US 6,023,907 · Granted 2000-02-15
The Click-Lock Floor Patent That Changed How Rooms Snap Together
Imagine floor planks that click together like LEGO blocks without nails or glue. This patent describes a two-way locking system where one edge of a plank has a strip with a little bump that slides into a groove on the next plank, holding everything tight both sideways and front-to-back while still letting the boards shift slightly as wood naturally expands and contracts.
The plain-English version
What it protects
The patent covers a mechanical joining system for building panels, particularly floating floors, with two interlocking connections: first, adjacent edges that lock perpendicular to the panel surface, and second, a strip protruding from one panel with an upward-facing locking element that engages a groove on the neighboring panel's rear side, creating a lock parallel to the surface. What's protected is this specific two-direction locking geometry that allows panels to connect without adhesive while permitting controlled movement along the joint line.
Why it matters
This patent represents a foundational innovation in click-lock flooring technology, which transformed the flooring industry by enabling faster installation, easier replacement, and better accommodation of wood movement in floating floor systems. Valinge's design became a cornerstone of modern laminate and engineered hardwood flooring, influencing how millions of floors are installed worldwide and creating a durable patent portfolio that shaped manufacturing standards in the home-improvement sector.
Real-world use
When you install a floating laminate or engineered wood floor in a basement or living room, you're using the exact locking-strip geometry this patent describes—that satisfying click you hear is the interlocking mechanism engaging.
Original USPTO abstract
The invention relates to a system for laying and mechanically joining building panels, especially thin, hard, floating floors. Adjacent joint edges (3, 4) of two panels (1, 2) engage each other to provide a first mechanical connection locking the joint edges (3, 4) in a first direction (D1) perpendicular to the principal plane of the panels. In each joint, there is further provided a strip (6) which is integrated with one joint edge (3) and which projects behind the other joint edge (4). The strip (6) has an upwardly protruding locking element (8) engaging in a locking groove (14) in the rear side (16) of the other joint edge (4) to form a second mechanical connection locking the panels (1, 2) in a second direction (D2) parallel to the principal plane of the panels and at right angles to the joint. Both the first and the second mechanical connection allow mutual displacement of joined panels (1, 2) in the direction of the joint.
Patent details
- Publication number
- US 6,023,907
- Filing date
- 1998-11-18
- Grant date
- 2000-02-15
- Assignee
- Valinge Aluminium Ab
- Inventor(s)
- PERVAN; TONY
- CPC class
- E04F15/02
Want to file your own patent?
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