US 6,601,359 · Granted 2003-08-05
The Pergo Patent That Locked Laminate Flooring Together
Imagine snapping together toy building blocks, but for your floor. This patent describes a clever interlocking system where tongue-and-groove edges on flooring panels have staggered ribs and grooves that grip each other extra tightly when you slide them together, creating a seamless, rock-solid surface without gaps.
The plain-English version
What it protects
The claim covers a flooring or wall panel system where the tongue and groove edges feature specially arranged ribs and grooves positioned in a staggered pattern along the insertion direction. What's protected here is the specific geometry of how these locking mechanisms interact — including the optional beveled or stepped surface portions on the upper and lower cheeks that face the groove — to create a firm, gapless joint between adjacent panels when they are mechanically locked together.
Why it matters
This patent protects the core mechanical design behind modern click-lock laminate and engineered wood flooring. By patenting the precise arrangement of interlocking ribs and grooves, Pergo secured a competitive advantage in the flooring industry's shift toward easier, faster installation without nails or glue. The staggered locking geometry reduces movement and gaps over time, which directly improves product durability and customer satisfaction — two major selling points in the home improvement market.
Real-world use
When you or a contractor click together laminate planks to cover a bedroom floor, you're using the exact interlocking mechanics this patent describes. The way each plank snaps firmly into place with no wobble comes straight from this design.
Original USPTO abstract
A flooring panel or wall panel ( 20 ) is provided with a tongue ( 1 ) and a groove ( 2 ) each comprising cooperating locking means in the form of ribs ( 11, 12 ) and grooves ( 9, 10 ). The locking means of the upper side and lower side of the tongue ( 1 ) and groove ( 2 ) respectively are arranged staggered in an insertion direction in which the two panels to be joined to each other are joined to configure a firm joint between two adjoining panels at which an additional surface portion ( 31; 32; 51 ) step ( 31 ) is provided at the surface area of the upper cheek ( 3 ) facing the groove ( 2 ) and/or of the lower cheek ( 5 ) of the groove which is formed as a step ( 31 ) or bevel ( 32: 51 ).
Patent details
- Publication number
- US 6,601,359
- Filing date
- 2001-06-12
- Grant date
- 2003-08-05
- Assignee
- Pergo (Europe) Ab
- Inventor(s)
- OLOFSSON OLA
- CPC class
- E04F15/02
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