKANSSON NICLAS, NYGREN PER
- CPC class
- E04F15/02038
Want to file your own patent?
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