US 6,421,970 · Granted 2002-07-23
The Tongue-and-Groove Patent That Made Click Flooring Click
Imagine floor or wall panels that snap together like Lego bricks instead of needing nails or glue. This patent locks down the design of grooves and tongues—those interlocking ridges on panel edges—especially when made from water-resistant material so they don't swell or warp when wet.
The plain-English version
What it protects
The claim covers a building panel (flooring or wall) with a locking mechanism made of grooves and tongues that interlock to join panels together in a snap-fit joint. What's protected specifically is the combination of this groove-and-tongue design made from water-resistant material that allows panels to lock together without fasteners. Anyone manufacturing similar interlocking panels with comparable snap-together joints using water-resistant materials in the grooved and tongued portions could infringe this patent.
Why it matters
This patent represents a fundamental shift in how flooring and wall panels are installed. Before reliable snap-together joints, panels required fasteners, adhesives, or complex installation labor. By patenting the water-resistant groove-and-tongue snap joint, this invention makes DIY and professional installation faster, cheaper, and less error-prone. The patent protects the core mechanical innovation that became standard in modern laminate, vinyl, and engineered wood flooring—a category worth billions in retail sales globally.
Real-world use
Every time you walk across click-lock laminate flooring or install a wall panel that snaps together without tools, you're using geometry protected by this patent's interlocking groove-and-tongue design.
Original USPTO abstract
A building panel, such as a flooring panel or wall panel and a method of assembling the same into a floor, wall cladding, etc. The panel is provided with a locking means in the form of groove ( 6 ) and tongue ( 7 ) forming a tongue/groove joint for assembling of the panels. In a preferred embodiment, the groove ( 6 ) and the tongue ( 7 ) are made of water resistant material and formed with a snap-together joint.
Patent details
- Publication number
- US 6,421,970
- Filing date
- 2000-11-06
- Grant date
- 2002-07-23
- Assignee
- Perstorp Flooring Ab
- Inventor(s)
- MARTENSSON GORAN, KULIK MAGNUS
- CPC class
- E04B1/6129
Want to file your own patent?
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