US 6,490,836 · Granted 2002-12-10
The Click-Lock Floor Panel That Changed How Homes Get Wood
Imagine floor planks that snap together like LEGO—no nails, no glue, no mess. This patent describes the mechanical locking system that lets one edge of a plank grip the edge of the next, holding them tight so they won't slide apart sideways, even under pressure.
The plain-English version
What it protects
The claim covers a hard floor panel with tongue-and-groove coupling parts along opposite edges, combined with integrated mechanical locking elements that prevent adjacent panels from drifting perpendicular to those edges. What's protected here is the specific geometry and locking mechanism that lets two panels lock together mechanically without additional fasteners, and critically, the design that prevents lateral separation parallel to the underside of the panels.
Why it matters
This patent is foundational to modern click-lock laminate and engineered hardwood flooring, a category that transformed DIY home installation. Before mechanical locking systems like this, floors required professional installation, adhesive, or nailing. The patent gave its assignee, Unilin, a key competitive advantage in making floors easier and faster to install, which expanded the market for homeowners and contractors willing to do their own work.
Real-world use
Every time someone installs a laminate or luxury vinyl plank floor themselves in a bedroom or kitchen, they're snapping panels together using this exact locking mechanism—no tools, no skills, just a satisfying click.
Original USPTO abstract
Floor covering, including hard floor panels ( 1 ) which, at least at the edges of two opposite sides ( 2-3, 26-27 ), are provided with coupling parts ( 4-5, 28-29 ), cooperating which each other, substantially in the form of a tongue ( 9-31 ) and a groove ( 10-32 ), wherein the coupling parts ( 4-5, 28-29 ) are provided with integrated mechanical locking elements ( 6 ) which prevent the drifting apart of two coupled floor panels in a direction (R) perpendicular to the related edges ( 2-3, 26-27 ) and parallel to the underside ( 7 ) of the coupled floor panels ( 1 ).
Patent details
- Publication number
- US 6,490,836
- Filing date
- 1999-12-23
- Grant date
- 2002-12-10
- Assignee
- Unilin Beheer B.V. Besloten Vennootschap
- Inventor(s)
- MORIAU STEFAN SIMON GUSTAAF, CAPPELLE MARK GASTON MAURITS, THIERS BERNARD PAUL JOSEPH
- CPC class
- E04F15/02038
Want to file your own patent?
If you're designing a new flooring product or fastening system, search IsItPatented to see what locking geometries are already claimed in your category before you prototype.
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